Southerner, Volume 67, Number 3 by David Winter

the Southerner S I N C E

HENRY W. GRADY HIGH SCHOOL, ATLANTA

1 9 4 7

VOLUME LXVII, NUMBER 3

Nov. 13, 2013

SAFETY PROPOSAL RECEIVES MIXED REVIEWS D J.D. Capelouto

By Olivia Volkert uring a Nov. 12 local school council meeting, administrators and parents decided to petition APS for the construction of a bus lane on Eighth Street. Currently, the outside lane the buses use to drop off and pick up students is not an official bus lane, and thus is illegal for Grady buses to use, according to Assistant Principal David Propst. Propst was unsure when the lane will be constructed and how long it will take to be constructed, saying it could range from weeks to months. He said that during the construction of the bus lane, the administration may move the buses from Eighth Street to the 10th Street student parking lot, but that the plan is still up in the air. Recent car crashes, bike wrecks and the addition of the bike lane on 10th Street have forced the administration to reevaluate the

ALL JAMMED UP: Many mornings, a line of cars and buses snakes down Eighth Street, causing traffic problems. safety of our current morning transporation procedures. In a meeting with parents, administrators, police officers and students on Oct. 30, Propst discussed the possibility of rerouting Grady’s buses so that they drop off students in the 10th Street student parking

lot in the morning, as opposed to the current Eighth Street location. Officer Antwan Denson, who proposed the plan, said his ideas will ease traffic and make student transportation safer. A safety study conducted by an urban planner from the City of Atlanta also

confirms the logistics of Denson’s plans and proposes more developments for improving transportation safety in the area. Denson came up with the idea after the school started receiving complaints about the traffic situation on Eighth Street from parents and other members of the community. The problem arises from the fact that people use Eighth Street as a way to avoid the traffic on Tenth Street in the morning, which, in turn, creates traffic jams on Monroe, stretching all the way to Piedmont Avenue. Propst, Denson and many parents agree that there are too many sources of traffic on Eighth Street. These include buses, parents dropping off their children and students crossing the street. “It is a real problem on Eighth Street, so it is worth trying something different and even if it see SAFETY, page 7

Principal calls for increase in school control

By J.D. Capelouto PS could be on the brink of making a major change in the way principals are treated. Two months ago, Howard “Gene” Taylor, the current principal of North Atlanta High School, surprised the school by announcing his resignation. At the time, Taylor did not give a clear reason for leaving. After much debate amongst the Board of Education about Taylor’s position within APS, Taylor decided to return to his job as principal of North Atlanta, a position he has held since October 2012. Taylor then sent a letter to the community of North Atlanta, in which he explained the reasons for his initial resignation and the conditions that influenced his return. “My decision to leave North Atlanta was truly the most difficult and painful professional decision I have made in almost three decades in education,” Taylor wrote in the letter. Throughout the beginning of the letter, Taylor explained why he decided to leave. He emphasized that principals should be given more freedom and autonomy in running their schools, and more importantly, should be allowed to have more direct involvement in their students’ educations. “This being the goal, a principal cannot be hired as and be held accountable for achieving the results of

Ryan Switzer

VOTERS ELECT MIX OF OLD AND NEW LEADERS

For full election results, see page 10.

news

At the GA Ethics Commision Office on Nov. 7, state Sen. Jason Carter announced his bid to run for governor of Georgia next year. Exclusive interview on page 10.

Quinn Mulholland

Eli Mansbach

After enduring months of sometimes vicious campaigning, voters went to the polls on Nov. 5. Every seat was up for grabs on the City Council, where Alex Wan (top) won reelection. On the APS school board, Leslie Grant (bottom left) defeated the incumbent, along with a wave of newcomers. In the mayoral race, Kasim Reed (bottom right) coasted to reelection.

a&e

11 lifestyle

Thousands of people from all over the Southeast came to the Georgia International Horsepark to partake in the 2013 Great Bull Run on Oct. 11.

see PRINCIPALS, page 5

13 thesoutherneronline.com

Ever wondered what your teacher did before they taught you? Ms. Holland, pictured above (center), is one of many teachers who made a career change.

WABE’s Youth Radio chose staffer Madeline Veira to read her column from Issue 1, “A letter to my NSA stalker.” Visit our website to hear the broadcast.

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the Southerner

Editorial Board J.D. Capelouto Orli Hendler Archie Kinnane Eli Mansbach Quinn Mulholland Ryan Switzer Olivia Volkert Alex Wolfe

The ‘Cobb’ Braves Ever since 1966, the Atlanta Braves have played baseball in downtown Atlanta. At Fulton County Stadium and Turner Field, the Braves have won a combined 2,101 regular season games, 34 postseason games, three division championships, four league championships and one world championship. Over the past 48 years, hundreds of thousands of Braves fans have flocked to these two stadiums and watched players from Hank Aaron to Jason Heyward play ball. And on Nov. 11, Braves president John Schuerholz announced that the team will relocate to Cobb County. The members of this editorial board were not impressed. In trying to explain his nonsensical reasoning, Schuerholz claimed that the new Braves stadium will be “a short distance from downtown,” and that it would somehow improve fans’ game day experience. First of all, Mr. Schuerholz, a 14-mile drive is not “a short distance,” especially when driving toward a location notorious for its traffic. In fact, the new ballpark will be the farthest from the city its team represents out of all 30 major league baseball teams. And the improved fan experience that the new stadium will supposedly bring seems to simply be a euphemism for “fewer poor people.” Turner Field’s current zip code has an average annual income that is $37,000 lower than the zip code of the proposed stadium, and a poverty rate over four times as high. Schuerholz also claimed the new ballpark will be “in the heart of Braves country.” Granted, the new stadium may be in the area where the fans who can afford the most tickets reside, but to argue that the heart of Braves country is anywhere other than Atlanta is preposterous. Many unanswered questions remain about this new stadium, including who will foot the $672 million bill. But perhaps the most important question is this: why is the team abandoning its history and sense of city pride in order to cater to its wealthy fans? Given that they will be the first major Atlanta sports team to relocate outside the perimeter, it hardly seems fair that the Braves can even keep “Atlanta” in their title. Then again, the Unincorporated Cobb County Braves just doesn’t have the same ring to it. p

Unhealthy trends dangerous for our teens, community

Dear editors, I appreciated Hannah Martin’s article, “Teens ‘tumbling’ down slippery slope.” (Oct. 11, Page 3) She placed attention on an issue that is either ignored, unknown or trivialized in most situations. By explaining an aspect of social media that not a lot of people have noticed before, she has shown us a new way to look at how technology makes teenagers lazy and procrastinators. It was refreshing to read Martin’s article on the unhealthy emotional community that is forming rapidly. By exploring this new cultural phenomenon, we can educate more people on how to stop its formation. Chloe Citron, sophomore

Reporters right to look into charges against candidate Dear editors, I would like to commend Archie Kinnane and Josh Weinstock for

The “comment section” is truly the bane of the Internet. From YouTube to The Atlantic to 11 Alive, there’s no quicker way to lose faith in your fellow man than to scroll to the bottom of any article and read the posted comments. Racism and homophobia are rampant, and “trolls” run wild throughout the World Wide Web. Comments about The Southerner, however, have more often than not consisted of mainly positive feedback or constructive criticism; that is, until Oct. 17. In response to an article written by a managing editor and news editor on allegations against former APS Board Candidate Shawnna Hayes-Tavares (see “APS board candidate faces accusations” on Oct. 11, page 1 and on our website), Hayes-Tavares posted a lengthy response on our website. In the comment, the authors of the story were accused of racism, factual inaccuracies and being part of a system-wide conspiracy. The comment inspired dialogue among staffers, our advisors and other Grady teachers. We were unsure as to how to respond. Do we publish the comment as a “Letter to the Editor”? Should we reply to the comment? With the help of our peers and teachers, the board came to a consensus: we would not respond and we would not print the response without her permission. Hayes-Tavares’s comment is what we aspire to invoke among our readers. As journalists, we strive to report on important and controversial topics that are pertinent to our readers. The Southerner is always open to feedback, and we recognize that if someone feels passionate enough to write a lengthy comment in reply to a story, we’ve done our job. We encourage our readers to help us make The Southerner the best it can be by giving us your true and honest feedback. Comments and critiques help us provide relevant coverage and continue making the newspaper better and better. p

writing such an intensive investigation in Issue 2 of The Southerner, “APS Board Candidate Faces Accusations.” (Oct 11, page 1) I believe that they successfully caught Hayes-Tavares red-handed, and prevented her financial flaw from blossoming into a much larger issue in the future. Any candidate for a government position should be truthful, but with one campaigning for a spot on the APS Board, which already has a history stained with the cheating scandal and gridlock, this trait needs to be emphasized much more. A liar does not need to be making decisions that could severely impact the innocent students in our school system. Keegan Hasson, sophomore

Media’s portrayal of women doesn’t represent society’s Dear editors, After reading The Student Stance discussing the portrayal of women in the media (Oct. 11, page 4), I agree that it’s true the mainstream television media

uestion

Responses welcome

overplays sideshows like Miley Cyrus’s VMA performance, but I don’t think you can look at the mainstream media as a measuring stick of humanity’s progression in women’s civil rights, as it doesn’t reflect the views of society. Rather, it has devolved into another form of entertainment in order to meet profit margins. Although the case can be made that entertainment is meant to appeal to as many people as possible, it becomes clear when looking back just 100 years how rapidly the role of women has changed, given that before the 20th century, for the most part women’s societal stature remained stagnant. I don’t think the media’s current obsession is a sign that the course of this progress will falter. Nicholas Hamilton, sophomore

We want to know what you think! Love an article? Hate one? Find an error? Tell us about it! The Southerner welcomes letters from any and all of our readers. Contact us at www.facebook.com/gradysoutherner.

f the month

Which Grady teacher would you want to celebrate Thanksgiving with, and why?

C O R R E C T I O N S In the story “Rent your seats now for Thoroughly Dogface-d Tale-s” (Oct. 11, page 12), Molly Gray should have been credited as the lead role of Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie. The picture for the story “Rise in teen e-cigarette smoking rate leads to cloudy campus” (Oct. 11, page 10-11) was taken by Jennifer Steckl.

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Mr. Herrera, just because I love him beyond comparison.” Grace Hawkins, sophomore

Staff: Anna Braxton, Chris Brown, Nick Caamano, Emily Dean, Riley Erickson, Elizabeth Gibbs, Molly Gray, Carter Guensler, Ike Hammond, Griffin Kish, Brandon Kleber, Gabe Kovacs, Billie Lavine, Lucy Lombardo, Hannah Martin, Katherine Merritt, Mary Claire Morris, Maxwell Rabb, Jenni Rogan, Koya Siebie, Ben SimondsMalamud, Jennifer Steckl, Margo Stockdale, Madeline Veira

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Coach Howard because he’s very educated and smart, he’s probably the most paid teacher here besides the principal, and he can probably eat pretty well.” Simone Howard, junior

Mr. Sartor because he is weird and funny. Or Mr. Olo just to see what he might be eating.” Darian Pitts, sophomore

Southerner Staff 2013-2014 Editor-in-Chief: J.D. Capelouto Managing Editors: Archie Kinnane, Eli Mansbach Associate Managing Editors: Orli Hendler, Quinn Mulholland, Olivia Volkert Design Editors: Ansley Marks, Rebecca Martin News Editors: Allison Rapoport, Josh Weinstock Comment Editors: Ryan Switzer, Alex Wolfe Lifestyle Editor: Caroline Morris Sports Editors: Ryan Bolton, Ben Searles Photo and Social Media Editor: Mary Condolora

Nov. 13, 2013

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Mr. Needham because his last name is ‘Need Ham.’” Nicole Williams, junior

An upbeat paper for a downtown school Advisers: Kate Carter, Dave Winter

To our readers,

The Southerner, a member of GSPA, SIPA, CSPA and NSPA, is a monthly student publication of: Henry W. Grady High School 929 Charles Allen Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

The Southerner welcomes submissions, which may be edited for grammar, inappropriate language and length. Please place submissions in Mr. Winter or Ms. Carter's box in the main office. Subscriptions are also available. For more information, please contact Mr. Winter, Ms. Carter or a member of the staff.

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Nov. 13, 2013

When I was a kid, I loved watching SpongeBob. The antics of Mr. Squarepants and his best friend Patrick Star were both amusing and heartMargo Stockdale warming. SpongeBob was clearly the dominant member of the pair. Generally, Patrick was pretty complacent about this. It wasn’t until the season-two episode, “Big Pink Loser,” that Patrick’s envy was made known. In this episode, SpongeBob receives a plethora of awards for various accomplishments, while Patrick doesn’t get any. Patrick then goes all out, competing against SpongeBob so that he may win something. I know these are cartoon characters, but, in retrospect, I can’t help feeling bad for Patrick. For me, “Big Pink Loser” symbolizes high school. I’m constantly comparing myself to others and competing against my peers for awards that, for the most part, don’t actually matter. Often, I do not live up to my own expectations which makes me feel like a big pink failure. High-achieving students set expectations for themselves that include a wide portfolio of AP classes and multiple extracurriculars. Meeting these challenges alone would be fine, but trouble occurs, at least for me, when people start competing with each other and clawing up the proverbial ladder to become “the best.” Obviously, it is not possible for everyone to be the best at everything, but that doesn’t stop anyone, including myself, from trying. What I’ve come to realize, though, is that I suck at trying to be the best at everything. Similar to the struggle Patrick faces, I mimic techniques of other people and get

Margo Stockdale

Don’t be square; embrace inner star

caught up in petty competition instead of really focusing on what works for me. And, like Patrick learned, this competitive outlook tends to get me in trouble. This year, I returned to the Grady crosscountry team in high spirits because I thought I was going to leave everyone in the dust. I was unhappy to find, however, that I had not been the only one practicing over the summer. My teammates had worked just as hard and this realization made me angry. I began to push myself too hard at practice, which led me to develop a tibial stress fracture that kept me out half the season. My obsession with being the best put me in a worse place than where I had started. I know that if I had focused on improvement for myself instead of improvement to be better than everyone else, I might not have injured myself. By high school, students become incredibly self-aware and vulnerable to the degenerative Big Pink Loser-itis. Comparing class rank, GPA, extracurriculars, volunteer hours and work experience for the solitary purpose of one-upping your friends is not healthy. It is much more important to be your

best than it is to be the best. That may sound incredibly cliché and far easier said than done, but holding yourself to impossible-to-meet standards to please your ego may not always feel as good as expected. Staying up all night to study for a test to ensure you get the best grade in the class will make you feel like you hit yourself on the head with a hammer, like Patrick, and will not get you an award. In the end of “Big Pink Loser” (Spoiler Alert!), Patrick ends up getting an award for “doing absolutely nothing for the longest period of time,” which is what he is best at. Similarly, instead of obsessing over being the best at everything, I try to focus only on myself by setting standards according to what I have previously done and not what anyone else’s best is. This is difficult because I’m usually surrounded by people who suffer from the same obsession. Maybe if we all thought back to SpongeBob and to that pineapple under the sea, then remembered “Big Pink Loser,” we would understand that being ourselves is more important than being the best. p

Inequity shows in senator’s audience When a socialist, Independent senator from Vermont spoke to Grady students on Oct. 18, he asked an important question: how many people here work after school? The very few raised hands in the audience proved a different point from the one U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders was trying to make. Ben SimondsAt schools in Mississippi, Sanders said, Malamud some students work 40 hours every week to help their parents support a family. Among the crowd of students in attendance for his speech at Grady, only one or two students raised their hands. As Sanders was leaving the school, he asked AP U.S. History teacher Lee Pope if his assumption that the audience was composed of upper-middle class, highachieving students was correct. Pope was in charge of distributing tickets, and he gave them to teachers whose subject areas related closely to politics. Tickets, therefore, flowed mostly to Advanced Placement and debate teachers. This worked out well for me, since I got a ticket by being in some of those classes. “Low-income students remain underrepresented in AP classrooms,” a 2012 report from the College Board stated about its AP program. “We continue to face challenges in transforming the educational experiences of underserved students in this country.” The demographic makeup of the audience at Sanders’ talk was mostly white, a stark contrast to Grady’s population. It is no wonder that Sanders’ employment question received a paltry response. Sanders serves on the Senate Committee for Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and is the chair of the Subcommittee on Primary Care and Aging. The theme of inequality appeared throughout Sanders’ discussion of these issues. He said public schools should guarantee equal opportunity to every person, regardless of financial factors.

Students guided Sanders’ discussion by talking about issues they thought were important to the country. Many students spoke of inequality, perhaps without realizing they were right in the middle of it. By limiting attendance to high-performing students, we risk spreading the poison of inequity, which, as Sanders said, public schools are supposed to remedy. “If we leave a lot of kids behind, what kind of future are we gonna have?” Sanders asked of America’s education system. The unfortunate irony of Sanders’ speech and audience was that—inadvertently—the event’s organizers committed what Sanders believes is a serious offense in American education: limiting educational involvement to privileged students. Students in AP classes, though well-deserving of extra educational opportunities, are not the demographic Sanders hoped to target. Sanders stressed the importance of experiences, rather than textbooks and standardized testing, as teaching and learning tools. “One of the real problems we have is that kids are told it is not cool to be interested in learning,” Sanders said. “There are schools where 50 percent of kids are dropping out of high school.” Giving preference to advantaged kids with regards to unique opportunities like Sanders’ speech stains the reputation of tolerance and equality toward which Grady strives. This imbalance is antithetical to the point of the assembly itself. As much as I loved the experience of meeting a U.S. senator, I am not the one who needed the experience the most. In describing economic inequality, Sanders related resources to a pizza party. It seems fair for everyone to get about the same amount of pizza: one or two slices. Instead, one percent of the American population controls 38 percent of the country’s wealth. Grady’s pizza is being blatantly mismanaged. If we don’t heed Sanders’ advice to pay more attention to kids who are struggling, the high-achieving share of the pie will continue to bloat. The next time a speaker comes to Grady, everyone should be able to attend. It's no fun being left out of a pizza party. p

Rowling says ‘JK’: Author pens novel under pseudonym Names have power, and fame is influential. Want some proof? You probably started reading this article because you saw the name and photo of J.K. Rowling. Alas, I am not the illustrious author of the Harry Potter J.K. Rowling series; I am a mere columnist for a high school newspaper. My real name is Alex Wolfe, and my ploy to get you to read my column just succeeded. The name “J.K. Rowling” encompasses an empire responsible for the best-selling book series in history, one of the highest-grossing film series of all time and a timeless legacy. Anything her name graces shoots to instant success. But what happens when you separate the legendary writer from her name? In April, the crime fiction novel The Cuckoo’s Calling was published; the book cover listed Robert Galbraith, a previously unknown writer, as the author. The book was published with little fanfare, and despite receiving promising reviews, it sold only about 500 copies. That is, until July 14, when “Robert Galbraith” was revealed as a pseudonym for J.K. Rowling. Within days, the book soared from 4,709th place to the No. 1 on the amazon.com best seller list While I am certainly not complaining about the increase of Rowling-written books in the world, this story proves a distressing point: publicity, perception and fame have taken precedence over content when it comes to determining success. Rowling published the book under a pen name in an attempt “to work without hype or expectation and to receive totally unvarnished feedback,” as she put it on the official Robert Galbraith website. Her secret was discovered after Duquesne University computer science professor Patrick Juola received a tip that Galbraith might be Rowling. After Juola conducted multiple linguistic analyses that compared the writing style of The Cuckoo’s Calling to that of Rowling’s only other non-Potter novel, The Casual Vacancy, Rowling’s attempt at anonymity was over. Rowling, however, is not the only famous author to hope to step out of the spotlight; Stephen King penned seven books under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. Both authors realized that anything they created would be evaluated based primarily on their names and the power behind them, not on their artistic merit as authors. Even before Rowling concocted the idea to conceal her identity under a false name, she had already hidden a part of herself when she published the first book of the Harry Potter series. The “J.K.” of J.K. Rowling was used instead of Rowling’s full first name, Joanne, because her publisher was worried that a female author might not be able to sell books about a teenage boy. Again, the public perception of her name held more importance than the substance of her work. I have always dreamed of writing my own novel one day, but the developments surrounding The Cuckoo’s Calling give me great pause; if J.K. Rowling, one of the best writers of this generation, cannot find success without broadcasting her name, then what hope does any unknown writer have in getting published? Is anything I send in to publishers doomed to languish beneath a stack of stories written by novelists with more distinguished last names than mine? If I am lucky enough to actually have my work published one day, I hopefully won’t have to change my name in order to generate interest. Until then, we should try to look past names and publicity and judge wholly on its own merit. Above all, thank you to anyone who read through this entire article, even though J.K. Rowling didn’t actually write it. p

EXCLUSIVELY @ theSoutherneronline.com Tardiness problem goes beyond students

Defacto segregation may link to drastic achievement gap

George Washington once said to his teenage nephew, “Every hour misspent is lost forever, and future years cannot compensate for lost days at this period of your life.” The administration at Grady completely agrees. High school is too important and too valuable for students to be uncaring and nonchalant about getting to school on time…

In August 1961, Grady High School was integrated with the admission of two black students, who were a number of the 10 people chosen to integrate various APS schools, out of 300 applicants. More than 50 years later, Grady has become the second most racially diverse of the APS high schools, after North Atlanta. Because of this, I used to consider

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Life lessons learned, no matter your faith

Nov. 13, 2013

Young Life sucks the life out of Grady By DEcker d’alesio

by Emma Kasper

The Young Life website responds to the question, “What is Young Life?” with “Young Life doesn’t start with a program. It starts with adults who are concerned enough about kids to go to them, on their turf and in their culture, building bridges of authentic friendship.” Young Life is a wellestablished ministry recognized in all 50 states as well as more than 70 countries around the world and is a nondenominational outreach program for middle school, high school and college students. Young Life is also all about fun. From clubs to camps, students try new things and commune with their friends. Young Life leaders are committed to being involved in kids’ lives–from supporting them at their sporting events to listening to them talk about their values. Religion is not usually included in a public school curriculum. Religion, however, can be a source of inspiration, education and growth. Religoin-based groups such as Young Life can and do encourage open-mindedness and tolerance. Religion is important in many students’ lives. Young Life at Grady provides a place for its members to be able to learn about Christianity or simply enjoy the company of their peers. Young Life does not breach the separation between church and state. With the Equal Access Act, a federally funded school that sponsors at least one non-curricular student group to meet on campus grounds must allow all other extracurricular clubs to meet—including religious groups. Although the argument is that Young Life, a religious-affiliated club, should not be allowed to meet on Grady’s campus, all of the religious aspects of the club take place off campus. Campaigners is a group branching from Young Life that meets weekly for Bible study at another location. Because its religious activities do not take place on Grady’s campus, Young Life has every right to be on school grounds. The main Young Life attraction during the school year is a weekly gathering called “club.” Club involves a brief talk that relates a scenario to a verse in the Bible. Attending a weekend or weeklong camp once or twice each school year is also a regular Young Life activity. During the last weekend in October, I experienced my first Young Life camp at SharpTop Cove. SharpTop is tucked away in the North Georgia Mountains an hour outside of Atlanta. The miles and miles of mountain range, as well as the starry nights, were breathtaking. From the challenge and thrill of rock climbing and leaping from 40-foot poles to establishing new friendships over countless games of corn hole and frisbee golf, there was never a dull moment while at camp. SharpTop was the perfect environment to step back from the business of everyday life and into nature. It allows campers to have fun with their friends and their Young Life leaders. The time I spent at SharpTop Cove was no doubt one of the best weekends of my life. It was an experience I believe anyone would enjoy. Even though any religious group is allowed to form a club, Young Life is the only religious club at Grady. Membership in Young Life is open to all interested and attendance is not mandatory. I joined Young Life this year, but I have friends who have been involved with the club much longer. They never pressured me into joining, but when I did they welcomed me as they would anyone else. Since joining Young Life I feel I have become more aware of my beliefs and have gained many incredible mentors. Young Life has taught me that there are no guidelines as to what you have to believe in. Your beliefs are your own. They are allowed, they are accepted and they are appreciated at Young Life. It is through the diverse clubs that are offered here that we are able to claim, “Individually we are different, but together we are Grady.” p

e h T

There has been a small group of young adults walking around Grady in the past month or so. They have been holding the door open and giving us flyers in the morning. These people belong to a Christian organization called Young Life, and they have no business being on the school’s premises. Teenagers have problems … who doesn’t? When there are problems, there are people helping with those problems. Some of us look to God and some of us don’t, but you legally are not allowed to find God through Grady staff members. Church and state are separate. So, why should Young Life get to influence children at the school? Grady is a facility run by the state, and Young Life is an organization fueled by the Church. These two things are not supposed to intermingle, yet there hasn’t even been any discussion about getting rid of these Young Lifers. I can guarantee that if an atheist organization were handing out flyers at Grady it would be asked to leave by Assistant Principal David Propst, Assistant principal Rodney Howard or resource office Antwan Denson. Whenever there is an “undesirable” organization around Grady, its members are asked to stand across the street. Whenever there are creepy adults on Grady’s premises, there’s a lockdown. These Young Lifers are arguably undesirable and pretty creepy, but our staff is biased. I understand that a large portion of our staff and students are believers in God, but the staff ’s job is not to respect 94 percent of the students’ religious views. It’s their job to respect 100 percent of our views. In 1992, a rabbi recited prayers at a school’s graduation ceremonies in Rhode Island. The case against the rabbi went to the Supreme Court and became known as Lee vs. Weisman. The Supreme Court ruled that the prayers were unconstitutional because it was “a state-sponsored and statedirected religious exercise in a public school.” Prayers at graduation ceased to occur. Young Life events, which are hosted on Grady’s (state-owned) grounds, are, through association, considered to be “state-sponsored” and hence, illegal. State-sponsored religious practices directly violate the Constitution. I’m fairly sure that’s not allowed. I decided to check out Young Life’s web page and I stumbled upon a tab entitled “What is Young Life?” If you read a little you get down to a part that says, “This is the first step of a lifelong journey; the choices they make today, based upon God's love for them, will impact future decisions...” I’m not very keen on God and I’m pretty sure he’s not keen on me. Though some students say Young Life is accepting of all religions, the group’s website says lots of things about Jesus and spreading his love. That’s not how I want to spend my afternoons. I guess because of my choices, God is going to make life suck in the future. I think I’ll survive though. p

STUDENT Stan

Should Young Life (a religiouslyaffiliated program) be allowed to host events on Grady’s campus?

Journalists encounter closed doors for open records I sent in an open records request to the Atlanta Police Department while researching a news story for The Southerner. I asked for the police report for the fight at Grady on Sept. 12 which resulted in a police officer using a taser. Two weeks after submitting my request, I was told by the Open Caroline Morris Records Department that it can take weeks to process an open records request when, legally, it should only take days. According to the Georgia Open Records Act, “Agencies shall produce for inspection all records responsive to a request within a reasonable amount of time not to exceed three business days of receipt of a request.” APD’s response to my request most definitely does not

hold true to the standard set forth in the Georgia Open Records Act that states “there is a strong presumption that public records should be made available for public inspection without delay.” The publication of my story covering the first use of a taser at Grady was postponed by months due to APD’s lack of cooperation. After experiencing much confusion and frustration with the system, I did some research and found that student journalists around the nation face similar situations. It is hard for high school students to appropriately handle situations like this one if they are not aware of their rights. Thankfully, there are many wonderful internet sites that provide resources for student journalists. The Student Press Law Center is a nonprofit agency that educates high school and college journalists about their rights and responsibilities. Their web site offers legal as-

sistance ranging from a virtual lawyer that answers general questions regarding media law questions to an online request form to ask SPLC media law-related questions to several legal guides that provide information on legal issues. These resources deal with topics including cyberlaw, protecting sources and information, students’ first amendment rights and freedom of information laws. While these resources are extremely helpful and it is nice to know there is support for student journalists, they should not be necessary. Even though we are in high school and have not yet entered the professional world, we are citizens of the United States and are guaranteed rights by national and state governments. Student journalists must know their rights and advocate for what they believe in. I respect our local police department, but I expect recognition and respect of my rights as a citizen. p

News Briefs

the Southerner

news

Nov. 13, 2013

Increases in security result in locked doors

Grady gun incidents you haven’t heard of

The push to increase security at Grady has prompted the system to enact a policy to keep the school’s doors locked throughout the day. As a result, all doors except the cafeteria’s have been closed and locked, though students have propped them open with doormats. Head custodian Phil Scardina said Principal Vincent Murray was not informed of the new APS policy when it was implemented.

By Mary Claire Morris Grady was thrown into the media spotlight last school year when a senior brought a gun to school that accidentally discharged in her pocket as she walked through the courtyard. The bullet hit her leg and no one else was injured. Morgan Tukes’ weapon was a pink .380-caliber handgun. According to an Atlanta Police Department police report obtained through an open records request by The Southerner, the gun had previously been reported stolen. Tukes was initially charged with possession of a pistol by a minor, a felony, as well as three misdemeanors: carrying a weapon within a school safety zone, reckless conduct and disruption of the public. Why Tukes had a gun, why she brought it to school and how she obtained it remains a mystery. Both Principal Vincent Murray and Assistant Principal Rodney Howard declined to comment. Two months later, Grady’s student body was in shock after Grady junior Alec Bruno shot himself in his home with a Rough Rider revolver. According to the police report narrative obtained through an open records request from APD, it was rumored that Bruno obtained the gun from a student at Grady. The police report also stated that the gun had been reported stolen by its owner on Dec. 7, 2012 in DeKalb County. The gun was returned to its owner on June 19, and there were no further investigations conducted by either Grady or APD regarding the gun and how it was obtained.

Since Aug. 15, the online college application known as the Common App has experienced a number of problems, causing stress for applying students and colleges alike. Problems included: applications adding questions after they are submitted, the garbling of essays that had been copied and pasted onto the applications, the failing of a function allowing students to preview their applications and problems with the students’ methods of payment.

Dogface faces tough competition at state Grady’s theater program won fourth place at the state OneAct Play competition on Nov. 9, after placing first in the region. The play featured Eliza Renner as Dogface, a girl who grows up scarred physically and mentally as a result of a dog bite. Renner won the “Best Actress” award.

SPARK Elementary campus to expand Springdale Park Elementary School, located on Ponce de Leon Avenue, announced plans for a substantial expansion to its campus. The plan includes 14 new classrooms, a separate classroom wing, a new gymnasium, a stage, a courtyard with synthetic turf and an improved entrance from the expanded parking lot.

Not Isolated Incidents On the surface, it may seem unfair for Grady to earn a bad reputation for the two gun incidents that occurred last school year. A closer examination, however, shows that these are not isolated occurrences. According to a school crime incident report obtained through open records requests, there have been four events involving a firearm on Grady

Preventive Measures To try to combat incidents involving guns and other weapons at school, Grady always has two resource officers on campus. APS has promised Grady four resource officers starting next semester. Because of a new APS policy implemented this school year, there are 26 full-time APD school resource officers assigned to APS middle and high schools.

Aug. 22 Student brings a pocket knife to school.

2008

2009

May 19 Student assaults another student with a gun. April 19 Student places another student in a trash can and rolls the trash can around.

2010

Illustration by Mary Claire Morris and Allison Rapoport

Common App crash creates senior stress

property since mid-2006. Data on school crimes from before then is not accessible through the current APD system because of a data system change. Two of the four incidents took place during the school day, and three out of the four involved Grady students. None of the incidents were made public by school officials or covered by local media. On Feb. 21, 2012, a 15-year-old student was threatened with a gun in the courtyard. The incident took place after school, at 4:55 p.m., and the suspect was the relative of another Grady student. According to APD, no arrest was made. Another incident took place on May 19, 2010, when a 15-year-old Grady student assaulted another student with a gun on campus during school hours. Howard declined to comment on these incidents, stating he was not involved with them. “Anytime reports are received, if in any case someone may have a weapon, we have school resource officers and they will go and investigate that matter,” Howard said. “We notify the police of incidents that happened and if we feel as though there is a threat or a weapon may be on campus, we’re going to alert the proper authority, and the authority is going to take it over from there.” According to a document of crime reports put together by the APD, there have been a total of 95 gun incidents on APS campuses since mid-2006 and another 85 incidents that indicate “possession of other weapon” which could include a firearm.

May 11 Student strikes another student with tennis balls then hits the victim with a chair. Feb. 21 Student’s relative threatens another student with a gun in the courtyard after school.

2011

Oct. 19 Student brings knife to school.

2012

Feb. 27 Morgan Tukes accidentally shoots herself in her leg.

2013

Sept. 11 Student assaults another student with a large stick.

DISCLAIMER: This graphic includes all gun incidents since 2008. Not all other incidents are represented.

According to the APS website, by January 2014, 235 part-time SROs will be replaced by 73 fulltime SROs in schools. Students are also required to enter the school through metal detectors every morning. In addition, Howard said, Grady offers many extracurriculars to keep students busy and out of trouble, and students and staff are expected to report any problems to the administration. “We have what you call duty of responsibility,” Howard said. “And we use, I guess you all [students], for eyes and ears. If a student hears anything of anyone having a weapon on campus, we have different outlets that students can notify administration and all the officers here on campus ... Dr. Propst has

a tip box near the attendance office. We also have a hotline. There is a hotline on the APS website where they can notify someone in reference to a tip.” The anonymous tip-line is displayed on the APS website under “Safety and Security” and “Crime Stoppers.” This allows students, and others, to phone in tips to any crimes to keep the school safe. In addition, the tip box is located in the attendance office. “The biggest thing is this, students can be searched at any time,” assistant principal David Propst said. “We have from the back-up to the back-up to the back-up. We have a back-up plan for everything. We have to be ready for every type of incident.” p

PRINCIPALS request more autonomy over schools continued from front page

aren’t given the resources to get that job done,” Westmoreland said. “I think it’s crazy for us to expect the world of our princiCEO but function as a micromanaged middle level man- pals and then to tie their hands to the extent we do right now.” ager,” he said. Grady Principal Vincent Murray said he has never expeTextbooks, laptops for teachers, the punctuality of buses, rienced the sort of setbacks Taylor wrote about, and when he finding quality substitute teachers came to Grady, he did not confront [Principals] are tasked with com- pushbacks from APS. He explained and making effective schedules are all factors principals should have control pleting an objective but then that since Taylor is a new principal over, Taylor argued. He wrote, howfor APS, they are on different “levaren’t given the resources to get els.” Before coming to Grady, Murever, that “principals are often empowered to do little more than receive ray worked for five years as a princithat job done.” complaints and pass them along.” pal at an APS elementary school. Taylor also cited a “You can’t” en“I may be at a different place than Matt Westmoreland some principals would be,” he said. vironment within the school system as one of the main reasons he initially APS Board member-elect Taylor told The Southerner that decided to leave North Atlanta. his letter reflected all he had to say “I simply could not continue business as usual,” he wrote. “I about the subject, and did not elaborate further. could not keep hearing ‘Welcome to APS’ and ‘That’s not the “I’ve moved on,” Taylor said, “and I’m doing the best I can to way we do it in APS.’” make sure that North [Atlanta] is the best school we can be.” Grady alumnus Matt Westmoreland, who teaches at Carver Westmoreland said that when he is on the board, he will work Early College and recently won the District 3 seat on the Atlanta first to hire the most effective principals possible. Then, the Board of Education, understands Taylor’s view. During his seven principals will get the freedom to make decisions and oversee years in APS, Westmoreland said he has witnessed and experi- their schools as they see fit. “They are going to have a better feel for the culture of their enced the type of restraint outlined by Taylor. “[Principals] are tasked with completing an objective but then school and the needs of their students, more than someone

“

downtown who is assigning people to schools,” he said. Taylor wrote that upon his return to North Atlanta, he had a “brutally honest” discussion with Superintendent Erroll Davis and his cabinet and came up with solutions he believes could substantially reform the culture and conduct of the district. First, Taylor said, APS will create a Principals’ Advisory Council, which is a committee made up of four principal representatives from each of the four regions. This would give Superintendent Davis more input about the issues principals face, in order to provide the individual schools with more support. Murray thinks this will operate similarly to a program they have had in the past, when Beverly Hall was superintendent. Murray, despite his experience, was not chosen as the high school principal representative for the region. Stephanie Johnson, principal of Maynard Jackson High School, is the East Region representative. In addition, APS will create a “service level index,” which will allow new principals to provide feedback on the service they receive from different departments. “Mr. Davis will use both of these sources ... to work with his Cabinet and other district-level personnel to provide appropriate support for principals to achieve the results for which they are being held accountable,” Taylor wrote. The first Principals’ Advisory Council meeting took place on Oct. 30. p

news

Nov. 13, 2013

Photos courtesy of Helen cox

THE DRIVERS OF THE BUS GO ‘ROUND AND ‘ROUND: On Aug. 15, dozens of bus drivers took to the streets around the APS offices to protest smaller salaries for working more.

Bus drivers protest salary, communication problems didn’t. There wasn’t a letter that went out, and the administration has admitted that it was poor communication.” Green did not comment on the manner in which bus drivers were told they should report earlier. Cox also said the early report times interfered with the bus drivers’ other obligations. “People had to quit summer jobs which was payment that they were relying on,” Cox said. “They also had to find care for loved ones.” In addition to being denied the extra pay, bus drivers have encountered other problems with paychecks during the year, Cox said. “Folks aren’t paid for field trips sometimes, they sometimes aren’t paid at all,” Cox said. “There was one woman, Stephanie, who didn’t receive a paycheck at all since Oct. 1. She was going to lose her house because of that and so they ended up paying her properly but it took several days. It causes difficulty when you don’t have money in the bank that you were expecting.” Quentin Hutchins, who has driven buses for APS for 16 years and graduated from Grady in 1990, said “what [APS officials] are trying to do is not pay us hourly because the district will lose more money and basically this is what we are fighting for.” Hutchins said that he and other drivers are exploring every path to resolving the issue. “We are attending every board meeting,” Hutchins said. “We are trying to get to the board members who are in charge of

Hall Monitor: APS Trial Update

Trial unfolds for 900 witnesses, 6 months After long delays, the APS cheating cases will finally go to trial. The Georgia Court of Appeals has reached a verdict after spending about three months deciding on the Garrity motion filed by the 34 defendants in August. The judges have denied the Garrity motion, which involved the defense claiming that the evidence acquired by the prosecutors to indict the APS officials was gathered unjustly. The defendants did not appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court beAllison Rapoport cause appeals are not allowed until after the trial. Once the defendants were notified about the Court of Appeals’ decision, they started filing other motions to try to get pieces of evidence thrown out. Some applied for public defenders because they said they couldn’t afford to pay for their own attorneys. Some of the defendants tried to get their statements to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation thrown out. These defendants claimed that they were compelled to answer the investigators’ questions by threats of being fired if they failed to cooperate. The judge has so far denied these requests, saying that the defendants participated in the investigation voluntarily. The defendants have also filed a motion for severance, which, if granted, would have the cases tried individually or in small chunks instead of all together. Their justification for this is that it is fundamentally unfair to try that many people together because the jury won’t be able to keep track of each person’s claims. The judge has delayed ruling on this motion until after the final plea date of Jan. 6, 2014. On this day, defendants must enter their final plea—guilty or not guilty. The trials are set to begin the first week in May and are expected to take about six months to complete. There are 900 witnesses who may testify, although most are on the “may-call” list rather than the “will-call” list. The location for the trial has yet to be determined. The Georgia World Congress Center and the Atlanta Civic Center are both being considered. p Third in a series

Atlanta Public Schools.” Hutchins said that neither APS Superintendent Erroll Davis nor Director of Operations Larry Hoskins has met with bus driver representatives about the protest. “They are refusing to meet with us,” he said. “It seems like when we have a scheduled meeting it’s either cancelled or postponed so there is always a conflict in trying to rectify the situation. It could have been rectified ... it’s something that should not be dragging on.” Green wrote that APS has attempted to meet with representatives of the protest. “A mediation was scheduled for Oct. 16, but representatives of the bus drivers cancelled the meeting informing APS administrators that ‘the mediation scheduled for Wednesday has been taken off the calendar,’” Green wrote. Hutchins said that since the current APS leadership does not seem willing to negotiate, he and other bus drivers have been volunteering to help “candidates that would be able to restore confidence in the people who they hired.” Hutchins said his message to APS leadership is simple. “Right the wrong,” he said. “They put the policy and procedures, they put the ethics policy and procedures in place and they are not following them. It’s just that simple. These drivers ... have families that they have to support. It’s not the biggest paying job but its most important because we transport over 25,000 students each day, and that’s half of the district.” p

Southerner Exclusive: Q & A with gubernatorial candidate

Jason Carter

Interview by Quinn Mulholland

Why did you decide to run for governor now? We can’t afford four more years of the education policy we have ... We just can’t afford that as a state. What do you think of Governor Deal’s first term? I think that Republicans and Democrats agree that he has failed to properly manage our education system .... [It] is on the brink. I think that is something that is unsustainable. It’s bad for our future, it’s bad for our business climate and it hurts families and children and we need to do a better job at that first and foremost. What is your position on the new common core standards? I think that one of the problems that we’ve had in Georgia is we keep going back and forth with different kinds of mechanisms for assessment and for teaching ... Overall I don’t have a problem with the curriculum, but I do have a problem if we’re not giving people the resources they need to implement them. What is your position on charter schools? I support them and I think they are a good way to innovate within the public schools system and I think that there are good char-

Quinn Mulholland

By Archie Kinnane and Josh Weinstock Bus drivers from APS have been protesting since the beginning of the school year, citing issues with salaries and poor communication from the system. The problem started when APS bus drivers were asked to come into work five days early, said Helen Cox, a representative for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the union that represents the bus drivers. Cox said the bus drivers were informed that they would be paid extra for the five days of training. After the drivers worked the hours, however, APS made a policy switch, according to Cox. “They were told that they … would not be getting paid extra,” Cox said. APS spokesperson Kimberly Green did not comment on whether bus drivers were told they would be paid extra. She wrote in an email, however, that although bus drivers had to report five days early, these days will be made up later. “Professional learning days are planned throughout the school year for teachers,” she wrote. “Bus drivers and monitors, who would normally work these days, will not have to report for duty on five of the professional learning days, thereby making up for the earlier report date.” Cox said another issue the bus drivers had with the early start was the manner in which it was communicated to them. “First of all, the process wasn’t uniform,” Cox said. “People found out through Facebook, some people received phone calls, some

ter schools and there are charter schools that don’t perform well. I think what we need to do is make sure we find a way to ensure that the best practices we’ve got and then scale them out so that everyone can benefit from them. They’re good as a tool; I don’t think that they’re the answer or the silver bullet to the education issues that we have, and I certainly don’t agree with segregating them from the regular school system and having a state charter system that runs over local school boards. If elected governor, would you expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act? Today, with the roll out and everything that’s going on, Obamcare is a mess, but we have to find a way to make sure that Georgia tax payers are getting their tax dollars,

are getting their money’s worth from the federal government. Right now, because of Governor Deal’s Washington politics, we’re sending our tax dollars away and not getting them back. There are ways to do that that makes sense and I would certainly try to find a way to do that. Kasim Reed has said that democrats shouldn’t challenge Deal this election. What do you think about his remarks? I’d like to see him speak for himself. I have met with Kasim Reed, he is my friend, and a supporter of mine and that’s where I’ll leave it. If you look at his more recent quotes about my candidacy I think that’s where he is today. To read the full interview, visit w w w. t h e s o u t h e r n e ro n l i n e. co m

DISCLAIMER: Kate Carter, wife of Jason Carter, co-advises The Southerner.

news

Nov. 13, 2013

New board faces key decisions about charter schools By Quinn Mulholland The Nov. 5 APS Board of Edu150,000 cation election may prove to have Intown Academy Charter been one of the most significant in School, the Kindezi 120,000 recent years, because the new board School, and KIPP Vision Academy open. will have to make several major decisions affecting the district’s stance 90,000 KIPP Atlanta on charter schools. Collegiate opens. Charter schools receive public Wesley International 60,000 funding and are part of public school School opens. districts but are granted flexibility KIPP Strive 30,000 from some of the regulations that Academy opens. govern traditional public schools, 0 like those regarding class sizes and 11 12 08 05 09 2010 06 2007 -20 -20 20 20 teacher certification. According to -20 -20 9 0 1 7 4 6 8 5 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 the Georgia Department of EducaSchool year tion, the state currently has 217 charInformation from the Georgia Department of Education ter schools, 107 of which are located in Georgia’s 14 charter systems. Rubin also argued that another gia’s charter schools, compared to the The most important decision advantage of having charter schools state’s traditional schools, were largethe board will face, as far as charter is that, if they fail to meet their speci- ly the same as they were in 2009. schools are concerned, is the selec- fied goals, they must be closed. One of the most well-known tion of a new operational model for “They are given the opportunity, networks of charter schools is the the district. By June 2015, the board within a certain period of time of Knowledge Is Power Program, must choose between options rang- the charter, to boost student achieve- or KIPP, which operates six APS ing from a traditional system, which ment,” Rubin said, “and if they don’t schools. A national study of KIPP is the model APS currently uses, to do what they promise, unlike tradi- middle schools conducted in 2013 a charter system, which would make tional schools that may perpetuate by Mathematica Policy Research all APS schools charter schools. failure, their charters will not be re- found that “the average impact of With the possibility looming that newed, and they’ll have to close.” KIPP on student achievement is APS might become Opponents of positive, statistically significant, and a charter system, charter schools, educationally substantial.” the debate over the however, argue that Critics of the KIPP model, howefficacy of the charcharter schools aren’t ever, argue that the difference is simter-school model is any better than pub- ply a result of longer time spent in ramping up. lic schools, and are school. In an interview with PBS’s Nina Rubin, di- Second in a series often worse. Many Hedrick Smith, KIPP co-founder rector of communicite a 2009 study Mike Feinberg said that KIPP stucations for the Georfrom Stanford Uni- dents spend about 67 percent more gia Charter Schools Association, said versity that found that only 17 per- time in the classroom than students that since charter schools are freed cent of charter schools outperform in traditional schools. from some of the rules that govern their traditional counterparts, while Critics also argue that KIPP has traditional schools, they are permit- 37 percent perform worse. more money to work with than other ted to be more creative and try new A 2013 update on that study, how- schools have. A 2011 study released techniques. Rubin thinks charter ever, showed significant improve- by Columbia University and Westschools can benefit traditional pub- ment for charter schools, with only ern Michigan University found that lic schools by being incubators for 31 percent performing worse than nationally, KIPP spends more per innovative educational techniques, traditional schools in math, and 19 student than other charter schools which, if proven effective, can be ad- percent in reading. The new study and traditional public schools, largeopted by traditional schools. found that the performance of Geor- ly because of private donations from Quinn Mulholland

Number of charter schools in Georgia

Charter Schools:

Demographics in charter schools

Percent

50 40

Non-Charter Schools

Charter Schools

20 10 0

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philanthropic groups. Despite these contentions, many see promise in the KIPP model. KIPP Metro Atlanta executive director David Jernigan said KIPP can offer a path to success, especially for low-income students. “KIPP specifically provides a college-preparatory program that supports students to and through college,” Jernigan said. “And it’s a unique program that students would not necessarily have the opportunity to get at a traditional APS school.” Other critics claim charter schools “cream-skim,” or enroll students that are wealthier and more high-performing than others. A 2012 analysis by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows that 70 percent of APS charter students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, while 75 percent of traditional school students did. Additionally, some argue that charter school administrators can raise their test scores by kicking out students who don’t meet expectations. A January 2013 analysis by The Washington Post revealed that charter schools in the nation’s capital expelled students at a much higher rate than traditional schools.

APS board member Cecily Harsch-Kinnane said the charter school movement ignores students who remain in the failing schools. “You can lose motivated, involved families and students to charters,” Kinnane said, “so it’s not necessarily the resources directly, but kind of momentum and efforts toward the school that can be hurt by charters.” State Rep. Pat Gardner, D-Atlanta, also thought the issue of what becomes of the students who don’t transfer out of failing traditional schools and into charter schools is a “real dilemma.” State Rep. Margaret Kaiser, DAtlanta, however, who describes herself as a “big supporter” of charter schools and was on the founding board of the Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School, thinks that charter schools can be beneficial to lowincome students. Kaiser argued that parents need to have a choice in their children’s education. “As long as we have parents who are unhappy with their school choices, charter schools are going to be what help us effect change, what help us make the existing traditional schools better,” Kaiser said. p

SAFETY concerns result in new drop-off locations Student Parking Lot

Auditorium Eighth Street Building

Eighth Street

MORNING STUDENT DROP-OFF

“Since it’s the student parking lot, the only people that should be allowed there are the students that drive,” senior Troy Hightower said. Another part of the proposal is to mandate that bikers turn on Eighth Street and into the parking lot area behind the theater to park their bikes. This proposed change is designed to reduce both the risk of bike accidents in the student parking lot and the risk of turning left on 10th Street from the bike lane. Sophomore cyclist Nicholas Lyman thinks that the plan would help bikers who come on the BeltLine, and that with less traffic on Eighth Street, the plan could work for everyone.

roe D

Charles Allen Building

rive

Football Field

Old Gym

Quinn mulholland and riley erickson

Charles Allen Drive

New Gym

BIKER ENTRANCE

doesn’t work perfectly, it might work better,” parent Lynette Slovensky said. “It’s the first year we’ve had someone come in and really take ownership like Officer Denson has done, which is really impressive to me.” Denson thinks the plan will likely work because currently the buses arrive at staggered times throughout the morning, and most arrive before students who drive themselves. He said ideally there should never be more than two or three buses in the parking lot at one time and that there will be police officers stationed in the parking lot and on 10th Street every morning to make traffic move more smoothly. He said the buses for the Program for Exceptional Children will continue to drop off students at the Eighth Street entrance at a later time so those students are able to enter the school easily. The new plan requires parents to drop off their kids at the Eighth Street entrance, rather than the student parking lot. The students will then walk around the school or through the driveway behind the music hall to enter the school through the courtyard. Some parents and students, however, are not so supportive of the proposal. “I think that [10th Street] parking was not designed for buses and that it creates a problem for student drivers,” parent and local school council member Sharon Bray said. Parent Shannon Kishbaugh agrees that the idea will make the traffic on Eighth Street worse and make 10th Street more dangerous.

PROPOSED BUS DROP OFF

10th Street

Mon

continued from the front page

The local school council members, parents, stakeholders and the Grady administration also sought the advice of Joshuah Mello, the assistant director of planning for the City of Atlanta Department of Planning and Community Development Transportation Division. Mello, along with other members of his department, proposed a comprehensive plan under the Safe Routes to School initiative. The report, titled “Henry W. Grady High School Safe Routes to School Study - Final Report,” details a plan to install secured bicycle cages in the northwest corner of the school building by the Charles Allen side, where stu-

dent cyclists would park their bikes after crossing the street at Charles Allen Drive. The report proposes creating a safer pedestrian crosswalk by constructing curb extensions on Eighth and Ninth Street where they intersect Charles Allen Drive and upgrading and relocating traffic signs and pedestrian buttons. The committee also discussed an analysis of the campus grounds. The analysis consisted of Propst and two police officers walking around the campus while identifying any safety hazards posed by factors such as landscaping, lighting, and fencing. They rated almost every criteria poor or inadequate, with issues such as more than 40 outside lights not working, overgrown shrubbery impeding visibility, unlocked gates and unsafe access onto the grounds. Kishbaugh said the lighting at Grady is so bad that she once fell down the steps leaving Grady at night. The administration is planning to replace all of the lights with LED lights that will last much longer. The local school council, with the help of Propst and Denson, will draft a letter to the APS Facilities Services Department presenting the issues of safety brought up by the grounds analysis and requesting the financial assistance to address them. Additionally, the administration will begin requiring that all vehicles parking in the student lot be registered with a Grady decal. Despite protests from some parents and students, Propst said one thing is universally agreed upon: any proposal that puts children out of harm’s way is a good proposal. p

Private vs

Grady: Worlds apart

Grady’s social, academic environments differ from private school counterparts ‘Classes I took at Woodward were harder than college’ At Grady, students log more than 4,000 visits to the College and Career Center each year. The CCC invites college recruiters across the nation to meet with students and inform them about colleges. The CCC volunteers also help the students through the college application process—from editing essays to helping students evaluate their postsecondary options. At Woodward, college preparation and counseling marks the cornerstone of the school’s purpose. Woodward dedicates one year of English to SAT essay writing. College counselors at Woodward spend the majority of their time helping juniors target the right colleges and assisting seniors as they apply to college. As a result, 100 percent of the class of 2013 was admitted into at least one college. Grady, on the other hand, struggles to reach an average high school graduation rate registering slightly below 80 percent in 2012, according to the Georgia Department of Education. Woodward Upper School assistant principal and AP U.S. Government teacher Jonathan Merrill illustrates the importance of college preparedness at Woodward. “What we hear all the time when our students come back from college is ‘I felt so prepared, college is actually easy; some of the classes I took at Woodward were harder than college,’” Merrill said. “We strive to produce students that are absolutely prepared for college.” Similar to Woodward, Paideia also has personalized and individualized college counseling. The school assists every junior and senior. Senior Nathan Haskell, who attended Morningside Elementary and Inman Middle School, transferred to Paideia for high school. Once Haskell’s parents witnessed his brother’s high school experience, they wanted Nathan to have the same. “Paideia prepares you well for a majority of colleges,” Haskell said. “The high workload and difficulty of work is very good for college.” Haskell voices a similar sentiment of other private-school students who feel their hard workload prepares them for college. Haskell. however, does not believe that his college choices would have been different had he continued from Inman to Grady. “If I went to Grady, I would still most likely go to UGA,” Haskell said. “My GPA would most likely be higher, but I think that I would not have needed to try as hard.” Like Woodward and Paideia’s, St. Pius offers a College 101 class that students attend during lunch to help with college counseling as well as an SAT class taught by its teachers outside of school hours. According to the school’s website, St. Pius prepares its students through its rigorous curriculum for both SAT and college.

Independence and APs

plained. Rather, it is up to the student to do it. Woodward has a rigorous curriculum, challenging students and preparing them for college. Class size is limited to 18 students, and college-preparatory programs push students to do better, Merrill explained. At Woodward, however, students find it harder to enroll in AP classes, submitting grades, teacher recommendations and PSAT scores to compete for spots. Merrill said only 33 percent of Woodward students take one or more AP’s. “At Woodward our position has been that students need to be at the very top of their class in order to take that most rigorous level of coursework that we offer,” Merrill said. Although Haskell had a successful transfer, not all students have shared his experience. In 2011, APS was on the verge of losing its accreditation due to a cheating scandal, which led to a rise in Inman eighthgraders applying to private high schools the same year. A total of 47 eighth-graders as well as a few Grady students applied to private high schools that year, according to seventh and eighth-grade counselor at Inman Middle School, Sharon Walz. Senior Salome Kakalashvili is one of the students who transferred out of APS due to the accreditation scare. “After the cheating scandal ended and APS was fine, I went back to Grady,” Kakalashvili said. “I did not find Pius’s education that much better than what I was used to at Grady.”

graphics

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30%

$20,835

When it came to diversity on campus, not all private schools are equal. Woodward’s goal is to give a real-world experience, which they do as far as race, religion and geography, Merrill explained. “Diversity is very important to Woodward,” Merrill said. “We have a lot of different types of diversity, but we definitely acknowledge that socioeconomic diversity is where we lack the most. They go to college with a confidence and a level of being ready.” Haskell has experienced the benefits of Paideia through devoted teachers, smaller class sizes, and friends. He has developed personal relationships with many of his teachers, who he says love to teach and make him actually want to learn. “If you are struggling, the teachers will do whatever they can to get you back where you need to be,” Haskell said. “When I went to Inman, I liked some of my teachers, but they didn’t have the same motivation that my new teachers have.” Grady’s demographics differ significantly from that of Woodward, Pius and Paideia. With the private schools, minority groups such as African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and others comprise less than half the entire student body. Here at Grady, minority groups make up more than 70 percent of the student body. Family income as well differs greatly. Most of the parents at Grady could not afford Woodward’s yearly tuition of $22,950. Academy Leader Willie Vincent speaks highly of Grady and its diversity. “Grady gives that real-world experience,” Vincent said. “Grady does a good

WHI

Minorities

COST COMPARISON

$25,000

Differences in Diversity

Along with the CCC’s college counseling, Grady prepares its students for college through an abundant of available Advanced Placement courses and honors classes. Since the course rigor and amount of homework is sometimes lighter than Grady’s private-school counterparts, some Grady students feel a sense of academic freedom. Sophomore Alec Meachin, who transferred to Grady from Woodward at the end of his freshman year, notices the contrasting characteristics at both schools. “Grady teaches you to be more independent,” Meachin said. “You learn self-control.” Meachin explained how he struggled at Woodward and now excels at Grady. Teachers do not remind a student to do their work, Meachin exjhfkjshdkj

, asnley rebecca martin

job on capitalizing the common goal.” Merrill is confident in the college preparedness at Woodward, as well as the ability of students adjustment to it. “Every year we get students who come in from public schools who have been in all honors classes and then they struggle, at first, but eventually they figure it out,” Merill said. “It’s just a different level of expectations, a different level of homework, and it takes some time. But, 90 percent of the time they adjust; they figure it out.” p

Tuition per year

By Ansley Marks and Rebecca Martin Lining the walls between the library and cafeteria, statistics tell a glowing story of Grady: the school boasts an average SAT score a full 180 points above the average APS SAT score (1335) and 498 points above the lowest average (Crim’s 1017). Although Grady compares positively to other public schools in the system, how does the school’s academic and social environments measure up to its private school counterparts such as St. Pius, Paideia and Woodward Academy?

St. Pius Woodward

black ppl

white ppl white ppl

Private vs

Grady: Worlds apart

Independence and APs

graphics

White population

70%

$11,770

$10,000 $5,000

$0 Grady

63%

27%

black ppl

73%

white ppl

RIRY

MIO

Grady

37%

Woodward 63

Woodward

St. Pius

Paideia

GRADY jhfkjshdkj

20% 80%

St. Pius

Paideia

NUMBER OF AP/IB COURSES

THE DEMOGRAPHIC DILEMMA

Paideia

$15,000

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and eli mansbach

$22,950

$20,000

. capelouto marks, j.d

30%

$20,835

WHI

Minorities

COST COMPARISON

$25,000

Differences in Diversity

, asnley rebecca martin

Tuition per year

St. Pius Woodward

black ppl

white ppl white ppl

news

Nov. 13, 2013

ELECTION 2013

Graphic by Quinn Mulholland

Mayor

APS Board of Education District 1

Kasim Reed (I) 39,665 votes 85%

3,800

Al Bartell

District 4

District 2 Byron Amos (I)

Leslie Grant

Taryn Bowman

RUN-O

District 7 At-large

2,319 5%

District 8 At-large*

Courtney English (I)

Fraser Duke

Reuben McDaniel (I)

61%

26,219

2,093 4% (I) indicates an incumbent candidate.

35%

3,042

100%

6,040

Glenn Wrightson

65%

5,714

Brenda Muhammad (I) District 3 2,848 43% Matt Westmoreland

2,521 5%

16,403

Nisha Simama

37%

Cynthia Briscoe Brown

39%

16,439

5* RDistrict RDistrict UN UN 6* -OF -OF F F DistrictR9 At-large* *Run-off UN -OF elections will take F place Dec. 3.

Nancy Meister (I)

100%

3,834

57%

Mary Condolora

Archie Kinnane

Olivia Volkert

J.D. Capelouto

Ryan Switzer

Carter Guensler

Same mayor, similar city council, new school board

11,264

26%

Steven Lee 3,111

Eshé Collins

37%

2,812

Mary Palmer 3,066

36%

Dell Byrd

36%

1,980

25%

Jason Esteves

34%

13,304

Lori James

31%

11,909

Atlanta City Council District 2

District 1 Carla Smith (I) 2,718

77%

District 7

Kwanza Hall (I) 100%

2,947

District 8

Howard Shook (I) 2,636

District 3

72%

Ivory Lee Young, Jr. (I) 1,514

75%

100%

69%

100%

Alex Wan (I)

District 12

Keisha Lance Bottoms (I) 4,963

76%

3,183

63%

District 11

Clarence Martin (I) 5,215

District 6

Natalyn Mosby Archibong (I) 2,588

District 10

Felicia Moore (I) 2,561

District 5

Cleta Winslow (I) 1,800

District 9

Yolanda Adrean (I) 4,236

District 4

89%

Joyce Sheperd (I) 2,747

100%

District 1 At-large

District 2 At-large

District 3 At-large

City Council President

Michael Julian Bond (I)

Mary Norwood

Andre Dickens

Ceaser Mitchell (I)

38,854

24,628

100%

53%

22,478

53%

34,389

80%

Special education program improves with few assets By Orli Hendler tion classes as much as possible. It’s little known and little noticed, but Grady’s special According to the APS website, students qualify for the education program is hard at work to provide equal edu- special education program for a number of reasons, incation for everyone. cluding autism, behavioral and emotional disorders, intelThis year, two new teachers joined the program, im- lectual disabilities and a number of other impairments. proving the teacher-to-student ratio and helping grapple To be accepted into the program, students must go with the challenges of special education. through a structured process. First, a student must be Most of the teachers in the program have been at Grady identified as having an educational disability. Then a team less than three years. There are about 120 students in the composed of teachers and administrators look through program with about 13 to 14 teachers. The students range data on the student. Finally, the teachers and adminisin age from 14 to 20 years old and trators meet with a school psyI think that if you asked anyone in chologist to determine the best are allowed to stay in the program until their 22nd birthday. education if there were enough option for the student. Special education teacher BriStudents can have an Individresources, probably the answer ual Education Program (IEP) an Leahy said although the new teachers help, to improve the proor a 504 Plan. The IEP maps would be no.” gram, they still need more faculty out the students’ yearly goals members to help lead administraand objectives. It is created by Deborah Gay a teacher working with the Spetor Miz Holmes-Ferguson handle all responsibilities. State Special Education Director cial Education Program. “I feel that having our lead ad“The IEP outlines the areas ministrator required to teach a of needed support, it outlines class takes away from accomplishing many of the things any supplemental service the student would need [and] that are needed to be done daily by her,” Leahy said. it outlines some very specific goals or skills that the stuLeahy also said the program could be improved by adding dent needs support with in order to access education,” a secretary to help with administrative work such as setting Gay said. up meetings with teachers, parents and school administraLeahy said each teacher has 15-20 students for which tors. Since teachers are often not available at the same time, they write and update IEPs. The IEP is updated annually trying to find a time that works for everyone takes away to account for any changes that need to be made throughfrom Leahy’s ability to focus on the children themselves. out a student’s high school experience. State Special Education Director Deborah Gay said she The 504 Plan requires less involvement from teachers also believes that the program could be improved. certified in special education. Instead, general education “I think that if you asked anyone in education if there teachers are provided with additional methods for teachwere enough resources, probably the answer would be ing those certain students. Gay explained that students no,” Gay said. with 504 Plans don’t necessarily need to be taught by a Despite this, Gay said schools need to be able to pro- certified instructor. vide all students with access to education. Gay also said “It may be that it’s a student with some attentional issues,” the state wants to incorporate students into general educa- Gay said. “They don’t need specialized instruction. They may

“

just need a little bit of alteration to the environment.” Gay gave examples of alterations such as placing a student in the front row, receiving an outline of notes in advance, or allowing more time on a test. Junior Hope van Duyne is one of the students who needed more time on standardized tests due to her medically diagnosed ADHD. Although she has had IEPs in the past and has been diagnosed and re-diagnosed with ADHD, she was unable to attain an IEP at Grady. “There were a bunch of meetings and they took away my IEP saying that because I had straight A’s, I didn’t need it,” van Duyne said. Business and Entrpeneurship academy leader Willie Vincent is part of the IEP team that determines whether an IEP or 504 Plan is appropriate for a student. Vincent explained that Georgia looks at statistics to determine whether a student is “average” or if his or her condition or disability affects learning. If he or she meets these standards, meaning the condition does not seem to have an effect on learning, Georgia regulations determine that that student does not need an IEP. “You cannot give that child an IEP or a 504 Plan because what it would do is it would create an unfair advantage for that student,” Vincent said. Despite challenges, Leahy said Grady has one of the best programs with which he has worked. He has taught in special education programs at multiple other schools and school systems including Gwinnett, Clayton, and schools in Philadelphia. Grady’s program is different, he said, because it is better organized and has better parental support than other schools. He saideveryone always seems to be working for the good of the students. However, Leahy said it’s hard for teens to be singled out as different. “I feel that every student deserves the typical American high school experience,” he said. “Our job is to help all students accomplish that.” p

a&e

Nov. 13, 2013

By Eli Mansbach Best friends Stephanie Dunnigan and Rebecca Shirley made it their goal to take part in 13 “crazy” races during 2013. So far they have participated in 10 races, including the Color Run, The Polar Bear Run and The Peachtree Road Race. On Oct. 19, they crossed off No. 11. The 2013 Great Bull Run had its second stop in Atlanta at the Georgia International Horse Park and attracted around 3,200 runners and close to 2,800 spectators from all across the Southeast. This was the first year of the tour, which started in August in Virginia. The founders of the The Great Bull Run, COO Rob Dickens and CEO Brad Scudder, said they wanted to give people in the United States a chance to run with the bulls without having to make the trip to Pamplona, Spain. “It’s very difficult for most people in North America to find the time and money to make the trip to Pamplona to run with the bulls,” Dickens wrote in an email interview with The Southerner. “In fact, it costs about $3,000 per person for airfare, hotels, trains, etc., not to mention you need at least a week off of work. For most people it’s simply impossible. That’s why we’ve decided to bring it here to the U.S.” The modified running of the bulls on Oct. 19 in Atlanta featured five heats with 18, 1,200pound bulls running down the quarter-mile track at 30 miles per hour. The runners were asked to sign liability waivers in order to run and to wear white clothes with red accents in honor of the runners who participate in Spain. Despite that request, many of the participants dressed up in costumes, wearing Superman outfits and bulls horns. Some even painted taunting words and targets on their backs. Like many of the runners, Chad Cown, from Athens, came to the arena in search of a thrill and to test his courage. “When [the bulls] came around that first bend and you could finally see them coming through everybody, you get a huge adrenaline rush,” Cown said. “I got right up alongside them and grabbed one by the horn and the thing shook its head and threw me off it. It was terrifying, wonderfully terrifying.” Runners Olav and Marvic Lopez, from

photos by Eli mansbach

Great Bull Run stampedes through Atlanta racetrack

TORRO! TORRO! Runners during the third heat (above) dive out of the way as the way as the bulls speed past them. Fighters throw tomatoes at each other (bottom right) during the Tomato Royale. Participants in the second heat hold up their bandanas (top right) while the announcer reads aloud a pledge that all runners repeat. This pledge establishes the rules of the run and the pride that comes with running with the bulls. COO Rob Dickens estimated that around 2,800 people came out to watch the event. Venezuela, were surprised by the sheer size of the bulls. “When I first saw the bulls, they looked a bit smaller, but when you are down there and running with them, it’s like, ‘Oh my God, these bulls are pretty big,’” Olav Lopez said. There were no fatalities in the Atlanta run, but there were some injuries. Peyton Cape, from Gwinnett County, was one of the few injuries, getting stomped on in the third run. “I started running and a girl tripped in front of me,” Cape said. “I tripped over her and in a matter of seconds, my ankle was stomped [on] by a bull. It hurt pretty bad.” Despite the pain, Cape did not have any serious injuries and did not require medical help. Though some runners had a great time, others complained that the experience was not what they imagined. Nestor Layola and Rich-

ard Kershaw, from Nashville, Tenn., took part in the run in Virginia and came to the Atlanta run to see if they could have a better time than they had in Virginia. “We already did one run, and we thought it wasn't very exciting because the bulls seemed more scared of the people,” Kershaw said before the Atlanta race. “We are hoping to grab a horn or something.” Others complained that there were too many people, not enough bulls and that the track was too short. All runners received a Great Bull Run Tshirt, a red bandana and a beer if they were over 21. The minimum age to run with the bulls was 18. In addition to the bull runs, there were food trucks and games, like a mechanical bull ride and an inflatable jousting station. The other part of the festivities was the To-

mato Royale, which was a giant tomato food fight. The Tomato Royale was open to anyone who wanted to participate, and all the runners were able to join for free. The few tons of tomatoes that were initially provided were eventually degraded to a pool of red mush. The spectators were not left out of the fight either, with some tomatoes occasionally flying over the fence that surrounded the ring. “It was pretty awesome,” Tomato Royale participant Conor Brisenbime said. “I got smacked in the face by a tomato about 50 times, but it was fun. I had to clean my glasses every two minutes.” Dickens wrote that the company plans on holding the event each year. In fact, The Great Bull Run has already announced a 2014 schedule, which includes runs in Dallas, Chicago and Philadelphia. p

Frightmares, Inc., lacking in fright factor

Madeline Veira

world, but thanks to its location in Atlantic Station, it has drawn a large crowd over the past few weeks. Like most people, I love a good scare, so I decided to check it out. Waiting with a group of people to enter the attraction, I grew more and more excited. Luckily there wasn’t a long line, so I only had to wait for a few minutes. To kill time, I started chatting with an employee about what I might expect inside. He told me that some people don’t make it to the end, and I began to feel nervous. I couldn’t chicken out now, though, because it was my group’s turn to go. As I walked, as the leader of the group, through the decorated intermodal containers, I kept getting distracted by all of the different effects. Each room had its own spooky scene. Some had electronic zombies and bloody dummies set to move towards me on cue, or actors hiding until they got the opportuni-

ty to surprise me. I turned each corner hesitantly, expecting something truly terrifying, but unfortunately I was constantly disappointed. I admit there were a few times when I shrieked from a surprise here and there, but overall I didn’t get the scare I wanted. Most of the actors were mediocre, and the majority of the effects were extremely predictable. The only type of person I could imagine not making it to the end would be an elderly woman or a small child. Not only was it not as terrifying as people advertised it to be, but Containment lacked the professionalism seen at Atlanta’s other haunted attractions. In comparison to my night at Netherworld a few years ago, my $25 could’ve been much better spent. Although I remember the Netherworld attraction to be shorter, and have a longer wait, the overall experience in comparison was much better, especially since the admission price was the same. At Netherworld, the at-

mosphere is more frightening because the effects are less predictable and although the actors can’t touch you, they can still make you run in terror back to your car in the parking lot. At Containment there were points when I would have to walk through a train container, then outside past honking trucks or maybe a few hidden actors to get to the next cargo box. One section even had different sized mirrors all over the walls, as if they expect you to be scared by your own reflection. In my opinion, if Grady students pulled together some expensive Halloween decorations, trailers, actors in costumes and creativity, then they could easily create a similar experience in the Grady parking lot. Containment did not live up to the hype. For anyone interested in visiting this not-so-haunted attraction when it returns to Atlanta in the years to come, save your cash if you actually want a good scare during the most frightening month of the year. p

theSoutherneronline.com

Courtesy of Warner Brothers

A train traveling through Atlanta and carrying mysterious artifacts collected Madeline Veira by Frightmares, Inc., derailed, causing several containers of cargo to crash onto Atlantic Station property. Soon after the crash, strange events began to transpire. There were abnormal sounds and unexplainable disappearances. Frightmares, Inc., did what it could to contain the situation, but was it enough? Are the quarantined artifacts the cause of the series of mysterious events that began to unfold? This is the back story for Atlanta’s newest haunted attraction, Containment. This recent addition to the city’s many haunted attractions got a lot of attention this year as Halloween grew closer. It’s not as well known as Atlanta’s other haunted houses, such as Nether-

EXCLUSIVELY @

Gravity shines despite lame script The most striking moment of director Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity comes when Dr. Ryan Stone, portrayed mostly convincingly by Sandra Bullock, finally makes her way to partial safety of the interior of the International Space Station. She is free of the ropes from the prematurely deployed Soyuze parachute yet unaccompanied by her lone extraterrestrial companion, fellow astronaut and self-sacrificer Matt Kowalski (played by George Clooney). Stone peels off her space suit, revealing a shorthaired, worried looking Bullock, and assumes the fetal position. The camera spins around: there is no up or down. She has just experienced...

dining

Nov. 13, 2013

Which milkshake brings the boys to the yard? Third in a series

uest for the Best

Maxwell Rabb

After starving myself for the majority of the day, I was ready to take on the quest: to drink five milkshakes at five different places around Atlanta. In order to judge this correctly I had Maxwell Rabb to understand the basics of a good milkshake: the consistency, taste, preparation and texture or thickness. With an empty stomach and a half tank of gas, my journey to discover the best chocolate milkshake in Atlanta began. Chick-fil-A (Colony Square) might be known for its excellent ability to fry chicken, but what is fried chicken and waffle fries without a good milkshake? Resisting my urge to order a No. 1 combo with a sweet tea, I requested the chocolate shake. The price barely lightened my wallet. Before I settled down at a table, the cashier called me back to grab my milkshake. The milkshake, topped with a cheap looking cherry, appeared about as classy as a fast food dessert beverage could be. With chocolate on the plastic cap dripping down the sides of a Styrofoam Chick-fil-A cup, I prepared myself to devour the shake. After the cherry brought an explosion of flavor, the shake took hold of my taste buds. Unlike many shakes, the thickness was almost perfect. The usual struggle to get the shake through the straw was nonexistent. It was a wonderful experience. Recap: Chick-fil-A provided a cheap shake quickly and with near perfect qualities. My journey took a turn back towards Grady. Woody’s (Monroe), across the street from Grady, is known for its delicious yet expensive Philly Cheesesteak. With the Knight Card’s 20

FLIP THE RESULTS: Flip Burger’s unbelievably creative milkshakes (shown above) take the risks needed to create a unique and delicious dessert. The Nutella (left) and Krispy Kreme (right) make for delightful frozen treats. percent discount at Woody’s, the milkshake I ordered went from ridiculously expensive to a moderate price. Woody’s provided a different feel altogether. Instead of Chick-fil-A’s corporate atmosphere, Woody’s provides the warm, neighborhood feel. The classic music and the friendly people gave the establishment more of a homey feel. After the longer than expected wait, the most easily available milkshake because of its proximity to Grady brought nothing but disappointment. Woody’s provided a shake that was all too thin to meet my standards. Looking for a true competitor for Chickfil-A, I stopped at Flip Burger (West Midtown). Flip stays true to its name by decorating its ceiling with tables and booths above the ones on the ground.

At the bar, I ordered a chocolate milkshake, only to be informed that Nutella was the equivalent on hand. Nutella boasts the sweet properties of a chocolate treat mixed with hazelnut. A mist escaped through the burnt marshmallows laid on top of the milkshake. The waiter gave me a spoon to scoop up the burnt marshmallows along with the milkshake. This was the epitome of a perfect bite. After my taste buds experienced the milkshake of gods, I drove off to Yeah! Burger (West Midtown/Virginia Highland). I walked into the restaurant and my wallet screamed in agony at the $7 milkshake, an outrageous price compared to its competitors. With a price that large, it should have a taste that large. It was too bad it didn’t. After the longest wait yet, the Yeah! Milkshake was more of a Nope! Milkshake.

No matter how well it was prepared, it was not worth the money at all. The shake felt more like a glass of half frozen chocolate milk than a chocolate shake. The Varsity (Downtown), an Atlanta landmark, is incomparably famous and I have no idea why. Inside was a living nightmare of rowdy customers and snappy cashiers. The servers quickly prepared my cheap $2 milkshake. I had just enough time to pay before she handed me the dessert. I put on my classic Varsity hat and my mood lightened. The milkshake’s cheapness did not correspond with the taste. It surpassed both Woody’s and Yeah! Burger. It was enough of a surprise to take my mind off the environment. After a long day of stuffing myself with milk and chocolate, it was over and it was time to decide which milkshake was the best. The best plain chocolate milkshake goes to Chick-fil-A, which delivered a milkshake as close to perfect as you can get; speedy, delicious and different. If you are too cool for chocolate, Flip’s switch to Nutella was the right one. It had the classiest shake, the most unique toppings, the boldest taste and overall, the best milkshake in Atlanta. p

By Anna Braxton The Atlanta farmers market scene has been developing over the past few years with a growing number of local vendors and a noticeable increase in popularity among its vibrant and diverse neighborhoods. There are several community markets close to Grady that are open year-round.

lanta farmers markets and I love the idea of being in the heart of the city,” Aiello said. The Green Market hosts chef demonstrations and live music weekly. The market also offers family-friendly special events like Pumpkins in the Park, an annual Halloween event.

Anna Braxton

Farmers markets take root in Atlanta communities

Decatur Farmers Market Located in the heart of Decatur on McDonough Street, the Decatur Farmers Market provides the community with a source for local and organic food every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Revolution Doughnuts, Sparta Imperial Mushrooms, Laughing Rabbit Farm and Zocalo Salsas are just a few of the vendors at this bustling market. All of the vendors come from less than 150 miles away. “[Farmers markets] are a direct link between the farmer and the consumer and provide healthy, fresh food and the majority of the farmers here are really local or probably within an hour drive so your market is supporting consumers and consumers are supporting local food,” Chris Haslacker of Laughing Rabbit Farm said. As a member of Community Farmers Markets, an organization designed to help manage farmers markets, Decatur Farmers Market works with Wholesome Wave Georgia to encourage people from all income levels to shop at the market. Through this project, the market doubles food assistance benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Emily Dean

Open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Green Market is located at the 12th Street entrance to Piedmont Park. It started 10 years ago as a project to clean up the park and provide local produce to the community. “Four to five years ago it really exploded and the people in the community really started to support it and use this as their regular shopping experience instead of going to their grocery stores every week,” Green Market manager Holly Hollingsworth said. “But it did take a lot of time and effort.” The market features an average of 30 local vendors from less than 100 miles away. From well-known Atlanta food carts like King of Pops and Doggy Dogg to small organic farms like the Funny Farm and Skylight Farm, the Green Market hosts a wide array of local vendors. Justin Aiello of Skylight Farm quit his job in landscape architecture to move to a more sustainable business. After watching a farming documentary, he decided to start one of his own. “When I first started the farm, I was just searching around At-

Anna Braxton

Green Market

RETURN OF THE FARM: Recently, farmers markets have started to sprout up around Atlanta neighborhoods. With a growing surplus of organic goods from nearby farms, Atlanta’s menu turns toward a more organic, affordable and healthier selection. Morningside Farmers Market Morningside Farmers Market, located on North Highland Avenue, provides the neighborhood of Morningside with local organic products. Almost 20 years ago, a few local farmers created the market with the purpose of providing the Morningside neighborhood with organic produce. The market grew with support from the community and today is host to roughly 10 vendors. “I think probably the most important aspect is that [Morningside Farmers Market] ties the community directly to the people who are growing the food,” Mark Lui of Crystal Organic Farm said. The farmers market occurs ev-

ery Saturday year-round. All of the farms are located within Georgia and produce specialty products like breads, pickles, pasta, coffee and soaps. The market prides itself on being completely certified organic, meaning every vendor at the market grows and produces the products themselves. Chef demonstrations from local culinary masters occur regularly at this market. Grant Park Farmers Market Located in Grant Park, Grant Park Farmers Market occurs every Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Started in 2011 by the Grant Park Conservancy, the market hosts an average of 40 vendors along with live music. King of Pops, Doggy Dogg, H&F Bread Co. and Atlanta

Fresh Artisan Creamery are just a few of the regular vendors. “I also think [the Grant Park Farmers Market] brings social cohesion, community togetherness,” Lolly Beck-Pancer, Grant Park Farmers Market coordinator, said. “You see all your neighbors, you nourish your bodies and you nourish your sense of community.” The market is a member of Community Farmers Markets along with Decatur Farmers Market and works with Wholesome Wave Georgia. “People use their food stamps benefits at the market, we double them and try to make good food affordable for everyone and support our small farmers,” Beck-Pancer said. “We are kind of leveraging that federal food stamp money into our local vendors and farmers.” p

lifestyle

At age 23, Herrera’s interest in Disney was sparked after the dance he choreographed for his alma mater was performed at the park.

COURTESY OF CHINAESTER HOLLAND

COURTESY OF Lee Pope

COURTESY OF MARIO HERRERA

Nov. 13, 2013

Pope ventured to New York City to pursue his dream of becoming an actor, where he used this headshot to score a spot on One Life to Live.

Holland, pictured here with Ted Turner at a costume party, was vice president of the call center management at Turner in Atlanta.

Faculty recount peculiar jobs from way back when By Elizabeth Gibbs and Lucy Lombardo Spotting your science teacher in the produce section of Trader Joe’s as he picks out out lettuce is an odd experience. For most students, it’s difficult to imagine teachers doing anything other than teaching. Many teachers did not plan on going into education as their first career choice. Physics teacher Jeff Cramer had a completely different goal in mind. “I thought that I should be a doctor or something that was doing great good in the world,” Cramer said. The benefits of working in corporate America called to some. “I actually started off as an unpaid temporary right out of college,” registrar Chinaester Holland said. She eventually was promoted to vice president at Turner Broadcasting where she managed the call center. Likewise, history and musical theater teacher Lee Pope had lofty aspirations. “I went to New York to become an actor,” Pope said. He eventually went on to work among the cast of One Life to Live. After one day on the cast, he quit. “I have always been the kind of person where if I’m unhappy I leave,” Pope said. “I don’t believe in staying miserable, and I felt that

acting was becoming that for me.” Teacher Brian Leahy’s past career stemmed from a college offer he received from the funeral home director, who would end up being his future employer. “He asked me if I ever thought about going to college for mortuary science,” Leahy said. “He said if I did he would help me out with books and things.” Leahy went on to become a mortician and embalmer in the largest family-owned funeral home in the East. For three years, at the height of his career, he was embalming 1,000 bodies a year. “I did a lot of the work for a kind of pseudo-famous actor,” Leahy said. “I basically embalmed the mayor of Munchkinland from The Wizard of Oz.” Latin teacher Scott Allen also worked with people—at a different point in their lives. He was a social worker, first with kids in foster care and eventually at Grady Hospital, helping people who had infectious diseases. “Everything surprised me about the job,” Allen said. “There were really no two days that looked alike at all. Also it surprised me how easy it is to turn a blind eye to a lot of the problems and challenges people faced.”

These careers led to stressful situations similar to those faced by a teacher, and some had their fair share of crazy experiences. At one point, Cramer was a child-care attendance officer at the DeKalb County Juvenile Court. While on duty, he would try to have fun with the kids he was responsible for. “I’d take [the kids] outdoors and play basketball with them,” Cramer said. “One time a guy jumped over the fence while we were playing and ran away.” Pope chose to deal with the stress of trying to find work in New York by injecting his sense of humor into stressful moments. “[One time] I didn’t want to tap dance,” Pope said. “I told my dance instructor, ‘Just let everyone tap dance around me and I’ll sing.’ She told me there was no room for divas in her class and threw me out.” Literature and debate teacher Mario Herrera worked for Disneyland. Despite the benefits of working at the park, he eventually grew tired of the internal workings of Disney. “Everything was so structured, and the magic that happened behind the scenes was not the magic that happened in front.” Others realized hidden talents while performing day-to-day duties. “The thing that surprised me was that

I was capable of handling very difficult situations in as graceful of a manner as I could,” Leahy said. Eventually, these talents led them to consider leaving their jobs and entering the world of public education. A family tragedy opened Herrera’s eyes, and he switched careers. “My mom was going to be an elementry school teacher, but she passed away very unexpectedly,” Herrera said. “I kind of did it for my mom as well as for myself.” Cramer grew tired of kids complaining that their teachers were mean and the administration incompetent. He realized he’d do more good if he could help keep the kids in school. “If I’m teaching the kids, they’re right in front of me, and I don’t have to go find them,” Cramer said. “That’s a better dropout prevention model.” Most teachers had no regrets about leaving their first careers for jobs in education. “In some ways I miss the craziness of it, but I don’t miss all the blood,” Allen said of his stint working at Grady Hospital. In some cases, switching to a career in education can lead to surprising benefits. “I miss the corporate world,” Holland said, “but it’s more rewarding emotionally to work with children.” p

1 25 2 8GR4DY Senior pranks becoming a joke 3 9 17 0 1 by the 96 12 27 5 1 1 NUM83R5 4 5 4 Cut this survey out and place it in the envelope on The Southerner door (E106) or fill out this survey on the right side of our website, thesoutherneronline.com.

Circle the most accurate estimate of how many steps you think you take per day: a. b.

400 steps 800 steps

c. 1, 500 steps d. 5, 000 steps

Circle the most accurate estimate of how many school lunches you’ve bought (in total): a. 0 school lunches b. 100 school lunches

c. 250 school lunches d. 600 school lunches

Circle the most accurate estimate of how many tests you’ve taken in high school: a. 10 tests b. 75 tests

c. 125 tests d. 200 tests

Circle the most accurate estimate of how many late passes you’ve received: a. 0 late passes b. 20 late passes

c. 130 late passes d. 200 late passes

Circle the most accurate estimate of how many “sick” days you’ve had: a. 0 sick days b. 5 sick days

c. 12 sick days d. 25 sick days

By Archie Kinnane Students entering Grady’s parking lot in August 2004 saw a chilling warning placed there by members of the senior class—a dead possum had been hung over the entrance. It was the first in several senior pranks planned and executed by the spirited class of 2005. Perhaps second only to “Senior Skip Day,” the senior prank has been an American tradition long cherished by teens and dreaded by school administrators. It is a tradition, however, that may be dying at Grady. Grady has been host to several senior pranks— ranging from innocent to sinister to silly—but members of the Grady family haven’t been treated to any major tricks in several years … begging the question: are we due for a good senior prank or are we better off without them? 2005: ANIMAL PRANKS The possum prank was not the last animal-related trick pulled off in 2005. Seniors also went into every bathroom in the school and placed live goldfish in all of the toilets. Former Grady literature teacher Scott Stephens obviously hadn’t watched Finding Nemo and seen that, since all drains lead to the ocean, the toilet is the best place for captured fish. Concerned for the safety of

the fish in the toilets, Stephens went into many bathrooms in the school and retrieved them from the porcelain pots to be kept as pets. 2006: GRAFFITI AND GLUE

APS board member-elect and 2006 Grady senior Matt Westmoreland still recalls the pranks pulled by his senior class. “Folks graffitied the steps between the gyms,” he said. “They glued the doors shut.” Westmoreland, however, was not impressed with his class’s pranks. “Frankly, the pranks I remember were pretty weak,” he said. Seniors also took a page out of the previous class’s playbook. Westmoreland said that seniors placed goldfish in the bathrooms. This time, however, they were placed in the sinks, not the toilets. 2008: TRIPLE PUNCH Before school began in early August of 2007, seniors placed buckets and sand spelling out “Summer isn’t over” in the courtyard. Seniors also found an abandoned toilet on the side of the road. They painted the toilet gold and hung it on the stadium with a banner read-

ing, “Seniors are the sh*t.” Rounding out their triple threat of pranks, senior videographers recorded freshmen answering questions such as, “What is the oldest grade in the school?” and “What grade are you in?” After having video of the answers, the filmers changed the questions but retained the answers. The response “seniors” came after questions like, “Who is the best grade in the school?” and “Who do you wish you were?” and the “freshmen” answer came after derogatory questions. 2009-2013: THE DROUGHT Despite ambitious plans, senior classes in recent years haven’t pulled any major stunts. The closest thing to a successful stunt was in 2012, when seniors turned the large pencil on the Eighth Street entrance into a pen with aluminum foil. Seniors may have foresaken pranks because they realize that while they may be fun in high school, after graduation, most alumni find that pranks are not very memorable. “I don’t even remember if any were done,” 2012 Grady alumna Abena Amoakuh said. “The line between reality and movie is kind of blurred.” p

sports

Nov. 13, 2013

From rookie to state champ, this month’s KTR prevail

Jennifer Steckl

By Nick Caamano Sophomore Avi Toomer is entering his second season playing for the boys varsity basketball team. Toomer broke into the starting lineup halfway through his freshman season. He started playing when he was 3 and progressed to competitive playing at clubs and programs, such as the Georgia Stars, Amateur Athletic Union and the Edmonton Youth Basketball Association. Toomer hopes this season to start at shooting guard and to mesh well SWISH: Toomer elevates for a jump shot in the Grady gymnasium. with his fellow teammates. a lot more,” Toomer said. “I has goals for playing profesHe also wants to make a probably need to get in a lot sional basketball. “I want to try and make smooth transition to the better shape and be able to it pro, but right now I’m team’s new, more intense make transition shots.” With his success as a rook- focused on getting better playing style. “I think we’ll do more ie last year, Toomer believes and making it to college,” running this year and press he can improve his skills and Toomer said. p

Favorite athletes: LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant Favorite pregame meal: Subway sandwich with turkey, lettuce, bacon and spicy mustard Favorite pregame ritual: Listening to music Favorite team memory: Hitting a game-winning, three-point shot against Morrow High School in Clayton, GA last year

By Ike Hammond Senior Nyla Woods is entering her fourth year on the Grady track and field team, specializing in both the hammer throw and shot put. Woods began competing around the age of eight with a neighborhood team in College Park. In last year’s state meet she won in shot put and was picked for a USA Track and Field World Youth team that went to Donetsk, Ukraine to take part in the eighth IAAF World Youth Championships. Along with 43 other 16- and 17year-olds from around the United States, Woods was given the chance to test her skill against the best athletes from countries all over the globe.

Ben Searles

Nyla Woods

Avi Toomer

TOP OF THE PODIUM: Woods won last year’s state shot put championship. “It’s taken me two years though they were moved to get to this point, but I’m to the more competitive still trying to improve,” 6AAAA division. Woods said. She’s already setting new She expects the team to goals for the season, and make it to the state com- hopes to reach 50 feet in the petition this year even shot put competition. p

Favorite athletes: Betty Heidler, Erin Gilreath, both hammer throwers Favorite pregame meal: Protein Bars or Clif bars Favorite pregame ritual: Listening to “Ain’t Worried Bout Nothin’” by French Montana Favorite team memory: When the Team USA runners won first and second in the 100- and 200 meter races

Teachers trade in athletic pasts for educational roles

All Phots by Jenni Rogan

By Jenni Rogan Before they entered the classroom, they spent their days on the field, the court, or in the pool. These four teachers and administrators spent hours of their adolescent lives honing their skills in sports they loved. They would be overjoyed to swim that extra lap in the pool, run that extra mile, catch the ball one more time. However, due to career-ending injuries or simply the realization that, ultimately, they wouldn’t make the grade, they stopped chasing their athletic dreams and began following other paths.

Susan Mercer first learned about ultimate Frisbee after college. After eight years on B-teams that ranked directly below the best teams in the Florida region, she moved to Atlanta. Once in Atlanta, she captained a B-level team for 10 years, and made it to sectionals, the first level of tournaments in ultimate Frisbee, season after season with a team she barely scrounged up. She said, however, it became increasingly difficult to keep a Bteam together with the proximity of Ozone, the top tier women’s team in Atlanta. “It’s always been kind of a struggle to keep

a team when the better team poaches off the top players,” she said. “The medium team is back at the beginning again.” Despite the struggle to keep a solid team afloat, Mercer says she’s still not burned out, and now mostly plays in fall, spring and summer leagues. “I still want to be improving, but there’s no [team] for that,” she said.

Harlen Graham first learned to love basketball at age 7. In his senior year at Columbia High School, Graham averaged 25 points per game as a shooting guard, earning himself a full scholarship to Clemson University to play basketball. He played only one year at Clemson University before transferring to Georgia State University for his sophomore year. During his second college season at Georgia State, Graham broke his foot. His playing skills and his love of the game never returned, even after he began playing again. “I played my junior year and then I quit after that,” Graham said. “I just didn’t want to play anymore.” Graham believes he could have played professionally, had his injury not cut his

career short. “Mentally I just wasn’t there anymore,” he said.

Like any senior in high school, Rodney Howard was focused on college applications. For Howard, however, it was a decision between playing for a Division I school, where he could run the risk of losing a scholarship, or a Division II school, where the football would not be as intense, but where Howard could formulate a solid back-up plan in case athletics didn’t work out. After weighing the options, Howard chose the latter. For his first three years at Clark Atlanta University, he played as a defensive tackle. In his junior year, Howard injured his wrist and, as a result, was moved to tight end for the last three games of the season. During his senior year, Howard continued to play tight end. When college came to a close, so did his football career. Unlike many aspiring athletes, Howard had a backup plan. “I think that’s everyone’s dream to make it to the NFL, but you have to be real with yourself. A lot of people that play sports in college and high school dream of making it

to the NFL, or the NBA, but you have to have a back-up plan and, to me, education was more important,” Howard said. Although Howard believes having a backup plan is of the utmost importance, he understands that ambition and passion can still make or break you. “If you’re passionate about it,” Howard said, “give it your all.”

John Rives first began swimming competitively when he was 9. In high school, Rives won a number of state championships in his favorite stroke, the butterfly, and competed very well nationally. “I used to compete against swimmers who ended up winning gold medals at the Olympics,” Rives said. After high school, however, Rives stopped swimming competitively for the most part. As he began to grow into a more mature individual, Rives competed occasionally in an Amateur Athletic Union event. Rives decided to leave Texas and join the army. He said that he slowly lost interest in competitive swimming as he took on even more adult responsibilities. “I just had other things to do,” he said. p

sports

Nov. 13, 2013

By Emily Dean While the soccer teams have had fall practices in past years, this is the first time that players are arriving at school early for morning sessions, which have an emphasis on weight training. These sessions take place in the weight room under the stadium. Last spring, both the girls and boys varsity soccer teams advanced to the second round of state playoffs before losing. After getting so far in the tournament, the girls team became even more determined to succeed this season, according to girls varsity co-captain, senior Marie Godiers. Godiers shares the varsity captainship with seniors Emily Ferris and Orli Hendler. According to science teacher and boys coach David Olorunfemi, who has 22 years of coaching experience, the sessions are not mandatory, and cannot be mandatory until the official season kicks off. Tryouts are on Jan. 20. Currently, the teams have not yet been chosen, but the coaches and captains want to ensure that the players start the season at the top of their game. Rodney Thomas, who has been coaching girls soccer at Grady for nearly a decade, initially came up with the idea for the teams to start this early preparation for the spring season. “A lot of programs in the state are doing it right now, and have been doing this,” Thomas said of the fall training. There are four sessions per week: weight training on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for both boys and girls. Captains’ practices are on Mondays and Wednesdays for the boys and on Wednesdays and Thursdays for the girls. “[Captain’s practice] will probably go to 5 p.m., and then during the regular season we have practice every day,” Godiers said. Godiers said the girls team knew they had to do weight training if they wanted to win state this year. “The girls are just in cahoots because they want to be in the championships,” Olorunfemi said. The captains and coaches said that both new and returning members of the girls team are already quite dedicated. “We’ve got almost a hundred percent participation from our returning varsity players,” Thomas said, “and we’ve also had a nice showing of new players to the program.”

photos by Emily Dean

Soccer team kicks off season with training regimens

BEARING THE LOAD: Sophomore Anders Russell (left) lifts weights inside the weight room under the stadium. Outside, (left to right) senior Ellen Ericson and sophomores Carson Flemming, Sophie Durham, Gracie Griffith, and Grace Dusenbury exercise lunges. The morning weight training starts at 7 a.m. “Even if people are complaining or don’t like the idea [of morning practices], everyone still shows up, and I think that says a lot about the players,” Godiers said. The boys have not been as involved with the training. “The boys haven’t really been participating I guess as much as we’d like,” senior varisty co-captain Zac Carter said. “That’s probably because it’s so early, and ... I don’t think we have a very strong freshmen grade coming in, so it’s hard to get a lot of people motivated to come in.” The other varsity co-captains are senior Archie Kinnane and junior Parker Maupin. “Most of our boys, you know, the ones that are very regular, who are very constant with their practice, they are not coming,” Olorunfemi said. “Because many of them play clubs and they’re probably tired, but the girls are just fantastic.” The morning sessions are laid-back, and are mainly for the

varsity players to improve their performance. “It’s just weightlifting,” Carter said. “It’s not really like a practice.” Carter said he expected the core of the team to be strong, but that the team members would need to train more intensely if the team aspired to do as well as they did last year. “Some people have been playing soccer, then, for a while, they kind of stop playing,” Olorunfemi said. “So they lost most of their dexterity, their skills, and probably within two, three months, they can pick it up.” Regardless, the soccer coaches remain hopeful that the informal, student-led practices and training sessions will improve the teams’ success next year. “I want them to be physically stronger, and in turn, mentally stronger,” Thomas said. “I think that strength goes hand in hand with the mental strength, so I think we’ll be better able to dominate when we take the field this season.” p

GAMES OF THE MONTH

REVIEWvv KATE DEGIVE

Region cross country meet By Ike Hammond The cross-country team had a strong showing at the 6AAAA Region meet at Marist High School on Monday Oct. 8, with both the boys and girls teams finishing in second place behind Marist. Gracie Griffith and Grace Powers got medals for finishing in the top 10. The boys team secured second place with a strong team run. Archie Kinnane, Carter Guensler, Hank Persons, Adrian D’Avanzo and Axel Olsen all finished in a row, placing 13th through 17th. Nicholas Pittman ran a strong race in the JV division, setting a personal record with a time of 19:18, which was equivalent to the 19th overall runner in the varsity race. The girls team had six runners place in the top 25, which gave them a sizeable lead over Chamblee, the third-place team. There were no standout runners on either team, as Grady focuses on “pack running,” a strategy that helps improve team scores and encourages all the runners to push each other. Both teams, along with three others from the region, qualified for the state meet, which will be held at Carrollton High School on Nov. 9. Last year, the girls placed sixth at state. The runners expect the state meet to be much more competiThe tive than the region and Grady hope to finish in boys basketthe top 10. p ball team (right) trains for the season to come. The team must adapt to a play style utilizing its youth.

Seniors Adrian D’Avanzo (back) and Axel Olsen (front) complete their second mile on the Marist Track. Both scored points for Grady, placing fourth and fifth on the team.

Basketball season opener By Nick Caamano The Grady boys basketball team opens its season against Meadow Creek High School at the annual John Morgan Thanksgiving Tournament Nov. 23-26. The team made it into the sweet 16 at the 4AAAA state tournament with a record of 19-10 last year. Although they lost in the second round of state playoffs to Alexander High School 66-59, head coach Brian Weeden believes they can exceed their previous triumphs in the year to come. “Although we lost a star player, Brandon Watkins, I do believe we can supersede what we did last year, and make it a special year,” Weeden said. The team will have to replace the scoring, rebounding and leadership of Watkins, who will be playing college basketball on a full scholarship to West Virginia University this fall. As a senior last year, he was Grady’s all-region/all-state player of the year and a McDonald’s All-American nominee. Although the team will be missing a key player like Watkins, the team will have to adapt to a new playing style utilizing the young players they do have. “This year, we’ll play guard-oriented,” Weeden said. “Play faster. Fast break transition with easy lay-ups.” This year’s team is young, with only two returning seniors as starters: combo guard Tyrius Walker and wing Darriun Shelton. “I think we’re going to go farther than we did last year,” Walker said. “We got a lot of young guys and we are really used to the new coach and playing style.” The season opener is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 23 at Pebblebrook High School. p

ww PREVIEW

the Sports section thesoutherneronline.com

HENRY W. GRADY HIGH SCHOOL, ATLANTA

Nov. 13, 2013

VOLUME LXVIII, NUMBER 3

ATLANTA SPORTS TEAMS SUFFER SAME FATAL FLAW

only winning once in that time period. Despite such failures there is no one person to blame for the Falcons’ playoffs woes. Matt Ryan has never shied away from the big moment. He has led 16 fourth quarter comebacks in his four years in the NFL. Head coach Mike Smith turned the Falcons around after several very public scandals, Michael Vick’s dogfighting suspension and Bobby Petrino’s abrupt and messy midseason departure. Despite incredible success in the regular season, the Falcons routinely fall flat when ct ur it counts. es co ur Similarly, the Atlanta Hawks have made it to te sy the playoffs the past five seasons, yet in that time period the Hawks’ winning percentage has been 40 percent and they have not once advanced past the second round of the NBA playoffs. From 1991 to 2005 the Atlanta Braves won the National League East title 14 consecutive times, a feat no major American professional sports team has accomplished. In 1995, the Braves finally won a World Series title. Despite popular Atlanta sports thinking, only one World Series is pathetic. In any other major sports city in America (New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc.) winning only one championship in a an em14-year run of winning the division would be seen as barrassing a complete failure. In other cities in America, managers loss to a mediwould be fired and players would be traded; in Atlanta, the ocre New York thinking is different because the expectation is to lose. Jets team on naThere is an expectation to lose because the fans (especially tional television. anyone in high school or younger) have never known anything The severity of the but failing in the playoffs. Every year we are tricked into havloss was proved when ing hope. We might see Matt Ryan make a daring last-minute the following week the Jets lost at home to drive to steal a win against the opponent; we might see center the then 0-5 Steelers. fielder Jason Heyward dive to save and end the game all in one In the Matt Ryan-Mike Smith era, beginning in 2008, play against the hated New York Mets. Every year it seems to be the Falcons have made it to the playoffs four times and the same: an incredible, breathtaking, dominant regular season only missed the postseason once. In their time in the post- tricks us into having hope for an upcoming playoff run. season they have a dismal 20 percent winning percentage, But then we fall short time and time again. p

BITTER DEFEAT: (clockwise from top) Former Hawks’ forward Josh Smith, Braves’ center fielder BJ Upton, Falcons’ reciever Julio Jones, and Dream’s gaurd Alex Bentley all show signs of defeat on their mugs.

s rti

com

n/a pto

Timeline of Atlanta Playoff Failures

1991: Lose World Series

2001: Lose NLCS

2000 2012: Lose NFC Wild Card for second year straight

2009: Lose in first round

2012: Lose NL Wild Card on infamous Infield Fly call

2013 2008: Lose in first round

2011: Leave Atlanta

1994: Lose Eastern Conference Semis (entered as top seed)

1995: Lose NFC Wild card

1990

2005: Lose fifth straight NLDS

2006: Lose in first round

PICTURES COURTESY OF CURTIS COMPTON/ AJC

ll it took was one swing of the bat. One changeup that just didn’t break and Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Juan Uribe took advantage, smashing it into the left-field bullpen. The Braves had been winning Josh Weinstock 3-2, in the bottom of the eighth inning, only two outs away from handing the ball to ace closer Craig Kimbrel. But then David Carpenter threw the 84-mile-per-hour changeup on a two strike, two ball count. The fatal pitch ended the game, the series and the Braves’ World Series hopes. The night of Oct. 7, 2013, dubbed the worst night in Atlanta sports history, was the climax of a long history of Atlanta sports teams losing in the playoffs. As a result of a long history of disappointment, Forbes named Atlanta the second most miserable sports city in the United States in 2013, behind only Seattle. The epitome of Atlanta playoff failures extends even to the least known professional team in the city: the Dream, Atlanta’s WNBA team. Over the last four years, the Dream have made the playoffs each season. In 2012 they lost in the conference semifinals. In the other three instances, 2010, 2011 and 2013, the Atlanta Dream not only lost in the Finals but were swept all three times. The last four years for the Dream have been more of a ‘nightmare’ in the playoffs as they have embodied the Atlanta spirit of making it to the playoffs but ultimately falling short. The Braves’ playoff elimination was only an added sorrow for Atlanta sports fans that night. A few hours prior the Atlanta Falcons had finished their game against the New York Jets, up until then maintaining a one and three record. A win would keep the Falcons in playoff contention, but a loss would drop them to 1-4, making it almost impossible to salvage the season. With less than two minutes to go and the Falcons up by one, rookie quarterback Geno Smith led the Jets down the field. As time expired kicker Nick Folk made a game-winning 44-yard field goal. The Falcons dropped to 1-4 after

1992: Lose World Series for second year in a row

1999: Lose Super Bowl

1997: Lose in Conference Semis for second year straight

1998: Lose second straight NLCS

1995: Win World Series

Hall of Disappointment

2013: Lose third Championship in four years

Grady Sports Score Central: October/November Football Oct. 19 Grady 52 Banneker 26 Oct. 25 Grady 46 South Atlanta 6

Nov. 1 Carver 28 Grady 7 Nov. 8 Grady 25 Lithonia 22

Volleyball Oct. 8 Grady 2 Lithonia 0 Oct. 10 Grady 0 Chamblee 2

Oct. 10 Grady 2 South Atlanta 0 Oct. 12 Grady 2 Redan 0

Cross Country Oct. 30 (Region Meet) Boys 2nd place Girls 2nd place Nov. 9 (State Meet) Boys 11th place Girls 7th place

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