A ghost bat is a type of softball bat that many college teams and girls use. Many people like them and many dislike them for many reasons. Easton comes out with new bats every year. They have limited ones and unlimited ones. I personally like the ghost bats. I’ve had a few different ones and I have liked them better than any other brand of bat I’ve used. People say they don’t like them because they break really easily. Also if it’s 23 degrees or lower they say you shouldn’t use them because they could break because of what they are made of. They also say not to use them in the cage because of the same reason. My finally judgment of ghost bats are I like them and they are good bats to me.

Root is a board-game of woodland exploration and warfare. The game is set in a wooded landscape acting as a nation state for many diverse groups of animals. Players can choose to align themselves with the Marquis de Cat faction, an overreaching, somewhat forceful, government in control of the forest, sapping its resources and utilizing them to build factories and other buildings; The opposing Eyrie Dynasties, a somewhat dysfunctional foreign empire attempting to quickly take the forest from the Marquis before they inevitably fall into ruin; The rebellious woodland alliance, who work against both the Marquis and the dynasty in hopes to free the forest from tyrannical governments, placing sympathy throughout the forest and causing revolts; Or finally, the rogue vagabond, who holds no concrete alliances, moving throughout the forest and partnering with whatever faction(s) benefit him most. 

What makes this game interesting, aside from the good theming and cute illustrations, is the staple asymmetrical gameplay. Basically, each faction plays, and wins, completely differently. For example, while the Marquis gets points simply by constructing new buildings and cementing their rule, the vagabond completes various tasks and quests established by the forest-people in order to get points. This makes the gameplay very interesting and unique, but also extremely complex. And for that reason I could not recommend this game for beginners, or even casual gamers. Those who are not well versed in board-game/video-game mechanics will most likely not have fun, simply finding the game too complicated to enjoy. 

Root is a well made tactics game with great theming, it provides a distinctive competitive experience. However, there are many moving parts to Root, each of which require understanding of numerous other mechanics. And while I believe that the game is quite fun once you get the hang of it, I can recognize that the barrier to entry is very high. And thus, I have to recommend this game only to those who are very comfortable with entry level games and are looking for a unique, more complex experience. 

Mr.Berkley is the new vocal music director at Carter High School. Vocal Music is a fun art class to learn how to read and sing music. It can help you learn who you are and who you want to be. Out of all the classes at Carter High School, vocal music is one of the best classes here. 

When you’re in vocal music it’s like you have another family. You get close to the other singers you perform with and end up developing a strong bond with them. No matter what happens y’all will always be there for each other. Once the semester is over especially if there are seniors in the class it’s going to get emotional because how close y’all were with each other.

The vocal music teacher Mr.Berkley is so nice. When you’re upset he is easily approachable and understanding he tries his best to help you calm down. He connects with us kids and understands a lot of things we talk about. He makes it fun and helps us enjoy the music he picks for us to sing.

Vocal music gets to miss school sometimes to experience new things like singing at competitions, other schools, and nursing homes. While doing things you find out how to make your voice sound better and learn how to sound better as a whole group. Right after you get down performing he takes the class somewhere to eat and look around.

Some people might not like the class because not everyone sings and sometimes songs can be boring. Even though that is true the more you go over and sing the songs you will start to like the songs he chooses. Also you will get confident and not care that other kids aren’t singing. 

Vocal music is one of the best classes in the school. You have fun doing things you never thought you would be able to do. End up being friends with people you never thought you would be friends with. Also, have one of the best and one of the most understanding teachers in the school.

You don’t take a photograph, you make it.

Student joins photography class at Carter High School.

Elizabeth Sprinkle, a senior at Carter, joined photography class in the spring semester of 2022. She was 15 when she became interested in photography.

Elizabeth talks about how she got into photography. She says, “I originally started taking pictures with my phone and realized if I change certain settings, the pictures become more artistic. Then I signed up for photography class, which allowed me to work on camera skills and learn the basics of photography.”

Elizabeth loves to go outside at home, grab her camera and take pictures of birds and other stuff like other animals, flowers, etc.

Elizabeth says that she likes the class because people could take the same picture but it has a different meaning behind it. “I like how everyone can take a picture of one subject, but the subject gives a different meaning in each photo.”

Peace is a word that Rebecca Lavender knows well so she even got a peace sign tattooed on her. She states “ I am a  firm believer in kindness and think it’s crucial to be and have in your life.” Moreover, she often sits under her tree barefoot and thinks about how I can help my peers be kinder to each other. Often in this state of mind, feels the laws of attraction that are associated with dressing hippy. A way she acts out her beliefs is by working at KARM. Every time you spend $2 it provides a meal for the homeless she is glad to be able to spread kindness to them and help the homeless since it’s a giant part of her life. At KARM, she is a shift leader and has been working there for two years now. Likewise, she tries to have a healthy work environment and loves her job, and plans to continue a future with the company. She believes we all need to get together as a collective and spread more love and positivity in this cruel world, especially in high school. One piece of advice she wants to share is that you are allowed to dress how you want, love who you love, and ignore anyone who brings you down, you are a precious soul and in the end, life goes on. Most importantly live your life and be your own main character.  

Recently the Carter High administration has forced E-HallPass. Many students, teachers, and parents think it is unfair and takes away students freedom.With E-HallPass you make a pass to where you are going,When you are leaving, and what time you get back. If you are gone more than 10 minutes you risk getting in trouble and if you use too many passes you get in trouble also. If there are more than a certain number of people in the area they won’t let you make a request. People have health issues where they are gone more than ten minutes or multiple times a day. Some might say it’s a good thing because if something happens to a kid they will know where they are but they won’t necessarily know what happened or where they are. Kids are still going to rebel and go against what they say. They have cameras that they can look at so It doesn’t make sense why they don’t utilize them. They don’t need to track everywhere we are, they should be able to look on the cameras and the teachers should know where we are going. The E-HallPass is ridiculous and says a lot about our administration. The E-HallPass takes aways our freedom and is an unfair punishment. Parents,Teachers, and Students dislike the app very much and don’t agree with their decision. 

Product: Cherry Coke Zero Sugar

Company: Coca-Cola

Where it is found: Sam’s Club, Walmart Supercenter, Target, Dollar General, Kroger, Publix, and the school vending machines

Prices: $3.00-$8.00 (Depends on Size/Package in Stores)   $1.75 (Vending machine) 

What is your favorite drink? A lot of people’s favorite drinks are Coke, Pepsi, Dr.Pepper, etc. One unique drink that people should try is Cherry Coke Zero Sugar. It has a cherry pop of flavor that’s hard to resist. I had heard of Cherry Coke and never tried it, but when I did, it was one of the best Cokes I’ve ever tasted. Cherry Coke Zero is a cherry-flavored version of Coca-Cola. It is sold in Sam’s Club, Walmart Supercenter, Target, Dollar General, Kroger, and Publix. It is produced and distributed by the Coca-Cola company. Cherry Coke was released in 1985. The Coca-Cola company tested the official cherry-flavored Coke in 1982 at the World’s Fair audience in Knoxville, Tennessee. The first glass of regular Coke was sold at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Downtown Atlanta. Cherry Coke Zero Sugar was introduced in 2005 but was named Coca-Cola Zero first. In 2017 the name changed because the formula was modified. In 2021, the formula was changed again. This is a good drink because it is really good and you can taste the cherry flavor. The drink wrap makes it stick out because it is purple and not the typical red. Something about the drink that is not so great, is that it is in so high of demand that it is often overpriced or sold out. There is also the fact that I hardly see it advertised unlike the regular Coke and new Coke flavors. Even though there is a high demand, and they may be overpriced at some places, the school sells them cheaper for $1.75 at the vending machines. Cherry Coke Zero Sugar is a good drink to try if you want something new and good tasting.

PARKS is a resource management board game stylized after a group of hikers attempting to experience the most that nature has to offer over the span of a year (4 seasons or 4 rounds). Each season, players line up their hikers on the starting tile, taking turns moving down the trail, which grows a tile longer each season. Players perform the action specified on each tile of the trail, actions include collecting a certain resource, trading a resource for another, trading in resources for item/photo cards, etc. Players can gain points by trading in their resources to “visit parks” at the end of every season, parks that provide more points cost more resources, and the person with the most points at the end of the year wins. PARKS, in addition to that general gameplay loop, provides many other factors that enrich gameplay and provide variety to sessions. The biggest draw that PARKS provides is its beautiful illustrations. Each card, container, and token is hand-drawn by a different artist, in a various unique style. Over 35 separate illustrators worked on PARKS to give it an alluring, artful feel. Park cards each showcase a defining feature of that specific national park, as well as its date of establishment, and an interesting fact about it. PARKS is also very beginner-friendly, only consisting of a 12 page rulebook (most of which is going over basic board game rules). In fact, my family, who had only really played something as complex as Monopoly, got the hang of it by the first round. Games are on the shorter end of the tabletop spectrum lasting about 45 minutes to an hour (depending on your group’s size and experience). This short play time is definitely a plus for beginners, as well as those who don’t have much time for serious sessions, however those used to games such as Gloomhaven or Twilight Imperium may find PARKS a bit too casual for their liking. Overall PARKS is a very interesting casual board game with beautiful illustrations. For those who enjoy a quick and easy session, PARKS is a great option. And with a $50 dollar price point and a short ruleset, it is extremely accessible to beginners. More seasoned gamers may find PARKS a bit simple, but still enjoyable nonetheless. PARKS is definitely worth picking up if one is into resource management tabletops.

Mrs. Chollman is a Carter High school science teacher who has been teaching for a total of 25 years. In late February, she took her Marine Ecology class, as well as the school’s science club on a once in a lifetime field trip to Pigeon Key, Florida. On this trip, students snorkeled at Sombrero Reef, Tidepooled in the natural calcified coral shores, learned marine biology in hands-on classes, and interacted with native Tropical wildlife on an island exclusive for the class, as well as visited conservation centers/wildlife hospitals. Pigeon Key is an island in southern Florida, the island acts as an overnight educational facility, teaching marine botany and zoology through fun, hands-on learning such as the exploration of a coral reef, the dissection of a shark, or vertebrate identification during low-tide. Pigeon Key is open to summer camps, field trips, daily tours, and even limited internships!This trip was not easy to pull off. Mrs. Chollman and the school started planning the trip early in June 2022, visiting the facilities of Pigeon Key and beginning to think about scheduling prior to even informing students. When asked about the amount of thought that went into this trip she replied simply: “A lot, we’ve been planning this trip for quite some time.” The school didn’t do it alone however, along the development of the field trip, there were multiple donors, assisting with the large expenses of the trip. One such donor, who wished to remain anonymous, donated a significant amount, shaving over a hundred dollars off of each student’s overall cost, as well as providing meals for students on certain days. In the end, all of this hard work paid off. On the trip, students arrived in Florida after around a 2 hour plane ride, then hopped on a bus to take them across the 7 mile bridge into the Florida Keys. Students were then welcomed by Pigeon key staff onto a 5 acre island, fit with two student dorms, a kitchen, a research pool, beautiful shorelines, a scenic pier, and a large outdoor classroom fitted with buoys of numerous shapes and sizes. The trip was a hit with the students, with many happy but sunburnt faces returning to Tennessee on the final day of the trip. When asked about her favorite part of the trip, junior Rylie Tarver explained, “My favorite part was definitely the tidepooling, the whole trip was great, but I liked the self-guided discovery aspect of the invertebrate identification.” And with such a successful field trip, Mrs Chollman has already begun planning a second trip to Florida soon, focused around the CDC classroom, and possibly giving them an opportunity to visit the Dolphin Research center in Grass Key Fl in the near future.

Title: The Last of Us

Starring: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Nick Offerman

Network (Streaming): HBO Max

Release Date of Most Recent Episode: March 12th, 2023

HBO’s The Last of Us adapts the hit PlayStation game from Naughty Dog into a show that pleases not only fans of the game, but general audiences as well. The Last of Us is the story of Joel Miller, a man who loses his daughter during the outbreak of a fungal infection that causes its victims to start attacking others. Joel (Pedro Pascal) is tasked with transporting Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across the country because she is immune to the virus. The show, which ended last month, presents the post-apocalyptic world as brutal and unforgiving but displays warmth in Joel and Ellie’s growing relationship. As both characters undergo the journey, the viewers undertake a personal voyage as well from connecting with each character and empathizing by placing themselves and their loved ones in Joel and Ellie’s shoes. Both Pascal and Ramsey are great in their respective roles as many scenes showcase true chemistry and lead those watching to fall in love with the characters and their respective personalities. Visually, the show also impresses with amazing makeup for the “clickers,” an advanced type of infected. While the show deviates from the game in some areas, the director and producers show an infectious love and respect for the source material; some players of the game may have qualms with these changes, but most of them made sense to the adaptation and the nature of a realistic adaptation compared to a game. The show may have even been heightened if some episodes in the show would have been longer; the last few episodes towards the end of the season were some of the shortest which may feel rushed to some or create a longing for players of the original game as other scenes could have been implemented. Even with this being said, there are few complaints to be had. Like nearly every other zombie movie or show, the trope of not referring to the infected as “zombies” is present here. However, it is not as annoying due to the uniqueness of the zombie virus being a fungal infection which creates a terrifying, yet authentic possibility. The true endearing characteristic of HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us is that it does not gatekeep plot points for only those who have played the game. While those who have played the original form may have more insight into future events that will be explored in further seasons and include easter eggs, the show is also created in a format that non-gamers can join and experience an equally impactful story.