Conversations with Cooper

So, it turns out that our MHS faculty and staff have lived some interesting lives and have some unique interests and quirks. To the best of our ability, we have gathered together a collection of said interests and quirks for your reading pleasure. Enjoy.

BASHAM,RACHEL	She danced at Mississippi State for four years.
BOND, ANNA	She brushes her teeth in the shower
CARDENAS, APRIL	She started at Danvers when she was 16 and still works their part time
CHANEY, JONATHAN	He was voted Teacher of the Year for Lee County
CLARK,WYNNE	Got hit by an eighteen wheeler head on
CLEMMONS,MELISSA	Beyonce’s and Lady Gaga’s makeup artist gave her swimming lessons when she was a child
COMER,EMILY	She enjoys singing .
CORK,CHERYL	She has been interviewed by the FBI and enjoys playing in couples’ golf tournaments with her husband.
DAVIS,ASHLEY	On April 8th she finished her chemo one year ago .
DOTY,ROMAN	He won 2 state championships racing go-karts and won a state championship playing racquet ball.
ENLOW,LAURA	2008 MHS Football Queen
EPPS,MELISSA	She used to live in Switzerland
FOWLER,AMANDA	She had an odd ghost experience in New Orleans.
GRAY,JENNIFER	She makes quilts and works with stained glass.
GRIGGS,LADONNA	She played college softball and she knows how to operate a backhoe.
GREEN,SAMANTHA	She likes to dance.
HAGOOD,AMY	She was painfully shy as a teenager.
HARRELL,ERIN	She bakes homemade bread.
HAYNES,JEREMY	Drinks a loaded tea every single day.
HILL,ADAM	Twisted his ankle playing kickball at 38 years old.
HOLLADAY,GINGER	She just got a new last name that is long and weird and hard to spell.
HOOD,ADAM	He was all division in baseball and basketball in high school.
JACKSON,LLOYD	This is his second time working here. He retired and came back.
KEITH, JANELLE	Did competitve gymnastics for 7 years and almost went to the 1996 Olympics
KINGSLEY,SHERRY	She has won a hula hoop contest and knows how to roller skate.
KNIGHT,DEBBIE	She was aerospace engineer for 2 years until she changed her careers.
LEWIS, GINGER	She has hitchhiker’s thumbs.
LINDSEY,ADAM	He is ambidextrious
LONG,KEVIN	He loves to play on his acoustic guitar at night.
MARCY,KATHRYN	She can make balloon animals.She also used to be a clown but she is scared of them
MARTIN,SUSAN	She used to process crime scene photos.
MORROW,AMANDA	She has 3 girls with all K names and played basketball at ICC.
NAMIE, WALT	He likes to garden.
NICHOLS,MISSY	She babysat Mrs.Bond when she was a baby.
PENNINGTON,RHONDA	She was Valedictorian of her graduating class.
PERKINS,CARMEN	She enjoys watching people fall and likes cat entertainment.
RAY,LEIGH	She still sleeps with a teddy bear.
SANDERS,JOHNNIE	Got stuck in a tree by her foot.
SMITH.LISA	She likes to sing karaoke.
STALLINGS,TYLER	He’s been to 49 states.
THOMPSON, DEREK	He and Mrs. Thompson were High School sweethearts.
THOMPSON,JONI	She had a scholarship to play baseketball at ICC.
VANLANDINGHAM,AMY	She has dead people body parts inside of her.
WILLIAMS,PATTI	She is a cousin to Elvis and her maiden name is Presley.
WITT,KATEY	She can wiggle her ears and eyebrows.
YOUNG,JIMMY	He used to train horses

Family Trip To Sandusky Ohio 

Cedar Point 1st Day Visit

Reasoning: Cedar point has many different activities you can contribute to no matter the age. They have an entire kids section, as well as the rest of the park for the adults to channel their inner child. Not to mention, they have multiple little places to eat ranging from all food types. 

Ticket Prices: Its $45 per person and children under 2 get in free 

Food: I chose to eat Cedar points hot dogs because that is the food that they are most known for. Depending on what sort of hot dog your ordering the price ranges from 6-9$

Place to sleep: Great Wolf Lodge about $510 for 3 nights

Great Wolf Lodge Water Park 2nd Day Visit

Reasoning: It’s a great time for the kids. It’s also efficient because we’re staying here so we can just enjoy a fun day inside.

Prices: Free since were staying there

Food: I chose Texas Roadhouse because it has many options for kids and adults. The price’s range by watch you order but I’d say we’re spending about $50 here. 

Place to sleep: Great wolf lodge 

Lake Day 3rd Day Visit

Reasoning: Who on earth needs a reason to visit the lake? What kind of person doesn’t love a good 3rd degree burn, including a lot of laughs and satisfied children. 

Where: Lake Erie in Sandusky Ohio

Prices: Free 

Food: PB&J with chips and a drink (packed own food)

Staff Writer, Lexie Miller 

Do you have no idea where to take your family this summer? New Orleans is a great place to go. You can stay at the Wyndham French Quarter, it is $198 a night but it comes with many great things. The rooms have free wifi and flat screen TVs with premium channels and more.

If you would like to try traditional dishes then you could take your family to Olde Nola Cookery. This place has a variety of seafoods. It is affordable and there are many good options. There are also a lot of traditional and local dishes like Gumbo. The price is around $12-15 a plate. You can have breakfast at Curio Nola. A lot of the foods come with sides, and they also have many great breakfast platters for a family to share. The price range is around $16-20 a plate.

You can take your children to the Louisiana Children’s Museum.The Louisiana Children’s museum offers interactive exhibits, themed activity and education centers, large outdoor space, and a number of unique and local touches. There are also exhibits for infants and toddlers under the age of four. In every exhibit there is a variety of activities children can participate in. The price to get in is $14 for kids and adults. You can also visit the Audubon Aquarium. This aquarium has more than 15,000 sea animals from more than 600 species. They even have animals that are rarely seen, like the white alligator. There is a shark touch pool where you can touch baby sharks. They have different exhibits such as the Amazon Rainforest exhibit and the Gulf of Mexico exhibit.  The price to get in is $25 for adults, $12 for children, and it is free for children under 2. There is also a small cafe and a gift shop.

Staff writer, Lexis Millan

Nashville, Tennessee is a great place to go because they have lots of museums, concerts, music clubs, etc. There are nice places to visit such as, The Johnny Cash Museum and The Bluebird Cafe.  The Johnny Cash Museum and Cafe- This is a museum that honors the man in the blacks life.  It houses the world’s largest collection of Johnny Cash memorabilia and artifacts. The Bluebird cafe is a music club where people come in sings some are artists and some come sings other artists songs. Another good place that would be nice to do is going to Nashville is to go to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The cost is $27.95 per ticket. The things you will do and see is the tour through legendary hall of famers is a rich mix of history, fancy clothing, amazing cars, guitars, scripts, music and video with plenty of opportunity for interaction. It would also be nice  to go to the Belmont Mansion, the largest house museum in Tennessee and one of only a few whose history revolves around the life of a woman: Adelicia Acklen. The historic house is open to visitors for tours. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door. The house is also one of Nashville’s most popular rental venues for weddings and events. Which cost $18 per ticket. We loved it. A great place to stay is The 121 Hotel which is $93 a night.

The Outer Banks

Driving- 13 hrs 30 mins

Airbnb- $160 a night

3 bedrooms, 5 beds

2 bathroom

Activities:

Activity 1- Visit the Elizabethan Gardens: Your whole family can walk around the gardens. There are many florals and plants to enjoy. It’s budget friendly too. Their prices are $9.00 for adults and $6.00 for children. 

Activity 2- Safari Dolphin Tour: When you’re at the beach, dolphin tours are always fun to do. There are many options for dolphin tours in the Outer Banks. At the Safari Dolphin tour each tour is 2 hours long. Adults are $30.00 and children are $20.00. The tour boat has a 360-degree view for your ultimate viewing experience. 

Restaurants: 

Tortugas Lie- This restaurant has Caribbean food but also burgers, sushi, and other seafood. With over 2,600 reviews on Google, Tortugas Lie has 4.6 stars. If you look on their menu it’s about $10 a plate. It is in Nags Head, the same place as the dolphin tour.

PokeBox- If you like sushi, you’ll love poke. Poke is a Hawaiian dish. It’s basically deconstructed sushi. It’s diced (usually raw) fish, mixed with veggies and rice. This restaurant is also located in Nags Head. With 98 Google Reviews, PokeBox has 4.7 stars. They have so many different toppings that you can put on top of your bowl. If you don’t like the seafood they have other things like chicken. On their menu, it’s about $11-$15 a bowl depending on how many toppings you want.

For your summer vacation, Waco Texas would be such a fun option. There is lots to do in Waco. A great recommendation is Hotel Indigo. It is $195 a night and a 7 minute walk from Magnolia.You could stay in Texas for four days. On the first day and second day, you could explore Magnolia Market. They have stores, restaurants, and so much more. Magnolia is free to get in. On day three, a great thing to do is to go to the Cameron Park Zoo. It is $12 for adults and $10 for children ages 3-12. Lastly, you could go to the Dr. Pepper Museum for the fourth day. At this museum, you can make a soda and taste a soda. It is $10 per bottle to make a soda and $12 per person to taste a soda. I also included two restaurants in this project. First is Di Camplis, this is an Italian restaurant that averages about $20 per person. My second restaurant  recommendation is Magnolia Table. Magnolia Table is a few minutes drive from Magnolia Market. There is normally a wait, so you should put your name down ahead of time. Magnolia Table averages about $15 per person.

Staff Writer Ava Taylor

Atlanta is an amazing place to take your fam this summer!

Need an affordable family trip this summer? Atlanta checks all of the boxes. Budget friendly, tons of activities for the kids, good food, and under a five hour drive! After researching, I found a nice hotel in the heart of Downtown Atlanta. SpringHill Suites by Marriott Downtown Atlanta is only $136-180 per night in the summer months. The pros of staying in the Downtown area are all of the places around the hotel. Between the World of Coca Cola, Georgia Aquarium, Children’s Museum of Atlanta, Centennial Olympic Park, and Skyview Atlanta, there is something for everyone to enjoy. All of these places range from 14 to 20 dollars a ticket besides Centennial Olympic Park, which is free. For babies 0-2 all of the places offer free tickets. Breakfast options in the Downtown area sound so good! Atlanta Breakfast Club, Metro Diner, and Corner Bakery are all rated 4 stars! For lunch or dinner there are so many good spots around that area! Max’s Coal Oven Pizzeria, Johnny Rockets, Mellow Mushroom and more. All of those restaurants were rated “$$” on the internet, so they are affordable. Six Flags Over Georgia is a perfect spot for the whole family if you are up for a drive one day. The ticket prices right now start at $35.99 but go up depending on the package you choose and the amount of people joining you. Six Flags offers tons of rides for all ages and great dining options. A few of their restaurants include: Daddy O’s, Dee Jay’s Diner, Macho Nacho, Miner’s Cookhouse, and Primo’s Pizzeria. The park also offers snack shops that serve popcorn, pretzels, ice cream, etc. Overall Atlanta is well worth the drive. There are endless activities and eateries for your whole family. It is a great place to get away and have fun! 

Staff writer, Hannah Harmon

Take your family vacation to Nashville, Tennessee. 

Prices for hotels are from $100 to $200 a night. I suggest going to Cool Springs hotel, which is only $104 a night. The hotel is located in Brentwood, which is located right outside Nashville. Brentwood is a wealthy town that has many local places to eat. Staying in Brentwood will get your family away from the city and allow you to be able to drive to places. If you stay in the heart of Nashville, you will have to walk or it would be very hard to get from place to place in your vehicle. Nashville is a little under 4 hours of travel time. Nashville is known for its country atmosphere and country music stars.

 Nashville is a hotspot to see concerts. From my personal experience, I went and saw The Rolling Stones in Nissan Stadium. The stadium is huge. Most of the bigger bands/artists perform in the Nissan Stadium. Prices normally range by what band you are seeing and where you sit. If your family does not enjoy concerts, you can always just take a walk over the river bridge and see the stadium from there. Nashville is home to the Tennessee Titans. If you are a football-loving family, I recommend going to watch them. They made it to the playoffs in the 2021 season. The price for an NFL ticket is going to be more expensive than a college football ticket. The price of an NFL ticket ranges by where you choose to sit. If you do not want to spend a lot of money, you can just always look at the stadium from the bridge. The stadium is a must to see.  If you are a family with younger kids, do not worry. Nashville has a zoo. Adults cost between $12 – $14. A kid from 2-12 costs $4, and children under 2 get in for free. Nashville also offers an aquarium. The prices will be about the same as at the zoo. If you have little girls, IT IS A MUST to take them to American Girl Doll. American Girl Doll is pricey, but it is an experience that your little girl will never forget. 

Hattie B’s Hot Chicken – This is a cheap chain restaurant around the Nashville area. It consists of different kinds of chicken. It is a normal price like $10-$20 for an adult and $10 for children. One of the locations is just walking distance from Vanderbilt University.  

Love Biscuit – If you are a breakfast lover, this is the place for you. Everything is made from scratch and the restaurant itself is cute. Everything is under $15. The setting is a cute house that was turned into a restaurant. I have actually eaten here before. I got the cinnamon roll with a caramel frappuccino.  

Staff writer, Ann Marie McMillan

With less than nine weeks left of the school year, we hope you have managed to make it this far with little-to-no issues, problems, or hang ups. But, just in case you need a little help getting to the finish line, here are the BLOG staff’s “Must Haves” for high school. Enjoy.

Rock Cummings 

1. You must have lead with your pencil. The reason why you need a lead for your pencil  is because you have to use your pencil everyday in class. You also have to use a pencil for writing notes, writing a check, a letter, etc. you do not only have to have it for school but other things as well.
2. Jacket- You need a jacket because most of the classrooms are cold. If you bring a jacket you do not have to worry about being cold
3. Laptop- I always like to have my own laptop. I much rather use my personal laptop than to use the school. And most of the classes we do a lot of stuff online like Spanish, English III, and Journalism class. 
4. Backpack- It is good to have your backpack with you throughout your school years. We used to have lockers and you could keep all of your stuff in the locker, but now we no longer have those. So it is better to have a backpack that way you do not have to carry everything. 
5. Shoes- It is good to have good comfortable shoes. You never know if you might have to stand up for a while and if you have good comfortable shoes your feet will not hurt as bad. 

Ann Marie McMillan 

1. Ti 84 Calculator – I bought an expensive calculator towards the end of my sophomore year. I wish I would have had one my whole life. You have to take a math every year. It makes math so much easier. It is worth your money. You can use it outside of school to do your homework. It is good just to have your own calculator for the act. 
2. Laptop – I like having my own computer because you never know if the school’s Chrome Books are ever going to work. Your junior and senior year, you have to take a lot of online classes anyway and do a lot of work outside of school. I use my laptop everyday and it is very helpful. 
3. Highlighters – You use highlighters for almost every subject. I like to use highlighters to point things I might need to look over when I am studying. In U.S. History, the teacher makes us highlight the information that is going to be on the test. I also use mine for Ap Bio and Advance Math. You can never grow out of them. 
4. Water Bottle – I like to stay hydrated throughout the day. Our school has installed water fountains that will fill up your water bottles. 
5. Jacket – At Mooreville High School, 99% of the time, the classrooms are freezing cold. I am a very hot person, but I am always cold at school. Bringing a jacket solves the problem because the teacher can not please everyone. It is better to have more than to have less clothing on. 

Hannah Harmon 

1. North Face Backpack: I have had my same black North Face backpack since eight grade. I will probably keep it until senior year. It has held up so well the past three years and was worth the cost. I love all the pockets and zipper pouches that are inside of it. All of my binders and books fit very well inside of it. 
2. Mechanical Pencils: I love buying colorful mechanical pencils because they are cute and they last. Some teachers do not have pencil sharpeners so led pencils are reliable. I always get the Bic brand and they come in big packs. 
3. Water bottle: I bought a Hydroflask in middle school. I love to use it for school. A good water bottle will keep your drink cold for hours. Drinking lots of water throughout the day is healthy. Our school has water fountains for bottles now. 
4. Binder: I love buying new binders every year. They help me stay organized and all my papers in one place. I splurge and get the more expensive binders because they last longer and are very durable. 
5. Headphones: My dog ate my airpods. Since then I have not come around to buy new ones so I am stuck with my earbuds. I love my earbuds though because when we get finished in class I can watch Netflix, scroll through Tik Tok and listen to music with my volume up. Earbuds are easy to carry around; I keep them in a small pouch in my backpack. 

Ava Taylor

1. Colorful pens – I love to make my notes colorful and fun. It helps me study and be more motivated. Whenever I am studying I will make cool notes. It really helps memorization. One of my favorites are the Zebra Mildliners. I have them in a ton of different colors. I also really like the Fudenosuke pens for calligraphy. 
2. Headphones – Headphones are a must have. They are great for listening to music while doing homework. I also use them for watching some of the lessons for my algebra class. I have airpods and they are so handy. They are small and fit in every bag. They also have wireless charging. 
3. Planner – I love to plan my week out. It helps me stay organized. My planner is from the brand, Erin Condren. I love this one because it is designed specifically for students. It has spots to write down schedules and important dates.  I normally write down when projects are due, field trips, and exam dates. 
4. Fun School Supplies – This is another one of my school must haves. I love to be creative with my school work, so fun washi tapes, stickers, cute note cards, and colorful notebooks are helpful. I always use stuff like this for my planner and school projects.
5. Lunchbox – A lunchbox is definitely a must have. I am a big snack person, so I like to bring snacks to eat throughout the day. I’m also not a big fan of the cafeteria food, so I prefer to bring my lunch from home. My lunchbox is Kate Spade. It’s really colorful and I love the look of it.It keeps my food cold and organized.  I also love the lunchboxes from Corkcicle and Hydroflask.

Lexie Miller

1. A Sense Of Humor– This is something not many people have nowadays. People take everything way too seriously. Plus people with a sense of humor are fun to be around. 
2. Music– I know if I didn’t have music I most likely would not make it through most of my days. Plus music heals the soul.
3. A Bike– Why you ask? Well because nobody can afford these crazy gas prices. So catch me riding my bike all around Tupelo. What doesn’t sound awesome about good ole fresh air anyways?
4. A Ripstick– Mainly because it’s challenging as well as very fun. Makes me feel like a child when I’m riding mine, but you’d better believe I enjoy every minute of the embarrassment. 
5. Netflix Subscription– Who doesn’t love binge watching their favorite show when they know they have other productive things to do? They have some pretty great shows but also some pretty not great shows. So stay away from those, but other than that it’s been great!

Lexis Millan

1.Glasses case- One of my glasses got crushed in my backpack by my binder. They were left crooked. Also since I lose my glasses a lot, a case keeps me from forgetting them in random places.

2.Headphones- Headphones help me with focusing on my work. Sometimes I just like to block out the noise in the classroom.

3.Germ X- You touch a lot of places in school that are full of germs and with Covid around, a small Germ X bottle is essential.

4.Extra pencil lead- I always break mine. A lot of times the lead gets too short to be able to write properly.

5.A small umbrella- Sometimes the weather is crazy and decides it’s time for a rain storm. A small umbrella can easily fit in your backpack. Now you won’t get baptized while walking to the buses.

Mya Mott

1. Sweatshirts- I’m always cold. I always wear sweatshirts or hoodies everywhere I go, especially at school because the classrooms are always so cold.
2. Airpods- I love my airpods because I can listen to my music in the car when my mom listens to her music. I can also listen to music and watch Netflix at school.
3. Earrings- I love my gold hoop earrings because they match with everything. I wear them every day and I never take them off. I can shower, sleep, swim, and play tennis in them. They are super lightweight, so I don’t even feel them.
4. Laptop- I started bringing my own personal laptop to school this year, and I will never go back. It’s super nice to have your own technology that you can do whatever you want with. 
5. Food- I always bring my own lunch to school. In my lunch box, I bring lots of snacks. During the day I don’t like to eat one big meal. I like to just snack continuously. 

Rachael Basham is the new English teacher here at Mooreville High School. This is her first year teaching with a full time position. She was a substitute teacher for a year. While she was subbing here at MHS last year, there was an opening for an English I and Broadcasting teacher. However, she already had some experience working with students since, while she was in college and high school she was a tutor. Mrs. Basham also taught dance classes in college and in high school. She said that her experience at Mooreville has been wonderful. She said that the transition in the middle of the year was difficult. She had many people that made it so much easier. Mrs. Basham graduated from Mississippi State University. She is from Alabama, but she chose State because she wanted to go to college out of state and dance for an SEC school. Mrs. Basham tried out for their dance team, and the rest was history. While at Mississippi State, she studied Communication with concentrations in Broadcasting and Journalism. She also has a minor in Chemistry. I asked Mrs. Basham what advice she would give to anyone wanting to become a teacher. She said, “Take care of yourself! Teachers must give so much of themselves to their students, and you cannot pour from a cup that is empty. Show kindness and compassion to yourself and your students!”