One girl, three notes

What would someone do if they found out that their best friend had committed suicide?  In "Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls" by Lynn Weingarten,June only wanted to finish high school without any drama.  However, June's normal high school experience dissipates when she learns her best friend, Delia, is dead.  June is unable to restrain herself from experiencing disbelief, when nearly everyone seems certain that Delia committed suicide, an act June knows her friend would never commit.   

June is a junior is high school.  She does not come from the best home, but always tries to make the best of every situation. One day she wakes up and goes to school like she would any other day, but something terrible happens. She overhears two girls talking about Delia's suicide. June is shocked by grief and disbelief.  Once June finds out how Delia supposedly committed suicide, she is even more convinced that it just could not be true.  Delia was said to have burned herself in her stepdad's shed, but June knew that she was terrified of fire. This causes June to question what really happened.

When Delia's most recent boyfriend, Jeremiah, comes to June and tells her that he thinks Delia was murdered, June sets out to find her killer. When reflecting on their many years of friendship, June begins to remember important clues that help her string the pieces together. She discovers that the truth is much uglier than she could ever image, and it involves some of the people she thought she loved most.

Written by: Makayla M.

Breaking the silence in "The Silent Sister"

Lisa MacPherson supposedly led a charmed life.  Being a violin prodigy who traveled the world to play in symphonies, she had a bright future ahead of her.  That is, until she was accused of murdering her violin instructor.  After the investigation started, Lisa's yellow kayak was found abandoned in the frozen Potomac River.  The police presumed that Lisa had committed suicide to avoid going to prison, but her body was never found.  Riley and Danny, Lisa's younger siblings, are too young to remember what really happened that winter, so Lisa's parents choose to hide the truth from them.  After this traumatic occurrence, the MacPherson family fled their home in Alexandria, Virginia, and moved to North Carolina. "The Silent Sister" by Diane Chamberlain is a suspenseful and captivating novel.  It tells the story through the eyes of Lisa and also in Riley's point-of-view as she discovers the truth about Lisa 

Twenty-three years later, Danny and Riley's father passed away.  Riley came home to clear out her father's belongings, only to find a large box of newspaper articles about her sister.  Out of curiosity and the longing to know more about her sister, Riley decided to research Lisa's case to find out what really happened.  Clues from old family friends, newspaper articles, and online blogs lead her to believe that Lisa is not actually deceased.  Throughout the story, Riley does everything she can to figure out the truth involving Lisa, her father, and anyone else who may have been linked to the murder/suicide. 

With a new twist in every chapter, Chamberlain keeps the reader wanting to know more.  Is Lisa alive?  Will Riley ever know the truth about what happened the night of the murder?  To find out more and uncover the secrets of the MacPherson family, read "The Silent Sister."


Written By: Megan D.

Burton students travel to Virginia Tech's Science Festival

On Saturday, October 8th, Virginia Tech held their annual Science Festival.  The science department at John I. Burton invited students interested in this event to attend under their supervision. Both Ms. Scott and Mr. Lawson, accompanied the students who elected to participate in this educational opportunity.   Mrs. Kinser and Mrs. McCall, from NEMS, also attended, chaperoning elementary/middle school Quest students.  Mr. Walker was kind enough to chauffeur nearly twenty-five NCS students and all four teachers to Blakcsburg. This Science Festival had many different science displays, some of which were interactive.

Jacob W., a sophomore at Burton, really enjoyed this event.  He said,"I feel like this event (is) perfect for anyone that enjoys science."  He continued on to say, "My favorite part of this occurrence was that everyone was there for one reason: that was science."   This event had multiple activities for anyone interested in participating.   VT also had multiple virtual reality sets to use.  People that went to this event could also watch liquid nitrogen ice cream be made and then eat it.  One last event out of the many more VT had was that visitors could extract DNA out of a strawberry.  Jacob said that the Science Festival was exactly what he thought it was going to be.

This year the Science Festival was somewhat different from previous years.  This year they had many Star Wars' characters making an appearance.  Mr. Lawson, along with many others, thoroughly enjoyed this facet of the event .  Mr. Lawson said that meeting the Star Wars' characters was his favorite part of the festival. Anyone interested in science should check this event out next year.  It is truly an educational and enjoyable experience.

Written By: Kim H.

Getting the facts right for the student body

APPLEachian studies crafting apple butter

Wise County welcomes fall

The 38th Annual Wise County Famous Fall Fling took place October 8th and 9th.  This family fun event was held in downtown Wise in front of the historic courthouse while the colors of autumn were at their peak.  Even though the weather was breezy, that did not prevent the community from attending this exciting celebration welcoming fall.

There was a diversity of Appalachian music to amuse the crowd, and several of the visitors used this as an opportunity to dance. Local dancers, such as The Center Stage Cloggers and Country Cabin Line Dancers, entertained the spectators as they passed.  Thomas Cassell, a former graduate of John I. Burton High School, performed for the guests, along with his band.  Other artists, such as Kings Messengers and White Top Mountain Band, made an appearance as well.        

Many contests occurred during the Fall Fling.  Saturday morning at 9:00 A.M., athletes participated in the NCH Heart-One Cardiac Rehab 5K Run and One Mile Fitness Walk.  For those with the passion for culinary arts, there was an Anything Apples contest from 9:30 A. M.-11:00 A.M. Saturday, in which contestants could enter their apple pie or apple butter.  This was also the second year that the Fall Fling has hosted a corn hole tournament.  There were also contests for photography, essays, and art.

There were child-friendly activities that were accessible to families in the community.  The Wise County Fire Department transported people on top of the fire trucks through town and back.   Inflatable Connections provided their train for utilization by children and parents. 

This annual event featured over 125 vendors.  These vendors sold homemade crafts, food, jewelry, and more.  Lincoln Road Cold Brew Coffee was selling their new Pumpkin Iced Coffee to coffee lovers.  Got Donuts, from Clintwood, Virginia, provided the hungry customers with fresh, hot, mouthwatering desserts.  One vendor, 'The Two Broke Chicks', sold tumbler cups and other items.  These were only a few of the vendors at Fall Fling.

The sponsors of this event help Fall Fling complete its mission, which is; "Connecting community to celebrate our mountain life with music, arts and crafts, both traditional and contemporary, by attracting visitors to create interest in our unique marketplace."  

Written by: Alex C. and Haley H.

The top five fall trends at Burton

The fall season is upon us and styles are changing. Faculty and students at Burton are bringing out their fall clothes, especially in deep, rich colors. Here are the top five fashions which are trending at Burton.

1. Knee-high boots

One of the biggest trends this fall is knee-high boots.  Here are some of the way students at Burton wear them. Lilly R., is wearing her boots with a tee shirt, scarf, cardigan, and a pair of jeans. Cassie I., is wearing  a high-low dress and leggings with her boots. Anyone can change up this look by adding a scarf with the dress or just wearing a  pullover sweater instead of a cardigan.

2. A sweater with a scarf

Ms.Cline enjoys wearing sweaters during the fall. With her sweaters she likes to add a scarf and a pair of flats. One way to change up this look would be to trade out the flats for a pair of boots.  

3. A sweater with sweater boots

Many people love to wear sweaters during this season. Morgan F., is one of the many students wearing one.  She is wearing hers with a pair of leggings and a light pink pull over.  One can change this look up by adding a scarf or a statement necklace.

4. Combat boots

There are many different ways to wear these boots. In the photo above, Torie A. is wearing hers with skinny jeans, a cardigan, and a scarf. One way to change up this look is to replace the cardigan with a henley.  

5. Dress with a cardigan

Both faculty and students have been spotted wearing this combination. Brooklin B., prefers wearing her dresses with boots. On the other hand, Mrs. Cook likes wearing her dresses with heels. A way to change it up is instead of heel or boots one can wear a pair of flats.

Written by: Makayla M. and Tori F.

Exploring South American culture in Spanish II

In the second six weeks of John I. Burton's school year, Mrs. Beauchamp's Spanish II class is learning about South American countries and their cultures. The students are putting together PowerPoint presentations about countries which have a Spanish culture. Each student was able to choose the country they wanted to learn about for their presentation. This is an annual project that Burton's Spanish II class completes.

 Some of the students in this class were initially resistant to this project because they wanted their studies to focus more on the Spanish language, as opposed to culture.  Camryn L., a senior at John I. Burton, expressed a different opinion about this project. She thought that it was important to learn about a country and the country's culture. Camryn L., stated, "It is also a good way to learn more about language in a fun, different way."


This assignment helped the students learn about the cultures, food, music, sites, economy, and the history about each of these countries. The goal of this project was to inform the students about the daily life of South American countries. 

Written by: Austin Q.