Cross Country Makes it to State

by Keaton Ingle, senior

Cross country is a sport that takes extreme endurance and love for running. These are the qualities that motivated John I. Burton's Cross Country team to qualify for state finals.  plus, the entire boys team qualified as a team.

Bethany Powers, individual qualifier

The boys' team got second place at regions with 49 points, making it eligible to go to state as a team. Owen Lindsey led the boys' team when he came in third place overall with the other runners not far behind; he had placed first in district.

Burton sent one individual competitor, junior Bethany Powers, from the girls' team to state. She's made it to state before when she attended a different school, but this is the first time she's made it since being at Burton. At regional, she placed twelfth.

Boys' cross country

Making it to state is a challenge and hasn't been done in years for the J.I.B. cross country team. Most of the boys team who went to state were not even on the team last year, so they achieved an impressive accomplishment. It will be exciting to see how they improve next year since most of them are underclassmen. The recruiting has been outstanding from the second-year coach, Mr. Robert Fultz.

The state meet had the best runners in Virginia and Fultz said is an honor just to go. To be a finalist in state a runner needs to place in the top 15 out of 104 runners. Owen Lindsey placed 16th while the rest of the team was 40 places behind him. Bethany Powers got 60th place out of 100 as an individualist for the girls.

"The course was a challenging course. It even had a two foot deep river you had to run through. We will have it next year, though, since we know what to expect now, " Jonah Cochrane said.

While the team was attending state, they even managed to take a day to visit some historic sites around Washington, D.C., making it a fun and educational trip.

The Origin Project Publishes Student Writing

The Origin Project student anthologies
(source The Origin Project)

by Keaton Ingle, senior

The Origin Project has made its way to John I. Burton.
Norton Elementary students have participated in this program for a few years, but this year an opportunity came to the high school. Students in the Online Communication class that writes the Burton Blog will be participating. The Origin Project makes these kids really think about what home is and makes them think about the small details in life that makes home home.The program was started by Adriana Trigiani, the author of Big Stone Gap and ten other books.

Trigiana says on her website, “I always loved when guest artists came to our school. It sparked something in the students to meet writers from other places, and I know for sure it changes the lives of the writers.”

The Origin Project gave each participant a small orange journal to put stories and notes in as they write about their home, family, and sense of place. At the end of the project, each student will submit one piece of writing to be published in an anthology of all the student writers taking part in the project. The people who participate in the project will be invited on a field trip to celebrate the publication of the anthology of student writing and hear professional authors read and talk about writing.

My own attitude about having this chance to do the Origin Project is really joyful. We have looked at some writing from Rick Bragg, an author who won the Pulitzer Prize for journalism, to get a feel of the sense of imagery we need to have in our writing to make it good.

We have also done a poem to get us started on it  modeled after one called "Where I'm From." We brainstormed a list of things we remembered about our home and childhood to give us ideas.  The poem is still in progress; however, it's showing us the importance of home.

Another student in the class, Caitlyn Collins, said, "It is a fun experience for us to see all the small details that make my home." She continued, "My favorite part so far is sharing it with my classmates."

At the end of the semester, the students who participated will choose their best, or favorite piece of writing and submit it to be published in the anthology.

Girls Basketball Gets Going

by Tyrell Ingram, junior

It is finally basketball season here at Burton! Everyone is excited that the girls and boys both have done this school and the city very proud. We have a winning tradition here at Burton. In order to win, you have to have a great philosophy and Coach Chris Smith's philosophy is “Coaching is still a work in progress as this is only my second season as the head girls basketball coach. I learned some wise words from J.I. Burton state champion coach, Dr. Mike Goforth, now our principal. Those words were Effort, Attitude, and Ability."

He explained that a great player isn’t someone who just has the ability to be a great player. "They must also have a great attitude every day, and put forth great effort every day," he said. "If a player is lacking in any of those three areas, their performance is not going to be as successful as it could be. I am going to build my coaching and teaching philosophy around those three aspects.”

In order to have a successful program coaches have to express themselves and let parents know the expectations, as well. Coach Smith says his way of communicating with parents is to "have a preseason meeting with parents and players where I discuss the team rules and expectations. I give the parents and players the opportunity to also tell me what they expect from me as a coach. If I know what they expect from me and they know what I expect from them, our season usually goes pretty smoothly.”

While all this sounds good there’s always a problem in any sports with players missing practice. ”The only time this issue really occurs is in the early season when seasons overlap," Smith said. "For example, volleyball season, band, or cross country overlapping into the first couple of weeks of basketball season. If this occurs, there is no issue. If players miss basketball for any other reason, there are consequences listed in our rules contract that are pretty straight forward.”

Coach Smith describes himself as a new coach. " I have to learn from each team that I coach and take what I can from each team and their experiences. As a coach, every year the team dynamics are probably going to change based off of individual player strengths and weaknesses, " he explained. "So, the way I coach and strategize for each season is going to be based on those strengths and weaknesses.”

Coach Smith said that it is still too early in the season to tell exactly who his starting players will be for sure. Senior Sarah Mullins and Sophomore Maggie Williams were both starters on last season's team. "They will most likely start again if they continue to improve," said Coach Smith. Senior Zoe Ellis also started some games last season and got substantial playing time from the bench. The other spots will be up for grabs between Sr. Kaitlin Lindsey, Junior Akyssa Holinger, and Freshman Kaylee Jenkins.

Coach Smith’s expectations for this year are”like any other coach's expectations for their team. I want my team to be constant. Consistency is the key to success." He expect them to consistently show up for practice, play as hard as they can play and practice hard,and be there for each other as a family. "That will lead to consistent wins," he said.

Before They Were Burton Faculty and Staff

by Hunter R., senior

When the faculty here at Burton looks back on their lives, one of the things they remember is their first jobs. Some of the first jobs worked by Burton employees back when they were high school or college are secretary, a bag boy, waitress, disc jockey, bank teller, and insurance company employee..

Being in school limits people to only part-time jobs most of the time. Like most students, most of the teachers we interviewed had part-time jobs as their first jobs. Many kids may think that jobs are forced on teenagers by their parents; however, all of these teachers chose to get a job on their own because they wanted to have their own spending money.

Mr. Robert Fultz worked as a bag boy at a grocery store as his first job. He said, "I made around $2.00 an hour." That was the minimum wage at the time, but it is way less than the minimum wage today, $7.25 per hour. This job was only part-time and he only worked there a year and half. He learned communication skills and how to work with the public from this job.

Mrs. Stephanie Adams' first job was as a secretary at the Wise County Administrator's Office, "It was very difficult managing school and work because I was married and a full-time college student, but I was able to use time management skills to allow time for studying and only working Monday through Friday days helped me out too."

 Mrs. Addison got an even earlier start in the work force while she was a high school student. She said, "I was able to use work release, so I attended a few classes and then went to work." She worked as a bank teller for a few months, mading minimum wage at that time, which was $5.15 per hour. She decided to get this job to gsave enough money to buy a car. In addition to earning money, working as a bank teller with the public also taught her communication skills.

Mrs. Marshia Hunsucker's first job was a full-time job at an insurance company. She said, "My guidance counselor recommended that I graduate, get married, and get a job, so I did just that." She ended up working at the insurance company for sixteen years before changing to her job at Burton. She also stated that the job taught her communication skills and how to work with the public.

Mrs. Roop has had some really good jobs and some not-so-good jobs, she said. Mrs. Roop's first job was working as a waitress at Bonanza. "I made around minimum wage, which at that time was about $5 per hour." She was not nervous about interviewing even though it was her first job. She felt confident about getting the job because one of her extended family members owned the restaurant.

Her favorite job was being a disc jockey for a radio station in Tenessee because she got to attend special events such as the Bristol races and meet lots of people, including some celebrities. Her lest favorite job was working at a nursing home because she didn't like teh way that some of the staff treated the patients.

We are glad that all of our faculty decided to leave those previous jobs and come here to work at Burton!  

   

Burton Students Honor Veterans at Assembly

by Mary Tootill, sophomore

The John I. Burton community held a Veterans Day assembly on November 12, 2018. The entire student body, along with the NEMS choir, and several veterans and guests from the community participated.

The assembly began with the John I. Burton band playing The National Anthem, followed by the playing of the military service songs. The Pledge of Allegiance was then led by junior Caleb Barnette.

Dasanye Smith, also a junior, read a text about the end of WWI and spoke about the celebration of the anniversary held on November 11 every year.

The NEMS and JIB choir sang several patriotic selections.  Senior Brooklin Baker performed a vocal solo of "God Bless the USA."

A slide show created by history teacher Coach Sharpe was then presented,  including a montage of photos, videos, and songs depicting the service of veterans through various wars.

A porion of the ceremony was also planned by the Korean Wars Veterans Auxiliary and led by veteran Sgt. Ray Wells, accompanied by his wife Anna Wells, Taylor Bolling, and auxiliary chaplain Brenda Bolling,

Sgt. Wells shared  his own military experience and discussed the respect that students and all Americans should have for veterans.  He suggested that even better than thanking veterans for their service is to tell them they we will "never forget" their service and sacrifice.

Wells asked all of the veterans who had been invited as guests  to stand according to what war or when they had served. He then asked students who had close family members who served to also stand, and at least a third of the students stood.

Tayler Bolling, a J.I.B. alumna, sang the National Anthem, and Anna Wells played the autoharp and sang "This Land is Your Land." Sgt. Wells and Major Rasnick then told a story about a worn flag being insulted and did a dramatic recitation of Johnny Cash's "Ragged Old Flag."

Major Joe Rasnick  presented Corporal Hayward Gilliam with a Silver Star Award proclamation honoring him for his bravery in holding off the North Koreans and Chinese during a battle until reserve forces could respond.  Gilliam's brother, who had been killed during the incident, had received the Silver Star Award posthumously.

During the veterans' presentation, J.I.B. senior Skylar Williams was presented with the Veterans Appreciation Award, which Sgt. Wells explained is given to a student, who not only demonstrates academic accomplishment, but also shows sportsmanship, leadership, and good citizenship. 


All veterans were invited to attend lunch in the John I. Burton cafeteria after the assembly, and many of  them accepted the invitation.

Paper Planes and Other Things We Lost: Book Review

(Book Review) by Mary T., sophomore

Paper Planes and Other Things We Lost is a romantic novel by Mindy Hayes and Michele G. Miller. The first book in a three-part series, it was published in June 2016, followed by Subway Shops and the Places We Meet (February 2017), and Chasing Cars and the Lessons We Learned (May 2017).

The main characters names are Ruby, Brett, and Amber. Brett and Amber are twins who live in Pennsylvania, and Ruby is an only child who lives in California.

On June 18, 1993, Brett and Amber's mother and father, and Ruby's mother were passengers on Flight 397. The flight crashed off the coast of Long Island, killing their parents.

Brett and Amber are then left to live alone, considering that they're both seniors in high school. Ruby is also a senior, and is left to live with her dad.

Ruby goes in search of a coping mechanism to help her get through the loss of her mother. Her grandmother finds out about Amber and Brett, and suggests that she write a letter to Amber since they're the same age and are going through the same situation.

Ruby then writes and sends the letter to Amber, but Amber never writes her back because she's been going downhill since the crash and doesn't care enough to respond. Her brother Brett goes into her room and finds the letter and decides to write Ruby back himself.

Ruby and Brett begin to exchange letters and help each other cope with the loss of their parents.

They slowly begin to fall for one another, but the distance between them is one of many complications they experience.

Paper Planes and Other Things We Lost is a great choice for anyone who enjoys cheesy romance novels. It's a very heartfelt and sweet story about overcoming tragedy.

Benji: Movie Review

by Riley Lawson, junior

The 2018 remake of Benji is a modern  retelling of the classic  1974 film of the same name; its main characters are Benji the dog, and Carter and Frankie, who are human siblings. It is a excellent choice for many different situations: families watching together, adults wanting to watch the retelling of a classic movie from their childhood, children, dog lovers, or nearly anyone.

The movie features two child actors as the lead characters,  14-year-old Gabriel Bateman as Carter, and 9-year-old Darby Camp. Both of these actors have past experience with Gabriel playing parts in shows, such as American Gothic, and Outcast, and Darby has played in The Leftovers, and Big Little Lies. Probably the most interesting member of the cast, however, is the dog who plays Benji, as he was once a flea-ridden stray dog.  He was found by the director and his son in a grocery store parking lot, malnourished and scruffy, as they were looking for the perfect dog for the part (New York Post).

In the movie, Benji is a stray dog who quickly befriends Carter and Frankie against the will of their mother, who doesn't want them to adopt the dog. The kids soon find themselves in a dangerous situation where Benji must come to their rescue. Of course, after he saves the kids, the mother has a change of heart.

The movie does a good job of incorporating modern  amenities such as cellphones and computers, but doesn't make them a main focus point, which should help as the the movie ages. The only downside to this movie, which can probably be said about most movies intended for younger audiences is that the story is pretty predictable and can get boring at certain points.  Overall, Benji is a very good movie that I would recommend. 

Sources:https://nypost.com/2018/03/15/benji-star-was-once-a-flea-ridden-stray/

Fall Fashion Review

By Hannah S., junior

Mary T.. in a mustard-yellow sweater

This fall has brought us many new additions to our modern fashion -- everything from scarves and other accessories to jeans! Everyone knows that the fall is when we like to start wearing boots with boot socks, cozy sweaters, scarves and fun hats. 

The best part about a new type of wardrobe for fall is the colors. Fall colors usually include dark purple, yellow, red, orange and brown. These fun colors just help the fallen leaves stand out.

My favorite look of fall fashion is yellow sweaters and plaid scarves. To me, these can be paired with anything from stripes to solids. I personally think that yellow and orange shouldn't be paired together but look great with a multi-colored scarf. If pairing a scarf with stripes, most people like for it to be a solid colored scarf.

Kinley L. in a denim look

Another thing that seems to be coming back into style more than ever is denim. Denim is being paired with colorful leggings, boots, and a scarf. I wouldn't pair it with jeans, because it would just be too much of the same color, but that's just me. Nor would I wear pants and a shirt that are the same color. Fall is about being colorful with warm colors and warm clothing.

Marley S.in a skirt and burgundy tights

Trinity S. in a cozy fleece pullover

 My idea of "fall" is a warm dress, a scarf, boot socks, and boots.  I love seeing the different things that people come up with during the fall. Here are some fall looks being modeled by Burton students.

Cassie I. in  skinny jeans

Grace O. in  fleece-lined boots