News
A Spark of Hope

Article by Autumn Andrew

Photo via Lisa DeBord

She cried all throughout the day, telling everyone how badly she wanted to end it. She threatened to end her life with pills, showing self harm cuts all up and down her body. Imagine not being capable of helping someone so desperate for the help. You might wake up the next day worried if someone close to you was still alive.

Sports
Knights Celebrate the Inaugural Gymnastics Season

Article by Ryan Freeman

Photo via @KHSgymnasts on Twitter

The Kings gymnastics team concluded their inaugural season on Sunday, February 23  at the Southwest District meet held at Lakota East High School.

Sports
Bowling Season Comes to a Close

Article by Ryan O’Donnell

Photo via @/KingsKBT on Twitter

The men’s and women’s varsity bowling team enjoyed success, hitting the lanes at Beaver-Vu on February 27th, advancing three members to districts.

Features
Jackson Hacker Reflects on Activism

Article by Gabriella Stover

Photo by Erin Seccia

Political participation of young adults in the voting process in America is at an all time low. The average voter is around 50 years old, which drowns the voices of teens across the nation.

News
A Season for the Seniors

Article by Maddie Feltner

With the end of this year’s winter sports season, the Kings High School dance team is losing eleven of its most valuable members– its seniors. As their high school dance careers come to a bittersweet close, the seniors savor each final moment with their teammates, including their final Eastern Cincinnati Conference competition, senior night, and their trip to Orlando, Florida, for nationals.

Sports
A Knight’s End

Article by Austin Evans

Photo by Jim Schult

The boys varsity basketball team played their final game of the season on Thursday February 21st at Hamilton High School against the Little Miami Panthers in the first round of the sectional tournament.

Opinion
History Repeats Itself

Opinion by Christian Pierce

When you think of a sports dynasty, there are a few teams that come to mind: the New York Yankees,the Boston Red Sox,the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Green Bay Packers, the San Francisco 49ers, and last but certainly not least the New England Patriots.

Opinion
What’s Changed?

Opinion by Alice Coleman

Las Vegas, Orlando, Charleston, Parkland, and Chicago: You know these cities. Once synonymous with vacations and idyllic suburban landscapes, now synonymous with gun violence.

News
Kings Senior, Noah Young, Heads to State Swim Meet

Article by Chris Crutcher
Photos by Erin Seccia

Noah Young

Kings High School students filled the halls Thursday, February 20th for the swim team’s state-bound members. The walk of champions celebrated 10 members of the Kings Knights aquatics team, who have worked hard all year to represent their school in the OHSAA state meet.

Opinion
Where are the Women?

Article by Jess Harmon

With every Oscar season comes a chorus of complaints from film lovers about the Academy’s nominations for the year. Whether it’s about how your favorite movie of the year got snubbed or your least favorite didn’t, it’s hard not to have an opinion. While Hollywood has been working to evolve into a more diverse industry, the Academy has not reflected that in their nominations and it’s starting to feel personal.

Entertainment
Oscar Nominations: Student Vote

Article by Kevin Lewis

The 91st Academy Awards has been one of the most controversial in recent memory. With no host and outrage over multiple decisions made by the production – including the infamous Best Popular Film category –  this Sunday’s broadcast has been clouded in uncertainty and judgment. The Academy is often criticized for its inability to be in touch with the moviegoing public.

Sports
Basketball Rundown

Article by Austin Evans and Ryan Freeman

Photo by Jim Schult

The last week of the regular season for the men’s varsity basketball team gave them good momentum heading into the sectional tournament coming up this week. The Knights played the Turpin Spartans, who are second in the ECC, and the Anderson Redskins, who are last in the ECC.

Sports
Academic Quiz Team Seniors Grateful for Experience

Article by Ryan Freeman
Photos by Erin Seccia

From left to right: Seniors Mo Juenger, Zoey Fitzgerald Kidwell, and Jackson Hacker focus hard during their Anderson match. 

Donned in red cardigan sweaters, the Kings Academic Quiz Team hosted their senior night last Friday, February 10th, taking on the visiting Turpin Spartans from Forest Hills.

News
Kings Choir Hosts a Recital

Article by Bayley Gilligan

On Saturday, February 16th, the Kings Choir program will host their first annual Heart and Song recital in the high school cafeteria at 7pm. This performance will feature the talents of Hope Milthaler’s independent study students Amy Helms and Justin Alcorn. All proceeds from this fundraiser will be used to help support the King’s Choir program.

Entertainment
Junior High Theatre Puts a New Twist on a Classic Fairytale

Article by Delaney Mettey

Photo by Delaney Mettey

Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?  The Kings Junior High seventh and eighth graders performed a new twist on an old classic “Snow White and the Prince” on February 7, 8, and 9. The story in this version follows Snow White as she prepares for her eighteenth birthday party and dreams of finding her Prince Charming. It’s a clever retelling of a classic tale.

News
BPA Students Advance to State

Article by Shannon Tuggle

Photo by Kelly Shields

On Tuesday February 5, 2019 Kings students attended the 2019 Region 17 Business Professionals of America awards ceremony at Springboro High School.

Sports
Basketball Rundown

Article by Austin Evans and Ryan Freeman

Photo by Jim Schult

The boys varsity basketball team only played two games last week, both out of town, one against the ECC leaders, the West Clermont Wolves, and the other against the Lebanon Warriors.

Opinion
Man Overboard: The Trouble with Toxic Masculinity in Advertising

Opinion by Ryan O’Donnell

Gillette recently celebrated its 30th anniversary on January 13, 2019; while one would think this would lead to a Wolf of Wall Street-esque celebration consisting of binging, babes, and boozing, Gillette decided to flip the script entirely. The sultans of shaving stock unleashed a new advertisement titled “We Believe”, and even changed their slogan to “The Best Men Can Be” to reflect their new ideals. The commercial immediately polarized consumers; it is currently the 25th most disliked video on YouTube, with 34 percent of the video’s comments being deleted within just nine days of being uploaded. However, this firestorm of social media backlash is for all the wrong reasons.

Broadcast

Anna-Claire Barker and Erin Seccia sit down to talk to students who are working towards their goals for success. This broadcast was a part of the annual Business Professionals of America competition and placed 1st in the regional event.

Video created by Kevin Lewis and Erin Seccia

Features
Inside the Mind of a Drum Major

Article by Kaitlyn Beauchamp

Drum Major Rowan Hayden. Photo by Suzanne Ibrahim.

Somewhere in a parking lot, with only two street lights shining, there are ninety-seven marching band members either playing music or spinning flags. Above them, on a podium, one person is waving her arms in the air, instructing the band on how to play and in what direction to march.

Sports
Basketball Rundown

Article by Austin Evans

Photo by Jim Schult

With only one game last week, the boys varsity basketball team did not disappoint.

Sports
Basketball Rundown

Article by Austin Evans and Ryan Freeman

Photo by Jim Schult

The girl’s varsity basketball team lost two tough games last week.

Humans of Kings

“After watching my two older brothers run cross-country for many years, in 7th grade I thought I would give running a try.

Sports
Basketball Rundown

Article by Austin Evans and Ryan Freeman

With the season winding down in ECC basketball play, the Knights varsity men’s and women’s teams looked to get some key wins.

Photo by Jim Schult

Sports
Basketball Rundown

Article by Austin Evans and Ryan Freeman

The Varsity basketball teams had three games last week, with the men’s team going 1-1 and the women’s team losing in close fashion.

Photo by Jim Shult

Feature
Rushing Past the Odds

Article by Austin Evans

Photo by Ryan Meyers

Whether it’s laughing at a joke his friends made, or saying hello to a staff member, Nak’emon never stops smiling. Nak’emon Williams is the star running back for the football team.  However, watching him on the football field makes you forget that he is a human being.

Feature
A Coach’s Legacy

Article by Christian Pierce

Photo courtesy of @KFBknights on Twitter

Coach Andy Olds wears three wristbands on his right wrist. One of them says climb the mountain, another says P.A.C.T. for Kings Junior High, and the last one says LTA. The third wristband is the most important.

Humans of Kings

“Getting the family together having, ya know, everyone over celebrating is always nice.

Entertainment
Cincinnati in Winter:
A Guide to the Wonderlands

Article by Shannon Tuggle

Photo by Emily Holland

Feature
Overtaking the Senior Mind

Article by Gabriella Stover

Jess Harmon works on her college applications on the Common Application. Photo by Gabby
Stover.

The December 1st deadline for college applications has finally passed, and the wait for acceptance letters is now over. All throughout September, October, and November, seniors spent hours and hours writing essays, collecting old grades, rewards, transcripts, in order to make the best impression on every college they apply to.  The strenuous, prolonged applications can easily stress out any student.

News
Operation Frontlines: Helping the Homeless

Article by Ann Hernandez

People walk on the streets of Chicago, where homelessness is a large problem. Photo by Shannon Tuggle.

Somewhere out in the cold someone is hungry, someone is crying, and someone is searching the streets for money and food. Individuals crowd the streets with instruments and old restaurant cups in hopes of receiving spare change. The polluted smell of the city and old fast food wrappers blow through the wind only moments later hitting the black, wheel-stained road into what we know as reality.

Feature
Trials and Testimonies of Confidence

Article by Maddie Feltner

Senior Kaitlyn Knific. Photo by Shannon Tuggle.

Silence hangs in the air. A judge sits at the front of the crowded courtroom, and students and teachers from schools all over the city crowd the room. All eyes in the room focus on one person: Kaitlyn Knific. Her heart beats heavily as she takes the stand. In this moment, she is not a senior at Kings High School; she is Campbell Bolt, the mayor of a small town wrapped up in a big trial.

Humans of Kings
The Girl Who Draws Dogs

Video by Kevin Lewis

Feature
Life in a Snap

Article by Ryan Freeman

Long snapper, Brendan Beattie, snaps the ball during a game in his 2018 senior season. Photo by Jim Savage.

With one second left in the game, Kings kicker, Tommy Mitchell, made a 46-yard field goal to knock off the Turpin Spartans on their own turf. The entire student section chanted Tommy’s name, and for one night, Tommy felt like a hero.

Feature
It Can Happen Anywhere

Article by Erin Seccia

The sound of an air horn echoes through the hallways. Students sit in their classrooms without worry – this is just a drill. No harm will come with the sound of an air horn. The date is October 25th. The time is 9:02 A.M.  Kings High School’s very first active shooter drill has just finished.

This is the new reality.

Opinion
Donye: The Dangerous Alliance

Opinion by Ryan O’Donnell

Once upon a time, it was a taboo title for one to have “fifteen minutes of fame.” Nowadays, everyone seems to be trying to grab their fifteen minutes on the clock, perhaps because it is an easy way to achieve celebrity status without possessing any actual talent. With the rapid increase in the evolution of technology and the steep decrease in the collective attention span of the general public, grabbing fame seems more difficult than ever. In a major attention grab, an unlikely friendship has recently been formed between two of the most powerful men in their respective fields, seemingly solely for the purpose of achieving this goal of attention: President Donald Trump and Kanye West.

Humans of Kings

“Balancing soccer and school isn’t as bad as you would think.

Humans of Kings

“ Wearing makeup and being openly gay is hard for me.

News
Theater Department Announces Spring Musical

Article by Maddie Feltner

On Tuesday, September 25th, the KHS theatre department made its long-awaited junior high and high school musical announcements during an after-school meeting in the choir room.

Sports
A Streak in Soccer

Article by Austin Evans

The Knights were tied 0-0 but a pep talk from their coach kept them on their feet for the second half. Photo by Erin Seccia.

The Kings Knights boys’ soccer team tied on Thursday, October 4th, in their final home game of the season against a tough ECC leader: the undefeated Turpin Spartans. The Knights are now 6-5-3, and 3-1-2 in conference games. After turning their season around, the Knights have earned a good seed in the playoff tournament.

Sports
Football Knights Keep Streak Alive

Article by Ryan Freeman

The Varsity football team kept their winning streak alive with an ECC road win against the Walnut Hills Eagles last Friday, October 5th.

Entertainment
Searching for Excellence

Article by Ryan O’Donnell

An old adage states that it only takes seven seconds to make a good first impression; obviously, some leniency is offered to film directors for this unwritten rule. When trailers for rookie filmmaker Aneesh Chaganty’s Searching first popped up on television and the Internet, everyone rolled their eyes and prepared to write Chaganty off as an unoriginal hack. The kidnapping story had been done since the dawn of the century, in a mass of madly mediocre movies such as Olympus Has Fallen, The Call, and Kidnap, adding absolutely nothing new of note to the genre. Searching vows to set itself apart and above from its counterparts — and it certainly delivers.

News
Senior Day of Service

Article by Lauren Steele

Every year, the Seniors of Kings High School participate in the ‘Senior Day of Service’. In order to graduate from Kings High School, every student must complete fifty hours of community service. The day of service helps students receive some of their required hours as well as contribute to the community.

News
Homecoming Pep Rally

Article by Delaney Mettey

Kings High School students celebrated the beginning of Homecoming weekend on Friday, September 28 in the gymnasium before the Homecoming game.

Sports
Kings Beats Withrow at 2018 Homecoming Football Game

Article by Ryan Freeman

 

Homecoming game in action.                                                                      Photo by Ann Hernandez

The Varsity Football team took care of the Withrow Tigers for homecoming last Friday September 28th with a score of 55-6.

News
Kings Prepares for Homecoming Dance

Article by Maddie Feltner

This year’s ticket reflects the theme of the homecoming dance, reminiscent of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby.

Kings High School students are preparing for the upcoming homecoming dance, which will take place on Saturday, September 29th from 8-11pm in the high school gym.

Sports
Women’s Tennis Senior Night

Article by Delaney Mettey

Senior Ellie Mathias

On Thursday September 13, the Women’s Tennis team hosted Goshen High School for  a tennis match on Senior Night. These fierce girls have worked hard and devoted four years in Kings. Their coach Sarah Hennessey, was proud of her strong girls.

Sports
King’s Football Team Beats Anderson

Article by Ryan Freeman

Photo Credit: Ryan Meyer

The Varsity Football team opened up ECC play on Friday September 14th at the castle with a huge victory against previously undefeated Anderson.

 Entertainment
Most Anticipated Fall Movies

Article by Kevin Lewis

As the end of the year approaches, so does awards season. It is a time where films compete to become the best of the best. While some movies have the chance to come home with the gold, others are looking to make gold at the box office. This year’s crop of fall movies has a little bit of everything for everybody. It marks the return of multiple auteur directors whose previous films have been lauded by critics as well as the return of franchises that have been run into the ground but looking for another shot.

Senior Edition 2018
Senior Wills

I, Noah Stubenrauch, will my varsity spot to Dennis Giller

I, Katelyn Sevier, will my pettiness to Sophia Calcidise

I, Celeste Riddell, will ONE of my 6-inch high heels to Erin Seccia.

I, Alec Yeaste, will my First Trombone chair in symphonic band to Tim Bredemeier

I, Abby Dorsa, will my Carmex to Abby Ewing

I, Dunia Alkurdi, will leave my studious tendencies from freshman year —only— to Meghan Burke of the sophomore class.

I, Juste Kirieliute, will happiness and more sleep throughout high school to Urte Kirieliute and Gabby Stover.

I, Taylor Owens, will the marching band truck loading crew and podium duty to Jack Roman.