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My Favorite Starbucks Food and Drinks

By: Anna Kate Coker

Iced Chai Latte

This is my all time go to drink. I enjoy it with oat milk, cinnamon, and vanilla sweet cold foam. This drink makes my day automatically better and it is yummy to sip or chug. It has the perfect flavor of spices but more cinnamon based. The oat milk gives it almost more of a natural flavor instead of it becoming more bland with 2 percent milk.

Pink Drink

This is my summer drink. I prefer it with coconut milk because if you just get water with it then it makes a lot of the flavor go away. I also remove the dried strawberry inclusions they add because the texture kind of freaks me out and I do not like them. With my special changes this drink is top tier.

Vanilla Bean Frappuccino

This is the best basic drink there is. You can obviously add really anything to it if you want because it is such a versatile base for all. Even alone though with just the vanilla flavor, it is so good. I get this drink when I want something other than just an iced drink and I always end up finishing all of it.

Bacon Egg Bites

Although eggs are usually just associated with breakfast, these delicious bite sized treats are good for eating whenever and wherever. They are so fluffy and I genuinely savor every bite and get sad when I have none left. They are great if you are on the go and need a good little grab.

I hope they never get rid of these because they also have egg white ones but they do not hit the same.

Everything Bagels

I feel like these are extremely underrated but if you get this toasted and add cream cheese they are a perfect study snack. When I need to lock in to write a paper or get homework done, I take my stuff to starbucks and pair an everything bagel with the yummy cream cheese and get a chai latte and I cannot think of anything better.

Giving up Candy for Lent

By: Anna Kate Coker

I decided to give up all types of candy for lent. This has been challenging because I really do love a good sweet treat. I will be describing my journey of the first three days.

Day one I did not have too much trouble. I was not exposed to any candy options and had a pretty healthy day. I was not tempted into buying any so I was staying strong.

Day Two I almost broke. First period goes by, followed by second and then ten minute break. Just as I am bragging to my friends about how I will NOT mess it up, I walk into AP Literature. My good friend, Emily Mason, has blessed everyone in the class with a two pack of Reeses on our desk. This was so sweet but I could not give in. Abby Bradley looked at me knowing my promise that I was not going to eat it, so I slowly put it in my bookbag. I did not eat the Reeses and continued to stay serious.

Day Three I made a mistake. I did not slip up at any time during the school day and enjoyed some delicious Chick Fil A with McKenzie Gray during my study hall. As the day progressed, it got more difficult. I was offered a piece of chocolate and without thinking I almost ate it. I caught myself last minute though and made a safe recovery of throwing it away. I was persistent on not eating any candy until I got distracted by the delicious taste of Cookout. Sophie and I decided we wanted a good Cookout treat when we were bored and had nothing to do. The woman working the drive thru asked me what I wanted and without thinking twice I said “an m&m Milkshake please”. I forgot that add-ins on milkshakes are candy. It was too late. I already paid and ate a spoonful. I can’t throw away such an amazing purchase so I guess I have to eat it. This left me with the question… do m&m’s count as candy in a milkshake or am I still following my path of lent?

Walt Disney World

By: Olivia Cogswell

Walt Disney was where the beginning of animation came to be. This industry was the first to begin filming movies in animation, and opened up a whole new type of entertainment for everyone of all ages. Now many of these types of movies hold memories for those who grew up enjoying them, and usually come back up when trying to watch a movie for the night. However some do rank higher than others.

Wreck it Ralph comes in last. Although this movie shows much creativity with the story line, with the transformation of the main character Ralph from being a “bad guy” to finding good. It also has a tone of memorable characters, and goes into something unlike any other movie and explores the inside of video games. The voices and animation are also very vibrant and entertaining to watch. However it is not a classic movie that people tend to want to watch over and over. Many disney movies have so much more life lessons and musical entertainment compared to this one, which is why Wreck it Ralph comes in last.

The Little Mermaid comes in third. This movie has a great story to tell. It follows a girl who wants to follow her heart and explore the world which many viewers can relate to. This movie also has songs that people of all ages have heard and know, like “Under the Sea” and “Part of your world.” However this classic movie does not rank higher because of how much Disney has improved its storytelling and animation since the making of this movie. Some may enjoy it for the fact that it is the movie they grew up watching, but there are so many more amazing movies since then, which is why this ranked third.

Beauty and the Beast comes in second. This movie tells an important message about love and looking beyond appearances. The animation of this movie is very detailed and beautiful with each of the characters having unique personalities that help the story line. It also takes a creative approach by making the silverware and candles personality that become fan favorites. This movie also has classic music that everyone knows. However this movie comes in second due to its pacing. The storyline moves very slow in the beginning which makes it hard to stay entertained.

Tangled comes in first. Rapunzel, who is the main character in this movie, is a strong and independent girl who wants to explore beyond her limits. Many young girls who watch this movie look up to her in these aspects. Also Flynn who helps her achieve her goals, adds humor which makes them an entertaining duo. While also having a good balance of humor and emotion making this movie both entertaining and touching. The animation of this movie provides so much entertainment and life. The colors are vibrant with a bunch of purples and yellows, and the lantern scene being one of the best scenes of the whole movie. It also has a very catchy soundtrack that everyone has heard before.

Dunkin Donuts Review

Bnkin

Dunkin Donuts, which is one of largest coffee and donut chain brands in the United States, has the best and biggest variety of menu options. Not only do they provide many different breakfast options but they provide a large variety of drink options. However the star of their menu is their wide variety of coffee options. Here are the top

Dunkin Donuts Iced Americano comes in last place. This drink allows you to taste Dunkins’ espresso brand without all of the add-ins like sugar, creamer, and flavoring. This drink, although preferred by some people, has a burnt taste and is incredibly bitter. It is also very bland and only gives that coffee taste which is very boring when there are so many flavors to choose from. Considering the lack of appeal to this drink that is why it is ranked last.

The Dunkin Donut drink in fourth place is the Blueberry Iced Coffee. Unlike a lot of coffee shops or chains that provide other flavoring syrups like vanilla, caramel, and mocha. Dunkin has a blueberry flavor which is usually asked for in Dunkin’s standard ice coffee or cold brew. Although blueberry flavored drinks usually have an appealing taste to them, Dunkin’s blueberry coffee is not very great. It does not have the right flavoring to go with the name, and blueberry flavoring should simply not be in coffee.

Dunkin Donuts Caramel Swirl Iced Coffee comes in third. The drink has a good amount of creamers and other add-ins, so that the sweetness does not overpower and the coffee is still present. However the caramel flavoring gives more of a chocolate flavor. Also most of the time this is ordered it is not mixed well, a lot of the syrup is sitting on the bottom.

The Caramel Craze Iced Signature Latte from Dunkin comes in second. This drink gives the perfect amount of caramel and cinnamon flavors and a well blended latte base. It also comes with whipped cream with caramel and cinnamon toppings that brings the whole drink together. These toppings are also removable upon request. However this drink does have a very sweet taste to it, and may be overpowering for many coffee drinkers. Although the coffee flavor is still present among sipping.

The best Dunkin Donuts drink is the Ice Vanilla Latte with cold foam. This drink gives options to sweeten it up with the additions of cream and sugar and make it less sweet by leaving it plain with no cold foam. Even with these additions, this drink is a simple go to basic. Everyone, coffee drinkers or not, will find this latte tasty.

My Way To Annotate Books

By: Lottie Bynum

To annotate a book there are some supplies that would be helpful:

Page Tabs (in lots of colors)
Pen that won’t bleed through book pages
Clear sticky notes
Pencil

To annotate I start by reading through the whole book and dog-earing pages I like or want to tab. After that I go back and find book tabs that match the cover of the book for aesthetic purposes; from those tabs I designate each color to a theme. For example I have a purple themed book with a range of purple and pink tabs, the lightest is classified as cute, a more lavender is noted to be funny, and each has a description of what they mark. At the beginning of the book I put one tab in each color with what it notes written on it to mark an index if someone wants to see what the tab colors represent. After that I go through and start placing tabs at the top of the side of the pages in descending order to where they are in the book. Page ten starts at the top and on page twenty the next tab goes below it. It takes me about 30 minutes to an hour to finish tabbing a book of 300-400 pages. You can continue by writing notes in the margins or if you don’t like marking in the book you can write the notes on clear sticky notes and stick them in the book. I have also considered drawing in the book if that’s what I feel like. In the beginning of chapters it’s fun to decorate and draw in the extra blank space on the page, it gives the book a sense of life to add pictures, descriptions or notes. Tabbing and annotating a book is up to whoever does it and is open to many different ways of tabbing and annotating. It takes time to find your own style of annotation whether it’s similar to this or not. It’s supposed to be a fun and helpful way to enjoy a book.

How to Paint With Acrylic

By: Lottie Bynum

To paint with acrylic you need materials.

Paint (The primary colors and white)
Water
Brushes
Canvas or Paper
Paper towel
And news paper or a trash bag
A pallet or plate to put the paints on.

While assembling the materials you will need to set up a suitable space to paint with the trash bags or newspaper. Lay them out on the floor or on a wall if you want to set your painting against it while you paint. Then get your area ready by setting out your water and pallet/ plate with paints. Make sure the water and paint are close so you can clean and switch colors quickly. Cover the canvas or paper with an “underpainting” by painting the canvas in one color; underpainting helps the colors blend batter and makes sure the painter doesn’t miss any areas while painting. Sketch your design or drawing in on the canvass or paper then start laying in base colors in the areas you want to paint. I usually start with a lighter color and then layer darker colors on top and build layers and depth. You may lose some details this way but it is a method to paint. The other way to start a painting is to start with three base colors: one for the regular, one for light, and one for dark to separate the painting. Painting this way the painter will keep more details in their painting. After getting the base colors in, start to build in darker or lighter colors to shape and add values to the painting. It’s helpful to start to work in sections instead of the whole painting at once, especially with acrylics as they dry quickly and blending becomes more difficult. Working on the sides of the canvas for people who paint on canvas, they can do two different things: either black edges or continue their painting on the edges. Both methods look pretty, however to save time the black edges will help if the painting is going into a frame.

Graduation

By: Lucy Buxton

As the end of senior year is quickly approaching, there are lots of things to plan and prepare for. Such as lots of grad parties, vacations, and the last of “lasts”.

If I’m being honest, I dont think I’m quite ready for all of this to end. Basketball finished for us about two weeks ago and I’m not even the biggest fan of playing basketball but when I realized it was the end, I was very upset. I was more upset about my brother’s season ending though. I always tell people that I don’t like him until basketball season comes around because I really am so proud of him. I might have even cried for him more than him. It is just something about watching him working his butt off for years in our driveway and all of that hard work coming to an end on a random Monday night. I wasn’t prepared for that and neither was my family I think.

As track is starting up, I’m trying to keep a mindset of trying constantly because this really is the last sport I will ever do and I think that is a hard mindset to grasp because for lots of my classmates, sports have been a huge part of our lives since we have been eligible to play them. I also love track so I think that will make it even more sad than basketball so I am dreading the end but I hope I can still remain positive and motivated throughout the year.

Moving on from sports, there are lots of things to look forward to like my spring break I will be spending in Jamaica with some of my best friends. I couldn’t be more excited for that and the day after graduation I will be going to the Bahamas so there are a lot of “ups” about the end approaching but I am trying to soak it all in before it is too late.

Enough with the posities, one bone I have to pick with is, our graduation not being at Patriot Hall, but instead the practice gym… I won’t comment much on this because I would probably get in trouble for the word choice I would like to use but let’s just say I am not happy and do not want to make the most of it but I guess I will try.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs Texas Longhorns Basketball game

By: Knox Buxton

On Saturday South Carolina played against Texas in an SEC matchup. South Carolina went into the game 0-13 in conference play and 10-16 overall. I thought South Carolina was going to get killed by Texas because of the way their season has gone so far. To be honest, the only reason I went to the game was to see Texas’s freshman star, Tre Johnson. Tre Johnson is a projected top 10 pick in this year’s NBA draft and the latest mock draft has him going at 6th overall. It is also always fun to watch Collin Murray-Boyles play for South Carolina and he is also a projected lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft. Murray-Boyles is projected to go at 13th in the latest 2025 NBA mock draft. Carolina got hot to start the game and came out and got a lead on Texas. Texas could not get anything going on offense because South Carolina was playing great defense to start the game. Jahmarii Thomas started off gaurding Tre Johnson and was doing a really good job on him. Texas’s offense runs through Tre Johnson so since they couldn’t get him going, it was looking good for South Carolina. Collin Murray-Boyles got off to a hot start for Carolina as he had a couple and one’s and altered texas’s shots at the rim. Carolina stayed hot and went into halftime up 40-22. Johnson had 9 points at the half and it seemed like no one else could score the ball for the longhorns. To start the second half it was more of the same, Carolina went up by twenty and the game seemed like it was just about over. With just under 10 minutes left in the game Texas started force feeding Tre Johnson and he got hot. To go along with johnson scoring the ball at will, Texas broke out a press which seemed to work on Carolina for a little while. It looked like Texas was about to make a comeback with around five minutes left to play but then South Carolina pulled away and won the game 84-69. I enjoyed watching South Carolina get their first win in conference play and seeing Collin Murray-Boyles go for 22 points and 10 rebounds. It was also fun to watch Tre Johnson score the ball at will and seeing Texas’s whole offense run through him. Johnson finished with 29 points and hit some tough shots. That game looked to me like Carolina’s best all around game in SEC play because they played hard defense and were scoring the ball better than they usually do. Even though this season has been pretty painful to watch for Carolina, I enjoyed watching them surprise Texas.

Super Bowl Review

By: Knox Buxton

This year’s Super Bowl was a rematch from 2023 between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Kansas City Chiefs were comin off of back to back Super Bowl wins against Philadelphia and San Francisco. Everyone I had talked to about the Super Bowl this year said they thought the Chiefs were going to get it, especially after going 15-2 in the regular season. I called the Super Bowl back at the beginning of the season and said it would be Philiadelphia and Kansas City and Philadelphia would win. I knew once the Eagles added Saquon Barkley and having one of the best defenses in the league, they had too many weapons. The game started out with both teams being forced to punt. The Eagles got on the board first with a tush push touchdown by Jalen Hurts. A few drives later, Jalen Hurts threw an interception and that is when I thought the Chiefs would start heating up and make it an entertaining game to watch, but I was wrong. Philadelphia forced a three and out and then Jalen Hurts hooked up with AJ Brown for a long passing play and it ended up with the Eagles scoring a field goal to go up ten to nothing. The next drive, Patrick Mahomes threw a pick six to rookie cornerback, Cooper Dejean. Once the Eagles took a seventeen to nothing lead and looked unstoppable, I knew it would be hard for the Chiefs to come back. Right before halftime, Patrick Mahomes threw another interception to Zack Baun on their own side of the field and it led to an AJ Brown receiving touchdown. When the Eagles went up 24-0 at halftime, I knew the game was just about over. The Eagles were dominating every aspect of the game and pressuring Mahomes consistently. The second half was really just more of the same with Philadelphia taking a 34-0 lead before the Chiefs started padding the stats. Kansas City’s last second stat padding was made them able to make the game a little closer before losing 40-22. Jalen Hurts won the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player even though I thought there were a lot of Eagle player that I thought deserved it. In my opinion, I would have just given it to the whole defensive line after how they got after Patrick Mahomes and forced him into making bad plays. I sincerely enjoyed watching the Eagles Beat down the Chiefs and showing everyone Kansas City isn’t all that.

Top 4 Restaurants in Sumter, SC

By: Morgan Aycock

Kobe

Kobe is a Japanese restaurant in Sumter that is run by the Beacon Theatre. They cook in front of you and have the best food. Although it isn’t as good as other Japanese restaurants in Columbia and at the beach, it is the best you can get in Sumter. Japanese is my favorite food type, so I probably like it better than any other restaurant. I had my birthday dinner there this year because they offer big parties at the section where they cook in front of you, or if you have a couple of people with you, you can eat at the tables at the front by yourself. Sitting where they cook in front is the best because the food is so fresh and it’s a nice place to go for an interactive dinner.

Leo’s

Leo’s is one of my favorite places because they have a lot of different options. Their cheese balls are probably the best appetizer you can get anywhere. They also are pretty fast and it is a good place to go for a quick lunch or dinner. All the staff is nice and the restaurant is also kid-friendly which is nice for families. Although it is mainly a wing place, I always get their chicken fingers. Also, many people go there to watch games because they have a lot of TVs.

Mon Cafe

I always go to Mon Cafe. Although it is a little expensive, they have the best food and is also a good place to go for a quick lunch or dinner. All of their chicken, shrimp, and steak are good. They also have great sushi and the best white sauce. They also have great reward opportunities such as $10 off for every $100 you spend (which adds up quickly.) You never get used to their food; I could eat it every day. It is mostly the same as Kobe, but they don’t cook in front of you.

Thai House

Thai House has the best sushi in Sumter by far. I always get their Mama Roll because it has shrimp and crab in it, and most sushi places in Sumter don’t offer that. They have the nicest staff and are so accommodating to you. They close for about a month in February because they go to Korea which sucks. All of their food is made and served fresh.