The Shield Final Issue 2014-15

Volume XLV, Issue 3

October 33, 3066

D.H Conley High School

2006 worthington road greenville n.c 27837

avenge... again? apple ceo comes out the american debate

anticipation, or nah?

apple gets a little more fruity

which one is better?

Vikings set sail on new season

By Logan Bagley

Conley’s men’s basketball has been fiercely preparing for the upcoming 20142015 basketball season. With five seniors and three juniors on the roster this years team has more maturity and practice.

Basketball coach Rob Maloney, said, “last years performance of 11-12 was not symbolic of how hard we worked to have a successful season.”

Coach Maloney has high expectations for this season. Since Maloney has been coaching men’s basketball here the teams have made it to playoffs each year.

Although Conley has been moved into an

extremely competitive league, the team is staying optimistic and pushing harder to better themselves. Maloney is planning to win state playoffs, not just make a one game appearance.

Senior forward, Peyton Ahlers said, “we should get better as the season goes on, our chemistry on the court will get better.” Senior forward, Jeremy Cox said, “this years team is a lot more balanced and better that last year’s team was.”

This season there are only three sophomores and one freshman on the team. Junior guard, Kendrick Greene said,

From chief to staff

“the younger players add to the chemistry of our team.” Some of the JV men’s basketball players practice with the varsity team, preparing them early for their future roles on the varsity team. Maloney said, “the five players practicing with us now are improving very quickly.

They are competing with seniors, Peyton Ahlers and Jeremy Cox. I think we are just going to get stronger and stronger.

The JV players are strong and dependable.”

Continued on page 8

sobriety.

Graciously, it is provided by

by Missy Alexnader Gray Taylor

High School seems to be all about finding where you belong. Findon the daily, ing where you feel most at peace. Some people take a while to find their reminding us all place, and some people fall right in. If you’re a thespian or a dancer, your to calm down heart may be on the stage. If you’re an athlete, your heart may be on a when things court or field. Maybe you’re heart lies in the library, or in the band or even get too hype; the orchestra. she’s also one

But for me, my heart belongs to The Shield. I stumbled upon The of the few who Shield by accident my freshman year and I’ve been in love ever since. have learned Starting as simply a staff writer, I slowly progressed myself to my position to take Reid’s today: Editor-in-chief. My heart breaks when I think about this being my torment. final year on this staff and how much I’ll miss every part of this team.

Along

Every staff member plays a part and without everyone, The Shield with calm, evwould be nothing. I’ve had the pleasure of working with many of these ery class needs people for all 4 years, and over that time we’ve grown into a strong team, a fair amount and an even stronger family of sorts. of sass, and

Where would be with without Zack Matis and his devotion to the here, we get technology pages or his ability to help me with whatever needs to be ours from Kayla Moye. Website coordinator and sass-master, I can count done? Zack has been my partner in crime since the very beginning, and I on her to talk to whoever and come back with an answer. How would we honestly don’t think I’d ever be able to function without him at my side. I’m ever function without Olivia Dunn and her fiery attitude(and hair) toward so thankful.

Charles and his clan of males. Without her, the sport section would be ut Matt Williamson, while possessing a strange love for the dementterly a failure, and the men in the room would have no one to pick on. ed, and insisting on being tardy almost every morning, he continues being loveable, and a fantastic writer when we’re really depending on him.

Continued on page 6

With all the crazy going on in journalism, we need some

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news

The Shield Volume XLV, Issue 3 October 33, 3066

Riverwalk riots

By Bryce Jackson

Ever since the emergence of ECU onto the national stage, it has been known as a school whose students put their parties before anything else.

Each year on October 31st, thousands of students take to the streets to celebrate. There is usually tons of alcohol involved, a few different drugs as well as various crimes. The partying usually starts around 9 or 10 Halloween night, and continues into the next morning.

This year, over 3,000 students and their friends marched down to Riverwalk Townhomes in Greenville, NC. It started as a decent sized party, until people started taking to social media to invite their friends. Over the next few hours, hundreds of people showed

up unexpected.

Eventually the gathering reached it’s climax and things slowly

Rip: skip waters

Cell Phones

By katlyn payton

By Hailey Garrett

Skip Waters, a chief meteorologist at WCTI-TV, died at the age of 61, Tuesday, October 28, 2014. Police believes that Waters died from natural causes due to a preexisting heart condition.

After attending college at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Waters returned to Fort Myers and worked as a meteorologist at WEVU-TV 26 from October, 1976 through April, 1982. Waters returned to North Carolina in April, 1982 to work at NewsChannel 12.

He was hired as the chief

meteorologist. Waters always wanted to be fully informed of the latest technologies and meteorology techniques.

One of the main reasons Waters was hired was to introduce new technology and weather forecasts to his audience. In fact, the Doppler radar was introduced after Waters started.

Waters worked at WCTI Newschannel 12 for 32 years before passing away and many of his co-workers, friends, and family all miss him dearly and were impacted greatly by his death.

started to unravel. There were a few fights here and there but nothing major yet. Around midnight, some major altercations began to take place, which all seemed to fuse together into one big fight.

What began as an innocent townhome complex began to morph into a violent mosh pit. The authorities had to be called, as they had received multiple calls about loud noise, fights and even stabbings.

The police arrived to a very unwelcoming greeting and witnessed the near destruction of an ECU transit bus, and a Ford Mustang that was trying to push through the dense crowd.

Greenville PD eventually had to call in the heavies to perform some crowd control. They deployed tear gas and even had their riot shields out in defense.

Most students at Conley are on their phones at school every free chance they get. Unless told otherwise, you are only allowed to be on your phone during lunch, and before or after school hours. If you are on your phone in the hallway, there are plenty of administrators ready to write you up for having it.

The repercussions for getting your cell phone taken are that you must have a parent/guardian come and pick it up at the end of the day. There are more serious consequences for getting a phone taken if the student resists to give it up.

The student could face multiple day suspensions depending on the severity of how the student acted.

Once a student has violated these rules, they are held accountable for violating a category one offense.

If a student is on their phone during instructional time in class, a teacher may take their phone and sometimes give it back at the end of the day, but most of the time they will turn it into the office.

Many students complain

about the current policy, whereas they think that cell phones should be allowed during class since they are very helpful resources.

Conley is quite strict about the policy and students know the abrupt consequences that will be put into place if they are on their phones when they are not supposed to be.

With the strict rules and enforcements that are put into effect, this should help eliminate the amount of unnecessary cell phone use and how often students are on their phones.

virgin space craft: crash and burn

By Quiana Jones

interviewing witnesses.

Branson stated it was up to

The National Transportation Safety Board was expected to complete their test the NTSB to establish what had on the week of the ill-fated flight of Space- happened and that he would not Ship Two, a rocket powered vehicle built to comment until the agency had completed the investigation. In take paying passengers into space. a statement, he sounde upbeat

The ship broke apart in midair and about recovering from this accrashed into a desert moments after its separation from the special jet aircraft that cident and continuing his idea of carries the spaceship aloft for high altitude launching a commercial venture to send paying civilians into space. launches. The pilot, Pete Siebold, 43, sur This has been the ships first vived but the other crew member Michael test flight in nine months, it is also Tyler Alsbury,39, was killed. known that Virgin Galactic had

Alsbury was a project engineer and test pilot at Scaled Composites, a subsidiary been forced to abandon a previous rubber based fuel compound because it did not that built and designed the spacecraft for deliver the required performance and tried Virgin Galactic. He was flying for the ninth time on SpaceShip Two, including serving as a new plastic-based compound for the first time on a live flight. a co-pilot on the vehicle’s first rocket powSiebold parachuted out safely and ered test flight on April 29th, 2013. Another was rushed to the hospital. It is not clear passenger, Peter Siebold, was injured. if Alsbury parachuted out and died on his

Investigators from the National way to the ground or never made it out. The Transportation Safety Board began their wreckage was thrown out around either task of searching through the wreckage in the desert near Edwards air force base north side of a railroad track about 22 miles north of Mojave. Deputies from the local sheriff’s of Los Angeles, looking for test data and department rushed to secure the scene,

spending all night keeping curious onlookers at bay.

The crash was too far away from civilians to hear, but people knew something was wrong when no one showed up to the usually crowded lunch hour at restaurants and cafes in Mojaves main drag.

The lost of the spaceship on its own may mean that Bransons dream of owning a commercial flight to space, and even boarding one, may be shattered. It is too early to say if another craft will be built, how long it will take, and how much it would cost.

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news

The Shield Volume XLV, Issue 3 October 33, 3066

Yearly madness of black friday

By Hayley Bronzino

deals, certain frenzied shoppers will go to extreme lengths

Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year. In in order to get what they want. the US, millions of shoppers are Last year, there were numerous drawn to special offers by retailers the day after Thanksgiving. Some even camp out 72 hours prior to the store’s opening.

Surprisingly, 2013’s revenue dropped 3.9% with each customer only spending an average of $407.02. It’s no surprise that companies are trying their hardest to provide the greatest deals in order to attract as many shoppers as possible. reports of disturbances in mul Cyber Monday (Monday tiple stores across the country. following Thanksgiving) is also Reports of retail assaults, a popular way for retailers to at- tract the remains of consumers shootings and arrests erupted who are looking for exceptional in stores such as Wal-Mart and Kohl’s. Adding to the insanity, bargains.

Along with jaw dropping a Wal-Mart in NY was hit with

a fake bomb threat. It seems people will do almost anything to get want on the biggest shopping day of the year.

Patch Doll. Her best deal was an online purchase from Dick’s, where she purchased a ski jacket.

Ms. Trapani (band teacher) said she purchased a $90 Kindle Fire, a bargain in her eyes, She also laughed as she described witnessing a woman who was hoarding an entire cart full of.... socks.

Trapani stated “The woman was even heavily guarding her cart to ensure that nobody tried to take any of her socks.” Christy Sutton (english) was able

DH Conley teachers have to purchase a coast for $30 that also taken part in the Black was originally $165.

Friday madness. Mrs. WIlliams

“Talk about markup (dance teacher) described how value!” she said, “I wait to go in her sister was shoved out of the the afternoon, after the crowds way by a woman who was trying have died down just to soak up to desperately get to a Cabbage some post-storm holiday calm.”

D.H Conley Presents:

March 26th & 27th $5 Pay at the door!

7PM Conley Auditorium gas prices too darn high

Year Long Math Ending

By kayla Moye

by maddie theus

A break in gas prices has finally arrived. Towards the end of last month, prices started to drop.

Depending on what gas station you go to in Greenville, prices range from $2.79 (Sheetz) to $3.99 (Triangle). Gas prices are falling nationwide due to a decrease in the price of crude oil according to ABC News, Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg.

Last years gas prices were more than this year. The national average for November 2013 was $3.27 which was less than the prices earlier on that month.

“I think it’s great.

It’s better than paying almost $4.00 a gallon,” said student driver Desire Hall. “I think its just the fact [that] you don’t have to worry about paying a lot for gas.”

“And the fact of thinking about ‘Do I have enough to get gas?’ or anything like that is not as bad.” At times, gas prices were seemingly “too high.” Hall says that for her it was more about her not having a job yet and not wanting to ask her mom for more gas money.

For most students who have a job like Michael Patterson, obtaining money wasn’t the problem.

“For me it was just not knowing if I was going to get paid in time. I knew I was going to get paid regardless, maybe not the day that I really needed it. [If] I did have the money to get gas, I was being too lazy to go out and get gas,” said Patterson.

Two years ago year long math was put in place for students. This was a big change for not only teachers but students who were used to having one semester of a math class.

The math teachers would have to adjust and figure out how they would embrace this change and use it to benefit the students’ learning process. This new idea was a risky move and teachers were not sure how students would adapt to the change.

Year long math was a plan to improve students understanding of the math material. It makes sense, right? Take everything that students would have to cram into

one semester and take more time to learn it by giving the classes a whole year to comprehend the information being taught.

However, now only a few years later year long math is being taken out and the math classes will go back to only one semester.

Even though year long math will not work out in the long run it was something different and new. Students that took the class for a whole year may or may not have benefited from it.

Even though the longer math classes are being eliminated hopefully this change back to what is was will be more beneficial to students.

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Entertainment

The Shield Volume XLV, Issue 3 October 33, 3066

Mockingjay Brings New Perspective by matt williamson

Mockingjay did a brilliant job of staying faithful to the book while also giving a new perspective to the story.

The story follows the continued problems of Katniss Everdeen, who has reluctantly found herself to be the face of a rebellion in a dystopian nation on the brink of civil war.

Katniss struggles to inspire the Districts to rebel while attempting to cope with the knowledge that her possible love interest Peeta is being kept as a prisoner of war.

The movie displays the rebels’ attempt to turn the scattered riots into a full on rebellion as well as prepare for war against the Capitol.

One thing that sets Mockingjay apart from other movie adaptations is the way it deals with the age old problem of not being able to show the thoughts of the main character in the way that a novel can.

Mockingjay compensates for this problem in many ways, including added dialogue and the dreams that Katniss has.

However, the method of explaining

things that I found most interesting was how the movie did something that the book could not: showing events that the main character did not witness firsthand.

Rather than just reading about Katniss’s speculations on what’s going on like in the book, the film has the opportunity to actually show what is happening. The audience is given chances to see President Snow address the nation or to see the rebel soldiers on their mission to rescue the captured Tributes.

It also gave insight into what exactly the riots were like. It was interesting to be able to see the workers in District 8 blow up the Peacekeepers, or the rebels risking their lives to blow up the dam.

Whether Katniss was on the front lines or in an underground bunker, the movie kept things interesting. The rebel soldiers’ attempt to rescue the captured Tributes kept the audience on the edge of their seats while Finnick’s emotional reveal of the Capitol’s usage of him kept viewers’ eyes fixed on the screen.

Despite the soundtrack’s lack of Arcade Fire that the first movie contained, the movie was not a disappointment. An accurate and emotional adaptation of the book, Mockingjay is well worth the price of a ticket.

Avengers: Age of Ultron freaks and geeks By justin coleman

For years, sequels have been regarded as grounds for a studio to ruin the quality of a franchise. Generally sequels receive less positive reviews however some make much more money. This dynamic exists with: The Amazing Spider-man trilogy, The Hangover trilogy, the Taken films, as well as many others.

However, we see in some cases that a sequel can surpass the predecessor in more ways than money. The predecessor film, Avengers, has grossed about 1.518 billion dollars.

The Avengers film provided an arguably superior amount of action and explosions than other superhero films. The film was remarked as doing a great job of character development as well as character interaction.

However what was largely appealing to the avengers was that it was appealing to children as well as adults due to it’s quality. This largely contributed to it’s over a billion dollar revenue.

Age of Ultron will have to continue in placing a strong emphasis on character development as well as tie up possible loose ends of the predecessor.

In Age of Ultron, the Avengers

are pitted against a highly powerful artificial intelligence entity called Ultron.

Ultron, the spawn of a dormant, peacekeeping program jumpstarted by Tony Stark, is bent on human annihilation. The Avengers are both challenged and slightly inferior to the powers possessed by Ultron. In order for the Avenger franchise to maintain it hype as well as acclaim, it will have to bring a few new things to the table.

Age of Ultron has already brought about a villain far more sinister as well as powerful than the previous villain, Loki. Director Joss Whedon has been quoted as saying that this avengers film will be more darker and personal than the previous.

This doesn’t look to be a problem for the avengers and it’s targeted audience, as the Dark Knight film did exceptionally well in box office sales and reception with it being the darkest film in the Batman franchise.

Age of Ultron has a lot of hype to live up to, however with a trailer already out, Age of Ultron seems to be bringing something new to the table as well as elevating hype already set.

by gray taylor

They say “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” but maybe that phrase needs a little tweeking. Dozens of shows get canceled every year, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because really? Who wanted six seasons of Jersey Shore to begin with? But a handful of theses shows become even greater in death.

Usually when a show gets canceled it’s mourned by it viewers for a week or two till they find something else to watch, but every once in a while fans find a show that’s just too good to let go.

One of the most popular and followed shows to get trashed was Freaks and Geeks, a teen comedy set in 1980, that only lasted for one season. Freaks and Geeks is found in the top 10 of most “Canceled too soon” lists, and features an all star cast that made it big after the show ended.

The show follows a young Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) who struggles to find her place between two large cliques of the school, the Freaks and the Geeks. Lindsay was a Geek but found herself drawn to the Freaks by Daniel Desario (James Franco), one of the school’s most notorious burnouts. Over the course of the season she tries to balance her new and old friends and her parent’s looming plans for her future, all the while her brother, Sam (John Francis Daley), is just trying to survive his freshmen year of high school.

While the show only lasted between 1999-2000 it’s still ever popular today, and it’s where a lot of famous actors got their start.

And while there’s no conceivable chance of the show being jump started now with most of the cast in their 30s, Freaks and Geeks has been able to move on in other ways. The Fine Brothers recently created an interactive Freaks and Geeks Youtube game, that many members of the cast have already posted videos of themselves playing. Anybody can play the game on Youtube, and the show’s entire whopping one season is on Netflix, so get binging.

ahs is a real ‘freak show’ by logan bagely

American Horror Story season four: Freakshow has been considered the anthologies most successful. The season is set in 1952 Florida and follows a cast of carnival performers. With an award winning cast including, Jennifer Lange, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, and Evan Peters the show has received wild success from it’s breakout season in 2011.

What makes this anthology so unique is that it continues to use the same actors and actresses from previous seasons

yet never uses the same plot, storyline, or setting. It keeps veteran viewers excited and nervous to see what the writers will come up with next.

The first season of American Horror Story: Murder House, was about a family riddled with problems from a stillborn child to a love affair and now living in a haunted house filled with secrets and a morbid history. .

Jessica Lange has won numerous awards such as “Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series” by the Screen Actors Guild

American Horror Story airs Wednesday nights at 10:00 p.m. on FX. Awards for her role as Constance Langdon in the first season.

Season two, Asylum, which was about patients, nuns, and doctors inhabiting Briarcliff Mental Institution, it had a record breaking 3.85 million tuned in for the show. Voodoo, death, and sex

appeal describe season three of the anthology. Season three, Coven, is about young witches living in Miss Robichaux’s House for Extraordinary Young Women run by Ms. Cordelia Foxx, a secret coven, for the young ladies to learn how to use their “gifts.”

5 Entertainment

The Shield Volume XLV, Issue 3 October 33, 3066

Taking a Bite of The Walking Dead: KILL THE DEAD, FEAR THE LIVING

by Shane Watson

Walking Dead is the zombie apocalypse hit tv show that just keeps getting more and more popular. From Rick Grimes’ accent, to Michonne’s samurai skills, to the dead getting back up, this show is a wild ride that will make you scream in excitement and cry your eyes out.

SPOILER ALERT

This story contains spoilers from seasons 1 through 4 of Walking Dead.

Walking Dead tells the story of people’s lives and how they survive after the zombie apocalypse. The main character of this show is a man named Rick Grimes, a cop who is shot on duty and falls into a coma.

He wakes up to find himself thrown into this new world of “walkers” and untrusting survivors. With the help of a friendly group he is reunited with his wife and son. This group becomes the center of the show. People like Daryl, Michonne, and Glenn are thrown into the spotlight.

The group goes through many trials such as traitors, bites, the dead, and worse: the living. With Rick’s leadership, the group survives and finds a safe place to hold up, a

prison. It’s walls and fences keep walkers out and they are packed with food and supplies.

Only problem? A group of people led by a man that goes only by The Governor.

In a way, The Governor is the evil foil of Rick. The two men are strong, natural leaders and will do whatever it takes to survive. Both convinced that there is only one option to end this conflict: war. When the dust settles in the middle of season 4, the prison is a few tank shots away from being burned to the ground with Rick standing over his adversary.

In the fallout of the battle the group gets separated. In groups of no more than three each, they all converge on a train stop called Termanis, a so-called sanctuary for anyone willing to go there.

With the 5th season just starting there are a lot of questions to be answered. Who exactly who are the people at Termanis? What will Daryl do without his crossbow? Will they truly learn that they are screwing with the wrong people? Find out sunday nights on AMC.

intersteller: reach for the stars

Mulan: be a man!

by reid williams

By Haley Bronzino

Fans and critics agree, Interstellar is shooting for the stars.

Director Christopher Nolan’s latest undertaking, Interstellar, combines a stellar cast with an intriguing plot and breathtaking visuals to create a groundbreaking new film.

Interstellar begins in a world of the future, where we’ve depleted the earth’s resources, and the human race can not live on earth much longer. A former pilot named Cooper and his crew take off into space in search of a new habitable world. Complications ensue their mission, and threaten not to let them get back home.

The movie has been anticipated by many movie fans for months, as many of Christopher Nolan’s films have been adored by many moviegoers.

The plot plays a large part in the movie’s success. The scheme of events that take place truly forces you to pay attention to detail, soaking up each moment, as is writer/director Christopher Nolan’s usual style. Moments of intense grittiness, emotion, and peril, fuel the actions of the characters as they move further into their adventure.

The movie starts off slowly, in order to introduce the characters and give a feel for the desolate nature of the earth. However, once the movie picks up speed, it holds the audience tightly in it’s grasp for the nearly three hour run time.

Themes of family bonds and love tie in strongly to the film and give meaning to the adventure and predicament of the main characters. Cooper, the pilot of the ship, is desperate to return to earth and see his children again, and is forced to cope with the possibility of never seeing them again.

Brand, another passenger, has love clouding her vision in decision-making, as well as her thoughts of an aging father back on earth.

However, what sets this film entirely apart is the special effects, almost unlike anything that has ever been seen before.

From wormholes, to black holes, to shots of endless space, the visuals are astounding.

Nolan fearlessly charges into the scenes of the final frontier, and portrays it beautifully.

Nolan’s space exploration epic also served as his own exploration into new territory. Critically acclaimed director has been often criticized for having flat characters, using actions to tell the plot instead using people. However, this is not the case with Interstellar, as Nolan bravely charges into heavily emotional territory including love that stretches across space, whether it be romantic or family love.

As renowned critic Peter Travers commented, what many people miss about Interstellar is “how enthralling it is, how gracefully it blends the cosmic and the intimate, how deftly it explores the infinite in the smallest human details.”

How right he is. Many people enjoy poking fun at any movie that dares to break from the monotony Hollywood has become, but they miss the thrilling nature of the tale, the originality of the ideas, and the ceilings it mercilessly breaks through.

Overall, Interstellar was a satisfying space adventure that promises director Christopher Nolan will continue to create daring films that require our full attention.

The magical adventures of Aladdin, the underwater world of The Little Mermaid, and the thrilling tale of Beauty and the Beast, are just a few examples of our favorite Disney movies that were a huge part of our childhood.

How wonderful would it be to see a classic at our very own school? Well, your wish has been granted. In Spring 2015, DH Conley will be performing Mulan: A Musical!

To spare her slightly disabled father from his probable death in the war against the Huns, Fa Mulan secretly takes his place and disguises herself as a man.

Even though this is against the law, she is able to survive training and in the end, successfully defeats the the leader of the Huns: Shan Yu. Though her identity is eventually discovered after an injury, she is spared from punishment because of her amazing courage, and brings great honor to her entire family.

There are a wide variety of roles that need to be filled, such as: Mulan (duh), Shang (head of the training camp), Mushu (small dragon with a HUGE personality), and let’s not forget, the three stooge- like characters of Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po. There are also the “Ancestors” who are the narrators that move the story along.

Gloria Poorman, DH Conley’s Theatre teacher and director commented on what she is looking for in auditions this coming January: “We need students who can really showcase their songs when they are singing”. Keep in mind that if you do not want a solo, there are multiple other parts available where you sing as a group!

At auditions, you will be asked to perform a short monologue and a piece of one of the Mulan theme songs. It would be a good idea to research a part you are interested in, so that you can choose a monologue that will showcase your abilities.

While the theatre program begs for your energy and talent, keep in mind that it is also a very serious commitment. We are also in need of “techies”, who help with scene changes and set pieces.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask Mrs. Poorman, who will be happy to help you. Theatre is a great way to step out of your comfort zone, make amazing new friends, and gain confidence as a communicator.

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editorial

STAFF Staff Advisor Casey Charles Editors-in-Chief Melissa Alexander Section Co-Editors Haley Bronzino Logan Bagley Miranda Alexander Olivia Dunn Reid Williams Zack Matis Wed Coordinator Kayla Moye Photographer Grace Bell Graphic Designer Shane Watson Staff Writers Brice Jackson Christian Reid Gray Taylor Hailey Garrett Julia Todd Justin Coleman Katlyn Payton Kyler Ross Maddie Theus Matt Williamson Quiana Jones Yazmin Villanueva

The Shield Volume XLV, Issue 3 October 33, 3066

Ford and Chevy: Impacts in the industry by justin coleman

T car. This invention was made possible by Henry Ford. However the invention of the Model T came after the development of the Ford Motor Company in 1903. The Model T was invented in 1908. Ford can be called a pioneer in American industrialism due to the Model T being America’s first mass produced car. Henry Ford established a standard for future innovations made by the Ford Motor Company, every vehicle made by the Two successful car brands that company was to serve as pracare rich in American history and tical and relatively affordable influence, however which one transportation for the common is valued more or better than man. the other? Both brands have

The Chevrolet Motor generated a massive amount of company was founded in 1911 revenue through the years and as a division of GM Motors. The have contributed a great deal to company was co-founded by stimulating and benefiting the Louis Chevrolet and William C. american economy.

Durant as well as the help of in The Ford Motor company vestment partners. Opposed to got it’s start with the invention the Ford Motor company, Chevand development of the Model rolet had a hard time generating

a reasonable comparable to the affordable and practical Model T. Chevrolet is credited with having invented the first fuel-injected engine, this being introduced in the highly regarded and successful line of vehicles called the Corvettes.

Both Motor companies have been celebrated as pioneers in the American automotive industry. For a period of time since their development in the early 1900s, both companies have gone back and forth with each other in more successful innovations. However as of right now, Chevy has the advantage over Ford in which Chevy now has wifi accessibility within it’s 2015 car models. Chevy is one of two (the other being Audi) car companies that offer this innovation. This is not to question Ford’s massive comparable success to Chevy.

Dress Code Promotes Gender Inequality

By Olivia Dunn

As teenagers, we may not agree on everything, but there is one common torture that binds us together- school dress code.

While there is a mutual hatred for uniforms, there are certainly not equal standards for each gender.

I’ve heard a lot recently that girls wearing leggings is unprofessional, a quality that the dress code as a whole is attempting to rid the school of. I’m not going to elaborate on the fact that true leggings are the exactly the same as yoga pants except they show ankle (how scandalous!) but rather focus on the bigger issue.

The dress code accomplishes two main things, and the issue lies in the latter. For boys, the code is designed to keep them

looking professional and put together. Girls, on the other hand, are taught to cover up as to not be a distraction to boys. Why else would leggings be labeled as unprofessional when boys wearing sweatpants is perfectly fine?

The fact of the matter is that girls are told to dress as to not disrupt the learning process of

their male classmates. Pants and shirts can’t be too tight or too sheer, and shorts certainly can’t shorter than three inches from the knee. I’ve seen countless girls get sent out of class for “short” shorts, but never a boy. And in a period where Chubbies brand shorts are all the rage, I’ve also seen countless boys with too short shorts.

It’s just further proof that girls are sexualized while the possible inappropriateness of boys is practically ignored.

And to you boys, I’d be offended if I were you too. The message sent by the dress code is that you all cannot control yourself around girls with tight shirts, peeking bra straps, and tight pants. It’s implied that your minds are too animalistic and primal to perform well in class, something I consider pretty offensive.

All these wonderous women looking for mr. miracle

by Shane watson

Women have been slowly becoming more prevalent in comics. Today comics aren’t inhabited by rugged men saving damsels in distress anymore, they have become much more diverse. There are heros of every race and religion currently out there but the fastest growing example of diversity is the growing recognition of women in comics.

Catwoman and Batgirl, even Harley Quinn, are getting a solo comic series.

To a Wonder Woman and Supergirl(being pitched) getting a solo movie. Women

have become important in the characters, they are a race of comic world. A big example of battle hardened women that this was the leaked information live separate from society withabout Dawn of Justice: Batman out the need of any male presVs Superman. There was a leak ence. Wonder Woman isn’t the that Robin was going to be in only amazon to become a hero, the movie, but which one you there has also been Wonder Girl, ask? None other than Carrie Donna Troy, and Mala of BanaKelley. Carrie Kelley is the only Mighdall. These characters are female to ever dawn the black examples and inspirations of the and yellow cape, a big nod to strong women that little girls her is the fact that there were everywhere try to become. five Robins and she was the only Another example of this one to be introduced in a non-canon comic.

The fact that they are putting a female Robin in a movie that is the next instalment in the DC cinematic universe shows that the idea of women being just helpless victims is gone.

If you want an example of how far strong women have come take a look at Wonder Woman. She is a amazon princess, whose birth was blessed by the gods.

The amazons in general are strong female Image created by Shane Watson

image is illustrated in character such as Big Barda. She was born on Apokolips, Darkseid’s home planet, and was groomed by Granny Goodness from a young age to be a warrior. After meeting Mister Miracle, she falls in love with him and decides to use her abilities for good. Born in an evil place that overcame her nature and became a force for good, that is truly an inspiring story.

7 editorial

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continued from the cover

At her side, fighting the war of the feminists, Logan Bagley ‘stands tall.’ She takes so much crap from Charles and his clan about her height, but when it comes to writing, she towers over many others. Her strong ability to write wonderful pieces and willingness to fix whatever needs fixing makes her a very

important part of this team.

We could never be complete without Reid Williams and his frustrating sarcasm and stupidity. I personally would be a little less insane if his ability to create endless alliteration ceased. Along with Reid, despite his power to infuriate everyone with his stubborn opinion and troll habits, Kyler Ross has been with us all along and occasionally is good for a laugh.

Despite the ones from the beginning forming a tight knit group and functioning unit, we always have room for more.

This year, we were graced with the presence of a few noobies who actually added a lot to this team. While not exactly a noob, this year a lot of stress was put on the infamous Baby Missy, AKA, Miranda Alexander; my blood sister. She’s planning to take over for me and has had more responsibility than anyone(besides myself) this year. I’m very proud of her and I’m hoping next year, her and our next mention, will do The Shield justice.

As stated, along with Baby Missy, Hayley Bronzino will be taking the wheel from me.

I have a lot of faith in her to be the type of leader who rules with an iron fist yet make you smile at your lowest. Haley is super energetic and always got a smile on her face. She’s made my life so much better and I’m glad to say I’ve met her.

Another of our noobs is Shane Watson. While he’s totally a noob to inDesign, Shane knows his photoshop and we turned to him for many of the images seen in this issue and issues past. We’ve never really had anyone quite like him and while sometimes his mind is a little closed to certain issues, he gives a greatly needed diversity to our family. Who doesn’t need a stubborn gamer in their life?

Also new this year and greatly appreciated is Christian Reid. Deadlines are not his strong suit, but you can bet he will write it and write it well before its too late. As any of you might have noticed, he’s an extremely talented writer, even

more so when he’s passionate about what he’s writing.

Quiana Jones(Kwiana), when she’s not being annoying, is a lovely person to share cultured music with. She shares my love of Japanese and Korean music and it’s always fun to attempt to sing along with someone. Aside from that, she is certainly a good writer and contributed a lot.

Lastly, we have someone who, like Kwiana, has had her share of annoyance, is also a valued member of The Shield. She has taken a few great photos(dat water fountain picture doe) and will usually submit to my authority after I’ve yelled for a while.

In conclusion, I would definitely consider myself lucky to have worked with all these people. They’ve not only turned The Shield into a success, but made my life progressively better. can’t even tell you how many mornings have been made 100% better by these people.

I will miss everyone of you next year, and I thank every single one of you for being apart of this.

Right to live

end your own life prematurely, you’re also taking it away from every member of your family and anyone who has ever taken the time to care about you. Their world stops just as abruptly as yours did. I understand that people have their problems and can feel overwhelmed sometimes but suicide won’t solve anything.

All you do is end every chance of your life getting better. You have to think about people other than yourself, because while you may think that you’re irrelevant and no one cares, it’s often the complete opposite. Some cases could actually be a matter of mental illness and require professional help, but I personally believe that most cases are the result of over exaggeration.

There isn’t anything in this world that’s serious enough to end your life over.

Death with dignity. An act that says if you have a terminal illness and have less than a one

percent chance of living, then it’s perfectly fine to take your life. Death with dignity? I could be wrong but I don’t really see suicide as an honorable death.

When have you ever seen a case of suicide on the news and said “Man, what a respectable way to go out”. Me neither. Killing yourself just isn’t an honorable thing to do. No matter how you look at it, no matter what kind of sob story you put behind it, it’s not acceptable. How would you feel if it was your brother, or your daughter. You wouldn’t just stand there and say “Yeah, I guess it’s his decision, I don’t really care”. Even if you have less than a 1% chance, there’s still a chance and you don’t know what kind of future is in store for you, no matter how dim the present looks. By considering suicide, you have completely given up.

You’re confirming that you have no hope for recovery. There’s no “dignity” in that.

commit suicide under Oregon’s Death With Dignity law, as the treatment doctors recommended could not save her life.

It would only prolong her illness and eat away at her mind until she lost all cogniscience.

Anyone who has encountered terminal cancer- or any cancer at all really- will tell you that it is crippling for both the patient and the family. Like in Maynard’s case, death is inevitable as well as painful. With brain cancer, Maynard would develop morphine-resistant pain and lose all cognitive function. As someone who deeply loved her family and husband, why would she want them to have to watch that? Why cause them more pain than necessary? Their memories of their loved one’s final days would not be of the daughter they raised or the woman he married.

The argument against

general suicide is that it is incredibly selfish, being that the family and friends are left alone and confused. This is true, in the cases where the person is healthy and has no terminal illness. But in Maynard’s case, and in the case of thousands of other terminal patients, death is inevitable. It is tortuous and drawn out. So if Maynard was going to die anyway, how is that remotely selfish? Why should she be forced to endure unimaginable as her family is forced to watch?

If anything, it is selfless because she allowed her loved ones to see her for the last time as the woman they knew- healthy and happy.

“I’ve had the medication for weeks. I am not suicidal. If I were, I would have consumed that medication long ago. I do not want to die. But I am dying.

And I want to die on my own terms.”

By Brice jackson

Suicide can be a delicate subject. Taking one’s life is a very serious matter and shouldn’t be made fun of. My take will probably offend some of you.

In fact, if you are easily offended STOP reading now.

I have tons of sympathy for families who have to deal with suicide, don’t get me wrong- but suicide is a selfish thing. For one person to take their own life is about as selfish as it gets. When you

Right to die

By Olivia Dunn

On New Year’s Day, a little over a year after marrying the love of her life in 2012, 29 year old Brittany Maynard was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Initially, she underwent two surgeries to stop the tumor growth, but she was only given six months to live after the aggressiveness of the cancer was discovered.

Maynard decided to

10 Technology

The Shield Volume XLV, Issue 1 October 33, 3066

Windows 10

By Zack Matis

Windows 10 will be making its way to our households in the middle of next year.

Microsoft has compared the new operating system to the evolution of high efficiency motor vehicles. “Yesterday, they were driving a first-gen Prius, and when they got Windows 10 they didn’t have to learn to drive something new, but it was as if we got them a Tesla,” stated Terry Myerson, head of Microsoft’s Operating Systems Group.

Windows 10 will run on all devices. The new operating system will be available for desktops, tablets, smartphones, and other embedded products.

One of the largest complaints customers had about Windows 8 was the start menu, or lack of one. The XBox 360-like

homescreen did not leave customers as satisfied as Microsoft hoped.

However, this has been fixed with Windows 10. The new system will have a start menu close Some profound text goes here to Windows 7’s, but will also have cerning what apps were running. the application tiles like WinWindows 10 has fixed these dows 8’s home screen. problems created by Windows

On the left side of the 8. There will be a “zoom out” start menu, there will be the feature that will allow the user to old Windows 7-style organization. The right side will look like see what apps are currently running and allow quick and easy a smaller version of the home screen that Windows 8 brought access to open and close them.

Currently, Microsoft has to us, with tiles that can be moved around and re-sized to fit not set a retail price for their newest operating system. the customer’s preferences.

Customers experienced an issue with Windows 8 con-

Wifi included in cars

By Justin Coleman

Every couple of years, an innovation promoting convenience and accessibility in cars is developed. As of this year, Chevrolet and Audi have developed the innovation of your car being able to provide and facilitate wi-fi.

This innovation is sure to not only benefit Chevrolet and Audi, but many consumers that choose to drive a new Chevrolet or Audi vehicle.

This technology as of now is only exclusive to people who buy a new Chevrolet or Audi vehicle 2015 and on, however it is no question that this particular technology will be developed to fit other cars.

The innovation is developed around the already established On-Star. It is responsible for built in GPS navigation within cars as well as respondence to help and aid services.

With updated On-Star

TEECHARS

By Olivia Dunn

Every student has those teachers they do and do not like, but what if all teachers were the same? That’s the future of education, thanks to scientists in South Korea.

In 2013, work began on robots that would be able to teach lessons and answer questions, therefore acting in the place of live teachers. Now these robots are able to also reexplain material in a different manner if the student does not understand. The goal of South Korean scientists was to create technology that could totally replace the need for human teachers, and they seem to be very close.

The phenomenon has begun to move into the US, with robotic teachers being used with autistic students in California as well as with high school students in Kansas. As a piece of interactive technology, the robots are very stimulating for autistic children, as many of them are attuned to technology. In addition to making education more interactive, money originally used for travel and salary for human teachers can be saved.

Nao is a robot created by the French company Aldebaran Robotics, and he is being used in classrooms all around the United States, including a Birmingham, Alabama’s elementary schools.

technology available within 2015 Chevy and Audi vehicles, Wifi has been added as an additional capability of the vehicular software.

The Wifi is 4G LTE, which is the highest capability of wifi and cellular technology. 4G LTE ensures fast and effective internet as well as data capability within the car.

This means that a cellular device can connect to the hotspot and operate on the highest

data capacity. The technology acts as a hotspot which also enables multiple connections at a time.

This innovation will arguably generated a massive amount of increased revenue for Audi and Chevrolet. In addition to that, Audi and Chevrolet may continue to have a one-up on their competition for as long as the technology stays exclusive to them.

This made your already powerful Pokemon even more fierce.

The whole concept of having 3-D inside of a game like Pokemon is still a newer concept that was pioneered by X and Y just last year. This caused fans to worry about what would happen when their favorite games were sent into the time machine and shot into the future, recieving a huge graphical upgrade.

Fans want the game to remain true to its roots, while adding all of the new additions brought

The famous Pokemon catch phrase has always been, “Gotta catch ‘em all,” which was always impossible with the old games.

It was recently announced in by the last generation. Obviously Nintendo can’t satisfy the that it will be possible to obtain entire Pokemon community, but each and every single Pokemon they aimed to please as much as between Pokemon X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire. they possibly can.

Overall, the game has In addition to new additions, the beloved Pokemon contests and been a successful addition to the Pokemon franchise, receiving a secret bases are making their rating of 7.8/10 from IGN. return for the first time since Pokemon Platinum.

Pokeman By zack matis Pokemon fans have been anxiously waiting for several years, and the time has finally come, a third generation remake.

Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire were released on November 21, 2014.

Being a remake of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, there were big shoes to fill. Reviving a game originally released in 2002 and bringing it into 2014 may have seemed impossible.

The original game left players a feeling of irreplaceable nostalgia, and the announcement of a remake had the community losing their minds.

Knowing how much fans enjoyed the games, Nintendo had to find a way to implement the new features while still making it feel like the originals.

Mega Evolutions were a new addition in Pokemon X and Y and completely changed the game.

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The Shield Volume XLV, Issue 1 October 33, 3066

Corvette: vroom vroomin in my jawwwdanz

By Christian Reid

Corvette earned many accolades in the past year, particularly with its Stingray models.

Having been named Automobile Magazine’s 2014 Automobile of the Year and The Detroit Free Press 2014 Car of the Year, the 2014 Stingray model has impressed many consumers and manufacturers with its precision, power, and capability. So it’s not surprising that Corvette’s 2015 models

The 2015 Corvette Stingray’s sculpted exterior is almost fluid-like in its appearance, despite its geometric lines. Both the coupe’s (two door car) and convertible’s (retractable top) brilliant design incorporates refined engineering and highway efficiency in a way that establishes this sports car as the top of its class.

Its incredibly aerodynamic structure is meant to both allow the sports car to reduce the air resistance it meets while at high speeds, and increase the downforce needed to keep the car planted on the road.

The Stingray also has an advanced ventilation system, allowing airflow to disperse throughout various areas of the car. However, its construction

centers around cooling compartments underneath the hood and the brake system, which in turn helps keeps them functioning at optimal levels.

If the exterior of the Stingray is meant to be professional and efficient, the interior is focused on the driver’s experience of comfort and familiarity. The interior’s plan is intelligent while familiar, with its modern blend of technology and personalization is meant to allow one to immerse themselves in the driving experience of the 2015 Corvette Stingray.

Also, the use of authentic materials is further proof of Corvette reminding their consumers that not only do they want this car to affect them on an abstract level, but on a tangible one as well.

The actual leather used for the interior is both free from imperfections and soft to the touch. It’s crafted to perfectly fit in every spot, and the lightweight aluminum accents further adds to the modern look of

iwatch by miranda alexander

With the launch of the new iPhone 6, iPad Air 2, and IOS 8 not living up to the hype, Apple is once again attempting to take it up a notch in early 2015.

The Apple Watch is marketed the most personal device yet. “Our goal has always been to make powerful technology more accessible. More relevant. And ultimately more personal. Apple Watch represents a new chapter in the relationship people have with technology.

It’s the most personal product we’ve ever made, because it’s the first one designed to be worn” said Apple. Apple has not yet released a set price of the Apple Watch but several sources have estimated that the starting price for the Apple Watch will be between $300 and $500.The watch is also extremely personalizable with the many different

the car. And with the addition of two ultra-bright 8-inch HD touch screens (that can be customized to fit your taste), the sports car combines current technological aspects of control with classic manual handling, making the Stingray a car of contemporary craftsmanship.

As far as engineering and driving capabilities go, the 2015 Corvette Stingray is built using lightweight but incredibly durable materials such as aluminum.

The sports car has the world’s fastest-reacting suspension, “reading” the road every millisecond and adjusting to it under 15 milliseconds.

The engine has up to 460 horsepower, and an available 465 lb.-ft of torque.

As far as efficiency goes, the Stingray is at the top of its

styles of cases, bands, and faces.

Apple has decided to divide the watch into three different collections. The first is simply just Apple Watch. This includes a stainless steel or space black steel case, sapphire crystal display, and a wide range of bands.

Apple Watch Sport has a lightweight anodized aluminum case, an Ion-X display, and a fluoroelastomer band that “is engi-

class. with its combustion system achieving superior thermal and combustion capabilities. The intake and exhaust valves are automatically adjusted to optimize power, performance, and fuel economy.

When this is combined with a system that successfully manages fuel use, a driver can always expect peak performance, and nothing else.

Corvette has engineered the 2015 Stingray for one purpose: to serve the needs of the driver.

With every input from the driver, the car responds perfectly, and with this amount of stability and performance, it’s hard to say that the sports car could have any competition. The 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is a work of art, and any driver would be impressed by its capabilities.

neered to keep up with an active lifestyle” said Apple.

With cases crafted of 18-karat gold, a display made of polished sapphire crystal, and a wide range of modern bands, Apple Watch Edition is said to be the most elegant of the collections.

The watch is compatible with iPhone 5 or later and working along side of it, the Apple Watch enhances every feature of the iPhone making everything so much easier to access and capable of so much more.

It is expected that Apple will attempt to perfect every feature of the Apple Watch by the release in 2015 in order to compete with the Samsung gear S that launched on November 7th. The watches are somewhat similar but the watch that consumers choose to buy will mostly come down to which company that they prefer.

Apple ceo by kayla Moye

Russian federal law on the protection of children from

Apple CEO Tim Cook, information that promotes came out with his sexuality. In a letter to Bloomberg the denial of traditional family values,” ZEFS had Business he said, “...So let said in a statement that was me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being published on Ekho Moskvy, a gay among the greatest gifts Russian radio station, website.

God has given me.”

After Cook came out with his sexuality, Apple has received lots of backlash and some people aren’t in support of him coming out.

A week after Cook announced that he was gay, a group in Russia known as ZEFS took down the monument that they had put up for him on January 9, 2013.

“After Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly called for sodomy, the monument was dismantled pursuant to

The reaction from the LGBT community is different. Chad Griffin, the Human Rights Campaign president, said that Cook’s announcement will “save lives.”

“He has always been a role model, but today millions across the globe will draw

inspiration from a different aspect of his life. Tim Cook is proof that LGBT young people can dream as big as their minds will allow them to, whether they want to be doctors, a U.S. Senator, or even CEO of the world’s biggest brand,” said Griffin.

In the end Cook is happy with his decision, but wants to help other in this process.

“...So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy,” said Cook.

8

Sports

The Shield Volume XLV, Issue 1 Septermber xx,xxxx

Basketball Spotlight

by Logan Bagley Conley’s men’s basketball has been fiercely preparing for the upcoming 2014-2015 basketball season. With five seniors and three juniors on the roster this years team has more maturity and practice.

Basketball coach Rob Maloney, said, “last years performance of 11-12 was not symbolic of how hard we worked to have a successful season.”

Coach Maloney has high expectations for this season. Since Maloney has been coaching men’s basketball here the teams have made it to playoffs each year. Although Conley has been moved into an extremely competitive league, the team is staying optimistic and pushing harder to better themselves. Maloney is planning to win state playoffs, not just make a one game appearance. Senior forward, Peyton Ahlers said, “we should get better as the season goes on, our chemistry on the court will get better.” Senior forward, Jeremy Cox said, “this years team is a lot more balanced and better that last year’s team was.” This season there are only three sophomores and one freshman on the team. Junior guard, Kendrick Greene said, “the younger players add

to the chemistry of our team.” Some of the JV men’s basketball players practice with the varsity team, preparing them early for their future roles on the varsity team. Maloney said, “the five players practicing with us now are improving very quickly. They are competing with seniors, Peyton Ahlers and Jeremy Cox. I think we are just going to get stronger and stronger. The JV players are strong and dependable.”

Starters, Ahlers, Cox, and Greene all agree that this year’s team is more well rounded.

Coach Maloney believes that each of the players on the team are on the same playing level, when a starter is taken out of the game, his replacement is as good as he is.

Ahlers said, “you have to earn your playing time.” Having all the players built up at the same playing level keeps an up-tempo game going. The basketball team has been preparing for the upcoming season since March, with off season workouts until June.

In the months of June and July the team played twenty four games, attended an ECU team camp, hosted a jamboree here at Conley, and attended a jamboree in Wilmington. Coach Maloney said, “the summer practice helped the football players since they don’t have a long time between the end of football and the start of basketball,

Seniors in College Sports of her senior season. For Bailey, the decision to play sports in college was a wavering one.

“I was always on and off because I wanted to enjoy college and not be busy,” she said.

“Once I thought about what it would be like without volleyball, I knew I wanted to play.”Cape Fear was not the only school to recruit Bailey, but to her, it was the total package. Meredith College and Peace University approached her about playing, but they weren’t able to offer any scholarships

For two seniors, the sports they because they are Division 3. “Cape Fear is a have been playing for years will continue on more small, personal school,” said Bailey, in college.

“I also like the Wilmington area much more Senior Chelsea Bailey has committed to than the Raleigh area.” Unlike Bailey, senior playing volleyball for Cape Fear Community Rachel Weidner had known for years that College, where she has been awarded a she wanted to be a college athlete. College full tuition scholarship. She started playing softball had always been the goal for Weivolleyball at twelve years old, where she dner, and the opportunity came in the form played for the ECJVC travel squad. While of a full ride from Wingate University. The she played for the JV team during her fresh- varsity pitcher began playing at age six, but man year at Conley, Bailey was moved up it was during her freshman year that Weito the varsity level as a sophomore. She dner realized she could be college material. continued to start for the Vikings and was As the 2013 and 2014 Pitcher of the Year, awarded the Lady Viking Award at the end

by Olivia Dunn

Swimming Spotlight

by Logan Bagley

Sophomore Bradley Downs is making a splash on Conley’s swim team.

Moving from Georgia to North Carolina this summer hasn’t slowed this wildly successful fifteen year old down. Downs said that his transition from his past school to DH Conley was difficult at first but he is starting to like Conley better that his high school in Georgia. He is a part of the year round swim club, East Carolina Aquatics, and on DH Conley’s varsity swim team.

He said his coaches, Casey Charles and Eric Sawyer have made the transition painless, and are good coaches.

DH Conley swim coach, Eric Sawyer said, “He’s a nice young man, humble, competitive, I’m really enjoying working with him.” Downs is ranked second in North Carolina.

DH Conley swim team had their first meet November 18th in Goldsboro where Downs finished first in the 100 fly and the 200 free. Both of his relays placed first. Sawyer said, “he has a really good swim technique and ethnic.” Downs participated in the 20132014 Georgia State Championships and swam a 50.75 in the 100 Fly and a 1.43.19 in the 200 free. Former Conley swimmer, Dalton Shaw, swam a 54.10 at the 2013-2014 Championships as a senior. Sawyer hopes that all of his swimmers work to their full potential this year. With their first meet being a success, women placing first and men second we hope that this is a sign of what is to come this season. Sawyer has high expectations for Downs this year, he said, “I have no doubt he will go to states this year, he definitely already has regional cuts.”

only two practices before the first game.”

The team also had workouts throughout September and October. Senior forward Jeremy Cox said, “we practice Monday through Saturday, we are always preparing for war.”

she was approached by multiple schools including East Carolina University, UNCGreensboro, and Campbell University.

Wingate was her first official visit, and she fell in love. “I like that the school is smaller; it’s not a big school like ECU,” she said. “I also really like the coaches and my future teammates.” She verbally committed at the beginning of her junior year, something considered early for most collegiate athletes. Weidner was so wanted by Wingate that she was asked to graduate a semester early and play for the Bulldogs in the upcoming season. “I seriously considered it, but I would miss so much,” she said. “I didn’t want to miss the senior breakfast, my senior softball season, important things like that.”

A big part of Weidner’s success was one of her coaches, Shane Adams. As a father with two Conley graduates playing sports at Wingate, he was able to give Weidner tips about being recruited. His daughter Korey (‘14) signed to play volleyball last year, while his daughter Shannen (‘11) will be a teammate of Weidner’s on the softball field next year.

Winter Sports: Triple Threat

by Hailey Garrett As the fall sports season winds down, Conley’s winter sports season is beginning.

With wrestling, swimming, and basketball right around the corner, there are many high expectations set for these teams.

With many new faces, wrestling hopes to start improving upon their 2-5 dual meet record from last season. “Most athletes on the team are fairly new, and the ultimate goal is to develop a consistent wrestling program that we can build on within the next few years” says Coach Curtis.

He also says “Wrestling is a sport that requires several years of experience and consistency in order to become a successful wrestler.” Coach Eric Sawyer has been coaching swimming for quite a while and has lead the team to many new things.

The swim team hopes to accomplish many new records and goals for the upcoming 2014 season. The main goals for the wrestling team this year is to develop the new team members and continue to grow in size, in order to do well in meets and place well this year.

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The Shield Volume XLV, Issue 1 Septermber xx,xxxx

12

Senoir Spotlights

David Liu

• Plans to attend N.C State.

• Hobbies include: playing guitar, piano, running and art.

• Apart of the Conley Cross Country team.

• Avid reader • Speaks fluent Chinese “The more I smile, the less I see.” ~David Liu

The Shield Volume XLV, Issue 1 Septermber xx,xxxx

Brice Hendrix

• Attending UNC Greensboro • Golf scholarship • Favorite song is “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift • Loves Mexican food • Placed 36th in the US Junuior amateur champtionship • 8th best golfer in the state • Favrotie movie is “Dumb and Dumber”

Instagram: @LiuDaivd1997

Erin Chaney

• Plans to go to East Carolina after Conley • Throughout high school shes been on the top 3 in tennis • Her biggest influence is her father • Erins biggest trial throughout high school has been juggling advanced classes, employment, and sports.

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistaence. “ ~Erin Chaney

Daija Mceachern • Wants to get into a college where she’ll feel comfortable and have the option to explore others pathways until she finds where she can grow and flourish in.

• Intends to study business.

• Hobbies include: Dancing, singing (terribly), stepping, writing, eating, and sleeping.

• She’s an army brat and a fashonista.

•

To All Seniors:

With the number of seniors we had on staff for The Shield, it was hard to pick just one out of our entire class.

We would just like to say that though we could only pick a few, every senior has a reason to be spotlighted, and we just wanted to take a moment to wish every senior best of luck in their future.

We hope that the memories you’ve made

here will stick with you, and every lesson learned will come in handy for later situations.

We wish that every bond formed will stay in your heart, and the time spent here will not be easily forgotten.

We love you seniors of 2015!

“Rise and Grind.” ~Bryce Hendrix

Grace Locklear

• Applying to Salem, Asheville, and maybe Western Carolina • Focused on leaving Greenville • Taking entrepreneur classes because she wants to start her own buisness • Plans to major in dance or french or double major in dance and french • Recently made her first 3 pier wedding cake.

““Follow your passion.” ~Grace Locklear

Tariq Sharpe • Wants to attend North Carolina A&T • Majoring in theatre and communication.

• Sneaker head • Hates seafood with a passion.

• Favorite athlete is Lebron James.

• Favorite actos are Denzel Washington and Will Farrell.

• Hobbies include hanging out with friends and playing basketball.

Kennedy Hughes

• Accepted into ECU. • Going to study criminal justice • Has 12 animals; 6 dogs, 6 cats • 4th year robotics student • Eyes are two different colors “Live long and prosper; don’t let the man bring you down.” ~Kennedy Hughes Instagram: @WhiteAndKennerdy