The Eagle's Eye

This is the 2nd year in a row that the Lady Eagles have become district champs! They had their first regional game on February 24th which was a nail-biter against Union City. At halftime, the score of the game was 23-22. Throughout the game, they were able to hold onto the lead where they finished with a score of 47-43. After this fantastic victory, they played their final game of the post-season regional games against Westview on February 27th.

I know I speak for everyone in Hickman County to say that we can’t wait to see what they can accomplish next year!

Movie theaters have gone down in popularity. Covid-19 is a factor, but the biggest factors involve streaming services and prices. Teenagers, especially, are not as interested in going to the cinema. According to Forbes, 55% of people say they would rather stay home and watch movies. 50% said theaters are too expensive. Despite the declining popularity of theaters, there are huge releases that do not go to streaming until much later after their theatrical release.

The horror film M3gan, released on January 6, has so far been the most popular film this year. It was a surprise hit that already has a sequel in the works. February through July is already packed with anticipated films.

On February 17, Marvel Studios’ Antman and the Wasp Quantumania is going to be released. It is the third film in the Ant Man series, and a fourth is already in discussion. March is filled with anticipated releases. Creed 3, directed by the star of the trilogy, Michael B Jordan, is going to released on March 3. Scream 6, the sixth installment of the popular Scream franchise, may be the most anticipated of the month and is scheduled for release on March 10. Keanu Reeves returns as John Wick in John Wick 4 on March 24. 

Moving into spring, releases are even more anticipated. The Super Mario Bros Movie, which has been talked about everywhere since its casting of Chris Pratt as Mario and the praised animation graphics in the trailer, releases April 7. May is another month full of eagerly awaited movies. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, the third, and presumably final, installment of Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy series is set to release May 5 and could even possibly be one of the highest grossing films this year. Fast X is the tenth film in the long running Fast and the Furious series and releases May 19. 

Kicking off summer blockbuster season, is Spider-Man Across the Spider Verse on June 2. The animated Spider-Man film is one of the most awaited for films after the overwhelming success of its predecessor Spider-Man Into the Spider Verse. Harrison Ford returns as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones: Dial of Destiny on June 30. No films have been released since 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which was met with mixed audience reception. The last major film in July is Barbie starring Margot Robbie as the titular character. The casting and images of her in costume have become iconic in pop culture. The film is set for release on July 21. 

On January 19, 2023, students with no unexcused absences and no ISS in the second quarter went to Thunder Alley as a reward. Students got the option to hang-out, bowl, or play games in the arcade. Mrs. Presson, one of the teacher chaperones, said, “Students enjoyed the arcade and bowling, but the most important thing was that they enjoyed getting to spend time with friends and teachers just hanging out and chatting.” Mr. Thompson remarked on the positive behavior of the over 150 students that earned the reward; there were no off-campus behavior problems, and students were respectful of the facility and left it clean. Way to go, Eagles!

The best entertainment value in Hickman county!

Come support Eagle staff and students at the 7th annual lip sync battle. The battle will be held at East Hickman High School in the auditorium on December 15th at 7 PM. Tickets will cost $5, and all proceeds will go to graduation for the class of 2023. Last year, the battle collectively raised $2,110. 

Whoever wins the battle will be awarded with a belt, custom-made by Mrs. Poth. The winner for last year was a large group of students and one teacher. The winners were Abby and Eric Aldridge, Braylee Clark, Ali Cochran, Ella Griffin, Maddie Hobbs, McKinsey Kinnard, Carson Mathis, Hetal Patel, Maleah Pinnix, Madison Reed, and former teacher Cheri Cutelle. Their performances were Hey Ya by Outkast and Feel This moment by Pitbull featuring Christina Aguilera.

For the second consecutive year, a company known as ELSNashville, short for Extreme Lighting & Sound, is hosting an astonishing Christmas light display known as ¨Holiday Wonders.¨ This display is located in Fairview, Tennessee at the Bowie Nature Park on Hwy 100 and will run from November 25th to December 10th with Thursday to Saturday hours. However, starting December 15th and going to December 23rd, the display will be on daily.

This display costs $25 per car. However, both retired and active military personnel, law enforcement officers, and other first responders can get a $10 discount when presenting identification. However, this is well worth the cost because the best part has yet to be mentioned.

When you arrive, they will tell you a radio station to tune your radio to. This radio station will play a playlist of Christmas music that the lights will ¨dance¨ to. The only other display like this in Tennessee is all the way in Lebanon! After you get through it the first time, you either have the choice to leave the display or go through a second time. However, you are limited to two times. Still, you get a lot of value for the money you spend.

Overall, the city of Fairview made a really good choice by putting this display on. It gives families something local to look forward to and also funds the city government. If this appeals to you and your family, and you want to buy tickets, you can do so online at https://www.elsnashville.com/ or at the gate.

Blood donation is essential as “there are no substitutes for blood, platelets or plasma—they cannot be manufactured,” according to Cedars Sinai.org. East Hickman High School and the Red Cross held a blood drive on Monday, November 21st where all HOSA, Health Occupations Students of America, members were able to watch and learn about all the steps that go into a blood drive.

Students were able to help check people in as well as provide snacks to participants. In total, there were 23 participants collecting over 20 units of blood that could be used to help save lives in the future. Cedars Sinai states that one unit of blood can save up to three lives and that 38,000 units of blood are needed every day in the U.S while only 2% of the population actually donates.

“I will always associate beef stew with happiness.” These are the opening words to the descriptive essay I needed to write for my Freed Hardeman’s Dual Enrollment English class. After that essay, people started to talk about the beef stew, my Granny’s, beef stew.

The point of the writing assignment was to be very descriptive to help visualize what you wanted to show. Because of this, I was using sentences like  “the potatoes melt in the mouth and all the juice that they have absorbed from the couple of hours of socializing with the beef and vegetables just burst like a water balloon” and “ With every chew, I taste a little bit of the onion, celery, and tomato until eventually, all the juice has left and what remains is the sweet and savory taste of the beef, which has a lasting effect until I’m able for another bite.”

My grandmother is from South America and the country of Chile. She moved to the United States when she turned 23. She lived in Long Island, New York for 15 years then moved to Tennessee, so she could be with the rest of her family and has stayed in Tennessee since.  

When I asked my grandma what she thought about people talking about her stew, she said she felt it was “cool” how people she hasn’t met were suddenly interested. Has this made you think about what this tastes like? 

The Eagle’s Eye crew decided to taste test for themselves and agreed that it lives up to the hype that I built up around the stew. In my essay I declared, “it will be one of the best foods I will ever eat.” To try it for yourself, follow the recipe below.

Mrs. Cabrera’s Beef Stew

Cook the 4 lbs of stew meat in the stock pot in the oil. Add paprika, oregano, garlic, pepper, and basil. Add the 2 chopped onions when the meat is browned. Continue cooking and add chopped celery. Add a little water if needed to keep from sticking. Add the stewed tomatoes, the bouillon cubes or bouillon paste along with 10 cups of water. When the stew comes to a boil, turn to a simmer and cook until the meat is tender. Add the chopped carrots and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the chopped potatoes. Simmer until the potatoes are just tender ( approximately 7 minutes). The potatoes will continue to cook, so do not overcook or the potatoes will break down too much. 

For many decades, horror movies have been popular. There are many character types from films that are highly referenced and parodied in today’s culture.

Classic horror films like Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street, which are often considered the most influential to the genre, all popularized different types of characters in horror films. Their influence shows in the horror genre even today.

Recent horror films like It, Don’t Breathe, and the 2018 Halloween sequel of the same name, Halloween, continue using character tropes established by preceding horror films, but usually do them in more self-aware ways. Some horror films, such as Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and The Cabin in the Woods, reference and make fun of how the characters act while still using them to tell its story.

The “final girl” is a character type and possibly the most popular trope in the genre. They are often the last character left at the end and are the ones who notice something is not right throughout. There is sometimes a “final boy,” who is either with the “final girl” or substitutes for the “final girl.” It is typically a single woman in the role. One of the most famous examples is Laurie Strode from the Halloween franchise.

Another popular character type are non-believers. They are typically in supernatural horror movies and are infuriating to audiences. They make explanations for weird occurrences and choose not to focus on what is actually going on and condemn the other characters as crazy. They eventually learn their lessons when it is too late. Two popular non-believer characters are the parents of final girl Nancy Thompson in the 1984 film A Nightmare On Elm Street.

A popular character type, is the harbinger of doom. They are perceived as crazy but are actually warning the characters of real danger. Their warnings are ignored and not taken seriously. This type of character became popular in the original Friday the 13th all the way back in 198o, with a character known as “Crazy Ralph.”

Other types of characters include the the red herring, which can be shared with multiple characters, an older authority figure, and, in more self-aware horror movies, a character that points out horror tropes. These characters make up most horror films. When done correctly, it creates a truly great film. When having a horror movie marathon this year, pay attention to the characters tropes.

FBLA and FCCLA “skipped” school this week for a field trip to Nissan Stadium! The stadium holds an event annually known as “Titans Learning Lab.” Many clubs and organizations attend this eventful day to learn about how the stadium and team is run day-by-day. East Hickman students who attended this trip talked to various employees, starting with the social media team and ending with a tour of The Tennessee Titans’ mascot, T-Rac’s, dressing room.

After interviewing a few students, I figured out what interested them the most. Gavin Parrish, FBLA’s Vice President, said that he enjoyed seeing the VIP suites around the stadium. Anna Breece got to meet a group sales manager that she had previously contacted for a FBLA project that was presented at state and national conferences. Although Tyler Allen found the experience very enthralling, her favorite part was the coffee at a local coffee shop in Bellevue. The clubs had a fantastic time and can’t wait to do it all again next year.

One of our sophomore students at EHHS, Jacob Scheuring, just recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout within the Boy Scouts of America. Previously, during the summer, Ryan Strawser, also from Troop 237 out of Lyles, gained this rank.

When Jacob relates what inspired him to become an Eagle Scout, he replied, ¨I just wanted to be like my brother [Christian Scheuring, 2022 graduate]. But then I wanted to be better. And so it was like a chain reaction that I was like, wait, I can be better than you. So I did that.¨  He has also developed many skills in the process. Jacob replies, ¨Definitely leadership survival outdoors. Gotta love not dying. Can’t forget not dying. I mean, yeah. Communication skills. Tying [knots], leadership, [and] outdoors. Basic stuff.¨ These are definitely some important skills. 

Every candidate for Eagle Scout must complete a service project. Jacob built birdhouses, Christian built benches in the park and along the trail, and Ryan built picnic tables for the Buford McCord Memorial Park. Because of these service projects, and the other requirements, they were rewarded with the rank of Eagle Scout.

At the end of the day, the role of Eagle Scout is a great feat to accomplish. If you see either of the new Eagle Scouts in the halls, congratulate them! They went over many mountains to get this feat.