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The Smoke November 2024 Newton Local Schools
Vol. 6 Issue 3

Thankful Thoughts … By Vivien Clark

I am the most thankful for the time I get to spend with my family and friends. They are the most important people in my life and to be able to live my life with them is the best blessing I could ever receive.

By Candace Shellenberger

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I have been doing some self reflection on what I am thankful for. I am thankful for a supportive family that is always there for me. My friends who always make me laugh when I’m down. Thankful for sunrises that remind me that each day is a day full of new blessings. I am thankful for a community to help me grow in my faith. There is so much more to be thankful for, but this is just a small list.

By Liam Woods

I am very thankful for everybody in my life who have made me the person I am. Without these people my life would be boring and I would be a boring and uninteresting person. I am also thankful for all the media that I consume because it keeps life entertaining. And what I am most thankful for is all the little toys and trinkets I collect and I am gifted because they make me happy everytime I see one and I remind of the story behind them.

By Meg Yoder

I am thankful for all my friends and family. Life would be really hard to go through without them, and way less funny. I am thankful for every time my little cousin reminds me to pray even though I act annoyed, I am happy that he points it out. I am thankful for driving at night with friends, and last minute plans. I am thankful for laughing and smile lines. I am thankful for good music, and when people laugh at my jokes. I am thankful for different qualities between people, and optimists. Above all, I am thankful that I was given a life to live.

By Dylan Bauer

I am thankful for many things. My parents work very hard to support me and my siblings. I am thankful that I am the oldest and I get to set a good example (sometimes by showing what not to do) for my younger brother growing up. I am also very thankful that I got to run with the guys on the cross team this year. Finally, I am thankful for food because it is good. :)	1

Obscure But Real Sports! By: Dylan Bauer

Sports are potentially the most popular activity in human history, and out of all of them, soccer (aka football) is at the very top. There is also basketball, football, and baseball as the most popular here in America. However, around the world there are many other sports that you may or may not have heard of. For example, cricket, a game very similar to baseball, is the most popular sport in India. Believe it or not, professional cornhole is a real thing and is even broadcast on television. In China, table tennis and badminton are among the top 5 and the professional badminton matches are really intense. Finally, cheese rolling, a grueling and dangerous sport that originated in England, involves a massive group of people chasing a wheel of cheese down a steep grassy hill. Whoever gets the cheese first is crowned the champion and gets to keep the cheese. In case you get bored of the mainstream sports here in America, you can always give these others a look.
athletes of the month

Gwen Holbrook

Gwen has played soccer for 12 years, so it is clear that she knows what she is doing on the field. She plays either center	mid	or	forward depending on the day and is most proud of making first team in WOAC and second team for all Miami this year. As a junior, she still has one more year of highschool and is poised to have a great senior season next Fall. Great job Gwen!

Seth Coker

The veteran cross country runner, Seth Coker, has been leading the team for most of his high school career. He capped off his senior season by qualifying for the regional meet and placing 17th. His proudest	achievement	is making it to the state meet for track last year as a junior. Over the winter, Seth plans to train hard and be faster than ever come this spring for his final track season. Keep it up!
Q&A

1. What rule would you change about your sport? Gwen: Offsides
Seth: Physical contact is allowed

2. What is your sport’s most satisfying sound?

Gwen: When you trap the ball just right from out of the air Seth: The starting gun
3. What is the best toilet paper? Gwen: Bounty
Seth: Not sure.

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Home town heroes

By Meg Yoder

The U.S. Marines is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combined arms. The Marines were established November 10th, 1775, in Philadelphia, PA. There are 177,200

By Candace Shellenberger

The United States Army has been protecting our nation’s freedom since before the Declaration of Independence was signed. It was the first of the six armed forces to be established. The goal of the United States Army is to preserve the defense, peace and the security of the nation. The army is biggest military branch in the United States, and their role is land warfare. The army can be broken down into three different components; active duty, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve Personnel. They have a total of 461,657 active members, and many more who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

By Vivien Clark
The U.S. Coast Guard is one of America’s six armed forces and the only military branch in the Department of Homeland Security. Their missions are vital to national security and global humanitarian initiatives. From search and rescue to helping law enforcement they strive to protect the national security of America. Holding their values of honor, respect, and their devotion to their duty close; they help protect American citizens and keep us safe. I then took the time on veterans day to interview Matt Harbour, he served four years in the Marines, he grew up in Troy and is connected to Newton through his daughter Felicity Harbour. When I asked Mr. Harbour “What it means to be a veteran to you” Mr. Harbour responded with: “To serve and protect. We take a lot of things for granted, but freedom isn't free”

current members and around 32,400 reserves. The Marines goal is the protection of our Nation and the advancement of its ideals. All of these men and women are making sacrifices everyday for us, and without them we would not live the life of freedom like we do today.

By Liam Woods

The U.S. Navy is the maritime service branch . They are responsible for defending the American Seas. The Navy was founded October 13, 1775. Their is 336,978 active members. The Navy is an important asset for the US military and we should thank them for their sacrifice for keeping us safe.

By Dylan Bauer
The U.S. Air Force was founded in 1947 as a response to how crucial air power was in World War II. Currently, there are upwards of 320,000 active members in the Air Force serving various different functions around the world. This division of the military primarily focuses on reconnaissance and global strikes. In short, they try to watch everything that the other countries and our enemies are doing, that way we are informed. In the Air Force, there are many different jobs other than fighter pilot. In fact, some personnel go their whole careers without ever setting foot in a cockpit.

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Album Review

By Meg Yoder

On October 28th, Tyler, the Creator released his latest album Chromakopia. It is a 14-track album written, produced and arranged by Tyler himself. This album includes features from Daniel Caesar, Doechii, GloRilla, LaToiya Williams, Lil Wayne, Childish Gambino, Solange, Lola Young, Santigold, Schoolboy Q, Thundercat, and Teezo Touchdown, and one other artist. Physical releases, such as vinyls, also included Playboi Carti. This album also includes recordings of his mothers voice. In “Like Him” it is revealed Tyler dad, who was previously thought to have abandoned Tyler and his mother at a young age, had wanted to be in Tyler’s life but his mom did not let him. This entire album is beautiful, and there is something for everyone on it. Some of my personal favorites from this album are, “Judge Judy”, “Sticky”, “I Hope You Find Your Way Home”, and “Balloon.”

artist of the month

By Liam Woods

Your November Artist of the month is Lillian Goad! When did you get into art? in 4th grade
What is your favorite art medium? painting, and sketching
What does your art consist of? realism and details What motivates you to make good art? When I'm doing art all of my stress goes away and especially when it turns out how I envisioned I feel super productive and complete.
Do you plan on pursuing a career in art after graduation? Possibly, there are so many different jobs I would like to do but if I did one in the art field it would be graphic design

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movie review

This month we watched a recommendation from Liam Woods, Silent Voice. This movie follows a high schooler Shoya, who is living through the consequences of being a bully in elementary school. As he gets older he realizes his mistakes and reaches out to Shoko, the deaf girl he and his friends bullied. When they reconnect they form a true friendship, however it is not easy.
Candace says, “This movie shows how much of an impact bullying can have on somebody and how important it is to fix your mistakes. If I had the option I would not watch it again.” While	Vivien	loved	it,	“Fire	movie,	10/10	would recommend.” Miss Rhea says, “I liked the idea of the movie but it was really long.” Everyone agrees that the topic is worth talking about. Liam says, “It is a very emotional movie, but I feel like it is not for everyone. If you are into anime or emotional drama I would check it out.” Meg says, “It talks about a very important topic and I really like it, I would recommend.” And Dylan thinks, “The film is a unique look on the other side of the coin that not many other movies focus on.”.
On a scale of 1-5 Miss Rhea gives it a 3, Candace rates it a 3.5. Dylan and Vivien give it a 4, Liam says 4.5, and Meg gives it a solid 5.

Science Experiments By Meg Yoder

For our experiment we made elephant toothpaste. We had to try twice because the first time we did not know what we were doing, and we did not put enough hydrogen peroxide in the bottle. We did not have the right concentration of hydrogen peroxide either because grocery stores don’t sell it. Once we got it figured out though, it worked pretty well. Thank you Mr. Schindler for letting us borrow a few things!

By Candace Shellenberger

The goal of our experiment was to answer the question, will putting butane in a plastic water bottle create a rocket? We then looked up different videos of people doing this and took it into account for what we could do for our experiment. Our hypothesis was, the butane will build up pressure in the bottle and send it flying into the air when we remove the cap. Next, we conducted our experiment. We poked a small hole, about the size of the tip of a pencil, in the water bottle lid. Then filled the water bottle around a sixth of the way with water. From there we went outside and sprayed the butane into the bottle through the hole in the lid. After the butane was in the bottle, we flipped the bottle upside down and quickly unscrewed the lid. The bottle went flying up in the air when we removed the cap.
In the end we discovered that the pressure that butane added to the water bottle

made the bottle fly up in the air like a rocket.	5

teacher of the month

By Candace Shellenberger

This month’s teacher of the month is Ms. McEldowney. She has been teaching for 7 years. She has wanted to teach ever since she was little. In her freetime she coaches volleyball and softball. She also likes being outside and hanging out with friends and family. Her biggest accomplishment was being part of the volleyball team that won state in high school. When I asked her what she was looking forward to the most this year she said “Getting to know more students and coaching softball here at Newton.” The final question I asked her was “if you could go back in time what advice would you give high school you?” She said “As a high school student, I was worried/focused on a lot about the future and life after high school. I would go back and tell myself to be where your feet are and enjoy the time being a kid! It will work itself out.”

student of the month By Candace Shellenberger

This month’s student of the month is Brenna Locker, and she was chosen by Mr. Schindler. When I asked him why he chose her he responded with “Academically, Brenna is an intelligent and hard working student who asks questions and participates in class. She takes her studies seriously and clearly puts in effort outside of the classroom. Overall, Brenna is a polite and trustworthy young woman. She is kind and caring toward her classmates.”
When I told Brenna she was the student of the month she was extremely surprised.

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Thanksgiving Traditions By Meg Yoder
In my family, Thanksgiving is a chance for my entire family to get together. We go to my grandma's house or have it at my house. We do not have any crazy traditions. We get together, eat, someone does a prayer, usually my grandma or my dad, we eat, and then we just talk for 2 hours. I still love it though, I love playing with my little cousins and talking with my family that lives out of state.

By Candace Shellenberger

Each year on Thanksgiving day, my family goes to my grandparents on my mom’s side of the family for lunch. This is usually a day we use to be with family and take a short break from the busyness of life. We spend the day playing games, watching T.V. and taking much needed naps. That night we order pizza for supper, then a couple hours later we all go home.

By Vivien Clark

Every Thanksgiving at the Clark’s is the same. We start the day by going to the cemetery to visit our grandma and grandpa, we then head back to my aunt's house and start cooking. We all make one dish, around five we have dinner then watch a movie. We then serve desert and talk about what's going on in our lives. And to end the night we all say something we are thankful for.

By Liam Woods

On Thanksgiving my dad forces me to run a 5 mile Turkey Trot with my Uncle. After the race we go to Waffle House for a victory breakfast. After that we finish watching the Macy day parade with my mom then get ready to go to my Grandmas house. We stay at my Grandmas most of the day and when we get back home we end the day by putting our Christmas decorations up.

By Dylan Bauer

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because of the massive family gathering that we have at my grandparents’ house every year. My grandparents, (Granny and Papaw), had four kids, but combined they have over 30 grandkids ranging from the ages of one to mid twenties. It’s always really fun catching up with all the different cousins, as we eat all of the food that the parents brought and prepared for dinner.

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clunker of the month

By Vivien Clark

This month's clunker is Logan Butts! He drives 2001 GMC Sonoma. His truck makes some odd noises and if your running from something do not jump in because you can not lock it. On the other hand if you are looking for some fun you can drift in the rain with it. The side might be rusted out, the shocks are bad, and the power steering leaks but hey it still runs. Logan has had it for just over a year and has no plan on fixing it. “Once I can afford literally anything else I’m going to push it off a bridge.” Congratulations Logan!

We adopted a cow!

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Questions of the month

By Liam Woods

It is the season of giving and you guys gave me some fire answers. For my first question I asked about the opinion on Thanksgiving. 32 people say that Thanksgiving is great, 24 think it is just alright and happy for the time off, and only 3 people hate Thanksgiving. But to spice up Thanksgiving for the hater I asked what they would bring to the first ever Thanksgiving for the pilgrims to try. Some answers that would change the course of history were Pop Rocks, Jello, Walmart Frosted Sugar Cookies, and worst of all, the One Chip Challenge. Some Thanksgiving food that is still hated to this day are unsurprisingly cranberry sauce and stuffing, but some shockers where mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and even the main dish itself, turkey. What is Thanksgiving without being thankful, and no one is surprised the only things people were really thankful for were the 3 Fs: Family, Friends, and Fortnite. And you should gather your family and friends to watch a movie. This month, the winner with 20 votes was Descendants, 2nd place was Z-O-M-B-I-E-S with 14 votes, in 3rd was High School Musical 3, next was a tie in between Princess Protection Program and Camp Rock with only 5 votes. And in last place and to no one’s surprise, the movie that Miss Rhea picked only got 1 vote and that movie was Starstruck. Be on the lookout for some holly jolly questions next month.

Scholar Musicians

By Candace Shellenberger

As a few of our high school band members are gearing up to go to Bowling Green State University Honors Band, here’s a little bit of how it works and how they were chosen. Mr. Taylor selected some members that he thought should get the opportunity to participate in this honors band. From there he sent a list of participants that could go to the BGSU band department. After the band department choses they send each participant who was accepted a letter of acceptance. The students will arrive on a Thursday and will complete an audition. This audition will put the members in either the top, middle or bottom band. From there they will have practices throughout the next two days and stay in a hotel room overnight. This honors band is a great opportunity for the students to meet new people and experience what it is like to be in a band outside of Newton. Congratulations Ellie Bauer, Emily Flora, Audrey Miller, and Candace Shellenberger for getting chosen to go!

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Happy 🎉 Birthday!

McKenzie Sheridan Seth Euton
Candace Shellenberger Evanston Hemphill Anna Wall
Drake Peters James Stucki Brayden Doty Mollie Adams Oliver Crow
Mia Isidro-Coppock Brady Pleiman Harlee Adams
Ally Moore Lillian Ryan

Student Submissions

Harvest

Thankful

November	Colorful	Pumpkinpie	Stuffing

Turkey

Smoke Signals November Playlist

Jumper - Third Eye Blind

Counting My Blessings - Seph Schlueter Kids Turned Out Fine- A$AP Rocky One Last Thing- Mac Miller
“Heaven on Earth” by Hayden Blount The Middle - Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey

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