Inside The Blue And White

By Editor | August 21, 2024 |

It’s another week in the books, and I think students and teachers alike have finally adjusted to the groove of the school year! I personally have perfected my morning routine and found what works best for me. I know many of my classmates have done the same.

It hasn’t been the most exciting week on the campus of Water Valley High School but a slow week isn’t always a bad thing! Things will start picking up as we kick off football season on Friday, August 23, at Meet the Blue Devils! It will be a fun night as we recognize our fall sports and watch scrimmages between East Webster, Ripley, and your very own Water Valley Blue Devils.

We will start the night at 5:45 with our Devil Dolls, who will showcase everything they learned at Devil Dolls camp on Sunday. Following Devil Dolls, junior high and varsity cheer will both put on performances and be recognized. Later in the evening, football, band, golf, and volleyball will also be recognized.

I encourage everyone to come out and see the young athletes who represent Water Valley on and off the field. Volleyball has been on a roll so far this season, and their most recent games have been no exception.

The team took on J.Z. George in a double header at home and came out victorious in both games. Fans cheered the Lady Devils throughout both games. The team will continue their hard work as they face Winona this week.

The golf teams started their season on Tuesday with a tournament at home. The team placed second, beating Houlka but falling to Oxford. On Thursday, they played at Dogwoods in Grenada. They beat South Panola and Grenada. They will continue the season on August 22 at Dogwoods against Lafayette and South Panola.

The cheer program hosted their annual Devil Dolls camp this past Sunday. The cheerleaders teach them cheers, chants, and dances that they will perform at home games. This year, we had over 60 Devil Dolls participate in our mini camp. These girls range in grades kindergarten to 6th grade.
I taught these girls our Devil Dolls dance for the season, while my teammates Belle Belcher, Alexia Horton, Payton Darby, and Natalie Hernandez taught them four different cheers. Our other teammates helped lead the girls from station to station. Then at the end of camp, we put on a performance for the parents.

I am so excited that these girls are taking an interest in cheerleading, and I cannot wait for them to perform on Friday night. New students aren’t exactly uncommon at Water Valley, but it isn’t every day that we have one new senior, let alone two. Moving schools, especially at this point in your education, can be a daunting task.

Kenzie and Kaden Norlander moved to Water Valley along with their family in March. The family is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California, where both Kaden and Kenzie were born and raised. Next they moved to Lake Havasu, Arizona for two years, and they have now found their way to Water Valley.

Both will both graduate with the WVHS class of 2025 in the spring. I sat down with them to get an inside look at how they felt about moving schools their senior year.

When asked how it was different from their last school, Kaden responded that being a senior at a school you just moved to is weird because you don’t really know anyone.

Kenzie said that it is different and a little difficult, because they grew up knowing everyone, but that now they are in a much smaller school with people they don’t know.

I also asked the pair what they had liked about Water Valley so far, and they responded that classes tended to be easier here and that it was easy to make new friends and get to know people. One complaint they had about school though was the fact that Water Valley has less sports and electives than their previous school.

Finally, I asked them what they were most looking forward to this school year. Kenzie replied that she was, “looking forward to meeting new people.”

I’m very glad people are interested in the community of Water Valley, and I hope they continue to be for many years to come. Next week will be a fun one, and I’ll tell you all about it!