Dea·r·sanfa... Teacher Wish List
Keeping the Holiday spirit...
Page 3
Pages 6-7
D ecember 16, 1998
South Mecklenburg H igh School
Check out South's own little piece of Broadway... Page 8
8900 Park Road
Volume XXVI
Charl otte, North Carolina, 28210
Lacek nominated Teacher of the Year ·Deb ate Rick Lacek has been preparing students for successful careers wins bid in the communcation arts field for the past ten years to host national event colors is going to make it [the design] more appealing and help it carry the message and communicate the main idea of the promotion," he said. Lacek is· currently working on developing a program to teach Commercial Art, which he is planning to begin next year. Students in the course wilUearn to use communication techniques through many mediums, such as animation, illustration, and electronic ctlesign to produce
By An drew Buchert Editor
South Meek's Rick Lacek was nominated for the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System's Teacher of the Year award. Lacek is the coordinator of the communcation arts program at South, and currently teaches Graphic Arts and Advertising Communications I and II. In his tenth year at South, Lacek's teaching career
South Mecklenburg recently won the bid against Denver, H ouston, and Atlanta to host the
������������--..����������League/ The
l'ri.or to moving to Charlotte,
Lacek had worked in publishing and graphic communications for eleven years. In search of a change, he planned to freelance in Charlotte. But when a friend of his suggested that he try teaching, Lacek decided to con sider the possibility, although he did not feel that it was the op portunity he wanted. "It just worked out," he said. "When I made the cafl, the door was ba sically wide-open for this oppor tunity." When he accepted the posi tion at South, Lacek originally intended to give teaching a brief try before moving on with his career. But at the end of his first year, several of his students, all of whom have since taken posi tions in the field of graphic com munications arts, came to him and asked if he could teach them
By Larisa Yasinovskaya St aff Rep ort er
Walter Boyle/ Staff Photographer
Rick Lacek's design students have developed promotional materials for many organizations.
even more than what he had taught them in class. "!realized then that this might be the place for me," he said. As the design program has grown in the last ten years, so has the number of students who have left the program well-prepared for successful careers in the publishing, graphic design, and advertising fields. "Every year since I've been teaching, I've had kids who continually say that they've benefited from
the program and that it's helped them considerably when they've gotten out of school," said Lacek. One of the primary emphases of the design program is to teach students to produce print able work through applied pro cesses. Students in Lacek's classes spend a lot of time work ing with just black and white concepts before they even begin applying color to their designs. "Being able to select the correct
design students have taken on mamy projects. They have worke:d with various agen cies, developed promotional plans and materials for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System and many small busi ness, and produced a radio com mercial for the Mint Museum . . Mark Richardson's office con tacted Lacek when the Panthers' owners were bidding for the team and asked for his students' help in designing the paws for the runway. "In some ways it's like we have our own little busi ness," he said. Lacek was nominated for the Teacher of the Year award by the staff of South Meek. "I consider it an honor," said Lacek. "But the real reward for me is seeing my students go out into the business world and be success ful," he said.
Martelle advances in Morehead Scholarship competition character, and physical vigor. Candidates must also be well rounded, possess a strong acaSouth Meek senior Jennifer . demic record in challenging and Martelle has advanced to the re competitive courses, and exhibit gional round of the prestigious honesty, integrity, and courtesy. John Motley Morehead Scholar Martelle and senior Erinn Harris were selected from ship competition. She will in terview Thursday, December 10 among sixteen applicants in to advance to the final round. early October to represent South The John Motley Morehead in the first round of the scholar Scholarship is a full ride to the ship competition. Because University of North Carolina at Martelle advanced to the re Chapel Hill, and covers all four gional interview, she received a years' tuition, room, board, and $500 merit stipend to attend books. In addition, Morehead UNC Chapel Hill. Scholarship recipients are pro "I am ·honored to have been vided the opportunity to partici chosen to move on to the next pate in extracurricular and sum round [of the Morehead compe mer programs. tition]," said Jenny. "I am look The Morehead Scholarship is ing forward to this chance to based on four criteria: leader represent our outstanding com ship, scholarship, moral force of munity." By An drew Buchert
Editor
onaJ Speech and Debate Tournament, which will be held at South Meek and Quail H ollow. One of the larg est high school conventions in the nation, the debate event is estimated to bring in between $4 and $5 million to Charlotte. The tournament will draw fierce competitors from Alaska to Guam. . On the weekend of Novem ber 20-21 South Meek hosted a successful twelfth annu'al Sabre Invitational Speech and Debate tournament. The Sabre Invitational of fered competition in such de bate events as congress, policy, and Lincoln-Douglas. Speech events mcluded original oratory and extemporaneous speaking. The drama events were dra matic, humorous, and duo inter pretati on. Storytelling and prose/poetry co mpetitions were also held. " A cademic competition hones critical thinking skills taught in core classes," said Bar bara Miller, South's debate coach. "It provides an opportu nity for the practical application of those skills in an enjoyable at mosphere. Academic and team work are important elements of the competitive experience," she said.
Index
Walter Boyle/Staff Photographer
Jennifer Martelle advanced to the regional round of the Morehead Scholarship competition.
Editorials.....................Page 2 Features ......................Page 3 Features......................Page 4 Technology........ :.........Page 5 Centerspread........ Pages 6-7 A & E..........................Page 8 Faces in the Crowd.... Page 9 Sports................Pages 10-11 Features.................... Page 12