BMS Bulldog Times

FCA (Fellowship of Christian Anybody's) meeting is in RM 228 on Wednesday mornings starting at 7:30 a.m. Bring a friend!

Donuts and OJ will be provided. :)

Hey y’all! I’m Mrs. Bitzkie and I spent my summer reading, relaxing and running around with my family. I love working with kids so it’s always a good day for me! I’ve been an educator for 30 years: 6 in the classroom and 24 in the library! I love taking pictures, writing, journaling and collecting old typewriters.

Have you heard about the new asian drama Business Proposal? The Business Proposal is an absolutely amazing Asian drama and I definitely recommend that you watch it. The people who created the show is Kakao Entertainment. They made it because they believed viewers would find it interesting or exciting and I believe it is just purely adorable. The show is about how Ha-ri disguised as her friend shows up on a blind date to scare off her friends prospective suitor. Unfortunately, their plans don’t go as planned when he turns out to be Ha-ri’s CEO and he makes a proposal. Either way, I definitely recommend that you watch it... believe me the Business Proposal is an amazing show. As of right now, I haven’t heard about whether or not there is a Season 2, but I hope there is; that would be so cool. I believe that the first 12 episodes are amazing to, but it would be cool to see how their relationship is now! Wouldn't you agree? What I am trying to say here is that it is a great show and maybe you should check it out and if you want to watch it that's great. Heads up the Business Proposal is on Netflix.

Here is a few Business Proposal quotes:

• ”It won’t matter if it is 2 or 20 years, my feelings will never change." -Kang Tae Moo

• “Do you know what this credit card and my love for you have in common? They both have no limit.” -Kang Tae Moo

• “Love is… You miss them even when they’re right there with you and your heart flutters when you think about them.” -Cha Seung Hoon

Netflix Enthusiast and Co-Editor, Alice Nelson

At approximately 5:30 a.m. Monday morning, a Bandera ISD bus was involved in an accident. The bus ran into brush and cedar trees on a curve on the 1700 block of Bear Springs Road. The vehicle with the district was thankfully only carrying one student at the moment, and we're relieved to report that no one was injured; Superintendent Gary Bitzkie said in a statement. "We are so thankful to Bandera ISD Transportation’s attention to safety, and the fact that the student and the driver were safely secured in their seatbelts, so no injuries were sustained. Also, on the same day the Bandera ISD bus was in an accident, one of the Southside ISD buses was also involved in an accident around 7:50 a.m. with four high schoolers involved. Thankfully, none were reported injured. The Bandera ISD wants to assure that the safety of the students and staff are their top priority in the district. The incident was of no fault to the Bus driver nor to the Bandera ISD, and the team responded immediately to ensure that all of the protocols were followed when the accident happened. This shows that the team is always committed to maintaining the highest standards of the safety of the students during transportation,and throughout the school day. Again, the bus driver and the student were very lucky to have no injuries sustained from the accident.

Bus rider and Hometown Correspondent, Allison Palacios

Homecoming week started on Monday, September 13th and lasted through Thursday, September 16th. Homecoming is a big event anywhere, but it's a REALLY big deal in small towns. Homecoming started in the early 1900s and has been a popular event since then.

On Monday, the volleyball team had their homecoming game,

but it was not at home. Tuesday there were no games and Wednesday

there was a Homecoming parade and the volleyball and football

players were on a float, followed by high school football and baseball

team and then the girls were on a different float with Mrs. Kelly's dance team.

Thursday the football games started!! The 7th grade football team

played at 5 p.m. and sadly lost 30-12 and then 8th grade lost too. Friday

there was no school, but there was varsity football and they lost too. It

was still an amazing week and experience to have.

Sportswriter and HOCO court finalist, Cody McCarthy

Question- Why do you think it's important to have a 4 day week

Answer: I wouldn't say it is important to have a 4 day week, I would say it is more of a privilege for the students and teachers. It makes Bandera ISD a more appetizing destination for students, teachers, and parents. Which in return brings more people to the town.

Question- How does the 4 day week impact your life in and out of school?

Answer: In school it does make the days longer, but when Friday comes around it is all worth it when I get to sleep in and not come to school. It lets me recharge over the long weekend.

Question- What have you seen differently from your students regarding the 4 day week?

Answer: I have seen a more positive environment in school. A happier student body.

Question- What are some changes in your mental state regarding the 4 day week?

Answer: I feel less stressed, having that extra day during the weekend helps me recharge my mental state while also being able to devote a day to grading and doing things I couldn’t get to during the work week.

Question- Do you think we should keep the 4 day week?

Answer: I think keeping the 4 day week would be very beneficial for Bandera ISD because it makes our school district more appetizing for job openings to get filled when that time comes.

Question- Is the 4 day week helping you get more work done having that you have an extra day?

Answer: Absolutely, it lets me devote that Friday we have off to getting grading done or lesson planning for the next week. Which in a regular 5 day week I would have to devote my Saturdays to doing.

Question- What are Fridays starting to look like for you?

Answer: Fridays are looking like HOT doing some grading or lesson planning to get ahead for the next week or to catch up on the current week. Definitely not waking up early for it though.

Question- What are your pros and cons of having the 4 day week?

Answer: Pros are obviously having Fridays off, having a 3 day weekend. Cons are going to school for almost 8 hours a day, also going to school for 5 days the first month of school.

Question- Do you think having the 4 day week is the best change BMS has made?

Answer: I think it is the best change the school district has made, I am hoping we can keep it.

Question- How do you think the 4 day week will affect the students?

Answer: I think the students will love having that extra day off during the week, but starting school earlier definitely took some getting used too.

Question- Do you think the 4 day week will interfere with football?

Answer: I don't think it will. If anything it will help, having a whole day to prepare for the game that evening. Getting the students there early and devoting the whole Friday to prepare.

Question- How did you react when they announced the 4 day week?

Answer: I was so excited, also concerned about how others were going to react. My initial reaction was hoping it would work out so we can keep it.

Question- How long do you think the 4 day weeks will continue?

Answer: Hopefully for as long as I work for Bandera Independent School District

Question- Do you think the 4 day weeks are beneficial?

Answer: Yes very beneficial, due to the fact that as a country, it is hard to fill teaching positions because there are not enough teachers. Hopefully as a school district we can be the outlier.

Question- What's something you would like to see happen because of the 4 day week?

Answer: I would like to see our test scores go up because of it. I would also like to see other districts draft a 4 day school week because our year was so successful.

Question- How does the 4 day week affect your lesson planning?

Answer: Compared to block scheduling last year, it feels like each class period flies by. One big difference is that one lesson last year lasted one class period. But now lessons this year can last me anywhere from 1-3 days.

Question- Do you think we should get rid of mondays instead of fridays?

Answer: I think we could, Fridays have just a happy and exciting vibe to it around schools. Friday night football games, fun Fridays in class. Mondays give off the opposite vibe in my opinion. I think we could try it.

Question- Should other schools start 4 day weeks?

Answer: Absolutely, I think 4 day weeks are going to become the new normal before we know it. There are already about 3-5 districts that have adopted the 4 day school week.

Question- What are your complete and honest thoughts on the 4 day week?

Answer: My honest thoughts are that it will be beneficial for teachers and administrators. My worry is that it will affect student learning, having one extra day of not worrying about school can affect the student's ability to retain information.

Question- What do you think the government thinks about the 4 day week ?

Answer: I think our state government is using us and the other school districts who have adopted a 4 day week as guinea pigs. If our test scores can stay steady on our path or even improve I think they will push for more school districts to adopt the shortened school week.

Question- what was your favorite question on this interview? And why?

Answer: I liked the question about whether or not we should change our off day to Mondays instead of Fridays. I like this question because it brings awareness to the possibility of Mondays off.

Question- What school did you graduate from?

Answer: I graduated from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky

Question-What was that school's mascot?

Answer: The Golden Eagles

Question-What school DID you want to graduate from?

Answer: I wanted to graduate from whichever school gave me the most scholarship money to play college baseball. Thankfully Spalding University allowed me to do that.

Question- What was your seat number graduating?

Answer: I don’t recall what seat number I was. But all I know is I walked off that stage with 2 diplomas!!

Question-What sports did you play?

Answer: In high school I played Football, Basketball and Baseball. In college I played Baseball.

Question -Why'd you want to be a teacher?

Answer: I wanted to be a teacher because I can still to this day, remember my favorite teachers and coaches and the impact they had on me. So I want to make that same impact on each student I encounter.

Question-What's your favorite thing about BMS?

Answer: It is difficult for me to point out just one thing about BMS that I like. The atmosphere at BMS is awesome. From the students, front office staff, the teachers, janitorial staff and everyone in between. This place is where I want to be.

Question-Would you rather work at the BHS?If so, why?

Answer: No I don’t think so, I like the atmosphere here and also the excitement middle school students bring everyday is second to none.

Question-What is your favorite subject to teach?

Answer-English!!!

Question-What is the hardest part about teaching?

Answer-Teaching is a very rewarding profession. The most difficult part for me is creating a lesson plan or activity that can appeal to each student. Something that they can all grasp and understand.

Ambassadors of the Mr. Salas Fan Club and Co-Editors, Rehnahta Gomez and Maci FIndley

We all know and love Batman! Batman has been a superhero

since March 30th, 1939. That's over 80 years old!

Over the years, he has been in 8,436 comics! He also has

13 movies. His character has been portrayed by Christian

Bale, Jensen Ackles, Adam West, and Robert Pattinson. There

have been a lot of people who have acted as Batman/Bruce

Wayne, and the first was Lewis Wilson in 1943.

Batman was first created by Bob Kane, and writer Bill

Finger. Batman was inspired by pulp fiction characters like

the Shadow, and Sherlock Holmes. His alter ego, Bruce Wayne,

was inspired by historical figures Robert the Bruce, and Mad

Anthony Wayne. Unlike other superheroes, Batman has no

superpowers.

Batman is considered DC’s flagship character. In the

beginning, they depicted Batman as a ruthless killer. Until,

he began to become popular. His popularity led to his own

solo title in the 1940. Batman’s sidekick, Robin, was also

introduced in 1940.

Now, it may be surprising to find out Superman doesn’t

have a Hollywood star but instead Batman, the vigilante, is

going to have one.

Batman’s Hollywood star is going to be out on Thursday,

September 26th at 11:00 AM at 6764 Hollywood Boulevard in

front of The Hollywood Guinness World Records Museum. He is

also being rewarded a Guinness World Records title for being

the first superhero with a star! This star honors Batman, and

all of the people who have contributed to his story.

DC News Correspondent and "I'm Batman" Impersonator, Kelly McWhorter

Biden has been president for the past four years and now he is now dropping out of the race. Former president Joe Biden has dropped out of the election as of July 21, 2024. He announced that he would

be dropping out of the race while at the White House. Why is he dropping out you ask? It has been reported that Biden had finally come to realize that many other democrats became aware of his poor cognition demonstrated by his continuous moments of trailing off, nonsensical answers, and failure to call out what many democrats would believe to be former President Donald Trump's lies throughout the recent debate and due to his mental status would be unable to maintain a successful campaign. Biden believed that he could have won but then came to realize that it would rip apart the democratic party he has served all his life. So with the fact that he knew that he would not win the election he decided to drop out of it. Since Biden dropped out of the race for president that only leaves us with two people in the running for president which are the current Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. It is important to the American citizens to have a president with functional cognition and the ability to not only make big decisions for our country but to also voice why those decisions were made.

Political Feature Writer and proud MAGA hat owner, Maddie Foust

In September 16, 2024 Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday asked the warring factions of the Sinaloa cartel to act responsibly so no one else gets killed, after a week of escalating violence nearly paralyzed the Sinaloa state capital, Culiacan.Asked by a journalist if he trusted that the cartels would heed his call, López Obrador answered bluntly: The president of Mexico is always listened to. Even by criminals?" pressed the journalist.

“By everyone more so if one has moral authority, " responded the President.

The exchange Friday during the president's morning press briefing is the latest in a series of instances where López Obrador has downplayed the clashes between factions of the Sinaloa cartel.

The President, who leaves office on Sept 30, has repeatedly refused to confront cartels, laying out various justifications for his“hugs, not bullets” strategy offering opportunities to youths so they

won’t join cartels.

The latest clashes in Culiacan are the latest example of the violence that continues to plague Mexico, where cartels employ increasingly sophisticated forms of warfare including roadside bombs or IEDs, trenches, home-made armored vehicles and bomb-dropping drones. The cartels “have to look for other ways, so they do not harm innocent people and avoid further loss of life,” López

Obrador said on Friday. “They also should take care of themselves and their families.”

The surge in violence had been expected after Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, landed near El Paso, Texas on July 25 in a small plane with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. Zambada was the cartel’s elder figure and reclusive leader. After his arrest, he said in a letter circulated by his lawyer that he had been abducted by the younger Guzmán and taken to the U.S. against his will.

Now there appears to be a struggle for power between the remaining sons of El Chapo, known locally as “the chapitos” and those loyal to Zambada. As of Thursday, state authorities had reported at least 12 dead 11 people with gunshot wounds, 20 reports of missing people and 31 cases of car robberies. The actual number of fatalities might be higher since the cartels often pick up their own dead.

Streets in Culiacan appeared empty as schools and businesses remained closed Friday and festivities around Mexican Independence on Sept 15-16 were officially canceled by the local government.

Current Events Columnist and El Chapo T-Shirt wearer, Silas Mendoza

Bullying is one of the biggest issues schools face. So what should we do to stop it? Well, what is bullying? Bullying can take many forms, such as verbal bullying, which consists of things like calling names, teasing, threats, and inappropriate comments. Verbal bullying aims to hurt someone's feelings through words and verbal statements. Another form of bullying is social bullying, which can consist of things like embarrassing someone in a public space, spreading rumors about someone, encouraging others not to be friends with someone, and leaving someone out on purpose. Social bullying aims to hurt someone's reputation or relationships with others. The final form of bullying is physical bullying, which encompasses actions such as things like kicking or hitting an individual, tripping or pushing an individual, stealing or breaking someone's things, making rude gestures, and spitting. The aim of physical bullying is to cause physical harm or damage to another individual or their property. Now that we have covered the different kinds of bullying, how exactly can we stop it? Well, adults have a huge impact on children and teens' lives. Something that adults can do to educate children on bullying, what bullying is, its impact on children and teens, and showing how to stand up to bullies. Adults can also help encourage kids to do what they enjoy and not let anyone down or stop them from doing what they love, as well as checking up on kids regularly, talking with kids and making sure they are okay. But what can YOU do to help prevent bullying? If you're being bullied, stand up to them, tell a trusted adult and don't be afraid. Most kids don't report bullying because they fear being hurt or treated worse if their bully were to find out that you told on them. Don't be afraid to tell on your bully! It will only get worse if they know they can tease and bully you without consequence. Telling on your bully would help the situation and could stop the bullying all together. Bullying is a serious issue, knowing what bullying is and how to stand up to it is important to stop bullying. Hopefully, schools and students can help stop bullying in the future.

Columnist and reformed bully, Lillian Binder

Peter De Luna was a Bull rider just for only 1 year so far, but on May

31, 2024 during the event Riding on Faith Rodeo Summer Series in

Bandera, TX, he fell of the bull and the bull proceeded to step on him.

He was still able to walk away from the incident , but collapsed

quickly after. EMS and the Bandera County Sheriff's office were

called to the scene. De Luna was then transported to the landing zone

by Bandera County EMS and he later died. His mom, sister, grandparents,

and friends want the San Antonio and Bandera community to remember

Peter as the “charismatic and outgoing” person he was. His mom was

very proud of him for doing what he desired. She said “he loved

living life.” De Luna made his mark both inside and outside of the

rodeo. His mother and grandfather told KSAT that several of his

friends from school and from the rodeo called to share stories of

their time being friends with him. De Luna graduated from Smithson

Valley High School in 2020. His family said he was the life of the

party. On his Graduation Day, De Luna made sure to live that out.On

that day, Peter De Luna was most known for running a victory lap

around his graduating classmates and getting thrown in “graduation

jail.” Laughter from classmates, family, and other spectators can be

heard in the video of his victory lap. His sister said that many

times she just wanted to copy him, because he had so much joy in him

and that he was an amazing brother.

PBR Beat Writer and Amatuer Mutton Bustin', Carina Luna

The Bloop is the loudest sound in the world and it eats fish and sharks, as well as anything

smaller than it in size. Which is EVERYTHING! It was discovered In 1997 while researchers were listening for underwater volcanic activity in the Southern Pacific -- they recorded a strange, powerful, and extremely loud sound.

The recording lasted for one minute and was never heard again. "The Bloop" a mesmerizing short documentary by Cara Cusumano, investigates this unknown phenomenon with Dr. Christopher Fox, Chief Scientist of the Acoustic Monitoring Project of NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Lab. The sound's source was roughly triangulated to 50°S 100°W, a remote point in the South Pacific Ocean west of the southern tip of South America.

To hunt it, you will need the following:

● A mic on a line (water proof)

● A boat (a speed boat)

● A compass

● A map to know your coordinates

● A waterproof camera on a line

● A lucky rabbit's foot

● Bait

What you will do is drop the camera and mic in the water and put the bait near the camera. If you hear a large sound, cut the cords and call the police and the lucky rabbit's foot will keep you safe. Then write a book about your adventure and if you want to see The Bloop use scuba gear with a water jet as an escape. If you want more adventure explore the Bermuda Triangle in a helicopter with a rope and harness.

Conspiracy Theorist and Sea Monster Hunter, Jose Andujar

In two South African Countries 900 + elephants are going to die due to the decisions of humans. Zimbabwe and Namibia are two South African countries. In Zimbabwe 200 elephants will be slaughtered on September 23, 2024 and in Namibia 700 + elephants will be too. The African people are doing this to solve the hunger problem due to extreme drought in Africa. This is a bad decision in my opinion because elephants are already an endangered species with only 415,000 being left in this world. This is due to ivory trade, habitat loss, poaching, and elephant-human conflicts. There are only 365,000 african elephants still alive and 50,000 asian elephants left alive. The elephants will be taken from an area where the population has become unsustainable, Farawo said. The hunting will take place in areas such as Hwange National Park in the country’s arid west where there has been increasing competition between humans and wildlife for food and water as rising temperatures make the resources more scarce. I believe our world should be working to help protect our animals and not be the reason they may never be a species on this earth again. If you are interested in helping protect any wild animal species endangered or not you can donate to any conservation program, help spread the word about your species you are interested in, and once you are old enough maybe even have a job involved in helping animals.

World News Correspondent and Animal Rights Activist, Emily Short

A fresh canvas, a blank slate, A chance to start anew, to create. The sun rises, a golden hue, A promise of hope, something true.

Old chapters close, new ones unfold, Stories yet to be told, A journey of growth, a path untold, Adventures awaiting, brave and bold.

With every step, a lesson learned, A heart that's healed, a spirit turned. A future bright, a dream discerned, A new beginning, forever earned.

• I tried starting a hot air balloon business, but it never took off.
• I'm starting a new diet. I'm going to give up all my favorite foods... starting tomorrow.
• I'm thinking of opening a restaurant called "Second Chances." It's a place where you can order food and hope it's not as bad as the last time.
• I'm starting a new life. I'm moving to a new town, getting a new job, and changing my name... to "New Beginning."
• I'm starting a new hobby: procrastination. I'm going to put it off until tomorrow.

I’m a fresh start, a chance to mend, A new chapter, a faithful friend. I can be a journey, a leap of faith, Or simply a moment, to recreate.

What am I?

New Beginnings