"Three Dark Crowns:" Action, Suspense, Betrayal

On September 20, 2016, "Three Dark Crowns" by Kendare Blake was released to the public.  In this book, every generation of royalty on the island of Fennbirn is gifted with a set of triplets: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

Becoming the crowned queen is not solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it, and it is not just a game of win or lose . . . it is life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins and does not end until there is only one that is left alive. The last queen standing gets the crown.

If only it was that simple. Katharine is unable to tolerate the weakest poison, and Arsinoe, no matter how hard she tries, can not make even a weed grow. The two queens have been shamefully faking their powers, taking care to keep each other, the island, and their powerful sister Mirabella protected. But, with alliances being formed, betrayals taking shape, and ruthless revenge haunting the queens' every move, one thing is certain: the last queen standing might not be the strongest -- she may be the darkest. Want to see how this gruesome battle unfolds? Check it out today in Burton's library.

Written by: Austin Q.

Students' voices heard through mock election

On Monday, November 7, John I. Burton's government students held a mock election. Government students went class to class across the school having the student body vote for the President of the United States, the Ninth Congressional District Representative for the U. S. House of Representatives, and a Norton City School Board member. With the 2016 Presidential Election being held on Tuesday, November 8, this was a well-timed activity which engaged students in the voting process.  

When the students voted for President of the United States, they had five options: Donald Trump as the Republican nominee, Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee, Gary Johnson as the Libertarian nominee, Jill Stein as the Green Party nominee, and Evan McMullin as an Independent politician.  Out of those candidates, Trump took the lead with 71% of the student body's votes.  Following Trump, Clinton came in second place with 20% of the votes.  Behind the two most popular candidates, Johnson received 3%, Stein 2%, and McMullin 1% .  The remaining percentages were write-in votes.

The Ninth Congressional District Representative nominees were as follows: Morgan Griffith, Derek Kitts, and Rick Allen.  62% of Burton's students voted for Morgan Griffith to hold this position.  Kitts acquired the second most votes at 24%, and Allen fell behind with 11% of the votes.

Three local candidates ran against each other for the Norton City School Board's open position.  Those three people were Sherry Adams; Mark Leonard; and write-in candidate, Arthur Jenkins.  Adams preceded the other candidates with 68% of the votes, Leonard came in a close second with 58% of the students votes, and Jenkins followed with 22%.

Written by: Tiffany A. Megan D

District win leads to playoffs

On Friday, November 4th, the Raider football team won the Cumberland District Championship.  This makes the second consecutive year they have won districts.  The Raiders played Thomas Walker on this date and had a final score of 46-7.   The team ended their district with 7 wins and 3 losses.  Therefore, they will be competing in the playoffs.

Junior, Andrew C., says that it feels amazing to have won district.  He also believes that the team can make it to state if they keep working hard and never settle with the level they are at, meaning there is always room for improvement.  Senior, Roy T., agrees that the team should keep practicing to make it to state.

The Raiders are currently preparing for the first playoff game of the season.  The game is on Saturday, November 12 against Narrows at John I. Burton High School.  Come help support the Raiders!

Written by: Paloma B. and Haley H.

A memorable senior night

On November 4, 2016, John I. Burton hosted their annual fall sports' senior night. This night was filled with laughter, tears, and memories. The senior walk started at approximately 7:00 p.m. on the Raider football field and lasted until 7:30. The crowded stadium stood in applause to recognize the seniors accomplishments. Each of the seniors were accompanied by family as they walked out on the 50 yard line to be recognized by fellow classmates and community members.

To begin the night, the senior football players took the lead in walking onto the field, along with their family, to be honored.  Following the football players, the remaining seniors who participated in fall sports were presented: cheer leading, marching band, color guard, cross country, one act, and volleyball. Each individual senior was named and recognized for their accomplishments in fall sports here at Burton.

Most seniors were rewarded with a memorable gift. Some of the gifts included picture frames, medallions, or goody bags. Several seniors including Candice C., Torie A., Austin B., and Ron Y. were all in agreement that this night
was sad but also exciting. Each of the seniors stated they are ready to see what life holds for them in their future after Burton. Candice C., member of the Burton Color Guard for four years, admitted she was very heartbroken as she walked on the field Friday night as a senior her last time.

Several seniors including Roy T., Ron Y., Torie A., and Candice C., all believe the fall sports they were recognized for on Friday night, has shaped them into becoming a better person. Through their experiences, these seniors have been taught values such as independence, responsibility, and leadership. In addition to the joy felt during this walk, the Raiders admitted they felt despondent knowing that their time here at Burton is coming to an end . Torie A. states that she will not only miss cheering on Friday nights but also the friendships she has built during her time at Burton.

All of us here at Burton's Blog would like to congratulate the seniors for all of the accomplishments they have made while at Burton. Seniors, just remember: "Once a Raider, always a Raider."

Written by: Haley Q and Kim H.

Raiders view Chicago: a musical filled with murder and manipulation

On Thursday, November 3 the Dramatic Raiders and a few other specially selected students attended the play Chicago at Barter Theater. These students were accompanied by Ms.Davis, Mrs.Bias, Mrs. Poteet, and Mrs. Sharpe. This group left Burton around 12 and arrived at Barter around 1:30, just prior to the play's start time at 2. The production lasted for approximately 2 hours.

Ms. Davis, the drama instructor, had previously viewed Chicago twice on Broadway, yet she still believed the Barter production was wonderful. She pointed out that the size of the theater made her feel like she was in a jazz club and lead to the audience being closer to the actors. Lisa Davis continued on to say that she would gladly take any students who have an interest in theater back to the Barter.

Seniors Candice C. and Jon M. both attended the field trip to the Barter Theater to see Chicago. They both agreed that it was an amazing play and would go back to see it again. Candice C. said that she thought the play was better than the movie. Jon M. stated " so far this has been my favorite production from the Barter."  Everyone who went enjoyed the show and would recommend it to others.

Written by: Makayla M. and Alex C.

Burton's band to perform in the Sugar Bowl

Every year, the John I. Burton Marching Band takes a trip to reward the members of the band. These trips are often costly, requiring students to do extensive fundraising and/or pay remaining fees out-of-pocket. While Burton's band trips are expensive, they offer a priceless experience to students. This year, the association is taking an eleven hour bus ride down to New Orleans on December 30th through January 3rd. While on this trip, the band will visit many locations.  They will be touring the city, visiting World War II memorial, visiting the French Quarter, touring a cemetery, going on a New Years dinner party on a river boat through the Mississippi river, and last of all performing at the Sugar Bowl.

For the Sugar Bowl performance, John I. Burton will be accompanied by ten other bands. They will be performing "On the Town" with a guest singer, although they do not know who it will be.  They will also be performing "Dancing in the Streets." This will then transition into "Uptown Funk." This will be one of Burton's largest band performances to date.

From the selection of songs that the ten bands are playing, certain songs will be more challenging for specific instruments. For instance, "Uptown Funk" will be harder to play on the saxophone, clarinet, and for the trumpet. Maggie R., a saxophone player in the band, said "Learning this music was way beyond hard because of the rhythms."   Kali D. a flute player in the band, said "Learning this music was extremely hard. No song, in particular, was really hard to learn; it is the whole performance that is the challenge."

This event will be televised so thousands upon thousands of people will be watching from all over the nation. With such an extensive audience, there are mixed opinions about this approaching performance. Some feel confident while others are nervous. Be sure to watch your fellow high school marching band perform at the Sugar Bowl on January 2nd, 2017.

Written by: Austin Q. and Michael M.

Trapped in "The Cellar"

"The Cellar" written by Natasha Preston is thrilling. On a dull summer night, Summer, the main character, and her friends decide to go to a club. Summer tells her boyfriend, Lewis, she is attending, but she is going to walk by herself. Lewis is not too fond of the idea because it is late at night, and it could be dangerous. Summer would normally walk with her friends, but they are going earlier. As Summer is walking, she hears odd noises and she starts to get a weird feeling in her stomach. She hears a guy's voice say, "Lily, is that you?" She tries to tell him that she is not Lily, but before she can answer, he hits her over the head and throws her into the back of a van. She hears the van start and after a short time it stops.

Summer wakes up in a cellar surrounded by three others girls. She is terrified because she has no idea who they are, and they keep calling her Lily. She tells them that her name is not Lily, it is Summer. They tell her that their names are Violet, Rose, and Poppy. The girls try to explain to her that if she does everything he tells her, she will okay, but if she disobeys he will punish her. Poppy explains that they have a set breakfast and dinner time, and everything has to be clean because he does not like anything messy. Rose explains that he only comes down during breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sometimes throughout the day to check up on them. When the hour for breakfast arrives,  Lily hears the cellar door unlock.  Her kidnapper walks down and greets everyone calling them flowers.  He explains to her that his name is Clover, and over breakfast she learns that he has an upstanding career as a lawyer.  She does not understand what is happening because he does not seem like a person who would kidnap girls. 

After a few months of doing the same routine over and over, Summer has not fully accepted that she has been kidnapped. She wants to try to murder her kidnapper, but none of the other girls want to hurt him. Clover has them brainwashed, except for Violet. Violet cannot handle being in the cellar any longer. One day when Clover came down for breakfast, Violet hit him over the head with a vase. Clover then preceded to turn around and pin her against the wall and murder her. Poppy and Rose watch without emotions, but Lily (Summer) is horrified. Clover instructs his flowers to clean up the mess. Want to know if she escapes? Or if she survives? To find out more, read the book "The Cellar" by Natasha Preston, available in Burton's library. 

Written by: Tori F.

"After Night Comes the Morn:" Photo release