The stadium crowd goes silent, the drum major raises their mace, and their 200 hearts beating at once. The band students beginning a new year are feeling stressed, excited, and nervous. During the summer rehearsals often start in the heat in July, running 8 to 12 hours a day outdoors. Marching while carrying heavy brass instruments, a 35 pound snare drum, or a sousaphone builds extreme leg core, back strength members rely on gallon water jugs, athletic shoes, sunscreen, flip folders for their sheet music. I talked to a band student named Jeremiah Rambo and he said playing music brings him a type of joy that nothing else does, and I wanted to try it anyway. When I first heard the music it scared me,it looked really hard and I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to play it. Now I realize it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was. Letter F is where we all struggled the most, it took us a bit to get the slowdown correct, after that i’d say the flow down at I, it goes from really fast to 72 bpm. Involves roughly 150 to 200 total students in the high school band across the broader band program, with a large general marching band and a focused competitive marching unit. Includes wind and brass players, battery and front ensemble percussion, and a colorguard Performs Pre-game and half time shows at football games. I interviewed this band student named Kayleigh Woolsey said she decided to join marching band because she wanted to follow her uncle footsteps it was a way to make friends learn new thing as a kid when i joined in 6th grade I didn’t really understand what I was becoming apart of and what I wanted to do but I grew a strong passion for it and helped me so much and let me branch out make new friends and now I”m captain and im a example and I’m giving back to new people I’m showing them than branching out and meeting new people is okay to do. My section supports each other when things get stressed by doing little things. Such as taking things off their plate like caring for each other. If someone doesn’t feel good they help each other by counting and knowing their music as they help each other out and communicate. When I first set drill I felt very overwhelmed and was wondering what I wanted to happen next wondering how I was going to make it to my spot in time and if I had to play my music or was the set just marching and not playing. Probably the transitions at the tempo change  its hard cause we move and also set the tempo for the band. If you step off at the wrong time someone gets hurt if you don’t play your part the band gets off so you always have to be prepared and on your toes about when the transition happens. Just being confident on the sets how many counts they are how far you go and how your music lines up with the drill and the band but It can be difficult you have to really decide at first what you want to fix do you want to fix the note or do you want to fix your marching you pick and then you fix it after you fix it you move on to the next thing you want to fix and then you pair them together and make sure they don’t clash and they work together that is how marching band works you learn your instrument and then you learn how they work then you pair them together and make them work together. 

Overdue alterations to the Carter High School library have created opportunities and drawbacks for students and faculty. Many of these changes are cosmetic, such as new carpet and furniture the district financed; however, some alter the utility of the library.

Misty Manire, the librarian, provided a potential limitation: “The biggest issue is the removal of crucial shelving for books.” Whether these shelves will be replaced is currently unknown, she added. When students are able to check out books, their selections will be limited due to this problem. Improving the quality of the library will benefit its visitors, but the potential cost is restricting reading material. Additionally, faculty are facing challenges within the library due to a new printer: rather than sending material to be printed, an individual must be present to operate the machine.

Students are also facing accessibility issues with printing, as the computers they used to do so were previously located in the library; now the computers have been distributed to a room called the computer lab. It remains locked, with exception to the days fine arts teacher Ashely Pipkin hosts class within. Access to those computers is a necessity for Ms. Pipkin, as her art students use them to upload pictures from their cameras and edit them. Ms. Pipkin acknowledges the convenience of having the computer lab for her classes, but she also realizes the solitary space can cause logistical problems: “When we would run into technology issues, I would call Mrs. Manire and she would take care of it, so now I don’t necessarily have that support.”

As school starts back up students are talking about the homework they were assigned and how that affects their personal life.

Students argue that teachers should take into accountability that they have multiple classes and after school activities they must attend to as well. A student spends about 7 hours a week on homework. Teachers argue that the homework they give is beneficial for the students’ well-being and ultimately enables them to pass.

According to Annsley Herrington, a sophomore at Carter High School, homework is a major stress factor for many reasons, children have personal lives, extracurricular activities, and jobs. She argues so many things happen there is simply no argument as to why students need to work on school work after school. She counters this by explaining that even though it may be beneficial in the long run there’s too much stress put on children for it to be worth it. Annsley spends around 1.5 to 2 hours of homework most week nights and feels this is just too long for someone to spend.

“Kids go through enough academic stress as is” she states. She also believes that the distribution of homework is not fair throughout the grades in high school. She explains how sophomores and juniors are given much more than a freshman or senior would receive.

Homework has its benefits but it could also be a stress factor depending on how someone manages their time, she adds. 

Mr. Berkeley, the musical theatre teacher at Carter High school, says homework shouldn’t be assigned. He explains how students don’t see that it can be a stress factor as well because they have to grade all the homework. He does believe it’s beneficial for the students who actually care but for the ones who don’t, it isn’t as beneficial.. 

There are so many different perspectives on homework and whether it’s beneficial or not. Homework can be useful for some students but can also become stressful when the amount interferes with students’ lives outside of school.

Students at Carter High School were interviewed today about dress code rules in the 2026-2027 school year.

 Emmalee says ”I believe that the dress code is somewhat fair but there are double standards when it comes to it.”

Emmalee believes the dress code is fair but she feels like there are stricter rules for girls more than there is for boys. She believes the rules about clothing, showing shoulders, and wearing short shorts should apply to students with different body types.

Diona says “ I feel like girls should be able to wear whatever they want and shouldn’t have to worry about how boys perceive it.”

Diona believes girls should be able to choose what they want without having to worry about how boys might view their clothing.

The application KCS forces onto student’s computers called “Linewize”, which is supposed to filter many websites which distracts students.  This unfortunately does not work most of the time because students always find a way around as Kaden Mourer a junior states: “Students will just find ways around it which wastes more time.” For context, this student is known for finding ways around Linewize such as “Noah’s Tutoring Hub”. 

The parent company known as “Qoria”, is located in Australia, which is on the opposite side of the Earth. Most students and staff did not know this about Linewize and when they are given that information they are surprised and disappointed, as Kaden Mourer states: “We should be using American data in American companies”. 2 students believe that Linewize does not actually help students stay on task as Kaden Mourer states when he was asked “Do you think Linewize helps students stay on task?” : “No, I believe it distracts students” or as Randy Ogelsby, a junior states: “Block stuff that actually matters”.

Many seniors say that the Senior Sunrise that happened on August 14,2026 was a once in a lifetime experience.

This is a tradition done every year that brings the graduating class together at the beginning of their final year.The senior sunrise gives this class a chance to pause and appreciate how far they have come while looking forward to everything still ahead.

Everyone has said that the senior sunrise is a very exciting but emotional moment because this is the beginning of their last year in high school. Arieonna Gentry, a senior student, states,”Senior sunrise was good but very emotional because it’s my senior year.” A bunch of students played games and just enjoyed each other’s presence as they started their senior year. 

They also all got Bo-Berry Biscuits from Bojangles and many of the senior class went to Waffle House together. Also, a senior, Hailey Evans, said,”It was a bittersweet moment and I loved taking pictures with my fellow classmates.” She loved being around everyone. 

A lot of teachers and students have many different opinions about the phone policy and feel certain ways about it. 

Ms. Ryswyk, a science teacher at Carter High School, said she “likes the phone policy because it allows students to stay engaged in the lesson without a distraction from their device.” In her own classroom, she said that if she “sees it out, it’s written up.” On the other hand, she offered that “having zero access to their phones at all during the day is a little extreme, but in the classroom it is reasonable.” 

at Carter High School Johana who talked about her opinion on the  phone policy. Her response was that she disagrees with the phone policy “because students should be trusted to manage their own phones.” She   also added, “Sometimes we need our phones for important messages or emergencies.” However, she agrees with not using phones in class, but that they should be able to use them between classes “When they don’t need to be paying attention.”

 Both teachers and students agree with students not using phones in class, but that the law “In Tennessee, state law requires local school boards to create policies that restrict student cell phone and wireless device use during classroom instructional time. Individual school districts and boards decide specific enforcement rules, discipline, and whether phones are permitted outside of class time or must be locked away all day.” also it should be loosened up for students to access their phones when they are not in the classroom.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is an animated television series that acts as both a sequel and a spin-off to Star Wars: Clone Wars. It focuses on the squad known as Clone Force 99, a band of genetic enhanced clone troops.

Set during the Dark Times of the Empire’s reign, Star Wars: The Bad Batch is focused on a group of mutant clone troopers who played a key role in the Clone Wars. Their genetic mutations meant they were largely unaffected by Order 66’s inhibitor chips, ensuring they remained sympathetic heroes in the animated Disney+ TV Show. It increasingly feels like a continuation of Star Wars: Clone Wars, with Clone Force 99 unwittingly stumbling into Imperial plans for the entire clone army.

Title: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Director: John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein

Starring: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant

Release Date: March 31, 2023

Available: Theaters   

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves recently released with high reviews with a 94 on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.6 out of 10 on IMDB. The Dungeons and Dragons page says the movie is about a charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers who undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic. Still, things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the legendary roleplaying game’s rich world and playful spirit to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure. The movie has an excellent plot, characters, and twists. I do really like the visuals: The displacer beast was a highlight. However, there are also many issues, such as the Tiefling druid Doric turning into an owlbear, which is a creature in the tabletop game, but druids cannot turn into them with the wild shape ability. Also, there is Edgin, the human bard, is never shown to use the incredibly powerful magic that they possess and only uses the instrument for distractions, singing, or as a weapon. The jokes were mostly funny but they didn’t have the charm of an actual D&D campaign Overall I would still recommend watching the movie because it is pretty good. 

Publisher: Amazon Studios 

Starring: Marisha Ray, Ashley Johnson, Laura Baliey, Travis Willingham, Sam Riegel, Liam O’Brien, and Taliesin Jaffe

Creators: Chris Prynoski and Critical Role

Release Date: January 25, 2022 

Available: Amazon Prime Video 

The Legend of Vox Machina was an animated TV show based on the Critical Roll D&D campaign. In the show, we follow the group of Vox Machina members, including Vaxthe half elf ranger, Vex the half-elf rogue, Keyleth the half-elf druid, Grog the goliath barbarian, Percy the human gunslinger, Pike the deep gnome cleric, Scanlan the gnome bard, and Trinket the bear (not a class, just a bear in armor). In the first season, the group attempts to take back Whiterun from the Briarwoods. In the second season they try to stop the dragon, Umbrasyl, while trying to fulfill their plan, called the Chroma Conclave, which aimed to unite five dragons and take out Tal’Dorei. All the characters are really fleshed out with backstories, growing as characters and getting redemption. Vox Machina is a show I would recommend to an older audience, if you are into or want to get into fantasy, I would definitely recommend watching it.