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The Student News Site of Vel Phillips Memorial

Sword & Shield

Sword & Shield

Sword & Shield

The Student News Site of Vel Phillips Memorial

Editor’s Note

Ben Thom, Arts & Entertainment Editor November 1, 2024

Hey all! I’m Ben Thom, your Sword and Shield Arts and Entertainment Editor for the 2024-2025 school year! With the second quarter starting soon, try to wrap up your work for the first quarter and start...

Smile 2 Made Me Pull A Muscle In Fear

Smile 2 Made Me Pull A Muscle In Fear

Max Knight November 1, 2024

At a certain point in time, horror was perhaps one of the most infamous genres when it came to unnecessary sequels. Horror franchises like Friday the 13th, Halloween, and Saw originated from an original...

The Cast of Lend Me A Tenor  (from left to right), Daniel Mueller, Nylah Kleiss, Lars McKillop, Zane Yeazel, Benjamin Thom, Marguerite Penning, Mable Miller, Varnika Arianathan.

Getting to Know the Cast of Lend Me A Tenor!

Max Knight November 1, 2024

The fall play, Lend Me a Tenor, will soon begin its two-night run in the VPM auditorium on Nov 8 and 9th. The play centers around an Opera company that encounters issues with their lead tenor Tito Merelli...

Photograph attributed to catAsmith

On the Importance of Children’s Horror

Amalia Weix November 1, 2024

When I was but a wee lad, I was utterly terrified of the undead. Zombies, ghosts, ghouls of all sorts—even vampires, which aren’t especially scary in modern day depictions—had me quaking in my tiny...

Results of Student Council Election

Results of Student Council Election

Patrick Mulkey, Co-Editor-in-Chief, Sports and News Co-Editor November 1, 2024

Spartans, we are in the middle of an election year! With the presidential race heating up as November 5th looms closer, other political groups are taking place right in our very own school. VPM’s Student...

Liam Payne's Death

Liam Payne’s Death

Nina Zhu, Student Life Editor November 1, 2024

For many who were around in the early 2010s music scene, One Direction is a source of nostalgia and classic boy band pop music. Liam Payne, one of the former One Direction members, suddenly passed away...

End of First Quarter

End of First Quarter

Nina Zhu, Student Life Editor November 1, 2024

Hey Spartans—just a reminder that November 4th marks the end of first quarter and November 6th is the first day of second quarter! We hope your year is off to a great start. With the end of first quarter,...

Join VPM's Student Literary Journal!

Join VPM’s Student Literary Journal!

Amalia Weix, Opinions Editor November 1, 2024

Do you enjoy writing, be it poetry, prose, or other? Do you enjoy creating visual art in any form? If so, consider checking out the Memorial Spotlight, VPM’s very own award-winning student literary journal!...

Photo attributed to Granny Enchanted

Why Does This Children’s Book Have So Much Eugenics??

Thomas Heinz November 1, 2024

Keeper of the lost cities. Some of you all may be familiar with the name, likely having read it in elementary school or middle school. I too was once like you, having been gifted the book by my grandparents...

Left: Tim Walz (D-MN), Right: JD Vance (R-OH)

Vance & Walz Face Off In Vice Presidential Debate

Henry Riley, News Editor, Co-Sports Editor November 1, 2024

On October 1st, the sole vice-presidential debate between Democratic nominee Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota and Republican nominee Senator JD Vance of Ohio took place in New York City. The debate, hosted...

Ohtani examines his bat against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.

Shohei Ohtani: 50 for 50

Patrick Mulkey, co Editor in Chief, Sports and co News Editor November 1, 2024

 Shohei Ohtani became the first member of the fifty fifty club on September 19th. The fifty fifty club is representative of his fifty home runs and fifty bases stolen in one season, an impressive feat...

Winter Musical Announcement

Winter Musical Announcement

Ben Thom, Arts & Entertainment Editor November 1, 2024

The musical for winter of 2024 is Something Rotten! Something Rotten tells the story of playwright brothers Nick and Nigel bottom, who live in the renaissance era, and are competitors to Shakespeare. Nick,...

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