Cedar Key Cross Country Team Travels the World
By Lauren Bartholemy, Shark Correspondent The Cedar Key Cross Country team left the CKS Friday morning for an adventure with Mickey, Mulan, and the rest of the Disney characters. Coach Brad Penny, and Mrs. Kim Bishop transported the top 6 runner from the girls and boys teams for a fun filled weekend at Epcot, and the ESPN World Wide Sport Center. Keith Eberhardt, Ben Wilson, Austin Pope, Cody Beckham, Kevin Carswell, and Bobby Trammel were qualified from the boys` team and MacKenzie Kirkbride, Brooke Allen, Lauren Bartholemy, and Jessica Mitchell went from the girls` team. The team left at 10:30 a.m. prepared to run at the Disney 5K run. Unfortunately, when the team arrived, lightning and thunder delayed the meet, and it was eventually canceled. Even through this disappointing development, the team kept high spirits as they headed for a dinner at CiCi`s, compliments of Coach Brad. The next morning, the team woke up early ready to make up for the miles lost the day before. After the morning run the team set off for Epcot. The team flew together through California, on the Disney ride Soaring, traveled to Mars, traveled through China, Morocco, Mexico, Italy and France, and went through time. "The overall experience was great. We bonded, and became stronger as a team. We were all close to begin with, but this just helped us grow as a team," commented Brooke Allen, Cedar Key Junior. The team is now preparing for their annual home meet, the Cedar Key Invitational. The team welcomes all fans and onlookers to attend and cheer them on. Go Sharks! The Benefits of Accelerated Reading
By Mikayla Pope, Shark Correspondents At Cedar Key School in both the elementary and secondary levels students are encouraged and asked to read and AR test on books from various genres. Recently five Cedar Key High School students were asked if they understood the benefits of AR testing. Four out of the five students dislike the testing and never even realized there were benefits. This is the case for the majority of high school students, so a question popped into our minds, "What are the benefits of AR Testing?" Junior, Lauren Bartholemy gives her opinion, "I think that it teaches work ethic, enhances the ability of reading quickly, and helps students retain information - which is an important tool in life." We believe most will find that they enjoy reading when they don`t have the pressures of testing and deadlines attached to it. Though AR testing is unpopular the truth is Accelerated Reader helps students and teachers keep up with the books students have their noses in, the genres they enjoy, and the reading skills they form. So, the next time you find yourself taking an AR test think about the different ways this reading-testing program benefits you in life! The Life of A Cross Country Runner
By Sarah Bartholemy, Shark Correspondent "BEEP, BEEP, BEEEEEEP!!!!" That would be the incredibly annoying sound of my alarm going off every day at 5:30 in the morning. Why I wake up this early you ask. I run cross country. We practice every morning at 6:00 a.m. This practice includes weightlifting, drills, and a three to five mile run. As you can imagine, this takes a huge toll on your body. To be a runner you must get at least eight hours of sleep every night, and drink plenty of water before practice in the morning. Not only does it take a toll on your body, but on your schedule too. I have to make sure that I`m getting all of my school work done and maintaining good grades in between meets and practices. I chose to do cross country five years ago, the summer before 6th grade. To this day I`m not quite sure why I chose this sport, but I`m glad that I did. Cross country has taught me self discipline, the ability to push myself, and it has gotten me in shape. I also love my teammates, and we always have a blast at our meets. We all motivate each other to try and make sure that we do our very best at meets.
I can`t forget about our incredible coach, Mr. Brad Penney. This is actually his twenty-fifth year coaching cross country! He always pushes us to be the best that we can be, and he is always ready for practice. Also, don`t think about getting McDonalds after a meet, the menu will always be Subway, one of Coach Brad`s major rules. I hope to continue my cross country career throughout high school and keep pushing myself. I love this sport, and our cross country family. Pre-K Pizza Party
By Becky Russo, Shark Correspondent
Pre-k students at Cedar Key School recently had a pizza party to learn about sharing and caring. This theme ties in to the book they just read, A Little Red Hen Made a Pizza. The students were eager to have this celebration. Ms. Elaine stated, "Students were so excited. They were able to pick toppings for their very own pizzas that they made." Ms. Elaine also commented, "The inspiration for this project came from our unit this month about friends. A little red hen made a pizza but none of her friends wanted to help her." This project was chosen to help students understand the concept of sharing and caring by having them make their own pizza dough as a group and clean up as a group. What a fun way for students to learn about sharing and caring! |
