From the Desk of the Principal:

This year is really going by fast; it seems like only yesterday that school got underway.   Our students and teachers are doing a great job in the classroom!! Everyday I see a great deal of teaching and learning in our school, and I’m very proud of that.   Report cards will be coming out October, 23rd.  The first nine weeks ends October 17th.  Be sure to ask your student about the report card.

 For your information, we are using a new way to communicate with you. We have a new calling system that allows us to inform you of activities, as well as, pertinent information such as when progress reports are sent home. If you are not sure we have your correct phone number please call us and check. If you did not receive a call last Thursday, you were either not home, the answering machine did not pick up, or we have a wrong number. Please let us know if you feel you did not get a call.

Finally, our band will be participating in the UIL Marching Contest October 21st in Mt. Pleasant. We want to wish them well.

Bobby Watkins

Tara Alexander Memorial Scholarship Fund

A college scholarship will be awarded to a Spring Hill High School graduate this spring in memory of Tara Muklewicz Alexander. Mrs. Alexander, who passed away on September 26, was an English teacher at SHHS and salutatorian of the 1998 Spring Hill High School graduating class.

If you wish to donate to the Tara Alexander Memorial Scholarship Fund, you may contact Nancy Green at the high school at 903-323-7865, or e-mail her at nkg@springhill.esc7.net. Checks should be made payable to Spring Hill ISD.

To date, approximately $700 has been collected for the scholarship. Donations, both large and small, have come from students, teachers, and former classmates. One student gave $100 of her own savings in honor of what Mrs. Alexander meant to her. Various fundraisers will be held in the near future to raise more money for the scholarship fund.

Scholarship applications will be made available in the spring semester of the 2008-2009 school year.



Students Earn Eagle Scout Status
submitted by Traci Wallis & Debby Bass

Two SHHS students have recently attained Eagle Scout status. Eagle Scouts must earn at least 21 merit badges, hold numerous leadership positions, participate in long-term camping, and organize a special project to earn this rank.

Logan Wallis is a second generation Eagle Scout, following his father. His older brother, Luke, is also an Eagle Scout. Logan's Eagle Scout project was to build a fence around the playground at Christian Heritage School.

Michael Bass is a third generation Eagle Scout, following his father and grandfather. His older brother, Brian, was also an Eagle Scout. Michael's Eagle Scout project was to build a cover over the second grade parent pick-up area at the Spring Hill Primary School.

Both young men are members of Troop 618 in Longview. Eagle Scouts are expected to "demonstrate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath (Promise) and Scout Law in everyday life." Logan Wallis is a sophomore and is the son of Mark and Traci Wallis. Michael is a senior, and his parents are Jim and Debby Bass.



YBA Wraps Up Sweatshirt Sale
submitted by Fran Scott

Young Business Associates is the club for students in Diversified Careeer Preparation or the work program with the goal to provide service opportunities for school, the community, and local businesses. Fund-raisers help raise money for activities and service projects. For the sixth consecutive year YBA has sold Spring Hill panther sweatshirts. The club has just completed the sales project this year offering the addition of zip-front hoodies. Sweatshirts in royal blue, black, carolina blue, and safety green in crew, hoodies, and zip-front hoodies were sold.  The past few weeks YBA has worked hard and done well raising money to help fund numerous activities throughout the year as well as raise money for individual scholarships.



Boasting Beowulf-style
submitted by Karen Yoder

On a typical school day in the month of October, most students gather in their usual classrooms, books and supplies in hand to face another day of note taking, reading, computations, and so forth. However, for Ms. Yoder’s proud seniors, the Class of ’09, on October 3rd, they confidently marched through E100’s threshold (English IV) with boasts in hand prepared to tell their individual stories of accomplishments. As a culminating activity for our study in Anglo-Saxon literature, the students were assigned to write a warrior’s boast, similar to that which was spoken in Anglo-Saxon days as a means to secure the king’s confidence and the comrades’ admiration and trust. Maneuvering their way through the five stages of the writing process, students created their own boasts about their lineage, their strengths, and even their next great acts. Not only did we practice our basic writing skills, we learned about Anglo-Saxon characteristics in story-telling such as the use of kennings, alliteration, imagery, and heroic verse.

On our day of celebration, the students read their boasts to a small group of classmates and received applause and encouragement to continue their pursuits in this challenging world. Of course, the festivities included samplings of Anglo-Saxon cuisine which were enjoyed by all.



The Odyssey meets Anime
submitted by Amy McFatridge

Stop by any neighborhood discount store check-out line, and you will find a variety of trading cards made popular by children’s games.  Timeless classics that celebrate the careers of baseball and football heroes have made way for cards depicting animated characters from Pokemon, Yu-Gi-O and Dragonball Z.  The common themes for all these cards are their immense popularity and the heroes they represent.  Spring Hill High School’s Pre AP English I class has taken the concept of a popular children’s hobby and applied it to the literature they are reading in class.  During a recent study of Homer’s Odyssey and the adventures of the hero Odysseus as he returns from the Trojan War, the students explored the characteristics of an epic hero.  They then, using their own creativity and imagination, created an epic version of trading cards celebrating the characters from the story.  Each card includes a picture, information about the character’s strengths and weaknesses, and quotations from the poem describing the character.  Stop by Mrs. McFatridge’s room and see the creative work of these budding graphic designers.



Student Council Cleans Up District
submitted by Student Council

On Saturday, October 4, the Spring Hill Student Council made a huge contribution in bettering our environment. Fifteen members of the Student Council, including adviser Mrs. Jones, got together and cleaned up and down Spring Hill Road from Bill Owens Parkway to Gilmer Road. These hard-working members cleaned from 9 a.m. until noon to earn service hours. Cleaning up the community was not only a way for Student Council members to earn a portion of their service hours, but also a way to get together with fellow classmates and learn the importance of keeping our district clean. In addition to cleaning Spring Hill Road, the Student Council has participated in a number of events including mud volleyball, fall forum, and the community-wide pep rally. Currently, Student Council is encouraging students to donate coats for "Coats for Kids." This year's goal for Student Council is to help improve the community and better our school.



Egg Drop Physics
submitted by Allison Gillentine

On October 14th and 15th, Mrs. Gillentine’s Physics students turned in their egg drop projects.  The egg apparatus had to fit into a 4 X 4 X 4 inch container, and weigh less than 500 grams.  A raw egg was placed inside the apparatus and dropped from the top of the football stadium bleechers.  After surviving the initial drop, students had to drop their container a second time.  This drop required students to toss their eggs a minimum of five feet from edge of the football bleechers.  Meeting the size requirements, completing velocity calculations, and surviving both drops resulted in a grade of 100.  The overall survival rate of the eggs was from both class periods was 84 percent.