BEAR TRACKS FOR NOVEMBER 22, 2011

The students, faculty and staff at Robertsdale High would like to wish each and everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! RHS will be taking Thursday and Friday off to spend with their families and friends, as they eat Thanksgiving lunch and prepare for some Black Friday shopping.

Thanksgiving traditionally kicks off the Holiday Season, which culminates with Christmas and New Year’s. Besides the music of Christmas, there are the decorations, shopping, parades, special foods and most importantly; remembering the reason for the season.

For many stores this is the make it or break it time of the year, and with the economy in the dumpster it is a great opportunity to pick up some bargains.

Still, there are some other aspects of the economy that need to be considered. Instead of buying foreign, why not make purchases of “Made in America” items. The same holds true for shopping locally. Not only do a number of our students work at these stores, but our economy can only be as strong as our small businesses.

So why not start a new tradition this Christmas and give such items as gift certificates to locally-owned restaurants and eateries, car detailing, oil changes, a house cleaning, or for a salon or barber shop visit?

Sure, it calls for thinking outside the box, so to speak, but by keeping your spending local you help the small businesses that help RHS year-in and year-out.

Of course a gift that is sure to mean a lot is one that is made locally, whether it is a piece of jewelry, a knitted scarf, or a crocheted baptismal dress.

The Council on Aging, which is located in the Robertsdale branch of the Baldwin County Court House, has a store from which the senior citizens sell their home crafted goods.

By supporting locally run businesses you support America’s economy, and that’s something that’s a gift we can all appreciate.

The National Honor Society held its tapping for 2011 Tuesday in the gymnasium. Those being inducted into this prestigious organization included; Lauren Burch, Brittany Hammock, Brandon Laird, Anastasia May, Lauren Mosley, Blake Sandoval, Gerson Tunek, and Taylor Volovecky. These students are all members of the senior class.

The juniors who were tapped, include; Emily Laken Britton, Jacob Bushaw, Victoria Clark, Victoria Creamer, Emily Hahn, Mary Kayla Harris, Sydney Hoover, Joshua Laird, Tayla Beth Lucas, Tyler Phelps, and Matthew Wilson.

Members of the sophomore class who were inducted, include; Katie Arrington, Timothy Bankester, Mallory Burch, Joseph Eric Butts, Tyler Byrd, Kaleb Coleman, Samuel Criswell, Erin Curtis, Tyler Everett, Brittany Fordham, Sarah Michaela Forland, Pierson Gilreath, Corey Hadley, Danielle Johnson, Ashlyn Justus, Marissa Kendall Langham, Jalen Law, Samuel Lewandowski, Logan Mitchell, Sydnee Pasquarello,Trista Phelps, Maria Sabogal, Christen Salac, Crystal Smith, Rachel Starling, Baylee Shackelford, Samantha Stott, Ryan Thomley, Carmen Vivar, and Kara Wells.

Following the induction ceremony the new members and their parents were given a reception in their honor.

RHS’s Model United Nations will be competing next week, as the Golden Bears take on all of the other high schools in the county. The object is to be up on current events, to have prepared a paper on the assigned topic, and then to give that paper orally before several judges. A student must then defend their paper, or their point of view, during a debating session.

The RHS women’s cross country team certainly worked hard this year, and in the process earned the right to compete at the state meet Nov. 12, in Moulton, Ala. Trista Phelps was the top finisher for Robertsdale with a time of 21:28. This is probably the first time the women’s cross country team has gone to state. There they broke into the Top 20, as they finished 16th in overall against some very tough competition.

The Robertsdale High Powder Puff Bowl will be played Nov. 23, with kickoff slated for 5:30 p.m., at J.D. Sellers Stadium. Admission is $3 with the money that is raised going to benefit the RHS cheerleaders.

The games are a quarter long, and pit the various classes against each other. This past year the seniors were the victorious team, just as they were when they were juniors and knocked off that particular year’s seniors.

Naturally, there are bragging rights on the line for the winning team. The teams will be coached by members of the RHS varsity football team, with the cheerleaders being a bunch of less than attractive guys in drag.

The Naval Jr. ROTC unit at RHS passed their annual inspection with flying colors on Nov. 9. The inspection was performed by the commanding officer of all the NJROTC units in this district.

For 10 years in a row the Robertsdale NJROTC was deemed the best in the state. For the past two years they’ve been edged out by another high school, however, Cmdr. Gary Watkins feels that this year’s unit will take Robertsdale back to the top.