Santa's Opposite Comes To Town

By Sandalie Gamage

The new movie Krampus hit the theaters on Friday, December 4. The creatures, called Krampus, takes care of the naughty children during Christmas time. It is supposed to appear in the homes of those children and punish them in whatever way it thinks is fit.

Max, the little brother in the movie, loses his Christmas spirit and says that he hates it and wishes it would go away. Saying this calls the horned beast to his home. The movie takes on a horror movie type feeling and has surprises at every corner.

The family, his father, mother, and sister, must come together and set aside all their differences to fight off a terrible fate that Krampus waits to lay upon them. Krampus isn't here to reward anyone, Krampus is here to punish.

¨Krampus was actually better than I thought it would be,¨ said Emmie Koch, an 8th grader on the Mustangs. Krampus is a new take on Christmas movies, and maybe it´ll spread some goodwill alongside the entertainment.

Northern White Rhinos Are Dying Out

By Jason Gutierrez

The Northern White Rhinoceros is almost extinct. Just a couple of days ago there were only four Northern White Rhinos, but with the recent death of the rhino Nola at the San Diego Zoo, there are now only three left in the world. All three of them are held at a conservatory in Kenya, Africa.

There are two females and one male left in the world. But, due to being too old, the rhinos are unable to reproduce. Scientists are making a last second decision to save the species. The rhino’s sex cells are being taken and are being fertilized in a Southern White Rhino as a substitute.

At the start of the 20th century, there were over 20,000 Northern White Rhinos in the world. In just fifteen years only three remain in the world even though it usually lives between 35 and 40 years. The cause of many of these deaths is because of intense pouching. Being such a big animal living in open places, it has become an easy target for hunters.

BYU’s Bronco Mendenhall Joins Virginia Staff

by Brett Wilson

Bronco Mendenhall, head coach of the Brigham Young University cougars has been with cougars for 11 years. Virginia announced that it has agreed to a five-year agreement with Mendenhall that includes “an annual compensation starting at $3.25 million.”

“BYU has played the pivotal role in my professional and personal life and I will be forever indebted to the outstanding young men and exceptional people I have had the opportunity to work with at BYU. My success at BYU was possible because these great people chose the phenomenal, unique and faith-based experience available at BYU.” said Mendenhall.

Mendenhall led the BYU cougars to bowl game every year with an overall record of 99-42.

Another Shooting Takes Place In America

By Sandalie Gamage

14 people are dead in San Bernardino. Yet another mass shooting took place Wednesday night in California. The police said that there were two assailants, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik.

The couple were at a party in the Inland Regional Center when they opened fire. The police also said that the attack was preplanned and that they were well prepared, being heavily armed and having a lot of ammunition and pipe bombs inside of their home.

The 14 people killed have not all been identified yet, but the ones they have ranged from ages 26-60. This latest attack was just one of many in the last 5 months. President Obama said that they still didn’t know if the couple had any ties to a terrorist group.

ISIS called the couple supporters, but not exactly members, so this doesn’t confirm any ties between them before the shooting. Malik was in the U.S. on fiance visa, while Farook was born and raised here. Farook’s father stated that his son supported ISIS’s views.

College Football Playoff Games Are Set

by Brett Wilson

After the conference championships the NCAA national championship playoff games have been decided: Clemson Tigers vs. Oklahoma Sooners Is the first match up while The Alabama Crimson Tide face of with the Michigan State Spartans for  the second.

Both games will take place on December 31st, while championship will take place on January 11th in Glendale Arizona.

Warriors Chasing After Lakers 33 Game Streak

by Brett Wilson

In 1971-72 the Los Angeles Lakers Put up an impressive 33 game winning streak, the warriors are close in their wake with 22 wins.

Stephen Curry, point guard for the Golden State Warriors averages 32.4 points a game. The Golden State Warriors “crush” every team they face.

1D Fans Singing Along to Made in the A.M.

By Sandalie Gamage

The new album by One Direction, Made in the A.M., was released on November 13, 2015. The album is said to be their last until 2017. It seems that they will be taking a break next year, which most fans aren’t happy about.

They also aren’t doing any more concerts after this album. Though fans will be disappointed, they can blow the time away with their brand new album. The first song that was put out to the public, was their hit single, Drag Me Down.

They soon after released Infinity, Home, Perfect, and History. These alone grabbed the attention of their fans. The album was released along with Justin Bieber’s album, Purpose and Hailee Steinfeld's album Haiz. This album isn’t going to be their last, but they aren’t going to make any more albums for the next 18 months.

The album was released 8 months after one of the band’s members, Zayn Malik, called it quits. He said he wanted to have some time out of the spotlight, but was seen signing a solo record deal just a few months after. Made in the A.M. was One Direction’s first album without Zayn.

“Their new album is so good. I loved the singles they released and the album didn’t disappoint.” said Jacinda Garcia, an 8th grader here at Sierra Vista. It seems that a lot fans won’t be disappointed with Made in the A.M.

SiViCS Club Creates Holiday Gift Bags

By Jason Gutierrez

SiViCS Club is creating holiday gift bags for the 15th year in room 617 during lunch. Mrs. Skoczylas, the head of the SiViCS club, said, “We wanted to do something to help kids around the holidays, and we thought this would be a great thing to do.”

“SiViCS Club Students have decorated small gift bags with markers, stickers, and construction paper.” said Skoczylas. SiViCS Club members then filled the holiday gift bags with gifts donated by the students of Sierra Vista for young kids, ages 3 to 6. Skoczylas said, “We hope to make and fill 100 gift bags to deliver to the SCV Food Pantry.” Students can earn service hours for donating gifts to fill the holiday gift bags.

"U.F.O" Speeds Across The Sky

By Sandalie Gamage

A supposed U.F.O. sped across the sky in California on November 7, 2015. Many people who happened to be outside at that moment claim to have seen a wide, blue light appear in the sky. After a few minutes, in which the light was a mix of yellow and red, it then seemed to explode into a blue light.

The light continued to speed across the sky as it exploded. Los Angeles exploded over this “U.F.O.” sighting. Many posted pictures and videos to the internet saying there was an unidentified object flying overhead.

The government was quick to respond to this. They said that it was just a missile being tested by the Navy. The Navy was conducting tests, firing the missile from the Kentucky, an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, in the Pacific Test Range near the Southern California coast.

Though the government did confirm this, people are still skeptical, saying that it was indeed a U.F.O. The government said the missile wasn’t armed and that air traffic had been stopped for the tests. However, the light was too wide for it to be a missile and it seemed to explode and change color in midair, not normal characteristics for a missile.

“I think that it was a U.F.O. A missile can’t look like that.” said Rianna Real, an 8th grader here at Sierra Vista. The sighting is still a mystery to those who believe in the supernatural. They do, however, have reason to believe that the light was a sign of aliens. Evidence of extraterrestrial life has become overwhelmingly large.

Cam Newton MVP?

by Brett Wilson

Many will agree Cam Newton (Quarterback of the Carolina Panthers) Is on “fire”.

"Cam Newton. It’s easy for you to say (Tom) Brady because he’s actually throwing the ball a lot. Cam, they have a really good defense and a really good running game, but he’s running the ball himself and he’s passing. They’re 11-0 and they’re playing great football; dominant football. And he’s the leader. Without him, they wouldn’t be who they are, so you’ve got to give it to him. Devonta Freeman is another guy who would be in the MVP conversation, but (the Falcons) lost a few games’’ said Kevin Durant Of the Oklahoma City Thunder(ESPN).

In the 2015 He has a 57.2% average completion rate,7 rushing touchdowns, 20 passing touchdowns, and only 9 interceptions.

Will Cam Newton be the next NFL MVP? It sure looks like it.

Broncos Snap Patriots 10 Game Winning Streak

by Brett Wilson

On November 29th the Denver Broncos defeated the New England Patriots. Prior to the game the New England Patriots were 10-0 on the season.

Both teams shot back and forth at each other. When the clock ticked to zero the score was 24-24. The game went into overtime, the kickoff was received by the Broncos.

C. J. Anderson scored the walk off touchdown to end the game.

“It felt good, it really felt good and the way it happened, it was like a walk-off home run,” said receiver Emmanuel Sanders. “Just have to put your hands in the air and thank God”(The Denver Post).

Russian Airline Crashes Down In Egypt

By Sandalie Gamage

On October 31, 2015, Metrojet Flight 9268 fell off the radar, right after air traffic controllers noticed that there were changes in altitude and a decrease in ground speed. The airline was heading towards St. Petersburg, Russia, when it crashed down in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.

A military satellite detected a heat flash in mid air right before it crashed. The heat flash could have been multiple things. ¨Analysts say...a bomb blast, a malfunctioning engine exploding or a structural problem causing a fire on the plane.¨ according to CNN News.

Russian officials are saying that the plane broke apart in mid air, leaving the 244 passengers on board dead. The United States is growing more confident that the plane was taken down by a bomb.

Though the U.S. says evidence is pointing towards a specific terrorist group, they claim to not have anything to do with the plane crash. U.S. and Russian officials are still looking for more evidence to see how the airline crashed without warning.

They are looking through the plane´s black box to see what it recorded. For now, the families who lost their loved ones have to go on without knowing how they were killed.

The City of Lights Are Off

By Sandalie Gamage

On November 13, 2015, Paris was attacked by a terrorist group. A reported 129 people are dead due to shooting and bombing. The first attack took place at a concert, killing over 80 people. Five other places were also bombed: a mall, stadium, and restaurants.

The police are saying that the six attacks were coordinated, beginning and ending at specific times. The terrorist group was identified as I.S.I.S. They also claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Seven people were identified as the suicide bombers and the gunmen. One person, however, is still on the loose. Police are saying that the man got past security alongside Syrian refugees leaving Syria.

The attacks led the French president, Francois Hollande, to declare war on the terrorist group. He said it was a merciless crime. Many citizens of France were among the dead, including people of several other nationalities.

One American, Nohemi Gonzalez, was on of the people who died. She was 23, a senior in college. She had attended Cal State Long Beach and was a foreign exchange student studying in Paris. All 16 other exchange students had been accounted for.

Though the death count is at 129, over 300 people were injured, some severely. The attacks on Paris are still a shock to many around the world. Many people taking to social media to post a picture of a peace sign with the Eiffel Tower inside of it. Many celebrities also posted a picture, including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Kim Kardashian.

“The attacks must have been so scary for the people there and it’s so sad,” said Emmie Koch, an 8th grader on team Mustangs. The Paris attacks are one of many attacks that have I.S.I.S.’s name in it. They were a tragic event according to many around the world, who are sending their love and condolences to France, some famous landmarks lighting up with the colors of the French flag.