TILGHMAN BELLPADUCAH TILGHMAN HIGH SCHOOL 2400 WASHINGTON STREET PADUCAH, KENTUCKY MON. APRIL. 30, 2012 VOL. 88 NO. 9

THE

Prom! May 12th

Singles $20Couples $30

Get your tickets before May 9th!

Seniors,Make sure all fees are paid in order to

graduate!

Senior Trip!May 4th

Price is $30Annual trip to Six Flags

St. Louis!

The Tilghman Orchestra performed in late March before three judges at Murray State University, receiving three distinguished ratings. The or-chestra performed on a grade six, or most advanced level. They performed the first move-ment from Bach’s Brandenburg Con-certo. The piece featured violin so-loist Savanna Whelan (11) and two non-Tilghman students on the flute and harpsichord. The group received three distinguished ratings on their performance and a distinguished rat-ing in sight reading. There are less than a dozen orches-tras in Kentucky that perform grade six material. The PT orchestra is in its second year and is under the direc-tion of Douglas Van Fleet.

PT BrIEfsOrchestra

May 4th—Senior trip to Six FlagsMay 7th-17th—Underclassman State Exams: Monday: sophomore On Demand WritingTuesday: junior On Demand WritingWednesday: English 10 End of Course examThursday: Biology End of Course examFriday: English 10Monday: Algebra 2 End of Course examTuesday: U.S. History End of Course examMay 7th-18th—AP Exams:Monday: AP Chemistry examTuesday: AP Spanish examWednesday: AP Calculus examThursday: AP Literature exam Friday: AP U.S. History and AP Euro-pean History examsMonday: AP Biology examTuesday: AP U.S. Government and AP French examsWednesday: AP Composition exam Thursday: AP World Civilization examFriday: AP Human Geography examMay 12th—Regional Track meet andProm at 8 PMMay 15th—Honors Night at 6:30 PMMay 17th-19th—State Tennis Tourna-mentMay 18th—Senior Exams (1, 3, 5)May 21st—Senior Exams (2, 4, 6)May 22nd—Election Day (No school!)May 23rd—Senior Breakfast, year-book signing, guest speakers in the Blue Room at 7:30 underclassmen finals (1, 3, 5)May 24th—Underclassmen finals (2, 4, 6)May 25th—Commencement Ceremo-ny at 8 PM, Project Graduation

Schedule

PAducAH TILGHMAN BoAsTs EIGHT sTudENTs As GovErNor’s scHoLArs

TILGHMAN juNIors sELEcTEd for GovErNor’s scHooL for THE ArTs

The Tilghman Bell would like to congratulate eight students that were accepted for the Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP). Ju-niors McKenzi Belt, Marissa Davis, Ali-cia Humphrey, Con-ner Layne, Catherine Miller, Katie Paxton, Victoria Potter, and Caroline Washer were chosen by the State GSP Commit-tee to participate in the program. GSP is a five-week summer program held at Bellarmine University in Louis-ville, Centre College in Danville, and Mur-ray State University in Murray. Free of charge, students at-tend classes where there are no grades or credits. The pro-gram gives students a chance to interact with people of different backgrounds. To be eligible, the student must apply during their junior year, be a resident of Kentucky, and must have taken the ACT, PSAT, or SAT their freshman, sophomore, or junior year. The Scholars live in dormitories on the college campus, giving them a feel of what life will be like once they leave high school. They attend classes, seminars, and co-curricular activities. Speakers and

performers come to lead activities such as films, field trips, and other special events. Those who are accepted should be pre-pared to participate in the community and all events that take place. The program is meant to help students achieve their academic and personal potential, encour-age leadership skills, and to develop the students’ creativity and critical thinking skills. Marissa Davis, one of the Scholars chosen, says, “I’m really excited to go to GSP this summer and have a completely

new experience.” Caroline Washer says that she is also looking forward to this opportunity to meet new people and get a first-hand col-lege experience. “It’s so great that all of us got accept-ed!” Catherine Miller exclaims. Guidance Counselor Allan Paul com-ments, “The fact that they chose all eight shows that Paducah Tilghman has excep-tional students.”

by Amber Hussain

Paducah Tilghman’s 2012 GSP participants. (from left to right, top to bottom) Katie Paxton, Conner Layne, Alicia Hum-phrey, Mckenzi Belt, Marissa Davis, Victoria Potter, Catherine Miller, Caroline Washer. Photo by James Harben

PTHS is winning even more awards and

honors. Learn more on page four.

The Tilghman Bell would like to congratulate Brock Sigler, Darrion Woodall, and Savanna Whelan. Sigler and Woodal were accepted in Ken-tucky’s GSA program this up-coming summer. Whelan was selected as an alternate. Governor’s School for the Arts, or GSA, is a three week program in which “students live, breathe, eat and sleep the arts. It’s a thrilling, often life-changing experience, as they meet new friends, explore their creativity, and discover new things about who they are and who they can be in the future,” according to kentuckygsa.org. GSA offers nine different art form summer concentrations including Architecture, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama, Instru-mental Music, Musical Theatre, New Media, Visual Art, and Vo-cal Music. Junior Darrion Woodall, who will be studying Vocal Music, said, “It was a really great honor to be accepted considering I’m from such a small town, and I look forward to meeting new people and growing in my art form.”

“Even to be considered an alternate for Governor’s School for the Arts is really exciting!” Savanna Whelan, who is an alternate in New Media, commented. “I’m honored to be ac-cepted into such a pres-tigious program,” Brock Sigler, whose major is Ar-chitecture, said. “I look forward to the three weeks I’ll get to spend with people with different talents from different places.”

The Kentucky GSA site also states, “Graduates of the summer program are eligible for a host of scholarships and educational opportunities in all fields of study. Representatives from as many as 70 colleges and univer-sities from across the country audition and interview graduates in the fall during GSA’s College and Career Day. Students can meet with representatives from such prestigious programs... plus, twenty colleges and universities welcome GSA alums with schol-arships, just for having completed the program.”

by Weston Loyd

Woodal, Whelan, and Sigler. Photo by Michael Langston

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2 COMMENTARY

The Tilghman Bell The Tilghman Bell, a producT of The journalism class, is an open forum for sTudenT expression and is disTriBuTed monThly To The

sTudenTs of paducah Tilghman high school free of charge.

ediTor-in-chief: emilee ayers

co-ediTors: WesTon loyd, amBer hussain, mackenzie Bruce

Business manager: olivia carner, madison Whelan

feaTure & adverTising ediTor: amBer hussain

sporTs ediTor: james harBen

arTs & enTerTainmenT ediTor: mackenzie Bruce

commenTary ediTors: emily page

layouT and proof: alicia humprhey, madison Whelan, calicia Wilson

phoTographers: james harBen, michael langsTon

carToonisT: zachary Winfield, emily page

sTaff WriTers: kaiTlyn curry, avery harriman, chandler smiTh, susannah Wilson, megan canTWell

sporTs WriTers: alex Boyd, ngodoo iTiavkase, Brock sigler

adviser: susan hancock

“Make Kony Famous-” many of you have heard or seen this phrase almost anywhere you look on the internet these days. This is all due to a video that went viral only a couple hours after it was posted by the Invisible Children charity. The video focuses on criminal Joseph Kony, a man currently at the top of the International Criminal Court’s Most Wanted List for crimes against humanity. Saying that people have reacted strongly to this video is an understatement. Americans, mainly American youth, have gone essentially crazy over it. Activism is suddenly the new “thing.” I’m not sure how many of you know the definition of activism, so here it is from Webster’s dictionary: “a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action, especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.” The video speaks about how you--yes, YOU--can help stop Kony. You only need to buy the “Kony Action Kit” described on their web-site as “the ultimate accessory” and that “people will think you’re the advocate of awesome.” I’m not mak-ing this up, people. For only $30.00, people will think you’re an advocate of awesome. Uhm, isn’t this sup-posed to be about Kony, or something? Call yourself an advocate of awesome if you want, but don’t say you’re an activist. Don’t get me wrong, the things Kony has done are atrocious, but let’s take a closer look at the video before we all get up in arms. The video shows the founder of Invisible Children, Jason Russell, talking to his young son about Joseph Kony and the things he’s done to children across Uganda. The video paints Joseph Kony as the classic evil villain, twirling his mustache and laughing evilly. It’s a classic good guy vs. bad guy scenario, and we must always defeat the bad guy. We Americans must put fliers everywhere; we must buy buttons, shirts, and hats! Obviously, the red t-shirts with “Kony 2012” plastered against the

chest will reduce Kony to tears, securing us advocates as triumphant. Obviously, the red buttons with Kony’s face on them will inspire fear in his heart. Obviously, the hats will guilt him into stopping his campaign of terror. Come on, you guys. I know it’s the fashionable thing to do now, and I’m all for activism -- but have you bothered to research it at all? An accepted idea for charities is to give about 70% for the cause they’re supporting and 30% to keep the charity up and running. So, what’s the percentage of donations that actually go to helping the Ugandan efforts from the Invisible Children charity? It’s an estimated 32% according to gobakingrates.com. We don’t know for sure though, because Invisible Chil-dren refuses to let the Better Business Bureau (a vol-untary accreditation for charities) see their records. Okay, well, that’s obviously a little shady. Further-more, the last time Kony was seen (15 years ago), he was sick and believed to be dying. Yes, this is still happening in Uganda, but Kony should not necessar-ily be the main focus of this movement. I agree that what has been done to the children of Uganda is something so horrible that our First-World- oriented minds can’t even fully grasp it, but do you all really think that the members of the Invisible Children charity are the only ones who know about it? There are a lot more, erm, trust-worthy charities also de-voted to this cause, including UNICEF, International Rescue Committee, Child Soldiers International and SOS Children's Villages. I have no qualms with peo-ple taking action against Kony; in fact, I encourage it. I just believe that we should be supporting the cause, not the charity.Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/08/joseph-kony-uganda_n_1333049.html

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/

http://www.nndb.com/people/398/000022332/

http://www.newuniversity.org/2012/03/opinion/invisible-childrens-scam/

Cartoons have been a vital part of our childhoods for decades, but recently, the mighty cartoon has fall-en into a senseless mayhem of incoherent plot lines and annoying characters. Even the remakes of our childhood cartoons have fallen prey to this pathetic modern era of cartoons. Despite the glory of their pre-decessors, the modern cartoon has fallen into the dark depths of mediocrity. Before the television, there were comics. They appeared as newspaper comic strips such as Peanuts (or Charlie Brown), Garfield, and comic books, rang-ing from iconic superheroes such as Batman and The Green Lantern. These series have captivated Ameri-ca’s youth for decades. Although they are not as pop-ular now as they once were, newspaper comic strips are still classic examples of cartoons. From Garfield to Popeye and the Wizard of Id, these cartoons have been delivering laughs and smiles alongside the news for decades. Some of these have even gone on to be-come television cartoons and movies. In the case of comic books, superheroes often fought villains that represented the “bad guys” of the time. A classic example of this is Ironman’s enemy The Crimson Dynamo, who represented to Soviet Union. Not all of the comics had these allegorical undertones, however. Many comic books simply fol-lowed a likable hero as he or she defeated his or her enemies and saved the world in a dramatic fashion. As cartoons transitioned to television, many car-toonists swapped their comic strips and books for television cartoons such as the “Spy vs. Spy,” in which the spies represented the Soviet KGB and American CIA competing with each other during the Cold War Era. During the early days of the television cartoons, scores of timeless greats such as Rocky and Bull-winkle and Tom and Jerry dominated the animated world. In the 90’s, shows like Rugrats and countless

memories of the Saturday morning cartoons captured the imaginations of children across America. These cartoons helped to raise children from many decades and have even reflected the ideology of their decades. Perhaps this emphasizes the astonishing shortcom-ings of today’s cartoons. In modern times, the people of this country are ob-sessed with being politically correct and peaceful in hopes of not being sued for everything they’re worth because they accidently offended the person next to them. Whereas older cartoons were unafraid to show their iconic slapstick violence and various stereo-types, modern children’s cartoons avoid this at all costs. Those that are less sensitive are simply less of-fensive versions of cartoons based around the idea of questionable jokes, comments and references, which almost entirely defeats the purpose of the show. Many of these shows references were also popular before the watchers were even born. Another of the modern cartoons’ problems is that they are simply not funny. While not all cartoons are intended to be comical, the form of many mod-ern cartoons sets them up to be purely comical. The classic comics often used simple, silly jokes and slapstick comedy to create humor. Modern cartoons, on the other hand, employ pointless or poorly-timed jokes, or, even worse, some have characters make fun of themselves, and the characters proceed to fall to pieces laughing at themselves. To top it off, the time-less art of slapstick comedy is also painfully lacking in modern cartoons. The cartoon, which is has been a classic form of entertainment for youth since its introduction, does not deserve the poor quality that it currently endures. Only recently has this industry fallen from its high place. Though these modern debacles dominate the scene, their predecessors still rest in comical glory.

The doWnfall of The carToon

is iT really only aBouT kony? by Megan Cantwell

by Michael Langston

Tip of The haT... Wag of The fingerby Mackenzie Bruce and Madison Whelan

What do you think about the quilters?

A Tip of the Hat...

To one last month of school. Eighteen days and counting… even less if you are a senior! Soon enough the AP tests, finals, essays, projects, and homework stress will be over. Enjoy your last few days in these Tilghman halls, but just think… days of laziness and sleeping in the sun will soon be here. To wild and whimsical spring colors. The grass is greener, the flowers are all in bloom, and our world is once again filled with bright colors! No more dull, gray winter neutrals; yellows, pinks, and greens will rule this spring season. So open your eyes and drink in the fabulous shades and hues of springtime.

A Wag of the Finger...

To things that grow. Allergies this time of the year are miserable. For allergy sufferers, all it takes is an open window or a neighbor mowing the lawn to send one into a sneezing fit. Dust, pollen, grass, mold. Winter may be full of the flu, but spring welcomes its own problems.To Quilt Week. Those quilters crowd the restau-rants and the downtown area and make Paducah citizens fear for their lives while driving… might as well wait out the week hiding safely in your room. To ants. They crawl on the walls. They infiltrate your fruit. No matter how many you squish, there are always hundreds more. Just go back to the hole you crawled out of and let us picnic in peace!

“I think they get too much attention.”

“They mainly cause traffic.”

“Bad driving!”

“They crowd up the restaurants - especially

on Sundays!”

Meko Buchanon (11)

Asia Flemmons (12)

Roderic Smith (11)

Cassidy Herndon (9)

“They’re a bunch of beautiful women.”

Will Hutson (12)

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The speech team competed in the Kentucky High School Speech League tournament in Lexington, Kentucky on March 23 and 24. Victoria Potter (11) earned the title of State Champion in Impromptu Speaking, in addition to plac-ing 11th in Original Oratory. Will Hancock (10) placed 5th in Broadcasting. The team placed 12th out of 52 schools, thanks to other high-scoring members of the team. Chandler Emmons-Smith (12) placed 8th in Storytelling; Elizabeth Behrens (10) placed 18th in Dramatic Interpreta-tion. Other members who placed in the top three of their preliminary rounds were Bishlam Pea (12), Alexis Ash (10), Yasmine Martinez (10), and Erin Burba (9), placing first in-dividually. Madison Whelan (12), Savanna Whelan (11), Katie Paxton (11), Emily Page (12), Cason Walden (10), Alex Goreing (10) all received second place rankings. Max Curry (12), Jared Frazier (12), Sean Blakely (10), Cade Per-fili (10), Eli Noneman (9), and Tristen Miller (9) all received third place rankings. Other speech members who qualified and attended the state tournament were Lilly Burba (10), Lucas Reed (9), Kimberly Mai (10), Jacob Holtgrewe (10), and Justin Hill (12). Congrats to the PTHS Speech Team and Tilghman’s very own state champion!

Speech travelS to State tournament

by Madison Whelan

This month, Tilgh-man is proud to pres-ent another senior selected as Rotary Scholar of the Month: Zachary Winfield. As a guest of the local Rotary Club, Winfield will join other se-lected seniors to meet Rotary members and actively participate in and learn about relevant community affairs. Like last month’s Rotary Scholar, this month’s Rotary Schol-ar stands out from the rest because of his strong academic record. Winfield was named an AP Scholar and is the re-cipient of the Duke University Book Award. He has also received many journalism awards from Murray State Uni-versity, including Best Movie Review and sweeping the comic category. “I am very honored to be selected as April’s Rotary Scholar,” Winfield explained. “I wasn’t expecting to be selected, so it was a pleasant surprise.” Winfield has also received a perfect score on the Reading Section of the ACT and has attended Commonwealth Honors Academy at Mur-ray State University as well. As a result of receiving scholarships from the JB Speed School of Engineering and the University of Louisville it-self, Winfield plans to attend UofL in the fall, intending to major in mechanical or electrical engineering. The Bell would like to congratulate Zach, as well as all past and fu-ture Rotary Scholars!

Winfield becomeS rotary Scholar

by Weston Loyd

On April 10, the race for Republican candidacy lost one of its head forerunners when Rick Santorum withdrew from the race, clearing the way for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to claim the Republican nomination. Now, only three remain in the race. Romney seized the polls in Illinois with 46.7% of votes. Santorum followed behind with 35%. Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich pulled in last with 9.3% and 8%, respectively. Santorum secured 49% of the votes in Louisiana. Rom-ney managed a distant second with 26.7% of the votes. Gingrich and Paul lagged behind with 15.9% and 6.1%, respectively. In the District of Columbia Republican Primary, Rom-ney leaped ahead with 70.2% of the votes. Fellow can-didates, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich, straggled behind with 21% and 10.7%, respectively. In Maryland, Romney also swept the polls with 49.2% of the votes. Santorum followed behind at a distant second. Gingrich and Paul received 10.9% and 9.5%, respectively. The Wisconsin Primary proved to be another win for Romney as he seized 44.1%. Santorum received 36.9% of the votes. Paul and Gingrich brought up the rear with 11.2% and 5.9%, re-spectively. The Kentucky Primary is coming up on Tuesday, May 22nd. So, if you are registered to vote, be sure and do so!

On April 12, the very first Youth L.E.A.D. (Lead-ership Education and Development) class gradu-ated at the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce Power in Partnership breakfast. Tilghman is proud to claim six of the twenty-four students honored as participants in this sister group to the senior Lead-ership program: Victoria Potter, Alicia Humphrey, Maddie Morris, Meredith Morris, McKenzie Belt, and Marissa Davis. At the graduation ceremonies, attended by friends and family of the class mem-bers, all twenty-four participants received a cer-tificate for completing the program—an endeavor that required community service hours along with a completed resume. Several well-known commu-nity figures, including the small-business owners of local Bike World and the Youth L.E.A.D. in-structor Stacey Thomas, spoke at the event, shar-ing their ideas about entrepreneurship in Paducah. The brand new Youth L.E.A.D. class is a com-petitive program for juniors exhibiting academic

and behavioral excellence, leadership abilities, and community involvement. Students across the region submitted applications, but only twenty-four were chosen from these. Selected students are required to attend every meeting (one Wednesday each month) with only one excused absence al-lowed. At these meetings, each one with a theme such as small business management or law en-forcement, students are chauffeured around their hometown of Paducah to learn about the oppor-tunities that exist for them to become involved in their community. Encouraging the best and the brightest to remain in Paducah to better Kentucky with their talents, while simultaneously providing an opportunity for young people to branch out, Youth L.E.A.D.’s first class was a giant success that will be sure to continue in future years. The Bell staff would like to congratulate all Tilghman graduates!

The cadets of the PTHS NJROTC recently completed their participation in the Sixth Annual Vietnam Memorial Pushup Challenge. The challenge presented by the United War Veter-ans Council Youth Program to Junior ROTC units in high schools across the county. Each unit that accepted the challenge was asked to conduct on military-style push up for each name one the Viet-nam Veteran’s Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. There are currently 58,272 names on the memorial wall. Paducah Tilghman’s unit did well over 59,000 pushups. The Paducah Tilghman NJROTC unit began the challenge in November 2011 and completed the challenge recently, over two months before the Me-morial Day goal date. Each of the unit’s cadets par-ticipated in the challenge. According to Lieutenant Commander Donald Taylor, the Paducah Tilghman NJROTC Senior Naval Science Instructor, each class did daily pushups immediately after atten-dance was taken, with additional push ups being performed on Fridays, during their regularly sched-uled physical fitness class period. The NJROTC unit from Paducah Tilghman

joined approximately 60 other JROTC unites from 23 states in the pushup challenge. Their collective goal was to complete over3.5 million pushups to honor each man and woman whose name is in-scribed on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall. “The unit is excited about having completed the Vietnam Memorial Pushup Challenge and they look forward to participating again next year,” said Se-nior Petty Officer Don Myers, the Paducah Tilgh-man Naval Science Instructor. Now in their eleventh year, Paducah Tilghman’s NJORTC unit will receive a certificate of comple-tion for their participation in the Sixth Annual Viet-nam Memorial Pushup Challenge.

Information obtained by Brock Sigler and Susan-nah Wilson

paducah tilghman navy Junior rotccompleteS puShup challenge

by Commander Taylor

WinfieldPhoto by Michael Langston

Provided by JROTC

An exciting project is under-way at Paducah Tilghman. Se-niors will be organizing the cre-ation of a “lip-dub” video. This is basically an amateur music video created by any group of people. The University of Kentucky se-nior athletes made one at the be-ginning of the school year, pro-moting the university and their athletics program, where they lip-sang to the song “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz. Local schools have also created their own versions of it, and Mr. Davis, a strong supporter of the idea, says, “We could do better.” It was supposed to be done at the beginning of the school year, where Mrs. Holt’s senior English class first proposed it, however, Mrs. Saladino’s absence delayed its creation. Maximillian Curry brought the idea again to Mr. Da-vis, who agreed to it. Now that the spark has been ignited again, the seniors can leave a legacy by being the first

to take part in such a huge proj-ect. If it turns out successful, the “lip-dub project” will become a tradition at Paducah Tilghman for every graduating class to take part in. “I can see it going that way,” Mr. Davis says. Max Curry, who will be the director of this project, has taken many intricate steps to ensure the project’s success. During RTI the seniors and juniors voted for which two songs they wanted, and “We Are Young” by FUN and “Turn Up The Music” by Chris Brown were chosen. UK’s video only had one song; how-ever, Max plans on making this video six minutes long, hence two are being incorporated. Curry also hopes to film the entire video in one shot, though, naturally, some editing will have to be done before the final prod-uct is presented. It will be played in the lobby outside of the caf-eteria, at different committees, and while it won’t be played at

graduation, it will be played at Project Graduation and at the Senior Breakfast. This video will show off ev-erything great about Tilghman, so students will be placed in all areas of the school- the cafeteria, auditorium, lobby, etc. Mr. Davis has given his per-mission, full support, and has offered any resources needed to make this project a success. “I’m happy to see the kids take the challenge, and I believe they’ll be successful.” Max Curry says, “I have high hopes for this to be the building block of many future lip-dubs. While there may be many bumps and roads in the beginning, the end product will show what Tilghman is really made of.” The sign-up sheets have been turned in for whomever wanted singing or dancing positions in the video, and filming will be-gin the first week of May after school.

claSS of 2012 participate in SchoolWide “lip-dub” video

by Amber Hussain

pt youth l.e.a.d. StudentS graduateby Alicia Humphrey

Santorum leaveS, race continueS

by Olivia Carner and Calicia Wilson

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They’re constantly on their phones, couldn’t possibly learn to drive in straight line, and always talk back. For them, hard work is finding the re-mote for the TV in between the couch cushions. They’re ungrateful, lazy, and noisy. Who are they, you ask? They’re how the older generation views us teens like you and me. These are the confes-sions of a Stereotypical Teenager… Hey now, that first paragraph was completely unfair, and also offensive. You want to talk about US being rude? THAT was rude. We’re just… mis-understood. So, get off your high horse and think about things from our point of view. We were raised in the technology generation, so naturally, it’s a part of our daily lives. And we’d be perfectly happy to teach you, you know, if you stopped rant-ing about the evils of technology. It doesn’t tear families apart; if anything, it encourages family time… by means of texting and face time. You were raised in the generation of eighties music and hairstyles (*shudder*), and we don’t judge you for it. And so we move on to our driving abilities. You adults always complain about our “weak” driving skills. I would only like to point out that we haven’t been driving that long, anyway. You

guys have been driving for at least 20 years; what’s your excuse? I have been cut off by more angry adults, crazy old ladies, and near-sighted old men than I can count. Despite popular belief, we are not out to kill or maim anyone, including ourselves. In fact, we’re actually more cautious because we only recently got our licenses. As for your complaints about our speed, we really have nothing to say for ourselves; we just have places to be. Teenagers have smart mouths. Teenagers al-ways talk back. Teenagers are rude to the older generation. We hear that all the time, but it’s re-ally not our fault; you should make it clearer when you’re asking a rhetorical question. Then perhaps we won’t answer with the first thing that comes to our minds…which is usually not what you want to hear. Adults also often yell at us for allegedly rolling our eyes when they’re yelling at us for our “various indiscretions.” Just because we’re afraid to keep eye-contact doesn’t mean we don’t respect you. I mean, if looks could kill… Adults are so judgmental of teenagers these days, but we wish you wouldn’t take one bad ex-perience and label all of us as “degenerates.” You were a teenager once, too. Give us a chance and remember… you were the ones who raised us.

The date is April 23rd, 2012. I, Eugenia Gershwin, have be-gun my trek to the one and only Quilt City, U.S.A. To all of you that remain unaware of the underground quilting community, I am referring to the small, western Kentucky town known to natives as Paducah. My hometown is far away, far enough that my pri-mary mode of transportation, an indestructible vehicle known as a Buick, requires multiple pit stops at road stations and truck stops. By the third day of my travels, I find myself longing to be free of this wretched vehicle. After stopping so many times at sweet, little country bed and breakfast’s, and eatin’ at fine dining establishments such as Denny’s and Cracker Barrel, I find myself goin’ stir crazy. What I wouldn’t give to be there already. The day is warm and a gentle breeze blows, a lovely day to spend on the Paducah harbor. As soon as I could, I would park myself on a bench and watch the water flow by. I’d eat a delicious grilled cheese sandwich on a superb sour dough loaf from my favorite bakery. Maybe I’d even try some of that new fangled bubble tea that has all my friends raving. And the quilts; I would find such beautiful new techniques and patterns to use. I’d visit my favorite fabric shop and marvel at the beautiful fabric art displayed at the museum. And I just know that my quilt will win this year. As I’m day dreaming, I glance down at my speedometer and gasped with horror. While I had been off in my thoughts, I had plum let my speed accelerate to five miles over the limit! I shook my head, swinging my tight gray pincurls back and forth. Euge-nia Anne, I scolded myself, what would your mother say, speedin’ down the interstate like some dad gum hoodlum? I finally reach the Paducah exit. My heart starts a thumpin’ like a teenager caught out after curfew. As I drive down the Paducah roads, I start to hum a ditty. I couldn’t wait to see all my quilting friends. There’s Edith, who always stitches the same sort of pattern: a ginormous pink rose surrounded by small, budding white roses. The way she sews her strips together reflects her personality, pre-cise, unyielding, and utterly correct. No flaws to find in her quilts. And, of course, Lula; she’s new to the quilting community, relative-ly speakin’, in that she had only been quilting for a decade. She is the youngest of us girls, only 61. She resides in the ever-sunny state of California, and all of her quilts were wild and colorful. The star pattern’s her pattern of choice, and there isn’t a single one of her quilts that doesn’t include a hot pink apple. She claims her apples represent a new take on the story of Adam and Eve, one where Eve isn’t condemned for eatin’ the apple, but praised for taking initiative and creating her on destiny. Some sort of wacky new age mumbo jumbo, if you ask me. As for me, my quilts are simple. I prefer soothing colors, blues, greens, and yellows. My quilts have no symbolic, secret meanings. They just reflect how I was feelin’ when I started quiliting ‘em. This year’s quilt is one of my favorite ones I have ever done. I had stitched together bits of blue and navy to create a dark background. Thrown in were small bits of a reflective silver material, so that when the light catches ‘em, they look as if they are twinkling. My cellular phone rings, and I fumble to push the talk button. It’s Edith, hollerin’ into the phone as if she were usin’ string and tin cans to talk to me. Some people just can’t keep up with the times. We agree to meet at some Chinese place, called the Number One Chinese Food Buffet. I don’t know what we were thinkin’; the old pipes just can’t handle a whole lot of cat these days. Anyway, we meet and greet and eat and swap stories about all the different ailments we are sufferin’ from, and we decide to head on down to the show. We all piled up into Edith’s Cadillac, Lula snif-fin’ her nose and mutterin’ somethin’ about a carbon footprint. Well, we were driving down the road, arguin’ over whether to keep the windows rolled up or down (I didn’t want my coiffure to get all mussed from the wind), when some hipster blows by us in the opposite direction, laying on the horn. We all screech in fear, and Edith swerves. Lula gives that son of a gun a hand gesture that would have my mother rollin’ in her grave. It’s then that I saw the one way sign. I started hollerin’ about us drivin’ the wrong direc-tion down a one way street, and Lula started screechin’ about how poorly this crazy town was laid out and why would anyone need a one way street anyway? There was no shoulder to pull over onto, (really, there aren’t any road shoulders anywhere in this wacky state) so Edith just made herself at home in someone’s driveway while we got a hold of our selves. My heart was poundin’ and hurt somethin’ awful. We all wheezed and hacked until we calmed down. After checking to make sure no one was havin’ a heart attack, I started laughing. I laughed and laughed and couldn’t stop. We had cheated death once again, which is not a particularly easy task for gals getting’ on in their age. We’d already had an adventure and we hadn’t even reached the Quilt Show yet! I just chalk it up to bein’ a quilter; you never know where life’ll take you.

by Mrs. Eugenia Anne Gershwin

by Megan Cantwell and Avery Harriman

The Life of a QuiLTer

Confessions of a sTereoTypiCaL Teenager

For anyone who’s lived in Paducah for at least a year, the signs that start popping up everywhere reading, “Quilt City, USA” and, “Welcome, Quil-ters!” are enough to strike fear in your heart. The warm weather rolling in (sometimes earlier than others) and the pumping up of the giant white bub-ble downtown can only signify one thing. Not just downtown, but the entire city of Paducah is going to become clogged with thousands of people who care way too much about spending hours cutting up fabric into tiny pieces and more hours sewing them back together. People from all over flock to this humble corner of the Ohio River Valley, simply to display their stitching skills. They trek around downtown (so much for brisk afternoon walks) in groups, point-ing down various roads and trying to remember which streets are one-way. After a day or two of driving out of your way to avoid the bubble (not to mention the stares), the natives are starting to get restless. All we want is to stop by our favorite

restaurant, but it’s nearly impossible even to get a “to go” order anymore. Maneuvering the streets is nearly impossible, even several blocks away from the quilters’ headquarters, and some of the tour-ist drivers don’t feel that the different lanes and yielding rules apply to them, blowing or squeez-ing by so they can show off their master creation (took six months in the making) to so many other quiltophiles. So while us year-rounders resort to boxed lunches from the choir and staying off the streets for a week, the variety of “fabric artists” – many sporting shirts with mottos similar to “quilt or die” – traipse around the riverfront, commenting on the lovely murals while pushing past innocent bystanders to be the first in line for food. At the end of this extravagant festival, those quilters who weren’t showered with fabulous prizes may leave in tears. We have this consoling message for you: We don’t hate you. We just dread the day when you return.

by Avery Harriman

The eviLs of QuiLT Week

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to yet an-other installment of Tales of the Insanely Weird. Last issue we talked about March and the multi-tude of holidays associated with it. I would talk about April, but apparently the great weirdos of the world decided April was some sort of sacred month and left it alone. Thus, we shall look to the bright, sunny future that is May. And lo, what wonders I have found… I thought March had a bunch of obscure holi-days. May has one for every single day. Not just that, but multiple holidays for each day. According to holidayinsights.com, there’s a May Day, Loy-alty Day, Mother Goose Day, Save the Rhino Day, Baby Day, Brothers and Sisters Day, Lumpy Rug Day, World Press Freedom Day, and even a Bird Day…and we’re not even past May 4th yet! Let’s start with International No Diet Day. The day is intended as a celebration where people ap-preciate the bodies they have and reassess their dietary goals. No, it’s not an excuse for fat people to justify their rotund waistlines; the holiday was created by Mary Evans Young in 1992 as a way to reach out to people with anorexia, an illness she suffered from. It is celebrated on May 6th.

There also exists a Clean Up Your Room Day. As you can probably guess, the holiday exists as an opportunity for kids and their parents to clean up their rooms. Reportedly, while it is not an of-ficial holiday, there’s a great deal of parents who would love for it to be so and an equal number of children who would not. It is “celebrated” on May 14th. And finally, we have Dance Like a Chicken Day. The holiday’s sole purpose is to provide an-other opportunity for fans of the “Chicken Dance” to strut their stuff. Whether or not those who choose not to participate are called “chicken” is unknown. It should be noted that most of these holidays are not officially sanctioned by Congress or any major authority. However, the sheer number of insane holidays which we have created-and are apparently known-is astounding. Whoever heard of holidays encouraging you to eat that extra Big Mac, get off your lazy bum and tackle the land-fill that is your room, or fold up your arms and make clucking sounds to insanely upbeat, rhyth-mic music? It just goes to show there’s weird stuff all around us.

by Zach Winfield

TaLes of The insaneLy Weird: May’s ManiaCaL Mishaps

Comic by Emily Page

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T H E T I L G H M A N B E L L

6 FEATURES

DoYoU keep traDition alive? From the first day at school your freshman year, to being told there is a pool on the third floor, to being trampled by a mob of hungry teenagers on their way to the cafete-ria for chicken day, to the first time you experienced a sports team dominate… there are few things comparable to the Tilghman experience. It’s true that Paducah Tilgh-man is “just a high school,” but there is something else about it as well—something about being at Tilghman, going to Tilghman, that allows the Big Blue Spirit to get inside you. It lights us up; it makes us not just “kids,” but “Tilghman kids.”

Now, read through the following lists, and give yourself one point for everything that you have experienced here at Tilghman. Then rank yourself based on the points you have scored! But remember: once you reach the end, whether your score is zero or three hundred, everyone’s experience is unique and therefore special, which keeps the Tilghman tradition alive. And the fact that it happened at Tilghman with Tilghman students makes it even more special and tradition filled.

There are general things at Tilghman that everyone has done at one time or another. If you haven’t done these then pick up a few ideas to make your Tilghman experience better.

Have you ever?...

_____ Received a candy gram?

_____ Eaten more than three cookies at lunch?

_____ Lost your badge/planner?

_____ Crammed too many people at a lunch table?

_____ Been sent to the Dean’s office?

_____ Read The Tilghman Bell in RTI?

_____ Been first in line on chicken day?

_____ Gotten your phone taken away?

_____ Knocked something over in the blue room or cafeteria? (and then been applauded)

_____ Gotten lunch detention for being late?

____Evaded the sweep?

_____ Given blood at a PT blood drive?

_____ Been a tornado ticket winner?

_____ Slept on the floor of a bus?

_____ Been in the tunnels/roof?

_____ Gone an entire day without a badge?

_____ Learned something in RTI?

_____Taken a test with Uncle Pete?

_____ Learned a bit of German from Mrs. McManis?

“You little twit.” Check these if you have ever partici-pated in the following.

Have you ever?...

_____ Sung in Carnegie Hall?

_____ Marched in a parade?

_____ Eaten a Deweese dessert?

_____ Played in the drumline?

_____ Been called a twit? (or something worse)

_____ Auditioned for prime Rib or Concordia?

_____ Had art displayed at Etcetera?

_____ Sang at a Christmas concert?

Going to Tilghman requires a certain amount spirit that will deem you a worthy student. Check the following box-

es if you have ever shown the spirit necessary to be a true Tilghman student.

Have you ever?...

_____ Made a shirt or a poster?

_____ Danced to “Tilghman Stuff”?

_____ “Painted up” for a game?

_____ Gone out to eat after a game?

_____ Cheered on a team at state?

_____ Broken the dress code for spirit purposes?

_____ Started your own cheer at a game?

_____ Won a contest at a pep rally?

_____ Dressed up for Mayfield week?

Physically committing yourself to Tilghman is a huge part of representing our school. The time, dedication, commitment, and physical work that sports require will all give you points for the Tilghman experience.

Have you ever?...

_____ Competed at state?

_____ False started?

_____ Worn the wrong uniform?

_____ Had the crowd chant your name?

_____ Won a game by one point?

_____ Been told “Drive, drive, drive”?

_____ Been taught the meaning of ACE?

_____ Had to run stadiums?

Upholding the stan-dards for academics at Tilghman keeps the tradition alive of higher academics and recogni-tion.

Have you ever?..._____ Forgotten about a test?

_____ Made the Honor Roll?

_____ Been exempt from finals?

_____ Been invited to Honors Night?

_____ Fallen asleep in class?

_____ Passed an AP Exam?

_____ Sang a song about Jane Eyre?

_____ Watched a movie in Mr. Nantz’s class?

_____ Not passed the AP Chemistry Exam?

_____ Failed an Adkins test?

At Tilghman there is a place for everyone to be a part of the school. Whether it is from BABES to NJROTC to Mock Trial, everyone should be involved.

Have you ever?...

_____ Presented ROTC colors?

_____ Traveled with PTHS out of state?

_____ Had your objections sustained?

_____ Met David Baldacci?

_____ Gone to eat at El Porton during 6th Hour?

_____ Broken in Finals?

_____ Scored a taco?

_____ Made a candy Gram?

_____ Stayed on the last day of school for recycling?

by The Tilghman Bell Staff

The place where it all happens... Paducah Tilghman High School. Photo by Michael Langston

Scoring Guide:If you scored...

0-20 points: While you may not have a lot of that glorious “Tilgh-man Stuff” you have taken enough time to read this quiz and take it... therefore, you are well on your way to keeping the Tilghman spirit and tradition alive and prosperous. To heighten your Tilghman experience look at a few of the points on the list that you didn’t get and use them as suggestions. Join more clubs, try something you’ve never done before, and get some school spirit. As this school year comes to a close think about how you can contribute to not only your own high school experience, but to keeping the Tilghman tradition alive.

21-40 points: You are a great PT supporter! You try to come to most of the games and are pretty involved in your school. And although you may not bleed blue, you’re on your way. Just sign yourself up for a few more clubs and get a lit-tle more involved. Make yourself a permanent resident of the PT student section at games; use your voice and your spirit fingers to cheer on all of the sports teams. And make sure to work on your “Tilghman Stuff” dance moves. Once you get that perfected you will find your-self amongst the finest of PTs students.

41-60 points:You are the ultimate Paducah Tilghman student. You have mastered the art of the spirit finger, learned how to successfully yell at referees, and know every song in the bands repertoire! You are super involved in your school. You are a very well rounded person who participates in an array of PT activities. You definitely will have a life-time of wonderful Tilghman memories. Heck if we cut you, you would probably bleed blue! Needless to say you have had a great high school experience so far! Go you!

_____ my total points

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7FEATURES

2012 marks a monumental election year. Individuals over the age of eighteen will not only be able to vote in local and state-wide elections, but they will also have the opportunity and responsibility to re-elect our 44th, or elect the 45th President of the United States of America. Since many of you will be turning eighteen in this monumental year, we wanted to make sure you know the steps to take to register to vote and fulfill your civic duty. Step 1: Find a friend. We (Calicia and Olivia) found our journey to the cold and slightly frightening Court House much more enjoyable with a warm and friendly companion. Be sure to know your social security number be-fore you get there.Step 2: Find a ride to the Court House located downtown at 301 S. Sixth Street. Once you are inside take the steps on the left hand side down to the basement and enter the first office on your left. Step 3: Inform the clerk that you are there to register to vote. The clerk will then double-check to make sure you are not already registered and then give you a form. Step 4: Wait for your confirmation notice to come in the mail. This notice will inform you which location you need to go to on election day. Step 5: Let your voice be heard! Vote in all elections so that you can make a difference in your community and beyond.

Make your vote count!by Calicia Wilson and Olivia Carner

The repetitive quote continually rings in my ears. “Seniors, this is it.” We can all agree that high school has flown by, and most of us don’t want it to end, but before we let go of all the memories we have made, let’s look back at our past. Remember when getting a haircut meant shaping up your bowl cut? You could literally place a bowl around your head and cut your own hair. Remember when your outfit of choice was overalls? You were only two quick snaps away from sing the bathroom. Remember when your responsi-bilities consisting of taking care of your Tamagotchi? It all seemed so easy when feeding something consisted of pushing a button. Remember when you loved tasting the new flavor of Lip Smackers lip balm? Yet, this was always a disappointment to find out that buttered popcorn flavor did not, in fact, taste anything like buttered popcorn. Remember when we all watched Blue’s Clues on Nickelodeon? We depended on the clues Blue gave us to solve what seemed like life’s most important mysteries. Remember when Toy Story came to theaters? After seeing that movie, we all wanted to go “To infinity, and beyond!” Although we are about to part and go our separate ways, we will always be connected through our past and the memories that come with it. Before we walk across that stage in May, let’s reminiscence. Remember our child-hood, and don’t cry because it’s over, but smile because it happened.

by Kaitlyn Curry

reMeMber the days when...?

In their search for an occupation, most peo-ples’ ultimate goal is to do something they like and make a lot of money doing it. Everyone has a niche, a place in life where you fit in—but some people need more help finding that special place. Whether you are laid-back, studious, outgoing, adventurous, or simply dedicated to your tasks, there is something out there for you. This article is here to help you explore the various occupations to match your individual lifestyle! If you prefer peace and quiet to socializing with other people, you are introverted, thought-ful, shy…and probably just a generally boring person. There are two jobs that come to mind that fit your personality perfectly: a professional fisherman and an accountant. NO exciting person would love to sit on a boat in the middle of the lake and wait for a fish, and only someone who loves math would love to sit at a desk all day and count…just count. For those who like a good adventure, to go out on a limb, and are just plain crazy, a racecar driver or an entrepreneur would be right up your dark and dangerous alley. You need some guts to enter these occupations, because without them, it would be almost impossible to stack up the cash. Busi-ness people must make make-or-break decisions every day, with tons of money on the line every second. And if jumping out of planes, wrestling alligators, and/or climbing crumbling mountains are not enough for you, staring danger in the face

as a high-speed racer may be an enticing option for you. Straight-A students, class tutors, and over-achievers/brownnosers have many jobs to choose from as well. It takes a pretty bulbous brain to decipher the letters replacing numbers that en-gineers use every day, and with quick thoughts and witty lines, lawyers must also be pretty smart cookies if they ever hope to live up to Law and Order’s standards. The unpredictable type, the ones that play their music too loud, the stubborn ones—this one’s for you. You can put a rock star on your list! Outgoing and outspoken, it would be easy for you to rock out to your own tune—dual personality, insane apparel, and endless trail of paparazzi included. Some people, no matter what happens or what they are told to do, stick to their job with die-hard perseverance. To wake up at 6 in the morning to run until your body aches or to walk in the middle of a gun fight to get someone to safety takes a lot of determination. That’s why athletes and police-men fit perfectly under this category. No one who can’t take the heat can survive these profes-sions! No matter what is it you can do or where your personality leads you, there IS something out there for you to hold on to and run with. If you follow your dreams and stay true to your person-ality, everything else will fall into line!

by Ngodoo Itiavkase and Alicia Humphrey

what kind of lifestyle do you want?

While many of our articles this year have been relevant to underclassmen—this article is not. To finish off our Bell staff career, we are selfishly writing an article for the class of 2012. (Disclaim-er: However, if any of you youngsters stricken with “senioritis” wish to dream about embarking on the grand journey to the real world, than we will graciously permit you to read our article, as well.) The one thing that we feel Tilghman has in no way prepared us for is—living with a complete stranger in a 4x 4 room (smaller than Harry Pot-ter’s cupboard) for 4 WHOLE YEARS. Although we are quite sure that nothing can prepare you for such a strenuous inconvenience, we would like to provide you with a few ideas on how to be a wonderful roommate.

1. Be sure and make a good first impression when meeting your roomie. There is no better way to do so than shouting… “Hey, roomie!” bear hug, winky face (in no particular order). Be creative!2. With move-in boxes and bags in both hands, proceed to maneuver your entire home into your itty bitty 4x 4 room. Then for the grand finale—the sewing machine! Proceed to inform your roommate and his/her parents that you will be making all of their clothes for the next four years… and the rest of their lives… 3. In order to keep up this wonderful first impres-sion, make sure you practice amazing talents like meowing in quick succession at unusual and mysterious hours of the night. Briefly explain that

amazing talents such as meowing must be prac-ticed in order to be maintained. 4. Storking your roomie is perfectly called for in all places and on all occasions. Finals, library, dorm trick-or-treating… etc. (See storking article in August edition for clarification on technique).5. There is only one appropriate level for music volume—and that is loud and bumping. Nothing can strengthen the bond of friendship like busted ear drums and failing grades. Hey, you will two more things in common! 6. Teach them how to drive. We know you have already passed the cumbersome and dreaded driver’s test, but there is a chance you will have a roommate hailing from a different state. Show them how to drive Kentucky style. (See October edition on how to pass your driver’s exam). 7. Administer routine haircuts for both yourself and your roommate. The best time is after your roomie has crashed, and you are finished with your nightly “meows.” If you forget to cut your own—it is fine… don’t hyperventilate… just cut a little extra off your roomie’s. 8. Invite yourself to all of your roommate’s fam-ily dinners. Such frightening events should be en-dured together. Be sure and initiate weight checks and break a few family traditions. (See December issue on how to keep friends this Christmas).

by Emilee Ayers and Calicia Wilson

how to be a stupendous, spectacular rooMMate

This article is written expressly to show our grati-tude and appreciation to a very special individual whom we love and adore. She holds a very special place in our memories, and we will dearly miss her after graduation. She has journeyed with us from the depths of Dante’s Inferno, down the Mississippi River, over the battle-fields of Europe, out past the islands of New Orleans, over the prairie, and to the east coast with Gatsby. As usual, we cannot abandon the elusive, mysterious nature of our articles and plan only to reveal the identity of this person at the very end. However, we will give you clues through our memories of years past. * Disclaimer – this person is rarely mentioned in the Bell even though she has sparked every story and corrected almost every flaw (revovations).* * Disclaimer #2 – This article was pub-lished unbeknownst to this person** The Song of Rowland: You’re sitting in class writing a poetry response and look up to find a man with flow-ers at her desk. Do you question why? No… you simply think, “Who wouldn’t want to give her flowers?” The Myth of the gift: Upon answering a question she excitedly exclaims, “You get the prize!” And with a clap

of her hands, she dives into her next literary adventure. With pride in your eyes, you belatedly realize the prize is just about as mythological as sophomore year’s sum-mer assignment. Nevertheless, you find yourself laugh-ing and smiling as if you really did receive a prize. Hallway parties: Her room is notorious for hallway distractions, whether it is a group of seniors (quite mis-takenly) gloating and waving as they pass or a tall janitor riding by on questionable machinery at a slow pace, you will never forget her sarcastic responses. As she leans in with a wink in her eye, she whispers “There’s a party out there… and you guys are missing it!” Or upon hearing a baby’s cry, she promptly comments “You know those freshman are just getting smaller every year.” Rainy days in Williamsburg: When it rains in Williams-burg – strange and wonderful memories occur. Secrets are left untold about engagements, ghost tours are un-derway, and one will never really know for sure if Mr. Darcy is amongst them. A Pun on Class: The first type of class is in reference to the wonderful two years of literature that we shared with this amazing individual. Our eyes were all at once

opened to the potency of words. From the footsteps knit-ted by Charles Dickens, to the wit of Mark Twain, all the way to everyone’s favorite quote, “My mother is a fish,” famously coined in a William Faulkner novel, she has taught us the true wisdom of words. This “mender of soles” leads us to our second type of class. From head to toe, perfectly trimmed, she always looks sharp. One would never expect such clever and sarcastic remarks from someone of such adorable demeanor. In fact, if you don’t have the pleasure of knowing her, you might be left quite befuddled by her casual wit! A final thank you, before we turn our tassels and toss our hats, to one of the most magical role models we’ve encountered in our four years here at Paducah Tilghman. After two years of vocabulary quizzes, there are still no words to express our gratitude. We’ve not only gained a love for literature but also a wonderful, sarcastic sense of humor that will get us through all kinds of unusual situations. “And there you have it!” Thank you, Mrs. Hancock!

Dear Reader, At some point everything comes to an end, and as we reach the end of April and head into May for many of us, our time as a student at Paducah Tilghman High School is doing just that. This has been the place we have spent the ma-jority of our time the last four years, with the people we have grown up with for most of our lives; yet we’re running from the school and town like it’s been hit by the plague. Readers, it makes sense that we’re ready to move; in fact, it’s good that we are but before we go, let’s remember to look back. My last advice is through the drama, homework, and stress of high school, is remember to enjoy it. Enjoy the Friday night football games, the random field trips, the hopeful nights you spend waiting for a snow day, the lunch table con-versations that seem irrelevant, the sports practices that make you feel like dy-ing; everything that is high school, because once it’s gone, it can’t come back. “As we go on we remember all the times we had together; and as our lives change from whatever we will still be friends forever,” (From Vitamin C’s song “Graduation.”)Love always xoxo,

Dear abby,

a reluctant aDieu to a marvelous teacherby Emilee Ayers and Calicia Wilson

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8P A G E

PROM

1. Max’s Brick Oven-112 Market House SquarePaducah, KY 42001270.575.3473Known as one of Paducah’s finest local restaurants, Max’s pro-vides a cozy, romantic atmosphere for your pre-prom dinner, ei-ther inside or on the patio. They specialize in brick oven thin crust specialty pizzas, but also feature pasta, meats-including seafood- and sandwiches. The price ranges from $12-$30 (per individual). It opens at 5 P.M. on Saturdays. 2. J.P.’s Bar and Grill-119 Market House Square Paducah, KY 42001 270.442.2041What better way to begin Prom night than with a little live mu-sic? J.P.’s Bar and Grill features both indoor and outdoor seating, along with live music in a romantic setting. They serve a variety of meats, including seafood, with specialty sandwiches and burg-ers. J.P.’s Bar and Grill opens at 4 P.M. on Saturdays, with prices ranging from $10-$20 per individual. 3. Olive Garden-5150 Hinkleville RdPaducah, KY 42001270.442.4190If you are looking for a more casual and laid back atmosphere, Ol-ive Garden is the perfect spot. Entrees range from $10 to $25 per individual, featuring classic Italian food. They open at 11 A.M. on Saturdays.4. Jasmine Thai and Sushi 451 Jordan Drive, Suite K Paducah, KY 42001270.442.0000Jasmine’s menu overflows with Asian dishes, including sushi rolls and Thai dinners, ranging from $12 to $25 per person. Jasmine’s has an upscale, modern environment with a hint of Asian décor. They open at 11 A.M. on Saturdays.

No matter what restaurant you choose, be sure to make reserva-tions early! If you prefer not going out, gather friends for a dinner at someone’s house. This option offers both no wait and cheaper prices!

The countdown to Prom has begun. With the many details that need attending to, we are here to help make your evening as stress free and as special as possible. From dinner to pictures, here are our suggestions!

Your guide to Prom 2012

Restaurants

To add some fun, as well as sharing our favorite prom photo spots, we have come up with a photography scavenger hunt! Here’s how it works: look at our pictures, follow our hints; if you and your date can solve the puzzle and take a picture in all five of our fa-vorite locations you have the chance of being featured in The Tilghman Bell! To be consid-ered, the photo must be taken on prom night, in prom attire, and turned into The Tilghman Bell staff by May 15th. Happy searching and good luck!

1. Near the mall area, this park has no play-ground equipment but is the perfect spot for a photo.

2. This beautiful building is one of Paducah’s famous historical sites and now serves as, not just a lovely back-drop, but also a rest area for travelers.

4. Throughout the summer bands are featured here on weekend nights.

3. Often the perfect spot for a picnic or a game of Frisbee, this location also has beautiful flowers and fountains that will ac-cent your photos.

5. Located below sev-eral downtown condos near Whaler’s Catch, this location is some-what easy to overlook, but sometimes the pret-tiest things are hidden.

Pictures taken by Kaitlyn Curry, Olivia Carner, Emily Page, and James Harben

Articles written by Kaitlyn Curry and Chandler Smith

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Look A LikeBell Staff

Teacher Impersonations

Mr. Ross Calicia Wilson (12)

Mrs. Wynne Madison Whelan (12)

Mr. DeWeese Weston Loyd (12)

Mrs. Adkins Olivia Carner (12)

Mrs. Rasche Chandler Smith (12)

Mr. Morgan Alex Boyd (11)

by Mackenzie Bruce

Imagine three clueless adults walking down the street arguing amongst them-selves as they go. Then out of no-where they begin slapping each oth-er, poking one an-other in the eyes, and tripping and slipping like they were something out of a cartoon.

Chances are you’re watching Larry, Moe, and Curly, better known as the Three Stooges. Once again, the Stooges have returned, bring-ing their iconic style of slapstick comedy with them. This time, however, the trio has showed up on the big screen. In this fast-paced comedy,

the stooges, Larry, Moe, and Curly, who were dropped off as babies at a Sisters of Mercy or-phanage, need to raise $830,000 in only 30 days in order to save the convent from closing and stop the children from being sent off to foster homes. To top off their dilemma, the boys have no practical skills, get involved in a murder plot, and even the high-strung reality TV world of “Jersey Shore.” Although the storyline isn’t the most original or best thought out, the actors do a wonderful job recreating the original Three Stooges slapstick routines. The also capture the original character’s mannerisms masterfully, from Curly’s sound ef-fects to Moe’s style of leadership. This movie really is intended to be a long line of gags and jokes and just keeps the laughs flowing. If you just need to let it all out and have a good laugh, The Three Stooges is definitely a must see movie. Photo provided by justflick.com.

SLApStick returnS with the StoogeSby Michael Langston

“I don’t like walking around this old and emp-ty house/ So hold my hand; I’ll walk with you my dear….” So begins “Little Talks,” one of Icelandic band’s, Of Monster’s and Men, most popular songs. Bursting into popular-ity after winning a lo-cal battle of the band, Musiktilraunir, the indie/folk group has since released their debut album, My Head is an Animal, in 2011 in their home country, and again for the U.S. this year. Listening to this chill band is perfect for falling asleep. For fans of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Mumford & Sons, the folky band definitely won’t disappoint. Ranging from soft and quiet to rambunctious and hearty choruses of “HEY!,” My Head is an Animal is one of my current favor-ite albums. Full of a wide variety of instruments and full voices, simply listening to the group or

watching a video of them playing “Little Talks” will show just how they put all of their passion

into their music and lyr-ics. Words like, “The waves that hit his face, marked the past/ And the farrows on his skin, oh how time goes fast/ And we are far from home, but we’re so happy/ Far from home, all alone but we’re so happy,” from “From Finner,” combined with a growing sound simply brings the listener to far away Icelandic places. Just with this first al-bum, this band has gath-ered many a fan, as well as sold out many of their concerts on their current

world tour. Each song on the album fits perfectly with the next and is even fun to sing along with their boy-girl duets and rousing choruses. I high-ly recommend this album. “Can you chase this fire away/ In the fall we sleep all day/ Where we are.”Photo provided by sweetslyrics.com.

iceLAndic bAnd burStS into popuLArity with “LittLe tALkS”

The streets were filled with people - people of all color, background, and income. Most were strangers, touring the vibrant and historical French Quarter for the first time. The narrow, cobbled streets were teeming with life. The whole city vibrated to the pulse of rhythm and jazz. This was New Orleans. Recently, members of the choir and orchestra traveled with Mr. DeWeese and Mr. Davis to the bustling city known as the Big Easy. I am thrilled to say that I was one of the fifty or so students who accompanied them on this spectacular trip. We departed the school at 5 in the morning on April 19th. Following a 10 hour bus ride, we ar-rived at our hotel in Kenner, Louisiana, for a fun-filled night. After the group was divided into a more manageable size, we were led through the narrow streets of the French Quarter by a tour guide. The French Quarter had been settled by French and Spanish Creoles, building colorful multi-story homes with balconies, verandas, and massive floor to ceiling windows for ventilation. We explored famous locations such as Pirates Alley and the St. Louis Cathedral before heading to the Cajun restaurant for dinner and dancing. Oh, the food! By the time we left Sunday, we had to be rolled out of the city! Every meal included seafood of all variety, gumbo, jambalaya, and the most delicious desserts. The next day, the choir sang at the beautiful Loyola University, featuring a clinic with the pres-tigious Dr. Meg Fraser. We then brunched at the famous Court of Two Sisters restaurant, stuffing ourselves at the buffet with delicious food. I, along with a handful of other brave students, even tried the turtle soup. We then traveled around the city on the bus, visiting the parks and cemeteries, where the inhabitants are buried above the ground. We also saw the parts of the city that were devastated by hurricane Katrina. After having a bit of free time to shop and explore, we ate at Bubba Gump’s and then went on a ghost tour of the French Quarter. We finished the night with a coffee and beignets from the renowned Café Du Monde. We toured the swamps of Southern Louisiana in the rain and wind the next day. We were all quite drenched! No trip to the bayou is complete without an alligator sighting. Despite the rain, we were able to see two alligators, swimming along the edge of the swamp. Our guide even threw marshmal-lows of the boat to them! After a lunch featuring crawfish et touffe and cake, we visited the histori-cal Oak Alley plantation, learning all about life on the plantation and in southern Louisiana. That evening, we dined on the Natchez steamboat, on a cruise down the Mississippi River. It was cold and windy, but the sight of the New Orleans sky line all lit up against the black sky, reflected on the river was a sight worth seeing! The next day was our last. We said goodbye to our hotel and to the French Quarter, stopping to sing at the Grace Methodist Church on Canal Street. We sang for their service, which featured lots of music with a live band. We then changed and started the long trek back to Paducah, arriving well after one in the morning. Despite how short the trip was, I felt like it was full of sights and music. We really experienced a taste of New Orleans life, basking in the sights, sounds, and people of the Big Easy.

by Madison Whelan

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Paducah Tilghman senior Alek Rowton signed with St. Catha-rine College of intent to play soccer and tennis for the Patriots on April 9, 2012. St. Catharine is a small Roman Catho-lic liberal arts college located in Springfield, Kentucky. The ten-nis team is led by Jim Coomer a former wom-en’s assistant coach at Bellarmine University. The soccer team is led by head coach Tim Wolz with the help of his assistant coach Boyzz Khumalo. Alek’s older brother Ethan Rowton currently plays on St. Catharine’s tennis team which was one of the main reasons Alek chose St. Catharine. Alek plans to follow in his brother’s footsteps saying, St. Catharine is a super fabulous college and I cant wait to spend time and play on the same team again with the best brother anyone could ask for!” Alek is currently number one on Tilghman’s varsity tennis team and has been a member of the varsity team since he was in the sixth grade. Even with tennis Alek took up on playing soccer on the varsity team his senior year. Alek’s hard work and passion for the sports will allow him to play on the next level in college tennis and soccer.

Two seniors sign for college sporTsPatriots add senior Alek rowton to tennis and soccer roster

by Alex Boyd and Susannah Wilson

Jones joins St. Catherine soccer and tennis teams

Paducah Tilghman se-nior Erin Jones signed her letter of commit-ment to play both soc-cer and tennis at St. Catharine College. On April 9th the signing ceremony took place in the gym lobby as fam-ily, friends, teammates and coaches gathered. Jones signed to play both soccer and tennis at St. Catharine Col-lege. Erin played soccer and lettered all four years at Tilghman. She led the team in assists

during her senior year under Coach Vaden Fenton. Her new coach at St. Catharine will be Coach Paul Pat-ton. The coach had this to say about signing Erin, “I am very excited to be signing Erin; she is a strong player with size, skill and speed.” This will be Coach Pattons second year as solely Women’s Head Coach and sixth season overall at St. Cath-erine. Erin will also be playing tennis at St. Catharine. She is currently playing for the Tilghman tennis team this year under Coach Jeff Leeper. In the fall Jones will be coached by Jim Coomer. Coomer is both the men and womens coach and will start his first year at St. Catherine this fall. He previously coached at Bellarmine Univer-sity.

by Brock Sigler

Paducah Tennis Team still has an undefeated record in regular sea-son matches as they begin the trek to Regional’s. The boys brought home the first place title at the Murfreesboro tournament during spring break, with the girls bringing home the second place trophy. As they begin the trek toward Regional’s, the teams have been beginning to split into a varsity and junior varsity practice. Junior Zach Morris said, “This year we as the team, have a unique bonding, which holds us together through anything. We have faced many tough opponents, yet remain undefeated in the regular season. I can’t wait to see us tear it up in the Regional Tournament.” The team has matches in the Derby Day Doubles Tournament in Lexington and also St. Mary. We at The Bell would like to wish the team good luck for the rest of the season.

by Alex Boyd

photos by James Harben

Tennis Team remains undefeaTed

PTHS baseball is picking up the pace with a few key wins against Crittenden and Fulton counties. The team has been picking up the batting average from .194 to .259 which makes a huge difference. So far they have had four games which the team had zero errors and many with very few. Middle infielder Miles But-ler said “We started off with a lot of young talent. We have faced

many tough teams, and have had a few unlucky plays and gotten into a few unlucky situations. I hope the team is progressing in hitting, getting better runs, and swing more confidently at the close of the season.” The boys have their se-nior night game on May 1st vs. Reidland. We at The Bell would like to wish the team luck as they head to Regionals.

by Alex Boyd

During Spring Break, the Lady Tornado Softball team went to Miramer Beach, Florida for the Florida Softball Beach Bash tournament. The team had a great time and left the tournament with 3 wins and only 2 losses. They won against Madison Southern High School with a score of 6-3, against Corbin High School 8-0, and against Camp-bellsville High School 12-2. With only two close losses to Metcalfe High School and Trinity High School, the team is ecstatic. “I’m really proud of our work this weekend; we all played really well and we all hit the ball. I think the rest of our season will be even better,” Karlee Humphrey commented. The team has a lot of young players, but this doesn’t hinder the team. Lyndsey Ken-dall commented, “We’re all really starting to click and we’re getting on a good roll.” Now, also working with a new coach, Christopher Johnson, the softball team is rolling very well. The team’s first game with this change in leadership was a smashing suc-cess when they won against Mayfield 13-2. The softball team continued to hold their ground against Hickman losing by only one run.

by Michael Langston

For the past month, the Pad-ucah Tilghman girls’ track team has been sizing up their com-petition. Their progress, from a team with little experience, to a team ready to go to the Regional tournament, has blossomed. The girls came out with a win at Hop-kinsville, beating their number one competition by 70 points, taking home multiple gold, sil-ver, and bronze medals to their collection. Aleja Grant, a star runner on the team, has finished all her rac-es in first place, along with their relay team finishing in a time

good enough for qualification, and Alexis Smith won awards in the open 200 and open 100. Destiny Skinner, a beginner in jumping, won awards in triple and high jump, and Meko Bu-chanon and other throwers bring in points for the team with discus and shotput. There is not much competi-tion left for the girls as Region-als come up, and with the Invita-tional right around the corner on April 28, our girls team has more than enough time to train as hard as they can to continue a Tilgh-man tradition of success!

by Ngodoo Itiavkase

girls’ Track sprinTs closer To The end

BaseBall Team picks up BaTTing average Although the Tilghman Boys’ track team

is already half way through their season and has only competed in a handful of meets, they have showed domination all over the Region. After placing first at the Hopkinsville Invitational, the team feels more confident about placing in the top overall at State. Coach Wyatt, pleased with the team’s progression throughout the season so far had this to say to The Bell, “We may dom-inate the Region but the real competition is in Louisville and Lexington. We need a tough meet that will show us where we really stand in State.” Wyatt hopes to see some real competition at the WKU meet on May 5th where there is sure to be some

competitive teams to give Tilghman a challenge. Before that meet though Tilgh-man has defend their own turf at their In-vitational meet on the 28th. “We just got to have the heart more than the other schools,” said Bishlam Pea (12). “I bet it’s going to come down to the 4 x 400 relay race.” The boys know they have to get ready for the real com-petition at state. Javarious Hodge had this to say, “We always dominate in the region, always have and always will. The real competitive schools are in the big cit-ies like Louisville Central and Lexington County.” The Bell would like to wish the team good luck at Regional’s and State.

new young Team holds ground

Boys track looks for competitionby James Harben

photo by Michael Langston