by Calicia Wilson and Avery Harriman

TILGHMAN BELLPADUCAH TILGHMAN HIGH SCHOOL 2400 WASHINGTON STREET PADUCAH, KENTUCKY MON. August 29, 2011 VOL. 88 NO. 1

THE

From Guidance:ACT Dates

September 10, deadline passed

October 22, deadline September 16

Beat Mayfield!Monday: Jersey DayTuesday: 80’s Day

Wednesday: Hick DayThursday: DoomsdayFriday: Blue and White

Day

Save the Date! Concordia auditions are Monday,

August 29th, after school.

Prime Rib auditions are Thursday, Septemeber 1, after school.

Victorious!Tilghman Pride: Tradition holds strong at 26-0

The Blue Tornado Football Team rushes McRight Field to warm up before the game against Lone Oak on August 19. See Page 8 for the summary and schedule of the rest of the season. Photo by Michael Langston

Extreme school makeover takes over PTHS

Due to long, arduous renovations that some feared would never meet their deadlines, Pad-ucah Tilghman students have a new reason to bleed blue. Tilghman has undergone an exten-sive facelift, but underneath its fancy façade, it is still the same school that we have all grown to love. Students found themselves surprised by the transformation that occurred in the short two months of summer. The renovations were not the only thing we noticed that was differ-ent about Tilghman; classrooms had been relo-cated according to subject areas. Students were all freshmen again, scrambling for schedules and searching for room numbers. While there have been many adjustments for faculty and students, both groups are definitely enjoying the new vibe that Tilghman’s shiny new halls irrevocably give off. “On the positive side, Tilghman looks fresh. It makes the school more modern with-out changing the integrity of what it was meant to be. It is a little disappointing that technology is behind (white board, cables still not up yet). It will be nice when those are in place; it will help the construction of the classroom as well as the appearance,” remarks Mr. Davis as he related his view on Tilghman’s reno-vations. Through this face-lift, the core of Tilghman is still the same. Although it now sports some ritzy seals and shiny floors, it remains unchanged to upperclass-men who have found themselves wandering the halls of Tilghman for several years. The essential architec-ture has been preserved. Not all of the renovations have been made, but the initial step to modernize Tilghman’s appearance has begun. What are these amazing, new renovations? For start-ers, all of Tilghman has new floors. Out with the old,

decaying floors and on with the new! Upon enteriing Tilghman one will find that the lobby is decked ouwith its new Tilghman seal that adorns the floor. New win-dows that adjoin The Bell staff’s room have also been installed. “There hasn’t been a surface that they have not painted,” pronounced Mr. Overlin as he explained that everything from lockers to walls is displaying new colors. The Guidance and Dean’s Offices, as well as Mr. Davis’, have been completely gutted. Along with the new look, the layout creates a more functional en-vironment for faculty. A seal that resembles the one in the lobby has been incorporated into the band and choir room along with new chairs specific for choral instruction. The music library has been refurnished with towering shelves and fold out cabinets. Some behind the scenes electrical and data wiring has been done as

well. A few other obscure changes have been made within the halls of Tilghman such as doors that meet both the fire code and the American Disabilities Association code. Even with all these changes, there are still many more to come and many that are still in progress. Ever noticed the announcement boards in the walkway between the lobby and the cafeteria? Soon they will be replaced by flat screen TV’s, embracing a new, more modern way of spreading the word. Within the next year, upon entering the lobby, one will be greeted with beautiful letters spell-ing out the name of the school we love. In the auxiliary gym, not only is there a fresh coat of paint, but also a wheel chair acces-sible ramp. Tilghman’s bike racks, located behind the boiler room and out of the way of surveillance, have long been neglected. Just outside the school’s front doors, there will be

brand new ones, similar to the ones displayed at Bike World. Students will now be able to bring their bikes to school without fear of misdemeanors. “When finished, Paducah Tilghman High School will be one of the finest facilities in this great Com-monwealth. The facilities, along with the newest tech-nology, will be second to none,” informs Dr. Greene, the Superintendent, proudly. Tilghman’s renovations have added a new dimension to our school’s tradition of excellence. It has drawn everyone’s focus toward our school’s new design. But in spite of all of these renova-tions, Tilghman will always be second to none because of the people who inspire the spirit that is deeply em-bedded within the heart of the school.

Tilghman’s crest in the front lobby is a proud part of the renovations. Photo by Michael Langston

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by Olivia Carner, Susannah Wilson, and Alicia Humphrey

COMMENTARY

Do’s:1) Participate! - You will not look stupid or dumb for participating; how-ever, your “too cool for school” act does just that. Teachers, this means you too!2) Get the days straight! - Children, the teachers make posters for a rea-son. READ THEM!3) Wear it all day! - We understand extreme circumstances, but there is no reason to shed clothes all day long. If your outfit is too much to handle all day, it’s probably too much in general. (However, don’t forget to bring extra clothes for after school; you will look silly in a public place if not.)

Don’ts:1) Don’t make up your own day! – Your petty attempts to come up with some grand new day really just shows that you’re unable to read the signs.2) Don’t take this as an opportunity to stretch the dress code! – This is not a Mean Girls’ Halloween costume party; there are plenty of fabulous but appropriate ideas.3) Don’t be a Debbie Downer! – By doing this you’ve already broken the participation rule; don’t put down the enthusiastic Tilghman participants because you don’t know how to have fun.

To our wonderful, newly renovated school! We have returned from summer to find gleaming floors, freshly painted lockers, new doors, and an altogether bright atmosphere in our PT hallways. We always love you, Tilghman, but even more now that you look nice and aren’t trying to kill us with asbestos filled floors. To Lone Oak Flash for (finally) having the guts to play us in football, despite the standing score of 25-0. Their decision to overcome their hu-miliation and incompetence and brave our mighty Tornadoes deserves a round of applause (and behind-the-hand snickers). To the painters who neglected to paint the UP and DOWN signs back over the stairwells. Now nobody (especially the multitude of freshman) knows which staircase is correct, causing massive traffic jams. (The one by the office is UP. The one by Tornado Alley is DOWN. Now you know. Do not ever go up the down staircase again. And vice versa.) To the brave new teachers at Paducah Tilghman. Not everyone would have the mettle to fill the shoes of those that abandoned us over the sum-mer, but we’re sure our newbies will become a part of our Big Blue fam-ily. To the 100th anniversary of the PT/Mayfield rivalry. What other event gives us express permission to dress up in ridiculous clothes and inciner-ate hours worth of art students’ work on school property? So support your school, and join us in celebrating 100 years of some good ole’ fashioned bird bashing.

To the many, many freshmen. Why are there so many of you? You seem to take up entire hallways at once, making it an Olympic sport to get to class on time. But you are still adorable (sometimes) in your tiny, short, naive way. To the mass exodus of beloved PT teachers. Mr. Dietrich? Ms. Hayden? Mr. Krug? Ms. Byers? Coach Barnett? It seems you have found new and exciting adventures outside the walls of Tilghman, but you will be missed! We wish you the best of luck! But you didn’t even give us fair warning! (Cough, cough, Mr. Krug.) To the administration for swapping teachers and rooms amidst a massive renovation. So not only were we unable to recognize our classrooms on the first day of school, but we had no idea where our beloved teachers were lo-cated! Forget helping freshman! We couldn’t even find OUR way to class on time. Ms. Rasche is in Mr. Ross’ old room, Mr. Ross is in Ms. English’s room, but Ms. English is in the back hallway? Help! To the honkers in the front parking lot. You know who you are. And trust me, whipping out of your parking spaces with your windows down and screaming while laying on your horn is NOT cool. So knock it off. The horn is meant for communication and warning purposes, not for your per-sonal enjoyment. It’s obnoxious and you only make yourself look stupid. To the London Rioters. We know how much fun it is to hate on the greedy, rich bureaucrats, but there are plenty of other ways to do so with-out bombing and burning buildings. We suggest investing in a live journal account, where other unhappy protesters can sympathize with you through posts such as, “I’m angry! Grr!” Much safer.

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. No advertising will be accepted that deals with alcohol, tobacco, or guns.Editors-in-Chief: Emilee Ayers, Weston LoydBusiness Manager: Olivia CarnerSports Editor: James HarbenFeatures Editor: Amber HussainCommentary Editor: Emily PagePhotographers: James Harben, Michael LangstonLayout and Proof: Mackenzie Bruce, Kaitlyn Curry, Avery Harriman, Madison Whelan, Calicia WilsonStaff Writers: India Allen, Alicia Humphrey, Chandler Smith, Susannah Wilson, Zachary Winfield, Audrey WithrowSports Writers: Megan Cantwell, Alex Boyd, Ngoodoo Itiavkase, Brock Sigler,Adviser: Susan Hancock

“Wag of the Finger” and “Tip of the Hat” are trademarks of Ste-phen Colbert and his TV show, The Colbert Report.

Neither Paducah Tilghman nor the Bell Staff claim any ownership of these trademarks.

Tip of the Hat...

...Wag of the Finger

The Do’s and Don’ts of May-field Week, celebrate it right

by India Allen, Mackenzie Bruce,and Madison Whelan

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by India Allen

by Zach Winfield

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

As has been the pattern for the past few years, an abundance of superhero movies was released over the summer. Some were good, others...not quite so much. How-ever, there is one movie which stands out, one which goes above and beyond the call of duty to deliver a thrilling blockbuster spectacle which will woo the audi-ence and make one feel proud to be an American. That movie, ladies and gentlemen, is none other than Captain America: The First Avenger. The movie stars Steve Rogers (played by Chris Ev-ans), determined to enlist in order to serve his country during World War II, yet repeatedly rejected for vari-ous medical reasons. Cue Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stan-ley Tucci), who gets Rogers enlisted so that he may take part in a top-secret project to create a super sol-dier. Rogers is injected with the serum and comes out a walking hulk of muscle. His first exploit is to catch the Nazi assassin who kills Erskine before he swallows cya-nide. Meanwhile, Nazi officer Johanan Schmidt (Huge Weaving) recovers a Terrasect, a relic of immense supernatural power, and manages to utilize it to build super weapons which will allow his Nazi division HYDRA to overthrow Hitler and take over the world himself. Eventually, Schmidt and Rogers meet, and the battle begins between the newly dubbed “Captain America” (Rogers and HYDRA, led by the “Red Skull” (Schmidt). This movie is almost flawless. Every actor performs his role terrifically, and it’s

amazing to look at the difference between Chris Evans as the Human Torch and Chris Evans as Captain America. If I hadn’t seen his name in the credits, I would

never have guessed the same man who played “V” in V for Vendetta also played Red Skull. The actors did an incredible job preparing for their roles, and it shows on the screen. The story itself is presented wonderfully. The characters are quirky, the dialogue intriguing, and the action captivating and thrilling all at the same time. There are no big “twists” to the story, but the combination of witty dialogue, character development, and action ensure you are never bored. There is but one noticeable flaw throughout the entire film, and it boils down to an editing error. There’s a scene near the end where Captain America, backed up by a US special forces team, assaults HYDRA’s base. As he makes his way through the soldiers to pursue Red Skull, Captain America knocks a couple of goons aside and swings away on a steel cable

hanging overhead. The very next shot, he somehow magically teleports from the cable into a sprint. For whatever reason, the

editors overlooked the weird transition and left it in. It’s easily forgivable when the rest of the film is taken into consideration. Captain America: The First Avenger is without a doubt the best superhero movie to come out this year. To watch it is a necessity for comic book fans, especially since the film sets up the Avengers movie that comes out next year, and I highly recom-mend it for anyone who is a fan of the action genre.

Captain America brings justice to the big screen

It’s no surprise that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part Two, the fi-nal confrontation between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort, grossed over $348 million. The final installment of the Potter films was, without a doubt, the perfect end to a tremendous era. Director David Yates stayed true to the final book, cut-ting few scenes from the novel and barely tweaking details. Part Two opens right where part one left off, showing the trio’s stay at Shell cottage and goes all the way through to the book’s epilogue. The final movie doesn’t fail to bring other strong points of the novel to life, such as the three’s dragon ride to Gringotts, and the final Battle of Hogwarts. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and Tom Felton all stepped up to the darker, more mature mood of the film, each providing their greatest performance yet. When asked about filming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part Two, and the films coming to an end in general, Radcliffe replied, “I know I’ll never see a frame of these films that I don’t connect immediately to a memory of a place or a time or a person. Even now I can’t fully express how impor-tant it’s been to me, but I can say it was a great time and it’s something I will never be able to recreate.” And though it can be a bit distracting, the movie’s 3D effects add depth to the overall experience. Those who have grown up with Harry will not be disappointed at the conclusion of this aspect of their childhood.

Picture provided by theology21.com

Harry Potter does it again

What was the worst and best part of your first day of school?

Eli Nonemam (9)“Food in the Blue Room and time in between classes!”

Peggy Harben (9)“Getting lost and it’s not Paducah Middle!”

Yasi Razban (10)“It’s too crowded and seeing all of my buddies!”

Makayla Holt (10)“Finding my classes and meeting new people!”

Donald Overstreet (11)“Waking up and when the final bell rings!”

Jorge Royes (11)“Lunch and Choir!”

Leon Jones (12) Cody Cchultz (12)“Listening to Coach Shanks talk about choices and meeting new people!”

“Teachers talking about syllabi and seeing my friends!”

You’ve been through the first month of school, and just the fact that you’ve come out alive is a feat in and of itself. However, the year will not get any easier; you’ll only become more stressed, angry, and depressed. So take this bad energy and dump it on someone else! You don’t need to have such negative feelings; it’s not good for your mental, social, or physical health, and your friends won’t mind, after all, that’s what friends are for. Unless they just don’t like you. Have a happy birthday, Virgo!

HoroscopeVirgo (August 23rd - September 22nd)

by Emilee Ayers and Amber Hussain

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“Tilghman Pride!,” “Trash the Flash!,” and “Go PT!,” were just a few of the chants going around our beloved home of Pad-ucah Tilghman High School during Lone Oak week. A new ad-dition to our traditional Mayfield Week at PT, Lone Oak week gave students the chance to dress up in our best Beat Lone Oak gear during the three days before the game on August 19th. Geek Day and Trash the Flash Day led up to Blue and White Day that Friday, where literally thousands of fans lined up for one of the most popular local rivalries in years. Students and teachers alike expressed their excitement and support with geeky glasses, decorated trash bags, and blue body paint during the week. Freshman Will Hancock said, “I think it’s great,” when asked what he thought about Lone Oak week, while senior Azia Rouse exclaimed, “It’s the best, we should keep it!” The week was bursting with excitement and even drama between the schools, but in the end the Tilghman Tornado cel-ebrated a 46-3 victory against the Lone Oak Flash.

by Ngodoo Itiavkase

Exchange students come to PT

Lone Oak week recap

by Mackenzie Bruce

by Weston Loyd

This year, Paducah Tilghman is pleased to welcome seven new additions, a guidance counselor and six new teachers. Not everyone will have him or her in class, so proper introductions are needed. Chemistry teacher Amy Cox left Tilghman three years ago but “loves Tilghman so much she had to come home!” A graduate of Lone Oak High School and Mur-ray State University, Cox wanted to become a teacher to combine her love of teenagers and chemistry. Speaking of teenagers, she was “seriously a good kid, one of the ‘smart’ kids.” Sports weren’t her thing as she was “too clumsy.” Now, she likes to read, play golf, and make jewelry. For those who went to Clark, Mrs. Carver is her mom, and Mrs. Sheffer is her sister. “Teaching is the perfect career,” Spanish teacher Mr. Morehead said. “I always liked school and kids.” A graduate of Heath High School and going on to Murray State University for a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and then further to Western Kentucky University for another Master’s degree, Mr. Morehead is highly quali-fied. He was a good student in high school and is now married with two children, Emma, two, and Elyse, one. “I think Tilghman is a great school,” he said. “I have an excellent group of students.” Physics teacher Mr. Morgan became a teacher to help America prepare for the future. “We really need to step up our game in science. Science is a wealth generator; if we don’t lead in this area then we are going to lose out financially.” Mr. Morgan is a graduate of Ohio County High School and played football and participated in dis-cus and shot put events on the track team. Mr. Morgan describes himself as “super mega awesome!” in high school. He went on to graduate from Union College and enjoys hunting, motorcycle riding, and hiking. Mr. Mor-gan “really likes Tilghman, everyone is so friendly.” Hailing from Orwell, Ohio, Mr. Lipscomb graduated

from Grand Valley High School, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, and Kentucky Wesleyan College. He is a big sports fan, playing football and basketball in high school and continued his football career in college. He was a “jock, but not a dumb one!” Mr. Lipscomb want-ed to become a teacher to educate and influence learning and is “thankful for the opportunity to teach here. Tilgh-man is very diverse and welcoming.” “Tilghman is great!” Social studies teacher Mr. Goins gained an interest in history from hearing war stories from his grandfather. “I wanted to share these stories through teaching to inspire my students the way my grandfather inspired me.” He is a graduate of Trigg County High School and Murray State University and enjoys bass fishing and chess. He and his wife, Amanda, were married in April of this year. Tennessee native Mrs. Morrow is a graduate of Henry County High School and Murray State University. “I love Tilghman so far. Everyone has been very friendly and helpful!” she explained. She has always enjoyed learning and now that I’m a parent, I want for my own kids to have good teachers that make learning fun. Mrs. Morrow was a cheerleader in high school, but geeky at the same time. “I am a huge sports fan, so I spend a lot of time following my children’s ballgames, the St. Louis Cardinals, the UK Wildcats, and now the PT Tor-nadoes!” Returning to Tilghman 27 years after graduating, Mr. Paul is the newest Guidance Counselor. He went to Murray State University and “wanted to give back to the teachers that shaped his life.” He is proud that “Tilgh-man is a place where all students can excel at different levels.” He played football and sang during his time at Tilghman and was a “gentleman and did what he was asked.” Mr. Paul is part of a triplet and is excited to be part of a rich tradition again.

Tilghman welcomes seven staff members into the family

The New foreign exchange students in front of Tilghman. Photo by Michael Langston

Every year for a long time, Tilghman has been accepting foreign exchange students in the hallways. Many families have hosted these foreign exchange students. Japanese, Korean, Mexican, German, and British are just to name a few. This year we have a couple of new exchange students: Benoit Lemen, Chi Do, and Enka Angarag. To help get to know these guys, let’s see what they have to say. Benoit, also known as Ben, is a 17 year old Belgian native who is now a senior. When asked if he misses home, he replied, “Of course, but I’m happy to be here.” In Belgium, the main languages are Dutch and French and he admitted his English isn’t very good and he has a deep accent. He has two brothers back home and is hosted with the Rowton family, so you could also say he has two American brothers. In Belgium, his classes start later than Tilghman, 8:30 to be exact, and there isn’t much room for flexibility. Tilghman was a very big chance for him, having the freedom to pick what-ever class he wanted. Chi Do, a 16 year old junior from Viet-nam, is also apart of the Rowton’s expand-ed family. He is very into sports, basketball and baseball, and the New York Yankees are his favorite team. He modestly says that he played basketball in Vietnam, but he was no star. When asked if he was going to play for Tilghman, he smiled big and simply just said “No.” In his home town an abun-dance of languages were spoken, such as: Vietnamese, Chinese, English, Japanese, and German. In previous years he traveled to Thailand and Iceland, so the U.S is just another stop on his journey. With only 6 classes a day compared to his usually 13, Chi can kind of lay back and relax knowing he can go home before 5 pm. Yunsig Choi, a South Korean freshman, is also apart of this small group. When asked what he misses most about his country, his only reply was food. His English is very good, but there are still things that confuse him. When asked if anything funny has happened to him, he replied “I usually un-derstand [English], but when they tell jokes I don’t.” He says he doesn’t ask what they

mean; he just laughs along and says he hopes that he learns to understand when his English gets better. Pizza is his favor-ite American food, and the kids in Paducah can compare to Koreans when we say that we still get in trouble for texting in class.

Enka, nicknamed NK by some of the

students, is a 16 year old that transfers to a senior. From Mongolia to America, there are endless differences. In class, teach-ers change rooms instead of the students, classrooms are different, and the upkeep

of the school is not very good. Out of ev-erything Mongolian, he misses the weather the most. He says it’s almost the same, but there is just something different about it. What he misses the least is the food. NK loves American food. I asked him what he loved most, and he exclaimed, “I love all the food, very few I don’t like.” He also recommended for us Americans that Buuz is a Mongolian food to try. In Tilghman’s hallways, you can always here somebody saying, “What’s up, bra!?” and NK is hap-py to give me the Mongolian equivalent.

While holding back laughter; he repeated

what I said and then told me “ Sain uu?? Hugshunn.” The Hewitt’s are his host fam-ily, and he let me know that the U.S. is the only place he would ever want to visit. All these foreign exchange students have their own story and their own personalities. Get to know them, be proactive, and let them go back home saying how much they LOVE Paducah Tilghman.

WHITLOW, ROBERTS, HOUSTON &

STRAUS

ATTORNEYS AT LAW

OLD NATIONAL BANK BUILDING

300 BROADWAY

P.O. BOX 995

PADUCAH, KENTUCKY 42002-0995AREA CODE 270

OFFICE: 443-4516

FAX: 443-4571

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

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PT students attend Com-monwealth Middle College at WKCTC If you’re a junior, then you might be pret-ty puzzled during roll call these days. There have been some names that have been called, and there’s always that one kid in the back of the room that yells that the student who isn’t there has gone to Middle College. So, what on earth is Middle College, anyway? The Com-monwealth Middle College is a program for juniors and seniors in high school on Western Kentucky Community and Technical College’s campus. There, students can attend college classes and earn their high school diploma at the same time. Students can earn a minimum of 36 transferable credits from WKCTC and can save $4,140 on college classes since the program is completely free. Each year, 50 students are chosen from the applicants to be enrolled in the program. This year is the first year that students from Pad-ucah Tilghman have been involved in the pro-gram. Ms. Bedeau from the Guidance office at Tilghman commented on the program, “It’s a great opportunity for the students and I think it will help students to be more responsible since they’re on a college campus. It will help them with real-life things.” These are some of the students that are in the program: Alyssia Grey, Kara Smith, Latonya Taylor, Brandon Dodson, Dustin Shirley, Preston Roberts, Quinn Olsen, Annie Segebarth, and Sarah Wallace. Qualifications for enrollment are good atten-dance, a strong work ethic, and a 2.5 or higher GPA. Any students wishing to enroll must fill out an in-depth application. The application asks questions such as your greatest strengths or weaknesses, your career goals, areas for personal growth, etc. Students from Paducah Tilghman, Lone Oak, Marshall County, Heath, and Reidland are all eligible for the program. Though students no longer attend their original high school campus for classes, they are still very involved with their original school. They are still able to play sports for their school, be involved in clubs, and their high school diploma will say they graduated from their original high school. When asked about the program, Annie Segebarth remarked, “Well, I really like it so far. It’s so different from Tilghman because I have so much more freedom! School doesn’t start until 8:00, and I get to leave at 1:45. I’m really excited to be spending the rest of the year here.” Students do have more freedom at Middle College, but it’s also still very demanding. The college classes are taught by certified professors. The students aren’t treated any differently from the other college students taking the class and are expected to do the same work as others for the class. “They really expect a lot out of you here, but it’s definitely worth it,” is what Sarah Wal-lace had to say about her classes there. Middle College is a great program for any-one who wants to get a jump-start on college, and for more information about enrolling, go to www.marshall.k12.ky.us/commonwealth-middlecollege or talk to your guidance coun-selor.

by Megan Cantwell

One of the hardest things to do during the school year (which many sophomores and juniors are quickly discov-ering) is to efficiently and effectively manage your time. Between working an after school job, two sports practices, homework, chores, your dog, texting, hanging out, Face-book, TV, your boyfriend/girlfriend, picking your nose (yes you, freshman) and all the other to-do’s that go along with being a teenager, many of you incompetent buffoons have yet to be enlightened by this article. After you are done, you will reap the benefits of having extra time to do things and finding more time to fill up your schedule with senseless riff-raff. Once that you have been enlightened, I would advise you to use your newfound awareness of the painful amount of time you waste to good use. There are several ways you can reduce the time you spend doing things and get them done more efficiently. While some may seem rather ridiculous- hear me out, and you won’t regret it.• Use a planner- yep; it’s pretty simple, the school even gives one to you. As soon as you know about something that is going on in your life, write it down in your planner. That includes homework, practices, birthdays, game days and anything else that may come up in your life. Visually seeing what is going on in your schedule will prevent you from ac-cidentally planning more than one thing for the same night.• Set alarms- almost every cell phone, iPod, clock or radio has an alarm feature. Know how much time it takes you to get ready for each event in your life. Then set an alarm that much ahead of time; this way you don’t spend too much time commenting on your friends’ pictures and missing your ever so important dinner plans with the president.

• Don’t pay attention to detail- forget the unimportant little things and leave them behind. Don’t waste three hours doing your hair; just pull it up and accept the fact that it’s a bad hair day. • Study- this one is short. Spending more time studying = better grades = happy parents = later curfew on the week-ends. Also, if you study harder, you might finish your tests faster, which means you will have more class time to work on your second period homework, which translates into

more time afterschool to do other things.• Get it together- set your priorities straight. Find out what you need to do and what you want to do and or-der them from highest to lowest im-portance. That way you can know what order to do things in through-out the day.• Set your sights- come up with a reasonable goal and write it down. Put it in a common place that is vis-

ible to you everyday. Seeing your goal and being reminded of it will give you more incentive to get the work done ef-ficiently to achieve it. And last, but most certainly not least…

• Read The Tilghman Bell- every month we provide you readers with super savvy tips, hot off the press ideas, and a various array of our vastly intelligent minds that we can only hope you understand half of. Reading our paper is not only certain to give you a new breadth of knowledge, but it will definitely be a better worth of your time other than say… crowding the hallways, freshmen.

How to manage your timeby Emilee Ayers

Making this school year a great one So now the school year has begun, you’re feeling…ex-cited? Unprepared? Completely terrified (if you’re a fresh-man)? If you want this school year to be a fantastic one, the way to do this is to make sure you’re doing well academi-cally. (So this article isn’t going to help you with your social life, sorry.) It seems that it’s not only the seniors who are in this ‘I don’t care’ mode, when it comes to class work and their as-signments. Let me make this clear now: start caring. That is, if you don’t want your grades to go down the toilet, be-cause it is not easy to bring those grades back up unless you put in effort, which you should have done to begin with. One of the best ways to ensure this is staying ahead of the game. Yes, it may seem nerdy, but trust me, doing an es-say early and not having to stay up until two o’clock in the morning is worth it; you’ll be glad you did it. Also, I can’t even begin to tell you how satisfying it is to see the procras-tinators squirm and scramble to finish. So, if it’s not due until next week or so, don’t put it off until the last minute. I’m not saying to do it on the first day, but at the beginning so that you can focus on other things and not have to worry about it. Another thing that most people tend to avoid is getting help when you need it. Most times we just sit there in class and pretend to pay attention and act like we understand, when really it makes no sense to us, but we never raise our hands to ask a question about it. This leads to failing a quiz or test, which also could have been avoided if you had got-

ten help. Come before school or stay a little bit after and talk to the teacher if you don’t like to raise your hand in front of the entire class. You won’t get anywhere if you just stare at the textbook and hope for the information to flow into your brain. Don’t think that you must be an idiot if you feel you’re the only one who doesn’t understand; chances are, there are others like you who don’t understand it and are also shy or afraid to ask. Probably one of the most dreaded tasks for all students is studying each night. Dedicate at least fifteen minutes to each subject, even more to those you need more help with. When you don’t have any homework what’s implied is that you study your notes for that class, but “studying” doesn’t even seem like homework since it’s not written, right? However, it’s in your best interest to do this and develop good study habits in high school, because this will help im-mensely during college. Your professor isn’t going to make sure you’ve studied the material; it’s your job to make sure you’re doing that on your own. It’s also known that those who study a little each night tend to do better on their tests/quizzes than those who cram the night before. In order to accept these methods, you have to be willing to work, to put forth the effort if you truly want to do better in your classes. You’ll feel completely relieved when you bring home a B+ to Mommy instead of that D you would have had before if you had procrastinated or not cared at all like your best friend did.

by Amber Hussain

There is no denying that homework plays a huge role not only in our school life, but our daily life as well. Everyone, with the exception, perhaps, of the freshman, is frequently burdened with what we perceive as an excessive amount of homework. It sometimes seems, especially during our junior year, that we are drowning in papers, terms, and im-possibly long math problems. But recent studies show that homework may not have the positive effects teachers may think it does. A recent documentary by Vicki Abeles called “The Race to Nowhere” highlights the pressure and stress students ex-perience during the school year. The film included a study that showed that there was no correlation between home-

work and grades in elementary schools and only a moderate correlation in middle schools. In an international compari-son, it was found that students in countries that had little homework scored better and retained more information than students who had excessive amounts of homework. Not surprisingly, the United States was not at the top of the list of well-scoring countries. Also, large amounts of home-work can limit social interactions and can lead to high stress levels, which increases the chance of developing depression and other serious mental health diseases. It’s what we have been saying all along! The less home-work teachers give, the happier and healthier everyone will be!

“The Race to Nowhere”by Madison Whelan

“... reap the benefits of hav-ing extra time to do things...”

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by Chandler Smith

by Ngodoo Itiavkase and Calicia Wilson

FEATURES

No matter what you’re doing, everyone likes to hear a little encouragement while showing their skills, and the football players are depending on us, Tilghman fans. In the game against Lone Oak, we all did an amazing job, but we need to keep it up. Every game is important in our season, and each game should be treated that way, don’t let your spirit die just because we aren’t playing a “rival”. Being a part of the Tilghman student section is not only an honor, but is also an exciting job! And just like with every job, there are certain rules you need to follow.

1. Wear blue. Now I know for some of you this may seem like common sense, but it never ceases to amaze me how many people show up to games in the wrong color. Choosing what to wear is a simple decision; let’s make sure we make the right one.

2. Cheer. Don’t be afraid, when something exciting hap-pens on the field, enjoy the moment; clap, applaud, and go crazy.3. Spirit fingers. Often times this cheering technique is used during basketball games, but it is now used in football as well. Every game during kick-off all students should raise their arms, and wiggle their fingers. It’s fun when a few do it, and looks amazing when everyone participates.4. Learn Tilghman Stuff. This dance is not complicat-ed and when everyone does it our student section exudes spirit! 5. Pay attention to the game. You are there to watch, so please do.6. Stay positive. No one likes hearing negative com-ments, so keep them to yourself. We need to always think we’re going to win, because the most likely chance is

that we will, so even if something starts looking rough, keep your head up.7. Stand up. The whole point of the student section is to look good, cheer, and have a place where high schoolers can stand without being in others’ way. So take advan-tage of your reserved area, and stay standing.8. Don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself. When ev-eryone is into the game, they aren’t watching you, so let yourself go.9. Stay sober. You are representing your school and should do that with the utmost pride and respect. You also are taking away from others’ experience, because no one wants to have to deal with a belligerent teen. 10. By far the most important rule to remember is, have Tilghman pride. We were the best, are the best, and will always be the best, so get out there and show it.

Student Section: 10 simple rules to live by

Ever wondered what a typical day in the life of Mrs. Slankard is like? Well, mornings start very early. Ms. Slankard is bright eyed and bushy tailed at 4:30… at least after having her two cups of coffee. While getting energized for the day, she reads the Paducah Sun and USA Today. She is very passionate about her students and makes sure that she can tie in current events with her English lesson plans. Having first hour plan-ning allows her time to write the agenda on the board and get prepared for her students. During the school day, you will find her teaching English from 2nd through 6th period and often beyond. She loves her students and genuinely cares for them both inside and outside of school. A typical night in Ms. Slankard’s home is quiet. She enjoys relaxing and curling up with a good novel. The only time you will find the TV on in her home is when she is watching the MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) or entertaining company. She does not cook since she lives alone, but she definitely makes her share of spinach salads. The halls of the Slankard home were not always this quiet, though, because she has two children. Currently, her daughter, age 25, is a teacher in Lexington, Kentucky. Her son, age 22, is also in Lexington studying pre-

pharmacy at the University of Kentucky. And while she enjoys her time alone, she has two dogs to keep her company. Elizabeth Ann and Isabella Ray Sue, also known as “Pig,” grace the halls of the Slankard home. Although she does not indulge them with table scraps on a daily basis, they do enjoy the weekly treat of a hamburger. While exploring the life of this teacher you will find that weekends are not so very different from week days. Yes, she does switch her gears and find time to work and mow the yard (while listening to some of her favorite heavy metal tunes), but in addition, she always has time for her students. A unique fact about her is that she enjoys being able to drive by a home and glance into it. She likes the warmness of the idea and enjoys being able to see wall

arrangements and furnishing. And to benefit others in the same way, she leaves her lights on and blinds up until she retires for the night. An evening in the shoes of Ms. Slankard usually ends around 8:30. She turns off the lights and finally lets down the blinds after making her coffee for the next morning.

A Day in the Life of Ms. Slankard

Attention Tilghman students: there is a plague that has attempted to overtake the school. It reeks of being naïve in the ways of Tilghman rituals and has a strong sense of inexperience of navigating the hallways. It hasn’t yet comprehended the differ-ence between the two cafeterias and can’t even begin to understand a pure love for plywood windows. What is this ineffective, inexperienced, worthless, microscopic germ that we speak of? Who else? The freshmen class. Yes, you, freshmen. We seniors cringe at the very mention of you. To keep our levels of peacefulness high, please abide by the following advice religiously and pay attention to our grievances about you. We promise that we only have your best interests at heart. You are unoriginally all the same. Cookie cutter images of the stereotypical prep, the goth/scene/punk rebel kid, the wannabe jock, and the wallflower have all been seen before. You’re no one special, even if you are wearing bright neon shirts. A few tips from the Bell staff – Don’t wear or become carbon copy versions of Weston’s red pants, James’ personality, Calicia’s perfect hair, Chandler and Olivia’s wedges, etc...

You’re not cool, small fry. You don’t own the school now that you’re in high school. Actually, you are quite at the bottom. As seniors, we have worked for four whole years to get here at the top and we don’t want you to ruin it. So clean up after your-selves – there are no waitresses in the blue room to clean up your trays. Cutting in the lunch line is also deeply frowned upon. Leave us alone and get out of the way – we don’t want you around; you’re here because you have to be. And last but not least… pretend that you don’t exist because, honestly, we wish you didn’t.

We are not your friends. You add us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and even have the gall to attempt to talk to us in the halls. Stop it now. Let us repeat- we are not your friends. Any accepted request is out of pity for your sad, sad souls, and if we really come to like you, we will add you ourselves. In short, any form of communica-

tion with upperclassmen, especially seniors, should not be initiated by you. If we can hear or see you, you are doing something wrong. Fix that.

You crowd the halls. Being unpredictable is one of your many less desirable traits. This above all is exemplified in the hallways. Let’s get this straight- you do not have blinkers to let us know where you are going, not that we care, so stay out of our way.

There actually is a pool on the third floor. Where else do you think the swim team practices?

Clean up your act… or, rather, your smell. Due to all of the renovations, you can no longer blame Tilghman’s old hallways as a cause of odorous displeasure; there-fore, there is only one, quite obvious, source from which this stench radiates… fresh-men. Acting like a middle school student is strictly prohibited here at high school. This means many things such as showering and wearing deodorant everyday. This is mandatory and very much appreciated. Drawing obscene pictures, carving profani-ties, or picking your nose and wiping it on desks are not cool either; you will just have to see it for the next four years. So do us all a favor- keep your actions and your smell to yourself.

You are small. There is no way you can change this except grow up. So do so quickly. Until then, accept the truth of the matter.

Shut your trap. Don’t talk yourself up or be overly, annoyingly loud. Go back to the middle school days…voice level zero is most preferred.

There are many, many more things that we could kindly point out to you to change, but we fear that your feeble brains could not handle it. So take this article as a chance to start off your high school years great by listening to our words.

by Emilee Ayers and Weston Loyd

Freshman Burn: Listen up, small children

Ms. Slankard teaching English. Photo by Michael Langston

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by Alicia Humphrey

SPORTS

“Meet the Tornado” started off this fall’s sports and season-al activities with more school spirit than ever before. On Au-gust 12th starting at 6:00 pm at the Tilghman football field, many school sports members were introduced to the com-munity, as well as participants in several other extracurricular activities. The event began with an introduction of and short performance by the Tilghman cheerleaders, who have partici-pated in several camps this sum-mer. Six new freshmen have been added to the 18-member team, including All-American cheerleaders Areanna Orr, Ol-ivia Carner, Kaitlyn Curry, and

Courtney Hawkins. Next Coach Randy Wyatt, who was recently inducted into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame, introduced the football team. Mr. Saddler put on quite a show, introducing all 98 of his Band of Blue members, as well as the Color Guard, by name. Austin Davis and the girls’ soc-cer team came next, urging the community to come out to the girls’ first home game at Jet-ton on August 15th, where they played Marshall. Boys’ soc-cer followed, a team totaling 34 members, including new assistant coach Dustin Crane. Immediately afterwards came golf, 11 members total, includ-

ing regional champions Mor-gan Kauffman, Charlie and Teri Doss, and Lauren Eicholtz. Cross country was next, a small group headed by Coach Ham-ilton, and finally volleyball, coached by Jesse Lopez, new to Tilghman (the volleyball team could not be present due to a game at Apollo High School). After the conclusion of “Meet the Tornado,” a scrimmage be-tween Tilghman and Hopkins-ville followed at 7:30. “Meet the Tornado” has proven again to live up to its reputation as a showcase of athletic and musi-cal talent at Tilghman as well as an exciting start of our return to school.

“Meet the Tornado” transforms back-to-school blues into school spirit

PT Football expects tough but successful season

by Michael Smith

After training for the majority of the summer, the boys soccer team is back and ready for a great year! Coming off of a tough season last year the team is looking to take a more offensive approach. Coach Austin Davis will be returning for his third year and will be joined by the new assistant coach, Dustin Crane. Crane was a previous member of the Heath soccer program and will be a great addition to the coaching staff. Justin Wynne, Bishlam Pea, Alek Row-ton, Adam Holtgrewe, and Justin Hill are the five seniors that will lead the way this year. A large and talented junior and soph-omore bunch will also be instrumental in

the team’s success. Senior Bishlem Pea says, “Our team is built of all ages, but I’m expecting to do well in the district tourna-ment and make a run at regionals.” The boys had their season opening game on the 16th against St. Mary, which they won 3-0.The soccer team recently took on the Murray Tigers on August 18th, tying 2-2. They also defeated the Reidland Greyhounds 4-0 on August 22. Their upcoming games consist of Lone Oak on August 23rd, Heath on September 1 and CCA on the 6. Come out and sup-port the team throughout the season!

Boys soccer preview to upcoming season

Paducah Tilghman’s newest addi-tion is Jessie Lopez, the coach of the girls’ volleyball team. While he’s new to Tilghman, he’s certainly not new to coaching. He’s been coaching 18-20 years and has coached volleyball for 7 of those years. When asked about coaching, Lopez remarked, “I re-ally enjoy seeing the team work hard and watching them succeed.” After a chuckle, he added, “But my favorite thing about coaching is winning!” He’s optimistic about the team’s season this year and has a lot of goals for them. For the Freshmen team, he’s working with them on learning the ba-sics and building a solid foundation for their skills. For the Junior Varsity team, he’s working on engaging in rallies (in volleyball, this means passing the ball over the net and making plays with the opposing team for a considerable amount of time). For the Varsity team, his goal, he enthusiastically says, is to “Crush any opponent.” With the season underway and with seven wins for the Varsity team already, Coach Lopez is excited for the season to continue. When he’s not coaching the girls to “crush opponents” on the court, you can find him managing the Credit Recovery room, by the audito-rium. If you ever walk in there for any-thing, you’ll notice a slight change in the room. It is decorated to look like a baseball field. When asked about the new theme of the room, he explained to us that he’s really into metaphors and that he used this as a way to keep the students interested and to help them. “I really want to be able to work with individual students to help them to be successful in a regular classroom and in life,” Lopez remarked about his class. With the year already started, he says he is excited about being a part of Pad-ucah Tilghman High School and that he can’t wait to see what the year will bring.

Meet PT’s New Volleyball Coach

As school comes to a start, there are a lot of exciting sport-ing events, especially football. The Paducah Tilghman football team will play Lone Oak, Evansville, and Mayfield the first three weeks of the season. These three games are the biggest games of the season until playoffs, stated PT Head Football Coach Randy Wyatt. “Mayfield has a strong tradition; their senior class hasn’t been beaten by us in 4 years. We won’t know how it will end until the 4th quarter. It will be a classic. It’s going to be one heck of a football game. I’d love to see us win, especially with the senior class I have. I’ve been with these guys for 4 years, and I think they have what it takes to beat them and leave with a victory over Mayfield,” Coach Wyatt said. A new addition to Paducah Tilghman Football team, James Hill, a Defensive Back, Wide Receiver, and Running Back, and who recently moved from North Carolina, stated, “It’s a rivalry; I’ve never been around it, but it always seems to be a good, down to the wire game. I’m really looking forward to playing and win-ning. Our offense is looking good, but we’re even better on the defensive side.” Another transfer to PT football, Tyler Presnell from Lone Oak, is the Quarter Back and Punter. He loves the wearing the color blue and says, “Mayfield is going to be a really good game. It’s the 100th year rivalry, and I’m really excited to play and be a part of this tradition. It’s also an honor to be invited to play in the Bluegrass Game in Louisville and be able to play in Papa John’s Stadium. Evansville is a really good team, and I’m ready to play them and leave with a win.” In addition to these thrilling games, we have good regular season games that will be just as exciting.

photo by: Michael Langston

photo by: James Harben

by Brock Sigler

by Megan Cantwell

photo by: Mackenzie Bruce

2011 PTHS Football Schedule8/19- LONE OAK2/27- Bluegrass Bowl-U of L9/2- MAYFIELD9/9- Graves Co.9/16- CRITTENTON CO.9/23- Heath9/30- FORT CAMPBELL10/14- Northeast (Clarksville, TN)10/21- Webster Co. (ALL CAPS- Home game)

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by Kaitlyn Curry

SPORTS

Goal! As soccer season kicks off, the Lady Tornado begins with one shut-out win, a promising tie, and a bitter loss. On August 15th, the girl’s soccer team faced the Lady Marshals for the first match of the 2011 season. The Marshals have been known as one of the top teams in the region; therefore, when the Lady Tornado held them 0-0 for both halves, both players and fans were pleasantly surprised. This tie demonstrates the team’s ability to make a presence in the region this year. On the following Thursday, the girls battled with the Murray Tigers, who are known throughout the state for their talent. They lost 8-0, not able to defend against the Tigers’ quick speed of play. The Lady Tornado hopes to improve during the season and meet the Tigers in the Region Tournament with better luck. On the 20th, the girls’ team played St. Mary. They reigned victorious, scoring six times while pre-venting the other school from scoring at all. Please come and support your team!

by Alex Boyd, Emily Page, and Audrey WithrowThrough our interview with Lisa Mitch-ell, secretary to superintendent Dr. Green, A Century of Excellence by Bob Swisher and Berry Craig, we acquired this information. The Tornado first earned its name in 1924 at a Tilghman versus Fulton Bas-ketball game where the score was a dev-astating 115-2, and a local writer stated the Blue and White “Tilghman team blew through us like a Blue Tornado.” Ever since that day, the name has stuck and the Tilghman Tornado has been ex-tremely successful in the region and in the state. In 1911, the first Mayfield, Tilgh-man game was played. One hundred years later the tradition still stands when Mayfield and Tilghman “duke it out” for bragging rights. It’s all pretty vague, but the first game was said to have been played in Mayfield and the score is still arguable: Mayfield fans say it was a 22-0 blowout, while Tilghman believes it was a scoreless tie. This friendly rivalry is

the second oldest in the state and has re-ceived national media attention multiple times. When the rivalry began is also de-batable, but in the past 100 years Tilgh-man has won a solid 47 games and only 4 were not played due to Mayfield not having a coach. The Tilghman-Mayfield game was first played Thanksgiving Day, 1911. At this time there was poor protection and no class divisions and dur-ing this game, the Mayfield team added West Kentucky College players into their line up. The two schools continued playing until 1918 when they missed their second game due to the World War. Before 1924, Tilghman was known as the “Blue and White” not the Tornadoes. In 1925, one Tilghman player is said to have scored all the points in the game, including those for the Mayfield team. How this Tilghman player managed to do this, no one is quite sure, but ever since then there has been a Tilghman vs. Mayfield game.

One hundred years strong and still going

Lady Soccer kicks it off

Thursday, August 18 was a triumphant day for Tilghman volleyball. They played against CFS and beat them 25-12. The game started off with a team flip and a warm-up. Both teams played with intensity and an enormous amount of good sportsmanship. Spikes were a common play happening throughout the game and most ended with the crowd going wild. This game proves that PTHS 2011-2012 Volleyball is going to have a good season.

Volleyball starts off with a SPIKE!

TORNADO TEAMRhonda and Chris AshLori and Danny ButlerSid and Justin HancockLisa and Blaine LasherCheri and Richard PaxtonKaren and Robert PetterLonna and Shawn WasherMissy and Kelvin White

BIG BLUE TEAMPatrick Burba, M.D.Mary and Brian Katz

TEAM PLAYERSCarolyn and Guthrie AllenCheryl and Vernon ArboledaJeannie and Ed BakerPamela BenzingCaroline and Mike CappockLaurie and Bryan CarnerTraci and David CurrySusan and Rowland HancockTrish and Jeff HinesDanette and David Hum-phreyLiz and Tom KohlerCatherine SennAshley and Tom ShadoanAngie and Kevin ShannonSusie and Jim SiglerKaren and Stephen StoryMarcia and Jeff TorbettTonya and Rich Archer

TEAMMATESMary and Joseph BehrensPatty and Keith BickerstaffNancy and Chris BlackAmber BradenBrenda CantwellAmy and Alvin CorbettMary Jo and Steve DoolittleLee Emmons and Alan None-manLynda and Russ FlynnRene FutrellSandy and George HarbenJulie and Carl HarrisRhonda and Kendall HoltTammy and Mike HoltTanya JonesSamantha and Mark KettlerHeather and Joe KauffmanKelly and Chris LaddHolly and Dan MattinglyStacey OverlinAnnette Poole-MaloneTammy and Keith PotterSheri and John RobertsonRo and Will Shelby, Sr.Allison and Brad StiegMitzi and Brett StuartLeesa and Tony ThreattKelly and Wayne WaldenPam and Gene WhelanChris and Forrest WynneKatherine ZaninovichTomi Zaninovich

TILGHMAN EDUCATION ACHIEVEMENT MONEYTEAM Donors 2011-2012

Thank you for supporting Tilghman!

by Ngodoo Itiavkase