The Irish Spotlight

The Official News Source for the Student Body of St. Joe

[theirishspotlight-blog]

Fall Recipe: Pumpkin Quesadillas

By Griffyn Ellison - 2 cups of canned pure pumpkin purée - 1 teaspoon ground cumin -8 8in flour tortillas -4 ounces of goat cheese, crumbled -1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted -1/4 cup vegetable oil Spread pumpkin purée on 4 tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese and nuts. Top with remaining tortillas. In large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil on medium-low. Cook the quesadillas one at a time, turning once and adding more oil between batches, until browned, about 3 minutes. Lastly, cut into wedges. This is a fun and easy recipe to make with the family and friends during the fall.

[theirishspotlight-blog]

Largest Telescope may change location

By Bojena Gross A Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) was planned to be built in Mauna Kea, Hawaii, but opposition from native Hawaiians might move the project to Spain. The project will cost 1.4 billion dollars, and will enable scientists to observe the atmospheres of exoplanets and to study the early Universe. Construction was start in April 2015 on top of Mauna Kea, but protestors in Hawaii blocked access to roads and brought their complaints to court. To many native Hawaiians, this location is considered sacred in their religion. In December 2015, the Hawaii State Supreme Court revoked a permit for construction of the telescope. Now the TMT's board has decided a sit in the Canary Islands in Spain could act as an alternative location for this massive telescope.

[theirishspotlight-blog]

Healthy Skin during Winter

By Gracie Brumfield With the cold weather rolling around, and swim season already starting, I thought I would share with you a few tips that will keep your skin (and hair!) from drying out. The first tip is to drink lots of water! I know it's simple but it's very important to stay hydrated from the inside out! The next is to always use lotion. Also, you want to use a good shampoo that will nourish your hair and not make it worse! You could also put hair oils in your hair. They help a lot! Many of these tips seem obvious, but in the cold weather (and the chlorine), if you don't take proper precautions you will end up with dry/ damaged skin and hair.

[theirishspotlight-blog]

Chelsea vs Manchester United Region

By Joe Faucette Chelsea vs Manchester United Region was one of the best games of the season so far for me as a Chelsea fan. Chelsea played as a unit and things seem to be coming together under their new manager, Conte. I was so excited throughout the game I could barely sit down. Chelsea and United are two of the biggest team in EPL and this game has an effect on the rest of the league. Chelsea has gotten off to a decent start this season. At the beginning, they were a little shaky and slow, but now they look poised for an excellent finish. If they keep playing well, I don't see why they can't win the league. This 4-0 win puts Chelsea in 4th on the table and 1 point behind 1st. The win also boosts morale and confidence in the squad which will help them for a bit and is a very good thing. I just hope they can keep it going into the winter.

[theirishspotlight-blog]

Rocky Road Parfait

By Brooke Ferguson A Rocky Road parfait is a quick and easy dessert to make! It has the perfect combination of foods! Sweet and salty! This is one of America's favorite combos! Here are all the things you will need! 1) A packet of chocolate fudge instant pudding 2) 2 cups of milk 3) 1/2 cup of frozen whip topping 4) 1/4 cup of unsalted peanuts 5) A cup! This recipe takes about 15 minutes to make! I would really like to try this one! This looks like a yummy, quick and sweet treat!

[theirishspotlight-blog]

Drug Addiction in Huntington

By McKeon Reynolds Drug abuse and addiction has claimed the lives of many people and will continue to claim many more not only in West Virginia, but in every other state as well. Although we are on taught about drug abuse throughout our lifetime, it seems not many people are ever listening or just let it blow over their heads. As we saw in August, there was a bad batch of heroin that distributed among the people of Huntington, and at the end of the day, here was 25 overdoses, one being fatal. This shows you just how easy it can be to either overdose, or get yourself killed. The officials of Huntington as well as the police, are trying desperately to find the main source of the drug trafficking to essentially end the drug epidemic that had been terrorizing the lives of victims' families as well as themselves.

[theirishspotlight-blog]

The Importance of Good Mixing and Mastering

By Jonathan Kabongo This week's article won't be an album review, but instead I'll be discussing how important I think good mixing and mastering is. Depending on who you ask, perfect mixing and mastering might not matter to the listener. I, on the other hand, feel like good mixing and mastering could make or break a song. I hear a lot of songs that have potential to be really great songs, but just lack good mixing and mastering. I also hear certain songs by certain artists, who aren't really talented, become hits because of mixing. When songs are perfectly mixed it's purely bliss, and it's what makes the song catch you attention off of a first listen. Even though I'm not a fan of songs with poor and lazy song writing, it's not the first thing that I pay attention to when I first hear a song. My mind first pays attention to is the production and mix, if those two are really good, then I am motivated to listen to it again. I make my final opinion on what I think after I re-listen to it. That's how important quality and mix is to me. Listening to a song that sounds too low, or all over the place, or white bad effects on the voice just make me want to turn it off. The crazy thing about mixing to me is how one little thing can make a huge difference. A song can sound perfectly fine to you at first, but then a little tweak is made on he mixing and mastering, the whole song is just taken to a whole new level. That's why I think it's important for the artist to sit on their music, because they might think their song is perfect in w moment, but then might mess around with the mix one day and make the song ten times better than what it is. My point is, good mixing and mastering helps you enjoy any song a lot more on any device you listen to it on and poor mixing can make a great song terrible.

[theirishspotlight-blog]

My First Day at Huntington St. Joseph

By Devin Heeter My first day at my new school, with all new people, all new teachers, and a whole different atmosphere. I have to say, was very welcoming and appealing. I looked at this day as my first day of opportunity to better myself on and off of the basketball court. Not only as a person or as a basketball player, but to achieve academic excellence and get a high school education that I couldn't receive at my old school. I have to say that the rule with turning in homework at 8 o'clock every morning was by far my biggest transition. It is very cool to be able to walk to Speedway everyday and get that delicious gas station cheese burger! I was very nervous to make new friends, but that changed quickly with the family like environment that I have been surrounded with.

[theirishspotlight-blog]

Pumpkin Festival 2016

By Brooke Ferguson Two weekends ago was the annual Pumpkin Festival. At the Pumpkin Festival, they have many interesting things to do. They have a back in time type area. It shows you what blacksmiths do, archery and artifacts. There are many booths set up at the Pumpkin Festival. They are mostly local businesses and such! There are candlemakers, food items and clothing/jewelry booths set up. Many items are made by hand. At the Pumpkin Festival, there is also many kid activities; a petting zoo, hay maze, and inflatables. The biggest pumpkin are usually put on display! The Pumpkin Festival is a great tradition around here!

[theirishspotlight-blog]

Halloween Ideas

By Avery Korne Everyone's favorite time of the year is finally here! October, which means cool weather, fuzzy socks, warm drinks, scary movies, and of course Halloween. Halloween is such an exciting time of the year, filled with many things to do. Everyone counts down the days until Halloween, preparing a wonderful costume, lots of candy, and crazy decorations. Unfortunately, there have been many aggressive clowns attack, all over the country. Personally, I don't plan on going out due to these attacks. Many people will want to dress up as these clowns as a joke, which none of us have time for. There are others who also feel this way, so instead of running around outside, there are many other options to celebrate this wonderful month. Grab a group of your friends and have a scary movie marathon, go to a haunted house or even make fun Halloween decorations!

[theirishspotlight-blog]

Committed to Florida

By Chase Johnson I committed to the University of Florida to play basketball. Florida is my dream school and I didn't want to let the opportunity to slip away. I leave for summer school June 29th and I'm really excited. I can't wait to play in Florida. #ChompChomp

[theirishspotlight-blog]

Marshall Football Team Struggles Continue

By Joe Faucette Marshall University played North Texas and lost 38-21. Marshall is 1-4 as of October 8th, 2016 and they continue to struggle. Marshall's defense couldn't stop North Texas. It seemed they would just march down the filed and score without a problem. The defense as a whole just stemmed unprepared and unorganized. The one positive I took out of the game was that Chase Litton played well. He threw the ball well, but the offense became way to predictable. Marshall had 258 yards passing which is great but only had 13 rushing yards. Doc Holiday really needs to have a talk with his coaches about what is going on during games. Marshall would be lucky to go even on wins and lose this year if they keep playing the way three played this game.

[theirishspotlight-blog]

The American League Wild Card Game

By Noah Beter The American League Wild Card game exceeded expectations last night between the Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays. In the 2nd inning, the Blue Jays struck first with a solo home run by Jose Bautista. Then, Baltimore countered with a 2 run homerun of their own, hit by Mark Trumbo. That run put the Orioles ahead, 2-1. Then, in the bottom of the 5th inning, Ezequil Carrera hit an RBI single to tie the game up at 2. The teams kept battling into extra innings with the scored still tied at 2. Finally, in the bottom of the 11th inning, Edwin Encarnacion and a 440 foot, 3 run walk off homerun to win the game. The Toronto Blue Jays will now play rival Texas Ranger in the ALDS. If the series is anything like last year's, we are in for a big treat.

[theirishspotlight-blog]

The Pros and Cons of Religion in School

By Arianna Patrick The Webster Dictionary defines religion as an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or group of gods. Should religion be in the public school systems? The pros and cons of religion in the public school systems is not a cut and dry issue. Those arguing for religion in schools believe banning religion from the public school system infringes on the student's freedoms to practice their religion. Many think this may encourage them to be more like a non-religious student. The lack of religion may also be leading to more problems with students and their moral judgments. The number of students that are involved with drugs, alcohol, and premarital sex resulting in pregnancy is rising. Religion may combat these problems and lead to a decrease in the number of students participating in these concerning activities. On the other hand, those against religion in the public schools argue that religion in school does not separate church from state. Many believe that schools are for educational purposes only. Also, any form of prayer would not be able to encompass all of the different religions. Some students may feel like an outcast if they do not participate or if they have a different religion than someone else. Finally, people argue that religion should fall to the responsibility of the parents and the community, not the school. No matter which side you believe in, the debate on whether or not religion should be allowed in schools is not going to be decided any time soon. However; the courts have made it clear that no one can stop a child's right to pray on his or her own or to read the Bible or other religious works at school, as long as, it does not interfere with anyone else's rights.

[theirishspotlight-blog]

Clubs at St. Joe

By Avery Korne Here at St. Joe, we have many clubs and sports to offer to students. When you're a senior, when applying to colleges and you have a good amount of clubs, sports or organizations; the better! At graduation, you will receive individual chords that represent something, and the more chords the better! Some schools will offer you money if you are involved, they want a well rounded student to represent their University. Some clubs offered at St. Joe are Book Club, Latin Club, Key Club, Pro-Life Ministry, Outdoor Rec, and others. If you would like more information about some clubs, ask your teachers for some information and then decide if you would like to join.

[theirishspotlight-blog]

Book Recommendations: The Book Thief

By Griffyn Ellison A book I recommend is The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. The book revolves around a young girl living during World War II. She ends up living with a foster family after her brother dies. I enjoyed this book because it had difficult situations for the characters that they learn to overcome. This book has one major theme, and that is love. Throughout the book, the characters become closer and they begin to trust each other. I recommend this book to the readers who enjoy reading heart wrenching, inspiring, and suspenseful stories. In some cases, this book is able to help the readers relate to certain characters and life situations. This is one of my favorite books because the family loved each other and continued to protect one another through the difficult times that they had to face. It was an extraordinary family who loved people, but hated what was happening the world.

[theirishspotlight-blog]

Trolls Are Turning the Internet

By Pirada Jirawatvisut Nowadays, trolls are spreading around the internet, creating offensive and abusive posts. Ten years ago, the internet wasn't a cesspool where it becomes hard to get on the internet without seeing garbage comments or advertisements. Time magazine defined trolls as people who relish anonymity, narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and sadism on the internet. Lulz includes having fun or amusement by deriving other people's money, threatening or harassing victims. Trolls enjoy hacking the victim's personal account such as bank account or social security numbers. They think that it is prancing and there's nothing wrong with it. When the victim doesn't think it is funny, trolls will tell them they have no sense of humor. Trolls are getting out of control and increase each year. For example, in August, Justin Bieber's Instagram account, one of the world's most followed accounts, was set as a private account last month after all the negative comments. Instagram isn't the highest rank of trolls thriving, you can easily see trolls on Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook, where there are lots of gaps for trolls seeping on the comments and messages. This shows that after all these years, trolls are increasingly happening from the most trolly, "8chan" to Snapchat (the least trolly on the internet). One way to avoid trolls from happening is to control yourself from commenting negative stuff to other people or even celebrity's accounts.