Students participate in Civil Air Patrol

By CARTER R. PEYTON and THOMAS M. CRUMP

Danville High School

September is the time of year when high schools are hosting “Club Rushes” in order to help students become more involved in their schools and in their communities.  But some students don’t need to wait until school starts to serve their communities and country; some are already members of a very select group — CAP, the Civil Air Patrol.  One such person is C. Airman 1st Class Carter Peyton, a sophomore at Danville High School. 

According to Peyton, CAP is not just your run-of-the-mill club; it is an auxiliary of the United States Air Force, though CAP is older, having been formed on December 1, 1941.  In fact, the Civil Air Patrol was founded during World War II by 150,000 concerned citizens who were fearful about the safety of the American coastline.  Turns out they had a right to be worried; just one week later on December 7, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

During World War II, the Civil Air Patrol was tasked with protecting the coastline, and because of that, CAP pilots flew more than one and one-half million hours.  They were credited with singing two German U-Boats and rescuing hundreds of survivors from downed plans and battleships.

Since they became the auxiliary of the United States Air Force in 1948, they have been charged with three primary missions: Aerospace Education, Cadet Programs, and Emergency Services such as search and rescue, missing persons, etc.  But before anyone can become a member of the CAP, they must go through moderate training consisting of exercises, daily routines, and occasional trips for training. The entire training process is similar to military-grade procedures such as push-ups and jumping jacks.

What you may not realize is that 45% of America’s emergency services are conducted by Civil Air Patrol members. Today, CAP not only searches for downed planes, but also assists in towns and communities.

The Civil Air Patrol helps with the Great American Balloon Race, the Great American BBQ Festival, and much more!  When you see Civil Air Patrol Members in your schools and communities, be sure to say, “Thanks!” for their service.

‘Star Staff’ recipient: Patricia Calvert

By DYLAN GROSS

Danville High School

Here at Danville High School we appreciate everything about our school—and a large part of that is our staff.  As a student at Danville High School, I have found that the Danville Faculty is great to each other and to their students. This edition of The Log’s “Star Staff” recipient is Patricia Calvert, a teacher who cares, plans ahead, and makes sure students get what they need in each lesson.

Mrs. Calvert, a University of Kentucky graduate with an undergraduate degree in Biology and a Master’s in Education, teaches Biology, AP Biology, and General Chemistry.  At first, she didn’t know what she wanted to teach, but when she got into biology she knew that that would be a great fit.

She is a great example of an outstanding teacher–successful and diligent in her undertakings. “I want my students to be successful in my class, and hopefully that will be one small step toward reaching their goals, “said Calvert. “ I realize not every student wants to go to college to major in biology, but success in school can be really important for LOTS of careers down the road.”  It is amazing to see a teacher who wants their students to be successful no matter how they do it.

In Mrs. Calvert’s estimation, her greatest accomplishment has been her National Board Certification, but her classroom isn’t the only place she spends her time; she can be found on the athletic field, vigorously shaking her Spirit Stick to cheer on the Admirals, or in the hallway complimenting students and teachers to bring a smile to their face.

When asked the one word she would use to describe herself, “Enthusiastic!” was her reply—and it’s easy to see why.  DHS gives a shout out to Patricia Calvert for being one of the best role models anyone could ask for…True Star Staff material!

‘Emoji Movie’ is worse than “meh”

By JONATHAN AMREIN

Danville High School

The Emoji Movie could be the single most hated movie of all time. This movie is right up there with other critically-panned flops such as Jack and Jill, Saving Christmas, and The Last Airbender. But why is it so hated? Piqued with curiosity, and the lack of other interesting choices,  I decided to go see this so-called abomination. The hour or so that I was in that theater changed my perception of this film entirely. The screening room was almost barren despite it being 3:00 in the afternoon, and most of the occupants were toddlers with their parents. When the movie started it honestly looked somewhat entertaining, albeit seeming like a rip-off of Inside-Out. However I soon realized that I was in for a very boring and unoriginal piece of trash that was nothing more than a blatant cash-grab for Sony, Twitter, and Candy Crush. This movie made me swear off using emoticons entirely and, to be quite honest, texting to a degree. If you are willing to stomach the plot of this film then continue reading. If not, run away while you still can.

Still here? Okay here goes nothing: “Hidden inside a smartphone, the bustling city of Textopolis is home to all emojis. Each emoji has only one facial expression, except for Gene, an exuberant emoji with multiple expressions. Determined to become ‘normal’ like the other emojis, Gene enlists the help of his best friend Hi-5 and a notorious code breaker called Jailbreak. During their travels through the other apps, the three emojis discover a great danger that could threaten their phone’s very existence.”

Overall, I recommend you most definitely do NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES GO SEE THIS MOVIE. My rating: 0.2 out of ten. Reasoning: because it had Sir Patrick Stewart lend his vocal talents to a piece of excrement. Not even that could save this movie. 

SO YOU KNOW

The next movie review from Danville will be “It” (2017).