English 10 Honors taking EOC Writing SOL

This year will be the first year that the English 10 honor students at Burton high school will complete the End of Course Writing SOL test. Prior to this year, this test has only been given to juniors at Burton.  Several sophomores have been preparing for this test since the beginning of school, including Haley M., Megan D., Paloma B., Skylar W., Zoe E.. Haley H., Malachi K. Sarah M., and Iyanna M.

Ms.Cline, the English 10 honors instructor, recently stated that she thinks her class is nervous to be the first sophomore class to undertake this endeavor at Burton; however, she is confident that every student in her class has the ability to pass this test.  Ms. Cline further emphasized that she received EOC Writing SOL tips from both Ms. Davis and Mrs. Bias in preparation for instructing her students.

Most of the students in Ms. Cline's class seem to be approaching this test with caution.  Skyler W. a 10th grader who is taking the Writing SOL test, stated that he is very ambitious, and a little nervous; nonetheless, he believes the students in English 10 honors will pass.  Students will take this test on October 17 and 18.  Burton's Blog wishes them the best of luck!

Written by: Michael

Finding the truth in "We Were Liars"

What happened that summer night two years ago?  For Cadence, this is a perplexing question that seems impossible to answer.  In the book, "We Were Liars," Cadence Sinclair Eastman visits her grandfather's private island every summer with her whole family.  She is greeted by her favorite cousins, Mirran and Johnny, and a close family friend, Gat.  Together, the four friends make up the Liars, a name they have given themselves.

One life altering night, when Cadence was fifteen, she went for a swim at the shores of the beach.  Disastrously, she smashed her head on a rock and went into a state of  unconsciousness.  Cadence woke up in the emergency room, unable to remember anything that happened over the last couple of months.  She was diagnosed with amnesia and chronic migraines; she was forced to suffer with the constant pain they dispensed.

For two years after this terrible incident, Cadence lived her life in the dark.  She locked herself in her room, gave away all of her belongings, and scarcely talked to anyone.  All Cadence was left with was a debilitating condition and a blurred memory.  Nonetheless, Cadence continued to feel certain that something gruesome occurred right before she hit her head.  Although Cadence is unable to fully decipher her memories, she continues to be determined to extricate herself from the confusion.  The summer she turns seventeen, she returns to the island and finds out the truth.

Written By:  Paloma B.

The Raiders claim victory over the Tigers

On October 7, 2016 the John I. Burton Raiders competed against the Honaker Tigers. For this game, the Raider fans put aside their usual orange and black attire and adorned themselves in pink, for a "pink-out" night in order to support breast cancer awareness. Most of the players also tried to wear pink while on the field; some players wore pink stickers, pink wristbands, or even pink socks.

To start off the night, the Raiders won the coin toss, playing offense against the Tigers. Minutes into the first quarter, the Raiders headed for their field goal and a fumble was made, soon recovered by Honaker. This was followed by a field goal for the Tigers, bringing the score to 3-0 with 5:21 left in the first quarter. Tyree B., #10, from John I. Burton retaliated with a total of 65 yards in just two plays. Followed by Mikey C., #34, scoring the Raiders their first touchdown along with a clear field goal, bringing the score to 8-3.  The Raiders held steady on top throughout the remaining time in the first quarter.

The Raiders wasted no time in the start of the second quarter, with a fifty yard carry made by  #7, Austin L. After this carry, Austin L. scored the Raiders their second touchdown of the night with a successful field goal kick by #34, bringing the score to 16-3. Shortly after, the Tigers scored their first touchdown of the night, taking the score to 16-9. With the Raiders having possession of the ball, a fumble was made and quickly recovered by the Tigers. Honaker took the opportunity and ran their second touchdown along with a field goal, taking the lead with a score of 16-17.  The Raiders did not allow the Tigers to hold the lead for long, for Mikey C. scored his second touchdown of the night with only 6.7 seconds remaining in the second quarter. By the end the second quarter, the scoreboard read 22-17, with the Raiders leading.

After halftime, the Raiders scored another touchdown made by Tyree B. along with a clear field goal, bringing the score to 30-17. In this play, it was announced that Tyree B. had ran over one thousand yards in this season.  While the Tigers had possession of the ball, Burton's Austin L. made an interception for the Raiders, making a touchdown along with a two point conversion. This brought the score to 38-17.  This amazing play was shortly followed by another touchdown from Mikey C., taking the score to 46-17.

During the fourth quarter, both teams remained at a steady pace until the Tigers score a 48 yard field goal, raising the score 46-20. This was followed with a Tiger touchdown with only 1:25 remaining in the game.  The final score of the night was 46-27 with John I. Burton taking their fourth victory of the season. Congratulations Raiders!

Written by: Haley Q. and Tiffany A.

Burton's Band wins big

The walk for Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. On Friday, October 7, a special event will be held in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness, prior to the home football game. Fighters, survivors, and friends and family members of those who have lost someone to breast cancer will be walking onto the football field in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness.  Families in the Norton community are encouraged to come Friday night to support those that have been affected by breast cancer.

Karli U., a cheerleader at John I. Burton, will be walking Friday night in honor of her Great Aunt, Joyce Mills, who was diagnosed with Breast cancer 12 years ago. Karli thinks that it is important to show love and support to those who have fought against breast cancer.  She believes that it is courteous to honor those who have fought this battle because, "They're fighting for their life. It is important to show respect and support because you never know if it could be your family next."

John I. Burton's guidance counselor, Melissa Cook, appreciates the idea of recognizing women that have had their life altered by cancer. Mrs. Cook has had six family members diagnosed with breast cancer.  Her mother was diagnosed 11 years ago and her aunt was diagnosed five years ago. She thinks the idea of a walk for breast cancer is inspiring and may open people's minds to the importance of awareness as well as early detection.

David LoBiondo, an English teacher at Burton, recently lost his mother to breast cancer.  Mr. LoBiondo shared her story:

Mr. Lobiondo's mother lived in Charlottesville, Virginia. Mr. LoBiondo called to ask his mom if she would be able to visit his grandfather who was not doing well. While she was in Norton, she started to feel sick and decided that she needed to go to the hospital. David Lobiondo stated, "They basically told her that she had Stage 4 Breast Cancer and there was not a lot that they could do." Mr. Lobiondo's mother had emergency surgery and had a tumor removed from her neck. "It was breast cancer but it had moved to her back and was now on her neck." said Mr Lobiondo. His mother told him that if anything ever happened to her and she would need to be resuscitated, that she did not want him to do it. He stated that his family had time to mentally prepare for the death of his mother. Although the passing of his mom was very difficult for the family, he is very grateful that she had the chance to meet his daughter, Lilly.

To support those who have been affected by breast cancer, come out to Friday night's game as Burton promotes Breast Cancer Awareness.

Written by: Alex C. and Tiffany A.

A new year for the Key Club

In 2016, Burton's Key Club has been assigned a new club leader, Mr. Lawson; a new president, Madison C.; and a new vice president, Bailey J.  This club currently has 25 members, and it seems as if they are all ready to go to work for their community. Mr. Lawson, the club sponsor, seems very excited about getting the young adults in his club to make a difference for their community this year.

Burton's Key Club frequently does a lot of community service including raking leaves and wrapping gifts for families in need. Lawson plans for members to complete similar activities this year.  Key Club is the perfect club to join for students looking for community service hours or for students who want to better their community.

Mr. Lawson is currently considering what kind of field trip the Key Club may take this year; last year students traveled to Dollywood, as a reward for their community service.  Lawson is considering taking students to the same destination, but it remains unclear at this time if this will be an option with scheduling.

Written by: Michael M.

Vocabulary projects in the English classroom

Brooke Bias, an English teacher at John I. Burton High School, challenged her English students to complete and present vocabulary projects each week, as opposed to completing a vocabulary packet and taking a traditional quiz.  She added vocabulary projects to her English courses after NCS began to implement Project Based Learning. Mrs. Bias's English 12 and English 11 students were assigned 10 vocabulary words each week during the first six weeks period. Some project options from the first six weeks period included creating a rap, a short story, or a PowerPoint slide containing all ten of the vocabulary words. The second six weeks project options now include creating a recipe booklet, writing and performing a skit, or writing a paragraph about another subject of study; each of these projects also has to contain all ten assigned vocabulary words. 

Mrs. Bias's English 11 class has the same project options as the 12th grade class, but the classes do not have the same vocabulary terms. Juniors have vocabulary practice sheets that they work on every Monday, and then on Tuesday they pick a project to complete.  Juniors present their projects every Friday.  The 12th grade vocabulary assignment was originally structured the same way; however, testing completed by Mrs. Bias's students at the end of the first six weeks revealed that most of the seniors struggled to recall a significant number of  vocabulary words and their meanings. Mrs. Bias has since altered the work her seniors must complete; the seniors are now assigned 10 vocabulary words for every two week period.  During that time period, they complete an extended practice packet, which lets students continuously see these words used in context.  Then, they complete a project which is presented every other Thursday.  Finally, on Friday of the second week they complete a more traditional 10 question quiz. Mrs. Bias said she believed implementing projects would help her students tremendously, but pointed out that it seemed to help her juniors more than the seniors.  Mrs. Bias attributes this difference in success to the more reserved nature of the students in her senior class, as well as a student tendency to rely on synonyms. 

Nonetheless, Mrs. Bias feels that implementing these projects can enhance the soft skills of students.  Students focus on presentation skills and their social skills as they work closely with their peers. Mazzy T., and J.T., juniors, said they have enjoyed doing projects because they enjoy seeing what other groups have completed throughout the week.  Mazzy said her favorite project was the rap her group prepared and performed because they had the chance to relate their vocabulary words to their life.J.T.'s favorite part was the art project where he got to cut out pictures from a magazine that related to the words and glue them onto computer paper. Both of these students hope to continue with these projects because it helps them learn the words better than taking quizzes.

Written by: Tori F.

Dancing Halloween away

Most schools host a multitude of dances annually. Unfortunately, John I. Burton's usually only hosts one annual dance: prom.  Recently, Burton High School's student council has undertaken hosting a Halloween Dance, but at least fifty people have to sign up stating they will attend.  If attendance reaches an appropriate level, the dance will be on Saturday, November 5, 2016 from 8-11 p.m. in the gym at John I. Burton.  For each individual the price will be five dollars; this fee must be turned in by October 21st.  Food and drink will also be sold at the Halloween dance.

Ultimately, it is important for John I. Burton to have more dances throughout the year, so students can come together more frequently to enjoy the time they have together.  Schools should focus on learning, but high schools also need to be enjoyable, for students: it is a one time experience.  Let it be applauded that John I. Burton is attempting to have another dance this year. 

For this event, students can dress up in their favorite Halloween costumes - as long as they are school appropriate.  There will be a costume contests, where students can win prizes.

This event is sure to be memorable for all the students and teachers.  Planning for it, decorating for it, and then going to the dance will create a positive environment for everyone in this school.  It would be also be ideal, if we could have a fall festival during school hours on the same day.   The students here at John I. Burton need more opportunities to be involved in positive experiences with each other.  Hopefully, this will be considered at John I. Burton.  Burton's Blog encourages everyone to sign up for the Halloween dance!

Written by: Kim H.