Farewell to an incredible English teacher

     David C. Primmer a.k.a. Primdog is one of our schools most well-known and well-loved teachers. Ask any "pup", as he calls his students, and they will be able to recount not only the discussions in his literature classes and his difficult essays and tests, but the surprising and hilarious moments that often result from "circling the wagons" and reading the current book in class, the excitement that comes along with the occasional "dollar question" and the various traditions and quirks found in each class with Mr. Primmer.
     Mr. Primmer began teaching in 1975, in Michigan. He remained at the job for 5 years, and then "got a tip", as he says it, to go overseas. So he moved his family to Okinawa, Japan, where he also taught for 5 years before transferring to Germany. In Germany he worked for 20 years in 3 different high schools before moving here, to Quantico, where he has worked for the past 10 years. At Quantico, he has taught an impressive number and range of classes, including an 8th grade research class, nearly every high school English class from Honors 9 to AP literature, College Prep, AVID, and speech.
     Mr. Primmer explained his lengthy time at Quantico, saying that he usually stays at a school for 10 years because the teaching itself makes the experience great. "If I don't love the kids," he says, "I get out." When asked about why he was leaving at this point, Mr. Primmer gave a simple explanation- "Don't you think 40 years is enough?" However, he did say he wanted to spend more time with The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, his wife.
     Mr. Primmer's favorite moments at Quantico are too many to name, but he did say that, "I get the biggest kick not when I do something good, but when one pup does something great." He mentioned students who didn't think they were "smart enough" to take an AP class but proved to be exceptional students. One of the best things about Mr. Primmer's classes is the knowledge that you are among many pups from over the years, many of whom may be older students from Quantico or people you never met, but all of whom were influenced in a way by Mr. Primmer and their experience in his classes. I asked Mr. Primmer if he had any stories about one of his old pups that he would like to share, but he said "that would be like asking a father which of his kids he likes best."
     Finally, I asked what Mr. Primmer would say to all of his pups still in the school, and what he would say to all the students who haven't had a chance to take a class with him. To all the pups, "My heart breaks at the very thought of leaving you. The only thought, that brings a smile to my face, is that you continue the good work and become even greater than as I already see you." And to the pups that could have been, he simply quoted Jim Croce's folk song, "Time in a Bottle," saying, "If I could have time in a bottle, I'd save every day to spend it with you."

Basketball Cheer

Cheerleading is the performance of athletic skills, jumps, dance and/or chanting to gain a response from spectators at an event. Cheerleading was originally organized on November 2, 1898. It was started in Minnesota by a group of six males called the “yell squad”.  It's usually tied to football, but many sports have their own cheerleading teams.

• Varsity Cheer

Ms. Jackson is formally the counselor for students with the last names A-K. She is currently volunteering as the Varsity Cheerleading Coach. She started working at QMHS in 2007. She has two children that she spends most of her time outside of school with, and she enjoys running/exercising, as well as being with her extended family just miles from where she lives. The Varsity cheerleading team is cheering for the high school boys’ and girls’ basketball teams. There is no definite number of spots on the team, but the cheer team is coed and so far there are 18 girls and one boy trying out. The cheer team uses basketball chants to encourage the basketball players and the audience with team spirit. Ms. Jackson says that good things to look for in potential cheerleaders are positive attitudes, leadership skills, and good ethics in school and with the team. Some of her expectations for this cheer season are that she expects talent coming from the students trying out, that she ends up with a good team, and that the team is the able to support both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams. Practice is usually held inside the cafeteria, and the date the Varsity cheer team is officially formed is on November 18th. Ms.Jackson said the definition of a cheerleader is “...someone who supports a specific team and encourages them to play hard”. Ms. Jackson hopes that she will be able to get some new girls not from football season but everyone still has to go through the same process and try out. She thinks that the cheerleading team needs to work on being a cohesive team and getting along together. She believes that cheerleaders possess good qualities that contribute to the team such as being very lively and fun, being hard workers, wanting to be there and being able to help the team become better. The most important thing about cheerleading to the Varsity coach is working together as a team and to ensure safety and belonging within the team.

Megan Meza is a junior and she has been doing cheerleading for about three years. She is currently trying out for Varsity Cheer and really enjoys cheering. She has been practicing and stretching quite a lot to perform with her best effort. She thinks that to be a successful team there needs to be cooperation, the ability to get along and work together. Megan thinks that some things she needs to work on is getting her cheers memorized and to make them clean. She enjoys baking and hanging out with her dog. She expects that the team will be able work together, share, get along, and motivate each other. She thinks the most important thing about cheerleading is team work.

Amy Padilla is a sophomore and she is trying out for the Varsity Cheer team. She did cheerleading in seventh grade and she really enjoyed it. She thinks that equal effort from everyone is what makes a team successful. She thinks some of her good qualities that contribute to the team is her ability to be willing to try and get out of her comfort zone. She thinks that in order to improve, she needs to be louder during cheer practice. She expects that the team will be able to motivate each other and become closer. She thinks the most important thing about cheerleading is to be positive.

• Middle School Cheer

Ms. Moretti is the coach of the middle school cheer team. She says that there are 17 girls that tried out and they have 17 girls on the team. The reason behind her allowing everyone to be on the team is to give everyone an opportunity and promote more school spirit. The cheer team is cheering for middle school boys’ and girls’ basketball teams. They cheer at home games and they travel to the “think tank tournament” (competition at the end of the season). She believes that a cheerleader’s personality contributes to the team, as well as leadership and dedication. She thinks the definition of a cheerleader is someone who can promote school spirit through commitment, dedication, fun, being a role model, and can represent their school in a positive way. She thinks that the girls on the team need to work on learning to take more direction in what they’re doing. They need to act serious and have fun in the process...professional and happy.

Drama Play

     On Thursday, November 19 at 5:30 pm in the school gym, Mrs. Shinaver’s Drama Class performed several different short plays in groups, having 34 students in total. Not only do they have roles but they also do something tech related like stage manager, lighting, sound, stage hands, costume, and makeup artist. They have to rehearse for many hours, depending on the day. When asked why she chose to do several different short plays, Mrs. Shinavers explained, “It’s really difficult to find balanced roles, if we did one regular play, main characters would have to memorize more words than others and it wouldn’t be fair to everybody.” She also believes that when they have their own separate plays “it gives them more pride on being able to accomplish things by themselves, because everybody is their own director.” She also mentioned, “I don’t help with anything I’m just a part of the audience.” When asked what inspired her to do drama she sighed saying, “Long story… I really looked up to this drama teacher in high school who was also my English teacher and I just thought she had the life,” adding towards the end “and a cute husband, he rode a motorcycle.” Mrs. Shinaver also mentioned “I just had a wonderful experience being on stage and enjoyed everything, the lights, makeup, music, and stage props.”

*Don’t forget to come out and watch the 

Drama kids put on their own show this 

Thursday at 7 pm in the gym.*

College Opportunities

On Saturday, October 18 at the Officer's Club, a Pathways to College event was in session, hosted by the Tiger Woods Foundation, and the following week on Tuesday, October 20, during school, an Education Fair was also scheduled at the Officer's Club. Mainly high school students attended both these functions, for example, senior Octavia Borden attended both these events and when questioned why she went, she replied "because I wanted to try to learn some new things, to experience more about college.” Upon going, Octavia listed that she had learned “how to apply for financial aid, how to write an essay and build a tower with two pieces of paper and tape.” Overall, her favorite college was Savannah’s College of Art and Design (SCAD), which she already had in mind. During her experience she enjoyed “the funny teachers and how they were real with you because they had recently been through college.” She admitted that she would recommend this program to other people because it will help them in the long run when applying to college.

Sophomore Lauren Lemon had also attended the Pathways to College event and when asked why, she admitted “because I thought it would benefit my education." During the event, she said that not only had she learned how to properly submit an admissions form, but decided that, she knew for sure, she wanted to go to Stanford Univeristy in California, a private school. Throughout the experience, Lauren said “I most enjoyed the food and the teachers because they were cool and funny,” and when asked if she would recommend this program to other people she responded enthusiastically with “yes, definitely because it really enlightens you.”    

Qunatico HIgh School Marine Corps Birthday Ceremony

Quantico High School MCJROTC held a Marine Corps birthday ceremony on November 10 inside the Quantico gym. The ceremony was modeled after a traditional birthday ceremony filled with sword detail, color guard, cake cutting, and the commandant’s birthday message. Many students, parents, marines, and school staff attended the ceremony, along with special guest First Sergeant Clark who served as the ceremony's guest of honor. The birthday ceremony was held from 1:10-2:15 during school and had MCJROTC cadets participating in the ceremony itself; 10 cadets made up the sword detail commanded by Cadet Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Russ, 4 cadets made up the color guard commanded by Cadet Sergeant Meghan Meza, 7 cadets made up the cake detail commanded by Cadet Staff Sergeant Will Neil, and 6 cadets were put to be in charge of ushering people and running the music and video presentation. Commanding Officer Cadet Major Joe Kelley escorted First Sergeant Clark throughout the ceremony and Cadet Staff Sergeant Jo'nique Robinson was put as Master of Ceremony. The Marine Corps birthday ceremony went very well, and everyone was invited to celebrate this occasion with delicious cake afterwards. Happy birthday Marines, Semper Fi, Oorah!

Definition of a Cheerleader or, We Got Spirit!!!

Cameron Lucas

       Destiney Dreese is a junior and new to cheerleading this year. When asked how she would define a cheerleader, she responded, "somebody who has a lot of school spirit, and someone who is loud, energetic and peppy." She considers her best qualities, that contribute to the team, her "loud and very bubbly personality" and the ability to be "energetic during a cheer" because "nobody likes a dull cheerleader". However, when asked what she thought she needed to work on, she admitted to needing to improve on smiling during a game, adding "I don't want to seem like I'm not having fun". Destiney believes that to have a successful team, "communication is very important," and if there is tension amongst the team, it can easily be resolved because "a cheer team is basically a family". When preparing for a game, besides actually getting ready, she proceeds to "practice the cheers she needs help with". When asked what was her overall best performance, in her opinion, it was the past game against Brunswick because she proudly replied, “I wasn't stumbling over a cheer, I knew what to do". Outside of school Destiney divulges herself in reading a diverse amount of books, "mostly fantasy, sometimes sci-fi, and the occasional realistic fiction".    

Cameron Lucas and Channel

Cameron Lucas is a senior and the only male addition to the cheerleading team. His  definition of a cheerleader would be "anyone that can show school spirit ". When asked how he felt about being the only male he replied, "It doesn't affect me at all". Considering the routines and exercises Cameron believes himself to be "on par". Cameron's best quality that contributes to the team would be his "outgoing and bright personality"; however, Cameron does realize that he needs to work on his "flexibility and strengthening core". He believes that to achieve a successful team,"unity is the key value" since everyone must work together or else they won’t function. Cameron's favorite cheer is "Warriors Attack" which they perform to "boost the crowd up to cheer on the team". Before every game he likes to run through various stretches and cheers. So far, his favorite performance was during the past game against Brunswick because it was "the team’s first time doing a dance" and fortunately many people commented on "loving the performance". Cameron's goal in cheer is to "do the best of his ability to make it a good year", but in life, his goal is to be a doctor, "preferably a pediatrician for young children or a neurologist". Nevertheless, right now outside of school Cameron plans to spend his time with friends and family.

The Cheerleading Squad

Ms. Martin is one of the two coaches of the cheerleading team and has been coaching for 2 years. She handles administrative work while Ms. Shannon Callen is "an amazing instruction coach", and handles all the stunts. Ms. Martin's number one goal for cheerleading is "to perform as a team", exhibit "exemplar role models", and display "school spirit". Considering the role of leadership and initiative, she believes that her team captains show these qualities. When asked about how she would handle injuries, Ms. Martin responded "it depends on the injury, if sprained they would wrap it," adding, "hopefully [there] won’t be any serious injuries anytime soon". During home games she prepares the cheerleaders by doing a "system of chants and cheers" and believes that throughout all the games, in her opinion, the best performances are always at home games because "the crowd and parents inspire them to do their best". In the end she concluded by thanking Mrs. Callen, for her teaching, coming up with the routines, and giving instructions to the cheerleaders during a game.  

   

Quantico Football Bowl Game

      On Saturday, November 8th, the football team had their last game of the season. It was not any ordinary game though - it was a bowl game at a tournament. This was the first bowl game Quantico had ever been to in the history of the school. The game was held between the Northern Virginia Centurions and Quantico. It was played at Quantico's home field, Butler Stadium. In the first quarter, Quantico had scored more than 20 points. Caleb Hall and Will Neil had three touchdowns, Jack Kelley had one touchdown, and Paul Kelley had two touchdowns with one being thrown from TJ Shelton by the end of the game. The defense had a great game with a total of 5 turnovers, 3 of which being interceptions. The three interceptions were from Kristian Lofgren, Nik Lofgren, and Matt Bianca. The other two turnovers were fumbles, and Anthony Nelson got one and the other fumble was from TJ Shelton.  At the end of the game, the warrior's came out on top with a total score of 60-6. Since it was a tournament, there was a game after the warrior’s game. That game was between Eastern Shore Homeschool and Hampton Roads Generals. The Eastern Shore Homeschool team came out on top with a total score of 46-24.

      I had a chance to interview the receiver and secondary coach, Mr. Whinderl. When asked how he felt the team did this year, he replied with "we had a lot of players that had never played before and that a winning season is always good". He said that one thing we could have improved is footwork, pursuit angle, breaking down, and jumping up to be the tallest man. His favorite moments were when someone would get an interception and return it for a touchdown. Three people got interceptions returned for touchdowns, but two of them were called back because of an inadvertant whistle. He says that when he played that was one thing he always wanted to get but never did get one, and to have someone that he coached get one made him proud. I asked him how he thought the team would do after the first official practice and he said "we needed a lot of work". He said that technique would be the number one thing we needed to get down to have a winning season.

Quantico Fall Talent Show

   On Thursday evening, November 5, QMHS held a fall talent show. This show was filled with talents ranging from rapping, singing, and playing the piano. The talent show was open to both middle and high school students who had to audition for the talent show prior. Fortunately, all auditions made the cut and all were allowed to participate. For the two days prior to the actual show, the participants had to rehearse and practice the acts to make sure they knew what order they were in and if they still had talent. The talent show then started around 6 pm and ended around 7 pm. The show was run by drama director, Mrs. Shinaver, with the help of students, Caden Wilhemson, Raquel Manzanet, and Ryan Furiak, controlling the lights, sounds and props. At the end of the show the winners of the middle school, high school, and people's choice award were announced. For the high school talent award, freshman Miguel Cuevas won with his act of playing "Undertale" by Toby Fox on the piano. For the middle school talent award and people's choice award, 7th grader Madison Sanchez won by her performance singing "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" by Meghan Trainor. Overall, the talent show was a great turnout and the students and families that attended the event had a fun time.

Marine Corps Marathon

The Marine Corps Marathon is known as the fourth  largest marathon in the U.S.  and the ninth in the world. The first Marine Corps Marathon was held on November 7th of 1976. The idea to have this race was brought by a man named Colonel Jim Fowler. This is a marathon that is run by thousands of people each year. Before the marathon could happen it had to go through the chain of command one by one. With the approval of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Louis Wilson, the Marathon was created.

The Marathon this year was on October 25 in Washington, D.C. There was about 3,300 runners this year. MCJROTC was also there to help present flags from across the world at the marathon. The Quantico MCJROTC color guard presented the colors for the starting of the 10K race. This year Crishon Dollard, an ROTC and cross country member, ran the race. Twenty years ago, our new Marine Instructor Master Gunnery Sergeant Santivasci also ran the race. Over the years the Marine Corps Marathon has grown and is one of the most popular races known. It is one of few races that people around the world will come down just to participate in it.

Homecoming Game

The Homecoming game on Friday, October 30, was against Grace Christian High School (GCHS). GCHS scored the first touchdown and the ending score was 7-19, and GCHS won the game. Fedjah Lindor sang the national anthem and she was one of the nominees for homecoming queen. Shanel Pagaragan was the homecoming queen and Cameron Lucas was the homecoming king. The MCJROTC performed the color guard and sword detail for the game.

   

Costume Day

This Thursday was one of the most thrilling days of homecoming week- Costume Day! In preperation for the big day on Saturday, middle and high schoolers dressed in their scariest, funniest, or coolest costumes, including superheroes, black cats, and vampires. Even a few teachers got in the spirit, and Boo Bags full of treats were on sale in true holiday spirit. We took count of particpating students in homeroom, and everyone was hoping their class would win in the pep rally for their participation today and the rest of this last week. Speaking of, we kept selling those links for tomorrow, and we'll see who comes out on top in the competition for the Spirit Stick. Don't forget, the alumni will be collecting the money and donating it to charity, so don't skip out. Let's finish out this year's homecoming week well, everyone!