School+News+and+Stories

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=** Vocal Attraction **= = = Vocal attraction is a middle school singing group. We sing, dance, and have a lot of fun. Mrs. Harris is the vocal director. She helps us learn music and put on a great performance. = = Within the groups, there are three officers and three section leaders. The officers are put in charge of making sure everything is running smoothly when Mrs. Harris isn’t in the room. The section leaders make sure their section is doing what they’re supposed to do. The sections are soprano, alto, and baritone. The girls can either be soprano or alto. The high voiced girls are soprano and the low (voiced) girls are alto. The boys in the group are the baritones. = = We sing a lot of music. There are two concerts: a Christmas one and a spring one. At the Christmas on we sing serious music and fun music. At the spring concert there is a lot of diversity in the music. It is an intense group to be in. From the director’s point of view Mrs. Harris it is a lot of work, but you get a lot out of it. As Mrs. Harris says, if you don’t want to be in the group find a different class, you cannot slack off. You have to put a lot of work into this group. If you miss one after school practice you are so behind it is not even funny. It takes a lot of work to learn the dances. Mrs. Harris is a tough director but it is totally worth the effort. I love being in vocal. It makes me feel amazing. I put in a lot of effort to make the group the best that it can be. = = I love this group and everybody that is in it. The students that are in it make the group a better activity to be in. = = By: Bella McCracken = =

= = =Color Guard =

by Brittney and Storm Color guard is…. Color guard is spending about 15-20 hours a week. The blood, sweat, and tears of not just one but all the girls working hard to be great. Girls lifting, and tossing riffles, then catching them before getting hurt. Cuts bruises spending a lot of time away from family and having less free time. The history of color guard….. Back in the time of the civil war, there were drummers and pipers. They would accompany the soldiers to keep them in beat and their spirits up along this band they sent soldier carrying their flags with their colors. This was the first guardsmen’s they still serve many purposes, but the most useful purpose is to bare your colors with pride. We still use it now days in USA’s military marching bands. It was good to the ears but on to the eyes. This is where the modern guard line comes in. it started with the battle cries and pride of ones colors then went to show stopping sensations that go with marching bands everywhere. That’s color guard Tips for guard: Color guard is easy if you put all you got into it. It’s a good way to get to know people. It is also a great way to have a lot of fun and exercise. = **__Take it from a Zook __** =
 * Count the beat and the steps
 * Breathe in your nose and out your mouth
 * Practice spins tosses and routines
 * Never give up
 * Exercise Daily
 * Always try your best
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">Don’t be afraid of your equipment
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">Do what your told
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">When you are at right shoulder, make sure your flag is straight up and down, not angled. Keep your left and at your belly button and your fingers together, not spread apart.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">Pop those angles!! You'll know when you do a good slam or a pop when the flag "snaps" or "pops."
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">Keep arm muscles tight! Not so tight your arms hurts, but tight enough that if someone tried to pull the flag out of your arm, they couldn't.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">When you spin, try to spin at your belly button, unless you are told to spin somewhere else. Generally, you should not spin at your chest.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">To avoid getting your flag caught up on the pole (a sail), keep your flag moving.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">If you do get a sail, DON'T shake your pole!! Instead, rotate the pole in your hands so it just slips off or gently pull it off.

<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 21px;">Hello my names Adam Zook and this is my advice column. My job is to give advice to Tyrone Area Middle School students to better their lives and make their school experience at least somewhat fun (I know it’s really hard to see it that way). You see middle school is a very interesting place. With love in the air and stress on your mind it’s really hard to have good grades. However statistics show the more things you do as a kid the more organized you are as an adult. Now that doesn’t mean you need to go out and do a million things to prepare for later in life. It helps if you manage the amount of things you do so you’re not overwhelmed. Several anonymous students have asked about the amount homework you get in eighth grade. You do receive more homework but it’s not as hard as it would seem. You understand the work better and your teachers give lots of support to help you succeed. Also multiple students asked about tips to help them study better. The most important thing to remember is to take notes. Notes are an important reference to use when studying for a test or quiz. They don’t have to be long, protracted notes; they can be quick reminders or quick references to remind you of important facts. You don’t have to study for a long time if you do it the right way. Organization is key for success. If you organize you’re studying habits you will do better on tests. So if you stay organized studying will take a much shorter amount of time to study. To wrap this up, to have the Tyrone Middle Experience just be yourself and be the best student you can be.

= <span style="color: #002060; display: block; font-family: 'eras bold itc','sans-serif'; font-size: 48px; text-align: center;">I-Pods in Middle School? =

<span style="color: #002060; font-family: 'Eras Bold ITC','sans-serif'; font-size: 21px;">The rule is that you can’t have them out in the middle school, although you can when you get to high school. The question people are middle school students are wondering is why not middle school? The opinions differ throughout the school of Tyrone middle school. Some people say they shouldn’t be allowed but most say they should.

<span style="color: #002060; font-family: 'Eras Bold ITC','sans-serif'; font-size: 21px;">The people that say they shouldn’t, said it is harder to concentrate if you have them or if you are sitting next to someone that has them with the volume loud. They also said you can’t hear what the teacher is saying if you have an I-pod and it is easy to get behind in your work. “There is no point of having I-Pods in the middle school when we get them soon anyway.” Some teachers say “They will get to sidetracked listening to music and not focus on doing their work. They’re not ready to multitask yet.”

<span style="color: #002060; font-family: 'Eras Bold ITC','sans-serif'; font-size: 21px;">The people that say I-Pods should be allowed, “High school can do it so why can’t we too? It is not fair.” They believe that there is no reason they shouldn’t have it. “We are already ages 10-14 years old and can handle simply listening to music while doing work.” This will help them not to talk and will also help them do their work. You can turn down the volume while the teacher is talking, and back up while doing work. This will help students get their work done without getting sidetracked.

<span style="color: #002060; font-family: 'Eras Bold ITC','sans-serif'; font-size: 21px;">Even though the sides of this debate differ, I think they shouldn’t be allowed. We went through many grades without them and can wait 4 more through middle school. It gives you something to look forward to getting in Tyrone High School. By that time you will be able to listen to music without getting sidetracked from your work. This way you will get the grades that you want, and still have a good time in school. Therefore I think that the rule should stay the same.

<span style="color: #002060; font-family: 'Eras Bold ITC','sans-serif'; font-size: 21px;">By: Will Lash

= __<span style="color: #604a7b; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 53px;">THE DRESS CODE __  = = = = __ Is it ridiculous? Or just right? __ =

I’ve looked through my Agenda time and again, and the dress code has always struck me as a little… stupid, for lack of a better word. But that’s just because I wouldn’t wear half of the stuff that we have rules against. But I know that some of my peers aren’t as sensible. As a result, our jeans can’t have **__ANY__** holes, and there are whispers of possible uniforms in the hallways. What is Tyrone Area Middle School coming to? Honestly, I can’t understand it. I know that I sound like a teacher when I say this, but if you’re not sure if it’s appropriate, DON’T WEAR IT!!!!!!!!! I get it, it’s “fashionable”. Students may think that rules about low cut shirts and shorts are insanely ridiculous, but they’re not. These rules were put into place because people were abusing the privilege of dressing how they want. So girls, (I know there are boys who don’t follow the dress code, but it’s mainly girls.) don’t abuse the privilege, and the school won’t make the rules more strict. It’s that simple. I mean, the stuff from Aeropostle, Hot Topic, and Hollister are pretty amazing. The jeans with the holes in them are awesome. But chill out! You’ll be able to wear a lot of that stuff in high school. So don’t get checks and detentions for not following the dress code. That is one of the dumbest reasons for getting a check and/or a detention. But there are some really weird rules about how we can and can’t dress. I interviewed one of my friends. “I hate the dress code. I hope we do get uniforms.” She goes on to say that the rules are “oober stupid”. Well, I would have to agree with that regarding a few of the dress code rules. Let me quote some of them from in my Agenda “**__Spiked haircuts are not permitted!__”** What??? I mean I can understand if some kid has a major mohawk going on. But casually gelled spikes aren’t very distracting. Tons of people outside of school have it. Even some of our teachers have it. So, the dress code doesn’t apply to them?

“**__Boxer shorts are not permitted.__”** Thanks for the memo, Captain Obvious.

“**__Biker shorts and shorts that are tight are not appropriate for school.__”** Please refer to my last comment.

Though the dress code rules aren’t what some people would like them to be, they are that way for a reason. So next time you think “I hate the dress code!” remember what caused it to become what it is today. So, in my opinion, the dress code currently enforced at Tyrone Area Middle School is just right. So just make the right choice when you pick out your next outfit, and the rules won’t become any stricter. Find a happy medium between super awesome and appropriate for school. J By: Shania Kennedy