Senior Superlatives

By Kayla Hardin

Every year here at CHS we elect Senior Superlatives.  This is where we spotlight some of our seniors for achieving high and representing the very best our school has to offer.

Mr and Miss Cavalier

Mr. and Miss Cavalier : Coleman Hawkins and Shelby Enochs

Mr and Miss Senior Class: John Gleason and Bailey Rose

Most Likely to Succeed: Coleman Hawkins and Colleen Ryan

Most Athletic : Darien Tubbs and Hannah Goolsby

Most Dependable: Elias Vaden and Sarah Wilson

Most Comedic: Ian Bass and Shelby Enochs

Most Well-Rounded: John Gleason and Meagan  Stafford

Most Likely to Brighten Your Day: Nathen Nelms and Abbie King

Most Talented : Aaron Phillips and Abby Weeden

Most Spirited: Judd Garrison and Lora Dycus

Most Intellectual : Will Kelly and Kacie Maeda

Most Congenial : Josh Craig and Jazmine Casal

Most Artistic: Humberto Cadena and Emaleigh Grantz

Dynamic Duos: Elias Vaden and Aaron Phillips, and Bailey Rose and Jennifer Montgomery

Mr. and Miss Senior Class

Senior Favorites: Sarah Best, Ashley Carter, Mat Case, Tyler Cavin, Katiebeth Chapman, Drew Dias, Lora Dycus, Ryan Eberle, Trey Fields, Hannah Goolsby, Samantha Harold, Trey Henderson, Lucas Ledbetter, Taylor Logan, Julie Moran, Colm Newson, Cory Parham , Aaron Phillips, Scott Proffit, Savannah Rippetoe, Courtney Thompson, Cole Wilson, Haley Wilson, and Sarah Wilson

Superlatives: Jeremy Craig, Josh Craig, Ethan Crum, Will Kelly, Libby Ligon, Sara Ramirez, Abbi Reeder, Colleen Ryan, Celina Unzueta, Megan Winningham, Elias Vaden, Mariah Vinson, and Ali Zekic

Every senior here at Cookeville High School has something amazing about them but these are just a few of the 2013 Senior Class that stand out and who will go far in life .

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Scientists Go Bananas for a New Monkey

By Jenna Lee Stevens

On September 12, 2012, scientists announced the discovery of a new monkey species, the Lesula, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The unfamiliar, brightly colored primate has a naked face with a think blond mane, red patch on its lower back, and aquamarine buttocks. Lesula monkeys typically weigh 12 pounds and measure around 20 inches. While new insect species are common and plentiful, the exposure of an unknown mammal species is a rarity. In fact, the Lesula is only the second primate species uncovered in Africa for nearly three decades. The wild Lesula monkey’s home, the lush Lomani Rainforest, explains how such a large mammal went unnoticed, as it is vast and remote.

Conservation biologists John and Therese Hart initially encountered the monkey in 2007 whilst working on the Lukuru Wildlife Research Project. The primate was a local family’s pet. Through genetic testing and observation, researchers concluded that the monkey was, in fact, a unique species.
Unfortunately, the Lesula monkey’s future is questionable. The monkey may be new to scientists, but it is certainly familiar to the dinner table in the region. Hunters target the Lesula, along with dozens of other species, because of the thriving market for bush meat. According to Hart, “Under the current trends of uncontrolled bush-meat hunting, it could become very endangered.” Now, the task is to save the newly discovered monkey.

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The Origins of Halloween

By Erica Dial
Halloween has just passed us, and the Charger staff thought it appropriate to take a look at the origins of Halloween, or All Hallows' Eve, as it was originally called. The word Halloween was first used in the sixteenth century and represents a Scottish variant of All Hallows' Eve, the night before All Hallows' Day. Despite pagan roots, the etymology of the word is strictly Christian.

Scholars who have studied the holiday have found that All Hallows' Eve incorporated traditions from pagan harvest festivals, as well as festivals honoring the dead. While some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it is more closely tied with the Celtic festival of Samhain, meaning “summer's end”. This time of year was used for stock-taking and preparation for the vicious winter months ahead. There was a strong superstitious feel at this time of year; many folks believed that the physical and supernatural worlds were closest at this time and that magical things were more likely to happen. To ward off spirits, the Gaels built huge bonfires and asked for the help of the gods through animal and – allegedly – human sacrifices.
Halloween is believed to have been heavily influenced by Christian “holy days”, such as All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Collectively these holidays were a time for honoring saints and praying for those who had recently passed. It was believed that the souls of the departed wandered the earth until All Saints' Day, and All Hallows' Eve was the last day for the dead to seek vengeance on those who had wronged them in life. To avoid being recognized by the dead, Christians would wear masks and costumes in order to disguise themselves. This tradition is perpetuated to this day by children dressing up for trick-or-treating.
Whatever the “true” origins of Halloween may be, I think we can all agree that it is an enchanting time of the year. From spooky decorations to plastic jack-o-lanterns filled to the brim with candy, Halloween is a holiday for all to enjoy.

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Buffalo Wild Wings Comes to Cookeville

By Matt Billings and Cody Thompson

America. Many people regard this great land as the home of freedom, also home of guns, baseball, and perhaps most important of all, the hot chicken wing. Of the many great restaurants parceled throughout this great land, one of the most prominent to serve the mystical hot chicken wing is the treasure that is Buffalo Wild Wings. Founded in 1981, in Minneapolis, MN, James Disbrow and Scott Lowery created this famous chain. A mere thirty-one years later it stands as the quintessential chicken Mecca of North America.

On October 1st, the chain’s location in Cookeville, TN opened its doors for the first time? Like other Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants, customers are offered boneless or traditional wings with more than thirty options for sauces and seasonings to provide the optimal flavor experience. This unique restaurant has a glorious and long-standing tradition of rewarding the first 100 people through the door with free hot chicken wings for one year. However, glorious and mighty this deal may seem, there is one disappointing catch. The hot chicken wings are limited to one order a week, which is less than one wing a day. Added up however, this is a total of 312 hot chicken wings over the course of a year.
We decided to have a chat with CHS’s own Gray Forrester, one of the lucky recipients of the 312 free hot chicken wings. Gray along with some friends camped out the Sunday before the opening day of the Mecca that is Buffalo Wild Wings. When asked about the experience in general, he replied “ The first two hours were delightful, but then a torrential downpour occurred, causing me to retreat to my tent and reflect on my life. Ultimately the experience made me more of a man.” After Mr. Forrester’s powerful account, we decided to head over to Interstate Drive to try some hot chicken wings. An entire three weeks after the grand opening, we were forced to park in the Logan’s parking lot, due to how full it was. Besides the minor set back, we made the trek inside to partake upon the hot chicken wings, rumored to be of the heavens. After being seated, we had a hard time deciding which sauces we would choose. The subsequent meal was quality and the sauces were rich and savory as well as spicy.
In all, Buffalo Wild Wings proved to be more than a mere restaurant to get a quality hot chicken wing. Buffalo Wild Wings serves as a symbol of this great nation, with the freedom to choose any sauce your heart desires. Buffalo Wild Wings is indeed here to stay.

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Movie Review: End of Watch

By Caleb King

Starring  Jake  Gyllenhaal  and  Michael  Peña,  End  of  Watch  is  a  movie  detailing  the  day  to  day  lives  of  fictional officers  Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala.  While  most  of  the  movie  takes  place  in  the  front  seat  of  there  squad  car  the  movie  is  never  boring due  to  the  relationship  between  the  characters,  the  camera  work,  and  the  writing  of  the story.

The  movie's  strongest  appeal  is  the  relationship  between  the  main  characters.  At  its centre, the movie  is  a  109  minute  bromance.  Gyllenhaal  and  Peña  play  so  well  off  of one  another  that  you  just  might believe  that  they  had  grown  up  together,  working  day  after  day  to  keep L.A.  safe.  The  only  problem  with  this  is  that  the  characters  never  disagree.  While  they  do  poke  fun  at  one  another  throughout  the  entire  movie  they  never  even  consider  that  what  the other  did  was  wrong.

Another  quality  that  the  movie  did  well  was  the  camera  work.  The  movie  was  shot  in the  “home  movie”  style.  Similar  to  Cloverfield  and  the  Blair  Witch  Project,  the  movie   is  supposedly  shot  by  officer  Brian  Taylor  for  a  college  thesis.  The  production  crew  went  all  out even  editing  in  the  picture  texture  to  give  it  a  mild  static  look  for  realism.  This  alone  would mean  nothing  if  the  charters  didn't  address  the  camera.

Finally  the  story  itself  is  very  well  written.  If  the  writers  had  gone  with  some  over  the top  action  movie  it  would  have  lost  most  of  its  appeal.  The  reason  the  movie  is  so  good  is because  the  charters  play  well  off  each  other.  Not  just  the  main  characters,  but  all  characters- the  cops,  the  gangsters-  are  ground  in  a  realism  that  adds  depth  to  the  entire  movie.

In  conclusion  the  movie  does  well  with  the  writing  and  character development  and  I  feel  that  the  only  shortcoming  is  that  the  movie  feels  short. Even  though  the  movie  is lengthy  it  crams  so  many  events  into  such  a  small  amount of  time  the  pacing  just  seems extraordinarily fast.

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Cavaliers Improve, Despite Loss at Mt. Juliet

By Ryan Eberle

Last Friday the Cavaliers had much to be excited about, except for the final outcome of the game.  The Cavaliers came into the game as a huge underdog, predicted by some people to lost by as many as 40 points to 6A No.7 ranked Mt. Juliet.  Mt. Juliet (6-1) had only one loss coming into the game, which came against Beech who had previously beaten the Cavaliers 56-0.
However, despite everyone’s expectations, Cookeville was the team that came out firing on all cylinders.  The Cavalier defense forced a quick 3 and out, and on the very first offensive play for the Cavaliers Ryan Eberle hooked up with Chase Mabey for a 60-yard completion all the way to the Mt. Juliet Golden Bears 8 yard line.  Unfortunately after a penalty and some miscues on offense, the Cavaliers missed a field goal and an opportunity to score first.  Then, it was the Golden Bears who went on a role, scoring twice and taking a 14-0 lead heading into the 2nd quarter.
Even though most people had written Cookeville off by this point, Cookeville had learned from the Beech game.  With a couple scores of their own and a last second field goal by Tyler Wright at the half, the Cavaliers had come within 8 points of Mt. Juliet and would receive the ball first in the 2nd half. 
The Cavaliers made the most of their first drive of the 2nd half, with an 8-minute, 15-play drive which resulted in an Alex Sklavenitis touchdown.  Then after a successful fake field goal pass to Blake Thurman, the Cavaliers were tied 24-24 and had silenced the Mt. Juliet homecoming crowd. 
Unfortunately the Cavaliers caught some tough breaks in the 4th quarter, and after a very controversial helmet-to-helmet penalty the Golden Bears had a 2-touchdown lead.  The Cavaliers though were not ready to quit just yet.  After driving down to the Golden Bears 2 yard line, the Cavaliers had 4 downs to score and draw within 1 score of Mt. Juliet.  Unfortunately, for the first time all night, the Cavaliers couldn’t come up with a big play when needed and turned the ball over on downs with a minute to go in the game.  Then the Golden Bears just needing to knee the ball and run out the clock, decided they would try to boost their rankings in the state and ran the ball in for another touchdown, effectively running up the score and showing just how un-classy they were. 
The Cavaliers will now face another tough test this week at home against previously ranked 6A No.8 ranked Riverdale.  It will be the senior night for the Cavaliers and their last regular season home game.  Riverdale has been the one game that has eluded the Cavaliers for years, but this year could be the year as Riverdale already has 3 losses and the Cavaliers will have home-field advantage on their side.

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Vote Kid President

By Sarah Foy

While you were reading the political arguments on Facebook (or joining in on them yourself), you might have missed a new candidate gracing the world of YouTube: Kid President.

He’s the self appointed voice for his generation, and he always tells it like it is. With a few hundred views on his YouTube channel, Kid President had a humble beginning, but soon the world took notice of his contagious charm, wit, and brutal honesty. For a special episode of his show, he interviewed the creator of Adventure Time, Ward Pen. But this was just the tip of the iceberg for Kid President. Soon, Frankie Jonas, the youngest of the famous Jonas Brothers, was appointed Vice President, drawing more eyes to this new take on politics. The biggest breakthrough for Kid President yet was announced just the other day. If you follow Rainn Wilson, a.k.a Dwight for The Office, you might have heard the news. Kid President is joining the popular Youtube Channel Soulpancake, a project co founded by Rainn Wilson himself. It’s apparent that Kid President has a bright future ahead of him, but you might be asking, “Just what does this kid do?”
Kid President encourages his viewers to take a different view on life. Instead of waiting for someone else to make things better, he tells us that it is our responsibility to give the world a reason to dance, to create positive change in the world. He respectfully asks adults to stop being so boring. He tells us to stop posting on Facebook and actually make stuff happen. Kid President isn’t all talk and no walk, though. Most recently he made a video calling attention to Krochet Kids, an organization that sells hats made by over a hundred different people in Uganda and Peru to help give these people jobs, education, and a future. I almost forgot the best part of Kid President. He’s likes to dance. A lot.
Kid President is definitely making the world a better place and giving us all a laugh at the same time. As soon as you’re able to get over the fact that this elementary school kid is way cooler than you will ever be, you can begin to take his advice and create positive change. I’ll leave you with the words of Kid President himself, “Don’t be in a party. Be a party.”

For more Kid President, check out:

http://www.facebook.com/KidPresident

https://twitter.com/iamkidpresident

http://kidpres.tumblr.com/

http://kidpresident.com/

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The Expendables 2

By Caleb King

The Expendables 2 The expendable 2 is the sequels to the 2010 film the expendables. Starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger one would think that the expendables would be high adrenalin action from beginning to end with a thread bare story to tie it together, and they would be right.

While I personally enjoyed The Expendables I couldn’t help but notice that it felt familiar. The movie really didn’t introduce anything new, but that is not to say that the movie was stale. The core of the film was to be an action movie and I feel that it was accomplished many times over. While the action was spectacular the story was, as stated early, bare. The complex twist and turns that allow other movies to keep you on your toes was not present. The story was overly straightforward and blunt. The villain (Jean-Claude Van) stated his every intention for his plans and telegraphed his every action.
While the story was far from phenomenal I was surprised by the character development. If you had watched the first movie you may have noticed the minor hostilities that Stallone, Willis, and Schwarzenegger had for one another in the church seen, yet in the sequel not only did the three Willing work together they went out of there way to save each other, this along with one character’s view of the deeper meaning of his meal and one character’s surprising M.I.T degree showed that the writers really wanted to show a more human side to their characters.
The humor mostly relies on allusions to the actors others movies. With three “I’ll be back” references, a Yippy-KY-eh and a Chuck Norris joke the film is not afraid to poke fun at the actors including remarks about the age of the actors. Though these are small remarks are funny trying to rely all humor on these is simply not enough for the two hour movie and this is clear even to the writers as they recycle old gags from the first movie.
Though the movie has lacking in story and humor, I do believe it accomplished what it set out to do make a great action movie. With that in mind I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves action movies or remembers these actors from the 80’s and 90’s.

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Memorable Phrases

By Gray Forrester

We’ve all done it. You’re walking down the hall when you hear
something that makes you stop and just go, “Huh? Did I really
just hear that?”. After some intense research, and more than
couple phrases and words I wish I hadn’t heard, here is a list of
some of the more memorable hallway phrases from this school
year.

• Dude. You should’ve seen my dog dance last night!
• Why are you only wearing one shoe?
• Oh, here’s some incoming traffic *beep beep*
• Dangit! I could’ve sworn today was Thursday!
• Did you really not know your shirt is inside out?
• I intend to live forever. So far so good!
• If your hair wasn’t curly, I swear it’d be at least 6 feet.
• Whatever you do, don’t tell her about the tarantula.
• Do you think he’d notice if I brought a pillow and went to
• sleep in the back corner?
• Fluggernugget…

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Charger Goes Online

A new school year, a new start. And a new Charger editor, Colleen Ryan, bringing many prodigious changes to our CHS Charger paper and staff. Perhaps most remarkable of all is the setup of the online edition of the Charger- a first for the newspaper. Miss Ryan proudly states, “It's just the beginning for the Charger. You can expect many more important changes to come.” 

So what is so important about the online edition of the Charger? Just about everything! Not only will students be able to browse the current issue, they will also be enabled to read past issues that are no longer available in print. Aside from the reprinting of the issues online, students will be able to read articles that the Charger did not have room for in printing. A conglomeration of important information and events can be learned of, while previously they would have been tossed away and forgotten.

What else does the online edition of the Charger bring to students? An important insight into the lives of the editor and staff members here at CHS. A link to each member is provided, including a photograph, taken by head photographer Blake Gentry, and a short biography about the member. Not only that, but links to each member's previously written articles will be provided, so that students may read as many articles by their friends as they want.

Each CHS student should be sure to take a look around the new website. It can be found at www.thechscharger.blogspot.com

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