Omaris Rivera| May 2024

Brooke Hamilton| May 2024

Sophia Cornett| April 2024

Space Age Pop spans the period from 1954 to 1964. It was a time of experimentation, as it directly coincided with the rise of hi-fi technology. These technological advancements allowed record companies to explore audio production in a way that had never been seen before. Artists like Esquivel, Les Baxter, and Martin Denny took this opportunity to explore their innovative “audio-splicing skills”. However, with the emergence of the British Invasion, the culture of popular music underwent a shift, causing many instrumental pop artists to fade into obscurity. Space Age Bachelor Pad Music stands in a middle ground between jazz and pop with its eccentric orchestrations and surreal landscapes. It should be used as a broad term as with “Space Age Pop,” there lies sub-genres like Exotica, Jet Set Pop, Cocktail Music, and Space Age Bachelor Pad Music. The RCA History of Space Age Pop states that recordings from this era utilized acoustic and electric instruments. However, the studio toolkit was what made it so different. Tape speed manipulation, multi-tracking, controlled distortion, reverb, equalization, and tape editing were all manipulated by new artists. Artists took big band instrumentation and classics like “Sentimental Journey” or “Yellow Bird” and transformed them into something new. Space Age Bachelor Pad Music gained widespread popularity upon its original release, meaning new exploration with stereo. However, with the rapid advancement of technology and the rise of counterculture movements, the genre eventually faded into obscurity. With a bit of patience, you can still track down original vinyl copies of classic Space Age Pop. If you’re lucky, they can be found cheap at yard sales and thrift stores. If you travel downtown to record dealers such as POPS Resale and CD Central, you may even be able to pick out some vinyl still in good shape. Just don’t be surprised when you see the price tag. Prices on these LPs have skyrocketed in the past few years, as demand now exceeds supply. In case vinyl isn’t your thing, take this playlist as your starting point for your venture into the world of the Space Age Cosmopolitan Bachelor Pad:

Caravan – Buddy Merrill

Mini Skirt – Esquivel!

Moon Moods – Les Baxter

Gay Spirits – David Rose

Misirlou – Martin Denny

Rockin’ In the Orbit – Jimmie Haskell

Meditation – Enoch Light

Yellow Bird – Arthur Lyman

Alika – Webley Edwards

Perfidia – Jackie Davis

Credits: Chusid, Irwin. “The RCA History of Space Age Pop.” Space Age Bachelor Pad Music, 1995, julianbh.com/spaceage/index.html.

Omaris Rivera| March 2024

 Every few years, the celestial dance between the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth unveils one of nature’s most captivating phenomena: a solar eclipse. Solar eclipses have fascinated mankind for a millennia, captivating cultures worldwide with their enthralling display of cosmic alignment. Here we will delve into the science, history, and significance of solar eclipses, offering you an opportunity to understand and appreciate these extraordinary events. Solar eclipses occur when the Moon makes passage between the Sun and the Earth, completely blocking the light and casting a shadow over the Earth’s surface. An eclipse can only occur during the new moon phase when the Moon, Sun, and Earth are aligned in a straight line, the Moon positioned directly between the Sun and the Earth. Overall, there are three types of solar eclipses. To begin we have a Total Solar Eclipse – in this kind of eclipse, the Moon completely covers the Sun. The Sun’s corona becomes visible to the observers in the moment of totality, when the eclipse is total. Total Solar Eclipses are relatively rare, they typically occur when the size of the Moon matches that of the Sun. This is how it allows it to completely obscure the Sun’s dusk during the eclipse. The second type of solar eclipse we have is a Partial Solar Eclipse – during a partial solar eclipse, the Moon partially, hence the name, covers the Sun, only casting a shadow on a portion of the Earth’s surface. The extent of the partial solar eclipse depends on the viewer’s position relative to the path of the eclipse totality. Lastly, we have the Annular Solar Eclipse. An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far from the Earth to completely cover the Sun’s disk. Resulting in a visible ring of light around the Moon’s silhouette, creating what we know as the “ring of fire” effect. Solar eclipses don’t occur every new moon due to the Moon’s tilted orbit and potential alignment issues, and may not occur if the Moon is not directly between Earth and the Sun. Solar eclipses offer scientists valuable insight into the relationship between the Moon, the Sun, and the Earth. This allows them to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, which provides knowledge into its temperature, structure, and dynamics, enhancing our understanding of solar activity and space weather. They also give scientists the opportunity to observe the Moon’s orbit and position with precision, which can aid in refining our understanding of lunar dynamics and gravitational interactions. Further, solar eclipses offer opportunities to test and validate theories in astrophysics. The next upcoming Total Solar Eclipse will be on April 8th of this year. The totality of the eclipse will cross North America and will pass over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. It is said that the sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. If you are interested in seeing this eclipse unfold, remember: safety first. It is essential to utilize proper eye protection when viewing a solar eclipse to prevent permanent eye damage. Looking at the sun directly during the eclipse could cause severe nerve damage to the retina or even blindness due to intense solar radiation. A popular safe viewing method is solar viewing glasses. These glasses block any harmful ultraviolet, visible, and infrared radiation allowing safe viewing. A variety of solar viewing glasses can be found on places like Amazon, Walmart, BestBuy, etc. Always ensure that the glasses are not damaged or scratched, this can compromise their effectiveness. Solar eclipses have evoked fascination and a sense of awe throughout history. They serve as a reminder of our place in the cosmos and our ongoing pursuit to further understand the universe. From ancient civilizations , to modern scientists, solar eclipses have roused curiosity, awe, and discovery. These events allow for opportunities for people to come together, share the wonders of the universe, and expand our understanding of the natural world. They remind us of the interconnectedness of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, and the complexity and beauty of the cosmos. Solar eclipses serve as great reminders of the heartfelt impact celestial events have on humanity’s understanding of the universe, inspiring curiosity, wonder, and discovery for years to come. 

Raegan Brown| February 2024

 A leap year is an exciting occurrence. One very cool aspect is that we have one student here at Scott County High School with a birthday on leap year, his name is Lucas Hillard and he says, “Having a birthday on a leap year is very different and confusing but in some ways, it kind of feels special to have that birthday.” He usually celebrates his birthday on February 28th, “ I would rather have an actual birthday on a different date because I only have four actual birthdays” he said (this one will be the 4th.) On the 29th he might end up getting a few extra gifts. The leap year was first created in 46 BCE by Julius Caesar of Rome. Leap year is beneficial because this fraction allows the seasons to correctly line up with each other. In some cultures, they believe that leap day is a very unlucky day. About 4 million people in the world are leap-year babies, and there is a one in 1,461 chance of being a leap-year baby, a leap-year has 366 days.

Omaris Rivera| February 2024

In the vast universe, where mysteries and celestial phenomena captivate our imagination, few ventures have captivated the world like the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). With its ability to observe deep into the cosmos, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has become a leading instrument in astrophysics, possibly being the key to unraveling some of the biggest mysteries of the universe. The EHT is a triumph of human invention and teamwork on a cosmic scale, capable of everything from capturing a supermassive, black hole to understanding the fundamental rules of physics. The EHT is a global formation of radio telescopes that work to capture high-resolution images of all celestial objects. The idea of the EHT was first proposed in 1997, and since then it has grown into a collaboration of over 300 scientists from all over the world. The primary objective of the EHT is to observe the surroundings of supermassive, black holes. In particular, their event horizons, the boundary at which nothing can escape their gravitational pull, not even light. One of the EHT’s most significant achievements came in April of 2019, when it revealed the image of a black hole’s event horizon, which is located in Galaxy M87. This historical image provided evidence of the existence of black holes, confirming predictions made by Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. This remarkable imaging capability is achieved by combining data from a global network of radio telescopes worldwide, including facilities in Hawaii, Spain, Antarctica, and Chile. To synchronize observations from each location the EHT uses an atomic clock and to accurately timestamp data collection. Software then combines the data recollected to create a cohesive image. One of the key technologies used by the EHT is very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI), which allows astronomers to simulate a single, earth-sized telescope, by linking multiple telescopes across a range of distances. With time, the EHT has been able to continually improve its techniques and equipment, strengthening its ability to capture fine details in the images it captures.  analysis and data processing have also played a crucial role in gathering meaningful scientific insights from the extensive amount of data collected by the EHT. The telescope’s groundbreaking image of the black hole in M87 presented scientists with extraordinary insights into the extreme environments that surround such amazing objects. With the EHT, scientists were able to study and test predictions of general relativity and gain a new understanding of the behavior of matter under great gravitational conditions. Apart from the M87 black hole, the EHT has also observed the supermassive, black hole in the center of our Milky Way, also known as Sagittarius A*. Astronomers have been able to measure and study its effect on the surrounding environment precisely. The EHT continues to make remarkable contributions to astrophysics with ongoing observations and studies on a variety of topics, including the nature of dark matter and the formation of galaxies.  Looking ahead, the EHT is expected to expand its capabilities and tackle more aspiring scientific goals. Underway, the hope is to increase its sensitivity and resolution to capture and study small holes and other compact objects. But beyond its scientific contributions, the EHT has made a profound impact on the world with science and technology. The release of the first black hole image captured the world’s imagination, spreading an interest and enthusiasm for space exploration and astronomy. As the EHT continues to go beyond our boundaries of understanding the cosmos, it is a testament to the power of universal collaboration and the creativity of human innovation. By bringing together scientists from diverse backgrounds, the EHT symbolizes the collective pursuit of knowledge and the essence of exploration that drives the scientific process.

Addyson Adkins| January 2024

It’s time to come back to school after Christmas break. Everyone is either excited or dreading it, some people come in sweats and slides, others come in sweaters and smiles wearing Christmas gifts, still living out the joy. But what happens between the four months of not having a single break? Lowered attendance? Bad grades? Students feeling like they can’t keep up the motivation? This slump is so common after being out of school for two weeks that most people don’t take the time to talk about the ways it can be avoided. This article will hopefully provide some insight into regaining motivation, keeping your grades up, and lowering the stress between now and spring break. To start, you could set short-term goals that are easier to achieve. By doing this, you can choose what you’d like to accomplish whether it’s over the span of a couple days or a week. You can also allow an award for positive reinforcement to keep up motivation. For a couple examples, you could make a short-term goal such as reading a book you enjoy, or finishing a movie with a trailer that interests you. You could make a goal to get outside and take your pet on a walk, do a load of laundry, set aside an hour to do homework, and allow yourself a 25 minute break to get a snack or call a friend. Make it a short-term goal to make your bed if its something you need to do. Short-term goals are perfect for this long haul because they are unique to you and your needs. They can be small or big depending on what you need. Aside from making short-term goals, you can make time to hang out with friends! Allowing yourself room to enjoy the company of others is such good reinforcement and always makes people feel better. You and your friend could go see a movie, go get lunch, or simply stay home and talk. You guys could also always have a study date. Do some homework, get together, study for an hour or two, take a break, mess around. Make doing things you need to do fun.  Adding to that, we understand that this time of year can seem impossible for some people, from just needing a break to being so exhausted you feel drained. Trust me, I get it. Try to take time for yourself. Make your bed, watch a movie, paint or draw if it interests you. Listen to music, go to the library and pick up a new book, call your friends, spend time with family. Not everything has to be tiring and miserable. You can easily make the most out of these four months to focus on yourself and grades before spring break rolls around. To sum everything up, make sure you take time for setting goals because they do truly help to put things in perspective. Make sure you’re taking time not only for your friends but also yourself. Sometimes you need someone to spend time with and other times, you just need a little self care day. We know all about those and trust, they always help! If you’re struggling, always know you can reach out to anyone you trust and they can help you, this time of year can be draining and we want everyone to be as happy as can be! Hopefully this helps people to overcome the long haul. 

Bella Garcia| January 2024

Mars Demuth| December 2023

Have you ever wanted a place to go where you can just let your creativity flow? There will be one in the new school! It is called MakerSpace. But, you may be asking yourself, what is a MakerSpace? MakerSpace is a student-run area where students can go to make and do things that can improve their thinking and build up skills that could be useful in day-to-day life. Most students like to have their own space where they are able to do what they like without having to worry about other things disrupting their time. As of right now, a lot of students do not have a lot of that space at home, so the school would like to introduce the MakerSpace that will be in the new building! During a talk with Mrs. Musick, our librarian, she brought up that she had a chat with a professor at UK about MakerSpace, and how the students should decide what should be in the space, since they will be the ones using it. Since then, she has put a bulletin up in the hall that asks the students what they would like to be in the MakerSpace. But what ideas would be put into the room? What would it be for? For example, the school could use the video editing software technology we already have (ie. adobe products like Photoshop) and put it into the space for regular students to use, not just the people who work in classes that use those. There are many possibilities for the space’s use, so make sure you let Mrs. Musick know your ideas!

Nathan Hinojosa| November 2023

Truancy, the habitual act of students skipping school without proper justification, can have far-reaching consequences on both academic and personal development. Here’s how to prevent truancy and how truancy can affect your school and personal life. Regular absences can reduce a student’s ability to keep up with lessons, leading to lower grades and decreased work ethic. Although students may not think truancy is a serious issue, many students do. In a form we sent out, 35.3% of student responses claim that truancy isn’t a severe issue, but 64.7% say it is. Truancy can have dire consequences and should be treated with caution; procedures should be taken to prevent it. Consequences of being truant include court, jail time, and severe emotional and mental damage to students and families. Students may feel isolated, contributing to social and emotional challenges that may cause them to be truant, but some reasons for absence cannot be excused.​​ That can lead to a lot of mental strain on a student and also a disconnection from classmates, teachers, and friends, leading to increased stress and social anxiety. The long-term consequences of truancy are grave, often linked to higher dropout rates, limiting future educational and career opportunities. Ways to prevent truancy include developing hobbies, and finding good reasons to attend school. If truancy is a serious issue for you, mentorship programs and counseling are available to identify and address what the causes of your truancy may be. In conclusion, many students suffer from truancy throughout the year for a multitude of reasons. By addressing the root of the causes through early intervention, involving parents, and creating engaging educational environments for the students, we can work towards reducing truancy and providing students with a solid foundation for future success. 

Addyson Adkins & Kennedi Black| November 2023

We all know what’s right around the corner, right? As Mariah Carey said, It’s tiiiimee! Yes, it is that time again, Christmas time. Full of fun, food, spirit, and, best of all, gifts. Now, gifts always come with speculation and worry that you didn’t get the right present, or you’re just unsure about the person you’re gifting to, but this year is going to be different. This year, you have a Christmas wishlist straight from the minds of your very own high school students. Take this home, show your parents, or just add it to your previous list!

We decided this year that instead of the holiday season being stressful, we’d make it easier on you and your parents by providing a Christmas wish list for all teenage wants. We asked boys, girls, underclassmen, and upperclassmen, and we’ve put together the perfect list so this year, everyone gets exactly, or as close as possible, to what they want. So sit back, enjoy some eggnog, and put that gingerbread in the oven while you read the best Christmas article ever. 

Shoes-

We’ve observed, we’ve envied, and we’ve bought these shoes. Since they’re so popular, we can confidently say that these are the “IT” shoes for girls 2023;

• Uggs

-tasman

-ultra mini

-coquette

-scuffette 11

• Birkenstocks 

-arizona 

-mayari

–boston clogs

• Converse

-platform converse

-hightops

• Nike 

-dunks

-270

-blazers

-airmaxes

For our boys, we’ve noticed their shoe game being stepped up, so we can say with ease, these are the shoes trending for the boys 2023;

• Nike

-Jordan 4s

-airforces

-airmax 95

• Yeezy

-yeezy 350s

–slides

-foam runner

Addyson Adkins, Raegan Brown, Camaryn Douglas, Brooke Hamilton & Nathan Hinojosa| September 2023

We are so excited to present to you your Student Council for this year:

They are all so excited to represent you on the Student Council this year. Student Council members are the ones who plan our school Prom, Homecoming, and any other formals. Part of planning the events is picking themes and decorating accordingly as they set up prior to each and every one of the fun events. Student Council also helps plan fundraisers, faculty and staff appreciation, plus they collect large amounts of donations for community first responders and so much more. Who are these Senior Class Officers? Let’s find out!

Your President of the Student Council is Maureen Mann! She, as president, leads the group, leads meetings, and helps plan future events. She loves to help people, which she can apply through her nursing and physical therapy jobs. She does PT for Scott County in the mornings with Trainer Dan plus takes nursing classes. Maureen said, “I just really feel like it’s what I want to do when I grow up, it’s my calling” when asked about her nursing. She said her time management can get stressful, but she just really tries to stay organized and keep a good schedule. Maureen stated, “I believe that for all freshmen they should try for student council. I wish I could’ve done it all four years as a freshman and sophomore.” She’s so excited for this school year and all the fun things that will come!

Our Vice-President, Kiley Leahy, ran for student council because she wants to make a difference at the high school. She said, “This is my senior year, if there’s anything I could accomplish this year, it would be to make a difference for the students.” She plans to help our school environment by trying her best to make everyone feel welcome because she is also a student ambassador. Kiley states “When we are welcoming our freshmen, I want everyone to feel welcome here and set a good culture so that every student feels welcome no matter what.” She enjoys being a part of the student council for multiple reasons. She loves to be a part of the school and to be engaged. She talks about how she loves being able to do good for the school and being in student council gives her the opportunity to fulfill these things. She recommends freshmen try and get involved in anything they can. She says, “The high school experience is fun and so many opportunities are out there, like Student Council, BETA Club, B-Team or any type of sport.” Kiley also said that she thinks what makes the high school experience the best is doing your best, trying to be a part of the school and bringing love to the school. Kiley currently takes 3 classes at Georgetown College: Psychology, English 111, and Statistics. Kiley wants to go to Western Kentucky University (WKU). She hasn’t decided as of yet what she wants to major in once she graduates but thinks it’s a cool school because her sibling and friend have talked well about it.

Our Secretary, Lily Gray’s favorite part of the student council is how the group stands up for student opinions and gives students a say. Lily participates in student council because it gives her more activities and it looks good on college applications. She does plan on going to college for criminal psychology. Her hopes for the Student Council is to help develop a healthier environment and increase school safety. Lily always had an interest in Student Council. She wanted to participate her freshman and her junior year, but health problems prevented her from running. Lily tries her best to manage everything. Her secret to success is just taking her time and getting things done. Lily recommends trying your best, keeping up, and asking to make sure you know what you’re doing but overall to just have fun!

Scott Nelson is the Treasurer for the Student Council. As the treasurer, he manages the financial accounts for the Student Council. In other words, he is in charge of tracking how much money is in the accounts and helps decide how the money should be spent. He enjoys his position as the treasurer and loves how it is a good fit for him. Scott likes having a leadership role because he reports, “I can speak up when I need to.” Scott believes that everyone strives to be the best in their own role in the group. He enjoys how friendly everyone is in the Student Council and how he fits into the group. His plans for the future are to go to college.

Shantin Aguilar serves as the Parliamentary for Student Council here at SCHS. Shantin says she ran for student council again because she loved participating her sophomore year. Shantin explains that while serving she made so many friends, loved all the group work getting to know the other students, and that it was fun making all the spirit week decisions and decorating for Prom. She attends BCTC course classes, ECS, and Student Council. She said she plans on helping where help is needed, and going with the flow. There are so many spots in the student council and so much fun with the student council overall.