FOX FIREIssue 1~~~~~~King George High School’s Place For News~~~~~~October 2011

Shorter Shorts, Longer Sleeves

Say Hello to FLEX By: Eleni Johnson

Continued Next Page

IndexNews...........Pages 1-3Editorials....Page 4Sports..........Page 5Features.......Pages 6-7

The new school year has brought about new changes in the dress code. The dress code’s purpose is to make sure that all students and staff

members dress in a manner that is safe, as well as school appropriate. Changes can be made to the school dress code by the School Board,

depending on whether they believe the clothing is appropriate. Changes in the dress code from the 2010-2011 school year to this year in-clude the shorts/skirt/dress length, and the sleeve length rule. In the 2010-2011 Student Handbook, it states in Dress Code 2-e that “female tops must be at least two inches wide at the shoulder”. The rule has changed so that all tops must cover the shoulders and must have sleeves.

As stated in rule 2-j of the 2010-2011 Student

Handbook, “[students may not wear] Dresses, skirts, shorts and other similar

clothing shorter than four inches above the kneecap.” Students are now permitted to wear dresses, skirts, shorts and other similar clothing that are with length. Clothes longer than the longest finger with arms hang-ing naturally at the sides are also allowed. The change in this rule allows students to wear shorter clothing revealing more of their legs than they were allowed to wear with the four inches rule. These changes have caused mixed reactions among students. “I think it [the dress code] is better because the four inches rule was too long,” said sopho-more Gena Sheerschmidt. “I think that the dress code is crazy, I don’t understand why you can’t wear tank-tops,” said sophomore Meghan Yanchulis.

How do you feel about being able to have lunch for 55 minutes? Or being able to go and get your homework done and seeing your teachers for some extra help. Some students feel that this is a great idea and is helping a lot. During lunch period, many students have a lot of freedom to do what they want. Administrators hope they use their time wisely.

Do all of the students feel that this is a good idea, and are using this time to ben-efit themselves?

When asked how she feels about Flex Time, and if she thinks it benefits our school, sophomore Qi-ara Stewart stated, “I think that this Flex Time is great.

I have time to go and visit my teachers when I need help on my assignments, and if I haven’t finished my homework.” Stewart added, “When I do not have homework or things to do, I can have some time to hang out with my friends.” During Flex Time you are able to do other things, such as go in the gym and play basketball.

“I think that Flex Time is great!”

This student disobeys the newly enforced “no-shoulder”rule.

Upcoming Events:-October 17: Homecom-ing Game against Chan-cellor High-October 15: PSAT & Homecoming Dance

By: Maure Buckley

NEWS Page 2

KG Meets Requirements

King George Adopts Wal-Mart

By: Christian Jones

By: Christian Jones

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Continued From Page 1

Does the fact that King George High School is in the top 38% of schools in Virginia surprise you? Well it’s the truth. This statement is supported by the not-so -progressive Annual Yearly Progress report that sport-ed King George as one of only under a thousand schools in Virginia who met the AYP requirements for the 2010-2011 school year.

The signifi-cance of this is not in the report itself, but the lack of productive results from schools around the country. The reason why many schools have failed to meet AYP are because of the increasingly strict requirements. Still, in the midst of this calamity King George has managed to bounce back from not making AYP just one year before. None-theless this achieve-ment, as many believe, is only short lived.According to the

Department of Education, by the year 2014 100% of students will be required to be proficient in all core classes. These policies and require-ments were set in place by former President George W. Bush in 2001 as part of the No Child Left Behind bill passed by congress. In its first year in action, the bill required all schools to be 60% proficient in Math and English.

“King George High School top 38% of schools in state...”

PSAT Approaching The PSAT is being held at KGHS on Saturday, October 15th in the cafeteria at 8 AM. There is only one PSAT each school year so try to get signed up. It is not mandatory to take but it will help you to practice for the SAT and you can win scholarships by taking it.

However, you can only go in there if they have enough room and you have signed up prior to showing up. Most students think that this new lunch is a good idea. Sophomore Michael Johnson said, “I do not think that Flex Time is being used wisely by most students…some use this time to just go and hang out with their friends for the

whole lunch period.” Freshman Car-ley Johnson agreed, saying, “By having all of the grades in the same lunch at the same time, a fight is bound to happen”

Junior Kier-sten Sydnor said, “I think that it is nice

that students go and play after they get their work done. It is like a reward for the people who have finished all of their work to go and do fun things.” Although some students do think that Flex Time has good potential, other students do not agree with this freedom. To the student’s benefits, it has lasted this long.

“... all of the grades at the same lunch...”

One of the larg-est and most controver-sial supermarket chains has come to the King George area. Word has spread throughout this small town; Wal-Mart! This addition is just one of many examples of big and small businesses alike flocking to the peaceful town of King George. Many find these changes to be great for the county and the surrounding area; but contrary to popular belief, the “King George Wal-Mart” is not even located in King George. It’s actually addressed 16375 Merchant Lane, which is in the middle of Dahlgren. Though it may seem like a denial of direct relation for King George, it is actu-ally a great strategy for marketing to the greater Potomac area. Still, Wal-Mart is

not the only busi-ness calling Mer-chant lane home. The super-chain is just one part of the King George Gateway shopping center which al-ready sports an Auto Zone in addition to the Wal-Mart super center. The shop-ping center is still expecting two more businesses; the popular burger joint, Five Guys, and a Mary Washington University campus. All in all the ad-dition of a mega shopping center to the King George area is just the beginning of urban-ization throughout the region. Small towns such as King George are in for a makeover, whether they want it or not.

Page 3NEWSContinued From Page 2 Law&Order hits the Classroom

By: Desmond Jordan

Fox Fire Staff Box Amanda Pasko-Co-Editor Desmond Jordan-Co-Editor Christian Jones- Sports Editor Alli Trainum-Public Relations Eleni Johnson-Feature Editor Nicole Josemans-News Editor Maure Buckley-Editorial Editor Robert Weiss-Photographer Daniel Styer-Newspaper Adviser/Sponsor

Though the require-ments have increased since 2001, it was to be expected. The original plan was to have all students proficient in Math and English by the year 2014, a plan many consider lofty and unattain-able. “I believe the AYP isn’t affective” says Ms. Rasnake, “It is nearly impossible to make 100% of people to do anything.” Many teachers

side with this opinion, say-ing it puts more pressure on the teachers and the students to perform. In a poll of 11 KGHS teachers, only 4 find AYP affective; many considered it too aggressive of a tactic. On the contrary some say that even though the goal of 100% proficiency is some-what unattainable, it de-mands results.

Nevertheless, the good folks in Washington have found a keen interest in the “No Child Left Behind” policy enacted a decade ago. Congress is now working on a bill that will pardon cer-tain states of the strict AYP requirements. The Secretary

of Education, Arne Duncan, will be granted power over whom to pardon. These pardoned schools will have to enact a series of policies that will seek to help failing students. The bill is now in full swing. With a usually stiff Virginia backing the bill, who knows, it might be com-ing to a school near you.

“It is nearly impossible to make 100% of people do anything”

... “No Child Left Behind” policy enact-ed a decade ago.”

Law in the streets has been brought into the class-rooms of KGHS. A new crim-inal justice class was added in the Career, Technical, and Education(CTE) department. School administrators felt a new CTE class would be beneficial to the student-body. Former School Resource Of-ficer, Norris suggested to the school that a criminal justice class would be an excellent way to allow the students to explore other careers, specifi-cally law and order. “The class seems very inter-ested in learning about my field of study. I enjoy teach-ing the students because it allows them to understand the overall aspect of local and state law,”stated Norris. Last school year a sur-vey was taken by the juniors, sophomores, and freshman to determine what new classes should be available in KGHS. Criminal justice being one of the options surfaced through, and is now a reality. Many

subjects are covered in just this one class. Some of the course topics include: polic-ing operations, fingerprint technology, juvenile justice system, criminology, and Constitutional Law. “I enjoy teach-ing these students what I’ve been doing as a ca-reer. It gives them insight into a class of careers they may be interested in pursuing,”ended Norris.

“I enjoy teaching these students...”

Page 4EDITORIALS

Code of Ethics-Fox Fire does not publish plagiarized material-Bribes will never be accepted-Stories will not reflect bias or conflicting issues-Sources will be verified by reporters-Fox Fire accepts, but reserves the right to print-letters to the editor

What is the most al-luring part of a body? Legs, eyes, lips, feet? According to the new dress code, it might seem as though one unex-pected body part has risen to the top of this list, the very sexy, the very seductive, shoulders. The dress code in the King George High School Student Parent Handbook states in 2-e that “[Students may not wear] Open-midriff clothing, tube tops, tank tops, muscle tops, halter tops, spaghetti-strapped outfits, open-backed

Seductive Shoulders

Spandex Tighter than Game

By: Maure Buckley

By: Alli Trainum

clothing, and undershirts (All shirts must cover shoulders and must have sleeves).” It is common amongst most schools that students (mostly of the female num-bers) are not allowed to wear spaghetti-strapped outfits, tube tops, or other types of clothing that expose a large amount of the shoulders or back. Even though this seems to be a universal rule among schools, it still seems as though it is an unnecessary and outdated rule. Tank tops and other

sleeveless outfits are given a bad reputation. Just because a tank-top will reveal one’s shoulders does not mean that they will reveal other parts of a person’s body. One student could easily wear a low-cut, skin-tight, long-sleeve shirt that exposes one’s cleavage, but they are not allowed to wear a shirt that exposes a small portion of their shoul-ders. Compared to some of the things that students wear to school, displaying one shoulder does not seem like a horrible crime.

Although it is a bit un-reasonable to ask the school board to permit students to wear whatever clothes they want, they could compro-mise. This can allow students to wear shirts that are at least two inches wide rather than covering their shoulders completely. It is no longer 1792, and KGHS is not a Puritan settle-ment so let us rid the school of this medieval rule and let our shoulders breathe without the fear of public stoning!

Every school year students are reminded that, “Dresses, shorts, and skirts worn at school must be at least finger-tip length.” Yet, the volleyball players wear spandex as uniform bottoms, which are something that would not be considered as a

school appropriate outfit. When watching a vol-leyball game, the noticeable readjustment every athlete makes on the court after ev-ery play is noted. JV Volley-ball player, Monica Brandts, stated, “I am constantly pulling down my spandex. Sometimes I wish we had

regular shorts.” The spandex make some girls even more self-conscious while on the court. So rather than focusing on the game, their mind is repeating: “I hate these spandex…they make me look fat.” On the other hand, some girls take advantage

of the spandex to show off their figure, which could be a disadvantage to the rest of the team. They either pull up their spandex to make them even shorter than what they already are, or buy their own spandex, which are shorter than the spandex the school provides. .

Preview from “GlEEk Out” on Page

N. Josemans

Page 5SPORTS

Senior Jasmine Daniels serves the ball

Open Gym, Open Opportunities

Tough Night for Lady FoxesBy: Alli TrainumBy: Christian Jones

Returning to the court for the first time since their tough loss against Eastern View, the lady foxes Varsity volleyball team traveled to Cul-peper on Tuesday, September 20, 2011. In the first set, the Foxes got off to a slow start and could not find a way to top Cul-peper. Howev-er, there were many positive plays by the lady Foxes includ-ing three kills by senior Katelyn O’Campo, one kill and block by senior Jasmine Daniels, and another block from junior Madi Parker. The final score of the first set was 25-14 Culpeper. The lady Foxes had many phenomenal plays but could not surpass Culpeper on the scoreboard. Junior, Amber Smith, had two blocks, Daniels pounded three kills, and junior Carley Armentrout ended the game with one kill. The lady Foxes boosted their score with

one ace each from seniors Taylor Macauley, Daniels, and O’Campo as well as one ace from Armentrout. The final score of set two was 25-20 Culpeper. For the third and final set of the match, the

Foxes came close to beating Culpeper, but they could not come back. The most competi-tive set of the night included several kills by

Daniels with four and Armen-trout and Madi

Parker with one. Amber Smith, yet again, had one block, and Parker had two. Senior, Gigi Burstion led the team with two aces, followed by Parker and Armentrout each with one. The final score of the third set was 25-22 Culpeper.

Junior Amber Smith passing the ball

The boys Varsity basketball team made headlines last year, win-ning districts, regionals, as well as state. Eventu-ally the Foxes lost in an over time thriller to Lib-erty High School, 90-97, obliterating their chance of that ever-so-elusive state title. In addition to a heart wrenching loss in the state playoffs, King George also had to deal with the graduation of 7 seniors; including all-star forward DJ Lewis. Nonetheless, all is not lost for the foxes. Some-what overshadowed by the success of their var-

sity squad; the KGHS boys junior Varsity team made quite a name for themselves, winning a district title. Still, such a loss of talent will be difficult for the Foxes to recover from. This is why the boys basketball try-outs will be highly anticipated. Before cuts are made and the official rosters are released, even be-fore the actual tryouts begin, the preliminary events take place; Open Gym. This is a time for returning players to shake off the dust, and for new players to familiarize themselves with the coaches and their compe-tition.

Page 6FEATURENew School Year, New TeacherBy: Nicole Josemans

“You can’t find any other youth administrator like him. He is extremely funny and is great with teens…he just connects,” freshman Desha Wood said about the new King George High school teacher, Mark Morgan. With 16 years of teach-ing and youth administrating experience, Morgan now joins the KGHS math department to teach discrete math and trigonometry. “Now I can’t say what discrete math is because it’s a secret,” Morgan laughed, backing up Wood’s claim on his sense of humor. Morgan left his home-town of Alexandria, Virginia at the age of 18 to attend Pen-sacola College, a Christian school in Florida. He married his wife at the age of 19 and now has four kids. One child has already been sent off to

college. Morgan also has other companions which are his three dogs. When he is not watching his two favor-ite teams –the Duke Blue Devils and the Washington Redskins- compete, he en-joys coaching basketball or cooking. His favorite candy bar is either a Mars bar, or a Snickers bar with almonds,” he added. He played basketball and baseball in high school, and participated in club sports in college. He went on to teach at Fredericks-burg Christian High School, and was a Youth Minister for 5 years. “I enjoy being around all the different teens all day. They are full of energy and the math de-partment is just awesome,” Morgan ended.

Hollywood coming to King George

By: Amanda Pasko

It may be King George during the day but on the night of October 15th the country will turn city. This year’s theme for Homecom-ing is Hollywood Nights. Mrs. Mer-ryman, who is in charge of home-coming, stated, “It’s going to have a complete new look and feel; we always try and do something fun and different each year.” Monday: The hip-pie look will be the in-style. Go buy your tie-dye kits and bring the 70s back. Tuesday: King George is go-ing to be packed with twins, triplets, and even quadru-plets: get all your friends together and match.Wednesday: Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my. The wild will be crowding the halls. Wear all your animal print.Thursday: We cannot forget the traditional and craziest, wackiest day during spirit

week…WACKY TACKY DAY. Friday: Foxes Nation: show how much you admire King George High School, rock the blue and gold.

For the seniors:Monday: Arggg Captain it is high seas day. Dress like you are on the water. Tourists, captains, and beach goers are

welcome. Tuesday: A

time machine has just been invented, disco divas, knights in shining armor, and hippies are everywhere; show-off your favorite decade.Wednesday: Who is your fa-vorite TV star or athlete, lets see it. KGHS will be filled with stars. Thursday: There is a rodeo in King George on Cowboys and Indians day.Friday: The most talked about day for seniors, toga day.

Mr. Morgan preparing for his next classes’ lesson

Class of 2013’s Homecoming Banner

FEATURE Page 7GLEEk Out Addicting book on

AddictionsBy: Alli Trainum

By: Kyra Bacon Season three of Fox’s hit show Glee re-turned this Fall with its premiere show entitled “The Purple Piano Project.” The students to school from their summer break and some return to McKinley High for their Senior Year. After a devastat-ing loss at Nationals, their Glee Club coach William Schuester (Matthew Mor-rison) gives them a project to try and get them “back on track” and refocus their at-tention to what Glee Club is all about: having fun, sing-ing, and being yourself. In the meantime, Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) announces her running for Congress with her campaign pledge, “I will suspend all public school art programs,” as she returns to her old ways of trying to get rid of the Glee Club.Aoltv.com stated that, Glee

boss Ryan Murphy con-firmed that the characters who were juniors last season will graduate in May 2012.” Rachel (Lea Michele), Finn (Cory Monteith), Quinn (Dianna Agron), and Puck (Mark Salling) are among the graduating class of Sea-son Three, which means new characters will be taking their place. Some of the new characters joining the show will be the winners of the show The Glee Project, Da-mian McGinty and Samuel Larson. Both won seven episode appearances. Fellow finalists Lindsay Pearce and Alex Newell won a pair of guest appearances. You know what this means…Get your homework done because you will not want to miss this season of Glee!

In the book Tweaked, by Katherine Holubitsky, a teenaged boy named Gordie Jes-sup is in a living night-mare. He is forced to deal with the hardships of having his older brother, Chase, addicted to Crystal Meth for the past two years. Gordies brother has been kicked out and cut off after his parents find out about his ad-diction and constant ly-ing to get money. With-out his parents money Chase does whatever it takes to get his next fix, even if it means rob-bing their grandmother. Gordie has grown to hate his brother for everything he has done to his family. Then one

day, Chase is charged with murder. Everything in Gordies life gets turned upside-down and flipped inside-out. He’ll have to decide whose side to take and it may cause him his life. This is a book that is very easy to read. It shows multiple personal battles anyone could be dealing with. It shows how one person’s choices can affect multiple people. This is one thing every person needs to learn at one point or another in their life. This book was hard to put down with the constant suspense of not knowing what Chase is going to do next.

Based on Kath-ryn Stockett’s novel The Help, this emotional movie depicts the life of a black maid, Aibileen (Viola Davis), working for her white boss, Elizabeth (Ahna O’Reilly). It takes the audi-ence through the horrific times of not being able to use the same bathroom in the house, and the good

times of loving and caring for their bosses’ children. Aibileen is later ap-proached by a white lady, Skeeter, (Emma Stone) who was very close to her own family’s help. Tired of the racism, Skeeter asks Aibi-leen to help her write a book from the point-of-view of the help; a rather chancy risk that eventually pays off.

After publication, the book ends up in everyone’s hands: both the help and the white ladies that the book is based on. The white ladies, renamed in the book, eventu-ally figure out that the book mentions all of them in an indirect way, and most of the maids that were quoted in the book end up being fired. Finally, Skeeter is

offered a job in New York for her journalism skills. Aibileen is known among her friends as be-ing the courageous leader, and the other maids follow in her courageous footsteps. The Help is an emo-tional rollercoaster. It has a very good balance of times to cry and times to laugh hysterically.

The Help tells a Prominent StoryBy: Alli Trainum