For the 2011- 2012 school year, the current GJHS Poms  and Cheer team will combine to create the Spirit Team.

     “There is gonna be a lot of catfights,” Charlie Strother, sophomore, said.

     Some are saying that mixing the teams will create more drama and the combination will create more issues than the teams have experienced while they were separate.

     “Last year it seemed like the team fought almost every day, this (next) year is going to be even crazier. Mixing two teams that don’t get along is a recipe for disaster,” Brooke Clow, freshman, said.

     Tryouts for the Spirit Team are on the April 15 and girls from Poms and Cheer have mixed feelings about the decision to unify the teams.

     “I don’t think the Spirit Team will work because being a member of Poms for three years, I’ve always seen how the Poms girls and Cheer girls haven’t gotten along, so I don’t see how it will pull together,” Cassie Walker, senior, said.

     Despite the objections, girls from Poms and Cheer will have to unify in order to be a part of supporting school spirit for the new year.

By Emily Flukey

     The Tigers are now ranked No.12 in the standings of the 5A class division with a record of 8-1. Overall, the team has had a good season this year with a 14-1 record; one against Coconino High School, and the other against Durango High School.

The Tigers have been working hard to win the Southwestern League title and get into the playoffs.

     “We’re exactly where we need to be right now,” Coach Kyle Rush said. “We set our goals as high as qualifying for the playoffs first and trying to get to win the SWL.”

     The effort put in by the players supports their team goals for the season. They are first in the SWL with a record of 6-1. Usually, the first and second place finishers in the standings qualify for the state playoffs.

     “As a whole, we’ve been playing good, and I’ve been doing my best to try and contribute to that effort,” senior center fielder Andy Willett said.

     Junior pitcher Chandon Rose agreed, saying, “We’ve been doing good, (and) we’ve been pretty successful. I think we could definitely close out games a bit better, finish the game off, smell blood and finish it. We’re trying to get a good seed in the playoffs.”

     Rush said that they have been to the playoffs for 11 years in a row now.

     “(The game against Central) was good, because that allowed us to clench it. That win was pretty big,” Rush said.

     Rose and Willett agreed with Rush.

     “I think our game is going really good and we’re doing well as a team. (We’re) hitting the ball well,” Rose said.

     Eight out of 10 players have a batting average above .300, and five of those are above .400.

     “It’s been going pretty good. From day one we’ve improved, and we’ve been playing strong. I think it’s been fun, and we’ve been having a good time,” Willett said.

     The baseball team has only three games left in their season before playoffs.

     “They’re all doing a great job, (and) they’re all being good leaders,” Rush said, speaking about the team. “(We need to do the) same thing as always (to win), we need to pitch better, and other than that we’ll be all right.”

     Once I finally spotted all six letters, I finished my search for the latest information on the deteriorating situation in Syria.  Atop the article I chose was none other than a picture of Queen Elizabeth II and Ambassador of Syria Sami Khiyami. 

     A coincidence, I thought.  The royal wedding could not have possibly consumed the world news, just cloaked it.  I was wrong.  As I read the caption, I realized the picture was there to comment upon the fact that the ambassador was invited to the royal wedding.

     Important, life-altering events go unnoticed every day.  Nearly 500 prisoners escaped from an Afghanistan jail on Monday through a tunnel dug by the Taliban.  Nobody noticed.  Instead, Meredith Vieira reported live from England on all things royal, but nobody was reporting live from Kabul on the escape of Taliban insurgents.

     Events that take and change lives are being pushed to the backburner to make way for the every moment leading up to the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

     Mobs of “wedding crashers” set up camp outside of Westminster Abbey in hopes of catching a glimpse of the royals before the wedding.  Thousands of others across the world woke in the wee hours of the morning to watch the royal ceremony on the tele.

     Maybe the fact that Prince William is second in line for the throne has captivated the world.  A modern Cinderella story, perhaps, as an alluring Prince prepares to wed a commoner.

     “They’re royal, like they’re fancy and they have money and their British.  You just want to be like oooo look at them, I want to watch,” junior Nikki Scott said.

     No matter the reason behind the undying fascination with the wedding, the main focus of our media should be the events that actually influence our everyday lives.  If we lose sight of the real news that hits home, we will have become a country of mindless tabloids and Hollywood news.

By Jessica Deters

     Law made a bet with his four groups competing at the festival that if each group received a superior rating, he would chop off his ponytail.

     All four orchestras were awarded straight superior ratings from all the judges at the orchestra.

     In addition to being awarded superior ratings, the Chamber Orchestra, String Orchestra and Full Orchestra were given the prize for class 5A Outstanding Groups.

     The Monday after the festival, Law announced the results to his orchestras along with the fact that his ponytail has now been donated to Locks of Love.

By Claire Cooper

(Left to Right) Garrett Harrison, Stephanie Skinner, Cassie Walker, Andy Willett, Maddie Taylor, Shane McBride

     GJHS Prom will be held on Saturday, April 16, 2011 from 8-11 p.m. at the Mesa State Ballroom in the Student Center. 

     Tickets cost $25 per couple and $15 for singles.

     Pictures will take place from 6-9 p.m. the same night at Mesa State.

     Dance guest forms can be either picked up in the main office or printed directly from the GJHS website.

     As the big night draws closer, GJHS staff and administration encourages all students to be safe and have fun.

By Maggie Johnston

     “The (students) were charged by the police for trespassing and disorderly conduct, I believe,” Principal Jon Bilbo said.

     During the night, the students dumped horse manure in the GJHS staff parking lot and filled of a number of exterior door keyholes with super glue. The seniors proceeded to glue pennies over the key holes to prevent access.

     The senior girls were detained by police after a call was made reporting a truck that was on campus for an extended period of time.  

     Administration was later able to enter the school by opening a side door. They were able to open the other glued doors from the inside with the help of locksmiths. 

     “It goes back to the skunk oil incident last year. It just brings embarrassment to our school,” Bilbo said.

     If the school’s damage exceeds $1,000, the seniors will be charged with felony.

     The girls will be responsible for paying restitution and Bilbo was unable to discuss punishment from administration at the time of the interview.

By Kimberlyn Bennett

The times and dates of testing are as follows:

March 29^th

7:25-12:00

9^th: Math (Bring calculator)

10^th: Science

11^th: No School

12^th: Service Learning Hours/Forms due

March 30^th

7:25-12:00

9^th: No school

10^th: Math (Bring Calculator)

9:30-11:30

11^th: ACT registration (mandatory)

12^th: No school

April 5^th

7:25-12:00

9^th: Reading/Writing

10^th: Reading/Writing

6:00-9:00

11^th: Junior Act

12^th: No school

April 6^th

7:25-12:00

9^th: Reading /Writing

10^th: Reading/Writing

1:00-2:00

12^th: Senior Class Meeting (Auditorium)

6:00-9:00

11^th: ACT Practice

April 27^th:

9^th: No School

10^th: No School

11^th: ACT DAY

12^th: No school

The play opened on Thursday, February 17, 2011, and between pre-ordered tickets and those bought at the door, the sales were record-breaking.

                “[Opening Night] was better than any rehearsal we could’ve done,” senior Jacob Below said. Below plays a munchkin.

                The production, which has been rehearsing since the first week of December, involves over 50 people, not including the pit orchestra and tech crew.

                “One of the best parts is interacting with the whole crew,” junior Tate Hegstrom,  who plays the Tin Man, said.

                 For Below, who has always wanted to be on stage, the “Wizard of Oz” is his chance to finally express himself.

                “It felt great,”  Below said.  “When I get worried, it’s not about forgetting my lines, I worry about saying someone else’s.”

The musical continues on Friday Night and Saturday night at 7:00 pm with a Saturday matinee at 2:00.  Pre-sale tickets cost $12 for adults and $8 for students, and tickets at the door cost $15 for adults and $8 for students.

by Maggie Johnston

Blackout 2011 will be held on Saturday, Jan. 29. Sponsored by the Advanced Leadership Team, Blackout has been a GJHS tradition since 2007.

“The best part of Blackout is that tons of people go,” ALT member Anna McGinnis said.

ALT plans extensively for Blackout throughout the school year.

“The hardest part of planning [Blackout] is that everyone has a different job, and in the end, we all need to be on the same page,” McGinnis said; “but the pest part is the result: an epic dance.”

ALT strives to add something new to Blackout every year.

“Last year we added a glow in the dark bubble machine, so it was like glow in the dark rain in there,” said McGinnis. “To find out what we’re adding this year you’ll just have to go to the dance.”

Unlike Pigskin and Homecoming, Blackout will take place in the new (east) gym.

“One of the best parts of the dance is that the fire alarm goes off every year; it’s a Blackout tradition,” said McGinnis.

Blackout shirts will be available for sale during the week leading up to the dance.

Blackout tickets are ten dollars and the dance is from 7 to 11 p.m.

“Be there for the best night of your life,” McGinnis said.