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In This IssueApril 2013

• summer movies- 6• earth day-8• guys vs. girls-10• diy dorm room-12• spring snacks-13• outlaw run-14• band name origins-15 • umc review-18

• autism awareness- 20• relay for charity-22• meet the staff-23• game page-24• photojournal-26• final thought-27

Matt Locke- graphic editorBob Lynch- writing editorMackenzie Mattix- asst. graphic editorLacey Curtis- asst. writing editor

Designers:Annie HaleJason BainterRonnie Fuller

Photographers:Amelia FisherSabrina Duran

The Dream Team- meet our

Janitorspage 16

Writers:Taylor Byler Callie Thomas Courtney Parham Glenna Dement Kristin Minturn Autumn Ward Emily Highfill Emily Gilderson Tyler Miller Marrissa Peebles James McFerron Kylee Goddard Eden Branstetter Kerrigan Arnold Joey Longstreet

View us on http://issuu.com/mlockeor go to the Reeds spring high school page and find the pulse under ‘about us’.

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emily highfill

Summer movies Summer is just around the cor-ner and one of the best things about the season is all of the great movies being released. Whether you’re waiting for the sequel in your favorite series. or just an-other great film to see, summer is the best time for new releases. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m certainly looking for-ward to the third installment of Iron Man, Monsters Inc. 2: Monsters University, The Lone Ranger, and The Wolverine. These

are just a few of the films being released this summer and if they’re any indication, this is going to be a great movie season. This May the third Iron Man film is being released and it’s one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Robert Downey Jr. returns as the always hilarious Tony Stark, the face behind the Iron Man suit. Iron Man faces a new villain this time around: Mandarin. It also looks like Stark has moved to China this time and will be fighting his foe in a foreign country before returning to the United States and fighting to repair his image. Iron Man 3 not only

has a new

home, but the film has a new director. Shane Black has

taken

over the franchise and will be giving Tony Stark and Iron Man a new home and a new fight. If you’re an Iron Man fan, then mark your calendars because May 3rd is quickly approaching. Everyone loves a good book-turned-movie film because it presents them with the opportunity to judge how well the director recreated the world and characters

they grew to love reading about. This May, it’s your chance to become a critic for a day, because The Great Gatsby has once again been turned into a film. This time around the film has a new director and a completely new cast. Move over Paul Rudd because Nick Carraway is now played by Tobey Maguire and the new Jay Gatsby is the one and only Leon-ardo DiCaprio. If the fact that Leo is the new Gatsby doesn’t make you want to go see this movie, you might need to check your pulse because you are either dead or heartless. Baz Luhrmann is the lucky

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director who gets to show the world his interpretation and you can check it out on May 10th. One of June’s most hyped about movies is a prequel to one of Pixar’s greatest creations: Monsters Inc. That’s right! June 21st you can see Monsters University, the before story of how Mike and Sulley become such close friends and how Pixar went about “monsteriz-ing” the college experience. You might be surprised to find out that Mike and Sul-ley weren’t always as close as we know them to be and this film will show you just that. Though the ending is already given away, we know that the two end up the best of buds, but the movie focuses on their journey and how they grew so close which should distract from the fact that the end is spoiled. If you were a fan of the first Monsters Inc., then you’ve got to see Monsters University! Also anticipated this June is the latest take on the Superman franchise, Man of Steel. This film sees Clark Kent played by Henry Cavill and Amy Adams as Lois Lane. We all know the story of Su-perman: the young boy raised by adop-tive parents after coming to Earth from Krypton who saves the planet after it’s at-tacked. Yeah, Yeah great story, but we’ve seen it a thousand times. So what does director Zack Snyder bring to the table this time to save us from the same old sto-ryline? A stunning cast and his trademark

visual enhancements that blow all other computer generated images out of the water. If you are a fan of the Superman fran-chise, be sure to check out Snyder’s interpreta-tion on June 14th. This July, one of Hollywood’s most famous duos team up again to create one of the most talked about upcoming films. Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski work to-gether again on this Wild West Disney film that is sure to please all view-ers. Depp and Verbinski worked together on the Pirates of the Carib-bean trilogy which was hugely successful so fin-gers crossed this works out just as well. For this film, Depp stars as Tonto alongside Armie Ham-mer, who plays John Reid a.k.a The Lone Ranger. The film is from Tonto’s perspective as he recounts the tales of him-self and the Lone Ranger. This is a classic story and hopefully the cast and

crew will do it justice. If you want to see this version of The Lone Ranger, you can see it when it premieres on July 5th. If you are a fan of the X-Men films like me, or you enjoyed X-Men Origins: Wolverine, then start a countdown for July 26th. The latest installment is called The Wolverine and all I have to say is “Hugh Jackman is back!!” Wolverine is on the move when he faces his toughest villain yet in Japan. It is supposed to be the best film in the series yet and the ac-tion scenes surely won’t disappoint. Plus, James Mangold replaced Darren Aronof-sky as the director so it will be interesting to see how that turns out. This is definitely the can’t-miss film of the summer! If you are a movie lover, this summer will not disappoint you! Go check out the latest movies as the premiere and see for yourself if they are as good as they’re supposed to be.

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sabrina duran

earth day Every year we have Earth Day, which marks the anniversary of April 22, 1970, when America stood up for our environment. Before this day, the world seemed to be oblivious to the environ-mental concerns. An abundance of pol-lution, wasted nonrenewable resources like gasoline, disappearing wildlife and improperly disposed garbage was hap-pening all around America without a care.On the first Earth Day, over 20 million Americans and thousands of universi-ties and colleges gathered in streets and parks to protest against the deterioration of the environment. These rallies brought the issue to the government’s attention and made the environment just as impor-tant as the war in Vietnam. April 22, 1970 was a big day for us. We took a big leap towards saving our environment. Every year following this day, we recognize the importance of tak-ing care of our world. So what can we do to contribute to Earth Day’s efforts? Fix your leaky faucetOne drop a second leaking out of your faucet into your drain wastes over 1,300 gallons of water a year. Not only are you

saving water, you’re saving money on your next water bill. Use both sides of your paperEvery year, paper fac-tories pump out chemi-cal tainted water into the environment. By simply using both sides of your paper, you can cut the amount of the pollution in half. Keep up with your car’s mainte-nanceOver 70 million gal-lons of gasoline are wasted every year in just America alone. To reduce this number, make sure your tires are properly inflated and keep up with scheduled tune ups. In addition to sav-ing one of our worlds nonrenewable re-sources, you can also save yourself a lot of money. Walk, hike and bike

Walking, riding a bike and carpooling are three ways you can help save the envi-ronment. If less motors that are used, then there will be less pollution that is put into our atmosphere. Plant a treeOne tree that is 50 years old would

have generated over $31,250 worth of oxygen, provided $62,000 worth of air pollution control, recy-cled $37,500 worth of water and controlled $31,250 worth of soil erosion. Just that one tree has saved the world over $162,000. Plant a tree and save the world. Reduce, re-use and recycleReduce the amount of nonrenewable re-sources you use, re-use things like water bottles as many times as you can and recy-cle plastic, electron-ics and metals.

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kerrigan arnold

guys vs. girls

When it comes to things that annoy us, I’m sure we all have a never ending list. Whether it’s something our parents do, our teachers, friends, co-workers, significant other, etc. However, for girls, guys do the most annoying things and vice versa. If you don’t believe me, just walk up to any girl in school, ask her what annoys her about guys and you’ll probably be stuck hearing her long list for about an hour or two. Same goes for guys! Yeah, they might not be so open about what girls’ do that annoys them, but I can vouch that usually once you get a guy to spill the beans, he is just as chatty as a girl. With all that being said, why don’t we just take a moment or two to go over the things that in the eyes of the opposite are annoying. Following the old school rules, we’ll hear what the ladies have to say about what guys do that get under their skin. So guys if you’re reading this, I sug-gest you take some notes and hope that you don’t do these things. I decided to get

a broader look at what drives girls crazy that guys do besides my own opinion, because to be completely honest, I could probably fill up this whole article with my own opinions, but that’s not what I’m go-ing to do. So let’s take a look at what the girls of Reeds Spring have to say! I asked Cheyenne Randle and Bayley Greiner their thoughts on what guys do that is annoying, and they gave me an ear full! Here’s what they said!Pulse: So what do guys do that annoys you? Cheyenne: I hate when they’re short with you! Bayley: And when they ignore you! Cheyenne: Oh, and when they think they’re funny, and they’re really not at all. Bayley: Yeah, that’s so annoy-ing. Pulse: Is there anything else? Bayley: I hate how they act dif-ferent around their friends, and how

sometimes they’ll do something nice for you like play with your hair or rub your back and then like 5 seconds later they say, “My turn!” Like no, it’s not your turn. I hate that. Cheyenne: And when they say things they don’t mean! Or how they rath-er text than talk on the phone. Sometimes I want to talk on the phone! As you can see, they had a lot to say! So guys, I’d keep all that in mind because I can take a guess and say that most girls agree with most of what they said. Although, Cheyenne and Bayley weren’t the only girls I asked. I also asked Madison Bryan what guys’ do that drive her crazy, and she said, “I hate when a guy will talk to you every day and then stop right out of the blue. What’s the point in that? I also hate when they try to make you feel bad for no reason.” I can say that yes, girls definitely hate that. That stuff is definitely in the top 10 most annoying things you can do. Next up I decided to give the

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boys some say in this discussion, and they didn’t hold back! First up I asked Hunter Verheyen and Brian Butler what they think girls do that is annoying, and here’s what they said: Pulse: So what do girls tend to do that annoy you? Hunter: When they’re obsessive and want to hang out all the time and nev-er leave your side. Brian: I hate when they get mad over little things and when they talk too much. Hunter: And when they expect you to get them stuff when it’s not even a special occasion! Pulse: Is there anything else they do? And this doesn’t have to be about annoying things they do relation-ship wise, it can just be in general. Hunter: I don’t like when they slap you for no reason. Sometimes it ac-tually hurts! Brian: I hate when they take your hoodies, I swear that’s the only rea-son girls talk to guys. It’s for our hoodies. And it’s always my favorite ones! And I hate how they’re always on their phone or computer. Hunter: Its really annoying how they take forever to get ready, and how sometimes they try to make you wear stuff that you really don’t want to wear. Oh! And how they make you hang out with ALL of their friends, I mean, sometimes it’s okay, but not all the time. Brian: Yeah seriously! Pulse: Is there anything else you guys want to add? Hunter: Well, we could probably go on and on, but I think we’ll leave it at that.Brian: Yeah, we could probably give you a long list, but I don’t want to get in trouble, so yeah, that’s all. As I said earlier, guys have just as much to say as girls. I think I proved my point thanks to Hunter and Brian. However, they’re not the only guys I talked to. I also got the chance to Skylar Murphy and Dalton Haddock! Take a look:Pulse: So guys, what do girls do that an-noy you? Dalton: I hate when they act like things don’t bother them when they really do. I’d rather they just tell us what’s wrong then try and act like there’s nothing then get super mad later on. Skylar: It seriously annoys me so much when they’re super loud, like

when they are just obnoxiously loud, it drives me insane. After hearing a lot of what the guys think, let’s take a look back at what the girls of Reeds Spring are saying. I ran into Courtney Parham and she had a lot to say! When I asked about what annoyed her about guys, she said, “I hate when they breathe too loud, and when they flirt with you every day even after you constantly shut them down. I also hate how they act differently around their friends, when they don’t give you any space, like they want to be together every second. I hate that. I really hate when they mock you, that’s beyond annoying.” Now, to change some things up, Courtney also said that she could give me a list of things girls do that are annoying, so why not switch things up? Here’s a list of what girls do that is annoying from a girls perspective.• When they have to be the center of at-tention• How most of them only think about guys• Never get off their phones• Never want to do anything adventurous• Want to get married in high school• It’s like they always have to have some-thing to be upset about• They change by who their around• When they let their boyfriends control them So, now you can see what an-noys girls from a girl’s perspective. Have you ever caught yourself doing any of those things? If so, now you know that some of those can easily be classified as annoying. Even though Courtney had a lot to say, she’s not the last girl I talked to. So guys don’t think you’re off the hook just yet! I decided to talk to Meaghyn Ternasky during GSH the other day, and when I asked her about what guys do that annoyed her she said, “I hate when they try too hard to be flirty or funny. Trying too hard is just annoying.” Keep that in mind guys, no one likes a try hard. Next I talked to Kayleen Stevens and when I asked her what I annoyed her she said, “I hate when they talk with their mouth full of food, when they sweat, have bad breath, and when they show off in front of their friends.” Lastly, I talked to Nikki War-ren about what annoying things guys do that annoy her. When asked, she said, “I hate when they smell bad, when they spit and chew, when all they want to do is sit around, when they try to seem all

cool and big, and when they can’t decide on anything so they try and make you de-cide.” Since the girls have had so much to say, I figured I ‘d let the guys have the last word on this subject! The last few guys I talked to were Matthew Tucker, Mr. Walworth, James McFerron, Trenton Blevins and Dan Tracy. First up was Matt Tucker, and when I asked him about what girls do that annoy him, he said, “I hate how they always have to be right, and how they hold back on things that need to be talked about.” Next, I decided to ask a teacher their thoughts on this subject and when I asked Mr. Walworth what girls do that annoy him, he said, “It’s a bit annoy-ing when they say nothing is wrong but in reality something is wrong. They just need to get it out there and say what they’re thinking.” Then I asked James McFerron what he thought, he didn’t have all that much to say, but what he did say was, “It’s really annoying when they want to hang out all day every day.” Then right after James I talked to Trenton Blevins. When I asked Trenton about what us girls do that tend to get on his nerves, he said, “I hate when they over exaggerate things, when they yell over dumb things, when they start accusing you of things when they don’t even have a clue of the whole story or even half of it, and when they call you names. They might just be joking around when they’re calling you names, but it’s seriously so annoying.” Lastly I talked to none other than Dan Tracy. Dan didn’t have too much to say on the subject; however what he did say speaks more than what pretty much all the guys said in general. When I asked Dan what girls do that annoy him, all he said was, “It annoys me when they talk.” Well there you have it, ladies and gents. Those are the annoying things that guys and girls do. Maybe you’re guilty of doing some of the things mentions above, or maybe you’re guilty of not doing some of them. Who knows! Now you know what to look out for next time you’re hanging out with a friend of the opposite sex. Or maybe the next time one of your friends is being annoying, you can just look back at this list and throw some of these things right back at them. Either way, now you know!

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glenna dementDIy dorm room As a senior headed for college, there is one concern that weighs on ev-eryone’s mind at least a little. Dorm décor can be a costly expense. By themselves, dorms can tend to be sparsely decorated and reminiscent of prison quarters. For this reason, these crafty do-it-yourself ideas may be useful for staying within your bud-get and bringing a touch of creativity

and light to any dorm room. If you find that your dorm room is lacking in color and pic-tures, but your col-lege won’t let you hammer anything into the wall, you might find that this next nifty craft suits you per-fectly. Instead of trying to tape all of your pictures to the wall, try using old CD cas-es! With a few old CD cases and some Poster Putty, you will find that hanging pictures on a wall made of cinder blocks to be a breeze. You begin by taking any old CDs or papers out of the case. Now, ignore the awful sound of snapping plastic and pop out the plastic piece that used to hold the CD itself. Don’t worry—it should pop right out without fuss. Now, you’re ready to begin installing your pictures into their new frames. The back of the old CD case will actually be the front of your frame since it is slightly larger than the lid of the case. Next, make sure you have all of the pic-tures that you want to hang together. Try to keep the color scheme the same across the board, however. If you get too many different pictures, the mural effect will clash, leaving you with cheesy-look-ing artwork for all to see. Note that you will have to trim your photos to fit the case, since a CD case is usually 4.5 inches by 5.5 inches. A pair of scissors and a ruler may prove to work best for you if you are

only doing a few frames, but an Exacto-knife or paper cutter will definitely be fast-er if you have one available. When you’ve finished trimming your pictures and placing them in the frames, you will be ready to hang them up. Laying out your pictures first to decide how you are going to hang them will give

you a better

idea of how it will look on your wall. To

make this next

step easier,

use Post-it

notes or some-thing

similar to num-ber your

photos, that way, when you grab them out of order, you will be able to put them back in their correct order. Before beginning this next step, grab the adhesive you will be using to hang your pictures. Note that you don’t have to use Poster Putty. You can use Velcro, pack-ing tape wrapped in loops, or DormTape. If your dorm room walls are made of brick or cinder blocks, you could also try using a few dots of hot glue, which you can peel off if you ever want to remove the pic-tures. Now

that you’ve picked an ad-hesive, you’re ready to hang your pictures however you choose. Remember to start in the center and work out from there so that the pictures stay centered and orga-nized. After they’re hung up, you can re-move the Post-it notes and call it done! Who knew making picture frames could be so easy? If hanging pictures isn’t quite your style, this next crafty tip might spark your interest. Instead of filling a blank space on your wall with pictures, would you rather fill it with art? Though there are thousands of neat do-it-yourself crafts, this one only requires things that you can more than likely find around your house. You will need paper towel rolls of any length, and a lot of them! When you feel like you have quite a few, you will need to flatten them out and measure them out to be the same width. Once you get all of them cut up, you can open them back up and play around with the shapes until you find something you like. After you have done this, you can glue the pieces together and use paperclips to hold the form in place until the glue dries. If you want to give it even more personality, you can use any color or kind of spray paint and spruce up your creation. These are only two ideas out of many different do-it-yourself creative craft projects. For little to no cost, you can give life to your dorm room and make it unique.

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spring snacksemily gilderson

We all know sometimes it is ten times easier to take the well-known “easy way out” when it comes to making deci-sions on what we eat throughout the day. Even though it could be easier to go buy a pre-made meal or an easily put together snack, is it really always easier? Or as healthy for you? Or even as tasty as it would be if you made it yourself? As stu-dents, we all have this preconceived idea that making things from scratch or from a simple recipe is a hassle and waste of our time, right? Well, when you get down to it, it is pretty easy and worth the time spent to make it when you get to enjoy your tasty treat. Not to mention the feeling of accomplishment you’ll feel when you have made a delicious meal or snack to eat!

Frigid Raspberry Oatmeal Sometimes after school, you just want a nice snack to hold you over un-til dinner time. What’s easier than going to the freezer and scooping a bowl of ice cream? Instead of going and snacking on this sugar and calorie filled option, try a frigid raspberry oatmeal! Not only does this make for a nice snack, but also a nice, healthy breakfast or dessert.

Ingredients:1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats1/3 cup skim milk1/4 cup low-fat greek yogurt1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract1 tablespoon raspberry jam, preserves, or spread1/4 to 1/3 cup raspberries (cut each berry in half)

Directions:1. In a half pint (1 cup) jar, add oats, milk, yogurt, and raspberry jam.2. Put lid on jar and shake until well com-bined.3. Remove lid, add raspberries and stir until mixed throughout.4. Return lid to jar and refrigerate over-night or as long as 2-3 days.5. Eat chilled. Make Your Own Salsa Chips and salsa is one of the most common snacks, especially for high school and college students. For one, it is super easy to prepare for yourself, and two, it just tastes so good! When you’re craving chips and salsa but you are out of salsa, what do you do? Don’t fret! If you have the supplies, just make your own. Or, by the ingredients to try it out next time instead of buying Great Value ® or Pace®. Here’s how!

Ingredients1-2 Tomatoes1 Onion2 Green chilies2 Cloves of garlicThyme, basil, and/or other desired spices and herbsHint of lemon juicePinch of saltChili flakes (if needed) Directions:1. Slice the tomatoes, onion , chili, and garlic finely.2. Next, smash them up into the desired salsa consistency.3. Last, add the salt, lemon juice, spices

and herbs.

Lemon-Apricot Cake Do you have a sweet tooth? Try making some delicious lemon-apricot cake to satisfy your craving for something sweet! This cake has a fruity bite to it that will make you want to go back for more. Although prep time and baking will take a little longer than just opening up a Little Debbie’s® snack, the finished product is completely worth it! Let’s get baking, shall we?

Ingredients:3 oz Butter3 oz Sugar2 Eggs3 oz Self- rising flour1/4 tsp Baking powder1 Whole lemon2 ½ oz Dried apricot1 tbsp Milk

Directions:1. Cream butter and sugar in a bowl until smooth.2. Add the eggs and mix well.3. Sift in the self- rising flour and baking powder and mix well.4. Grate the zest of the lemon. (The zest is the peel of the lemon.)5. Add the zest and milk to the mixture and beat well.6. Dice up the dried apricots and stir the pieces into the batter that has just been made up.7. Grease and line a cake pan.8. Turn the mixture into the cake pan.9. Bake at 180 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until done.

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marrissa peeblesoutlaw run The Silver Dollar City theme park located in Branson, Missouri is known as ‘The Home of American Craftsmanship’ and is themed around the life & activities of the Ozark Mountain area during the late 1800s. Throughout the 61 acre park you’ll find over 30 rides and attrac-tions, a dozen res-taurants, 60 unique shops, and 40 live shows. In addition you can watch over 100 skilled craftsmen demonstrating the art of basket making, glass blowing, pot-tery making, blacksmithing and much more! When you arrive at the City, free parking is available along with paid-preferred parking (prices vary). The entire park is family friendly and offers activities for all ages. Throughout the hills of the City you’ll find restaurants that feature buf-fets, grills, cafes and concession stands. The Ozark Mountain Breakfast Buffet is served daily at Molly’s Mill Restaurant be-ginning at 8:30 AM. The country cooking throughout the park has rated among the best theme park food in the nation by Amusement Today Magazine. You can easily spend the entire day wandering around the park, exploring candy shops and seek-ing thrills on rides such as the Wild Fire rollercoaster. During any of the six festivals Sil-ver Dollar City of-fers, two days is recommended to fully enjoy every-thing it has to offer. Recently a new ride was re-

leased that has people all across the country talking. Outlaw Run is fearless and wild, just like how the west was. It’s the first of its kind because not only is it wood but it also goes upside down, the double-barrel roll while you’re traveling 80 feet uphill will have you going crazy. This whole ride was an investment of $10 MIL-LION, and it’s sure to not disappoint. It’s the second fastest wood rollercoaster in the world getting up to a speed of 68 mph. The first drop is a total of 16 stories… that’s a huge drop! If you think that drop won’t get you, then be prepared to hold on for the two barrel rolls that will leave you

wonder-ing which way is really up. The track is a total of more

than about half a mile when it’s all laid out.

Silver Dollar

City Fes-tivals

World Fest

(April 17-May 5): Silver Dollar City shows off international entertainers from places

such as Argen-tina to Ireland dur-ing the springtime World Fest. The festival teaches that in the Ozark Mountains music is a universal lan-guage. Bluegrass and Barbeque (May 9-27): Throughout the month of May the top names in Bluegrass music join together to bring Branson’s Silver Dollar City a festival to never forget. Special

events that you won’t want to miss are the Annual Single Mic Championship and KSMU Youth in Bluegrass Band Contest.Kids Fest (June 8-July 21): Activities for children are endless through the months of June and July, beginning with different character meet and greets featuring char-acters such as SpongeBob and Dora the Explorer. Southern Gospel (August 23-September 2): Southern Gospel music has been played through the Ozarks’ hills for many generations and Silver Dollar City wants to continue to spread the mu-sic to guests of the park. Over 40 South-ern Gospel groups perform uplifting per-formances, including Guy Penrod, Booth Brothers, and 2012 Dove Award winners Karen Peck and New River. National Harvest (September 12-October 26): The festival features over 100 visiting craftsmen, along with New Texas Trick Riders, showcase stunting and riding legendary stallions. An Old Time Christmas (Novem-ber 2-December 30): Christmas time is the perfect time to connect with friends and family at Silver Dollar City. Sip on hot chocolate and apple ciders while you watch the Christmas parade and gaze at the gorgeous lights displayed through-out the park or even gather around the five-story Christmas tree. Good Morning America has dubbed this festival one of the top five holiday events in the country.

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band name originssabrina duran

The amount of bands and inde-pendent artists in the music industry to-day is nearly infinite. With dozens of new musicians being signed to record labels every day, the numbers are increasing rapidly. When starting a new band there is always a debate of what the band name should be. There are so many bands out there, it makes find-ing a unique and meaning-ful name diffi-cult. The culture and environment

from which the band

members came from can influence the name of the band. Depending on where you’re from, some names may sound stranger than others. For example, band names like Alice9, Girugamesh, Muc, and Luna Sea, sound weird because they’re from different countries. Whereas Green Day and Linkin Park just seem normal. Let’s take a look at a few band names that caught my attention. In 1957 a little known band named the Quarrymen were formed,

eventually undergo-ing a progression, an evolution if you will, into the world famous

Beatles we all know and love. Before they were the iconic Beatles they had to dis-card many names such as Johnny and the Moondogs, Long John and the Bee-tles etc… The Strawberry Alarm Clock, a

psychedelic rock band from Las An-geles, Cali-fornia, chose their name because they were great fans of the Beatles.

Au-gust Burns Red, a metal-core band from Man-

heim, Pennsylvania, got their name from a bizarre incident

that occurred between, Jon Hershey, the band’s original vocalist, and his now-ex-girlfriend. He dated a woman named Au-gust who burned his dog, Redd, alive in the dog house. I’m sure everyone knows who 50 Cent or Curtis Jackson is but does anyone really know why he calls himself that? He has told sources that he took the nickname from a 1980’s criminal to honor

him and symbolize “change”. Cage the El-ephant got their name from a ram-bling, insane man. As they were leav-ing a club, the crazy stranger came up to them and yelled, “You have to ‘cage the elephant!’”. The Christian metal band, the Devil Wears Prada, chose their name

because it had an anti-materialism vibe. To their surprise, after reading the book and watching the movie, they realized the

story was about as pro-materialistic as it gets. Jimmy Eat World got their name from a sibling rivalry between Tom Lin-ton’s two little brothers, Ed and Jimmy. After getting into a fight, Ed gets his re-venge by giving Jimmy a crayon drawing of Jimmy eating a globe. He titled it Jimmy Eat World. The band members thought this would be a great label to represent them.

This band made a mistake while they were choos-ing a band name.10,000 Maniacs thought they were naming themselves after a hor-ror movie made in the 1980s, but actually the title of the movie was 2,000 Maniacs. Well, now their title sounds five times cra-zier than they intended.

The Postal Service duo chose their name because they were in a “long-distance music relationship” for a while. They would work on tracks individually and mail them to each other. Now this is just some of the mil-lions of bands and artists out there. There is certainly a meaning behind everything. Just take the time to research it and show appreciation for music.

August Burns Red

Cage the Elephant

Jimmy Eat World

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the dream team These are the guys that take care of our

school and keep it looking crisp and clean. They take

care of your fallen gum wrappers, stay late to tidy up, and

are extremely underappreciated for their hard work. Meet

our janitors, a group of funny guys who put a lot of heart

into their work. You may have seen them around, but

have you ever spoken to any of them? Probably not, and

you’re missing out! Here’s a snippet about each of these

hard working men.

Jody Shinnebarger is the head of our jani-

tors here, and it’s obvious he’s good at what he does!

Jody is from Galena and went to Branson High School.

He has two sons and a grandson too. In Jody’s free time

he, spends his free time outside fishing and playing with

his grandson. His favorite things about Reeds Spring

are the students (He says we are all good kids) and the

people he works with and just generally enjoys the work.

Steven Holt attended Boliver High School

and currently lives in Branson West. He has one boy

who attends Reeds Spring schools and another little

one on the way. In his free time he is a regular outdoors

man. Hunting, fishing and playing outside are frequent

activities for Steven and his family. He likes working

here because it is a nice school close to home that his

children can attend and it is a nice place to work.

Steve Snider is from Hollister and spent his

high school days there too. He is also an outdoors man,

like the rest, and has enjoyed playing a variety of sports.

Steve likes working at Reeds Spring because the people

are great to be around and our school is a nice working

environment.

Brian Vermillion is from Crane and attended

Wynonna High school back in his day. He has three boys,

the youngest attends Crane High School and the other

two are past high school years. In Brian’s free time, he

enjoys working on cars. He also likes the working envi-

ronment and the people that he shares it with.

And last, but not least, Steve Parker. Steve

is from Carthage, Missouri and went to McAuley High

School. He has four children grown children which leaves

him to enjoy a variety of sports in his free time. Steve

likes watching baseball and bowling, which is the sport

that he grew up with and learned from his parents. He

likes that Reeds Spring is a quiet town with a nice school

that is full of friendly people.

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taylor byler

ucm review The University of Central Mis-souri is located in Warrensburg, approxi-mately 160 miles north of Reeds Spring High School. 19,000 people call Warrens-burg home, 11,000 of which are UCM stu-dents! While there are students from all over the world, 87 percent of graduates are Missouri residents. There are also 452 full-time faculty members at UCM, 69% who have a Ph.D. One of the great-est things about UCM is that they keep the class sizes small; the average under-graduate class has 24 students. The University of Central Missouri has a wide variety of majors to offer its students; there are over 150 programs of study. Students also have the opportunity to study abroad in over sixty countries. Students also pay in-state UCM tuition and can use financial aid to help. They are also enrolled as full-time UCM students, with a minimum of 9 credit hours. Upon graduate, UCM has a fantastic job placement rating! Nearly 92% of graduates are employed within the first six months. If there is one word that people often use to describe college, it is expensive! Well, the University of Central Missouri has one of the most affordable tuition rates in the state. Being a Missouri resident definitely has its benefits when it comes to affording education. Tuition for residents is over twice as low as non-residents. It is 209 dollars per credit hours for Missouri residents and 419 dollars for non-residents. Don’t be freaked out by the numbers though, nearly 92% of UCM students receive some form of financial aid. They even offer the Red and Black scholarship to students based on their

GPA and ACT scores. Living on campus is one of the most exciting parts for most students leaving for college. Living in university housing puts you right in the middle of campus life. The residence halls are in within walking distance to your classes. All freshman students are required to live in the residence halls their first year, with a roommate. All of UCM’s residence halls are suite style, which means you only share a bathroom with one other room. So, you won’t have to walk down the hall with you shower caddy and robe to go to the community shower! There are also many options when choosing residence halls, there are sixteen different ones on both the east and west sides of the campus. When deciding which dorm to live in, it is important to put into consideration your major, because a lot of times certain dorms are closer to the classes you will be taking. Also, there is usually something called a SHIP for your major, which is the “Special Interest Housing Program.” This comes in handy when you need “study buddies” because everyone on your SHIP floor will have the same major! All of the dorms are co-ed except for Yeater (all girls), and the sorority and fraternity com-plexes. UCM has three different dining halls located in Todd, Ellis, and Panhel-lenic halls. They also offer a variety of meal plans for your specific needs, and they are all the same price. One of the options is the unlimited meal plan, where you can go to the dining halls as many times as you want and never run out of “meal points.” Another option is to get a limited number of times you can visit the

dining hall, but you get something called din-ing dollars. Dining dol-lars can be used at the on campus restaurants and a lot of restaurants around Warrensburg that deliver. The University of Central Missouri’s mascot is Mo the Mule. The male athletes are called mules and the female athletes are called Jennies!

Athletics are very important to UCM; they have fifteen different competitive teams. For students who aren’t really into playing sports at the competitive level, they also

offer hundreds of intramural opportunities. The UCM Multipurpose building cost 5.5 million dollars to build, and is one of the busiest places on campus. Students can use the building for intramural sports such as basketball and volleyball, or use it to work out on the treadmills or track. The University of Central Missouri is perfect for students who are looking to get their degree in a smaller university that doesn’t cost them loads of money. Not only do you get a top notch educa-tion, you also get to have a great time while doing it. Whether you’re writing an essay, or studying for the big test, there is always someone that is there to help you along the way at UCM. So if you’re a little interested, don’t just take my word for it, go out and visit the campus! Shop around the school store, check out the dorms, or attend a sporting event. Go mules!

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autism awarenessGlenna Dement

You see the little boy sitting by himself in the corner at lunch. Everyone calls him funny names. You just think of him as the weird kid. Never do you stop to think that maybe he isn’t just “weird”. Never did you think that there was something legiti-mately wrong with him, so as you walk by with your tray, you stare at him for a few seconds. Startling you, the boy looks up with a confused look on his face and stammers out the words, “H-Hi. M-m-m-my n-n-name J-J-J-Johnny.” You quickly mutter, «Hi.» and rush away to your table where you proceed to tell your friends about the weird boy named Johnny who tried to say, «Hi.» to you. You all snicker and laugh and crack jokes about it for the rest of the lunch period, not bothering to lower your voices. As the bell rings, you look over your shoulder at the boy named Johnny sitting alone in the corner. A lonely tear runs down his face. Blowing it off, you turn your attention back to your friends and continue on with your day, completely forgetting about the boy in the corner. Little did you know, that lonely little boy has autism. In the United States, the first National Autism Awareness month was celebrated in April of 1970, and National Autism Awareness Day falls on April 2. The goal of National Autism Awareness month is to educate the public, for how can we get help for those who suffer from autism if we don›t have any idea what it is? Through raising awareness about autism, we can assist fundraising efforts that help people on the road to recovery. When recovery can cost around $35 billion per year here in the U.S., any and all fundraising is definitely worthwhile, especially when cases of autism are becoming more and more common. Each year, 1 in every 110 children are diagnosed with autism, and 1 in 70 are boys. Many of the sufferers have to live with this condition for the rest of their lives, though there are also many who can recover. Worldwide, 67 million people live with this condition, and a new diag-nosis is made every 20 minutes. Autism Awareness month, in April, is all about try-ing to get the word out about these people who struggle to live their lives each day. These people need help. But what exact-ly is autism, and what can we do to help

the people that have it? Autism was only recently discovered, though the term was first used by the Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler. He applied the term to schizophrenia. It was not until 1943 that autism was rede-fined by Dr. Leo Kanner of John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Kanner observed 11 children that he no-ticed had withdrawal from human contact as early as the age of one. Despite his studies, however, people were still under the impression that all children who had autism were also schizophrenic, which is not actually the case. By definition, autism is a complex neurobehavioral disorder that includes impairments in social interaction, developing language and communication skills, and rigid repetitive behavior. This means that there is a problem within the brain that makes it difficult for the people afflicted with autism to communicate and interact with others. These symptoms aren’t the only ones, however. Due to the extreme range of symptoms, autism is commonly referred to as ASD, or autism spectrum disorder. Some of the core symptoms of autism include having difficulties with social interactions, relationships, verbal, and non-verbal communications. People with ASD also experience a limited interest in activities or a preoccupation with certain topics or objects. In the way of social interactions, people with ASD have problems not only developing verbal and non-verbal skills, but also with interacting with people of the same age group. They also have a lack of empathy and emotion as well as a lack of interest in achievements and hobbies. As many as 40% of people with autism never develop the ability to speak at all, so it›s no surprise that life for them is more difficult that we can imagine. For as tricky as it is to attempt to relate to their lives, it›s important to understand that there are certain forms of autism that aren›t as severe as others. At one end of the ASD spectrum is type of disorder known as high-functioning autism. Not only is it less severe than other types of autism, it is very similar to Asperger›s syndrome in that there isn›t any noticeable delay in language

development or lack of intelligence. For people with high-functioning autism, they seem to have little understanding of the abstract use of language, like sarcasm. People with high-functioning autism do not tend to be introverted, unlike other forms of autism, though they may not understand the emotions of others since it can be more difficult for them to understand facial expressions and body language. Though there are many different forms of autism, with a variance of symptoms and signs, they can all be diagnosed in similar ways. Whether its Asperger›s syndrome or high-functioning autism, it can be diagnosed through psychological testing, by observing the history of the child›s development, by interviewing people who are in frequent contact with the child, observing the child›s behavior, and also through requesting physical, neurological, and genetic testing. Additional information can be procured through seeking a speech and language assessment. It may seem that we know quite a bit about autism and its symptoms, but the truth is quite to the contrary. To be blunt, we know hardly anything about autism in regards to its root cause. Many speculate that children with weak immune systems who are given too many vaccines at one time can later be diagnosed with autism. Is that really such a surprise, however? Many vaccines today have ingredients like mercury, antifreeze, formaldehyde, aluminum, and ether. Considering that these components are extremely toxic, would you really want someone injecting your child with them? Apart from the vaccine hypothesis, studies may have shown that a new group of genes, very recently discovered, may be partially responsible for brain growth that we think can be a partial cause of autism. Possible mutations or abnormalities of the genes may even be the underlying cause of the brain growth itself, and therefore responsible for the cause of autism. Eric Courchesne, PhD, director of the Autism Center of Excellence at the University of California, San Diego School of Medi-cine has identified genes that may be responsible for premature brain growth in young patients from two to fourteen years

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of age. Other information from his studies showed that there was a 67% excess of brain cells in the prefrontal cortex. This is the part of the brain that is responsible for development in the way of social interac-tion, communication and cognitive devel-opment. Since the problems may lie in the genes, this would make autism a highly inheritable disorder. The research also suggests that abnormalities in the genes can change across a person’s lifespan, which would mean that it could either be-come easier to assist curing autism or it could become more difficult. Despite what may seem to be well presented hypoth-eses, all of these are still only speculation for the most part. We have not delved deep enough into the neurobiology of the human brain to discover the true cause of autism. On the bright side, however, even if we don›t know what causes autism yet, we know that it can be cured. The truly awesome account of Jenny McCarthy and her son, Evan, are proof enough of that. When Jenny McCarthy›s son was diagnosed with autism in 2005, the doctors told her that there was no hope-

-that nothing could be done for her son. At first, she was devastated, as any parent would be. But then, she decided that the doctor’s no-hope diagnosis wasn’t good enough. She took the initiative and did her own research. That was when she found a website called Generation Rescue that is dedicated to helping children with autism recover. After hours of research, Jenny McCarthy finally found what she was looking for. She read every testimonial of the parents who came before her and found that simple and safe things like changing her son’s diet and his home environment might help Evan. After a few weeks, Evan was speaking 7-word sentences; a huge milestone. And then, a year later, Evan was a healthy, happy boy again. He was undiagnosed shortly thereaf-ter. This success story just goes to show that

recovery from autism truly is plausible and possible. Through trial and error, parents everywhere have been able to help reverse the effects of autism on their children. Once a year, the hard work of the parents of autistic children is revealed to the world. The further their stories travel, the more momentum and meaning that National Autism Awareness month will hold for people across the United States and across the world. In fact, April is more than just National Autism Awareness month for us here in the U.S. as World Autism Awareness Day falls on April 2 each year, with a total of 20

countries participating. Though this may seem to be a plethora of knowledgeable people across the globe, ask yourself this: how many people in your community do you know that suffer from autism? Better yet, did you know what it meant for someone to be diagnosed with autism until now? Were you aware that April is Autism Awareness month? When one person is not informed of something, we cannot automatically expect others to be knowledgeable of the information they lack, but yet, we do. Vast pools of information concerning autism are available in many places, but many of us simply never take the time to look, to study, and to learn. In order to spread the word about autism, each of us will have to make our own effort. After all, don›t you want to help spread the stories of hope and the methods parents have put toward curing autism?

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relay for charitytaylor byler

Running is one of my absolute favorite things to do, but I’ve always thought that I was the only one who benefitted from it. It turns out, I was wrong. There are so many races and runs that benefit charities and other organizations. This gives runners and even walkers the chance to do something they love while also helping a person in need. Many organizations host local races and fun-runs where all proceeds to go people in need. Perhaps the most well-known event is the Relay for Life. The Relay for Life organization is a national charity, but smaller walks are set up in local communities to raise money for cancer patients. It’s an organized, fun, overnight walk for char-ity. There is food, games, and plenty of entertain-ment for all

participants. The relays are held at tracks across the na-tion and are set up so that people join in teams, and each member runs or walks their own leg of the relay. Since it is a team event, not all members have to stay the entire time, but most participants find it so fun that they don’t want to leave. Kids can even sign up and with the entertain-ment provided, it is a family friendly envi-ronment. If you are interested in joining a Relay for Life Event, you can go to their website to sign up. The next relay in our area is the Bark for Life of Taney and Stone Coun-ties on April 20th. It is 8.1 miles long and will be held at Lloyd’s Electric. If that doesn’t work for you, the 2013 Relay for Life of Taney and Stone Counties will be one held on June 6th at the Cedar Ridge Track. It is also 8.1 miles long. The March of Dimes is a fundraising walk to support premature babies and the research to help them survive. To start walking you can join a team or you can start one of your own. The next

march in our area takes place on May 4th in Springfield at Jordan Valley Park. The distance is 1.5 miles and it begins at 11:00 am. You raise the money before you actually start the race by getting sponsors and once you’ve reached your goal amount, you prepare for the walk. This year is the 75 year anniversary of March of Dimes so they are asking all participants to pull out all the stops and set their goals even higher than previous years. The March of Dimes is a great

charity and participating

to raise money and walk for the cause is a great way to spend a day and stay active.

Another great walk for charity is the Avon Breast Cancer Walk.

This walk is open to anyone and you can register under one of three categories: wanting to make a difference, walking for friends or family, or you are a survivor. The walks are held in Houston, Washing-ton DC, Boston, Chicago, Santa Barbara,

San Francisco, New York, and Charlotte. The races are farther away from here, but it’s a great cause and a good excuse for

a road trip or even to add to a vacation itinerary. When you register to walk, you will be given a fundraising coach to assist you in raising money for the foundation. It is a crucial step in the process for each walker to raise $1,800 before the walk. This 2-day event covers 39.2 miles. While that sounds like a lot, you are surrounded by people who will support you the entire way and the survivors who walk with you give you motivation and remind you why you are there in the first place. As you can see, walks and relays that support charities are a great way to stay active and make a difference in someone’s life. Whether you have personally been affected by one of these diseases or know someone who has, participating in one of these events is a great way to show your support and give back to people also affected. In many of

these walks and relays, the survivors and patients are right there with you to show their support and gratitude for what you are doing for them. They provide you with motivation and encour-agement. If you have a free day or an empty weekend, take the time to go out and support the charities and organizations that fund the research to end these dis-eases.

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meet the staff Hi! My name’s Taylor and I am a senior! I really enjoy writing for Pulse Mag-azine. My favorite things to write about are current events. While I enjoy writing an in-vestigating, I have many other hobbies. I play first clarinet in concert band, (I have played for eight years), I am a member of National Honor Society, and I am also the manager of the scholar bowl team. I en-joy journalism, but I actually want to be a nurse once I graduate! I plan on attending the University of Central Missouri in War-rensburg, to get my BSN. My goal is to become a Pediatric RN. Right now, I am working on getting my CNA. I get to visit Table Rock Health Care three times a week to practice my nursing skills, and I really enjoy it! Well, that’s really all I have to say about my-self! Hi, my name is Marrissa

Peebles and I have senioritis. I don’t even mind admitting it either. Right now I write for the school’s magazine as well as a website in Branson. I plan on attend-ing MSU next year and after two years there, Mizzou for their journalism pro-gram. Currently the career path I’m fo-cused on is public relations. Right now I feel like I should focus more on my future rather than my past, so instead of telling you where I’ve lived I’m going to explain where I want to live and see myself in ten years. Hopefully I’ll be living in a big city like Manhattan and have a stable career.

Honestly I’m just ready for the next chap-ter in my life. Hi! I’m Kerrigan. Most of you know who I am, so that makes this whole ‘About Me’ a lot easier to write. I’ll just skip to the basics! My name is Kerrigan Brianne – Kukal Arnold. I bet you didn’t know I had a second middle name, did you? Anyway, I’m 17! My birthday is Val-entine’s Day, and believe me; it’s not as cool as it sounds. Here’s a big surprise for all of you reading; I love to sing and write

songs. I write a lot of songs about people at school, who knows, there might even be one about you! Just kidding. I have a fear of onion rings, my favorite color is red, I love modeling, I’m in love with Zac Efron, I want to write and sing a song with the band Parachute, I love to read, and I love Jesus. Cool, right? Bye! Hi, I’m Eden Branstetter! I’m a junior and a part of the Journalism crew. If you know me, then you know that I’m a very bubbly person. My full name is Eden Lynn Branstetter, which I’m sure most of

you know because of Facebook. I like to have fun, but I can be serious at times if you need me to. My favorite color is pink, I love Gossip Girl, Nate Archibald is the love of my life, and I love meeting new people. So if you don’t know me, hit me up and maybe we can become friends! Well that’s it for now, so if you want to know more just ask me. See ya! My name is Ronal Edward Full-er III. I’m eighteen and a senior here at Reeds Spring High. I enjoy reading and

editing im-ages on Photoshop. I work at Pizza by the Chef here locally and enjoy summers

down at the Lake. That is all, good day. Hi! I’m Amelia and I design the covers and take pho-tos for the Pulse mag-azine. Pho-tography is my favorite hobby and I hope to pursue it as a career someday! I would love to work

for National Geographic and get paid to travel all over the place. Along with tak-ing and editing pictures, I also like writing, art, cats, and listening to good music; my taste in music varies from Frank Ocean to Red Hot Chili Peppers to Miley Cyrus. When I’m not at school, you’ll probably find me at work or at a flea market.

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Across2. The US team did not win the World Cup, but they gave it their best _____.3. You think Al should tell his boss that she’s wrong? Easier said than _____!4. The English teacher gave her students a useful ____ of thumb. She toldthem not to repeat the same adjectives too many times in one essay.6. You have an exam tomorrow morning? You’d better start hitting the ____!7. Todd doesn’t like reading. It’s like ____ teeth to get him to read anything.11. Julie was very upset when her landlord increased her rent by 25 percent.Now she doesn’t know how she’ll make ends ____.14. Eva loves to travel. She’s traveled all ____ the world.15. Stop jumping up and down on the bed! If it breaks, it’ll be no laughing ___.16. I wanted to buy The New York Times this morning, but by the time I got tothe store, they had already ____ out.18. Good luck at the casino. Hopefully you’ll strike it ____!23. Jay didn’t cheat during the Scrabble game. He won ____ and square.24. You look very tired. We’d better call it a ____ and go home.25. You paid $900 for that cappuccino maker? That’s really ____ dollar!28. You’re going on vacation to Aruba? I’m ____ with envy.

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EclipseCrossword.com

March Answers

Down1. On a hot day like today, an iced tea is just what the ______ ordered!2. We’ve only got two hours to fi nish this project. Let’s roll up our _____ andstart working.3. Pfi zer really wanted to Tanya to accept their job offer, so they agreed tosweeten the ____ .5. If you studied your idioms, this crossword puzzle should be a ____ of cake.8. Ted___ around the bush before telling his parents that he failed his test.9. Mmmm, this chocolate cake is out of this _____!10. Joe wants to join the army, but he hasn’t yet broken the ____ to his mom.11. Oh, you’re fi nally home. That’s a load off my ____!12. Frank, our best salesman, hasn’t made a sale all week. I’m afraid he’s losthis _____!13. Mark drove a hard ____ and got two T-shirts for the price of one.17. Vivian is a night _____. She never goes to sleep before midnight.19. I know you had your ____ set on going skiing this weekend, but I’m afraidthere won’t be enough snow.20. You’d better get up ____ and early to fi nish your homework.21. Your team won four soccer games in a row? You’re on a ____ streak.22. All of Brianna’s after-school activities cost money. Her parents are tired ofshelling ____ so much money.23. Judy made a list of books for the book club to read, but she told members tofeel ____ to make other suggestions.26. Will Democrats and Republicans every stop fi ghting? When ___ fl y!27. Tom doesn’t want to go to the rock concert. Jazz is more his cup of ____.

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10CHANGES

KEEP SCORE

double takeSee if you can find the differences between the two pictures

Designed by Ronnie Fuller

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final thoughtlacy curtis

I have learned a lot of things from Reeds Spring. I know we all joke about the edu-cation we are receiving, but if you really think about it, this small Midwestern town has shaped us into the people we are now. Good or bad, it has influenced and molded us.We live in a town where nothing is a se-cret – everybody knows everybody else by some degree. You cannot even get your grocery shopping done at Wal-Mart without bumping into at least one famil-iar face. There is something sort of great about that, if you ask me. In other towns, people walk right past each other, per-fect strangers in their own little worlds. In Reeds Spring (and the surrounding towns that make up our school district, of course) there is no such thing. While some may like their privacy, there is just something about being waved at across the bread aisle that can’t be beat. We live in a town where almost everyone has connections with the theaters of Branson. It may not seem like much to us because most of us have grown up around the tourist hot spot. Whether that means being friends with the Stafford family or working at Silver Dollar City every summer, I would say we have it good. The kids in Reeds Spring know a sense of responsibility I do not really see anywhere else. We are well aware we help hold up the entertainment district and we definitely don’t take the job for granted. Personally, I consider Reeds Spring to be my hometown. I may not have been born here and I certainly have not lived here my entire life, but when I think back on my childhood, all my best memories are in this town. I can remember having birthday parties at Skate World (it was, after all, the coolest place to be) and spending sunny days at Stockstill Park. I even still remember what McDonalds looked like before it burned down – anytime I got to go there, I would always sit near the big, old coal stove. Now, McDonalds is a sort of ‘hangout’ spots; I couldn’t tell you how many times I have piled a group of kids in my car to snag something to eat be-fore practice. I still take my little sister to Stockstill Park on occasion, and I am sure that everyone has walked along the train tracks at least once. The last time I went

to Skate World, though, the only thing I could do was hope my friends and I did not act quite as obnoxious back then as the kids who frequent the place now. Now I am a senior, and I will not lie, it is fun to look back at all the stupid, fun things I have done, and believe me, there are a lot of them. However, I am also looking forward. People always tell you to enjoy being young while you have the chance, and I agree wholeheartedly. I am not saying that I am some mature adult now – in fact, I am sure that I have many more stupid, fun things in store for me in years to come. It is just differ-ent. It is stress-ful and exciting all at the same time. One min-ute I cannot wait to get everything over with and be on my own, the next I am terrified at the mere thought of leaving Reeds Spring behind. I do not want to go. I do, I really do want to move on with my life, but I do not. It is complicated. I honestly would have never thought that I would miss this place, but I already do and I am not even gone yet. It is scary to think about. I could get up and leave, drive until I run out of gas, and nobody would be able to stop me. If my mother called the police and told

them that her eighteen year old daughter had left home, they would not do anything. Of course, I would never do that, but just the fact that I could is crazy to think about. I suppose what I’m really try-ing to say is no matter how much I may complain about this town, I will miss it. No matter where my life may take me, wheth-er that will be just a couple towns over or across the world, no place on earth will ever be able to replace Reeds Spring.

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