Written by Lilly Gardner & Emma Milam

Amanada Gorman is an American poet, activist, and the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. She was born in Los Angeles, California and was raised by a single mother with her two siblings. She and her twin sister both had speech difficulties growing up. Amanda had an auditory-processing disorder, which made it difficult for her to pronounce certain letters. This disorder caused her to turn to poetry as an outlet to express her thoughts and feelings. 

Although poetry started out as just an outlet for Gorman, it soon grew into something much more. In 2013, when she was just 15 years old, she was named a Youth Delegate for the United Nations. Just the next year she became National Youth Poet Laureate in the state of Los Angeles. In the following years she published her very first poetry collection titled The One for Whom Food is not Enough and enrolled at Harvard University. While still studying at Harvard, in 2017 she was named the youngest inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate in history. 

Fast forward to 2020 — Amanda became the youngest poet to ever read at a presidential inauguration. She read her most famous poem entitled The Hill We Climb which focuses on the importance of unity, justice and togetherness. That day she went down in history by joining the small group of poets that have ever read at the inauguration including Maya Angelou and Robert Frost. 

The Hill We Climb is not only her most popular poem, but is also one of her most impactful. Her talks of hope, justice and the strength of our country moved millions of people across the nation. In this poem she says, “We are striving to forge a union with purpose. To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.” She emphasizes the importance of the growth and healing of a wounded country. 

Written by Lilly Gardner & Emma Milam

Pauletta Jordan, a 2011 CAC graduate, is a fourth-year medical student who graduates in 2024 and is also a military member in the U.S. army. She chose to go into the military due to her parents both being military members, wanting to follow in their footsteps, and she chose the U.S. Army. 

Her profession in the medical field is family medicine (FM), and she chose it “to work as a primary care provider (PCP). PCPs are the first provider everyone sees for any complaint; we help with colds, injuries, and when needed, referrals to specialists (surgeons etc). We treat everyone from the newborns to elderly, including pregnant patients. FM is a very broad field with numerous opportunities to help others with issues like sleep, obesity, and headaches.

She also chose this field because of the ability to work with a patient for a long period of time.

“Family Medicine is the only field that allows you to be deliver a child, treat their mother, and later treat that child into adulthood. The continuity and ability to foster such close relationships allows FM doctors to become a part of their patients family and it is truly an honor.”

After graduating in May, she will begin a new role in June.

“I will be starting as a resident doctor in FM in June. As a service member, I am required to continue working with my command team while in residency, and once I complete my medical training, I will serve in the U.S. Army Reserves.”

Though Jordan’s educational journey was not easy, she said tenacity, consistency and perseverance brought her to where she is today.

“I was and am committed to becoming a doctor who serves the rural and under-served community. I gained this dedication to others while pursuing my Leadership minor at Baylor where I learned about the gaps in healthcare based on socioeconomic status and other social determinants of health. My commitment to those in need along with my internal choice to never quit led to my success and passions.”

For this week’s edition of Speak Up, we interviewed Coach Kevin Williams about how playing professional sports led him to becoming a coach at CAC.

 

This week, Mrs. Thomas' 7th grade English class wrote and created Valentine's Day content to help The Pony Press celebrate Valentine's Day. Mrs. Thomas assigned specific vocabulary words for the students to explore and use in their work — obscure, unfurl, sacrilege, beholden and dissident.

These feelings you have

 may seem so obscure

 But you need to let them unfurl

 like a leaf in the wind

 It may seem sacrilege 

to let the single life go

You are beholden

 to your heart

 that you have trapped

And kept inside

To let it grow 

And flourish like

Flower in spring

It may make you feel

Like a rebellious dissident 

To leave your bros 

In the dust 

But you don't want to be single

all your life

Or you can 

It may be for the best

To get rizzy or to get dizzy that is thy question.

To ignore the obscure signs or to approach and unfurl your love to that special someone whether they may like you or not.

When they answer you may be surprised to hear, after they get with their friend group to have the discussion,to either say yes or leave and say nothing.

Either way, on Valentine's Day, we celebrate with hearts and roses in honor of the dissident, St.Valentine, who was such a simp that he just could not resist.

Even with his life on the line he did it for the love of his life.

Who, beholden to her, said yes.

So if it doesn’t work, don’t be sad and feel cold like a fridge, 

because at the end of the day it’s not sacrilege.

The answer is plain. It is not obscure!

Mrs. Hodges’ love for cats is very pure!

This is not meant to be a sacrilege for this special day

It is merely a poem from a girl to give her teacher dismay

Mrs. Hodges wants to tell everyone that

She wishes her valentine were a cat

Mrs. Hodges unfurled to me her feelings about cats

So I am writing the opposite just to get some laughs

It is true that I am beholden to Mrs. Hodges

For this is her worst nightmare

But I am a dissident standing up for kitty love

Because of her, it is rare.

So the point of this poem 

is to show

That Mrs. Hodges’ love for cats 

needs to grow

So please, Mrs. Hodges

Let that smile shine

We’ll find you a cat

To be your valentine!

Happy Valentine's day! If you ask me this is one of the best days of the year. However if you are struggling to get a date on this special day, don’t worry. Guys this is a list of all the things girls want you to do on Valentine’s day. First buy her some chocolate. It would be sacrilege if you didn’t. Get her a nice card too. Don’t go over the top though. You want to make her feel special, but don’t overwhelm her. Tell her how you feel. Let your feelings unfurl onto the page. Tell her how special she is. Don’t obscure your feelings, just be honest. If you have any dissident feelings about her, silence them, and trust your gut. Don’t make her beholden to you for your affection. Make her feel special, and show her that you really care. If you’ve made it this far then you are ready for success. That’s how you get the girl.

For our January Mustang Mission, we partnered with The CALL, which Coach Nick Nabors is very involved with. This month’s Mission was put on by our seventh graders, as well as some Student Council members. The CALL is a nonprofit organization that serves children and youth that have been placed in foster care and are in need.

To raise money, CAC had a spirit day and students brought money to support the cause, and we raised $925. Coach Nick had his friends Neil and Kelli Erisman speak in chapel and tell us about their own experience fostering and adopting kids through the CALL. Students also brought donations consisting of bags of clothes, food, toys and more, and we ended with a total of 1,561 items. Totals:

Last issue's poll results were pretty split! 7th grade had the most to say related to the JR/SR topic, but the majority at 55.9% said no, JR/SR should stay a tradition for juniors and seniors.

On this weeks edition of The People's Poll, let's talk Valentine's Day — click below to vote.

Want to contribute to a section of the Pony Press?

Use your voice on the feedback form below!

Speed dating with slope-intercept form in Mrs. Kyle's Pre-algebra class

Coquetry

Definition: a flirtatious act or attitude

Example: There was a lot of coquetry in the Atrium on the morning of Valentine's Day.

Thursday, Feb. 15:
-G&B BKB Senior District
-Tournament, 6th graders to Innovation Hub

Friday, Feb.16:
-Early Dismissal
-G&B BKB Senior District Tournament

Saturday, Feb. 17:
-G&B BKB Senior District Tournament
-Boys Wrestling Conference

Monday, Feb. 19:
-No School

Thursday, Feb. 22:
-Wrestling State @ UALR

Monday, Feb. 26:
-Spring Sports Pep Rally

The Mustang Yearbook | The Pony Press | Sports Media

Editor-in-Chief: Solomon Barnes
Assistant Editor: Naomi Hyatt
Writers: Lilly Gardner & Emma Milam
Videographers: Peyton Baker & Jordan Kasinger
Advisers: Hannah Owens & D'Arius Whitney