All across the nation, schools are running out of milk cartons. When I say milk cartons, I mean there is plenty of milk to go around, it’s the actual cardboard cartons themselves that are scarce. The supply of half-pint milk cartons we are served at every breakfast and lunch is on the decline. Some schools across the country are looking to find alternatives for the milk, considering that is what a lot of kids drink twice in a school day. In California, state education officials told the schools to “be flexible” with how they choose to offer milk to students. They gave suggestions like limiting the amount of milk choices the kids have or providing milk in bulk dispensers. In Clarence, New York, their district officials decided they would provide water as another option along with milk if they ran out. They would supply the kids with small water bottles or cups of milk that had lids on them. At our very own school we now have the option to be given small, bottled water or a milk carton. “We’ve had to adjust how we set up our serving lines, because you can only get one or the other. You can’t get both when it comes to the bottled water. If you want both then you can get a milk, then you can go get a cup and fill it up with water,” said Mrs. Bass, the head cook in our cafeteria.

Most schools across the nation have had to adjust their serving lines in one way or another, whether that be offering water as another option, or cutting milk all together. “It gives the kids an option of bottled water versus having the tap water. The city water here is not good at all. We have found out that our kids would much rather have that bottled water than they would the milk,” said Mrs. Bass. Milk is technically required to be served with every school meal. But officials with the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service have said different sized milks can be served, or you can cut milk all together if absolutely necessary.

No one is certain how long this shortage will last, but the officials have said it could last several months. U.S. milk processors are working with other package suppliers to hopefully resolve the carton shortage, according to Matt Herrick, spokesperson for the International Dairy Foods Association. I think it’s safe to say we should try to reduce our intake of milk at school, at least when it’s packaged in milk cartons. Try a bottled water instead, or maybe you could even bring your own water and/or milk to school.

MHS's sophomore, Kayla Nelson, competed in the cross-country state championship. Kayla has worked extremely hard these past few months to get to where she is. She got 39th overall at states, and her time was 22:05 at Cabell Midland High School. When asked about her experience at the state championship, she said, "It was a fun and good experience! It was my second time being at states, and that really inspired me to get in the top 10 next year." Kayla has been running for the past three years for the MHS track and field team and cross country; she's also involved in other sports; she is a point guard on the basketball team.

Being in a running sport, you need high endurance to keep a steady pace. Kayla stated, "I knew I needed to get my stamina and endurance up for basketball, and cross-country and track seemed like a beneficial way to better that." Kayla's best time this season was at the 21st Annual Red, White, and Blue Classic with a time of 20:32. MHS is proud to represent Kayla as she's accomplished many things, such as getting 3rd at PAC and 4th at regionals. Training yourself for a sport like this isn't the easiest; you must work out quite a bit. Kayla specified, "Run quite a bit throughout the week to keep my pace and attempt to get further every time. I also go to the gym a couple times during the week to make myself mentally and physically stronger." Kayla Nelson is a very outstanding student at Martinsburg High School, and we are very proud of how far she has come as only a sophomore! We are excited to see how much farther she can go with her last two high school years.

For winter sport athletes at Martinsburg High School, the 2023-2024 season has begun! Wrestling, swimming, boys basketball, and girls basketball began official practices in late October or early November, and are gearing up for competition in the upcoming weeks.

The boys basketball team has been working diligently to prepare for their upcoming season, training not only at practices but putting in additional hours outside of scheduled practices. “We’re a young team. Everyone is willing to work hard and go 100 percent,” said Zahir Richardson, a senior on the varsity boys basketball team, “Our obvious goal is to go to the state championship, but also to bond with the team and just make the most of the season.” According to Richardson, the team’s biggest competition will be Spring Mills High School and Jefferson High School. The team will play against Heritage High School on December 11th.

The girls varsity basketball team hosted tryouts on November 6th, and will play their first game on December 11th at Allegheny High School. “As a team, our main goal is to always be growing, moving forward, and obviously chasing the state championship,” said Hannah Seelinger, a junior on the team, “Our biggest competitor is honestly ourselves. Last year, we started the season slow, so we are trying not to repeat history and be ready to get the job done as soon as possible.”

The first swim meet was held on November 11th at Shepherd University against Spring Mills High School, Musselman High School, and Washington High School. MHS came in 4th overall. “We really want to score well and improve as a team,” said Mary Kate MacKinnon, a senior on the MHS swim team, “It will be hard because most of our varsity members from last year graduated, but we can do it. We are all pretty good at freestyle, and we are working on learning new strokes.”

The MHS wrestling team will kickoff on December 1st at Hedgesville High School. “Our biggest competition is the other schools in our region. In order to qualify for states, you need to be a top 4 wrestler in the region,” said Junior Josh Burton, “To prepare, we’ve been doing a lot of cardio and lifting.” Burton says the team is striving to get to 40 wins this season. Good luck to all of our winter sport athletes!

Want to know more about the cultures in your community? Then, come out to the BCS Diversity Night for performances, presentations, and food, all from people with different backgrounds. Equity and Inclusion will host this culture fair at Spring Mills High School, collaborating with Musselman, Hedgesville, and Martinsburg High School. Any students from these schools are welcome to participate or show off their culture free of charge.

Diversity Night will take place November 16th from 5 - 7 pm. There will be presentations in the Spring Mills High School cafeteria and dancing and singing performances in the auditorium. If you want to present something from your own culture, contact Abigail Hoffman at alhoffman1@stu.k12.wv.us. The Spring Mills High School Black Student Union is sponsoring this event after they decided to put on a culture fair which would include all four high schools in the county. This will be the first collaborative event among all Berkeley County high schools. Equity and Inclusion, the BCS department in charge of Diversity Night, began to bring the underrepresented together and ensure the guidelines of Equity and Inclusion are represented in all parts of their schools.

If you want more information, talk to Mrs. Sanchez in room 2042. According to Mrs. Sanchez she believes, "It's important for everyone to be a global student with intercultural competency ready for the workplace or college. It will be a good experience to learn about different cultures, not just from around the world but locally." I asked her why students should attend this event. "It will be a lot of fun, and you'll get to know more about the people in your community." Mrs. Sanchez also stated that she thinks we should do more of them and might host her own. "It would be nice to start doing this as a tradition each year."

Diversity Day is this Thursday November 16th, so make sure to stop by for some culturally inspired dances, music, or just good food. They won't charge admission at Spring Mills, and everyone is welcome. It will be a night where different people can come together and enjoy their diverse backgrounds.

Winter Concert season is steadily approaching, and the Martinsburg Arts Department has been preparing for months. With concerns just around the corner, our Band and Show Choirs are putting the finishing touches on their amazing performances. The MHS Band, directed by Casie Adams, will host their Winter Concert on Friday, December 15th, at 7:00 pm in the auditorium. This year's band concert will be slightly different than previous years. Marching and Concert Band will be combined to deliver a magical performance! The Marching Band started working in July to perfect their halftime performance. Now, they're working on transitioning to Concert Band season and putting the finishing touches on their indoor performance. Color Guard, Jazz Ensemble, and the Steel Drum Ensemble have also been diligently working on creating a wonderful performance. Band Director Mrs. Adams says she's most excited for the community to hear the 2023 marching show, "When You Wish," indoors. Mrs. Adams also emphasized that "The students did an amazing job performing the show on the field this year, but to hear it indoors is something special. The MHS Band has such a powerful sound, and each of the students plays their hearts out!" The Band will also be collecting donations at the door to help fund their Disney Trip this Spring. Make sure to show your support for the Band by attending their Winter Concert and stop by the band room afterward for cookies and punch!

Good Times and Glitz, Directed by Hayley Cowan, will also host a Winter Concert. The GT and Glitz concert will be Wednesday, December 6th in the MHS auditorium. Each group will be performing three songs. Ms. Cowan, Director, says she's most excited for the community to see the groups perform the ballad "Believe" from Polar Express saying "[Believe] is a number that they haven't performed before, and I am excited to see how their attention to detail and dedication to their vocal work pays off.". GT and Glitz's Winter Concert performance has been in the works since October.

The Show Choirs have worked tirelessly to prepare for their Winter Concert all while maintaining five other songs for their respective competition shows. Come see all the effort the MHS show choirs have put in by attending their upcoming Winter Concert! While not always advertised, the Martinsburg Arts Department has worked extremely hard to learn and perfect their Winter Concert performances. Make sure to stop by and show your support for the MHS Bands and Show Choirs in December!

On October 7th, 2023, a political group called the Hamas attacked Israeli citizens, killing 1,400 and injuring 5,400. Both the Israelis and the Hamas want the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea for themselves, but why did the Hamas attack Israel? What is the goal of this war? In 1987, the Political group Hamas was founded by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Yassin was a refugee living in Gaza during the First Intifada, a Palestinian uprising against Israel. He was a prisoner of Israel for years, and in 2004, he was killed by Israeli forces. Hamas is an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, which translates to Islamic Resistance Group. By 1997, the US State Department designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. In 2006, Hamas won seats in parliamentary elections; in 2007, they claimed the Gaza Strip with an area of 141 square feet. Before Hamas began governing the Gaza Strip, it was under the Palestinian Authority (Political Group). Israel responded by restricting the movement of civilians and resources in and out of Gaza. The Palestinians accuse Israel of collective punishment, which is a violation of international law. The Hamas explained their attack on October 7th was a retaliation to the violence going on in what was once Jerusalem near the Al-Aqsa Mosque. In April of 2023, Israel attacked the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Israelis view the area of the site of an ancient temple, and the Hamas view the site as the place where Muhammad ascended from the Dome of the Rock. Mrs Lantz provided us with background information on the viewpoint of the Israelis. “The Palestinians and the Israelis have been fighting since World War II,” said Mrs Lantz. “You go all the way back to the Roman Empire; the area that is now Israel was owned by the Israelites,” said Lantz. In 722 BC, the Assyrians conquered the Israelites, beginning what would become the Great Diaspora. The Diaspora did not officially begin until the Roman Empire deported every Israelite from the Jewish state in 597 AD. “The vast majority of the areas the Jewish (Israelites) settled in were Christian; there was a limited understanding,” said Lantz. At the end of WWII, the United Nations gave the Jewish people the state of Israel. Palestinians considered Israel to be their territory, for they have lived there for 2,000 years. The Jews believed it was their right to own Israel, for they should have never been removed. Both groups believe they are fighting for the ownership of their holy land.

Reporters: Isabel Banks, Kaylin Henry, Savannah Malatt, MaryKate McKinnon, Aden Reid

Co-Editors: Ruby Amores and Phoebe Porter

Advisor: Rhonda Foreman