The Orange and Black

By: Karlee Domenico

It’s that time of the year again, for your annual homecoming dance! Martinsburg High School’s homecoming will take place on Saturday,October 2nd, from 6:30-9:30pm. Class officers say,“The homecoming dance will be held outside on the patio by the gym, with a magical enchanted garden theme.” With this year's theme, it will set an extraordinary and enjoyable experience for the students. The decorations include vines and twinkly lights with a garden like vibe.There will be a DJ that will play fun songs and take song requests from the students. Delicious pre-packaged snacks and a variety of drinks will be provided. This year, outside guests are permitted as long as they fill out the form you can get from the main office. Each ticket will be sold for $15, which you can find on the Martinsburg High School webpage, and are found under purchase athletic tickets. Just remember “Homecoming will be happening, but if people continue to vandalize school property it could get cancelled”, says class officer Chloe Thomas.

Your 2021 Homecoming Court:

• Freshman Prince: Christian Alter

• Freshman Princess: Lillian Miller

• Sophomore Prince: Hayden Graham

• Sophomore Princess: Keira Rhoads

• Junior Prince: Ezra Bagent

• Junior Princess: Mariah Bispo

• Senior Princess are as followed:

Chance Boulware

Heath Burdiss

Hudson Clement

K’Marion Dowe

Christian Slack

Jacob Zittle

• Senior Princesses are as followed:

Laya Chennuru

Kaitlyn Dudley

Kendall Holben

Kailey Jaston

Aurora Padilla

Falcan Yancey

By: Quinn Hughes

It’s that time of year when Martinsburg High School students get prepared for homecoming! One of the most important and thrilling parts of the entire homecoming season is spirit week, which will take place the week of September 27th to October 1st. Students are encouraged to dress up during the week leading up to the homecoming game and dance. The pep rally is also an event that gets students excited for homecoming.

The days of spirit week this year include:

Monday: Healthcare vs. Selfcare

Tuesday: Country vs. Country Club

Wednesday: Hippie Day

Thursday: Dress to Impress

Friday: Orange and Black

Students are highly encouraged to participate and show school spirit. Some outfit ideas for Monday’s Healthcare vs. Selfcare include sweatpants, sweatshirts, and comfy clothes, or scrubs and white pants. Tuesday’s Country vs. Country Club would include flannel shirts, and cowboy/cowgirl boots, or tennis skirts, polo shirts, and khakis. Wednesday’s Hippie Day would be anything tie-dye, floral designs, or peace signs. On Dress to Impress day, pantsuits, skirts, dresses, or polo shirts and khakis are some ideas. And lastly, Friday is to show school spirit! Students should dress in Martinsburg gear or orange and black.

On Friday, the pep rally will take place on the field during the fourth block period. This event will get students pumped and ready for the homecoming football game that night. Martinsburg will be taking on Washington High School. Be ready to cheer the Martinsburg Fight Song with the cheerleaders. There will be games during the pep rally as well.

Stand up and cheer

Stand up and cheer for dear old Martinsburg.

For today we raise

The Orange and Black above the rest.

Our boys are fighting

And they are sure to win the frey. V-I-C-T-O-R-Y

We've got the team (rah! rah!)

We've got the steam (rah! rah!)

For dear old Martinsburg.

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V-I-C-T-O-R-Y That's the BULLDOG battlecry.

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y That's the Freshman battlecry.

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y That's the Sophomore battlecry.

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y That's the Junior battlecry.

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y That's the Senior battlecry.

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y That's the BULLDOG battlecry.

By: By: K’Marion Dowe

Martinsburg High School is one of our region’s most successful schools academically and athletically, and our students and teachers used to reflect that very well in spirit. While school spirit has always been strong, there has been a drop off in this spirit in the past couple years, and many notable figures in school today believe past seniors have a big impact on this issue.

A notable teacher at Martinsburg, Mr. Gallagher, gave a statement about senior apathy that draws a picture of the issue with the lack of school spirit and why seniors play a big part in this disconnect. He said, “I’ve been here 12 years, and when I first got here the school spirit was pretty strong and the students seemed to be into the different things around the school, but as the years have gone by, the students got used to the different successes we had, whether it was sports or classroom success, and because students got used to it and it was almost expected, no one really got excited about it, and there’s a disconnect from the school culture and the excitement around different events with the students. It wasn’t until I got into the office and saw the yearbooks that I saw how much of a disconnect and how much we’ve kind of fallen behind in feeling pride in our school and feeling pride for Martinsburg. The old yearbooks really illustrated some key things that I hadn’t really thought about, such as students getting together more, and wanted to be together more and there was a deeper sense of community because you couldn’t find that community on a phone, you needed to find the community with the people around you, so I think the yearbooks opened up my eyes to how people used to really get down for Martinsburg and not so much leave pep rallies to leave and play on my cell phone.” He also explained that seniors set the tone for this behavior and that it trickles down to the rest of the school as they model the behavior of the oldest, most experienced students of the school.

To get a better understanding of how seniors set the tone for school spirit in past years, I asked a fellow senior, Jake Zittle. When asked how the seniors before us did with setting the tone for school spirit in the past three years, he said, “They did a horrible job, from empty student sections to empty bleachers during pep rallies. Senior turnout has been horrible in all my years here, as they treated events that were supposed to be fun and showcase pride for Martinsburg as chores and mostly decided that they did not care enough.” This can be demoralizing to players expecting to see a crowd cheering them on, or a MHS performer expecting support from other students.

The most helpful input came from an unlikely source, an underclassmen at Martinsburg High, Sophomore Mya Jackson. She gave a great statement on seniors and how they help the rest of the school show spirit. She explained, “It helps us as underclassmen to have more school spirit, because we don’t want to seem boring or be seen as apathetic as the future of Martinsburg. We want to show you seniors that we can do better than you.” She introduced a competitive aspect of school spirit and how we as a student body should approach our school spirit.

Turning things around may not be easy, but showing pride in our school as seniors would go a long way in having the rest of the school follow in our footsteps, in terms of school spirit. We can do this by making competition out of supporting teams and programs around our school. With so many different clubs and extracurriculars going on, we should support as many as possible. As seniors, we know how many students are looking up to us, and we should feel responsible for trying to change the culture and restore the pride to Martinsburg.

By: Valerie Clabaugh

School dress codes have been around since the 1960s and are still wrongfully enforced all over the United States. Martinsburg High School students included, are still required to abide by these unfair dress codes every day. The dress code specifically is targeting to young women. Many students all over Berkeley County have spoken up and taken action to finally change the deep-rooted toxic regulations and dress code.

Martinsburg High students have spoken up most about the unfairness of these regulations through the difference in treatment of women and men. Martinsburg High School junior, Helani Chacon stated, “Dress code is very unfair against females. Men can wear whatever they want, such as saggy clothes, tank tops, being shirtless, and in turn rarely get dress coded. A big issue for girls is holes in jeans, but men wear the same thing and have no consequences.” The biggest infractions for women are ripped jeans, tank tops, and shorts. Martinsburg High School junior, Niya Basey explained, “It is unfair boys get to wear those clothes, because in the beginning of the school year it gets very hot. Lots of girls are left extremely hot because of needing to cover up.” Male students have also agreed with these claims, Safari Amanaka said, “Dress code definitely affects girls and guys differently. I personally do not know of any guys who have been dress coded. I know way too many girls to count that have gotten in trouble for their clothing.”

All the female students that were interviewed had experiences of being dress coded or being threatened for “inappropriate dressing”. Many students get sent to the office and need parents to bring new clothes, which pulls them out of learning. Martinsburg High Junior, Josephine Mesich stated, “Pulling students out of class is a bigger distraction than what the person is wearing.” Other students have experienced worse situations, than just changing clothes. Junior, Helani Chacon explained, “I was threatened to be dress coded and was told to cover up jean holes by putting tape on my skin. I missed class time and it was painful to remove the duct tape.” Many girls have had the same experiences with teachers dress coding them for ridiculous reasons.

The biggest issue for dress coding is the inaccessibility of clothes and the insecurity of students. Many stores do not sell the proper clothing for schools, and it is very hard to find acceptable clothes. Juniors, Niya Basey, Josephine Mesich, and Helani Chacon all agreed, “It is very difficult to find jeans without rips. Ripped jeans are also more comfortable and fit better than most.” Teachers say dress code is made for students to have a professional look, but do not mind for sweatpants or slides. Niya Basey also stated, “If you have to control what we wear, you have to provide the clothes for us”. The insecurity of students comes from the picking and choosing of dress coding, for the same clothes. Students agreed that different bodies show differently in the same clothes. Lots of girls get dress-coded for being too revealing because of the shape of their body. The teacher’s judgment of clothing also brings embarrassment and a feeling of violation to the students.

The dress code needs to be changed and create a more equal space for women and men. It is outdated and only creates problems for students, rather than doing good. We are constantly reminded about what we should wear, rather than focusing on learning. School is made to be a safe environment for all and should be strictly for learning. Many clubs and organizations are being held all over Berkeley County to strive for change in our schools. Change will be obtained with the unification of all individuals wrongfully affected by the dress code.

By: Margarita Salvador

In 2021, the Marching Band has a new band director named Mrs. Adams. She is also the first female to be a band director in Martinsburg High School. Mrs. Adam was a former teacher at Martinsburg South Middle School. She used to be a student at Martinsburg High School during the early 2010s. She was involved in Jazz Ensemble, played the steel drum and trumpet, joined Marching band, and became the drum major. Mrs. Adams ended up continuing her music career at Shepherd University and was also involved in the Rams band. She continued to play the trumpet and became the drum Major.

Her dream was to one day become a band Director at Martinsburg High School. She continued music to get where she one day would reach her dream. The dream came to reality, and she became not just a band director, but the first female. Mrs. Adams is looking forward to bringing the band community to grow more and have more band members join. Mrs. Adams is well known as an excellent teacher who has a passion for music. She’s excited to lead her first marching band, with the help of two Drum Majors, Nico Szabo and Margarita Salvador.

The Marching band half-time show for 2021 is called The Great Showmen. Featuring the songs were playing is the Greatest showmen, this is me, and Never Enough/ From now on. The composer who wrote this song is Hal Leonarald. If you want to watch the band perform, come to the football games and see them during half-time and when they are playing stand tune music. There is also a competition on Saturday and on these days:

2021-2022 Competition Schedule:

September 18th- Liberty High School

October 9th - Martinsburg High School Band Spectacular

October 16th- Musselman High School

October 23rd- Region Championships@ Spring Mills High

2021-2022 Football schedule:

September 24@ Hedgesville

October 15 vs Spring Mills(home)

October 22 vs Jefferson (home)

By: Kamaya Denson

Our school has recently gained a new club called Magnify You with Aurora Padilla as its president. This club is about getting resources to people who struggle with poor mental health and educating people on mental health in general. Aurora says, “With the club, I want to help educate people about mental health and how important it is to get help...” The club's main goal is to help people who feel they have nowhere else to go, whether that’s because their family doesn’t understand or they're not sure what steps to take in order to get better. They hope to teach students that mental health is just as important as physical health, and growth doesn’t just happen overnight. The president along with all the members of the club want to help students with mental health issues accept themselves and learn to grow so they can feel comfortable with the progress they're making. By starting this club, they plan to make this school a more welcoming place for students who are struggling and to let them know they aren't alone.

Aurora decided to start this club because mental health awareness is incredibly important to her. She’s seen firsthand how it can affect people and the negative consequences that come from ignoring the symptoms. Misinformation and ignorance are common when it comes to mental health and Aurora knows that it’s important to fix that. She stated, “...the importance of mental health was what made me want to bring the Magnify You chapter to Martinsburg High School.” What she started is significant to her and she is excited to see what this club can do to help anyone who needs a helping hand.

The club is still fairly new so meeting dates have not been decided yet. There are flyers with QR codes that lead to a questionnaire which will help the club decide when most members will be able to meet. These meetings will last up to an hour at most. When a student joins the club, a journal will be sent to them that will be printed out and brought to each meeting and worked on. A meeting for this club will include a discussion, filling out the chapter journal, and participating in activities, including community service work. The primary purpose of these meetings is to learn. “Learn new ways to get help, learn more about mental health, learn new ways to deal with mental health, and learn how to help others,” the president said.

Since this club was recently started there aren’t many members yet but they're hoping to spread the word and get people interested.Members are currently designing flyers to post around the school and planning social media posts to get the attention of more students and let them see the importance of this organization. The group is currently coming up with more ideas to make this educational and fun club for all students and they’re excited for the year to come.

If you're interested be sure to be on the lookout for the flyers and the posts on their social media! You can follow them on Twitter and Instagram @magnifyyou_wv. If you have any questions, you can message them through their Instagram. They can’t wait to get started educating students about the importance of mental health!

By: Colin O'Kelley

The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan lasted from February 29, 2020, to August 30, 2021. As our troops pull out, the Taliban’s control over Afghanistan rolls in.

Collapsing after 20 years of the United States supporting them, the Afghanistan government has been taken over by the Taliban. Many people are trying to flee from Afghanistan in fear that the Taliban would carry out revenge attacks to people who worked with the government or Americans. They are also trying to flee because they fear that the Taliban may reimpose the harsh interpretations of Islamic law. The president of the original government, Ashraf Ghani, made a few public statements and then fled as the Taliban took over the capital. He wanted to avoid further bloodshed.

What took us by surprise was how swiftly the Taliban took control over Afghanistan. The Taliban are going “door-to-door", finding people in Afghanistan who previously helped Americans and hunting them down. We provided money and support to the Afghan forces, but they failed due to a lack of multiple factors. Money, morale, intelligence, corruption, cultural differences, etc., were all reasons why they failed to defend from the Taiban taking over. The US predicted that it would take the Taliban 90 days to take over Kabul, where it only took 10 days.

In 2020, the Taliban and Trump administration signed a peace treaty. The US agreed to withdraw its troops and release 5000 Taliban prisoners. The Taliban agreed to take steps to prevent an individual or any group, including al Qaeda, from using Afghanistan to threaten US or its allies’ security. This, however, did not bring peace. The violence in Afghanistan rose to its highest point in two decades. The Taliban now control nearly all of the country. MHS social studies teacher Mr. Faircloth states, “They are not a peaceful regime... look at some of their actions.” The Taliban are doing bad things to people who were just trying to help.

By: Laya Chennuru

Originally curated as a Grammar school in 1874, Martinsburg High School has occupied two locations on the corners of Queen and Stephen Streets since, it was first built in 1884 and its current location built in 1928. With the longstanding history of renovations in Martinsburg High School’s walls comes the architectural obscurity of specific structures, namely the smokestack.

Located in the main office hallway, the cylindrical smokestack has been modified to serve as a historical landmark of the once limited educational facility with budgetary constraints, and now a unique school of academic and athletic excellence. The school was first built with a heating system comprised of a coal-fired boiler and a chimney, which was later converted to an oil system. Because the original floor plan of the school incorporated room for a third floor, the smokestack was designed to encompass the necessary height.

This smokestack not only served as a heat source, but was utilized by faculty and students to determine weather patterns due to its towering size. Yvonne Lantz, a history teacher at Martinsburg High School states, “It helped tell the direction of the wind and so the direction of impending weather.” The school was sometimes assumed to be a large factory because of this large structure.

Once Martinsburg High School was remodeled in 1991, it was decided the smokestack needed to be removed. However, because numerous individuals urged to keep the well-known smokestack as a memory, a part of it was etched into the floor plan to fill in the courtyard. Wanda Miller says, “I believe, the gingko had to go, but many people wanted to keep some reminder of the smokestack.” Now the infamous structure lives on in the main hallway as a modern architectural piece.

By: Antonio Diaz

On Tuesday, September 14th at 1 pm PST Apple had a reveal event. The reveal event, dubbed “California Streaming”, was streamed on Apple's website alongside their official YouTube channel. Among these reveals there was the newest iPad, iPad mini, Apple watch, and of course the iPhone 13. Apple usually hosts an event around this time of year to set a new lineup of products for the holiday season.

First up on the reveal schedule were the newest iPad and iPad mini. Boasting the new A13 bionic chip, the iPad is “up to three times faster than the best-selling Chromebook and up to six times faster than the best-selling android tablet” according to Melody Kuna, senior manager of iPad product design. This new chip along with iPadOS 15 makes the user experience many times smoother than previous iterations. The new iPad mini sees a “20% jump in CPU performance and a huge 80% leap in GPU performance”. A statement by Katie McDonald, product manager for iPad. The new iPad mini will also have USB-C compatibility which lets it connect to a vast array of devices to make the iPad mini even more versatile than it already is. The price for the iPad starts at $329 with 64 gigabytes of storage or $299 for schools. The iPad mini will have a starting price of $499 and will be available in Wi-Fi and cellular variations. You can order the iPad and iPad mini now, with them becoming available next week.

The Apple watch series 7 was next up on the menu. It boasts a new design and display that will make it easier and more comfortable to use. The watch will be available in midnight, starlight, green, blue, product red, silver, graphite, gold stainless steel, natural, and space black titanium. The Apple Watch Series 7 will start at $399 and will be available in both cellular and Wi-Fi versions later in the fall.

The iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max were revealed last. With the new Super Retina XDR display, the iPhone 13’s screen is 23% brighter. The new A15 bionic chip is what powers the iPhone 13, allowing it to be “50% faster than the leading competition” according to Kaiann Drance, VP of iPhone product marketing. The iPhone 13 also has new and improved cameras with the base iPhone 13 having two back cameras with the Pro and Pro Max having three back cameras. The phone will also be 5g compatible. The iPhone 13’s battery is “2.5 hours longer than iPhone 12” with the 13 mini’s battery lasting “1.5 hours longer than iPhone 12 mini” and have Smart Data mode to conserve battery power. The 13 Pro’s battery is “1.5 hours longer than the 12 Pro”. The 13 Pro Max’s battery will last “2.5 hours longer than the 12 Pro Max”. All of which are statements by Kaiann Drance and Greg “Joz” Joswiak, SVP of worldwide marketing for Apple. The iPhone 13 mini starts at $699 with the iPhone 13 starting at $799 with a starting capacity of 128GB. You can also upgrade to 256GB or even 512GB. The iPhone 13 Pro will start at $999 with the iPhone 13 Pro Max starting at $1099. The 13 Pro will have storage options starting at 128GB with upgrades of 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. You can pre-order the iPhone 13 and its variants starting Friday, September 17th and they will be available on September 24th. According to Carter Miller, a friend and tech enthusiast, about his thoughts on the Apple Event and according to him “The event was pretty boring and didn’t really wow anyone. The prices [of the iPhones] were surprisingly low compared to years past. Other than that, it was nothing special really.”

By: Kaitlyn Dudley

There are typically no surprises when it comes to newly released technology. Usually, the newest iPhone update or an upgraded version of another product is expected, however, a new device is being released by Amazon. Their newest product will be their own line of TVs, which is expected for October 27th. This new product has reportedly been kept under wraps for around two years. Amazon's VP, Daniel Rausch, announced a statement saying, "We’ve reimagined what a TV can do by building it with two of our most popular experiences at the core — the intelligent always-available power of far-field Alexa, and Fire TV’s content-forward approach to entertainment.” The TVs, manufactured by TCL, will be releasing a beta form that essentially allows you to control your TV using Alexa, one of the most popular devices Amazon has created. However, Amazon has had many devices released that were not successful such as the Alexa Microwave, Fire Phone, and Echo Frames, which were glasses that had a built-in Alexa. Even if these TVs do have a chance at being successful, it is a worry that the global chip shortage could impact production and the release of pre-order shipments.

The TVs will be released under the name Omni Series Smart TV. Features include 4k resolution in a range from 43” to 75”. It is even rumored to have the ability to connect to apps, such as Tiktok. Therefore if you feel the need to watch a TikTok on your 75” Amazon TV, you’ll have the ability. These TVs will start at $410 and a FireStick will be sold separately for $55, which will be available for purchase through Amazon and Best Buy.

With Amazon moving from streaming boxes to actual-branded TVs, it is questionable if they’ll be able to compete with other producers such as Sony, LG, and Samsung. According to Brenda Struebing, “I had no idea Amazon was releasing this, it is a complete surprise. If I would purchase, I would wait until Black Friday or if my TV broke. I won’t be purchasing it if I don’t have to.” With the price of the Omni series, it will be interesting to see the success of this newest release.

By: Aden Reid

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a whole new look into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Similar to Black Panther, this movie opens an entirely different world and explores it fully. In my opinion It's the perfect superhero origin story. The film has non-stop action mixed with family relationships and dilemmas. It has a magnificent combination of magic and martial arts. With beautiful visual effects like all Marvel movies. Including realistic Chinese mythological animals like nine tail foxes and phoenixes. Finally to top it off the film has one of the best cast of actors with unique characters such as an eternal gang leader that uses ancient magic artifacts.

The hero of our story is Shang-Chi, played by Simu Liu. In the movie his sister is Xialing played by Meng’er Zhang, the mother of them both is Leiko Wu played by Fala Chen. The major villain is the Mandarin, also known as Wen Wu Shang-Chi’s father. He is played by Tony Leung Chiu-wai. The best friend and sidekick to Shang-Chi is Katy Chen, who we get to witness an amazing character arch from. She is played by Awkwafina who you might know from other movies such as Jumanji: The Next level or Raya and the Last Dragon. My personal favorite character was Jon Jon, the second in command to Xialing, played by Ronny Chieng. If you’d like to feel the full effect of this movie I’d suggest getting a little bit of background information. The character Wong is originally from the movie “Doctor Strange”. Trevor Slattery, only in later parts of the movie is first seen in “Ironman 3.”

I asked other viewers of the movie their opinions on the film. I asked what they liked from the trailers and how it surprised them in the movie and Judy said, “The small look we see of the water dragon is nothing compared to its performance in the movie.” I asked Jessica how their expectations of the movie had changed after seeing it, “My expectations were good but this blew me away and I especially loved Awkwafina’s performance.” I asked multiple people what they thought the overall tone of the movie was and was told mostly “action” and “family.” Finally I asked my friend Jacob who saw the movie with me what his thoughts were of the ending. He said, “The ending was great, it really showed us who Shang-Chi is and how he became a hero. It also introduced us to a new part of the world and new possibilities within the MCU.” You can go see “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” in theaters now and will be on Disney+ on November 12th.

By: Jason Bednarski

“Murders Only in the Building” is a new show on Hulu that is a great mix between a comedy and a murder mystery. The show is about three strangers who meet because of their obsession about a murder mystery podcast, when they hear about a murder that takes place in their building, the Arconia. When they try to investigate it, they become wrapped up in the middle of the murder.

“Murders Only in the Building” is a great show because it combines the suspense of a murder mystery show and the laughs from a comedy show. It is the kind of show that keeps you coming back every week to watch the next episode, due to the fact that it has a great storyline that will always have a surprise connection to murder which get the main characters closer and closer to solving the murder each episode. According to Jennifer Bednarski her favorite part of the show, “Is the suspense and trying to figure out the clues to guess who did it.”

The cast of “Murders Only in the Building” is Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora, Steve Martin as Charles Hayden Savage, and Martin Short as Oliver Putnam. The show has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Jennifer would recommend this show because “It continues to build on the characters with each episode, so it makes you want to watch the next episode.” On Hulu the show is the most watched comedy series and “I think it is very popular on Hulu because it has well known actors in it, and a great storyline which gets more people to tune in and watch the show” ,said Jennifer.

Back Row- Antonio Diaz, Aden Reid, Colin O'Kelley, K'Marion Dowe, Kaitlyn Dudley, and Advisor Ms. Foreman.

Second Row- Laya Chennuru, Editor- Valerie Clabaugh, Karlee Domenico, Quinn Hughes, Amani Jones.

Front Row- Margarita Salvador, Jason Bednarski, Kamaya Denson.