For our final, we had to all work together through a scavenger hunt and solve clues. After completing it (done in an impressive time of 13 minutes), those who were there wrote about the experience.

1. BREAKING: Genius Junior Saves Entire Class

It’s finals week this week and the tension is high. Students have been preparing for days for their tests, trying to get the best grades possible. No different is Ms. Negele’s Newspaper class, who took their final just this morning. The test being a timed scavenger hunt, the students were racing to find ten clues, each written on a notecard giving a hint as to where the next could be found. A few clues in and the class was on fire, fitting considering the next card had to do with being “burned”. The Newspaper staff looked everywhere having to do with flame, including the microwave and the fire alarm. And yet they hadn’t found the 8th clue! Puzzled, the students didn’t know what to do, wandering around aimlessly as they pondered what the card’s message could mean. 

In a moment of divine luck and quick thinking, one of those wandering students happened to walk by the class bookshelf. TV, a 16-year-old junior/super-sleuth, spotted a book resting conspicuously on the shelf. It didn’t stand out, blending in with the other titles almost completely, but V’s keen eye was trained by hours of Murder, She Wrote-watching and Ace Attorney-playing and she refused to discount what could be a potential lead. She picked up the book, entitled Burned, and flipped through the pages, hoping a card would fall out. When none did, she began to put the book back. Then, remembering checking out books in Negele’s library during her sophomore year, V flipped to the very first page of the book and checked the small pocket containing the check-out card. There, resting in the pocket, was the clue. 

“It was like a parade,” she later said to herself in her head, “they all crowded around me excited and impressed. ‘Where was it? Where was it?’ they all asked as I sheepishly showed them the book’s title.” 

Later, the hunt almost over, the class was desperately looking for the final card. This clue had to do with “making time for reading”, and once again the students had looked under every clock and book-themed poster in the room. As her classmates rushed around, V once again used her detecting prowess to take in every detail of the room, letting the sights and sounds block out all else in her brain. She locked eyes with a poster that she sat almost directly in front of every day, and made her way to it. The poster, in big block letters, had “FIND TIME TO READ” twice, positioned diagonally across from each other. She scanned the entire poster, even peeking behind it, and found nothing. In her determination, she pulled the poster up, ripping the thumbtacks out of the wall. There it was, taped to the back of the poster. The final card. They had won the scavenger hunt in under 15 minutes, thanks entirely to the mental magic of TV

“I don’t wanna brag,” bragged TV, “but ummmmmm… y’all wish you were me.”

2. In life you see bumps and holes, sunshine and rainbows, and all sorts of ups and downs. Throughout a journey of life that one embarks on, a person goes through obstacles of all shapes and sizes. You have whole world problems, along with individual or personal problems. Some dilemmas people go through can be life affecting in the grand scheme of things while others may be considered minor hiccups along the way. In a big picture in this world we battle problems with healthcare, racism, pandemics, poverty, and depression. More personal obstacles involve losses of loved ones, social problems, and any complications directly affecting a person’s life. The common goal of life is to overcome these issues and keep persevering to achieve the presence that God created you to be. It’s all about overcoming those obstacles and who is around you to do so. 

In our country a necessity to live is having healthcare. The point of healthcare is to improve the quality of life by enhancing our health. The problems faced with healthcare however is how expensive it is. Healthcare is tough to access in the United States simply due to how expensive it is. Economic status affects the ability to receive healthcare and ability to pay for it making it a large stressor in our society. It unfairly impacts those who are less fortunate.

For the last 150 years as a country there have been struggles facing equality and racism. Going all the way back to times of slavery to the times today there are issues of racism. People are still being treated poorly and downgraded solely based on their skin color. Minorities experience racism and bullying still to this day making them feel below others causing obstacles and mental drawbacks. 

Since 2020 our world has been going through the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our world was shut down and everyone was quarantined for months. People were isolated, putting our economy in a whirlwind. People faced depression and other mental issues from the changes and isolation we went through for months. It was such a drastic change that it caused a lot of problems and controversy for our country. 

Inflation is killing our society and driving poverty numbers through the roof. People are having to fight and work multiple jobs just to survive and get by. Poverty numbers have increased 9.1 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic and they continue to rise. There are so many questions and problems people face when they don’t know where their next house payment is coming from or how they’re going to put food on their table. 

All of these problems can be mentally draining. These issues can lead to poor mental health and depression. There is a stigma of mental health and depression of just “toughing it out.” I have very strong opinions on this topic because it is such a real world problem that people face each and every day for countless reasons. Depression is real and it changes people’s perspective on life and creates so many other problems to battle each and every day. 

You may have to deal with personal, direct problems in your life. One large obstacle people see is loss, specifically loss of loved ones. This can be from losing a family member of natural causes or specific disease or illness. It could also be a freak accident or something of those lines that is so hard to deal with. It could even just be growing apart from an individual you deeply care about or love. Everything seems so hard and like it is your fault. Loss and grief change your world dramatically in these types of situations. 

In the real world every single day you face social challenges. People, especially teens, go through bullying and social status battles everyday. There are constant setbacks and obstacles to overcome. People in this world are mean and it can be draining to deal with each and every day. 

With all of these situations and dilemmas, a moral is they make life hard. Life is complicated and it changes every single day. It is a constant adjustment of how to better yourself and how to be successful in this world, while overcoming challenges. God created this life with millions and millions of people in it knowing there would be obstacles. He didn’t create this world for us to go through life alone. I said earlier life is overcoming those obstacles and who is around you to do so. Surrounding yourself with people who bring out the magic in you and warm the world makes this life thing a whole lot easier even throughout the constant obstacles people face. This scavenger hunt may not have been as severe as other dilemmas in this world, but it involved obstacles that I had to overcome. However, a family that brings out the best in me and does good things for this world will help me achieve my goals of being successful. 

3. Oh and the dreaded week has finally arrived, finals week. A week of last-minute cramming, late-night study sessions, and extreme stress. Everyone is waiting for Friday at 3:17, the start of winter break. But before we can get there we have to finish up all our tests, our quizzes, and last-chance pleads with teachers to boost grades. Through all the stress and countless standardized tests, the newspaper class had other plans. 

As we walk into room 362 we are greeted by Ms. Negele. We are on the edge of our seats waiting to start the last assignment of the semester. She is smiling ear to ear getting ready to explain the tasks she has planned for us to complete. It is bright and early but that does not stop her as she introduces us to our last and final project, our biggest one of the year. A scavenger hunt. We must work as a team to complete and find all 10 clues. What’s the catch? If we don’t find all 10 we fail. No questions asked. Everyone is ready and eager to hear the first clue. 

The next thing you know everyone is wide awake, eyes and ears scanning the classroom trying to solve each piece of the puzzle. Everyone is shooting out ideas and looking in the most obscure places, hoping to find the small slip of paper that hints at the next clues. One was behind the kindness poster, the next in a pinata head, underneath the old projector, and one even on the parrot stuffed animal! We were moving around the classroom at lightning speed, well before the roadblocks. Some clues were trickier than others. Making us stop in our tracks and rethink each clue. It was humbling us, which we needed after demolishing the first half of clues. Now it truly was about teamwork. Bouncing ideas off of each other, not saying any idea is stupid or unnecessary, everyone was all in, willing to look anywhere. 

The newspaper staff finished in 13 minutes, that has got to be a new record! The staff works so well together, willing to try anything to fix problems and find the best solutions. Now I sit here and write my article, the second half of my final exam for newspaper class and I think to myself, maybe finals week isn’t all that bad? 

4. The Papes Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are a worldwide hobby that parents set up to distract their children from screaming and crying. Today, the Newspaper class and I did a daring journey into our minds to explore Ms. Negele’s classroom. Ms. Negele had set up notecards throughout our class with hints in the form of riddles and rhymes. Together we dove into our tasks. The first couple of notecards were found with no real problem at all until one of them stumped us. M began strutting around the classroom, M started becoming more animated than her usual teacher persona; L was speaking to us about the otherworldly effects of Napoleon or some other historical mishaps that have graced our world; S was sitting and eating his breakfast; S had his hands on his hips intently staring at every sign that was visible in the room; and I was running around scanning over everything trying to find our next clue. The chaotic clammer of all of our murmuring helped us to come together as a team. For every clue that was read, all of us silenced ourselves to let the person speak clearly. We came together as a unit and a team.

The SHS Newspaper is a group of some of the most exciting and genuine people this school has ever seen. All the kids have amazing stories and amazing hearts to share. The Newspaper group is more of a family than a class in some perspectives. We keep our heads into everything we do and have strong conversations about our everyday lives in school. Newspaper is one of those places where words are simply words until they are thrown into ink. The friendship and teamwork it took to finish our goal was remarkable to watch especially during Christmas time. I hope the whole Newspaper class has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

5. SPRINGFIELD- Eight students, all reporters, began a quest for knowledge and friendship, and ended the search merely 13 minutes later. Ten clues were hidden around Room 362, and these eight adventurers were given the task of finding them. The first five clues had been found in three minutes– the following five appeared to effect frustration. Book cases were raided the morning of Dec. 15, with the final clue referencing a poster saying “Find Time to Read.” Bedlam ensued as notecards seemingly became more difficult to locate– with the comment that some of the students would not be future detectives. 

The efforts of MM, MM, LM and SI did not go unrewarded– nor those of SK, TV, EW or ER. Seniors EB and DY could not be reached for comment. After the ordeal, Lydia Negele set the task of writing about this search. 

6. The Hunt

7:15 A.M. – My alarm goes off. I’ve been preparing for this day for years. I can’t believe that it’s finally here. Despite my training, I can’t help but doubt my adequacy.

7:45 A.M. – I hop into my partner’s jett-black, 2014 Chevy Impala. We don’t talk much on the way. My mind is occupied by the difficult task ahead.

8:20 A.M. – As I wait apprehensively for The Hunt to begin, my palms begin to sweat. “Just trust your training,” I tell myself. I can’t bring myself to believe my own words.

8:24 A.M. – “RIIIIIIIIIING!” 

The ominous first bell marks the initiation of The Hunt. As the first clue slowly descends from an inconspicuous gap in the ceiling, my companions and I glance at each other nervously. I reach my hand out to grab the suspended note, and collect myself before reading it aloud: “Clue Number One: Newspaper allows us to use our voices. When we use our voice, how should we be?” My face pales, and I balk. Despite my extensive education and preparation, this bewildering, perplexing prompt leaves me utterly stumped. Luckily, one of my comrades seems to possess a particular affinity for this prompt, and determinedly begins their search. Eventually, they found the next clue – tucked neatly behind a poster reading “Use your voice to be kind.” The blood slowly flowed back to my face. My grade is saved – for now. There’s still nine more clues to go.

8:37 A.M. – Thirteen excruciating minutes later, we unearthed the last clue. The tone signifying victory rang out, and the room collectively devolved into chaos. Children stumble and whimper around me, rendered utterly debilitated by The Hunt. One lies in the corner, retching into a trashcan while another crawls to take his place. I feel my knees begin to give out as the fatigue consumes me. I fall to the floor, and dark spots begin to fill the corners of my vision. As the chaos around me fades to black, I ask myself if the A was worth it.

7. The Newspaper Scavenger Hunt

Walking into the classroom, I notice I am the first to arrive.  Ms. Negele greets me in her festive apparel.  Excitedly, I put my stuff down and anxiously wait for my fellow peers to arrive.  One after the other arrives.  E, M, M, then T and L, and the last ones being S and S.  Each face looks bright and ready for a challenge.  The bell rings.  We chatter amongst ourselves until Ms. Negele hands out the first clue.  The game is on.

Hearts racing, we search for the answer to the first clue.  As someone with a love of logic puzzles and a competitive disposition, I was determined to find as many clues as I could.  A cheer sounds from beside me: we found the first one.  Then the second, the third.  In quick succession, we found them.  I found a few of them, glad to help out my friends.  After finding so many in so little time, we let it get to our heads.  After getting stuck on the last few, we managed to find them all.  We did it!  Happily cheering and smiling, we looked fondly at each other as we completed this task as a team.  

The different personalities of everyone melted together as we all worked to solve the clues.  As I write, I realize how amazing this group is.  People I never would have talked to or became friends with on my own.  It truly shows the magic of Newspaper.

Now that you’ve read about our adventure, can you tell who wrote what?