Congratulations Counselor!

Ellen Ewers is a Success!
Creekview is lucky enough to have talented teachers and counselors. Our teachers are often rewarded for their hard work with awards, but it’s not often that our counselors are awarded. That’s why the zone award that Mrs. Ellen Ewers won is so special; it’s the first of its kind.

She’s the first counselor in the area to receive such an award, and she can’t help but be proud. She believes that, “This award isn’t just about me; it’s a reflection of all the people in Student Services.” All the hard work Student Services has put into Creekview has succeeded in establishing a great counseling program.

Yet even though Mrs. Ewers knew how great the counseling program is, she was still taken aback when she won the award. Her family, however, wasn’t so surprised. “They know that I truly care about our students and take pride in my work ethic,” says Mrs. Ewers. Humble as always, Mrs. Ewers isn’t letting this award get to her head. She’s still working as hard as ever.

Mrs. Ewers has been a counselor for 15 years, so she has gained a lot of experience. But she wasn’t always a counselor. She used to teach Health and Physical Education along with coaching basketball, softball, and volleyball. These may seem like strange careers for a counselor, but when you realize her motive, it all makes sense. Because when asked why she wanted to be a counselor she had no trouble answering, “I’ve always wanted to help young people reach their goals and enjoy observing their path to adulthood.” For Mrs. Ewers, helping kids succeed is what she’s all about.

As a closing statement I asked Mrs. Ewers what her best piece of advice was, she readily answered, “Always know where you want to go and be aware of how to get there. Have a passion for what you do.”

By: Taylor Gates

Tension Rise, Tempers Flare

Tensions Rise, Tempers Flare

“GAME DAY!!!” Students shout and cheer as a few seniors run round and round the cafeteria. The air is thrumming with the excitement and cheers emanating from the students. Loud blasts from vuvuzelas break up the shouts, each blast getting louder in an attempt to beat out one another. Every student is looking forward to the football game against Sequoyah. This year Creekview is going to do it again! This game was going to be huge! In fact, it even got its own webpage on Facebook, Creekview vs. Sequoyah. At the game the schools are separated by a field full of players, but when online students can interact and converse freely with one another, this connection quickly got heated.

The real drama started before the actual game day, on a Facebook page dedicated to Creekview’s football team. At first it was just a few, “GO GRIZZLIES,” or, “GO CHIEFS!” But the conversation quickly escalated. Coaches were kept busy editing the page of overly offensive comments, but they weren’t quick enough to block them all.
Sequoyah seniors and Creekview juniors had the majority of the comments as they retaliated back and forth. And one Creekview senior edited grizzly bears and word bubble that read, “S**T,” into a Sequoyah football picture. Sequoyah fought back mainly by trying to twist Creekview students’ comments and make them seem self-insulting. They did a pretty good job of this but in the end it didn’t really matter. Actions will always speak louder than words, and that Friday night Creekview was the loudest!

It doesn’t seem likely that future football game pages will get as heated as this one, but who knows? After all even the most surprising people can get riled up when a competition is at hand. Based on this year though, next year’s facebook page for Creekview vs. Sequoyah is going to be even more heated. After two years of defeat Sequoyah is going to be dying to win, and messing with Creekview kids will be a way to elevate themselves. Creekview kids living in the Hickory Flat area, Sequoyah’s domain, are still being assaulted and bad mouthed by Sequoyah kids. When a group of Creekview students went to eat at McDonalds everything was fine until they told a few curious kids where they were from. Immediately the restaurant went quiet. Tension will probably always be in the air between these two new rival schools, and the webpage helps it last even longer. Next year it would probably be a good bet to just forego the pages, after all the primary focus should be on the game, not the smack talking.

(Photo: Will Kirby, 10th grade)

By: Taylor Gates

Are You Going to Take the AP Exam?

With the crunch of the economic downfall, the state of Georgia had to make several budget cutbacks. Among the many budgets affected the Advanced Placement (AP) testing price rebate have been removed from the budget and has become the responsibility of Georgia students. Instead of paying the discounted price of $8 for an AP subject test, Georgia students now have to pay the full price of $86. This news hits hard to many families across Georgia who are affected with the economic crisis. This matter is causing many to become unsure of the hopes of taking the exam and receiving well-deserved college credit.

At Creekview, AP teachers are encouraging their students to take the tests that, in the long run, will save students hours of college courses and tuition money. AP United States Government and Politics teacher, Stan Hunsucker, stated, “Though it will be hard for students to find money in this recession, students will be more dedicated and serious about the subject causing scores to go up.”

With the high testing scores exhibited by the students at Creekview, it is no shocker that many of our bright students are taking multiple AP courses. On among our numerous variety of esteemed students, William Burke (12) is taking five AP courses (Biology, Physics, United States Government and Politics, and English Literature) and is working rigorously in those classes. He knows that the classes will save him thousands of dollars in tuition and class time. Because of the big amount of money that Burke will have to pay for his numerous AP courses, he said, “my parents and I are splitting [the cost]. With this new rule, I am more motivated to make the very best on the exam.”

Despite the financial downside, many of the AP teachers have found positivity due to the fact that many of the scores will possibly increase and more devotion might be presented in their classes. The AP scores range from a 1-5 scale, with 5 being the highest grade and 3 being the starting passing mark.

The cost for each Advanced Placement exam is $86 and will be given by the College Board. Testing will take place starting in early May 2011.

By: Beatrice Torralba

Creekview High School Welcomes the Class of 2014

As several area schools transition back to school and back to order, Creekview High School starts the year with prospects of new undertakings for the school.

At a breakfast held on August 11 to welcome the parents of the freshmen class of 2014, the school’s PTSA and principal, Dr. Bob Eddy, introduced the parents to the goals and programs planned for the school year and how much involvement is needed to accomplish them. Dr. Eddy stressed the importance of involvement and praised the PTSA for the success of the beautification of the school and several other projects that have been accomplished.

Among the numerous projects that the PTSA plans to tackle this year, the second phase of the beautification of the school is on top of the list. Set to be completed by this fall, the beautification committee has outlined a plan by adding trees to the landscape project. The committee is working hard on getting the Grizzlies to “go green” and adopt a tree.

Along with the beautification of the exterior of the school, the PTSA has set an agenda for donating $500 to the school’s media center, which was named Exemplary Media Center for the state. Other tasks the committees plan to endeavor this coming year include hospitality breakfast for teachers, book scholarships for seniors, and SAT prep courses to juniors and seniors. .

The PTSA officers, Barbara Arthur (president), Valerie McClendon (vice president), Helen Stancil (treasurer), and Darrell Caudill (secretary), ask for parents to connect with the school by becoming a V.I.P. (Very Involved Parent) and joining the PTSA. There is no fee to volunteer your services and talent for the school but being a member, for $50, entitles you to discounts throughout the community in restaurants, businesses, and ticket event prices. If you are interested in volunteering or learning more to become a member, please contact Barbara Arthur at bjearthur@comcast.net.

By: Beatrice Torralba

Blue Ribbons for the Unquiet Library

Every student has visited the Creekview Unquiet library or if not, they will at one point in time. Whether to learn about LibGuides for the 8 billionth time, check out a book, visit the coffee shop, or simply just go for leisure, the library is always packed with students and teachers. This year there are a few changes to the library, some subtle and some not.

One of the biggest changes to the library this year happens to be the award the librarians diligently work for. The Unquiet Library was awarded one of two of the Exemplary High School Media Programs for 2010 in the state of Georgia by the Georgia Department of Education. The other award went to Kennesaw Mountain High.

“We were very excited [about the award],” says Buffy Hamilton, head librarian. “It was also a very humbling experience.”

The award gives each winning library state wide recognition and a certificate. The library was nominated for the award by Principal Bob Eddy. To enter into the run for the prestigious award the library had to submit an application. Then each one was reviewed with a rubric.

The library media program must meet certain requirements such as: “The library media program fosters critical thinking skills and independent inquiry so students can learn to choose reliable information and become proactive and thoughtful users of information and resources. The Library Media Specialist and classroom teacher collaborate using Georgia Performance Standards to plan and teach the units of study. The library media program uses the AASL standards to help shape the learning of students in the school.”

Not only this, the library must also encourage teachers to participate in the process of media, and the media has to appeal to all students with different learning styles. The library works extremely hard making every students life easier. Research papers or projects are almost handed to students with LibGuides. These are used by almost every teacher and student. Clearly, this award is wanted by many; however our library and our librarians came out on top with all their hard work.

But the library hasn’t stopped running yet. New computer screens and, as always, new books can be found in the library as well.

Kindle eReaders are also being delivered to Creekview in October for students to check out. A form will go out to the student interested. This form must be filled out by the students and their guardian to ensure safety of the Kindle. A librarian will then give a quick lesson on how to use the Kindle which will have best sellers, Peach Books, and classics loaded onto it. The check out time will be the same for any other book, two weeks, but in these two weeks a student can read as many books available to them.

“We also are forming a student and faculty blogging team to contribute guest posts on our blog,” informed Ms. Hamilton. Such blog can be found at http://www.theunquietlibrary.wordpress.com/

Anyone interested in writing book reviews, gaming reviews, or other topics of interest should see Ms. Hamilton.
By: Brooke Gunsauley

Photo used with permission from the Georgia Department of Education