Meet the Staff of The Beaver Voice...

My name is Gretchen Harshbarger and I am the advisor of the Beaver Voice. This year I have the privilege of introducing Senior Editor Alex Lewis. Alex's work ethic embodies the spirit of academic excellence at Bluefield High School. I look forward to seeing her take the lead of the The Beaver Voice online newspaper and continue the tradition which began four years ago with Jordan Stuart and Marcus Constantino. I also want to express my appreciation to everyone who has and continues to be so supportive of our journalism endeavor.
Hey guys! My name is Alexandria Lewis, but you can call me Alex. I am a Junior here at Bluefield High School. I am the current editor of the Beaver Voice. I look forward to providing you with an excellent online newspaper. In my free time I like to be outdoors, hang out with friends, and play tennis. I also play tennis for the school. Attending BHS sporting events is something else that I like to do.
Hey guys!! My name is Carlie Danielle Sizemore. I am currently a senior at BHS, class of 2013! My favorite color is PINK! When I graduate this spring I plan to become a kindergarten teacher. I love the energy that little kids have; it is incredible. I love music, all kinds, but country is my favorite (; I will be writing for the fashion section of the Beaver Voice!! (: I’m very excited and I hope you guys like it!! See ya!!! (: ♥

My name is Chelsea Lester and I’m in my last semester at Bluefield High. I am a Christian, and I play guitar and drums at church every Sunday and Wednesday. My family and friends mean everything to me, and I love meeting new people! I love sports, every sport! After high school I plan on going to college; I’m not sure what I’m going for, but I know as long as I follow God’s plan for me, He will lead me where I need to be.

Hello! My name is Matthew Sabo. I am a senior here at Bluefield High School. I recently finished up my soccer career in which I was a starter for the Beavers. Currently, I am a member of the BHS Radio broadcast team. In my spare time, I like to hang out with my friends and play basketball. Most importantly, I love food. I am still undecided on my plans after graduation. Generally, I am a nice and caring person. I love to help others so if you have a problem, talk to me, and I’ll do all that I can to help you out. Have a nice second semester Bluefield High School!

  
Hey there! My name is David Shrews bury. I am a senior here at Bluefield High School. When I’m not playing basketball or hanging out with my friends, you can probably find me playing the drums. I am a huge supporter of the Bluefield High School Beavers, especially the basketball team. I am currently a member of the Bluefield High School Radio Team, including myself, Brad Gibson, Justin Freund, and Matthew Sabo. The four of us broadcast Beaver basketball when we get to attend the games. We also have a radio show that we do Friday mornings. I love my family and friends more than anything in this world.

Hey guys I’m Rachel Ann Looney. I am a senior (class of 2013 WHOOOOOOO). I play soccer for BHS (number 26). I played soccer almost my entire life and I love it. I work at Food City as a cashier with my BFF Brittany. I have one little brother who is 7 years old. I plan to attend Bluefield College after I graduate. I want to either go into physical therapy or some type of field where I can, help people. I work on the fashion section and its going to be awesome! Bye guys J

 

Hi guys! My name is Ashlyn Parker and I am currently a junior at Bluefield High School. I am not playing any sports this year but I am a former volleyball player. Now after school, you can find me at a little restaurant in Bramwell West Virginia taking orders and serving food. When I am not working I enjoy spending time with family and friends, riding four wheelers and dirt bikes, and shopping! I also love to go to school functions and cheer the Beavers on. I love to meet new people. After I graduate I plan on attending Virginia Tech to become a veterinarian. I am also looking at the University of Miami to be a marine biologist. With that being said, yes I am a VT fan and I can have an endless debate on why they are the best college football team. I am easy to get along with and I always have a smile on my face. Also, I am absolutely in love with Channing Tatum!! So, I guess that is all for now.

 

What’s good cuz!? My name is Lykel Collier. I am currently a junior at Bluefield High School. Basketball is my love. I play point guard for the Boys basketball team.#11 I have a younger brother who is in middle school. On the weekends, I referee itty-bitty and pee-wee basketball games at the Bluefield Parks and Rec center. Other than that my weekends consist of hanging with my friends and enjoying my day off.

 

  Hey! My name is Chris Lawless. I am 17 years old and a junior here a Bluefield High School. My favorite thing to do at Bluefield High School is to attend sporting events. My favorite one being boys’ basketball games. As most of ya’ll know, I am a huge WVU fan. I have always loved WVU sports and always will. In my free time, I like to attend sporting events, play tennis, and hang out with my friends. I look forward to contributing to this excellent school newspaper.

Dear readers,
My name is Benjamin Goffin. I am delighted to be in Bluefield High School as a foreign exchange student. I am from Belgium, a nice little country in Europe. There, I have studied Dutch and English, but my native language is French. I enjoy playing soccer or ping-pong, as well as swimming.
Make sure it is with pleasure I will try to describe my new life and comment on your American habits.
I would like to thank you all for this year, thank all these people here, my host family, my friends, but also, all those people on the other side of the ocean, and my organization Youth For Understanding.

Hey Everybody! My name is Amanda Powers. I am 17 and a junior at Bluefield High School. I honestly can not wait to graduate so I can start attending Coastal College. I used to be a waitress at Bob Evans and I must say being a waitress is ten times harder than it seems. When I grow up I want to be a Marine Biologist because I want to do something that I would enjoy having to work everyday. Well that’s all Bye (:

Hey, I’m Nikki! I’m a junior at Bluefield High School. I love to dance and have fun. I have a great personality, and I’m very easy to get along with. My favorite color is purple. Most of my free time goes to my baby girl who I love dearly! I plan on attending a college in Florida or Georgia for 2-3 years to become a registered nurse. I’m also thinking about furthering my education later on to become a Physician’s assistant.

My name is Marceda Lee; I am a senior at BHS and will be graduating with the class of 2013. I’m athletic, funny nice person. I’m in HSTA and I am a good student. I will be doing articles on the Girls Basketball Team.

 

About Us

          The Beaver Voice is a long tradition in Bluefield that dates back as far as the old Beaver High School, which closed in 1957. The newspaper that has been faithfully published by Bluefield High School students for decades has held many titles, including The Hill Hippie, Expressions, The Beaver, and, as it is still called today, The Beaver Voice. Bluefield High School takes pride in its many young journalists that have published professional-quality newspapers for the student body throughout the years.

          In November of 2007, The Beaver Voice advisor Gretchen Harshbarger got an idea that took journalism in Bluefield High School in a completely new direction: a leap from the printed newspaper, which has been around for hundreds of years, to the online newspaper, which is a fairly new idea and has countless advantages over a printed newspaper. Online newspapers can be updated as often as desired, and updates happen instantly. Print editions of newspapers rarely travel outside of the area they were published in; online newspapers can be read anywhere in the world!

          After the idea was approved by the administration in mid-November of 2007, development of The Beaver Voice online newspaper began. Marcus Constantino, who was a sophomore at the time, volunteered to design a "rough draft" of the website. The newspaper staff deliberated for many weeks over what kind of content would be most interesting to students.

          The Beaver Voice finally went "live" in February of 2008. Flyers were placed all over the school, announcing the website's launch. Although its level of popularity in its first few months cannot be truly measured, many students and teachers faithfully visited the website, and many pictures from the website could be seen on MySpace and taped to classroom walls. Marcus Constantino and Jordan Stuart took charge of editing the website, while Bethany Rotenberry contributed many of the news articles.

          The Beaver Voice takes pride in being the only online high school newspaper in Mercer County. We are one of four regularly updated online high school newspapers in the state of West Virginia. The Beaver Voice and Bridgeport High School's Arrowhead Online are the only online high school newspapers in the state that are completely designed and updated by students.

          A hit counter was added to the website on September 11th, 2008. So far, The Beaver Voice has been visited by...

  • 48 states, and the District of Columbia

  • 29 countries: The United States of America, India, Germany, Belgium, Canada, United Kingdom, Brazil, France, Chile, Israel, the Philippines, Japan, Taipei, Serbia, Switzerland, Sweden, Ukraine, Latvia, Colombia, Australia, Ghana, Jamaica, Russia, Jordan, Pakistan, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Kenya.

          The Beaver Voice has an average of 854 page views per day. On Monday, May 11th, 2009, The Beaver Voice had its most page views in one day: 5,604.