The Saga by FPD Communications

Saga The

WEDNESDAY APRIL 27, 2011

Spring sports teams gearing up for postseason. Page 10.

First Presbyterian Day School, Macon, Georgia

Around campus

in 60 seconds The class of 2011 will graduate at Ingleside Baptist Church on May 21 at 3 p.m. This year’s senior class is the largest class in FPD history. It is also one of the most academically competitive classes, said college counselor Brad Thompson. Of the 96 students, 48 are honor graduates. Martha Banner Banks was named valedictorian and Olivia BANKS Newsome is salutatorian. Both Banks and Newsome will speak at graduation, while class president Joseph Neyman will open with prayer. Zachary Shealy is this year’s STAR student. He named his father, Dr. Barry Shealy, as his STAR teacher. The class of 2011 has applied to colleges all across the country, from New England to California. More than 300 college applications went out to 75 schools in 22 states, Thompson said. Some of the most popular schools this year were UGA, Auburn, GCSU, Samford, Georgia Southern, Valdosta State, Mercer, Berry College and Kennesaw State. Some of the most unique picks were Colorado School of Mines, Baylor University, Tulane, William and Mary, Rutgers, Embry-Riddle, Pepperdine and Texas Christian University. Thompson said the class of 2011 stands out from previous graduating classes because of its unusual application choices. “I am proud of them for looking at schools that our students don’t normally look at,” he said. “Several students in this class were willing to take big chances on schools and academies that are very competitive.” To ﬁnd out where the Class of 2011 is headed after graduation, see page 14.

Photo by Victoria Vanhuss Dawn Newsome, mother of three FPD students and a tester for the school cookbook due out in October, prepares one of the book’s recipes.

Cooking up a real treat By VICTORIA VANHUSS Co-Editor

hat started out as a small project for the junior class to raise money at Fall Festival quickly turned into a huge school-wide project. In the fall, the result of this massive undertaking, a beautiful, exhaustive cookbook featuring recipes collected from FPD teachers and families, will be available for purchase. Jan Barry, FPD mom and cooking enthusiast, initially had the idea to collect recipes from the junior class parents, students and teachers to compile into a small, laminated cookbook. The original idea was for the cookbook to be something FPD moms and grandmothers could have as a keepsake, but it quickly turned into a full-ﬂedged

production. The cookbook idea promptly gained interest within the FPD community, and soon, about 1,200 recipes were submitted. “We whittled the recipes down to about 700,” Barry said. “We took out the ones that we have too many of, and we’re testing the rest of them two times. We just got on the phone and started calling people – calling friends, grandmothers and whoever we could ﬁnd to test these recipes.” Testing has proven to be one of the hardest steps in the cookbook process. For a recipe to make it into the cookbook, it has to be highly recommended by at least two people. Many FPD parents submitted recipes and have been involved in the testing process, Barry said. “Every single night my family has been eating something new,” Barry said, laughing. “Last night

FPD cookbook due out in October will feature artwork by Steve Penley. Reid asked me when we were going to have something American. Everything has been American. It’s just not what we normally eat.” Still, Barry believes that when all is said and done, the ﬁnished product will be worth it. “Although very time consuming, the testing process has been fun,” she said, adding that the cookbook will contain recipes for quick and easy meals to more advanced options. The already huge undertaking got even bigger when FPD alumnus and nationally-recognized artist Steve Penley agreed to do the artwork for the cover. “The cover is absolutely beautiful,” Barry said. “This will be an inexpensive way to own a Penley painting.” The ﬁnished product likely will contain around 600 recipes and be

Please see BOOK, page 13

Opinions

The Saga

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Page 2

It’s been a good run, but this is the end

Art by Adriana Figueroa

Staﬀ Editorial

Goodbye y’all The class of 2011 has spent the year making forts in the senior lounge, blasting music in the parking lot and turning the locker area into a rave. We staged a Saga sit-in during Spirit Week and bonded over Xbox, but now the year is coming to an end. Graduation day is just around the corner, and we’re looking back on the experiences we’ve collected here at “the Day school.” After all the years we’ve spent together, it only seems right to be a little bit sentimental. We won’t soon forget classic FPD

memories like Mr. Walton’s seventh grade English class or our third grade Thanksgiving play. We’ll always remember Mr. Kitchell sticking quarters up his nose at Rock Eagle, and other silly things like our junior year spirit week whale will stick with us. It seems like we’ve been talking about college for so long, but now that it’s ﬁnally here the excitement is dying down. Although it will be hard to leave our friends and the FPD family behind, the class of 2011 has learned the value of true friendship and is ready to embark on a new journey.

Saga The

First Presbyterian Day School, Macon, Georgia

Staff Directory Editors ............................... Zach Shealy, Victoria Vanhuss Staff Writers ..................... Evan Bates, Morgan Curtis, Anna Gainey, Kristen Hobbs, Molly McCoy, Olivia Newsome, Colby Watson Artist ............................... Adriana Figueroa Adviser ............................. Mr. Cal Powell The Saga is the student-produced newspaper of First Presbyterian Day School in Macon, Ga. Letters to the editor and guest editorials are welcome. Submit them in person to staff adviser Cal Powell or e-mail cpowell@fpdmacon.org. Phone (478) 477-6505, Ext.121. Member organization Georgia Scholastic Press Association Rated Superior by the GSPA, 2008, 2009, 2010 Winner of the GSPA Turnaround Award 2006-07 Winner of the GSPA General Excellence Award 2007-08 Winner of the GSPA Perseverance Award 2007-08

There is a certain appeal to the safety and familiarity of completing all your under-undergraduate study in one place. Not counting my house, I’ve spent the majority of my life on campus here at The Day School. In 1998, my family moved to Macon and I was enrolled in kindergarten at FPD. I didn’t make any friends for a while, so my mom recommended Wesley Gilbert, who I guess also didn’t have friends. We were both good kids who never turned our cards, until one day we bumped heads in class and I started crying. I didn’t get in trouble but he did, which I see as unjust now, but being a 5-year-old I was just relieved that my record was still clean. In first grade I was as obnoxious as the next kid, but I was a really good runner and a fine speller. I claimed that at my old school in New York I could beat the rest of the class at the game of war ball with my eyes closed, and I thought myself convincing, crying a little when anyone questioned my story. In second grade I cried with jealousy when my best first grade friend Trey Lowery became friends with Logan McDonald behind my back. In third grade Robert Peavy and I developed some really impressive swing tricks, and in fourth Mrs. LaPish gave me a good scolding for stashing my pencils behind my ears. Fifth grade was all about the new Washington trip, and my dad embarrassed me by making the guys in my class stop singing “Barbie Girl” from the back of the bus. Then came middle school, and more importantly middle school dances. Every now and then during one of those big Nickelback/Rascal Flatts moments I would work up the nerve to ask a girl to dance, and I would sail high for the rest of the night. Once high school hit all of a sudden everything wasn’t such a big deal anymore and I began to develop the subtle comedy that pervades all of my writing. More importantly, I took a lot of really good classes and grew to respect a lot of really great teachers. There was Mrs. Ham, who taught almost every math class I took, and then there’s Mr. Strickland, who spent about a million hours teaching me and some of

Zach Shealy Co-Editor the coolest people I’ve met here how to become someone else (and dance and sing) in after-school sessions. Dr. Carreker took English class to the philosophical level and inspired the liveliest intelligent discussion I’ve come across anywhere, and Coach A carefully and methodically made AP Euro exciting and hilarious, and also the most important class of my academic career. And then there’s my dad, the Dr., my STAR teacher, the guy who works here, the one from the Washington trip, the guy who brought me here in the ﬁrst place. He’s the one who let me into the building late at night when I forgot my workbooks, and the one who gave me extra calculus tutoring when I fell behind in class. And let’s not forget my mom, who room-mommed and substituteteachered and made me a lunch on so many mornings and now works here too, because FPD is kind of where we Shealys like to be. There have been tears, sure, as you can tell by the ﬁrst three anecdotes up there, but there was laughter too. There’ve been changes throughout: new buildings, new teachers, new classmates, new freedoms, yet the core of the school stayed the same. As a junior last year I spent all my time wishing I was a senior gearing up for college and the future, and while I’m still rather excited, I’m appreciative of everything this place has done for me. Leaving FPD is a little like leaving Disney World, which a bunch of chorus and band kids, myself included, had to do recently. You look back and see a massive sign saying “Let the memories begin.” It’s a sad moment, ironic even, because that sign isn’t meant for you. Your memories are now just that: memories. That’s all we have sometimes. Hello, future.

Opinions

The Saga

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Page 3

Into the wilderness and back out again What happens when your average teenage girl is taken from her comfortable, routine lifestyle and plopped into the very heart of the wilderness? It could go one of two ways, really. Either she grows terribly hungry, desperate and cold and eventually crawls back to her home after roughing it for a few days or she actually sticks through with the plan and is never heard from again. I would go so far as to say the first girl is mentally sound while the second merely seems desperate to prove a point. Because vanishing into any forest is dangerous, illegal and completely capable of delaying my graduation, I decided against going to such drastic measures to make a point. I, like everyone else, rely heavily on society’s interdependent system to provide my basic needs. I, like everyone else, am completely and embarrassingly lost without them. But still, I felt this strange urge to abstain from something, something that has the capability to reflect the intricate natures of society. That’s when I turned to the Internet. I’m ashamed to admit that a large chunk of my life has been portioned away to the luxuries of the Internet. My obsession started around fifth grade when I discovered the joys of neopets and evolved into an obsession with livejournal, Myspace, quizilla, and, in my high school years, Facebook, Twitter, and, most dominant in my life right now, a site dedicated solely to Scrabble. Obviously, the Internet holds a very special place in my heart. And so I decided that, barring any resources needed for school, I would undergo a five-day boycott of the Internet, television, texting and video games. And if I granted myself the use of my iPod or phone, it was solely for the sake of my sanity and safety. Or so I told myself. With renewed resolve, my metaphorical excursion into the wilderness of the “real world” began. After hearing that I was restricted from texting and the Internet for a week, most of my friends automatically jumped to the conclusion that I had committed some heinous, unspeakable crime and that my parents were punishing me in the best way they knew how - by revoking my precious technology. When I tried explaining that I was doing this to myself, they shook their heads, cocked their eyebrows and appeared more puzzled than before. “Why would you want to do that?” they asked. “What’s the point?” After listening to me ramble on for

Kristen Hobbs Staﬀ Writer a few minutes, they either shook their heads and walked away or started to tune me out. Yet another reason, I thought, to see this thing through. The ﬁrst few days were tedious, to say the least. My phone was bombarded with what I’d later learn were completely pointless, taunting texts … and the messages that weren’t so pointless? People got offended at my non-responses. It was exasperating. “No, I did not ignore your texts,” I explained at random intervals throughout the day, “I really didn’t see them.”

Although the call of the Internet was persistent and annoying, I had resolved to persevere through all the “You have to see this video!” and “Did you see his tweet last night?”s to complete my mission. It was silly, yes, but in my mind it was completely worth it. Three or four days in, with the end in clear sight, I began to resemble that lost girl in the wilderness. I was bored, ﬁdgety and extremely anxious to check my e-mail, so when someone dangled my one downfall (online Scrabble) in front of my face, I caved. I indulged. Ultimately, I failed. Suddenly I was that sensible yet weakwilled teenager crawling back to the comforts of the Internet after being completely isolated from it for so long. But I’m relieved to report that my efforts weren’t in vain. While on my four and three-quarters day strike, I found myself alone with a bit too much free time and no technology to pass it. So I read some books, and sometimes, if I really needed to talk to someone, I met up with him or her and

had a conversation face-to-face. And I accomplished the one thing that I hadn’t tried in a while: actually doing my homework at home. The whole problem with the Internet is that it isn’t completely necessary, it just makes things startlingly easier. Need to ask your friend a question? Text him, or simply ask him on Facebook. Feel the need to inform the entire world of your latest girlfriend? Broadcast your relationship change, even if it only lasts for a few days. Want the world to know that you and your girlfriend broke up? Post a status with song lyrics summing up how depressed (but completely over it) you are. The Internet only becomes a problem when you treat what’s on the screen as an escape from reality. Take it from someone who’s been there - time spent wandering around the Internet is most likely time wasted. Sometimes, going out of your way to contact a person makes your interaction that much more meaningful.

Art by Adriana Figueroa

Opinions

The Saga

‘Kid-friendly’ not what it used to be When I was in lower elementary school, I didn’t understand why my parents wouldn’t let me watch certain shows on Disney Channel. As I got older, I understood more and more why a few specific shows weren’t necessarily good for me to watch, but at that age, I didn’t care about the content, I just really wanted to watch Lizzie McGuire and Even Stephens. Still, the word inappropriate never came to mind when thinking about Disney Channel, but the other day when I had the TV turned to a Suite Life on Deck marathon, that’s all I could think about. In this particular episode, the guys go to an after-curfew, burlesque-like show. After successfully sneaking in, the kids come to the conclusion that their teacher, Miss Tutweiller, must be one of the dancers. In the following episode Miss Tutweiller is shown to be the heroine in her romance novel, complete with Fabio and all. She is thoroughly taken with him, and they share many intense, frequently interrupted moments of passion. Of course, Disney does have a certain class. They cut the scenes before they show too much, and they never flat out say anything truly inappropriate - it’s all a “hint, hint, innuendo.” I still find it a bit unnerving that a network that caters to a preteen audience continues to become more mature. The Disney executives would be naive to think that their audience honestly begins with the 10-12 age group. The Suite Life isn’t the only show that likes to sneak in references and comments. Good Luck Charlie is a show about a family adjusting to a new family addition. On several occasions, references are made to the baby-making process, something that I don’t feel is appropriate for a pre-teen TV show. I realize that not all episodes are like this, but it got me thinking. Nowadays kids are exposed to things at such a young age. Look at Hannah Montana, Disney’s biggest and best show. The ideas and concepts the show pushes are gener-

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Page 4

Features

The Saga

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Page 5

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS SUMMER? by Anna Gainey

“Being a cadet at North Georgia next year, and the 60 percent girls.” Theron Bassett Senior

Victoria Vanhuss Co-Editor ally negative. I know it’s funny and it’s all in good fun, but Hannah Montana inspires young girls to become materialistic fame seekers. Hannah Montana/Miley Stewart isn’t someone that I would want my kid to look up to, and don’t even get me started about Miley Cyrus. There’s a responsibility that comes from having such a young following. Four and 5-yearold girls look up to Miss Cyrus even though her stint as Hannah is over. They don’t understand the line between reality and fiction. When they see her jumping from underwear model to Aussie to whatever guy she’s dating now, they feel that it’s a good solid, acceptable presentation of the normal. That’s how Miley presents herself, and her character isn’t far from it. I guess it’s the parents’ responsibility to keep their kids watching age appropriate material, but in today’s world the media should take some of the heat. There are good points to kids being so in tune to the media though. Disney has been advertising healthy eating, and they’ve set up segments with their most influential stars to encourage correct portion size and good choices. They also filter their advertisements, which is unique. Other kid networks like Nick advertise adult pills, junk food and useless toys. I feel like the media are trying more and more to present a good message, but at the same time, difficult topics are getting more publicity. Hopefully, parents will take some initiative but also the network executives will start to realize their effect on younger generations.

There’s a responsibility that comes from having such a young following. 4 and 5-year-old girls look up to Miss Cyrus even though her stint as Hannah is over.

“I’d say after all the vacations and beaches during summer, football season and off-campus lunches.” Ben DuBose Junior “Going to the Bahamas this summer with Project LEAD for a mission trip.”

Special to The Saga Two Girl Scouts from FPD, Marissa McCranie (far left) and Anna Gainey (second from right) pose with several other members of their troop.

A golden opportunity

Austin Tillman Junior

Heavily involved in the community, Girl Scouts do a lot more than some might expect. “Going to New York to see my brother graduate from college.” Chandler Cundiff Freshman

“Sunny rides through Macon on my pink cruising cooler.” Kathryn Kostovetsky Freshman

”Meeting my roommates and new people at college.” Meredith Conger Senior

By ZACH SHEALY Co-Editor The doorbell rings. You aren’t expecting any packages or visitors, and the guy selling frozen dinners hasn’t been by in years. It can only mean one thing: Girl Scouts. Everybody’s bought cookies from a Girl Scout at some point in his life. “It’s kind of a big deal in Girl Scout world,” senior Marissa McCranie, a Girl Scout since elementary school. “Everybody likes buying cookies and that really is what most people know us for.” McCranie likes to guilt the people she knows into buying. “I like to hit up the people I know. Make them feel bad,” she said. “I mean, how could you say no to me if you already know me?” Active Girl Scout Mary Margaret Smith used to get her brother to take her door to door in her neighborhood. “Over the years you accumulate people who always buy,” she said. “I had a couple who would buy 24 cases.” Sure, it can be argued that Thin Mints are exorbitantly over-priced, but it’s for a good cause, right? Plus the cookies are kind of good.

Turns out this rationalizing isn’t inaccurate. Smith has a long list of things her troop has done with their cookies and cookie money. Her troop has given money to tsunami victims and the Red Cross, as well as donating more than 70 boxes to the 48th Brigade. Beyond helping people directly, you’re helping young girls learn people skills and basic math skills, according to Smith.

service project designed, executed, and completed by the Girl Scout. Smith is currently working on her Gold Award project, in which she’s helping build a research library at the Medical Center of Central Georgia’s Children’s Hospital. She hopes to eventually hold a book drive at FPD to bring in books on the elementary and middle school level. McCranie, a member of a different troop in Macon, has already earned

“It’s really about becoming a strong woman and being independent and learning to handle the world.” - Senior Marissa McCranie “I feel like I have more conﬁdence,” she said, later recounting an episode where she and her fellow scouts stood up in the Lowe’s parking lot singing Hilary Duff to attract attention to their cookie selling. Some of the money made by Smith’s troop is put into accounts to be used on the girls’ projects for their Gold Award, the highest rank a Girl Scout can earn. To achieve this rank, the candidate must conduct a large community

her Gold Award, which she worked on with the other ﬁve members of her troop. “Gold Award was a really long process, it took almost two years,” McCranie said. “We met a girl who was in the hospital. She had a chronic illness that caused her to be at home all the time and it caused her to have to miss a lot of school.” The group met her and got to know her and went into her house and redid her room entirely.

“That’s the big ﬁnale: your Gold Award,” McCranie said. “It’s really about becoming a strong woman and being independent and learning to handle the world.” Earning the Gold Award is quite an achievement, and conventional wisdom says it’s something that makes you look good when applying to college. After all, it combines two of the things most schools are looking for: leadership and service. McCranie speculates that her Gold Award is what got her into UGA early. Whether you’re going to college or not, Girl Scouts prepares you for the future in practical ways. Each Girl Scout has to spend 40 hours sitting in on a profession she is considering. Smith spent time with Sharell Lewis last summer, then the assistant District Attorney of Macon. “I’m thinking law,” Smith said. “When Martha Bowman got broken into I got to sit in on an interview with one of the people they thought did it.” “A lot of people think (Girl Scouts) is really lame,” McCranie said. She would beg to differ, as would many of the other Girl Scouts in town. “It’s about helping others, helping the community, being a sister to every Girl Scout,” she said. “Like a sorority.”

News

The Saga

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Page 6

Johnson wins another honor Staff reports Fran Johnson has done it again. Just a few weeks after being named as the state winner for the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award, the multisport star was named the recipient of the state Vincent J. Dooley Award at a ceremony prior to an Atlanta Braves game on April 10 at Turner Field. Each year, every high school in Georgia is invited to select one male and one female senior athlete to receive the Dooley Award, sponsored by Athletes for a Better World. Recipients are chosen for their distinguished individual character, outstanding teamwork and citizenship. Johnson received a four-year, $1,000 per year scholarship, along with $1,000 to present to the charity of her choice. She chose Project Giving, a charity based out of the church she attends, Northway Church of Macon. Johnson and FPD senior Evan Place were among just 20 students (10 boys and 10 girls) named as state ﬁnalists for the award. Place also was recognized prior to the game. “The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding individuals and call attention to the high esteem in which these values are held, so that they may become a stronger part of the ethos of participation in Georgia high school sports,” Athletes for a Better World President Fred Northup said in a press release. State literary: FPD placed fourth in the GHSA Class A state literary meet held at Northside High School in March. Two FPD students, seniors Adriana Figueroa and Robert Peavy, took ﬁrst place in the state in their respective categories. Figueroa won in girls solo while Peavy won in boys essy. Senior Victoria Vanhuss took fourth place in girls extemporaneous speaking. Math team dominates: The varsity Mathematics Team won the Furman Mathematics Tournament on Saturday, March 18 in Greenville, S.C. The competition included 34 schools from around Georgia and North and South Carolina in two divisions. Team members were Evan Place, Davy Priester, Joshua Shealy, Jonathan Easter, Joel Ham, Ben Scurry and coach Dr. Barry Shealy.

NOTEBOOK

Cal Powell/The Saga Junior Jonathan Easter works on a math problem in the library. In the submitted photo below, Katelyn Sutton is shown in her dance attire.

Summer of Study

Two juniors chosen for Governors Honors Program. By MOLLY MCCOY Staff Writer Juniors Katelyn Sutton and Jonathan Easter have been selected as Governor’s Honors representatives for the state of Georgia. The Governor’s Honors (GHP) program provides an opportunity for gifted high school students to participate in an intensive six weeks summer study on the campus of Valdosta State University. This program focuses on a “major” for each student, allowing the participants to focus solely on his or her primary area of ability. Easter, who will be studying mathematics, applied to the program along with 500 other high school students from Georgia. To qualify he had to present his SAT test scores along with a teacher recommendation and application. Following an interview in Atlanta, Easter was accepted. He said he’s excited about the program and the opportunities his participation will provide. Pursuing a career in architecture or engineering, Easter sees this program as a plus for his resume and a great “collegelike” experience. “GHP is a great program and it’s an honor to be selected,” he said. For Sutton, the application process differed. She competed against 300 high school junior and senior students from Georgia. Following a four-hour audition, a written knowledge test, several technical classes, an interview, and a personally

choreographed dance performance, Sutton was chosen as one of 16 students to make the program. Like Easter, Sutton will spend four hours each day focusing on her major, and then participate in a separate three-hour minor course. Students in the program will also be able to attend seminars, concerts and performances each week. Sutton said she’s looking forward to the program because of the opportunities it will provide. “God has blessed me with a talent in dance for which I am very thankful. I believe God will use this program in ways that will help me plan my future,” Sutton said.

Jan Johnson/Special to The Saga Seniors Evan Place and Fran Johnson show off the awards they won at the Vincent J. Dooley Awards ceremony prior to a Braves game on April 10.

News

The Saga

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Page 7

Campus memorial honors Estes By ANNA GAINEY Staff Writer A beloved wife and mother who passed away a year ago will now be remembered through a beautiful cherry tree planted on campus in her memory. Sandi Estes was a loving mother of four, including two current students, who inspired many with her smile and perseverance as she fought a rare form of cancer. She passed away in March 2010. The cherry tree, which Sandi’s youngest son Mark refers to as “Mom’s tree,” was planted in March on the one-year anniversary of Sandi’s death. It now stands in front of the administration building, alongside a plaque in Estes’ honor. “After Mrs. Estes passed away many students and parents wanted to do something,” said Rhonda Sutton, an FPD parent who was friends with Sandi. “We thought it would be a good idea to put something permanent at the school.” The current sixth grade class, of which Mark is a member, spearheaded the plans for the memorial. Klassix Construction donated the tree, which should bloom each year around the anniversary of Estes’ death. “It makes me feel special,” Mark said. “It is a way to remember her.”

Sandi’s husband, Mike, also planted ﬂowers around the tree and plaque that came from the Estes’ yard. “He wanted them to be with the memorial,” Sutton said. “Our goal was to help friends and family be able to smile when seeing or visiting the area and to know we will always remember that time of loss with prayerful thoughts,” Sutton added. Other memorials are being planned for parents of current FPD children who died in recent months. Lara Carlton, Amber Johnson and Kim Rollins are heading up the memorials for Tony Walsh and Kim Bohan. The idea for the memorials “was born from a conversation of people feeling helpless and wanting to do something that would last for years to come,” Sutton said.

Anna Gainey/The Saga Mark and Ali Estes stand near the tree planted in honor of their mother.

School to establish downtown campus FPC site initially will serve 3K and 4K students. Staff reports FPD has announced plans to open a satellite campus in the fall of 2011 to be housed at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Macon. This new campus will provide a Christ-centered college preparatory education to children whose parents live or work near downtown. Initial plans are for the school to offer enrollment to 3K and 4K students, with the intent to add one grade a year up through ﬁfth grade. FPD Downtown would allow early drop-off beginning at 7:30 a.m. and late pickup until 6:30 p.m. through a licensed extended day program. The satellite campus would be limited to 12 students for 3K and 16 students for 4K. “The purpose is to offer an

FPD education convenient to business men and women working in downtown Macon,” FPD headmaster Gregg Thompson said. “First Presbyterian Church, FPD’s sponsoring church, has excellent classroom facilities that are vacant throughout the week, affording a terrific environment for extending our Christ-centered college preparatory program to the downtown area.” Chip Miller, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, pledged the church’s support for the new campus. “First Presbyterian Church has long been supportive of the unique ministry opportunities afforded First Presbyterian Day School,” Miller said. “We are grateful for the positive influence FPD has been in our community and eagerly look forward to helping them fulfill the dream of having a satellite campus to serve the downtown community of Macon.”

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Making a difference A closer look at the school’s new community service requirement. By ZACH SHEALY Co-Editor Garrick Durst didn’t have any trouble finding a way to get all the community service hours FPD now requires to graduate. In fact, after all the community service the state assigned him to recompense for him earning a speeding ticket, FPD’s paltry requirement was a breath of fresh air. But not everyone’s speeding gets caught, so until the school instated the new requirements for community service many students at FPD had reason to step outside their every day lives and help the poor and struggling. “The idea is that students would go out a little bit beyond their comfort zone,” said Holly Scott, organizer and mastermind behind much of the new program. She believes that while kids are initially uncomfortable about going out and helping people, once they start they discover how rewarding it is. She cites last year’s Christ and Culture field trip visiting various community service opportunities around town as an example. She had students indicate beforehand which agencies they were most interested in visiting, from Habitat for Humanity to Macon Outreach to Flint River Memory Care, a nursing home for elderly, Alzheimer’s-ridden patients. “98 percent of the students who were signed up for a place for that field trip put Flint River as their last choice,” Scott said. “Yet, when (after the trip) Coach Veazey asked them their favorite the majority of the people said Flint River.” That particular trip was a testing ground for many of the agencies students can currently get involved with by signing up through FPD. “I feel like we’ve created the right model by working through Project Lead students,” said Scott. “Our Project Lead students are asked to pick an agency that they’re passionate about and work in teams of two or three for that agency and plan events. That’s how a lot of our events have come about.” Examples include everything from students helping with the Special Olympics to a recent Habitat for Humanity day that drew more than 50 students. “Honestly I’ve gotten joy out of all those different things,” Scott said. Some students, like junior DeLaney Lister, are getting their hours by stopping at Scott’s door and signing up for whatever events are coming up. Others, like senior Samuel Douglas, get their hours over the summer working with church groups or other organizations. Both find their experiences equally rewarding. “I enjoy the program,” Lister said. “It’s nice helping others.” Douglas agreed. “It’s broadened my perspective of the needs around me,” he said, though he later admitted service should be more about the people being aided than the students lending a hand. “It’s not about me,” he said. Others pick up more practical knowledge and skills. Some kids would never learn how to paint a house or mow the grass if not for being exposed to these seemingly mundane tasks through community service. Still others might find they have knack or a passion for dealing with people: young, sick, old, handicapped, etc.

“Maybe it’s that they’ll have a career in something someday,” Scott said. Freshman Susanna Shell has been helping babysit autistic children once a month at the medical center, and she’s organized a sign-up sheet for other students to participate. The things learned don’t necessarily have to be so profound, though. “I learned there are a lot of scary people in Fort Valley,” laughed Durst, recounting the consequences of his speeding ticket.

…

Surprisingly, the only hitch Scott has found is getting kids to fill out their community service sheets. “They’re doing the service but they aren’t necessarily getting them back to me,” she said “I have a few seniors who I have no hours recorded for.” She has already begun calling this select group to her office to see if they are on track to finish the requirement, and if not, to work out a plan for them to finish their hours so they don’t end up graduating late. “It may be that they’ve done their hours and haven’t turned them in,” she said, also acknowledging that the majority of the senior class is well on its way to finishing and many are already done. Anyone who doesn’t have any hours needn’t despair yet, as there are opportunities nearly every weekend. Next year the school is adding a few more rules to make sure everyone is earning his or her hours steadily throughout the year. First, everyone must earn 10 hours by February in order to participate in any spring extra-curricular activities. In addition, all summer hours must be turned in by Oct. 1.

Service is good for you For me, the past six months are need-based, except for have been filled with essay academic and community writing, test taking and involvement scholarships. That resume building, and let me gives us kids who don’t have tell you, the latter is enough a perfect GPA or SAT another of a reason to appreciate way to grab some money for the new community service college. requirements. Basically, schools love kids Getting into the college you who have expressed an interest want is a big deal. Nowadays in community service, and now, seemingly everyone has the everyone who graduates from same GPA and the same SAT FPD will have that with which scores, so what’s going to set to build up their resume. VICTORIA VANHUSS you apart from the rest? Another reason I think it was Co-Editor Sure, you might play a good idea to implement a baseball, but unless you play community service requirement baseball along with something else, colleges aren’t is because we were one of the only schools that likely to be impressed. They are looking for “extra” didn’t require service hours. extra-curricular activities. I understand how required community service can They aim to learn as much as they can about you, sound negative to some, but let’s face it, people just and although you might be a spectacular person, don’t volunteer. We get caught up in our to-dos and your personality isn’t going to shine through a piece our lives that we forget about the people who need of paper unless you have great scores, an exceptional help. resume and good teacher recommendations. If more people volunteered on their own time, FPD is a college prep school, and it academically maybe we wouldn’t have to require our students to prepares you for college, but now, the school is also clock service hours every year. trying to prepare you for the college application and Still, it’s good for us. It gets us involved in the scholarship process. community and it lets us see how other people live. Most of us who go to this school are financially This will probably sound cliché, but often when blessed. We may not feel that way, but in comparison students get involved in particular service groups, to most, we are. From what I’ve seen while surfing it makes them really feel good about themselves. It though the scholarship websites, most scholarships really changes people’s perspective sometimes.

Forced labor not cool

…

The best thing about the experience, according to Scott, is how well students have represented FPD in the community. “Every time we go out we get tons of compliments about how hard our students work and their graciousness to the people that they’re serving,” she explained. “They love having us volunteer. That’s why I can call on a Thursday and be part of a project on Saturday.” Out of all the agencies the school has partnered with, the one ministry that Scott really has a passion for is Come to the Fountain, an organization that feeds the homeless in Central City Park. She believes FPD students have become a vital part of it. Several times groups from the school have come early on Sundays and cooked the meals for dinner that evening. The Project Lead students do it almost once a month. Denise Saturna, founder of the ministry, told Scott about a man who’d recently started coming. She said she’d been trying to strike up a conversation with him for about three weeks. “He was always polite but never wanted to speak to her at all other than ‘hello’ and ‘thank you for the meal’,” Scott said. The man’s third time there a group of FPD kids were seving the meal. Saturna looked up and he had three or four students sitting around him. He was smiling, laughing and opening up for the ﬁrst time. “Sometimes it is that people won’t open up to adults but they’ll open up for students,” Scott said. “Our students uniquely contributed.”

TWO VIEWS

Photos by Holly Scott Above, senior Clay Martin scrapes paint off a window ledge. Below, FPD seniors work on a house for Habitat for Humanity as part of the new community service requirements the school has been trying out for the ﬁrst time this year. Jeremy Bullard, Yogi Patel, Lindsay Duncan, Brandon Smith and Logan McDonald prepare to paint.

I ﬁrmly believe that that the only way to enforce community service is a good mandatory hours is to punish us thing to do. for not getting them. I’m just too lazy to do it. The punishment is not Because that’s such a allowing us to graduate, which weak reason to be against I believe is much too harsh, as something, I’ll contest that it’s it’s put on an equal level with inappropriate for it to be forced grades, something schools were onto us, the students, by the actually started for. school. Since criticizing something It’s mostly a matter of without offering an alternative execution, and misguided solution would be pathetic, here emphasis. is my wonderful, spectacular, MORGAN CURTIS The school’s mission perfectly-crafted proposition Staﬀ Writer statement reads, “To educate for a new community service and equip students to change program. the world for God’s glory.” I don’t argue that doing First, it should be called volunteering, because good in the community can’t help to accomplish this, community service is something courts give to but it’s a matter of it being forced upon us. criminals in lieu of a prison sentence. Basically, I don’t think this system is educating I call it volunteering because I think it should and equipping us. I think it’s forcing us. actually be voluntary, not required, and not They should be saying, “This is good, you should something we can be subject to punishment for not do this,” not “This is a requirement to graduate.” doing. Some people may say that as you help out with My idea is that the school should only sponsor organizations like Habitat for Humanity, or maybe service projects. You can’t argue that people an animal shelter or a nursing home, you’ll grow to wouldn’t show up, because students have helped out like it and do it voluntarily. in the past with projects like Run for R.U.N., Project Personally, I’ve disliked every hour of the work Sweat and even the blood drive. I’ve done, which isn’t many hours, but I think The big thing is that it should not be forced, enough to get the right perspective on it. because forcing someone to do something, even a The biggest problem with our current system is good thing, will rarely make them want to do it.

Sports

The Saga

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Page 10

Sports

The Saga

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Page 11

Tennis Fanatic

Senior JoJo Murphy moves downﬁeld. Below, junior Ben DuBose prepares for a fastball down the middle.

Senior Julie Allen is crazy about the sport of tennis.

By OLIVIA NEWSOME Staff Writer

Mary Helen Douglas/The Saga

Ready for the postseason Soccer, baseball, track and golf teams hoping for deep playoff run. Staff reports The girls soccer team has been featured on just about every local television station and newspaper in recent weeks. For good reason. The Lady Vikings have been dominant in their ﬁrst year in the GHSA, having not allowed a goal in the state of Georgia in rolling to a 16-1 record. FPD has outscored its opponents 124-2. The team will host the winner of Thursday’s Wesleyan-Aquinas match on May 3 in the GHSA state playoffs. “I think the thing that makes our girls the most dangerous right now is we’ve got so many girls that can score,” coach Joshua Trieste said. “Our defense is so solid and spread out. On paper I don’t see where teams are going to be able to contend with us. If we’re on we’re going to be really tough to stop.” Senior Rebecca Miller leads the team with 40 goals scored and has already set the school record with 132 goals. Senior Katie Scott has a schoolrecord 34 assists. Strikers Atalia Ramirez (20) and Rachel Ham (17) are the next leading scorers. The boys team has compiled a record of 13-3-2. The Vikings play at

SPORTS ROUNDUP Athens Academy in Friday’s preliminary round of the GHSA state playoffs. The winner will play the state’s top-ranked team, Providence Christian. Senior captain Joseph Neyman is the team’s leading scorer with 23 goals. Senior captain Andy Chambless is the defensive leader with 187 steals. The Vikings have set a school record for goals allowed in a season with 16 and have recorded 10 shutouts, led by starting goalkeeper Jeremy Overman. Baseball The baseball team takes a 13-8 record (7-4 in Region 9-A) into this week’s games. The Vikings have clinched a playoff spot as one of the top four teams in the region. The team has featured a balanced attack led by pitchers Robert Thompson and Patrick Mobley and power hitters Ben DuBose and Tim Stokes. Mobley signed last week with Truett-McConnell College. “It’s been a great ﬁrst year in the GHSA,” coach Jimmy Turner said.

“We’re looking forward to many more.” Golf The golf team won the Region 9-A Championship last week, shooting a round of 324 at Eagles Brooke Country Club. Heidi Park qualified as low medalist individual for the Region 9-A girls, firing an 88. Tennis The boys team reached the state tournament in its first year in the GHSA, dropping a close match to Hebron Christian after beating Mt. Paran in a state preliminary round. The girls bowed out in the region tournament after a solid season. Track and Field The girls team won the sub-region and will compete at the region meet next week. Distance runners Grace Tinkey, Victoria Coppage, Katie O’Quinn, Danielle Ferro and Jessica Smith have paced the team this season. Fran Johnson and Savannah Phil-

lips have performed well in hurdles and Kristin Fillingim has won several meets in the pole vault. The boys team competed in the region meet this week, taking 15 athletes to the event at Mt. Pisgah. The boys state meet is May 5 while the girls state meet will be held May 12.

Summer camps are, in a sense, the ultimate smorgasbord of summertime fun, especially to younger children. It was during such a camp that a 4-year-old Julie Allen ﬁrst discovered her love for tennis. Now, 14 years later, what began as a pastime has become a passion. As a day camp pastime turned into a genuine interest, Allen began to take on a new level of skill. By the age of 10, her days of leisurely tennis were over, and her competitive streak began. “A guy that I took summer camp from suggested that I play in a summer tournament because there was a 10and-under

team that needed some more girls,” Allen laughed as she recalled the memory. From then on, she became a regular on the local tennis scene through participation in lessons and tournaments. Allen joined the varsity FPD tennis team during her eighth grade year where she and her older sister, Kristen, played as a dynamic doubles duo until Kristen’s graduation two years later. “We had never played together as partners before that year,” Allen said. “We were always on separate teams growing up, but when Kristen’s doubles partner graduated, we thought, ‘Why not?’ We ended up balancing each other out really well.” Kristen admitted she had her reservations at first. “Honestly, I wasn’t really excited about being on the same team with my little sister,” she said, “but I soon realized I enjoyed her being there. I’m probably biased, but playing on the school team with Julie was a great experience, and it was probably my favorite year.” Despite the adjustment to becoming teammates, the two girls obviously played well together to have made it to the GISA individual state finals the season of Allen’s ninth grade year. Even with a hurt ankle and a second-place finish to Deerfield-Windsor, she still considers the match to be the proudest moment of her career. “I was mad about losing, but the game ended up being a lot closer than the score reflected because we kept going back and forth between ads and deuce,” she said. “We did get our picture in the paper, though.” Two years later, as a junior, Allen took on a new role when she became a singles player. Despite having played doubles the prior three years, Allen was not fazed. In fact, she played at the No. 1 singles spot the last two seasons. “Julie has been our No. 1 girls player the past two years with reason,” head tennis coach Derek Lashley said. “Her

Photos by Olivia Newsome Above, Allen prepares to serve during a recent practice. Allen was a four-year starter for the Vikings’ tennis team. dedication to the game shows on the court. She never puts the racket down, especially in the off-season. To be successful in this sport, you cannot compete at the top and only play ‘seasonal’ tennis.” Yet even more than her exceptional skill level, it’s her dedication and a positive attitude on the court that make Allen stand out to her teammates and coaches alike. Referencing her trip to last year’s regional tournament semiﬁnals, Lashley recalled the match that illustrates Allen’s character as a player. “Even though she lost a heartbreaker, she played unbelievably,” he said. “You ask your players to leave everything on the court and Julie was a perfect example of that. She played so hard and so long, we thought her next stop was the hospital. My only regret was that I wished the rest of the team could’ve watched the match to see what I mean

by giving me your all from point 1 to match point.” As a former doubles partner, Allen’s sister acknowledges her level of good sportsmanship in her encouragement of fellow team members and desire to give her best at all times. While Allen genuinely enjoys tennis for the competition, she admits there is another reason for her loving the game. “Tennis is just fun,” she said. “You meet a lot of new people playing. It can be social and competitive all at the same time, and I’m deﬁnitely more of a social person which is why I enjoy my summer tennis team so much.” With college looming, Allen, who plans on going into pharmacy, doesn’t think there will be much time to play tennis at a college level. She does, however, intend to continue playing for fun. After all, that is what you do when you truly love something.

The Saga

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Page 12

World famous musicians read The Saga ...

The Saga

With tougher requirements and fewer beneﬁts, the landmark program undergoing changes.

As high school students all across Georgia begin college preparations each year, the HOPE scholarship is an important factor to consider for the families of students staying in-state after graduation. The HOPE scholarship has provided ﬁnancial aid and allowed countless Georgia students to beneﬁt from a cheaper education since it was established in the early 1990s by Gov. Zell Miller, but now families will have to deal with some new changes being made to the scholarship. Until now, if a student had a 3.0 GPA in his core classes upon graduation with AP and Honors weights taken out, he would have had his full tuition covered at state schools, and an estimated $4,000 covered at private schools in the state of Georgia, along with some book fees and other HOPEcovered expenses. The new legislature-approved changes, however, will make things different; HOPE will now be based not on the school’s tuition, but on lottery revenue. As of now, if a student has a 3.0 GPA, the current projections are that HOPE will cover about 90 percent of his tuition rather than the full amount as it has in the past. Also, the scholarship will no longer cover the book fees it has prior to the

BOOK

From page 1

Saga The

First Presbyterian Day School, Macon, Georgia

Special thanks to former FPD student and internationally-known violinist Bobby McDufﬁe (left) and REM bass player Mike Mills. To advertise next year, call 477-6505, Ext. 121.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Page 13

HOPE scholarship changes in effect

By ADRIANA FIGUEROA Staff Writer

Shouldn’t you?

News

about 300 pages long, and it’s not going to look like your average cookbook. It also will contain “Bible verses, blessings and inspirations,” Barry said. “It was very important to the cookbook committee that the cookbook glorify God and not just our school,” Barry said. Barry said the cookbook likely will cost about $24. Come October, the FPD family can look forward to a cookbook unveiling

changes, and it will be lowering the private school allowance from the estimated $4,000 to a projected $3,600. “Essentially it is still very beneﬁcial, and I think for a lot of our families, coming out of a private school situation, it’s still a very reasonable deal for kids with the 3.0 GPA, especially those going to state schools,” college counselor Brad Thompson said of the changes. Students will have to continue to work hard to maintain their 3.0 GPA in college to keep HOPE, though, and should be forewarned that from now on, they will only be able to lose and regain the scholarship once during their collegiate studies. Despite these changes, a new addition to the program, the Zell Miller Scholarship, can essentially recreate the old HOPE for students with a 3.7 high school GPA and a 1,200 critical reading/math score on the SAT or a 26 on the ACT. Students who meet these requirements will be awarded full tuition at state colleges as long as they keep a 3.3 GPA at their school. These won’t be the last amendments to the scholarship, though. Other changes beginning with the graduating class of 2015 will require stricter course work of HOPE scholars, a change that Thompson does not think will be a problem for FPD students. “These classes will be ones that our kids generally take anyway due to the nature of our curriculum, so we don’t think it’s going to require students to plan their schedules differently around the scholarship,” Thompson said. “I think there are changes that deﬁnitely are disappointing to many out there, but I do think Georgia will continue to have a very good scholarship program,” he added.

“The cover is absolutely beautiful.” - FPD mom Jan Barry “gala” where Steve Penley’s artwork likely will be auctioned off. “It’s huge,” Barry said. “It’s going to be great.” Barry said if anyone is interested in testing, editing or prooﬁng, please contact her or cookbook committee members Willa Ham, Lea Lisenby or Traci Johnson.

Cal Powell/The Saga Atlanta attorney and author J. Tom Morgan addresses students.

Author visits FPD J. Tom Morgan, an Atlanta attorney and author, addressed high school students last month in a frank and eye-opening discussion about Georgia state laws that directly affect teens. Morgan speciﬁcally addressed the issues of alcohol, drugs and sex. As a former prosecutor and district attorney, Morgan is no stranger to the workings of the judicial system. After encountering the vast ignorance among Georgia’s teens

and their parents regarding state law, Morgan decided to publish a book “Ignorance is No Defense: A Teenager’s Guide to Georgia Law,” to raise awareness about the legal issues that often entangle teens. “I think that my generation has done a terrible job educating young people about these laws that can get them in serious trouble,” Morgan said. “That’s why we wrote the book.”

- Olivia Newsome

Play opens Thursday FPD Theatre will perform Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” from Thursday-Saturday. The storyline is a recognizable one as it inspired the well-known comedy, “She’s the Man.” For this performance, director Andrew Strickland has stayed true to his form and reset the time period to the Caribbean during the 1700s. Staging the Count Orsino and his crew from a pirate-esque angle gives the play a “Pirates of the

Caribbean” ﬂair. The cast is made up largely of seniors who have participated in numerous school productions. Strickland believes the set will be the biggest in school history. It includes the front of a pirate ship, a dock, a two-story, Caribbean mansion with a functional balcony and a working fountain as well as town buildings. There is no charge for admission.

- Olivia Newsome A massive box of recipes in need of testing sits in the lobby of The MAC in February.

Victoria Vanhuss/ The Saga

Senior spotlight

The Saga

SENIORS’ SUMMER PLANS Amber Raines is going to Peru with Ingleside Baptist church and working at Chick-Fil-A. “I’m excited about graduating because I’m excited to start a new chapter in my life,” she said.

Alyson Wells is going to Wakarusa, a music and camping festival in Arkansas, with her brother and sister. “It’s going to be insanely awesome,” she said. Stuart Veal is working at an RV Park on Lake Sinclair and as the Junior High intern at FPC. Veal will also be a junior counselor at Boys State.

Cody Reeves plans to start up “Clutch Cutters”, his lawn business, and hang out with friends until he has to leave for school. Anna Gainey is going on a mission trip to Nicaragua and going to the Bahamas with her grandmother and two cousins.

FEAGIN

BANKS

Jeremy Bullard plans to spend his summer working at Belk and hanging out before heading off to UGA. Rebecca Miller is working for two weeks on the work crew at the Edge, a camp at Covenant College, going to Project Sweat, an in-town service trip with First Presbyterian Church, and celebrating a summer with no summer reading. Ben Burrell is kicking the summer off by going France with FPD. Later on in the summer he’s going on a mission trip to Puerto Rico. Leah Sexton is hoping to go on a few trips this summer. She’s currently looking for a summer job, but is most excited about going to college and seeing the world.

Martha Banner Banks will be going to France with the FPD group and then will work as a parttime nanny until leaving for college. Sydney Causey will be working at Dickey Farms in Musella.

RAINES

BULLARD

Emily Gettmann will also be going on the FPD trip to France. Marissa McCranie will attend UGA orientation, buying cute stuff for her dorm room and not summer reading.

GOLDIN

SEXTON

Maggie Feagin’s plans include trips to New York, St. Simons Island, Harry Potter World and, ﬁnally, Athens. Samuel Douglas hopes to work at the Ingleside Baptist Church bookstore.

BRAGG

Michael Bragg is working at First Presbyterian Church as a Children’s Ministry Intern, developing activities, teaching, music, and skits for kids, among other things. “It’s a full time job, but it’ll be good because I’m about to go off to school. I’m really excited,” he said. Emily Sparks will take a year off to serve as an au pair in Australia.

DOUGLAS

Devin Lavender hopes to attend the University of Georgia’s band camp.

Heather Langston is going to serve as maid of honor in her cousin’s wedding and will later move to North Carolina to help care for some friends. Scott Howard plans to attend Project Sweat with First Presbyterian Church and will also serve as a room leader for the church’s middle school camp, The Edge, at Lookout Mountain in Tennessee. John White will work at Idle Hour.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Page 14

College choices University of Georgia Michael Bragg Jeremy Bullard Andy Chambless AJ Dalal Trey Dozier Maggie Feagin Jared Foxworth Emily Gettmann Anna Harris Kristen Hobbs Devin Lavender Rebekah Leach Trey Lowery Clay Martin Marissa McCranie Olivia Newsome Buck Patton Robert Peavy Meredith Pierce Ben Scurry Alyson Wells Kennesaw State Ashley Blann Caitlyn Bowman Clark Putnal Leah Sexton Alex Sloope North Georgia College Theron Bassett Will Crawford Georgia College & State University Maddie Calloway Meredith Conger Lindsay Duncan Scott Howard Haleigh Jones Tyler Lewis Victoria Vanhuss Colby Watson John White Kelly Woods

South Georgia College Murray Ricketson Southern Polytechnic State Caleb Anderson Logan McDonald Georgia Military College Heather Langston Holly Langston Emily Peavy Truett-McConnell College Patrick Mobley Toccoa Falls College Amber Raines Berry College Anna Gainey Matthew Goldin Georgia Tech Jessica Boazman Emory University Brandon Smith Auburn University Kristin Ingram JoJo Murphy Joseph Neyman Katie Scott Stephen Snyder University of Alabama Jonathan Millwood Samford University Julie Allen Samuel Douglas Elliott Fuerniss The Citadel Taylor Bridges

The Saga After establishing herself as a tennis pro, Julie Allen goes on to create the next trading card sensation.

Anna Gainey joins the Green movement and plants tons of trees.

Caleb Anderson conquers Azeroth and asserts himself as Lich King.

Emily Gettmann creates an Asian Utopia and reigns over her subjects with a kind heart.

Amelia Ballard becomes the real life Amelia Bedelia. Martha Banner Banks has a salad bar in her car. Theron Bassett turns his swag switch on to have more swagger than Zach Shealy. Ashley Blann discovers her love of heavy metal music. Jessica Boazman tumbles from class to class at Georgia Tech. Caitlyn Bowman falls. Again. Kali Boyle gives up a promising Anthropology career to guest star on Glee. Michael Bragg ﬁnds someone to give all his love to. Taylor Bridges acquires superpowers from the lead that Mary Claire stabbed into his ﬁnger in his early childhood. Jeremy Bullard opens a pancake shop for dogs. Ben Burrell legally changes his name to Broshinski and dominates everyone. Maddie Calloway become a cheerleader for the Atlanta Thrashers. Cameron Carter buys a top of the line bicycle to avoid putting miles on his prized Mustang. Sydney Causey opens a clothing line specializing in high-end Snuggies. Andy Chambless collects priceless stamps.

Senior Predictions

Wesley Gilbert replaces the guy who plays Malfoy in the Harry Potter films. Matthew Goldin moves to South Africa to herd and breed wombats. Jeremy Greene invents a new sport called “Bull Hockey.” Anna Harris moves to Santa Fe to sell her paintings. Kristen Hobbs becomes the crazy cat lady. Scott Howard becomes a sought after bodyguard/ bouncer in LA. Kristen Ingram opens a coffee shop that serves only redheads. After becoming known internationally as DJZJ, Zane Jarvis comes back to host all of the FPD dances. Fran Johnson finally gets a hippopotamus for Christmas. Haleigh Jones is featured on Animal Hoarders for owning too many bunnies. Heather Langston drives Hollie around for the next 30 years. Hollie Langston finally gets her license, but never uses it. Devin Lavender is led by his lips to great fame and critical attention. Rebekah Leach stars in a Dixie Chicks tribute show in Vegas.

Photo by Andrew Brooks

Class of

2011

Rebecca Miller snaps and goes to live in the Shire after not being cast in The Hobbit. Jonathan Millwood opens a four-star restaurant with an extensive list of customers. Patrick Mobley opens a successful business called Cats-B-Gone. Cole Moore joins the WWE and is known as “The Joker.” Tyler Mullis takes over the world. JoJo Murphy becomes America’s Next Top Model because of her ability to smile with her eyes. Through a miracle of science, Olivia Newsome literally becomes Natalie Portman. Joseph Neyman adds a water buffalo to his collection of regular buffaloes. Josh O’ Quinn takes over as lead screamer for the band A Day to Remember.

Georgia Southwestern Anderson Putnal

University of Mississippi Kali Boyle

Georgia Southern Amelia Ballard Cameron Carter Sydney Causey Stephen Coon Garrick Durst Wesley Gilbert Zane Jarvis Liza Jane Mangum Caity Marxsen Shelly Meadows Josh O’Quinn Mary Claire Patterson William Putnal Tim Stokes Cami Suttles Robert Thompson Taylor Westbury

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical U. Tyler Mullis

Stephen Coon becomes a skinny jeans model.

Brigham Young University Ben Lefholz

Will Crawford moves to Crawford County.

Tyler Lewis is banned from So You Think You Can Dance for moves described as “too intense.”

Colorado School of Mines Evan Place

AJ Dalal takes the tradition of Spirit Week across the world to New Delhi.

Trey Lowery becomes the next Travis Barker.

After four years of college, Buck Patton starts his own fraternity, later becoming a four-time Masters champion, winning $4 million.

Samuel Douglas stumbles upon a fullbody mirror and is never seen again.

Taylor Maddox eventually becomes the boss.

Emily Peavy comes back to FPD to be the softball coach.

Trey Dozier marries a 10th grade cutie.

Liza Jane Mangum comes back to coach the FPD cheerleading team.

Robert Peavy becomes a serious jazz musician.

Clay Martin ﬁnally hits his growth spurt.

Meredith Pierce owns a bunny farm.

Caity Marxsen takes Mrs. Gray’s place as dance team captain and the spirit of gutentag lives on.

Evan Place becomes a motivational speaker who specializes in “keeping it short.”

Marissa McCranie starts her own knitting empire, specializing in sweaters for puppies.

Alex Prather Beyonce’s background dancer. Her only background dancer.

William & Mary Stuart Veal Macon State College Taylor Maddox Cole Moore Yogi Patel Mercer University Jeremy Greene

Belmont University Adriana Figueroa Vanderbilt University Zach Shealy University of Virginia Martha Banner Banks Valdosta State Fran Johnson Rebecca Miller Cody Reeves Undecided Ben Burrell Alex Prather Emily Sparks

Meredith Conger goes to Congo.

Lindsay Duncan opens a donut shop and against all expectations names it Lindsay’s Donuts. Garrick Durst owns a chain of Sonics. Unlike Sarah Palin, Maggie Feagin actually ﬁnishes her term as governor of Alaska. Adriana Figueroa continues to eat like a baby dinosaur but never grows larger. Jared Foxworth … well ... Elliott Fuerniss gets his hair chemically straightened.

Ben Lefholz becomes a country singer whose top hit is “My Boo.”

Logan McDonald starts a farm, e-i-ei-o. Shelley Meadows changes her name to “Beth,” formerly known as “Shelley,” formerly known as “Shelley Beth.”

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Page 15

Yogi Patel discovers a whole new world. Mary Clair Patterson becomes a popular trainer in Statesboro.

Anderson Putnal adopts a dancing penguin. Clark Putnal wins The Next Great Baker and works alongside Buddy Valastro, the Cake Boss.

William Putnal returns to FPD to help out his mom in the elementary building. Amber Raines moves to Peru to do mission work with children. Cody Reeves wins the MegaMillions and gives $100 to Coach Ed. Murray Ricketson gets down on Friday. Katie Scott spends her life fist-pumping with Snookie on the Jersey Shore. Ben Scurry finally gets a new tennis racquet. Leah Sexton plays in the WNBA and becomes known for her psychedelic socks. Zach Shealy spends his time searching the world for other people named Zach Shealy and congratulating them. Alex Sloope starts a “pimp my uniform” store on campus. Brandon Smith grows up to own a chain of Taco Bells. Stephen Snyder gives up engineering to pursue modeling, patenting his famous side looks. Emily Sparks becomes very involved in PETA. Tim Stokes moves to Russia for reasons unknown. Cami Suttles finds herself compelled to open a Chuck-E-Cheese’s. Robert Thompson sinks his truck in a mudhole. Victoria Vanhuss becomes a journalist under the alias of “Scarlet Rumble.” After trying and failing to be adopted by Dr. Carreker, Stuart Veal becomes William & Mary’s latest “perpetual student.” Colby Watson writes, directs and stars in Monty Python: The American Adaptation. Alyson Wells eventually becomes one big dread. Taylor Westbury achieves her lifetime ambition of becoming the manager of Big Time Rush. John White trades in his Honda Fit for a golf cart to get better gas mileage. Kelly Woods becomes the first Real Housewife of St. Simons.

Features

The Saga

A makeover story

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Page 16

Two students agreed to undergo a sort of fashion experiment with the help of resident expert, FPD junior Pearce Groover. I have provided Kristen Hobbs and Zachary Shealy as examples of the wonders of the subtleties and perfectly-sized clothing. For Kristen, I chose a blue blouse which is rather amorphous on the body, hiding much of her figure, but, paired with the belted shorts, the shapelessness of the blouse is negated. As for the cardigan, well, what ensemble doesn’t look good with a summer cardigan, especially one with safari shorts? The entire success of this outfit is in the fit of the clothes, with the auxiliary complements of color, the blue and the taupe, two classic combinations, highlighting the

blues in Kristen’s skin. For Zachary, I chose a southern summer classic: an informal seersucker blazer with jeans. Seersucker looks great on anyone, especially as a jacket (just as long as the jacket ﬁts!), with a dark wash jean (the dark wash is all the rage in Europe); the sherbet orange

Kristen Hobbs Unfortunately, my fashion sense has suffered quite a bit since uniforms forced their way into my day-to-day life. Effort that would usually be spent keeping up with ever-fluctuating trends was tossed aside and jeans, T-shirts, and the occasional strange hat became my typical attire. No branching out, no revolutionary statements. I was all about comfort. So of course I was a bit nervous when I was asked to be The Saga’s new fashion guinea pig. My initial response was ‘Why me?’ After pondering it a while I realized I am actually in dire need of guidance in this field, so I decided to go along with it. Why not? Surprisingly enough, the whole ordeal turned out to be fairly helpful and informative, even to a completely apathetic and fashionignorant girl like myself. I learned all sorts of bizarre things, like there are specific colors people will always look good in and certain types of fabrics and cuts will always complement specific body shapes. When I actually tried the clothes on, I learned that fashion could actually be enjoyable and comfortable. Shopping can be fun if you actually know what you’re looking for. Who knew? No more returning empty-handed and dejected from frustrating trips to the mall. So, although I’m still a bit lost when it comes to the whole fashion thing, I walk away from this makeover experience far more open-minded than I was before. Who knows, perhaps I’ll even step away from the T-shirts for a while.

of the shirt works well with the olive tones in Zachary’s skin. So the next time you go shopping and feel lost or alone amidst the imposing sales ladies and bright lights, then stop and think. Choose something you love and ask for the dressing room. Try on the garment, adjust and look; really, really look. And if your breath is not taken away, then grab the hanger and leave. Fit makes the ensemble, but you have to love it to enjoy it. Special thanks to the folks at Express!

Before Zach Shealy

- Pearce Groover

The concept of this project is that Kristen and I get “makeovers,” face, hair, clothes – as if the two of us are ugly and fashion-challenged. In the end my contribution to the idea was trying on some clothes that Pearce picked out at Express at The Shoppes at River Crossing. After awkwardly getting the employee to unlock the dressing room, I gazed upon the various items lain before me. First were some slick jeans. I slid them on then turned my attention to the pink-ish orange-ish peach-ish shirt. You know how when you buy a dress shirt at the store it’s folded up with cardboard and needles all in it and stuff? Yeah, I felt real nasty mean undoing all the intricate folding considering we weren’t planning on making a purchase. Then came the tie, which matched the shirt impeccably and took about nine tries to tie so that the fat part was longer than the skinny part. The point is, all the stuff I tried on made me look fairly dashing, and even a tad smashing, but it was way out of my price range. See, if it costs me hundreds of dollars to up my fashion status, it’s really not worth it to me. I mean, maybe one day I’ll be a wealthy banker or something with the finances to style up my bod, but until then I’ll keep dressing in my usual way: striped hoodie, “relaxed fit” jeans, and flimsy flip-flops. Back to my earlier point about being ugly. Kristen certainly isn’t and I like to think I’m not, but the truth is we didn’t really get faceovers or whatever, so there is no telling how fabulously beauteous our faces could potentially have become. I guess that part of it will have to be left to the imagination.