Article Assignements

This is a list of the articles that we talked about from the meeting on Feb. 20th. Please tell me if anything is wrong on the list.
Kayla- Middle School Girls Millwood tournament (with Abby)
Abby- Middle School Girls Millwood tournament (with Kayla); quote from 6th grade
David- Middle School Boys basketball season; quote from 7th grade
Daniel- Yearbook; Random Fact; quote from 8th grade
Sophia- Spring Poll (with Sara Kathrine); St. Patricks Day; recipe
Sara Kathrine- Spring Poll with (with Sophia)
Kari- Opinion piece on the positive aspects of flag burning
Josh- Opinion piece on the negative aspects of flag burning; future track and field; quote from 9th grade
Joe- Spotlight on Mr. Trumbo; quote from 10th grade
Mitchell- 6th grade field trip
Christa and Lexi- Guess Who
Mary- Inspirational or thoughtful quote

The New Building by Kayla Soles

The new building is very nice. The girls and the boys have separate locker rooms. The classrooms have more space and the upper school has very nice desks. Everyone seems to like the new building. The new building has the house behind it which Mr. Trumbo's and Mr. Diehl’s offices are. The upper school has more room for P.E. and the church is letting the school use the sanctuary for music class. Since the school has its own school building, all the teachers have decorated their rooms. The science lab is also very nice and safer for the upper school students.

Motivations of Journalists by Daniel Rainer

The Veritas journalism program has grown and changed a lot in the last few years, mainly because of the interest and motivation of the its devoted members. Let’s take a look at the motivation of some of the key members of the Upper School newspaper.

“I think it is important for students to learn how to write and journalism is important to learn about the world around you including your school. Journalistic writing is different from scholarly or creative writing. You wouldn’t learn it in class.”

–Miss Mills, leader of the Upper School Paper

“I like writing. I like that the reporters are into it and like to be involved. I like to see people’s opinions on things… its good to have responsibility.”

-Mary Coggins, Editor of the Upper School Paper

“I think that my motivation was that I enjoy creating news stories with information I have collected and seeing the finished product.”

-Josh Carter, Sports Editor of the Upper School Paper

“I love to write… It’s a good thing to know about the world around you [and] Mary’s a good leader.”

-Christa Schuping, Reporter for the Upper School Paper

“[My favorite thing about the school paper is,] attending meetings and helping to edit.

Joe Burns, reporter/assistant sports editor

Over all, the writers for the newspaper are thrilled to help produce something important for Veritas, and also love working together with friends and teachers.

Random Fact by Daniel Rainer

The tallest volcano on Mars is 17 miles high. That’s 61 times taller than the 110-story Sears Tower in Chicago. –From National Geographic Kids. February 2009

School Poll on the Outcome of the Super Bowl by Sara Kathrine, Kayla and Sophia

Who did you want to win the Superbowl???

This was the Veritas' response:

Steelers- 33%

Cardinals- 24%

Who is Mr.Gilchrest? by Joe Burns

Here at Veritas, we are honored to have a very strong science department that competes with any school in the state. The Head of the science at the Veritas Upper School is Mr. Gilchrest, who apart from teaching five days a week, is also the father of a family in Mechanicsville. Over the course of the recent move of campuses from Stony Point to Crestwood, Mr. Gilchrest devoted hundreds of hours into completing his masterpiece, the lab, and making sure that it was absolutely ready for the students. Mr. Gilchrest sacrificed hours during Christmas break and lab preparatory time at school to ensure the abilities of the new science lab. Outside of school, when the time is available, Mr. Gilchrest enjoys kayaking and “basically everything outdoors”. He was a kayak instructor as one of his previous jobs, and was in law enforcement before he decided to become a science teacher. When asked about his present occupation he said “growing up, I was always interested in science, but never intended to become a teacher”. While in law enforcement, he felt God calling him to become a science teacher. One thing few people know about Mr. Gilchrest is that he met Bob from Sesame Street. We are very honored to have Mr. Gilchrest as one of the Veritas faculty, and want to thank him for all the work he’s put into the new lab. Thanks!

Or exams before Christmas break? by David Heide

Veritas should have exams before Christmas break because many students in the school think that they would benefit from it. One reason is that if we had exams before Christmas break the students of Veritas would not have to study for exams during Christmas break. If Veritas students studied and took the exams before break we could relax and not worry over the exams anymore. After Christmas break, everybody (teachers, too) could possibly look forward to the beginning of the second semester more as the exams would be over. I think that students, teachers, and parents could benefit from having exams before Christmas break.

Exams after Christmas break? by Josh Carter

I believe that it is better for Upper School exams to be after Christmas break because by having exams after over two weeks of break, we can take full advantage the break to study for the upcoming exams. Many individuals found themselves bored over the holidays, so by studying, one can get rid of his/her boredom and be productive by studying at the same time. Also, studying isn’t as stressful over the break because students typically aren’t as busy as they are during an average school week. Therefore, everyone is able to study without feeling any pressure. If exams were before Christmas, there would be less time available to study ahead of time, while having exams after Christmas is better because one is able to study more ahead of time.

Richmond's Mayor by Mary Coggins

Because of the importance of the Presidential election, the election of Richmond’s new mayor was somewhat overshadowed. Earlier in the year, the tenth grade class had the privilege of attending a mayoral debate at St. Catherine’s School and listened to the perspective mayors answer political questions submitted by students from many different city schools. We listened to their answers about how each would act to better the city and the means they would use to get there. In each of Mayor Jones’ answers was an underlying theme concerning the neighborhoods of Richmond . He believes that Richmond will improve itself through hard and honest work, as he said during one of his sermons in his church on Cary Street. Mayor Jones used immigrants in America as an example of hard and dedicated work, explaining that they’re not picky about the jobs given to them, and as a result of working hard for 10-15 years, have improved their situations vastly. Richmond’s new Mayor, although criticized for some of his words, is dedicated to work hard alongside of the citizens of the city to help better the community of Richmond

The Spring Program by Mitchell Kruger

Veritas presents a Spring Music Program every year in April. Some pieces are long and some are short, while some are slower and some are more upbeat, but the song selection never fails to please. This year the songs for the entire Upper school are "With Songs of Rejoicing" and " Wayfaring stranger". I talked with a few students in the Upper school about which song is their favorite and why. Sophia (6th) answered that she likes “"With Songs of Rejoicing" because of how it sounds.” David (7th) said he also likes “"With Songs of Rejoicing" because it’s not sad and I like the how the altos start and bass come in.” Abby (6th) said she likes "Wayfaring Stranger" “because it is low.” Riley (6th) said he likes "With Songs of Rejoicing" “because it is a fast and up-tempo song”. Jack (6th) said he likes “"Wayfaring Stranger" because it was more interesting because it tells a story and the least happy.” Mary (10th) said she liked "Wayfaring Stranger" “because it’s an old folk song.” Mr. Kim, our music director, picked these two songs specifically for the voices in the Upper School. A lot of people like the songs that are in the Spring Program and to pick your favorite you’ll have to come and see!

OUR OWN WEBSITE!

Veritas' Upper School Newspaper officially has there own blog! This is a site where all the newspaper articles will be posted for you and any others to read. Also we will post any announcements on who has what articles, when papers are coming out and when articles are due. Your articles are now out there for the world to see. This is just another way for us to share Veritas and Christ's mission. I hope you like the blog and feel free to comment on anyone's articles. I hope to organize them by name so you are able to read a certain person's article. Enjoy and show everyone whether they know about Veritas or not what Veritas students are really like through our writing.
Kari