The General IdeaA Publication of Washington School • Greenville, Mississippi • March 17, 2014

The Washington School chapters of Beta Club and Mu Al-pha Theta sponsored the annual Scholars Banquet on March 3, 2014. The program began with a welcome from Abigail Jerni-gan, the Beta Club President, followed by the Mu Alpha Theta Treasurer Amira Abbas’s invocation. After the traditional chicken spaghetti dinner, Headmaster Rodney Brown called out the names of the students who met the grade requirements to be named to the Headmaster’s and Principal’s Lists as Mrs. Crawford and Mrs. Blaine distributed certificates of achievement. Mu Alpha Theta President Ashlee Shelley, Vice-President Miranda Book, and Secretary Zach Harris, announced and awarded the new members in the math honorary. In order to receive an invitation to join Mu Alpha Theta, a student must have completed five semesters of college preparatory mathe-matics with an average of at least 90.00 and no grade lower than 86.00. The following students were the new initiates of Mu Alpha Theta: Madison Bruton, Mallory Fontenot, Zach Edwards, Lindsey Tubertini, John Wiltcher, Alyssa Johnson, Randa Baioni, Raksha Chatakondi, Krupa Desai, Ashley Dobbins, Mason Francis, Molly Hensley, Razeen Karim, Connor Kelly,

RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE in the CLASSROOMParents and faculty remind us of our original and fundamental purpose

PatMarie King, Sydney McCain, Madeline Nichols, Madalynn Potter, Madison Robertson, Collin Rounsavall, and Samantha Yarbrough. Mrs. Laura Bell is the Mu Alpha Theta sponsor Beta Club Vice President Emma Gober, Secretary Alex Fra-tesi, and Treasurer Michelle Finn continued the program with the candlelight tapping ceremony for Beta Club. In order to be tapped for Beta Club, a student must make the fall semester honor roll and maintain a cumulative average of 90.00 as a se-nior, 91.50 as a junior, and 93.00 as a sophomore. The following students were the new initiates of Beta Club: Meri-Douglas Fleming, Nelson King, Ashley Lewis, Ally Man-tz, Randa Baioni, Raksha Chatakondi, Ashley Dobbins, Mary Ashton Everitt, Mason Francis, Olivia Hairston, Molly Hensley, Razeen Karim, Sydney McCain, Madeline Nichols, Allen Nor-ris, Royce Parkerson, Landon Pieroni, Madalyn Potter, Madison Robertson, Collin Rounsavall, Blake Tabor, Laci Tubertini, Mary Kathryn Wicker, and Samantha Yarbrough. Mrs. Jane Crawford is the Beta Club sponsor. Congratulations to the Beta Club and Mu Alpha Theta offi-cers, sponsors, members, and initiates on a memorable banquet.

Casey Park, Class of 2014THE GENERAL IDEA

Families are encouraged to support their students' academic efforts.

New Beta Club initiates await the moment to recite the pledge.

This year’s annual Parent Teacher Organization and Elementary Spring Concert took place on February 25 at 6:30 p.m. A recognition of the Har-vest Fun Chairman and Co-Chairman, election of officers for 2014-2015, and installa-tion of these given officers also occurred. The meeting started off with a warm welcome from Mr. Robert Loper, the 2013-2014 PTO President. Mr. Robert Hitt Neill (a WS grandparent and noted author and story-teller) then gave the invoca-tion. After Mr. Neill’s laughter-

filled prayer, the Treasurer’s re-port was given by Mr. Loper. Harvest Fun stole the show, having been budgeted for $55,000.00 but actually com-ing in at $112,125.80. This is a welcome boost to our vari-ous needs in academics, tech-nology, publications, and the fine arts. The communications, hos-pitality, postage, staff develop-ment, student scholarships, teacher scholarships, WS pub-lications, Harvest Fun appre-ciation, and traffic numbers for the elementary school all came in at their respected budgets. The total operating expenditures for the 2013-

2014 year were $31,875.00. The next order of business was the recognition of the Harvest Fun Chairman (Mrs. Kelly Tucker) and Co-Chair-man (Mrs. Sarah Ashley). They were gifted with special remembrances for their dedi-cated service. Mr. Loper finalized the elec-tion of officers, and the instal-lation of officers was overseen by Mr. and Mrs. Jay Janous, incoming PTO presidents. Then, the fun-filled grand-parents awards were handed out by Neal and Sherry Haley. Awards such as who had driv-en the farthest and who had the most grandchildren at WS

A celebration of the people, by the people, for the people

Americans We were given. All grandparents were our special guests. After the prizes were award-ed, the musical program start-ed, led by the elementary mu-sic teacher. Sarah Lou Moose. This year’s Elementary Spring Concert’s theme was “Ameri-cans We - A Celebration of the People, By the People, For the People.” The concert was started by fifth graders Henry Potter and Callie Parker. The first song of the night was the patriotic “We Celebrate America”, led by soloists Miriam Crouse, Peyton Melton, Landon Nev-els, Avery Carpenter, Chris-tian Martin, and Ella White. The speakers after the song were Peyton McPherson, Rylee Levine and Joey Pham. The next song in the concert was the fun-filled “Declara-

tion” finished by speakers Erik Park and Hailly Bernard. The toe-tapping, foot-stomping “We the People” was next on our patriotic list with speak-ers Lauren Shelley, Kathryn Sanders, and Ana Leese Mck-innon. The Presentation Of the Colors was given by Boy Scouts Hardy Cooke, Banks Dinkins, Mark Hooker, Gus Smith, Leland Selby, and Nick Smith. The “Allegiance Rap” and classic “The Star Spangled Banner” were crowd favor-ites. The speakers during these songs were Ella Millwood, Meri Madison George, and Lane Walker.

“One Nation” was a joy-ful song led by soloists Nick Browning, Landre Woods, Ella Moss, Mia Morgan, Vic-toria Mantz, Catherine Co-pell, Alyssa Dang, and Grace Ward. The speaker afterwards was Kathleen Carson. “American Tears” reminded everyone of our great country we call home, led by soloists Mollie Warrington, Mecklyn Vaught, Simon Michener, Haylee Trussell, Landon Az-lin, Louise Word, and Jennifer Jarrett. “Thankful For the USA” end-ed the concert/PTO meeting, leaving all those in attendance remembering how blessed we are to live in America.

Abby Driggers, Class of 2017THE GENERAL IDEA

Mr. Loper introduces the 2014-2015 PTO officers: Mr. and Mrs. Haley, Mrs. New, Mrs. Hitt, Mrs. Neill, Mrs. Dean, and Mr. Dean. Mrs. Moose is the best at organizing a large chorale!

First graders are excited to particpate in their first PTO concert! The children raise their flags in a patriotic salute. Fifth graders took a lead role with the solos and speaking parts.

2 The General Idea • A Publication of Washington School • Greenville, Mississippi • March 17, 2014

"We vacuumed the house for fun; she said she had never seen anything like it before. And when I washed our clothes, she had to take pictures so when she went home, everyone would be-lieve her." Just a few simple sen-tences, and Senior Pepe already had all of us hooked on their story. Mr Burgos, our Spanish teacher, had scheduled a day for us labeled as "a culture experience" and we all knew the day would be different, but we had no clue what this day would start. Our surprise visitors were a couple from Cuba, Angel and Rita. They live on Isla de Juventude, or more commonly known as the Island of Youth. Both of the adults were super friendly and An-gel worked as a pastor in his town. After they started telling us about their home, we soon re-alized that where they were from wasn't the richest place in Cuba.

Each worker---no matter what the job---gets paid an equivalent of 15 US dollars a month. They explained to us about the many ways they spread the word of God, and how they try to help the people who live around them. Angel and Rita left us completely in shock about the harsh reality that we never no-tice, and we all started to wonder about the pos-sibilities of helping the country in need. For the next follow-ing days, we constantly asked Mr. Burgos of ways we could help, and after realizing how serious we were he told us that if we could put on fundrais-ers and raise money, we could donate it to the Cuban churches. After setting a sched-uled date, we had a com-mittee meeting, and more than 40 people showed up! We were all

so full of excitement and great ideas. And in that classroom, "Care for Cuba" began. The first fundraisers we put on were "Dress for Cuba Day," a bake sale, and we even cre-ated hearts with the slo-gan "Care for Cuba." We worked so hard, and at the end the total money we raised was over $850, which is roughly equiva-lent to 20,000 pesos! We were all so pumped for the lives we were about to change. One thing we are con-tinuously told in Mr. Burgos’s class is to "be curious." With the im-pact of these simple two words, countless families have now been provided food, clothing, and shel-ter. Not only have we saved their lives, but the word of God has been spread in the process! Thanks to the curiosity and warm hearts of stu-dents from Washington school, many lives have been changed forever.

Care for CubaForeign language students rally to help neighbors

Abby Miles, Class of 2017THE GENERAL IDEA

Above left, Mr. Burgos displays one of the Care for Cuba tags that students sold on the day of the bake sale. Above right, Madalynn works diligently on a tag during Spanish class. In the photo immediately above, Will ponders his purchase while Carley munches down on a homemade brownie during Break.

Madeline, Rylie, and Mason prove that a winning smile results in more sales!

The following students represented Washington School at the MAIS District Spelling Bee held at Carroll Academy on February 21st: Rahul Kumar and Anna Grace Ainsworth (Fourth Grade); Ella White and Reed Howe (Fifth Grade); Miriam Cochran and John Franklin Ingram (Sixth Grade); Logan Tarver and Grace Anne Copell (Seventh Grade); and John Fred Nichols and Zach Zepponi (Eighth Grade). The students competed against Spelling Bee champions from twelve other schools. Miriam Cochran placed 2nd in her age category, Rahul Kumar placed 3rd, Ella White placed 4th, and John Fred Nichols placed 4th. Both Miriam and Rahul will represent Washington School in the MAIS State Spelling Bee championship in Jackson on April 15th. WS

Top Spellers! In the spotlight for excellence under pressure!

Miriam Cochran Rahul Kumar

Third grade students have recently displayed their brightly colored and clever "pet rocks" in the el-ementary hallways, which caught the attention of the General Idea staff. We invited students to tell us about the project, and the follwoing comments are from Morgan Dees in Mrs. Eddleman's class. My pet rock’s name is Archer. Archer is a goldfish. I got the name Archer because I made him at my hunt-ing camp called Archer Island. My class made rock pets because we read a story about rocks called, “Rocks In His Head.” I made a fish because I thought it would be cute. Now you know why I made a fish, why I named my fish Archer, and where I made my fish. That’s all you need to know about Archer the goldfish!

Third Grade ROCKS!

Gil, Hannah, and Shelby are happy to display their Pet Rocks for our newspaper photographers. The third grade students enjoyed the hands-on learning project.

On Tuesday, March 4, Washington School's chapter of Junior Beta Club ini-tiated 30 middle school students, who were recognized at a special assembly in Sykes Hall. Jr. Beta Officers, led by President Brooks Fleming, greeted the new initiates by spelling out the word "W-E-L-C-O-M-E" as they listed the char-acteristics of a typical Jr. Beta member. Requirements for membership include credible achievement, commendable attitude, and worthy character. Mrs. Susan Blaine is the sponsor of the club, and the group is committed to performing community service during the school year while maintaining their good grades. New members pictured above are: (bottom row): Will Giachelli, Paul Horn, John Luther Selby, John Franklin Ingram, Brit- ton Fratesi, John Bentley Suares; (middle row) Mi- chael Tucker, Cooper Hathaway, Caleb Janous, Kathleen Tucker, Peyton Miller, Walker Brewer, Na- than Bass, Baylee Patrick, Lee Anne Spencer, Kendall McKinnon, Mikaila Book, Hannah Ashley; (back row) Miriam Cochran, Wesley Elliott, Jordan Hays Mid-dleton, Maddie Hunter, Andrew Thompson, Grace Giovingo, President Brooks Fleming, Abby Miles, J.J. Seid, Hunter Ray, David Barber, John Martin Walker, and Malia Nichols.

3 The General Idea • A Publication of Washington School • Greenville, Mississippi • March 17, 2014

THE GENERAL IDEAMonday, March 17, 2014

Editors-at-LargeCasey ParkNat Phan

Contributing WritersMorgan DeesAbby Driggers

Julia JarrettSarah LaneAbby Miles

Mrs. Laura SmithBrandy Truong

AdviserMrs. Melanie Tucker

• • •

HeadmasterMr. Rodney D. Brown

Secondary PrincipalMr. Alto Hilliard Ray

Elementary PrincipalDr. Nan Johnson

Academic DeanMrs. Kerry Sullivan

When the television was first introduced to the United States in 1928, the citizens did not know what they were getting themselves into, as it would come to be one of the most important technological advances in history. As time has progressed, televisions have grown to be in 96.7% of American households today. Growing up in the 21st century, my life has al-ways been revolved around television and technol-ogy. Had it not been for television, we wouldn’t be able to find out about any current events going on around the world. (Events such as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, and even Kim Kardashian’s 72-day marriage.) Adults are always telling their children to not watch as much television, but let’s be real here (haha, get it?). Who can resist the television nowadays? One popular genre today is reality television. The interpretation of “reality television” has changed tre-mendously through the decades. Today, when we hear the words “reality television”, we immediately think of "American Idol" or "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." TV Guide names the first reality TV show as "An American Family," a 12-episode documentary that aired on PBS in 1973. The show chronicled the everyday lives of the Loud family over a seven-month period, showing the tensions that led

to the divorce of Pat and Bill Loud, as well as the life of their openly gay son Lance. This was groundbreaking television at the time. Before "An American Family," TV "reality" had consisted of game and variety shows. Now, there is hardly a concept that has not been given the reality-TV treatment. And in Sep-tember 2008, the Emmys included their first reality TV-based award. Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely LOVE modern reality TV shows, and I am definitely pro-reality TV, but it is often a hot topic as proponents believe it paints an unrealistic and inappropriate portrait and is therefore bad for our society and the children that make up the majority of the audience. There are some shows that send a bad message and help to create a cult of instant celeb-rity, for example, MTV’s "Jersey Shore" in which aired its pilot on December 9, 2009 showing to 1.38 million viewers. "Jersey Shore" follows the lives of eight housemates spending their summers at the Jersey Shore in the state of New Jer-sey. According to the New Yorker, Jersey Shore makes us feel as though we were anthropologists secretly observing a new tribe through a break in the trees. Another show exemplifying bad messages is "Teen Mom." It follows the lives of four girls from the first season of 16 and Pregnant as they navigate their first years of motherhood. The series also focuses on the themes of their changing relationships between family, friends, and boys, while highlighting the struggles teenage mothers have to go through to raise their children. Now, THIS, is what gets me fired up. These shows let teenage girls know that having a child at age 16 is okay. It is not! These girls are pregnant teenagers that are making money off of their children. What ever happened to disciplining your children? Recently, a branch of reality TV has become very popular and widely known in the U.S. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the surfacing of rednecks. "Duck Dynasty "portrays the lives of the Robertson family, who became wealthy from their family-operated business, Duck Commander. The West Monroe, Louisiana, business makes products for duck hunters, primarily a duck call called Duck Commander. The Robertson men—brothers Phil and Si, and Phil's sons Jase, Willie, and Jep—are known for their long beards and their religious views. This show has its pros and cons as does every other television show out there today. Pros? "Duck Dynasty" displays and emphasizes important family values such as belonging, respect, honesty, curiosity, communication, and traditions. Cons? The Robertsons are showing their southern redneck lifestyle to the world. One critic wrote, “All I've got to say is I hope there aren't many Americans who live like this. What an embarrassment!” Then again, that could also be a pro. The Robertsons are letting the world know that it is okay to be on a reality-TV show without having the cliché glitz and glam surrounding you. All you need is fam-ily, and you will live a wonderful life. If you think the "Duck Dynasty" crew is as redneck as you can get, you’ve thought wrong. "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" is an American reality-TV series on TLC, featuring the family of child beauty pageant contestant Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson. Alana and her family originally rose to fame on TLC's reality series "Toddlers & Tiaras." The show is primarily filmed in and around their rural hometown of McIntyre, Georgia. I don’t even know how to elaborate on this show. Um…can you say, “Gross!?” This show has gotten more negative views than Sarah Palin’s vice presidential candidacy in Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2008. When the first season of "Here Comes Honey

OPINION

Boo Boo" aired on August 8, 2012, I thought the show was going to end right at that moment. Surprisingly, it didn’t. One critic wrote, “I enjoy watching a variety of 'reality' shows because it's entertaining and educational to observe the diversity of human behaviors in this day and age. And, I do like to watch "Toddlers & Tiaras." However, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" is one show that I cannot bear to watch. The com-mercials themselves, which are apparently intended to entice viewers to tune in to the show, are nauseating at best. Make a list of behaviors that children are normally taught not to engage in because such behaviors are disgusting, un-necessary in the company of others, and are downright rude. Then, watch any episode of "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" and you can check just about every-thing on the list you made and those behaviors will be featured on this repulsive show.” Need I say more? This family is on national television showing that it is okay to live like a dirty animal. I feel as though this show is a disgrace to the South and needs to be taken off of TLC immediately. I understand that TLC stands for “The Learning Channel,” but, really? Is this how low Americans have stooped? The United States is better than this, people. We do not need to be going around creating television shows to make our country look horrid and so unso-phisticated. In a famous chapter of his A Study of History entitled “Schism in the Soul,” British historian Arnold Toynbee wrote that it is a sign that a society is disintegrating when it takes its cues for manners and customs from the un-derclass. Toynbee describes such societies as being “truant” to their own values. Maybe it's time to remember that we are people of quality. Or should at least aspire to be again.

Brandy Truong, Class of 2017THE GENERAL IDEA

Middle School Scholars

4 The General Idea • A Publication of Washington School • Greenville, Mississippi • March 17, 2014

How Does Your Garden Groove?The three kindergarten classes took over the stage in Sykes Hall on the morning of March 5 to present a musical performance of "How Does Your Garden Groove?" Between the french fried potatoes with "a-peel," the leafy vegetables who sang "Lettuce Entertain You," and the corn and peas who begged "Please Don't Put Us in a Can-Can," this musical was certainly not your usual garden variety!

Middle School art students used their day-before-Spring-Break to get out of the classroom and visit the local art gallery. "Paper+Wood+Fiber" is the current exhibit in the Malkin Gallery at E.E. Bass.Students saw lots of possibilities for making their own art after Spring Break! The exhibit is free and open to the public, and features the quilled art from Greenvillian Marjorie Hargett Jones, wooden art from the Delta Woodturners, and fiber art from artists at Delta State University. Parents and patrons may also view the exhibit through March 28.

Middle School Students ExplorePAPER+WOOD+FIBER

Speaking of Artists...Middle school art students have been crazy busy cre-ating six different HUGE works of art that will be permanently installed in the Middle School hall. The first four are already on the walls---come have a look!

5 The General Idea • A Publication of Washington School • Greenville, Mississippi • March 17, 2014

On February 27 through March 2, Delta Center Stage presented the famous stage event Les Misérables with a cast of over sixty local ac-tors, to full houses every night. The production of Les Misérables, a popu-lar novel in the 19th cen-tury and first performed on stage in 1980, is a timeless production that has finally made its way to Greenville.

This opera tells heart-breaking tales of revolu-tion, love, and despair all wrapped up into one. Les Misérables is now the world’s longest-run-ning musical, seen by over 65 million people in 42 countries. The re-telling of the 1832 Paris Uprising or June Rebel-lion takes its audience through an emotional tale of passion, politics, and destruction in 19th century France.  The success of this play was a re-sult of the group effort by the cast, crew, and direc-tors (our own Sonya Bixler with her husband Tim)along with an enthusiastic and re-ceptive community. The fact that this play is already so well known brought new talent out of the woodwork and onto the stage, making this production a memorable experience for all. Washington School student cast members included Noah Ashley, Anna Giovingo, Mac Hamilton, Sarah Lane, Sarah Wicker, Bar-rie Wright, and Cole

Wright, along with pre-kindergarten aide Jessica Prevost. Many of the cast

members were also WS grad-uates and WS parents. Something about this play that seems to grip people is not only the

range of emotion, but also the music. As a pro-duction that is sung 99% of the time, it was more important to focus on the voices of those cast rather than incorporat-ing looks and acting as much as other plays. Delta Center Stage was very lucky to have such talented, veteran actors to cast such as Wade Chambers (Jean Valjean) who recently played the role of the Beast in "Beauty and

the Beast;" Macey Ar-rington (Eponine) who was recently Mrs. Dar-ling in "Peter Pan" and Little Red Riding Hood in "Into the Woods;" Christie Stone (Cosette) who played the role of Belle in "Beauty and the Beast," etc. We were also lucky for the opportunity to welcome new actors that add new talent to the community theatre expe-rience.

Les Miserables Comes to the Delta

Sarah Lane, Class of 2016THE GENERAL IDEA

Noah Ashley as "Gavroche"

Photos by Sarah Ashley

Who's Who elections were held in January, and the results were announced in February. The honorees are:

Mr. Washington School.....................................................................................................Zach HarrisMiss Washington School.................................................................................................Kendall FiserMost School Spirit........................................................................Hayes Miller and Lea Merrill PughWittiest............................................................................Will Collum, Ben Tarver, and Amira AbbasMost Athletic...............................................................................Walker Coleman and Ashlee ShelleyMost Talented ...................................................................................Rob Van Namen and Casey ParkMost Likely to Succeed.........................................................................Zach Harris and Amira AbbasBest All-Around.............................................................................Bobby Elliott and Brinkley HenryMost Courteous........................................................................Rob Van Namen and Abigail JerniganSenior Class Favorites ...................................................................Walker Coleman and Kendall FiserMost Sophisticated Seniors...........................................Ransome Bell, Lawson Smith, Madison ParksJunior Class Favorites ....................................................................Will Eubank and Madison BrutonJolliest Juniors...............................................................................Ben Angel and Meredith EtheridgeSophomore Class Favorites.......................................................Collin Rounsavall and Claire ThomasSilliest Sophjomores................................................................Brandon Mitchell and Callie ShepherdFreshman Class Favorites...............................................................Richard Word and Molly FontenotFunniest Freshmen...................................................................Brooks Fleming and Carly Middleton

Of course, the journalism class had to continue the annual tradition of embarrassing the graduating class with a mock Who’s Who list. We invited a se-lect group of seniors to assist us with this devious task. It was a milk and cookie party filled with laugh-ter and tears (of joy), not to mention a lot of brain power. However, we were able to stir up a few inside jokes here and there. Hope you enjoy these innocent jokes, Class of 2014!

Amira Abbas – Most likely to be MVQP (most valu-able quidditch player)Ransome Bell – Most likely to have a little more ranchCasey Brozovich – Most likely to get her MRS degreeMitchell Coleman – Most likely to come back to the reunion with a supermodelWalker Coleman – Most likely to be the next Dale EarnhardtWill Collum – Most likely to teach an anger manage-ment classKelsey Davis – Most likely to become a professional toe-dancerOlivia Dawkins – Most likely to become the world’s top women’s racecar driverBhumi Desai – Most likely to have the world’s longest hairWill Eifling – Most likely to chew a hole in his gradu-ation gownBobby Elliott – Most likely to play UNO on his hon-eymoonAndrew Farmer – Most likely to marry his kindergarten sweetheartMichelle Finn – Most likely to not care about anything at allKendall Fiser – Most likely to become a professional bag-snifferMeri Douglas Fleming – Most likely to become the world’s best storytellerCourtney Fontenot – Most likely to be in on-and-off relationship with Chad ZepponiAlex Fratesi – Most likely to stay awkward for the rest of her lifeDavis Harper – Most likely to become a professional DJZach Harris – Most likely to be designated driver for the rest of his lifeBrinkley Henry – Most likely to overdose on Double Stuf OreosHunter Jacobs – Most likely to get lost in the woodsAbigail Jernigan – Most likely to become a hipsterMichaela Kelly – Most likely to sign with Young Money Cash Money RecordsNelson King – Most likely to gain the freshman fiftyPatrick Lane – Most likely to be on Deadliest CatchCharles Lesure – Most likely to host a remake of Soul Train

Ashley Lewis – Most likely to have the most jacked-up truck in the DeltaSpencer Lyons – Most likely to marry a Garfield’s waitressParker Manning – Most likely to model for Hollister/AbercrombieAlly Mantz – Most likely to hit every animal in the zoo with her ‘RollaHayes Miller – Most likely to become a human land-ing headAshton Nichols – Most likely to never own a carFaithEllen Nichols – Most likely to take her mom with her to collegeAmos Noyes – Most likely to become communist dic-tator of Chad (the country)Rachel Oliver – Most likely to ride bullsTyler Owens – Most likely to bench press the Earth and JupiterCasey Park – Most likely to become a clarinet-playing surgeon in spaceMadison Parks – Most likely to own every pair of cowboy boots available in three statesMayank Patel – Most likely to become an English ma-jorNat Phan – Most likely to be absent from the ten year reunionGalen Phillips – Most likely to become a professional nap-takerLea Merrill Pugh – Most likely to turn into a cupcakeHayden Roberson – Most likely to be the next Ed-ward CullenAustin Rodgers – Most likely to own his own libraryBrandon Rutledge – Most likely to never turn downErin Self – Most likely to be the brunt of a blonde jokeAshlee Shelley – Most likely to “discolate” all of her joints by the age of 30Lawson Smith – Most likely to come back to reunion with a ponytailBen Tarver – Most likely to break his nose (again)Colton Thomas – Most likely to go baldBree Tice – Most likely to get mad at whatever we putRob Van Namen – Most likely to call in a SquachRiggs Ware – Most likely to become a personal trainerAmee West – Most likely to live in her ‘StangTyler Williford – Most likely to lasso a ladyMadelyn Womack – Most likely to earn a Lexus from selling Rodan+Fields by age 21

ALL IN FUN! Class of 2014 is awesome!

The Results Are In!

Nat Phan, Class of 2014THE GENERAL IDEA

6 The General Idea • A Publication of Washington School • Greenville, Mississippi • March 17, 2014

On Thursday, March 6, the Washington School Junior Class held a fundraiser to raise money for the annual Junior and Senior prom and breakfast. It's always the Juniors' responsibility to hold the fundraiser, though this year, I'm sure no one ex-pected their idea to be so entertaining! The brilliant idea for the fundraiser was finally decided by Emma Gober, Katie Bell, Jacob Keller and Mallory Fontenot. The Junior Class sponsors---Mrs. Laura Bell, Mrs. Dorothy Burgos, and Mrs. Jane Stephens--- helped make it all happen. The idea? Geezers vs Wheezers! The students would pay ten dollars to purchase a pizza lunch and ad-mission to the basketball game, where designated students would play against the faculty (a.k.a. the Geezers). The pizza lunch was held in Sykes Hall, then after the students ate they would go and watch the game in the WS Gym during the 6th and 7th periods. Middle school students were allowed to purchase tickets, although they didn't play. They had their own "put-out" tournament while high school students were still in class. The Seniors played Sophmores and the Juniors played Fresh-men to determine who would have the honor to play against the faculty. In the battle of students versus students, the Seniors ultimately won the right to play against their teachers. The faculty team included Mrs. Crawford, Mr. Chunn, Mr. White, Mr. and Mrs. Burgos, Mrs.

I was finishing my sophomore year of high school when a senior English teacher approached me outside B building at Sikeston High School about joining the staff of the Bulldog Barker, the school newspaper. "Um. I guess," I said, shrugging. The next fall I became a reporter for the weekly newspaper. We reported the news; we wrote features on a student from each class in the student spotlight; we conducted polls; we showed our senses of humor. We had great fun. After typing our stories on MacIntosh computers-- -the ancient kind with a black screen and green type ---we saved them on square floppy disks. Once a week, we met at Sikeston's daily newspaper---after stopping at Sonic for slushes---to physically cut out our stories. We fed them through a wax machine and pasted them on the page and cropped again. Our sponsor was Sally M. Lape, known to us just as Mustang because at every school dance we pulled her onto the dance floor with us when the DJ played that song. She let us have a lot of fun but kept us on track and held us accountable as well. We were taught the meaning of deadlines, and we learned to meet them. The final paper of the school year included senior wills, which detailed things the seniors leave to lower classmen like parking spots or a seat near the principal at home games. Our own Who's Who left me with the dubious titles Worst Driver and Class Clown. By the time I graduated, we had real computers al-though they still weren't the sleek models we have to-day. Years later, when I was a little adrift at Ole Miss, a counselor in the career center suggested a stint at the The Daily Mississippian. I wrote only a couple of articles and was hooked. I took a couple of journalism classes and suddenly I was no longer floundering. I declared my major, and after graduation began a career in the journalism business. I've worked at newspapers, magazines, and PR firms in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee. I wouldn't trade the sleepless nights covering an election or the days I spent in the courtroom covering crime for any-thing. I was often at the scene after the police were called and in the courtroom when the verdict was read. In addition to crime, my first beat was education. Looking back, it's fitting now that my first journalism job was covering the 14 public, private and parochial schools in Warren County. Most recently, I worked at the Delta Democrat-Times, and last winter, my hus-band, Wesley, and I made the difficult decision for me to leave newspapers. I'd been managing editor of the Delta Democrat-Times for a couple of years. With a sec-ond child on the way, I needed to step down; although, I hated leaving a paper and people I loved so much. Now, I have the chance to share my love of journal-ism with Washington School's students. With journal-ism and yearbook teacher Mrs. Tucker retiring, I'll be sponsoring the publications in the coming year. I'm so grateful for the opportunity. We all will miss Mrs. Tucker's expertise and guidance. She's promised not to abandon us completely, and we plan to hold her to it! High school journalism has come a long way from my days of cut-and-paste layout, but we have an in-credibly talented group of students in the journalism class who are as eager as I am to bring the Washington School news to our school family. It is going to be a fun year.

Geezersversus

Wheezers

Sullivan, Mr. Palasini [RINGER!], Mr. Stroup, Mr. William Ray, Mrs. Giachelli and Mrs. Bell. It was honestly quite the game. The two Senior Class coaches, Will Eifling and Hayes Miller, cheered on the teams along with every single student in the gym. The odds were even and it looked like it could have been anyone's game! All the students were cheering and the rest of the faculty were clapping and cheering as well. In the very end, it was the Seniors who won with the score of 34-31. Seeing all the smiles and hearing all the laughter of the students made it all the more fun. Katie Bell, one of the Juniors who helped put the activities together, commented, "It would be fun if it hap-pened again next year." I'm positive many students and even some of the faculty would agree that they would like to see a rematch soon. The money that the Juniors earned rounded up to $6,022! That's very impressive, and hopefully we will see more days to celebrate during our final nine weeks!

Julia Jarrett, Class of 2017THE GENERAL IDEA

Mrs. Laura Hough SmithTHE GENERAL IDEA

Reporter. Editor. TEACHER! --- A Teacher's Perspective

Seniors carb up before the big game while hungry Juniors look on.

Despite his height, Mr. Stroup is no match for CJ in the tip-off.

Waaaait!!! Is Coach Eifling bribing a referee? Is that allowed?!!

Coach Miller relates his finely-honed game plan to the team.

Mr. Ray determines that levitation might be a useful maneu-ver against Tarver. Next time. Mrs. Bell chats up Ashlee while moving down the court, caus-

ing the Senior to giggle and lose the ball. Good strategy!