by Adrian Lotshaw/Staff Writer

Zachary Perkins, a Greenfield-Central freshman, has created a company called Deranged Computing, along with Greenfield freshman friends, Zach Wolfe and Dylan Thomas

This business makes website and graphic designs, along with website hosting and search engine indexing.

Perkins said, “I have always wanted to start a business in high school. As a freshman, I made that dream come true.”

The main things that he had to know when starting a company was that  as a company leader cannot keep letting people bring you down. One must keep pushing forward. With that in mind, if it means dropping a worker, one must drop a worker.

Perkins is the owner and main coder for Deranged Computing.

Perkins stated, “The hardest part about running our company is keeping enough stamina to keep pushing forward. This is because there are constant anchors in our way, from a management standpoint.”

The plan for the future of Deranged Computing is taking it day by day. All Perkins expects from the company is being able to run a successful company and end up selling it by his senior year of high school for money for college.

Thomas is included in the production of this company by being the graphic designer for Deranged Computing. He says that he has always loved art and creating things. Thomas said joining Zachary in the creation of Deranged Computing was a great way to start off his career.

Wolfe is the supervisor in the company. His job is to help out Perkins in maintaining and making the websites they create. He stated that his interest in scripting websites and the ability to solve complex problems made him want to join the business of Deranged Computing.
Perkins said that there are many things to look forward to in the production of the company. He said, “There will be times where I just want to give up but I know that it is not the right thing to do.”

by Abi McKinney/Staff Writer

Photo: Connor Schrank, 12, and Sylvia Everett-Gough, 10, showcase their acting skills during One Acts Dec. 2-4.

Every year, the G-C theatre program has a group of four shows called Night of One Acts. Rather than being directed by Ted Jacobs, the school’s theatre director, these shows are directed by his students. One Acts were recently performed on Dec. 2-4.

While the directing a play may be great, it can have its up and downs from time to time. “The pros would be having so much creative freedom,” said Katelyn Robinson, 12, director of The Fourth Wall. “You can have your set look like anything, within reason of course, have your actors say the lines just the way you want, and you control the entire experience of the show. The cons would probably be the downside to each pro. Yes, you have creative freedom, but if you don’t know what you’re doing your production will show that,” Robinson said.

Robinson’’s show was loosely about how the show goes wrong and the actors must try and find a way out of the show.  Many great experiences can come out of theatre, and Robinson hoped to leave the theatre program with better leadership skills.

Theatre, like the One Acts, can be used as an outlet for creativity and passion. Robinson said, “The first time I knew I had a passion for theatre was when I found myself doing every single show no matter how difficult the people were to work with.”

You can’t have a play without actors, and Megan Roberts, 10, actress in the One Act Death of A Shoe Salesman, admitted that the reason she joined theatre was to push herself out of her own comfort zone. Roberts had done sports before, but confessed that she felt like she needed to try something new and meet new people. “Throughout this play I am learning more and more about how I can become a better actor,” Roberts said. “Also I hope to be able to impact others acting as well! It is all just a learning experience.”

All in all, there are benefits that come along with extracurriculars. “Some benefits of acting in high school are being able to speak in front of a large crowd and others with ease,” Roberts said. “It helps you make new friends and relationships with people that you normally would not make friends with. It is a huge learning factor, not just about acting but about yourself! Also it can help be a deciding factor for future career options.”

And of course, there would be no play, if it weren’t for the techies behind the scenes, working tediously to perfect every element of the show before the actors even get to say their lines. “The people in the audience really only see the actors but if it wasn’t for sound, paint, and etc. there wouldn’t really be a show,” Marnie Abram, 11, head of the paint department, said. “It’s really stressful and if something breaks you have to fix it, especially on show nights. You have to be prepared for anything to go wrong.”

Abram said there were many reasons to join theatre. “I love theatre, and I just can’t play sports. When you’re in theatre, you can be yourself, no matter who you are,” Abram said.

“I hope that people see that GC theatre is amazing, and will continue to be good. I hope that we get good shows,” Abram said.

by Sylvia Everett-Gough/Staff Writer

Picture and Caption: Frances LaBore, 11, competes in debate at the JSA Fall State convention.

Greenfield’s chapter of the Junior State of America attended this year’s annual Fall State event on Nov. 19 and 20. The event is held in Cincinnati, OH at the Marriott Hotel. Fall State is a function in which JSA chapters from OH, IN, KY, and TN come to debate, dance, speed-friend, work on volunteer projects, listen to TED talks, and meet their peers who share similar interests.

Frances Labore,11, chapter president, said that Fall State is “a bonding experience for the chapter.  You get to learn new things about people as their beliefs are challenged in a way that is not normally done in meetings.  Members also have the ability to speak to other members of JSA from other schools and learn new perspectives on issues.” This event creates the ability for members to step somewhat further out of their comfort zone in the name of gaining new outlooks. One of the many things Frances remembered learning is how a US Supreme Court case is analyzed and debated by watching the mock SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States), a new event this year.

While some members enjoy speaking and debating, other may just enjoy the company and the atmosphere. Marissa Macy, 12, said that her favorite part of the convention was “…the environment of politically aware youth.  I myself am much too nervous to debate but I enjoyed seeing other people debate what they were passionate about.” Even though she chose not to debate, Marissa says that JSA has started to bring her out of her shell and motivate her to learn more about the world.

John Scott, 11, summed up what it was to attend the convention. “Fall State is an event intended to serve as an opportunity for political activism and civics education, primarily through debate. The debates regard issues facing the United States today, including fiscal policy, education, health care, social issues, and how to best make them work with each other within our government,” he said.

Scott also said that he appreciated the convention’s ability to help students understand the issues facing our country as well as form opinions about them.  “I really took the most from the economics debates there. I have a better understanding of policy and the ways in which change needs to be provoked to better the lives of United States citizens,” said Scott.

Fall State is not JSA’s only convention. Other conventions include WInter Congress held in Washington D.C. and Spring State in Columbus, OH, both of which are overnight trips. JSA is always looking for new members to become part of the politically active and aware students through discussion and debate. For information on how you can join, contact Mr. Kevin Potter at [email protected] or Frances Labore at [email protected].

Photo by: Caylee Thurman/Staff Writer

Eagle Scouts Cameron Hackleman, 11, Michael Sosnowski, 12,  Cole Disser, 12, and Sam Calvert, 12, present the flags of the branches of the U.S. military in front of many Greenfield veterans.

by Steven Coffin/Staff Writer

Caption for Picture: Chris Churchill, 12, gives a presentation during Speech class with Mrs. Schoeff.

Many students are scared of taking Speech, but as a student currently taking it, I can proudly say that it is not that bad. It is actually my favorite class, and even though public speaking can seem like a frightening task as first; it quickly becomes a tool for self-confidence. There are many aspects of Speech that make it my favorite class, but there are also some bad aspects that come with it.

Comm121, or Speech, is a dual-credit class offered through Ball State University based around public speaking, philosophy of rhetoric, and building confidence. It is a class available for seniors and juniors but mostly seniors take it. I am the only junior in my class, and that made the first few days of Speech really hard, but I would’ve regretted taking it next year. I think I got the best Speech community possible.

The biggest thing I love about Speech is the community. Your peers in Speech are going through the exact same fright when they are speaking in front of the class, so the community quickly becomes non-judgmental because everyone knows it is easy to make mistakes when you are nervous. Mackenzie Horning, 12, agreed, stating, “My favorite thing about Speech is the learning environment.  It is very relaxed and non-judgmental. “  Public speaking is a lot easier when you know that the people you are speaking to are supporting you. Everyone is united in Speech; students may have different beliefs on topics, but everyone supports each other. An “um” slipping out of your mouth is just as bad for everyone in the room as it is for you.

Having a great Speech community also helps with the stress that is involved in Speech. The Hot Seat, an event that occurs occasionally on the day after reading a chapter is assigned, is very hard. The Hot Seat is when a student is picked, and they must stand behind the podium and answer three random questions precisely. You can either get five points, or zero points, depending on whether or not you got all three questions right or not. In my experience, everyone shouts out encouraging chants like “Steven Strong” and that really helps when you hear your name get picked for what might be the scariest event in any class ever.

The Hot Seat isn’t unfair, though; Mrs. Sue Schoeff puts on “Hot in Herre” by Nelly and gives us the time of the song to skim through the book and memorize important words and their meanings. Everytime I hear the tempo it puts me in a mode of immense stress, which helps me with my memorization. Many students do not read the book previously to their chance at the Hot Seat and they end up getting the five points due to the study time when “Hot in Herre” plays.

That brings me to one of the only things I dislike about the class, the reading. Since part of Speech is learning about the philosophy of rhetoric, the organization patterns, and parts of speech, students are expected to read most of the Speech book. Horning said, “My least favorite thing about speech is reading the chapters and taking the tests. I did not expect to have to read a book in speech class. While the tests aren’t hard,the hot seats are.“ I completely agree. So does Emma Douglas, 12, who said her least favorite thing is “Hot seats. Being under pressure like that kills me and I don’t read so it’s like double the no.”

Another great thing about Speech is that it completely changed my confidence and brought me out of the shell I have been stuck in for most of my life. Horning said, “Speech has helped me become more comfortable and confident in my ability to speak in front of people. It has also taught me how to develop different kinds of speeches and how to organize outlines.”  Emma agreed, stating, “Speech has helped me speak better in front of not only my classmates, but also the kids that I teach for over at Maxwell.” Not only has the class given me self- confidence as well, but it also led me to the decision to go to college for communications. That is how good Speech is.

It wouldn’t be as good without Mrs. Schoeff. Mrs. Schoeff adds humor to the hard work of Speech and she creates a nice balance that most classes lack. She also gives students the freedom to speak about whatever topic they want to speak about. The class rarely forces you to speak about topics that bore you, or that you don’t believe in. The final speech is a ten minute persuasive speech about a controversial topic with a five minute Q&A session. This may seem very difficult, but some of the stress goes away since we will actually know what we are talking about and we will be interested in the research. Horning said, “I am very comfortable speaking in front of my peers thanks to the practice and encouragement of Mrs. Schoeff.”

When I say freedom, I certainly mean it. For my media review speech I was allowed to review Childish Gambino’s album “Camp” and I rapped some censored verses during my speech. Knowing how happy the audience was afterwards, I can proudly state that rapping was the best decision I have ever made as a student. The speeches range from an informative speech about memes, to a speech about how scary jellyfish are, to a speech about a classmate. The possibilities are limitless

I greatly recommend any sophomore or junior to take Speech next year. It allows you to build self confidence, the community is fantastic and non-judgmental, Schoeff is a teacher with a unique teaching style, and the freedom found within Speech is unlike any class available in GCHS.

by Matt Haggard/Staff Writer

As a new school year begins with returning students and teachers, new students and teachers arrive as well.

Ms. Shelby Lewis, Mr. Reuben McCracken,  and Mr. Kevin Potter are among the new teachers.

McCracken came to Greenfield from Hagerstown. He has been a teacher for two years. As a new teacher here at GC, McCracken said that he is “really excited. It is a pretty good environment to work in.” He came to GC because he wanted to come closer to Indianapolis, and he applied to schools that he thought were good. “Fortunately this one came through,” McCracken said.

        The biggest challenge coming to GC for him was adjusting to a different school climate and working with different people and students, “just making an adjustment to something new.” The easiest part about coming here was the people he is working with. “So far everyone has been great. Everybody has been helpful with everything I need. It’s just a great staff to be around, everybody is welcoming to have me here.” His goal for this year is “just to have a successful year, be more comfortable where I am, and just becoming a better teacher.”

Mr. Reuben McCracken

        “I like it; I like it a lot,” Mr. Potter said of GC. He wanted to come here because it reminds him of where he grew up, for it has a very similar feel to it. He has many friends in Indianapolis and he wanted to move closer to them “and coming to a really good school for my first teaching job, I was very lucky.” Mr. Potter came from IU Bloomington.

The biggest challenge has been “just doing everything for the first time, because every single lesson that I teach, I have never taught before,” said Potter. The easiest part about coming was that “everyone I work with, all the other teachers, especially here in the Social Studies department, have been very supportive, and helped me out a lot. They’ve been a hundred percent accepting and ready to help me at any moment.” His goal for this year “is to just get used to it, to get used to teaching and improve my lesson plans, and to constantly be reflecting about what I liked about my lesson plans and what I disliked about my lesson plans.”

Mr. Kevin Potter

        As a new teacher here at GC, Lewis says, “I love it here so far. I love the teachers here, very helpful.” She wanted to come here to GC because she had a cousin who works at GC and that she wants to live more in the country.

The most nerve-racking part of the job search for Lewis was “trying to get a place that I would fit in and that they would like me as a teacher.” The easiest part for her was “knowing that it seems like a home place, and just knowing that I don’t have to come here and do everything by myself, such as the other teachers in my math department are willing to help me or help find a solution or the problem. I’ve got other people here willing to help me,” Lewis said.

Ms. Shelby Lewis