Mrs. Pollard’s Health Science, Medical Therapeutics, and Medical Assisting classes are a great way for students to get involved in the medical field, have fun, and boost their GPA! With three levels, and numerous students in each class, a surprising amount of freshmen, and even upperclassmen know little about this great class. At face value, a class about health science may not seem to fit with some who are not planning on going into the medical field, but there’s much more to Mrs. Pollard’s three level class, obviously covering interesting subjects, but also providing the opportunity to become OSHA certified, learn hands on, and have a great experience. Carter High School juniors comment on their experience with beaming positivity, expressing their appreciation for the interesting subject matter, medical students such as Miguel Ramos “really enjoy it,” finding interest in the various medical terms and practices, as well as getting a better understanding of doctors, nurses, and their various procedures. Miguel says that the class is “perfect for anyone interested in health or medical science, whether they plan on going into that field or not.” Something that many freshman may not know is that, in addition to the interesting subject matter, Mrs. Pollard’s second and third level: Medical Therapeutics and Medical Assisting, provide one additional credit to those who pass, (same amount as taking an AP class, but much easier!). This can potentially boost a student’s GPA, an amazing opportunity that proves to be few and far between. Another student, Xanathus Vigue, who has gone through the first two levels, and is in the process of the third, states that he likes how fun the class is, while also thoroughly enjoying the Medical subject as a whole. Stating that there was not much homework, and the workload was very manageable for the amount of information covered. And while not guaranteed to every class, he did state that they went on a very fun field trip, visiting a nursing school and learning about some of the day-to-day activities of someone in the field. Students also have the opportunity to become OSHA certified, a program that not only opens up many career options in the future, but provides a safety mindset, and skills that provide for a competitive edge. Whether you are interested in going into the medical field or not, Mrs. Pollard’s class provides a fun, interesting learning experience that is only boosted by the secondary benefits and opportunities it provides. So for any incoming freshmen, it is definitely a class worth considering for the future.

The Carter high school volleyball team had an enjoyable season last fall, and the team loved playing it.

The members of the team think that this season has been fun and they enjoyed going against South Doyle.

Ansley Williams, a freshman, says, “I had a very good season and a lot of fun, but I tore my ACL so that wasn’t fun.” She says the last game was fun and exciting but she was nervous for it. “My favorite team to go against was South Doyle because we already knew that we were gonna win.” She thinks that her next season will be a lot of fun and she is excited for it. 

People enjoy watching the volleyball team play and like going to the games. Volleyball is a sport tons of people love.

Georgia Sharpe, also a freshman, says the season ended good and she had fun playing with her teammates. Her favorite team to go against was South Doyle because they’re easy to beat. She says, “We lost the last game but, we played good.” Her favorite thing about volleyball is her team mates. She is excited for next season.

Students in the Carter High School’s Musical Theater department say that they love being in theater and how it has changed with a new teacher as the director.

Jasmine Worley, a sophomore, talks about what musical theater is like this year with a new teacher and what she loves about being in theater.

Jasmine Worley, sophomore, talks about what she loves about being in musical theater. What Jasmine loved the most about being in musical theater was the people. Jasmine says, “Probably the people, although we had a rough year there’s a few selection of people who make theater completely worth it.”

Jasmine says what it is like with Mr. Berkley, the new musical director. “Yes, we have an amazing new teacher who actually teaches us how to sing and we have a lot less people in the class now, which makes things a lot easier and there’s little to no arguing anymore, ”Jasmine says.

The new director, Mr Berkley, for the Carter high’s musical theater department talks about what it is like as the new director for musical theater. Mr. Berkley says, “It is a bit difficult being the director of a musical, especially because I came in the middle of a show and in the middle of the year. That being said, the students have been very understanding of our circumstances and are working hard to put on the best show possible. I appreciate that everyone at Carter has been so supportive and helpful.” Mr. Berkley says that he loves teaching the musical theater class. “I love teaching the musical theater class and I love directing a show for several reasons. First, it is fun; the students and I have already made great connections, and I can’t wait to grow the program in the future. I think storytelling is at the center of who we are, and I think theater teaches students how to be positive members of society who know how to communicate those stories. That is what I love most about teaching theater,” Mr. Berkley said.

These TVs seem to have been here forever. Let’s see how long they’ve actually been here. 

Mr. McGee is a teacher here at Carter High School. He attended Carter and graduated in 2004. He has now been teaching at Carter for 10 years and began teaching in 2010. When asked, “Do you know what year the TVs originally got here?”McGee says, “I would say between the 80’s and 90’s.” His father used to work here at Carter when Mr. McGee was a child and he has memories of watching cartoons on them when he would sit in the classroom. He says, “cable was pretty expensive back then so I would just come watch cartoons on them when I would wait for my dad.” Mr. McGee explained how his teacher turned on the classroom TV to watch 9/11 on it. He thinks that the TVs have been left up because they are a “relic at this point.” 

It’s so crazy how these TVs could access so much. Why would the school let the TVs have so much to watch on them? Sense they are in a school, you would expect them not to have much on them besides educational programs. 

Pagie Hancock is a teacher at Carter Middle School. She also attended Carter High School and graduated in 1998. When asked when the TVs got there, she said, “I honestly have no clue. They were there all of my high school years.” She remembers watching science programs on them and fighting not to fall asleep because the programs were so boring. 

So, not much information was really found about these “historic” TVs. I guess nobody really knows the exact year they were put up. They just kind of appeared, and maybe the school is just too lazy to take them down. 

Mr. Martinez walks into the classroom and the door slams behind him. He walks to the front of the room passing all of the flyers and interesting items he has collected on the way. Then, class starts.

One of Carter high school’s history teachers, Mr. Martinez, was born in Germany and had a military childhood. 

Mr. Martinez has been at Carter for quite a long time. He used to work as a banker, but now he teaches AP Human Geography, Bible History, AP U.S. History, and U.S. History. Mr. Martinez moved to America after high school. He even met his wife in Germany while she was an Air Force brat. Mr. Martinez defined a “brat” as an honor. He explained that they had a very unique childhood, always moving, making new friends, and having to leave friends. 

“Everything we did was American, we went to an American high school, we had an American village, and we were on American bases,” explains Mr. Martinez. 

Even though he was born in Germany and grew up there, Martinez was also able to learn from the Americans in Germany. He explains that the cultures were blended and he misses the simplicity of his childhood. He also elaborated on the benefits of being in Germany. He and his friends would hang out around the castles, and for prom and graduations they were able to go to a castle ballroom that was built over 500 years ago.

Mr. Martinez allowed his students to step into his culture for a class period with a dish from his homeland and maybe even from his childhood.

“Mr. Martinez brought beef tongue into school one day and let us try it. Beef tongue is a dish in Germany. I was able to understand more about Mr. Martinez’s culture through trying it,” says Jackson Baker, a freshman who took AP Human Geography.

Little paper slips are passed out by the group of missionaries, led by Michael Balka, in the roaring cafeteria early in the morning. By 8:15 they all digress into Mrs. Neal’s classroom in hopes of seeing new faces. Several familiar faces show up, and sometimes if they are lucky a new one will pop in. The handful of students quickly scoot into a misshapen circle within the cramped computer room eager to learn about what the man has to say- oftentimes eating a donut that he had passed out moments before. With sticky hands and open hearts, the students are then sent out before the 8:30 bell to start their week off with what might be their only chance to hear the Christian doctrine. 

Mrs. Neal, a teacher at Carter High School, took over Teens for Christ around thirteen years ago and Michael, a Christian Layman, joined the mission around five years ago to give kids at Carter the opportunity to learn about their God. 

Michael was a pastor’s son and saw how heavily it impacted people’s lives as his dad preached. He decided to get into missionary work by teaching Sunday school in his twenties.  He even went to a, “soul-winning” seminar as a young man and went door to door sharing the gospel with his church. He humbly calls himself, “just a businessman that loves God and greatly values people getting to know the God that created them”. 

Mrs. Neal is also a businesswoman, her side job is working in real estate. She teaches multiple business classes here at Carter. She says that, “everybody is welcome” to the bible lessons that Michael teaches every Monday morning. 

Both of them have claimed that the mission they have behind the club of Teens for Christ is to share the gospel with the youth of the community; growing in numbers would be a perfect step towards that route, so come on down to room 345.

In room 519 in Freshman Academy, Mr. Koh, who teaches Pre-Calculus and Geometry classes, sits at his desk with a handful of students around the table. A bowl of Asian candy, a bowl of fried rice, a container of soy sauce, and cups full of green tea sit on the table. As the students try the Asian food, Mr. Koh explains the history and significance of each item.

Mr. Koh’s Asian club is a wonderful way for students to learn about different cultures through food.

Students get to learn about Asian culture and history, socialize with other students, and meet Mr. Koh.

“In this part of our county, we don’t really get to experience other cultures, and I want them to experience different kinds of foods and cultures,” he says. He enjoys hosting the club, as he gets to cook food for the students and learn about them. If you join the club, you get to eat Asian food and talk about different cultures. Sometimes you even get to do origami with Mr. Koh.

Not only does he think that this is a great club to join, but so do the members of the club.

“I think that the club is fun and I learn a lot from it,” says Diana Escobar, a freshman and a member of the club. She enjoys learning about Asian culture and eating the food. She wanted to join the club because of the advertisements. Also, she thinks that Mr. Koh is the perfect host for the club.

The timer is at three seconds, all eyes on her, the ball has been passed to her, she shoots and then scores!

Girls basketball is one of the many sports that Carter High School has to offer.

The Carter Highschool girls basketball team has many players that love and enjoy the sport and team. They try their best to win games and have a lot of fun.

Diana Escobar, a freshman, says her favorite thing about basketball is before games in the locker room. She also says, “So far the season has had it’s ups and downs but, it’s getting better and more exciting.” Her favorite team to go up against is South Doyle and her reason being, “They were the easiest team to beat, so they were easy to go up against and we won against them.” Her least favorite team to go up against was Seymore and her reason for that was, “They were the hardest team to go against because they are basically good at everything and super hard to beat.” Diana thinks the last game was decent and she gave it her all when she got to be in the game, even though it was only for a few minutes. Diana said, “We did not win the last game that I played but it was a very close game.”

Some people like to play basketball while others prefer to watch.

Hannah Cate, also a freshman, says she loves going to Diana’s games because they are fun to watch. She says, “I think Diana is very good at basketball when she gets to play and I love watching her play.” She also says “I like how good at basketball she is because shes short and better than I am.” She thinks basketball is a good sport that a lot of people enjoy.

Students and Alumni say they need a calendar to inform them of upcoming events 

Many students and parents need to be made aware of upcoming events such as basketball, football, volleyball, bowling, and many other after-school activities. For example, Katelyn May, who graduated a few years ago, said she never knew when something was coming until the week of: “I always missed events because I didn’t know they were coming.” This could also translate into a problem for parents who may not be able to ask when something is upcoming.

“It helps parents to know when upcoming competitions are,” said Isaac Stansberry He is on the fishing team, which is one of the lesser known teams Carter has but knowledge of upcoming competitions will help parents and could also make others want to join if they were not aware of the team.

Some bring up that it could prepare or inform students, such as Seth Stallings in the bowling team who claimed, “It prepares us for stuff that’s about to happen,” and Peyton Snyder who is in the band said, “It can inform students on many upcoming events and what to prepare for.” Timothy Leopin who is in the jazz band said, “Students may not hear announcements or are absent if it is announced by teacher or intercom.” 

It is apparent how a calendar made to inform parents and students could be beneficial to a large number of people especially if someone needs time to see if they can go because of scheduling issues.   

The Carter Wrestling Team is enjoying the matches and tournaments this season. 

Carter’s Wrestling team is newer to our school’s sports compared to basketball, baseball, softball, and more. There are over a dozen wrestlers from the 2022-2023 season of freshmen to seniors. Their matches are usually on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, but some matches are different. The team is led by coaches, Tim Free and Tony Holguin.

“It’s helped me grow as an athlete and allowed me to put my season in my own hands as an individual,” said Roman Webb, a junior wrestler. 

Wrestling is an individual sport within a team concept. Each wrestler has matches they must perform in for the team to do good at the meet. The team gets points by a takedown, an escape, a reversal, a near fall, and penalty points. Those points increase to see which team wins at the end of all the matches with a school.

“It helps you make friends, it gives you memories you will remember the rest of your life, and it puts you in the best shape you will ever be in,” explains Zane Dukes, a freshman wrestler. 

Both wrestlers described how challenging the conditioning was. The Carter wrestlers condition and run the first section of their practices. Their practices are about every day in the school week and they last from 4 pm to 6 pm. After the conditioning, the wrestlers work on their form and different moves. They are still learning new techniques even far into the season. We wish the wrestlers good luck as they move into their individuals starting in February.