Month: March 2020

I Still Believe, is a newly released film based on a true story, the story not only promotes faith and trust in God, but also the encouraging power of love. The story is of a young woman, named Melissa Henning,  and a man, named Jeremy Camp, falling for each other through their love of music, and of course, their faith towards God. Sadly, once their newly found love is formed, it is immediately put to the test. The couple face the biggest challenge of all, cancer. When Jeremy and Melissa get the news, they both manage to persevere through the power of Jeremy’s original music about his love for her and God.  When their love is challenged, the audience is drawn into the movie as they learn how love can change one life, and how one life can change the world. In fact, Jeremy met his second wife at one of his concerts, shortly after word spread of Melissa’s story. The movie is filled with twists and turns that put the audience in an emotional frenzy. The Common Sense Media reviews the movie as, “This love story has the heart swells of The Notebook, the unexpected twists of a Nicholas Sparks novel, and the anguish of The Fault in Our Stars: The proof is your depleted tissue box. What elevates I Still Believe is that it’s true. If it weren’t, it would be too sappy and overwrought to accept as reality. But Camp has been telling this story at concerts for years, and the events really did happen to him and his first wife, Melissa.” The movie is very heartfelt with powerful messages for everyone, religious or not. The Common Sense Media described it by simply stating, “Bring tissues for wholesome but sad Christian romance.”

Since the theaters are closed, the movies mentioned above with the exception of I Still Believe can be found for rent through either YouTube or Amazon Prime. Many steaming platforms are rushing to move in-theater titles to at-home viewing, but they come with a price tag, roughly $20 to purchase the title. Both Comcast and Amazon Prime are offering a few in-cinema titles, and I Still Believe may become available through one of those platforms, but that is still to be determined at this time. Or…wait for it, and it will be out for rent at non-movie going prices. 

I have asked our student journalists who are available digitally in the Eagle’s Eye staff to choose topics and continue writing on our blog post. We all are seeing enough news about COVID-19, so they are writing about what interests them and what they are doing to fill this time. I am optimistic about our time apart as evidenced by the kind gestures many people are making toward each other and some of the offers put forward by many companies at this time. Exercise platforms are offering free videos, guitar and other instrument makers are offering free lessons, Audible has many free audio books that are available, and of course, if you haven’t seen a “how to make bread at home” video, then where have you been in the last week? I am sure new TikTok dance videos are up, Instagram posts are flying, and all of us “old people” are scrolling through Facebook. My point is that we are all separately together. (I hope all the students just thought, “That’s an oxymoron!”) Enjoy the student posts which follow.

      For the past few years East Hickman High School’s students have participated in Columbia State’s competition for high school students. This is an event hosted on the community college’s campus that many different schools attend and compete. Any high school student can sign up for no more than two chosen categories. The students are not required to fill both sessions of time but are more than welcome to sign up for both. If a student has a free session, they are also encouraged to be part of an audience in certain categories such as vocals, oral translation, visual arts, and piano. This year, East Hickman High School did have winning participants: Skyler C., Keanda G., Darrell B., Thora D., and Alyssa T. Next year, all students are encouraged to sign up and experience the thrill of competing and watching fellow classmates compete against other schools.