Jordan Ramsey’s coaches, family and friends gather in Osceola’s culinary dining room to celebrate him signing his letter of intent to Ave Maria University on Monday, Feburary 20, 2012. He’ll join Nate Stearns in the fall as part of the new football program near Naples, Florida.

Nathanel Stearns signs his letter of intent to play football at Ave Maria University in Osceola’s culinary dining room surrounded by his parents and friends on Monday, February 20, 2012. He’ll be one of the first to play in this fledgling program.

They are both loved and mocked across the Internet. They have been featured in the Wall Street Journal – on the front page, no less. They have taken over multitudes of websites, including YouTube and Facebook. They exist in every major city on the globe, and they grow stronger every day.

They aren’t the Illuminati. They are the bronies.

The bronies came into being almost a year and a half ago with the October 10^th, 2010 premiere of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, the latest TV adaptation of Hasbro’s line of candy-colored horse toys. Animation legend Lauren Faust, whose accolades include The Powerpuff Girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, chaired the production of the show’s first season. An essay published soon after  on the website Cartoon Brew lamented Faust’s involvement with a toy-centric show. Animation fans who read the essay went and watched the show, curious as to what the hubbub was about. What happened next, no one could’ve predicted. The show’s popularity exploded, with websites dedicated to the fan media being created popping up within a few months of the show’s premiere. People across the Net mixed the ponies with just about everything imaginable, from the Beatles to the movie Inglorious Basterds. The show’s popularity continues to snowball, and the bronies (a combination of “bro” and “pony”) have captured the attention of the media.

Tim Eberts, 12^th grade, and one of the anchors for “O-Town Live,” is an avid fan of the show, and has even worn his brony t-shirt on air several times. Tim described the bronies as “male fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic who love the morals, humor, and positive outlook of the show…and of course the colorful ponies.” Tim said that he was introduced to the show by a couple of friends. “The first time I watched it, I felt like laughing at myself, like ‘am I really doing this?’ But then after the first two episodes I watched the third one, then the fourth one, and before I knew it I was hooked.” Tim’s favorite character from the show is Fluttershy, a quiet yellow pegasus who cares for animals.

Joanne Stein, 11^th grade, also felt odd watching the episodes. “I didn’t really care for the pilot very much. But after I watched episode five or so, that was that.” Joanne says she loves the show because of its “humor for the sake of humor.” She frequents the fan-generated content, and loves the fandom’s image website, Ponychan. “The people who are involved in this fandom are just the nicest people on the Internet.” Her favorite character bounces between Applejack, the strong headed farm girl, and Pinkie Pie, the questionably insane pink pony who loves parties.

Jeffrey Estell, 12^th grade, got into things after watching the “Equestria Girls” parody, the Hasbro-licensed mash-up of the show and Katy Perry’s “California Girls.” “I saw the ‘Equestria Girls’ thing and I love the song, so I was like ‘what is this?’” He likes the show because of its “adorability” and the fact that “Lauren Faust made my childhood. She’s practically God.” Jeffrey is a fan of Rainbow Dash, the brash rainbow-maned pegasus who’s the tomboy of the main cast.

“I appreciate my family even more during this time because I think of my grandmother and her struggle of becoming a school teacher during that hard time in American history.” McKenzie Rock remembers hearing tales of her grandmother’s road to success in the South during and prior to the Civil Rights Movement.

McKenzie is just one of thousands of African-Americans who pause this month to honor their ancestors’ achievements and contributions to society. Contributions like the modified traffic light or mobile blood banks. This time is dedicated as Black History Month; the month of February. The history of this cultural holiday can be traced back to the opening of the twentieth century, when Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week. This was the first celebration acknowledging African-Americans in this nation and their importance in the advancement of this country.

Other students at Osceola agree with McKenzie. Cotye “Codeman” Curry, 10th grade, said, “I first think of Dr. King and Malcolm X. This time is significant because it opened the doors for me and those after me. My family usually has a cookout to celebrate and sometimes I go to Eufaula, AL to be with family.”

African-American media outlets are also fusing this celebration time into their daily broadcasts. The Black Entertainment Television channel will debut an award ceremony titled “BET Honors” on February 13 at 9pm to pay tribute to civil rights movement icons, such as the Tuskegee Airmen and artistic expressionists; Spike Lee and Maya Angelou. Jet magazine honored Black history by covering their February issue with the newly released film of Red Tails; an account of the Tuskegee Airmen in World War 2. The theme for this year is Black Women in American Culture and History.

                Mr. Kontrick, Spanish 1 & 3 teacher, has decided to start an Anthropology class for next year. He wants to use it as a social studies class. The class will be worth half a credit.

“Anthropology is the study of mankind from the past and the present,” said Mr. Kontrick. There are three different branches of Anthropology. They are Linguistic Anthropology, Physical Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, and Archeology. Linguistic Anthropology is the study of the languages and the comparison of how they reflect and influence social life. Physical Anthropology is the study of the way humans adapt to different environments. Cultural Anthropology is the study of social patterns, government and the economy over time and across different cultures. Archeology is the study of past people through different artifacts or hand-made materials.

Mr. Kontrick said that the reason he wants students to join is because, “Kids need to get an appreciation of Anthropology. No one really knows what it is.” Mr. Kontrick thinks that this is important to a student’s education and for their future careers. “Anthropology is a course you have to take for college and it tends to be one of the more interesting ones for students. The methods anthropologists use are helpful,” commented Mr. Kontrick.

“I have an Anthropology degree,” said Mr. Kontrick. Mr. Kontrick loves teaching and thinks students need a better understanding of how we evolved over time.

This class will start next year and a total of 34 people have signed up. “If anyone is interested come and see me to sign up,” concluded Mr. Kontrick.

“[I worry about] teachers, love, and friendships,” said one sophomore. This student is not alone. Most teenagers live busy lives, filled with factors that can cause unwanted stress. Every teenager has to learn how to juggle tests, relationships, family, school, love, and maybe even a part time job while keeping their heads above water.  Sometimes, these factors can cause teens to lose hope and become overwhelmed. Is there something out there for those of us that are struggling? Never fear, because there is light at the end of the tunnel.

S.A.D.D., or Students Against Destructive Dicisions, is “a peer on peer group that reinforces good decisions such as not driving impaired and using drugs, and also looks to eliminate teen violence and suicides,” said Deputy Shorter, S.A.D.D. sponsor. S.A.D.D.’s mission is “To provide students with the best prevention tools possible to deal with the issues of underage drinking, other drug use, impaired driving and other destructive dicisions.” According to Deputy Shorter, S.A.D.D. is “a student run group with advisors.” S.A.D.D. members participate in activities during 1^st and 2^nd lunches such as Traffic Awareness Month and Red Ribbon Week, and advocate causes by organizing rallies and events for teens to raise awareness of all of these pressing issues. The group meets once a month for 20 to 30 minutes and discusses issues, and works on promoting their solutions. Any student from any grade level can join S.A.D.D.

As African-American singer Sam Cooke would say, “It’s been a long time coming.” It has been a long time coming for everyone in this world. From the beginning the people have fought for their rights. One group in particular is African- Americans. From the ship to the plantations to the oval office, African- Americans have made history and have put in a piece of culture that has shaped our world to what it is today. This year, Black History Month is all about honoring African- American women with a title called, “Black Women in American Culture and History.”

“Black history month is all about honoring our unsung heroes. We have thousands of African- Americans to honor; Dr. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks weren’t the only ones who made a difference in this world. Black History month isn’t just for Black people, it affects everybody,” said Brianna Collins, 10^th grade.

“It’s all about embracing our roots and remembering where we came from,” said Makendra Baker, 11^th grade.

The Study of African-American Life and History, which was founded in 1915, chose the theme of Black History Month.

“One of my favorite African- American females is Maya Angelou because she has a voice and has touched many people,” said Brianna Collins, 10^th grade.

“I like Gabrielle Union because she is a good actress and has been in many roles,” Joia Nolton, 10^th grade, said. “When I think of African- American women I think of independent, strong, brave, flawless, and pretty-skinned women.”

Both girls explained that they feel that being an African-American woman is an honor. They also say that family and education are something that is strongly supported when living in the African-American community. “Black is beautiful,” said Brianna Collins, “but we are all equal.”

Maya Angelou hosts Black History Month special. Special guests are Mary J. Blige, Professor Nikky Finney, Congressman John Lewis, Dr. Julianne Malveaux, and Ambassador Andrew Young. Please check your local radio listings.

New Year’s Eve 2012 is a distant memory for most of us. Although for 12^th grader Margaret Yip, it is anything but.

“The Chinese New Year means to start over. It’s a whole new start and hopefully the year will go better,” said Margaret.

In Chinese history, the New Year falls on the Chinese Lunar Calendar.

“We have to fast on New Year’s Day. We can’t eat meat, and we leave the lights on in my house and on the porch,” said Margaret.

Some parties and celebrations with fireworks often last for a few weeks. Margaret and her family celebrate for 3 days.

“Some celebrate for whole months, we celebrate for three days. In places where there are China towns they hold parades and fireworks,” said Margaret.

Another major part of the Chinese New Year are the zodiacs- which are animal representations of personalities.

“Basically, they balance each other. Dragons, since it’s the year of the dragons, have certain privileges, like they are strong leaders,” said Margaret.

The sound of shoes hitting the pavement has returned to the Osceola track once more! The start of the season for track and field began on January 23rd, and is continuing to attract a crowd of students from all grade levels.

Though track and field offers students the chance to become a distance runner or sprinter, the sport is not only about running, but is also composed of many different events that athletes can choose to participate in. “There are 17 events in total,” explained Coach Kramer. “The most popular tend to be the pole vault, high jump, and hurdles.”

The track team is constantly looking for new members, athletic or not. The team will be accepting new members for a few more weeks, so those interested can still come and join. “We have a winning tradition that can only be made better as more and more Osceola students get involved,” Coach Kramer encouraged.

Those looking to try out a new sport or get in shape can expect to have a challenging but rewarding season. Track and field athletes will be met with “a heavy dose of hard work, and success,” Coach Kramer stated. “And, a cool shirt.”

If you would like to participate in track and field, you will need to get a physical and purchase school insurance. Practice is held daily at 2:15 out on the track and usually lasts until 4:00 or 4:15.