This week I would like to talk about the impact of Baron Care to Wilson Hall. For those who do not know, Baron Care is an after school care for the children whose parents cannot get to the school to pick up their children at regular pickup. If you ask me, I would tell you that this is a fantastic program. It allows parents the ability to work or get their things done while also not stressing about their children’s safety and keep them from worrying about care for after school.
The children get out of school and go straight to snack so they will not be too hungry when the parents come and pick them up. After snacking, the staff tries to make sure all of the students get their homework done. This can be difficult due to children’s little attention span but they try their best. When the kids are done with homework we usually take them outside to the playground until they get picked up. If it is raining then we split them up and some children go upstairs Randal and some in the cafeteria or in the gym if possible.
This is also a great opportunity for a little more socializing for the kids without them worrying about recess being over soon.
On the second week of top ten things, I’m going to be talking about my favorite fast food restaurant. Which is obviously Chick-fil-a. Chick-fil-a is very popular for their good food, but also for their family friendly atmosphere. From breakfast to dinner they sell a variety of options to satisfy their customers. While they continue to strive with quick service and good food they also continue to stay true to their roots. Their purpose is “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.” The phrase “my pleasure” is commonly connected to this restaurant. Their website says, “Over the years, “my pleasure” has become much more than a phrase – it embodies Chick-fil-A’s commitment of creating remarkable experiences, one interaction at a time.” This phrase is just another example of how this fast food place has created such a great reputation. There’s also a rumor that if a worker doesn’t respond to thank you with my pleasure that the customer receives a free ice cream. This is why Chick fi la is one of my favorite places.
This week’s scripture deep dive comes from Proverbs 2:3-5. “ Indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as your forbidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
God is all knowing, all powerful, and all mighty. We should seek God’s guidance in all that we do and long to know him and have him in our hearts. Everyone knows that we need food to live, you can’t live a good, healthy life without food, it’s just not possible. Being a christian is exactly like that if you think about it. We can’t live out a good, healthy relationship with God without fueling our bodies with God’s word. Being a follower of God and spreading his word gives us the gift of eternal life with him and there is nothing else we should want more than being with him forever.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the gift of simply being able to know you. Help us to long to follow you and show your love through us in all that we do. You are the fuel that keeps us going and I pray that we can use what you have given us to do what you put us on this earth to do. Amen.
When it comes to creating a good upper body workout, there are a few key things to keep in mind. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you out. Start by warming up your body with some light cardio exercises, like jogging or jumping jacks. This helps increase blood flow to your muscles and prepares them for the workout ahead.
Target all major muscle groups: A good upper body workout should include exercises that target your chest, back, shoulders, and arms. Some examples include push-ups, pull-ups, shoulder presses, and bicep curls. Vary your exercises to keep your workout interesting and challenge your muscles, try incorporating different variations of each exercise. For example, you can do the bench press or cable flys to exercise your upper chest/middle chest.
Don’t forget about rest: It’s important to give your muscles time to recover and grow stronger. Make sure to schedule rest days in between your upper body workouts to allow your muscles to repair and rebuild.
It’s always a good idea to consult with a fitness professional or trainer to create a personalized workout plan that suits your specific goals and fitness level. And always listen to your body and adjust the intensity and frequency of your workouts as intended.
It’s the age old debate of the two staple Mexican restaurants in Sumter: Yucatan or Mariachis? Now I really do like both and go to both often, but one is sightly better overall in my opinion.
Mariachis has a very friendly staff who are always looking out for you and your table. Despite not usually writing your order down (which worries me), they do get them right most of the time. The atmosphere is solid with lots of TVs especially outside where there are fans and heaters to regulate the temperature. The chips and salsa are pretty good along with the queso but could be a little better. The food is good overall but there is room for improvement. I would give the food a 7.1 out of 10. A couple things they really do have going for them is their homemade ranch which is fire and their blue smurf drink which is sprite mixed with something blue and topped with whipped cream. I haven’t had it since probably 6th grade but it’s good bumped their score up a point or so. One thing they don’t have going for them even though I understand why is that they are not open on Sundays which is sad because people with go there after church or to watch NFL football.
Yucatan has a nice staff but not as caring as Mariachis. They have always gotten my order right other than one time, and they gave me my meal for free. The food also comes out in no time so it feels like you’re never waiting. The atmosphere is solid with music and TVs but not as many TVs as Mariachis. The chips and salsa are so good along with the queso. Yucatan’s queso is what makes the restaurant better than Mariachi’s. Their queso is just better like I don’t know how else to put it. It makes every meal at Yucatan good. It brings their food rating up to a 7.9 out of 10. They are also open on Sundays which is a plus.
In my opinion, Yucatan is simply better than Mariachis based on their better tasting food and shorter wait times. It is close though but Yucatan takes it, it is the best Mexican restaurant in Sumter.
Many basketball fans know of the name LeBron James as he is looked at as one of the greatest to ever play the game of basketball. LeBron has a son named Bronny James, and he is a freshman at University of Southern California. He was projected to be a mid-first round pick before this summer he suffered a cardiac arrest during a practice at USC. This sidelined him for the rest of summer workouts and practices. Leaving people to question if he will even declare for the draft this year because of the unfortunate start to his freshman year. He isn’t playing as well as he was projected to. This was most likely due to the tragic circumstances he had to deal with this summer. His father, LeBron, has stated numerous times throughout his career that before he retires he wants to play with his son (Bronny).
As a manager of a NBA team you look at this as an opportunity to get Bronny and LeBron on your team. As the 2024 NBA draft class is looked at as one of the weakest draft classes we have seen in a while this gives teams more of a reason to draft Bronny. As Bronny is not NBA ready yet, drafting him would give you a great shot at getting LeBron via trade or signing him in the 2025 offseason. Teams would want LeBron in the final stretch of his career because they know no matter where he is playing he will sell a lot of tickets and jerseys. Bronny also has plenty of potential since he is the son of LeBron. He is an excellent finisher around the rim, and has great vision when playing point guard. His three point shooting ability is not great, but that is something that he can get better at over time with NBA shooting coaches. I am very excited to see what NBA team takes a chance on Bronny’s untapped potential and gets LeBron for the last few years of his career.
In Stephen King’s Everything’s Eventual there is a short story named “The Man In The Black Suit.” This story is about an older man who describes his story as a boy when he interacted with the devil. For some backstory, his brother passed away from a bee sting relatively recently, and all except his father were allergic to bees. He went out fishing one day after saying bye to his parents, and was able to catch a few fish before the devil showed up. He describes him as a taller man with burning red eyes, wearing a black suit. The devil walks up to him and makes conversation, all while the boy is trying to figure out a way to escape or generally defy him. The devil then intimidates the boy by making him believe that his mother was dying of a bee sting, just like his brother.
This short story was slightly confusing through the first page or two but quickly became a good and involved story. King touches on more of a religious side of things as well, which isn’t the most common thing in his books. I found this story to be pretty enjoyable, definitely including King’s common unusual themes and descriptions throughout, along with more references to past tv shows, music, etc. Personally there are definitely stories better than this one, however I do still recommend it along with many others.
Other books I would recommend by Stephen King:
Fairy Tale
Insomnia
Doctor Sleep
Bag of Bones
Psyche and Eros is a mythological fiction novel written by Luna McNamara about one of the greatest love stories in Greek mythology. Psyche, who is a mortal girl destined to conquer a monster even the gods feared, is a skilled warrior taught by Atalanta and a princess of Mycenae. Eros, the primordial god of love and desire and commonly known by his roman name Cupid, lives out his immortal existence slowly and leisurely. One day Eros is tasked by Aphrodite to curse Psyche with an arrow that will make her fall in love with the first person she sees but the moment she lays eyes on the person she will never be able to look at them again. However, as Eros readies the arrow, he pricks himself and gazes upon Psyche and falls hopelessly in love. He eventually gets her to his manor by the seaside and marries her but is unable to truly look upon her and her look upon him. Because of this they meet in darkness or Eros shapeshifts into an animal. Psyche, however, gets curious and uses a lamp to look upon him as he sleeps. The hot oil from the lamp spills on him and the curse takes effect. Eros is immediately ripped from the house and taken by Aphrodite and the house crumbles around Psyche. Aphrodite, who is angry at Eros’s failure and treachery, traps him in a room below Olympus and goes after Psyche. She tasks Psyche with several impossible tasks that she would have to complete if she wanted to ever see Eros again. Psyche secretly has help from multiple gods in completing the array of impossible tasks. Eventually, she is reunited with Eros and granted godhood so she could be with Eros forever.
I love this novel because it is a wonderful retelling of one of my absolute favorite love stories. It is told beautifully and shows the hardship of love but that you would do anything for the person you love. It touches on several other myths and legendary stories like Atalanta and the Trojan War. I would highly recommend this novel to individuals who are fans of romance and Greek mythology.
My Current Favorite Perfumes/ What Perfumes I’d Recommend
Background:
Anyone that knows me personally, knows I have a thing for perfumes. I quite literally have a collection of Bath and Body Works along with a bunch of miscellaneous finer perfumes. Why do you have this? What started this obsession? One might ask. … Well, to be quite honest, it started around middle school. I’m not really sure what event sparked it. My best friend, Maggie, also has the same sort of obsession, so I think I was influenced by her around that time.
Current favs and recommendations:
Starting off strong, a really great affordable perfume is Amber by Nemat, you can get it at Ulta for around twenty dollars. This perfume is SO GOOD. I’m Not sure if this is true, but I heard it kind of changes scent to adapt to your own skin, meaning that the way it smells on someone else might be slightly different than it smells on you. Then again, I just heard that. I have absolutely zero clue if that is true. Sometimes, if you wear it for a long time, you can no longer smell it on yourself, so it may seem like it isn’t working. I don’t really know why that happens, but even if you cannot smell it on yourself, people can smell it on you. It has a very fresh and slightly sweet scent. I purchased it after my friend, Mary Carter, told me about all the compliments she’d received while wearing it. Overall, I’d definitely recommend this perfume.
Next is the Vanilla Musk perfume by Nemat. You can also find this at Ulta for twenty dollars. I really love this scent. It’s super sweet but not too overwhelmingly sweet. I’m not sure if this makes sense, but it is like a comforting, clean sweet scent of vanilla. I would definitely recommend this perfume. It is an oil perfume you dab on your skin. It comes in a little small bottle, which lasts a really long time. This perfume is one of my consistent go-tos!
One new perfume I recently got and love is the Pink Cloud perfume by Ariana Grande. I have had the regular cloud perfume before and I liked it. However, the Pink Cloud is something out of this world. It’s similar to the cloud perfume, but has a slightly sweet/ fresh twist towards the end of it. It’s such a good perfume, and it comes in the cutest bottle that is shaped like a pink cloud. I typically wear this one every day!
Ok, this last perfume is my current all time favorite. It’s Daisy Intense by Marc Jacobs. I don’t even know how to describe the smell of it to be completely honest. It’s simply amazing. It’s very sweet and fresh. It smells kind of like spring. It’s very fruity and fresh. I’m not sure of the exact size, but the smaller size bottle is ninety dollars. It’s a little more pricey than the others but still not super expensive. All in All, I would definitely recommend investing in this perfume.
Amber by Nemat
Vanilla Musk by Nemat
Daisy Intense by Marc Jacobs Pink Cloud by Ariana Grande
Today, February 9th, 2024, the pep rally will showcase the Seniors vs Faculty/Staff Basketball game.. This annual pep rally will take place in order to build excitement and anticipation for the upcoming basketball games tonight versus Laurence Manning Academy.
To start, the two girl’s teams will face off. The senior girls team will compete against the Faculty girls in a short 2 quarter game while each quarter consists of 5 minutes. Both groups bring with them a very athletic and competitive team that will do their best to win their quarters. However, the faculty has dominated this matchup in the past years and are the clear favorites to win this year as well. For the students to stand a chance they will have to limit the damage done by Teressa Alexander who year after year continues to destroy the senior girls team. Although this is a very daunting task, this is what must be done in order to win this year’s game. I predict the faculty will win these two quarters by a score of 16-6.
Following these two quarters, the two male teams will face off. Since the score does not reset, the senior guys will start their two quarters losing by 10 points in this situation. They will have to dig themselves out of this hole in order to win the pep rally for the students. Once again there will be two quarters played with each quarter being 5 minutes long. The male faculty team has the clear height and experience advantage but the senior boys have the edge when it comes to competitiveness, athleticism, and body fatigue. For the students to win, they have to out hustle the faculty and play very clean defense resulting in quick and easy fast break points. The faculty should try and take a lot of time on each possession so they can limit the amount of scoring opportunities for the students. I believe the senior boys will make this comeback which will put the students over the faculty with a final score of 37-35.
As a high school senior, a couple things have been on my mind lately. Graduating. Summer. College. Pretty much anything except for high school itself. I have had my fair share of experience with school, ranging from the academic, social, and athletic sides of it. I find myself semi-qualified to offer my advice on high school to anyone who will take it. High school is a journey, packed with learning and growth. It’s a place where you will find your lifelong friends and learn about different perspectives. It’s important to balance academics and extracurricular activities. Participating in clubs, sports, or arts can be hugely rewarding and fun. Remember, it’s okay to not know everything; high school is about exploration. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or seek help when you’re stuck. Teachers and classmates are there to support you.
Lastly, enjoy the journey. Up until my senior year, people would tell me how quickly high school flies by. I never believed them because how could four years possibly go by so quickly. But, it truly does. High school is a special time in your life. It might be challenging at times, but it’s also filled with opportunities to learn and grow. So embrace it, and make the most out of these years.
Amber by Nemat
Vanilla Musk by Nemat
Daisy Intense by Marc Jacobs 
Pink Cloud by Ariana Grande
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