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By Saloni Patolia, Hidden Valley High School

Director John Madden gives an interesting twist on William Shakespeare in his 1998 film “Shakespeare in Love.”

In the movie, Joseph Fiennes plays the titular William Shakespeare, the world-famous playwright who penned greats such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Hamlet.”

The movie is not a new point of view on one of Shakespeare’s plays, but is rather a twist on the life of young Shakespeare and his inspiration for his famous play, “Romeo and Juliet.”

In the movie, young Shakespeare is a struggling poet, playwright and actor. He has an all too familiar case of writer’s block and can’t seem to write anything worth reading.

But when he meets Viola de Lessep, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, the two begin a love affair and Shakespeare finds inspiration for the immortal “Romeo and Juliet.”

The film captured a realistic love story and I strongly recommend it to Shakespeare lovers and first-time Shakespeare fans alike. The movie, like many of Shakespeare’s plays, captures love, comedy and tragedy, and ties them all together to make a wonderful film.

By Jessica Wiegandt, Lord Botetourt High School

Small sounds of dings and rings are audible from smart phones and tablets may be due to a game called Ruzzle.

Ruzzle is a new application available for handheld devices that allows users to connect with their contacts, Facebook friends or random opponents to play the word game.

Ruzzle was created by MAG Interactive in March of 2012. The game seems to have since skyrocketed into popularity, and I’ve noticed  students at Lord Botetourt High School have become avid players.

The app consists of a board of letters, each contained within a small box. The player drags their finger around the screen to create words out of the letters. It’s like a jumbled up version of Boggle.

The player is on a two-minute time limit to get as many points as possible to beat the opposing player. (The longer the words, the better, and some letters can even earn a player extra points.)

The app is a game for iPhone and Android owners who are players seeking a new word game to play.

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By Julia Rogan, Patrick Henry High School

“The Twelfth Night,” written by William Shakespeare was adapted into a modern-day movie called “She’s the Man.”

In “The Twelfth Night,” the main protagonist, Viola, is shipwrecked and has lost contact with her twin brother, Sebastian.

Viola disguises herself as a man and uses the name “Cesario” in order to get a job as a page for the Duke of Orsino.

Meanwhile, the Duke believes that he is falling in love with his neighbor, the wealthy Countess Olivia. In an effort to win over Countess Olivia, the Duke sends Viola as a messenger to persuade Olivia to marry the Duke.

But that has the opposite effect when Olivia begins to fall in love with Cesario (who is really Viola).

Things get complicated when it turns out that Viola’s brother is actually alive, and didn’t die after the shipwreck.

When both Viola and Sebastian are seen together, it creates much confusion among the Duke and the Countess. Viola then reveals that she is in fact a woman, and all ends well when Viola marries the Duke and Olivia marries Sebastian.

Read more »

By Scott Bledsoe, Hidden Valley High School

Ask any upperclassmen about what annoys them most at school, and I bet many will respond with “crowded hallways.”

At some smaller schools it’s not as big of an issue, but at schools like Hidden Valley, with over 1000 students, it’s a huge pain.

And what aggravates the situation is freshmen standing in huge gobs in the middle of a hallway. I am sure every other upperclassman feels my pain

I’ve seen these mega groups of freshmen form so big they completely block the entrance to a hallway. You literally have to plow through any two people in the bunch in order to have a hope of getting through.

It’s amazing the rate at which these groups grow. First, one or two students stop to talk in the middle of your path, which is annoying enough. Then three, then four, then fifteen!

Sometimes I feel like I need to be riding a bulldozer down the main hallways as I try to get to class.

Oh well, I’m a senior so I won’t have to deal with this annoying habit much longer; unless students have a tendency to clump together and block entire pathways on my college campus! I doubt that will happen, but people surprise me all the time.

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By McKinley Saunders, Lord Botetourt High School

The popular 1999 movie “10 Things I Hate About you,”  starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger, was based off of Shakespeare’s famous play, “The Taming of the Shrew.”

In “The Taming of the Shrew,” characters Katherine and Bianca are sisters. In order for one sister to be married, the other must marry as well.

That’s where two male characters come into play.

Lucentio likes Bianca, but he cannot court her until her sister gets married. Petruchio is paid to tame and court Katherine, so that Bianca will be allowed to marry Lucentio (whom disguises himself as Cambio to woo Bianca).

Petruchio is mean and disrespectful towards Katherine in order to “tame” her. His main job is to turn Katherine into a better behaved woman.

In the end of “The Taming of the Shrew,” Petruchio and Katherine get married, as do Lucentio and Bianca.

10 Things…

The movie “10 Things I Hate About You” is set in a modern day high school. The characters have the same or similar names to those in Shakespeare’s play, and behave similarly as well.

The main characters are Kat (as Katherine), Bianca, Cameron (as Lucentio/Cambio) and Patrick (as Petruchio).

Kat and Bianca live in a very strict household. Their father will not allow Bianca to date until Kat does, but Kat has no interest in dating.

Cameron is a classmate of Bianca’s wants to date her. So he pays Patrick to date Kat.

Patrick is charming and intriguing, and in the end, Kat falls for him, and Patrick and Kat and Cameron and Bianca end up dating.

The plot in the movie is similar to the plot of the play. Many of the changes made were because of the differences in society. Nowadays, high schoolers do not usually “court,” or get married.

By Amber Montgomery, Glenvar High School

The Glenvar community lost one of their own in January when freshman Michael Sandridge passed away from cancer.

Not only was he a member of the school’s football and soccer teams, but he was recognized as a good role model for his peers.

Michael Sandridge

“Michael was a very loyal and friendly person. He got along with everyone and always had a smile on his face,” said Glenvar High School coach and teacher Kevin Clifford. “Michael was very unselfish, as well. When Make a Wish Foundation visited and offered him any wish, he asked for them to purchase new weight equipment for the football weight room. He thought of his teammates ahead of himself.”

Since the loss, the community has come together to keep his memory and fighting spirit alive. The Michael Sandridge Scholarship has been started in his name. The scholarship, available for Glenvar students, is planned to be offered annually beginning in 2014, and the specific criteria for the scholarship have not yet been determined.

And the community support is not stopping at the high school’s doors. To benefit both the scholarship and cancer research, the high school will host the Glenvar Avenger 5K on May 18 as a fundraiser and rally for the community. Read more »

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“Gnomeo and Juliet”

By Julia Rogan, Patrick Henry High School

“Gnomeo and Juliet”is another adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

In this comedic animation, Romeo and Juliet are garden gnomes (Gnomeo and Juliet) located in backyards of homes on opposite sides of a fence.

The story takes place along Verona Street. Neighbors, Mr. Capulet and Mrs. Montague, despise each other, and each want to have the most beautiful garden.

Capulet dresses in red and his garden is filled with red gnomes, while the Montague and her gnomes are dressed in blue.

Gnomeo and Juliet meet one night and have a romantic fight over a unique orchid. They are both dressed in disguises at the time they meet, so their colors are hidden from each other.

The story goes on from here, and is full of lawnmower races and encounters with a pink, plastic flamingo.

The reds and blues fight to the end, each gnome trying to destroy the other sides’ garden.

But this is where the story differs from the original play.

In the end everyone resolves their differences and has a happy ending, and Gnomeo and Juliet both live.

Read more »

Illustration by Alexis Holland, William Byrd High School

By Scott Bledsoe, Hidden Valley High School

 The work of some poets and writers may die off in popularity, but the plays, poems and sonnets of William Shakespeare have prevailed for centuries.

In addition the countless stage and literary adaptations of his work, there have been numerous movies in the past decade that have parodied his plays. These movies take the traditional Shakespearean plot and timeless messages that we can all relate to, and give them a modern and creative twist.

In honor of Shakespeare’s birthday, which was April 23 (1564), we’ve profiled the similarities and differences in some of his most famous works.

“Romeo and Juliet”: A Classic

By Jessica Wiegandt, Lord Botetourt High School

“Romeo and Juliet,” a tragic love story written by William Shakespeare, is commonly studied in high schools around the country.

The story revolves around two families, the Capulets and the Montagues, that despise each other.

Naturally, to make the story interesting, one member from the Montague family (Romeo) and one from the Capulet family (Juliet), fall in love. They attempt to keep their love hidden, but the secret is soon out, and an all-out war breaks out between the  two households. The tale is not classified as a romantic tragedy for no reason; Romeo and Juliet both end up dead in the end.

Read more »

By Jessica Ross, Lord Botetourt High School

6 months, 27 days and counting as of April 25. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited in my

entire life.

Okay, summer’s coming up, and the end of school, and my birthday but this- this beats everything.

“Catching Fire,” the sequel to “The Hunger Games,” is scheduled to release on November 22, 2013. I plan to be there at the midnight premiere with tissues to compensate for the overwhelming joy I’ll be experiencing.

I practically have every line from the first movie memorized; only from seeing it around 20 times, I suppose.

I’ve read the trilogy several times and I highly recommend it. The story of Katniss and Peeta, two star-crossed lovers, is definitely worth the read.

There’s nothing better than having that one series you love come to life. For some it was “Twilight” or “Harry Potter,” but for me it’s “The Hunger Games.”

Yes, I would prefer that the movie is made to be 10-hours long with a word-for-word script, but let’s be realistic here. The first movie wasn’t like that and still won my approval.

Cave Spring High School students lounge on the sofas in the Knight ‘N’ Day Cafe while enjoying some snacks before the bell rings last week. Photos by Roshni Lalchandani, Cave Spring

Olivia Nepper stops by the Knight ‘N’ Day Café for an iced tea before heading off to class last week.

Photos and story by Roshni Lalchandani, Cave Spring High School

Students used to walk into school every day with a signature coffee cup in hand.

While the caffeine may have helped them get through their early classes, the extra stop on the way to the school could be a hassle.

It’s one of the reasons Cave Spring High School created the Knight ‘N’ Day Cafe, an on-site coffee shop developed by students for students.

The cafe was conceived last year by teacher Terena Hale’s culinary arts class. It started off simple. Each student focused on  a different priority, from making posters to designing a menu.

In addition to chatting over drinks, students can play foosball in the cafe, which is open from 7:45 to 8:20 a.m. on school days.

“It took months of preparation. First we started off slow, buying our ingredients from Kroger. After our first year serving from the indoor concession stands, we were relocated to a large empty classroom,” said Selena Salazar, a junior who works at the cafe.

The move to a classroom took all summer to prepare, but the students agree the more professional and colorful store was worth it. The coffee shop is now filled with couches, student’s art, and room to fit equipment that provides more menu options. “It’s really taken off. We have a lot of drinks and a monthly signature drink, as well,” said Salazar. Read more »