By Sophia Boris

The high school Speech and Debate team began their year on a good note.

There are weekly tournaments held at different schools, including the high school, Kimpton and Lakeview. This past weekend students participated in a tournament at the high school.

Perry High School placed first overall for the tournament. Stow ended up placing 3rd overall.

Coach of the Speech and Debate team Sue Theisen said, “Overall the results were very [good].” 

“Stow did really well, I am proud of my entire team,” sophomore Sarah Laubaugh said.

Teams are not just judged as a team but also by individual and team performances. There are multiple categories in which one can choose to compete. For example, one category one can choose from is argumentative. Every category has a winner.

The team had a very successful weekend in these individual and team performances. Seniors Matt McCombs and Cam Stebbins placed 3rd in duo, and juniors Savannah Novak and Elizabeth Angeletti placed 5th in duo. Along with these performances, seniors Madison Light and Samantha Wilcox placed 2nd in duo. Lastly, junior Chloe Holm topped it off by placing 1st in poetry.

With the Speech and Debate team having a triumphant weekend, Theisen looks to have further success this year.

Theisen said, “Each week the teams getting better.”

These weekly tournaments are preparing the team for districts and states later this season.

There was a huge turnout for this event. There were 663 people at this event and 179 adult judges.

Theisen said, “We could not have done all of this without the help of our parent boosters who fed everyone, the wonderful administration who lets us use the schools for these events and special thanks to the TWE who stayed all day and helped with electrical issues.”

         The Speech and Debate team does not only work together in school, but they act as one unit. They are like a family.

         Sophomore Annemarie McCombs said, “Ms. Theisen is the light of my world and the love of my life.”

        The SMFHS speech and debate team strives to continue their season on a good note.

Every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood, and on Nov. 6 the high school hosted their annual blood drive.

The high school holds a blood drive because the large number of students donating one pint of blood can save up to three lives.

“So think about the difference we can make in this world. Together we can change the world one life at a time,” committee leader of the blood drive senior Tori Price said.

Student council started setting the date with the American Red Cross over the summer but began planning this event about a month ago.

“The hardest part of a blood drive is to really just get people involved. Most people are too afraid to donate which is hard because it lessens the number of participants we have,” Price said.

Before signing up there are age, height and weight requirements along with being healthy. Students are asked to stay hydrated the morning before giving blood.

The whole process takes around an hour but one is only giving blood for eight to ten minutes.

This morning before the blood drive, student council spent it setting up tables and chairs in the lower gym.

After students give blood, student council provides bagels, fruit, crackers and water to show their appreciation towards their participation.

The blood drive had 101 participants this year and hopes that number keeps growing for future drives.

Junior Gabriella Kingston said, “I believe the blood drive is a great way for the students to volunteer and give back to the community.”

Avid iPhone users and tech-oriented fans were rapidly up-to-date with the newest Apple Software update, iOS 9.1, while other iPhone customers disregarded the update notification as a waste of time and disastrous to their current operating system.

On Oct. 12, Apple came out with their renovated iOS 9.1 beta 5 software with the hopes of introducing many creative features and solutions to problems within the previously released updates. Without success, Apple was quick to cover up the issues with the next update, but even this did not help very much.

According to forbes.com, “Apple released iOS 9.1 Beta 5. iOS 9.1 will be the first major iOS 9 update and is tasked with addressing the bevy of bugs missed by iOS 9.0.1 and iOS 9.0.2 – both of which were dedicated bug fixes but did nothing other than paper over the cracks.”

Although new updates can sometimes go the wrong way, as did iOS 9.0.2 with issues with battery life, iMessages, touchscreen and many more, the main purpose of appealing features and apps still remains apparent.

For many texters, the latest update with the addition of more emojis has many pumped and some confused. Those who have not done the update see a box with an alien face or a question mark in place of the emjoi that is not existing on their phones. Others, who did the update as soon as possible, were astonished to finally find all of the recent silly-faced, yellow characters available.

According to emojipedia.org, there are 184 more emojis to choose from including a unicorn, a robot, a burrito and a plethora of flags from various countries.

Apple advertises the newest update as, “iOS 9 is full of enhancements you’ll appreciate every day. Your apps become more essential. New multitasking features on iPad make you even more productive. Siri can do more than ever, and new proactive suggestions help you get things done before you ask. And improvements at the foundation of the operating system enhance performance, battery life, and security. The more you do with iOS 9, the more you’ll wonder how you ever did without it.”

Even though their advertisement may seem impressive, many are still experiencing trouble, even with iOS 9.1; many realize it is time to solve these problems personally and not wait for another possibly ineffective update.

As there are problems within every major update, iOS 9 does come with some imperfections yet still has pleased many customers. This update many still be a worthwhile update, especially with the ability to finally put a unicorn and even a tornado into a text message.

Visit gottabemobile.com for help with the newest iOS 9 update.