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Berry Teacher in the Running for State Teacher of the Year

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by Lexi Beard, Jag Rag staff writer Every Super Bowl has its Most Valuable Player. Every Oscars Awards show gives out Best Actor and Best Actress awards. In Alabama’s schools, one educator is named Teacher of the Year, and one of Berry’s own is in the running. Mrs. Becca Besch, who teaches language arts on Team 7-3 was recently named Berry Middle School’s Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Besch then went one to win Teacher of the Year for the entire Hoover school district. Currently, she is working on her portfolio to compete against fifteen other teachers across the state to see who will ultimately be named Alabama’s Teacher of the Year for the 2019-2020 school year. This is not the first time that Mrs. Besch, who has been teaching for more than twenty years, has received recognition for her work in the classroom. Prior to coming to Alabama, she was named a district Teacher of the Year in Louisiana. Mrs. Besch said she has received a great deal of support while working on her portfolio, a
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Berry Table Tennis Team Claims Another Title

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By Mason Waldron, Jag Rag staff writer Berry’s table tennis teams claimed yet another championship after winning the state tournament in Trussville on November 1. Berry has now won 6 consecutive championships. Coach Shellnut, who coaches both the boys' and girls' table tennis teams, said the boys and girls had to hold off stiff competition in order to earn their most recent titles. “It was really close this year. We played just well enough to win,” he said. Eighth-grader Adam P. was named MVP of the boys' team, while eighth-grader Sage S. received the honor for the girls' team. The other members of the boys' team are Kaushik D, Sam W, Ocean C, Alex P, Connor K, and Nicholas B. The other members of the girls' team are Gracie M, Klara T, Kate J, Emma G, and Emma F.
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Berry Band and Choir to Perform at Winter Concerts

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by Lexie Beard, Jag Rag staff writer The Berry band and choir programs will be holding their annual winter concerts this month. The band will have its concert on Tuesday, December 10 starting at 6:30 p.m. in the main gym. The choir concert will be held at the Spain Park High School performance theater on Monday, December 16 starting at 6 p.m. Admission to both concerts is free. Both the band and the choir will perform holiday music at each concert.
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Scholars' Bowl Gears Up for Another Season of Trivia

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by Lexie Beard, Jag Rag staff writer Berry’s Scholars’ Bowl is starting up again this year. Ms. Badio and Mr. Potts are the sponsors for Berry's Scholars Bowl team and have been doing it for a long time as well. Ms. Badio, the sponsor of the eighth-grade team, has been sponsoring for over five years, and Mr. Potts, the sponsor of the seventh-grade team, has been sponsoring for ten years. Students interested in joining the Scholars’ Bowl team have to go through a try-out process. “We sit down and get to know the students,” said Mr. Potts. “We do a try out where I sit down and have a little sheet of questions-” The sponsors ask the students questions from previous years to see what they can do. “I would rather people buzz in and get most of the questions right than people who don’t buzz at all,” Mr. Potts added. Ms. Badio has the same approach in the sense that she wants people who try, rather than not do anything. Practices are held every Monday and a match every Tuesday during the
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Kids in the Hall: "Sixth Graders: What's the Best Thing/Worst Thing about Sixth Grade So Far?"

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"My favorite part is math, and the thing I like least is science." -- Jamiya C. "My favorite part is having more freedom than in elementary school, and I don't have a least favorite part." -- Dunia H. "I like that we're able to serve our own lunch, but I don't really like having to keep track of multiple lockers." -- Winston O.
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Berry Kicks Off Annual School-Wide Reading Challenge

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by Kamara Granger, Jag Rag staff member Berry recently kicked off its annual reading challenge. This year, Berry students are challenged to read a total of 12,000 books, an average of about 10 books per student. If Berry meets its goal, the whole school will go to the Alabama Theater to see a movie in May. Last year, students were treated to a private viewing of Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse . In addition to the overall school challenge, students can participate in the genre challenge. To complete the genre challenge, students will need to read 20 books from a variety of genres, including adventure, mystery, an autobiography, and an online e-book. Berry media specialist Ms.Hewitt says that books can introduce readers to new things and ideas and help one become a better person. “As individuals, we benefit from the reading experience by learning new words, new experiences, and new ways of thinking through the books that we read,” she said. “I hope that everyone at Berry contin
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Coach Bowden Proud of Eighth-Grade Football Team's Teamwork and Improvement

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by Parker Gallik, Jag Rag staff writer The eighth-grade football team recently wrapped up its season, and even though they fell short of winning a championship, Coach Bowden said he was proud of the effort and teamwork his players displayed. “I really like their togetherness,” Coach Bowden said. “I believe they are all gonna stick together and keep representing Berry and Spain Park Football in a positive manner.” Coach Bowden said he was pleased with the progress the team made over the course of the season. “I believe they have worked hard to continue building a solid foundation of football skills and are on the right track to be a big part of good things at Spain Park High School Football over the next four years,” he said. When asked what the team’s toughest challenge was, Coach Bowden replied that each week and each opponent presented its own unique challenges. He also noted that the team had its fair share of injuries, but that players stepped up when the opportunities arose. Bowd
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