MVHS graduation begins at 7:30 on Friday May 27th. It will be held at the football field.
Pacers falter in playoffs
Story by: Blake Slunaker, staff writer
As the summer gets closer, the NBA playoffs come closer to a conclusion. The teams are currently in the second round of the playoffs after the first round concluded on May 1.
The teams in the second round in the Western Conference were the Golden State Warriors who faced the Portland Trailblazers. Then the San Antonio Spurs went against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the Eastern Conference, it was the Toronto Raptors against the Miami Heat, while the Cleveland Cavaliers went against the Atlanta Hawks. The second round concluded on Sunday night with the Raptors defeating the Heat in the seventh game of their series.
The third round, or the Conference Finals, started on May 16. The teams set to faceoff in the third round are the Warriors against the Thunder on the West, and the Raptors against the Cavaliers on the East. The winners of the two sides will play in the NBA Finals.
Unfortunately for Pacer fans, the team could not make it out of the first round as they lost to the Raptors four games to three.
“I was disappointed the Pacers couldn’t pull it out against the Raptors, but I was still happy with their effort considering they were the underdogs,” said Dylan Freeman, 12.
The series was hard fought as Indiana pushed Toronto to a seven game series, but still could not pull it out in the long run. The Pacers and their fans will hope for better luck next year as they will try for a deeper playoff run.
#TEAMCAP
Story by: Maggie Brown, News and Copy Editor
When going into the theater to see “Captain America: Civil War,” my expectations were extremely high. I am an enormous fan of the Marvel movies, and as someone whose favorite has always been Captain America, I was pretty sure that no matter what happened I would be on Team Cap.
Thankfully, as I witnessed the events of the movie I found that even if Steve Rogers hadn’t been my personal hero, I would have been Team Cap. The movie was excellent, and is the perfect blend of action and comedy, as all Marvel movies seem to be. The addition of characters such as Spiderman, who is portrayed by Tom Holland, and Ant Man, who is played by Paul Rudd, add so much to the already fantastic story line. The quality of almost all of the performances was beyond my expectations, and I am extremely pleased.
The story was a bit odd, but the themes were clear and the point they were attempting to make was definitely made. What makes a hero? Does killing a few to save millions warrant revoking a hero’s title? Would it even make someone a monster?
In my opinion the lives of a few are worth less than the lives of all. Sacrificing a building of people, or even a city of them, to save the world is entirely justified. Team Cap is the only way to go here.
My experience at a Trump rally
Story by: Connor Curts, staff writer
Photo by: Mackenie Carpenter, Photo Editor
When Donald Trump visited Indiana shortly before the Indiana Primary elections at the beginning of May, I was able to attend one of his rallies which was held in Indianapolis at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. I went with two of my friends, and we showed up around 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled start time. When we walked in, the amount of security was crazy. There were secret service agents everywhere.
When we discovered that we had the opportunity to walk down to the floor of the arena, where there was standing room only, we decided to take the chance. Long story short, my spot for the rally was 10 feet away from the stage, and I was lined up exactly with the podium.
We weren’t sure what to expect from the people at the rally, as many of our friends had told us to stay safe, thinking the Trump supporters would be violent. I am pleased to say they were the complete opposite. Instead, what we found was that they were some of the nicest people you will ever meet. I had the pleasure of meeting a man named Gale Roberts from Montana, who runs a website and campaign called “Hillary’s Lies Matter,” with the sole intention of making sure Hillary Clinton is not elected. Roberts goes to every single Trump rally, following him around the country. At the time of this rally, he had logged 7,000 miles on his rental car.
During Trump’s speech, I found that he did not lash out and say anything dumb, silly, or offensive. Instead, he spoke intelligently, while still getting the crowd fired up in the classic Trump way. He would leave the stage to chants of “Trump! Trump! Trump!” and I can honestly say that it was nothing less than an insane experience.
AP test stress
Story by: Ashley Offenbach, staff writer
Photo by: Elizabeth Miller, staff photographer
The AP Test season are a stressful time of year, and students work day and night to memorize material. When walking out of the testing room, there is a breath of relief.
Depending on the class, an AP Test may be easier than expected or more difficult. For the AP Literature test, Mrs. Schiller prepared students for the worst and most of the students said they felt good about the test when it was over.
The majority of classes have all year to prepare for the AP Tests, such as AP English and Math courses, but there are few that only have a semester, such as AP Spanish and Psychology. Those classes have more work to do in a semester, which can be more stressful for the student and the teacher, instead of having class all year, every other day. It may cause the student to be pounded with homework while the teacher may be frantically trying to get through all the material.
After AP testing is over, a teacher may prepare students for a project, a final, or just review and study materials during the end of the year. There are still two weeks after testing for classes, so this is when they will be review or preparing for some sort of final or project.
To some students the stress and studying pays off, while others feel they should have reviewed more when taking an AP class.
Lauren Mitchell, 11, who took the AP Chemistry final, said, “I think all of the studying was definitely worth it. It was not easy and there were times when I wanted to give up, but overall it was fun. The AP test was not as hard as I had expected it to be.”
Although students stress not only about the class but also about their scores, they must know the material for in class work that will not be on the AP Test.
Shelbi Webb, 11, who took both AP Psychology and AP Literature, said,” I think taking the AP class is worth it because they challenge me and I know I learned a lot from both courses. Even if I do not get college credit for the classes, at least I can walk away knowing I learned something. I think both tests were easier than I thought they would be because I was more comfortable with the material than I thought I was before I took the test and felt pretty good afterwards.”
Although many students were stressed about AP tests, a lot of students claimed the tests were easier than expected.
All band, all music
Story by: Ian Carson, Editor in Chief
Photos by: Jennifer McGowen, staff photographer
The Mt. Vernon High School band added another award to their long list of accomplishments. The band has earned the “All-Music Award” for their accomplishments this year. The last time the band earned this honor was in 2013, and before then the band had only won it three times.
In order to earn the award, the band must earn a gold at a state marching competition, a gold in a jazz festival, a gold at a concert band festival, and must have one ensemble and one soloist earn a gold at the state final level. The Mt. Vernon band met, and exceeded in some cases, all these requirements, with more than 30 students earning gold medals at the state solo and ensemble finalist.
Students at Mt. Vernon were obviously astounded upon hearing this news.
“It’s super cool that they are able to do that,” said Stephen Shilling, 12. “We have a talented band program here at MV.”
The Mt. Vernon band will participate in all the required events next year, making them eligible to receive the award again in 2017.
Prom
Story by: Jenna Jones, Opinions Editor
As someone who may never really stop being fascinated by pretty lights and lizard skins, prom was a huge success to me.
I never planned on attending my senior prom when I was younger. Attending prom this year was probably one of the greatest decisions of my life.
My senior prom was without a doubt the best one I have ever experienced. Holding it at the Children’s Museum was a genius idea. Being able to visit the different exhibits and dance in between was amazing, and the snacks were definitely a lot better this year than last.
I had the chance to spend several hours of pure happiness with my friends and my girlfriend at a place that was, to me at least, magical. I visited the dinosaurs twice and rode the carousel four times. My only regret is not doing it more.
I would like to personally thank everyone who made it happen, because it was honestly one of the best nights of my life. Thanks, MV. It was great.
Athlete of the month: Kennedy Parker
Interview by: Blake Slunaker, staff writer
Photo by: Samuel Jobe, staff photographer
Q: How did you first get involved in baseball?
A: I wanted to play baseball because I enjoyed it and i picked it up quickly. Any other sport didn’t really interest me at the time.
Q: What is your favorite memory throughout your years of playing baseball
A: Coming in as sophomore (not my first varsity innings but I have had very little experience at this time) with bases loaded one out. I ended up getting out of the inning with the save with a double play to end the game.
Q: What are your plans for after high school
A: I will be attending Anderson University to study business and play baseball for the Ravens.
Q:What is one personal goal and one team goal for this year?
A: My personal goal for the year has been to limit walks and runs. Our team goal is always to win conference.
Q: What is a random fact about you that no one knows?
A: I like to watch a lot of NASCAR in my free time.
Sanders rally
Story by: Ian Carson, Editor in Chief
Photo by:Mackenzie Carpenter, Photography Editor
I recently had the pleasure of attending a rally for Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders in Indianapolis. It was a very positive experience, and it only confirmed my furthered support for the candidate. Being my first political rally, it was also an interesting chance to take in the atmosphere and compare it to what I have seen of rallies for Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.
The rally started around 7, but I arrived at about 5. Monument circle was already packed with supporters for the candidate, cheering with signs and singing songs. There were a number of performers who kept the atmosphere alive with folk music before Sanders arrived. In addition, the main Sanders organizer for the area, a local IPS English teacher, gave a short speech about her support for Sanders before he arrived.
There was something different about this rally that what I have seen of Trump’s rallies. There was more of a sense of community among the members. Of course most of us were there to see Bernie Sanders, but we were also there to support each other. At Trump rallies it often seems like the members gather in some sort of weird, adulative ceremony for Trump, fuling his ego.
Sanders finally arrived, by way of helicopter, which was the only viable mode of transport considering he was campaigning in Fort Wayne a few hours earlier. In his speech, Sanders focused primarily on his plans to improve America, rather than speaking about other candidates. It is notable that Trump’s speeches are often accusatory. Although Sanders had points in his speech where he accused others for contributing to problems in America, they were not the focus of his speech. He also laid out his plans to cover the cost of his plans, something which candidates have attacked him for not doing.
MV students who attended the rally had positive opinions.
“I thought that Sander’s speech was powerful and really moving,” said Geneva Pleasant, 11.
All in all, the Sanders rally was a success and I am glad to have been able to attend.
Spring Sing
Story by: Allison Yoder, staff writer
Photos by: Lauren Pilkington, staff photographer
Spring is an extremely significant time for all school goers, since school is just about out. This is especially true for seniors. The end of their high school career can be stressful, exciting, but also sad. This is why the Mt. Vernon High School choir holds an event each year called Spring Sing.
This year Spring Sing will be held on Friday, May 20 and Saturday, May 21 at seven p.m. in the auditorium.
Each year, there is a different theme. The seniors chose this year’s theme, which is entitled, “Out with a Bang.”
“Spring sing is going to be fun. I’m excited since it’s two days, and we’ll all get to sing together. The rehearsals are a lot, but I can’t wait, since we get to sing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’” said Braydon Titley, 10.
The students put in a lot of work for this production, so it is a very big deal to them.
Underclassmen seem upset for the tearful goodbyes, but are still ready to have one last hurrah before the time comes to move up into other choirs and move on.
Maddie Mull, 9, said, ”Spring Sing is like a wrap up of the year, and saying goodbye to the seniors can be tough, but is fun welcoming the new year.”
The upperclassmen, on the other hand, are looking forward to this event. They are hoping to go onto bigger and better things, but are still eager to have fun doing what they love with peers they love just one last time.
“Spring Sing is a really fun concert, but it also means a lot, especially to us seniors because we have a fairly large role since it’s our very last high school concert,” Katelyn Schuck, 12, explained. “It also means a lot looking back and knowing we made a difference in choir and school, no matter how major or minor.”
This goes to show how much high school can impact a student. Of course, the academic piece of schooling is important, but the social aspect is very impactful as well. Seeing these students tearfully bid farewell to their best friends can be an obstacle, but this event helps.
The chance to have a blast while singing and dancing with their choir pals makes a great memory for these students of all grades, and can making leaving even the smallest bit easier.
Everyone at Mt. Vernon can experience this final performance. Tickets are $5 a person or $20 for a family.
The MV Current 