The Saga

Vikings take on Whitefield in Smyrna tonight.

Page 15.

FRIDAY October 8, 2010

The

Saga

Softball a huge part of Luci Allen’s life. Page 14.

First Presbyterian Day School, Macon, Georgia

Fine Arts building set for makeover

By COLBY WATSON Staff Writer

Victoria Vanhuss/The Saga First-year English teacher Belinda Yu is also an accomplished violinist who performed with the Boston Civic Symphony. Below, she performs “Happy birthday” for one of her students.

Daring to Dream English teacher Belinda Yu has a history of pursuing her passions.

By ZACH SHEALY Co-Editor She was living out her dreams in Boston.

Three years earlier, a young Belinda Yu had wedged her violin into the backseat of her car and began the long drive from her parents’ home in Florida to Boston.

She knew no one in the city.

All she had was a willingness to take a step of faith and the name of a teacher she wanted to study under. Now, after working to establish herself in Boston’s professional music scene, Yu was playing in the Boston Civic Symphony, performing chamber music recitals and teaching private lessons on the side. She had achieved what most classical musicians only ever dream of: a career.

Then it all came crashing down.

One fateful evening, as Yu rigorously

practiced for an upcoming solo performance at the Longy School of Music, the unthinkable happened.

A perfectionist, she had been practicing one of Bach’s solo sonatas for three hours straight, forgoing any kind of rest or break.

Then, in a tragic freak accident, Yu severely cramped the muscles in her wrist. Just like that, her music career was over.

Her life almost immediately changed direction.

Yu moved to California and got her master’s degree in journalism in one year, then moved to Wisconsin for an internship with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Next, she signed on with CNN as a video journalist.

During all this, however, she developed a passion for something entirely different from journalism and music: teaching.

She had taught sporadically through the years. In Atlanta she tutored kids in English as well as violin. She had actually majored in English at Duke for her undergraduate degree, with a minor in music.

After a year teaching the orchestra at a school in Atlanta, Yu once again set out to a place she had never been: a small town called Macon; more specifically, a small, private, Christian school called First Presbyterian Day School.

Please see DREAM, page 13

With the chorus program forced into the lecture hall, art and music classes scattered throughout campus and no real rehearsal room for the dance team, plans are in the works to address these needs.

Fine arts director Andrew Strickland has high hopes to start breaking ground on an expansion of the fine arts building by the beginning of next fall.

“The need is huge,” Strickland said. “We can’t just stand aside and hope it’ll come soon.”

“It’s probably going to be done in two phases,” he continued. “The start of the plan would be to make sure we had rooms for the things we desperately need.”

This would include things like a new elementary music room, a place for chorus to gather, a rehearsal room for the dance team and a new and bigger art room.

“The first phase is for using what we immediately need, and then as the building expands it will start to do some improvement of the area we have right now but could also really use some expansion,” Strickland said.

“Exactly what the building will look like is still very much in planning stages right now,” Strickland said, “but we know it is going to house all of these fine arts programs that don’t currently have a home and that it will ultimately become a space to support what we already have.”

Strickland said the cost of the expansion is going to be considerable.

Many private donations already have been sent, Strickland said.

“We’re creeping up to having enough to break ground,” he said. “There’s already been a lot of interest and initial support. I don’t know what the current number is now but it’s high.”

The planned expansion should only enhance the overall fine arts program, Strickland said.

“I can’t see it not improving,” he said. “The arts are growing so well, even in our current limitations, that it is a very exciting thought what we’re going to see once some of those limitations are gone.”

One teacher who is particularly excited about the expansion plan is Lydia Gray, Spanish teacher and head coach of FPD’s dance team.

“Right now the dance practices are either outside or on the brick floor in the fine arts lobby,” she said. “It‘ll be completely revolutionizing for the team to have a place that has the surface we need but will also have a location where we can close the door and not have distractions around.”

Please see MAKEOVER, page 13

Opinions

The Saga

Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 Page 2

Five excellent sites for hours of surfing

Art by Adriana Figueroa

Staff Editorial

FPD always growing If you take a look outside your classroom window, you might notice a few changes.

Over the past few years, the FPD family has steadily grown. In fact, we’ve almost reached maximum capacity, and as a result, we’re having to adjust.

In case you haven’t noticed the countless construction workers, the weight room is undergoing a muchneeded expansion. Along with the expansion, all of the equipment is being replaced.

Unfortunately, until its completion, athletes are forced to work out in the

MAC. For more information, check out page 14.

We also now have our very own Mac lab because of the increased size of The Saga, the yearbook staff and the broadcasting team.

But that’s not all.

Page one features the plans for a fine arts expansion that includes a much-needed dance room and improved sound system.

We encourage you to read over these stories, then let us know what you think in the next edition.

Information on how to write a letter to the editor is below.

The

Saga

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

In sixth grade, I discovered the Internet. Oh, I’d heard of it before. I’d probably even been on it before. But it wasn’t until that year that I discovered it.

See, in elementary school I was addicted to video games, and my parents limited me to 30 minutes of video games each weekend.

I lived for those 30 minutes – the other 10,050 minutes of the week I prepared myself mentally for my upcoming video game time-slot and reminisced on previous adventures with my best friends Donkey Kong and Super Mario and William the Conqueror (yes, I played historical computer games).

I learned the subtle ways of extending my limit, such as “forgetting” to start the timer or playing the old “I gotta get to the save point, mom!” trick.

Anyway, about the time I became a sixth grader my fanaticism started to mellow out. Granted, nothing was going to replace ’em, but I had found something just as fun: online instant messaging, most notably AIM. I could log on to AIM and chat with people and create fake accounts and pretend to be someone else and edit my profile to look all snazzy and colorful and go into anonymous chat rooms and make Zach Shealy friends with strangers from across the country.

Co-editor I had several screen names, but my favorite was freezingHOTamI, closely followed by my most-used one – a bunch of random letters. Frankly, I was developing another addiction: the Internet. It was better than video games because it was real ... somewhat.

In seventh grade I ditched AIM and made a trashy-looking MySpace page and in eighth grade I lied about my age and created a Facebook account, which is where I’ve been ever since.

What makes Facebook unique these days is that nearly everybody has one.

The way it keeps everyone connected is fascinating.

But what if I told you that Facebook wasn’t the best “social networking” site on the Internet? Would you believe me? Whether you believe me or not, the best “social networking” site on the Net is Twitter, which brings me to the list this column was supposed to be about in the first place. Without further ado, it’s … Zach Shealy’s Five Favorite Web sites! ~ Do you want to know why Facebook is better than Myspace? It’s because MySpace is too cluttered – there’s too much dumb stuff all over everyone’s profiles. I mean, go look at a MySpace profile and try to keep your eyes inside your sockets amidst all the blinking lights and annoying music. It’s hard.

One of my five favorite Web sites isn’t Facebook though, it’s Twitter.com.

Basically, Twitter is to Facebook what Facebook is to MySpace.

Twitter is simpler than everything else. It’s minimal and attractive, and celebrities use it.

It’s like if you took everything away from Facebook except the status updates. No Farmville or massive photo albums or annoying little children trying to open chat windows with you. No “Zach Shealy likes Michael Bolton.”

OK, all those things are fine, but honestly, less is more. The only reason I’m still on Facebook is the amount of people who use it: My Facebook account has exactly 20 times as many friends as my Twitter.

Have you bought a CD in the past that maybe you’ve outgrown? I mean, you can’t stay an N’Sync fan forever. Maybe, like me, you’re embarrassed about owning the entire Twilight series in shiny hardcover. If anything like this applies to you, the newly-renamed swap.com is the place for you.

Log on to swap.com, list all the old games and movies and CDs you have but don’t want anymore and then see what other people don’t want and trade your junk for their junk. Within five minutes of signing up, I swapped my Crystal Method for Kanye West. The next day my Thousand Foot Krutch went for a Jeff Buckley.

So, instead of burning your finished paperback copies of Moby Dick and Beloved, swap them for Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman and the latest Scissor Sisters disc.

For brevity’s sake, my other three favorite sites are pitchfork.com, xkcd. com, and zachals.blogspot.com.

The Saga

Opinions

Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 Page 3

g ee Don’t bother watching

It’s must-see TV

On May 19, 2009 a television phenomenon was born.

A year or so ago a television “phenomenon” was vomited into the laps of American viewers.

Glee, a musical comedy series highlighting a fictional high The only thing more disgusting than the image I just gave you is the show itself. A school show choir, has now attracted the outrageous support of typical episode of this debacle they’re calling Glee consists of several terrible automore than 13 million viewers in just one season. tuned covers of random pop songs strung together by With captivating high failed attempts at humor. school drama, superb musical Here’s an example of one of the jokes: “You want to interpretations and lighthearted name my daughter Jack Daniels? She’s a girl!” Ha ha subject matter, Glee appeals to ha, Glee. That’s comedy right there. a wide demographic.

Much to the thinking person’s surprise, though, for I will admit that when I first some reason Glee is really popular. I’d like to argue heard the general concept of that it has the potential to destroy society.

Glee I was skeptical.

When I first heard about the show, I was excited. I Who really wants to waste love high school, and I love musicals, and I thought an hour of their time watching High School Musical could have been a little better. social outcasts sing and dance I tuned in to the pilot with sweaty hands and high about their problems? expectations.

But after several weeks of But then, the pilot was terrible, so I was sad. I was persuasion from friends and ready to go complain about it to anyone else who’d family, I reluctantly agreed to watched it, expecting similar responses to such a watch an episode. missed opportunity. That’s when I found out everybody Ten minutes into the Lady loved it.

Gaga episode, I found myself I watched more episodes to give it a chance, but the Zach Shealy and Molly McCoy sitting on the edge of my seat show got worse. I gave up on it. When anyone talked watching in awe and suspense about how much they “loved” Glee, I cringed on the as music and the joys and outside and died on the inside. struggles of high school students came to life on my television After stewing on what drives my hatred for the show, I realize it all comes back to screen. one little thing, and it’s not the story or the characters or the subject matter.

From that moment forward, I became a fan.

I mean, that’s really just filler for in between the songs, right? Right. In fact, what Unfortunately, after stewing on what drives my obsession, really makes the show horrible are the songs themselves.

I found it hard to communicate what aspects of the show I Songs on Glee are created using a three-step process: 1) Choose popular song. enjoyed most.

2) Record cast member(s) singing popular song. 3) Drown recording in extreme Most viewers would probably agree that Glee is similar to amounts of production. most any other comedic drama on TV. The sad thing is, most of the cast members are actually really good singers, and Cliché relationships, predictable drama and a ‘High School they don’t need all the production.

Musical’ like atmosphere are presented week after week with One of the worst offenders is when during the Lady Gaga episode the glee club put little variation. on a performance of “Bad Romance,” which is already an over-produced monstrosity Other viewers regard Glee as an overly-striking display of (which I sort of dig). corny melodies and annoying characters.

Glee’s version had each character singing different lines from the song, but the Some dedicated Glee fanatics would argue that the show production made every character sound exactly the same. If you bought the download presents a fresh, unique perspective regarding high school life, off iTunes, you wouldn’t be able to tell by listening which character sang each line. which other dramatic comedies on television fail to address.

Males and females alike, they all had the same voice: Lady Gaga’s.

Me watching was an extended rapid-fire cringe-fest. I don’t think I’ve ever cringed By focusing on the lives of typically-ignored fine arts so much in my life. I cringed so much I started to enjoy cringing. students, Glee presents life from the perspective of a social Molly is wrong about why she likes Glee. She lists three reasons for her obsession: castaway. it relates to her life, it’s easy to grasp and it encompasses a wide variety of styles.

Others would say that Glee masters the proper balance of One of those things is true: it is an easy show to grasp, because there really isn’t comedy, music and drama. Glee even tends to stage some of the much to it. It’s not like Lost, which required a ridiculous amount of attention and most vivid musical performances and wardrobe endeavors. devotion to even understand what was going on.

While I enjoy Glee for all of the stated reasons above, and But when Molly says that the presence of “multiple high school stereotypes such as even tend to agree with many of the negative aspects of the the cheerleader, goth, or jock ... guarantees that you will be able to relate.” show, my primary obsession for Glee is not that simply stated.

I take issue. Am I a stereotype? Am I just some nerd? Is Molly just some preacher’s After pondering my attachment to Glee, it hit me. kid?

My infatuation with the show seems to circle back to a central Because every character is an overblown stereotype, any sense of realism is blown concept: I enjoy watching shows that relate to my life, provide out the window. The show defeats the very cause it is trying to promote (being true to easy-to-grasp entertainment and encompass a wide variety of yourself) by having the cheerleaders wear their uniforms everywhere and by having styles. the jocks be jocks and the goths goths.

With Glee you get something new every week. From the OK, so you say they “find their identity in glee club, through singing and dancing!”

Phantom of the Opera to Journey, Glee doesn’t miss a beat.

No they don’t. Singing and dancing like Lady Gaga makes you Lady Gaga, nothing Multiple high school stereotypes such as the cheerleader, goth else. or jock, seem to merge together to form one cohesive show.

The real reason people like Glee is that it goes down easy and inspires a tingling That one fact pretty much guarantees that you will be able to sensation in the stomach. But hey, I could say the same thing about swallowing relate to someone in Glee’s cast. squids.

Although the premise of the show might be the same, a new To conclude, Glee is exceptionally bad and I give it two thumbs down. I am jealous theme, musical presentation and dramatic twist is presented in of you, reader, for liking it, though, because every now and then I really do consider every episode. selling my soul to be a part of the crowd.

The Saga

Opinions

Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 Page 4

A few options to get rid of pesky creepers You are still growing up and maturing, so please don’t let a boy destroy that for you.

How do I stop someone from creeping on me?

Anna: Well, it starts with a hello, and then they ask you for your number.

You like the attention and the two of you start texting, and then the stalking starts. Your creeper keeps texting you, and even when you don’t text back, they don’t pick up on the hint.

This never-ending cycle will drive you insane.

They will start following you everywhere, asking about your whereabouts and stalking your friends.

They’ll know your schedule, and they will be concerned with every aspect of your life. One way to stop a creeper is to file a restraining order, which can be time-consuming and unnecessary.

Another way to stop the creeping is to find your dedicated lover someone who can return their love.

That way your creeper will get off your back and will have someone else in his life, other than his mom, who actually loves him.

Morgan: Creepers are awesome. I am one.

Just go out with him. If he thinks you’re important enough to creep on, then he’ll probably be a great boyfriend. Most women don’t understand this, but it’s totally true.

I mean, I know that I’d be a great boyfriend.

Think about it this way: if he’s creeping on you, it doesn’t just mean that he’s attracted to you. It means that he thinks you’re the most important thing in the entire world. Thus, you’ve got yourself a boytoy.

He’ll do your homework, and he’ll buy you jewelry.

Yeah, he might do some creepy stuff like tell you that he loves you or ask for a signed picture of you, but in this case, I think the benefits outweigh the concerns. Trust me.

Morgan: According to Disney Channel, the appropriate age is like 4.

I had my first girlfriend in preschool. I haven’t had one since, but I still think I am an authority on the subject.

I almost had another girlfriend in middle school, but I never asked her out.

So pretty much as long as you have the guts to talk to the opposite sex, then you’re old enough to date.

Anna Gainey and Morgan Curtis How old do you think I should be to start dating?

Anna: Well, I think you should be older.

When you’re 13, what are you going to do? Have your mom drop you off at the movies to hang out?

That’s not really a date.

My advice is that you should just be friends and wait to date until you’re in college.

You probably think I sound like your mother right now, but I promise waiting until you’re older is the smartest thing.

When you’re in high school, you think everything is going to last and that everything will be perfect, but most of the time it doesn’t work out that way.

Once you graduate you will be far away from each other and the relationship will fizzle out. You do not want to do this.

Not only will you miss out on your high school career, but you will be so worried about your relationship that you will skip out on amazing opportunities with your friends.

How do I stop people from talking about me?

Anna: Well, I think you should go and confront them.

There may be a fear of them verbally attacking you, but they probably talk about you because they are envious.

They want to take you down, and the only way they know how to do this is by talking about you to others.

They turn everyone against you because it makes them feel better on the outside, but really they are hurting inside.

To cover this up, though, they just spread rumors about you.

To stop this, I would tell them how it makes you feel because they should know that it is hurting you. Even though they may already know, tell them again!

Morgan: I have this same problem, and I realize it’s because I talk too much.

Now, there are two ways to fix your problem. One is by making them say good things about you, or you can make them say nothing about you.

I prefer the latter, as the former is much too difficult.

Thus, I advise you not to say anything, do anything or look at anyone.

This way, nobody will have anything to say about you. People might think that you never do or say anything, but if you think this, you’re just flattering yourself.

People only talk about interesting people, and as long as you make an effort to be the most boring person on the planet, they hopefully won’t talk about you.

Art by Adriana Figueroa

The Saga

Opinions

Here’s how to be chill At the end of manage numbers 1 Kanye West’s and 2 on any given official remix to day. his new single, Top three things “Power,” one of that are not chill: the guest artists 1. Applying to says “chill” like college.

10 or 15 times.

2. Mowing your “Chill, chill, chill, lawn. chill, man. Chill, 3. Reading Zach Shealy ‘Yeah, chill,” he novels.

Co-editor says.

Now, this list I’ll admit might inspire some Kanye probably does need to chill, controversy. A lot of you out there bebut so does everyone else. Everybody lieve reading novels is a chill thing to everywhere just needs to chill. Like, do, because you’re sitting down and kick it in a chair for a few minutes, everything. But it’s actually not very world. Grab some pretzels or somechill. Reading a novel requires a lot of thing and chill. It’ll do you some concentration and thinking, unlike lisgood, for real. tening to Radiohead or checking you As I write this, I’m listening to this mailbox. Now, reading a magazine or band called Radiohead, just chillin’. a newspaper is pretty chill, and so is One of their CDs just randomly came reading novels in public places, so I in the mail to me today, so I’m just guess it really depends on the context. sittin’ here listenin’ to it. It’s not really Next, I’d like to address the chillthat chill of a CD, but it’s pretty chill ness of mowing your lawn. Yeah, you just sittin’ here listenin’ to it. have to go outside to do it, which is Top three things that are chill: chill, but once you start the mower it 1. Going outside. becomes loud. Loud is not chill in this 2. Checking the mailbox for mail. scenario.

3. Finding a Radiohead CD in your Another thing that is chill is lowermailbox. case letters. I realized this just now, Because I just did all three of those and I would go back and change all things, today is chill. I realize No. 3 is the capital letters to lowercase, but probably only a one-time occurrence it’s chiller just to leave what I already for most people, but anyone can easily have.

Facebook stalking easy Facebook my dad had with is amazing this woman he and presents went to elementary a unique school with. opportunity to 2. They call you know everything and when you about someone ask how they got without them your number they knowing. say “Facebook!”

Before If they actually Facebook, the admit this it means Morgan Curtis risks of stalking they’re totally were high. You’d stalking you, trust Staff Writer have to follow me. them around or hide in the tree across 3. They comment on your glamour from their house, and the second you shots. See, it’s alright for a woman to got caught you’d be labeled a creeper comment on another woman’s picture, for life. But now with Facebook, all but when some dude writes something those problems are a thing of the past. like, “Wow, your hair looks amazing,” Because it’s so easy to stalk people or “Your eyes are so blue,” you have a nowadays, its good to be able to stalker on your hands. identify who’s creeping. I sat behind 4. They chat with nothing in this dude in a computer class who paticular to say. For example, this girl would check out this girl’s pictures I know had a stalker who would say every day for the entire year, so I’m “I love you,” and then a little after sort of an expert on the subject. I’ve that he would say, “I didn’t mean to included a quick checklist to identify say that.” Scary. stalkers.

After reading this I’m sure some of 1.They liked something you did you may be telling yourself, “Woah.. over a month ago. Even a week ago I totally have a stalker …” and others makes them suspect because they “Woah, I’m totally a stalker …” were totally checking your page If you have one, read the advice out. Similar to liking something you column. If you are one then just don’t did a couple of months ago is liking do anything that I mentioned in my everything you do, which is a problem list and nobody will ever know.

Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 Page 5

TWO YEARS LATER, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT UNIFORMS?

By Morgan Curtis “Waking up and putting on the Sunshine uniforms just brightens my day.”

James Watwood Junior

“It feels like more people are getting confortable with the uniforms now.”

Garrett Childers Sophomore

“I don’t like our uniforms now. We should have gone straight-up prep school. That would have been mega epic.”

Stuart Veal Senior “The uniforms are a lot easier because you just wake up and put on clothes.”

Maddie Anderskow Junior “The uniforms are just alright, but they’re not really my favorite. Daniel Jones pulls it off.”

Madison Arnett Sophomore

“I doesn’t bother me that we have to wear the uniforms.”

Joseph Brittain Junior

News

The Saga

Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 Page 6 Eagle Scout Joshua Shealy kayaks down the Hiwassee River with his Boy Scout troop. The Boy Scouts of America, founded in 1910, is an organization focused on leadership, citizenship and outdoor activity. Many students at FPD are active members of various local troops. Below, Troop 170 hikes along the trail at Blood Mountain.

Special to The Saga

A window to the outdoors Being a Boy Scout is about a lot more than you might think.

By KRISTEN HOBBS Staff Writer Extensive travel, fine dining and close encounters with bears – not three things typically associated with Boy Scouts, right?

You’d be surprised.

Commonly perceived as a club dedicated to molding the youth into self-sufficient members of society, Boy Scouts has accomplished far more for those involved.

“People probably just think of a bunch of kids sitting around tying knots and whatnot,” Eagle scout Seth Vanhuss explained. “But it’s really more than that.”

It’s a dedication that focuses on introducing boys to all spheres of the real world, from wilderness survival to finance management to the mastery of basic domestic skills.

Food preparation especially is heralded as an art.

“It’s always interesting to see the kids who are really good cooks in the patrol and their parents don’t even know it,” said Dr. Barry Shealy, scoutmaster of local Troop 170. “One case, recently, a kid wanted to make sure no one told his parents because he might end up having to cook at home.”

Ironically, scouts test their domestic skills in the remotest locations as they roam to all corners of the country to put survival tactics to recreational use.

“Most people think we do things that aren’t really exciting,” senior Eagle scout Matthew Goldin said.

“But in reality we go on pretty crazy trips ... there is always something exciting about it.” Whether backpacking through rugged New Mexico terrain or camping mere miles from home, Boy Scouts are prone to experience a few unpredictable twist.

Encounters with wild critters seem to be common.

“We just came back from a camping trip where one of the adult leaders stepped on a copperhead,” former committee chairman Tom Vanhuss said.

“The snake struck, but luckily it only got the foam on the top of his boot. He kicked it away and then he took the fishing pole and snagged the thing ... we had copperhead for lunch. Don’t waste!”

Troop 170 has had quite a few run-ins with formidable creatures, from stumbling across a stray

bear to canoeing through swamps teeming with alligators.

“That made those dawn and dusk hours a little eerie,” Shealy said about the alligators. “The kids were very impressed with that, maybe a bit nervous.

But we had a great time.”

Boy Scouts also have their fair share of legends.

Goldin recounted a particularly interesting tale dating back to the 1970s.

“One troop decided to play tag by throwing pine cones at each other and someone got the bright idea of lighting the pine cones on fire,” he said.

“Needless to say, the troop was banned from that camp until all the trees could grow back.”

While these odd incidents provide examples of what and what not to do in the wild, they are also origins of priceless memories and bonds.

It is here the heart of scouting lies: the community.

Sometimes the friendships formed are even more startling than the trips themselves.

“It’s not like if you just meet someone at school and you hang out later on,” Goldin explained. “No, you’re stuck with two people you’re not amazing friends with in the middle of a tropical storm in the middle of nowhere under a little tent for about three days, and you become best friends.”

Because of time spent and adventures encountered together, scouts develop a sense of camaraderie and respect not common in most relationships.

Bonds formed in Boy Scouts tend to last.

“You’re not, you know, best friends with everybody,” scout Seth Vanhuss said, “but you develop best friends you’ll probably know forever.”

His father, Tom Vanhuss, couldn’t agree more.

“I still keep up with a lot of boys from my own troop ... I guess at one level it’s about developing lifelong friends with those you go scouting with.”

Although the community is an integral part of the scouting experience, it hardly deters the individual from reaching his personal goals. Brotherhood is important, but individuality is key.

The organization works to create a balance between dependence and self-sufficiency, pushing the boys to step out of comfort zones to become independent leaders in the community.

“We actually have a requirement where you have to have a role in leadership to advance in rank,”

Goldin said. “Most kids you don’t expect to be a leader ... by the time you’re my age, they’re sitting there as head of the troop.”

Because they deal with such a large degree of autonomy and responsibility, scouts gain a measure of independence that most adolescents don’t experience until much later in life.

“It’s supposed to be a boy-led organization,” Shealy said. “The kids, as they get older, take on leadership responsibilities and basically run everything. It’s exciting to me to see the boys’ growth ... to see those boys come in and be tossed into a situation where they need to be independent and see them grow and take on leadership roles.”

They may struggle at first, but scouts eventually get to the level where they’re ready for almost anything. This preparedness seeps into all aspects of life.

“I think you can look at FPD and at all the boy scouts there and see that they rise up to be leaders,” Shealy said.

Seth Vanhuss explained the self-sufficiency that inspires such influence over the community.

“Boy Scouts helps you become more separated from your parents, in a way,” he said. “You have to do all the work for yourself instead of having your parents hold your hand.”

Most embrace this new-found freedom, discovering passions and talents within scouts but not being hesitant to explore all that life has to offer.

And while some aspects of Boy Scouts are challenging, unpredictable and sometimes a little bizarre, one fact remains undeniably true: a scout is always prepared.

The Saga

News

Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 Page 7

Common Application can be a stress reliever

By OLIVIA NEWSOME Staff Writer Every year about this time, high school seniors across the country scramble to begin the college application process.

While it’s never been said to be a swift and easy venture, students often bring some of the stress upon themselves by getting bogged down in submitting various applications to any number of schools.

With multiple deadlines and essays to worry about, it’s easy to see how the whole process can turn into a nightmare. Thankfully for those students, there has been a recent trend in applying for college that relieves a good deal of stress.

The Common Application was established in 1975 with 15 member schools participating. Since then, the program has grown to 415 members, including public and private universities ranging from the east to west coasts along with the recent addition of international schools in Germany and Italy.

The Common Application is an online process where students can create a profile which in turn allows them to enter their information and fill out a standard application that may then be sent to any college within the network.

Essays and application fees may be different for each school, but the idea behind it is to allow students the option of a fair and easy way to apply to multiple colleges and universities in one sitting.

Besides remembering deadlines and paying attention to details regarding essay questions and requirements, students don’t have to worry about being at a disadvantage against other applicants.

“All Common Application schools agree to treat all applications (regardless of type) with equal priority in processing,” said Brett Kennedy, director of admissions at Berry College in Rome.

“So there are no pros or cons to the Common Application. Instead, simply a question of what application a student prefers to market themselves to the college or university to which they are making application.”

Common App has also opened the doors for students to explore schools similar to the ones they are interested in through its search engine.

“Several students last year stumbled upon some schools that they were really interested in by going to the Common App site to look up a school that they were previously interested in,” college counselor Brad Thompson said. “That was really exciting.”

For more information visit the Common Application site at www.commonapp.org

Sure, you’re just going from the middle school building to the high school building, but beginning high school can still be an incredibly intimidating thing. Luckily, we’ve compiled a nifty little list for all you newbies.

1. Make the grades – The grades you receive as a freshman count toward your GPA. Be smart about your core classes and don’t let yourself get behind. If you do, you’ll regret it your senior year when you begin applying for colleges.

2. Get involved! We don’t bite! – Freshman year is when you begin to build up your college résumé, so don’t be afraid to join clubs or teams. There is so much to get involved in, but it is also important not to overload yourself. Remember, you have homework to do.

3. Speaking of homework – Be prepared to work more than you are used to. You’re in high school now, so make sure you stay organized.

4. Work now, play later – Take those pesky required classes now so you can have some fun and flexibility with your schedule later on.

5. Use your time wisely – Everyone handles changes differently, but the key to balancing your freshman load is time management. Don’t procrastinate, and make sure to get your work done. Still, it’s important to let yourself have some fun.

- Victoria Vanhuss

Just another Class?

Some students say the majority of FPD students don’t realize the opportunities the Bible program offers.

By VICTORIA VANHUSS Co-Editor

E

very Wednesday, 16 students run from their fifth period classes to the parking lot. Eight of them head over to Loaves and Fishes ministries, the other eight to Macon Outreach at Mulberry.

They are students in the new community service class called Food For Thought. The Bible class focuses on the hungry and the homeless, but it also helps to teach students general service principles.

“The trend in community service is not so much community service as it is service learning,” said teacher and community service director Holly Scott. “The idea is that a student who starts with a class will be a lot more knowledgeable about it. Hopefully over time it’ll evolve into a passion for service.”

Although the class has just kicked off, the student response has been very positive. Many students have even begun to cultivate a greater desire to help others.

“After you get to know these people, you realize how much you have in common with them,” explained senior Jojo Murphy. “You want to get to know them more, and you start to feel like Christ is calling you to work with them.”

Art by Adriana Figueroa

Although Scott is excited about the promise of Food For Thought and future classes like it, she still believes that generic Bible classes are crucial and that it’s the mix of the application and the verse-based classes that make the curriculum strong.

“We’ve got to learn what scripture says,” Scott said. “So it’s important to take New Testament and Genesis, but this is kind of a way for them to apply what they have learned. It is a chance to for them to turn around and give back.”

By the end of sophomore year, students are required to have taken Old Testament Survey, Romans, New Testament Survey and Genesis.

Many students feel that the basic Bible classes overlap too frequently and that time is better spent in an application class.

However, the Bible department, along with a handful of upperclassmen, feel that students fail to see the importance of survey classes.

While Murphy admits to taking more of a liking to classes like Food For Thought, she understands how vital foundation classes are.

“They are definitely important,” she said. “As Christians we need to know about the Bible because it’s what we live by.”

Survey classes are not only set up to help strengthen a student’s Biblical understanding, they are meant to provide the necessary knowledge students use in application classes.

“The curriculum is set so that underclassmen are mainly taking versebased classes, and it is set up like that for a few reasons,” Bible teacher Bob Veazey said. “They need to be able to support their beliefs, but classes like Christ and Culture are sometimes more mature. We are hitting in on death and other difficult subjects that can be hard for younger kids.”

Christ and Culture is a Christian ethics class required for juniors and seniors, and it’s one of the two Bible classes that count towards a student’s GPA, the other being Comparative Religion.

The class covers an array of hot-topic issues such as abortion and illegal immigration. It’s generally considered to be one of the most popular Bible classes offered.

Others are Family Life, a class that defines a godly relationship, and Senior Bible Seminar, a semester-long information session about life after high school.

The class, which includes everything from personality testing to changing a tire, has grown to incorporate Dave Ramsey’s

book “Foundations in Financial Peace” in hopes that college-bound students will opt out of the debt-ridden path that plagues a lot of adults to focus on a more Biblically-based way of handling finances.

“Most people are living paycheck to paycheck,” said Bible teacher and department head Johnny Morton. “It’s not a biblical way, and I don’t think it is a sane way. I hope that if they can learn some things now, it’ll save them a lot of headaches in the long run. I wish that someone had taught me this stuff when I was their age. These classes really just go along with our whole goal of changing the world for God’s glory.”

When polled and interviewed by The Saga, a majority of students felt like the curriculum needed to be changed. Many would like to see more service classes being offered.

Others feel like the classes should be converted into a devotional or small group. Some would even like to see the department lower the number of required Bible classes.

“I think that it should be heavily encouraged but not required,” Courtney Markel said. “If students are being forced to take a Bible class, they’re not going to learn as much as they would if they chose to be in the class.”

Still, teachers and students alike believe that the curriculum has vastly improved in the last few years.

“Over time, I think that we’ve really grown,” Veazey said. “I think that we are offering more exciting classes and I think the teachers are trying to engage the students more. FPD wants to be on the cutting edge of everything that we do, so I’m sure that eventually there will be some tweaking going on.

We’ve been wrestling with it and praying about it.”

Senior Rebecca Miller sees the improvement in the department and feels that some students don’t have the desire to learn in their Bible classes.

“We have a really good Bible department with really good teachers,” she said. “We could learn a lot from them if we just listened.”

Amy Kenney/The Saga Bible teacher Johnny Morton uses the SMARTboard to present students with scripture, videos and notes on biblical principles.

The Bible: life’s handbook or just another textbook?

A paper to write, a quiz to take, a test to study for – they all come with the territory of being a student.

Ask anyone. They know. While the various ways to measure academic level and material comprehension are necessary to a degree, you can’t help but wonder, “Why?” I question it every time I sit down to pour thought and analysis into the latest topic.

Expressing the mind here, the soul there, and voila! You get the recipe for success.

Congratulations!

You are able to spout back information, and, hopefully, somewhere along the way you learn something and take it to heart so that it will help change you, mold you into your full potential. Isn’t that what school and learning is all about? OK so I’m boiling it down a lot little, but that’s the way I feel sometimes. I believe there are a good number of students who would say the same thing.

It bothers me that I don’t feel like that enough to make me lose any sleep over the issue but enough to make me think, and I’ve been doing my fair share of thinking lately over that adopted attitude and one class in particular: Bible.

As a student at FPD, I’ve been subjected to the required Bible classes year after year.

Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, Genesis, you name it.

I understand that a Scriptural foundation is vital to a deeper understanding and closer walk with Christ. I see that value in memorizing Scripture in order to hide God’s Word within my heart. I know that without the basic teachings it’s impossible to expect to reach any farther.

After all, I have been taught well.

Walking in through the front doors of First Presbyterian Day School, you see the mission statement: To educate and equip students to change the world for God’s glory.

That principle has been stamped into OLIVIA NEWSOME our brains since day one. What better way to begin fulfilling that statement than by Staff Writer offering a Bible curriculum?

I think the idea of it is wonderful, but things are easier said than done. I feel like Bible classes sometimes produce the opposite of what they set out to do.

Here’s what I mean: FPD is unashamedly a Christian school. Therefore, the assumption is that most of the students are Christians or at least have grown up around Christian examples.

With that, it can be assumed that church activity is also a part of a typical student’s life. Bible classes, then, simply build on the knowledge that students already have.

However, my problem comes from within the classroom. Because Bible is treated like another required academic class, students automatically approach it with a negative attitude.

Presenting the Bible, the Living Word of God, as a textbook can turn people away, so all of the “quiet time” spent in the Word that we talk about in class may or may not really happen.

I can’t think of the last time I sat down with my history textbook and read it for fun.

It’s a harsh thing to say, but I feel like it’s something that everyone thinks.

Knowing that you’re being graded in Bible puts the pressure on students. Our “opinions” in class are curiously always what we think the teacher wants to hear.

“Jesus” seems to be the only answer that we can come up with. That’s true. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, but I think we only say that not because we believe it with our whole hearts but because it ensures an easy A. There have been times when I haven’t necessarily agreed with some of the things being said in class discussion, but do I raise my hand and say so? Of course not!

Bible teachers are the be-all and know-all authority when it comes to things like that, so it’s easier to say that our beliefs match up with theirs. See the fault in the system?

All in all, I think that Bible classes succeed in teaching head knowledge rather than heart knowledge – at least with the way they are currently being taught.

I will add that in the past few years, though, I have been surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed some of the classes I’ve taken. Christ and Culture, Family Life, Food for Thought, Senior Bible Seminar - they mean something more because they deal with application.

We’ve been taught what we’re supposed to do. Let’s get out there and do it.

Maybe I’m placing too high of a standard. After all, it is school and not church.

Still, when I think about the Bible and classes revolving around it, I want something that’s going to move me and change me – not just another class where I’m being graded.

The Saga

Reviews

Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 Page 10

CD REVIEWS Various Artists “Now That’s What I Call Music! 35”

Molly McCoy/The Saga The vegetable plate (below) at Jeneane’s is just one of the popular options available.

Find Southern cuisine at friendly local joint

By MOLLY MCCOY Staff Writer Whether enjoying some made-from-scratch cornbread, tasting a variety of vegetables or indulging in homemade banana pudding, Jeneane’s at Pinebrook delivers Southern cuisine at its finest.

Serving up some of the tastiest country standards since Jeneane’s at Pinebrook 1999, Jeneane’s has become a (478) 476-4642 local dining fixture.

Jeneane Barber opened 4436 Forsyth Rd her first restaurant, Jeneane’s Café, in downtown Macon on Mulberry Street in 1989, which remains a lunch hotspot for downtown workers.

After the overwhelming success of Jeneane’s Café, Barber opened another country kitchen on Forsyth Road.

An avid visitor of Jeneane’s on Pinebrook, I enjoy the Southern cooking with my family almost every week.

From the first moment you walk through the door of Jeneanes, the atmosphere screams “local dive,” but the food is worthy of the constant praise it receives.

After being seated by a friendly host, it is typical to have ordered and received your food within 10 or 15 minutes at most. Even on Sundays during lunchtime, one of Jeneane’s busiest serving times, food arrives remarkably quickly.

With a wide variety of meat entrees, salads and kids meals, there is something for the whole family.

This particular visit, I ordered a vegetable plate with mashed potatoes, field peas and snaps and fried okra. A steady supply of cornbread and biscuits is also provided.

My food was served steaming hot and the portion sizes were generous. This plate cost only $4.75, which is quite a deal. Jeneane’s even offers a vast selection of free Dum Dums for you to enjoy on your way out the door.

Time after time, the food at Jeneane’s remains wellcooked and filling.

On the negative side, while the family-style atmosphere at Jeneane’s is quaint, the overall cleanliness of the restaurant is a bit lacking. While I am a harsher critic than most when it comes to cleanliness, I find Jeneane’s slightly misses the mark regarding sanitation.

For example, many times the booths and tables have food crumbs remaining from previous customers. The bathrooms could also use better upkeep.

While improvement could be made in these areas, this hasn’t stopped me from regularly enjoying Jeneane’s.

I was all set to review some CD by Katy Perry for this space here.

Amy Kenney burned me a copy and I popped it in my laptop a few hours later ready to be disgusted by the state of modern pop music.

The first song, called “Teenage Dream,” was pretty bad, but not that bad. It was mostly just boring.

Track 2 started, Perry profoundly asked me if I ever felt like a plastic bag, and the CD mysteriously ejected itself out of my disk drive and into my trash can. I mourned the loss of the disk for a bit, but then I had an epiphany: people don’t listen to or buy full albums these days.

So how are today’s pop stars still millionaires?

“Now That’s What I Call Music! 35” is a sampling of what songs the masses are into right now, and it has sold hundreds of thousands of copies since its debut in late August. Supposedly, it’s a snapshot of the current state of music, compiling tracks by Justin Bieber and Katy Perry and company.

The real question is whether the tracks themselves are good or not. The compilation opens up with Katy Perry’s “California Gurls,” which I assume comes later on that Katy Perry CD I once possessed. It’s the exact same song as “Teenage Dream” except it has Snoop Dogg in it, which is nice. I used to really like Snoop Dogg’s song “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” so Snoop Dogg popping up on this Katy Perry track made me take a break from “Now That’s What I Call Music!

35” to listen to “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” and I must say I do still dig that track.

When “Drop It Like It’s Hot” finished, I went back to the songs on “Now That’s What I Call Music! 35” and YouTubed some Justin Bieber song, but it was really annoying because the YouTube video kept having to buffer so the song kept starting and stopping every few seconds or so.

I won’t judge the song as a whole because my listening experience was impaired, but let’s just say Justin Bieber doesn’t sound too great in short bursts.

The next song, called “Gettin’ Over You,” is sung by Fergie and a young Mace Windu, is set to the same electrothumpin’ beat as “I Gotta Feeling” from last year and has the same sort of trashy appeal as that song.

Lady Gaga’s worst song, “Alejandro,” comes a few tracks later, followed by the low-light of the album, “My First Kiss,” by the hard-to-spell 30H!3 featuring the hard-tospell Ke$ha. It has two things wrong with it: 3OH!3 and Ke$ha.

Near the end, there are three country songs and one of them is by Nickelback.

The fact is, I know no one who would ever admit to buying this CD, but that’s not the point. The point is these songs are getting downloaded by the millions.

Honestly, I know there is great pop

music being released these days, I just think the “Now” compilations do a poor job of capturing that. The songs on this one range from tolerable to terrible, and I can’t honestly recommend a single one other than “Drop It Like It’s Hot.” Oh wait, that wasn’t actually on the CD. - Zach Shealy

Sufjan Stevens “All Delighted People” Tired of the same old pop music celebs like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Justin Beiber?

Then check out the latest music from the guy who was a bit famous back in 2005 but hasn’t done much between then and now: Sufjan Stevens.

Sufjan’s newest musical work, “All Delighted People,” is an eight-song EP, which is probably all you’ll be able to take in one sitting anyway as at least three of these songs exceed eight minutes, and the entire project lasts an hour.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though, because the 11-minute opener holds listeners’ attention while avoiding repetition.

It immediately captures listeners with an epic intro, filled with increasingly louder trumpets, guitars, drums, and strings and a choir singing along with Stevens’ soft but passionate tenor voice.

After this grand overture, the EP does little to rival it and instead fills its capacity with songs ranging from light, whimsical and upbeat to solemn, classical and a bit gloomy.

Each track contains a certain uniqueness, and while occasionally I found them to be weird, each track is definitely worth listening to more than once.

What you might find to be the most surprising and noteworthy of this musical work would be Stevens’ talent for creating beautiful music contrasting with sometimes violent and angry lyrics.

Take “The Owl and the Tanager,” for example. You’re probably not going to notice lyrics like “I found out you cheated me, Blood in the meadow lark, I punched your ears instead,” and “I punched you in the head,” because you’ll be too enraptured by Stevens’ soft-spoken, classical music usage to care.

In general, I find Stevens’ music eerily bizzare.

Nonetheless, it contains unique and strangely amazing characteristics you’re probably not going to find anywhere else, meaning that it is worthy enough to spend a few bucks on.

So, all you people out there looking for epic, beautiful music raise your hands, then download some Sufjan Stevens. You will be delighted.

- Colby Watson

Features

The Saga

Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 Page 11

Mutual passion for art sparks sibling bond focused on “line” or “texture,” but you don’t really think about it because it’s incorporated with the project. You don’t say, “Oh, I’m working on the texture.” You just do it. When I’m painting at home, I don’t think of all the technical terms. I just do it.

By OLIVIA NEWSOME Staff Writer Sisters Emily and Megan Sparks share a common passion: art. Emily, a senior, and Megan, a freshman, recently sat down with The Saga to talk about one of their favorite subjects.

What sparked your interest in art?

Emily: Our mom is an artist and our entire mom’s side, I guess you could say. Our granddad’s an artist, so we just kind of always grew up around art. My mom always had old canvases that we could paint on.

Do you have a favorite medium?

Emily: I like painting the most.

Megan: I personally like drawing and sketching. I like drawing the best, but I like everything except for ceramics. I hate ceramics.

Was there ever a point where you thought, “Hey! I’m kind of good at this. I like art!” Or has that passion always been there?

Megan: I guess, for me, it was when I came to FPD and actually took an art class. I’m not sure there was an actual “point,” but I remember winning the Mixon-Fincher Award one year. That really boosted my confidence.

So have you ever taken any art lessons outside of the school?

Emily: I’ve taken with Ernie Stofko, but I didn’t take very long.

I personally like Ms. Huggins better than any other art teacher. She’s awesome.

Olivia Newsome/The Saga Sisters Megan (left) and Emily Sparks share a love of art, and both are involved in the art program at FPD.

Megan: I’ve never taken an art class outside of the school.

Do you feel like you get a lot out of the art program here?

Emily: Yeah! I think it’s really good. I learn more in Ms. Huggins’ class than I would learn in my other art lessons. It’s kind of like an escape during school, so I like having it during the day.

Megan: I think the class sizes are a huge plus. For the past two years, I’ve been in a smaller class, so it’s more “hands on,” which is a good thing.

Do you have a favorite artist?

Emily: Andy Warhol is really cool, and Salvador Dali is interesting.

I would never want to hang his paintings in my house. They’re really ugly but very cool.

Megan: Warhol is pretty good. I think Peter Max is cool.

Do you like “formal” art class, where you’re always referring to technical terms and techniques, or would you rather be left to your creativity?

Emily: I think if you have a question about (techniques, mediums, etc. ) then sure, but, otherwise, I don’t think it’s really necessary for Ms. Huggins to sit in front of the class and say, “This is what you do …”

Megan: We did do one project at the beginning of the year where we

Do you see yourself pursuing art in the future?

Emily: I think so. I’m not going to be a professional artist for a career or anything. I’m interested in interior design. I think that would be cool.

But I definitely think I’ll keep it as a hobby.

Megan: I personally would like to, but it’s really hard to “make it.”

You know, make enough money? I’ll probably end up doing something around art or incorporated with art. I would like to go to SCAD. What is your favorite subject to paint or draw?

Emily: I think non-basic, abstract is really fun. I don’t like drawing things like landscapes. I like to draw weird things.

Megan: I usually have something really abstract in mind. I don’t like to draw or paint really intricate designs.

When I draw, I draw portraits and stuff. When I paint, it’s kind of like a crazy madness.

Is there any sibling rivalry going on as far as who’s more artistic?

Emily: Haha. No, no, no. Megan is definitely a level above my art ability, but I’m over it.

Megan: I don’t think she (Emily) necessarily pushes me, but the whole class pushes me to be better.

Christian music venue remains active downtown

By EVAN BATES Staff Writer It all began about three years ago.

Kevin Welsh and local musician JJ Weeks decided to team up and start a music venue in Macon they called The Refuge.

At first, the Refuge wanted to host Christian rock bands that could lead worship services.

In February 2008, the JJ Weeks band played their first show in front of about 100 people. The next week, The Refuge put on a show featuring The Museum, a rising star in the Christian music industry.

However, within weeks, attendance began to wane.

Around this time, Jordan Welsh, Kevin’s son, heard about another local venue, Macon Venue Project, which booked hardcore heavy metal bands.

In November 2008, Jordan followed the Macon Venue Project’s example booked a hardcore heavy metal band called Night After Dark to play at The Refuge. The show was a success, and Jordan was

told by his father that he could book one show a month.

When people kept showing up for the hardcore heavy metal concerts, they started booking more hardcore heavy metal bands.

Sticking to their initial idea, The Refuge would only book bands that had lyrics with a positive message. Cussing was prohibited, which impressed the occasional parent wandering in to watch their kids on stage.

Recently, The Refuge merged with another local venue, the 567 Cafe, located at 533 Cherry Street downtown.

Though The Refuge has been through some difficult times, hard work and dedication has ultimately proved rewarding in the ever-changing music industry of today.

The Refuge holds shows on Fridays and Saturdays from 6:30-11:00. All ages are welcome.

Joey Wood, formerly of the band Autumn Trace, performs at The Refuge. The Refuge is a local music venue which recently merged with The 567 Cafe downtown on Cherry Street.

Special to The Saga

The Saga

News

Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 Page 12

New AP art class adds to curriculum

By ADRIANA FIGUEROA Staff Writer

Victoria Vanhuss/The Saga Senior Tyler Mullis is pursuing an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy.

Reaching for the top

By VICTORIA VANHUSS Co-Editor Students all over campus probably recognize senior Tyler Mullis whether they realize it or not.

He’s the kid who lurks around the computer labs tinkering with whatever is broken and helping David Bass with whatever task is at hand.

He’ll argue anything and he’s always up for a challenge, particularly a real-time video game.

Lately though, Mullis’ biggest challenge has been finding and applying to colleges.

However, unlike most seniors, his list of potential schools includes places like MIT, Carnegie Mellon and West Point, New York’s elite military academy.

“I’ve always been interested in going into a service academy, but I was definitely not the little boy that played with army men,” laughed Mullis. “I did play a lot of video games as a child though. I was always picking up little strategy games and things like that. I’ve always been someone who liked thinking two steps ahead.”

For that reason alone, the teachers who know Mullis feel he’ll be able to get in to and succeed at West Point.

“He is a brilliant thinker,” Bass said.

“He is well-versed in computers and technology, and I think he can accomplish anything he sets his mind to.”

Getting into the academy is something that Mullis is determined to do.

“I really want to see how high of an education I can get,” he said. “And a military school gives you an education comparable to an Ivy (League school), plus you get the perks.”

Cadets receive a free education, a free medical plan and a monthly check dependent upon rank and year.

By attending the school, students are committing to four years of service after graduation, a requirement that discourages many prospective students. Mullis, though, said he sees it as another benefit.

“A lot of people don’t realize that it’s a job right out of college,” he said.

West Point also requires a political nomination for acceptance, which happens to be the only thing worrying Mullis.

“I feel like I’m having to fight for a position at West Point through (U.S. Sen. Johnny) Isakson and these other politicians,” he said. “It’ll be difficult, but I also feel like it’s the only thing up in the air right now.”

If it doesn’t work out, he’s got a backup plan.

“There’s another nomination process where you enlist for a year,” he explained.

“Those slots are never full, so if I had to, I could always get my nomination that way.”

Still, he finds peace in the fact that more than half of the students who attend West Point’s Summer Leadership Seminar (SLS) end up being cadets the next year.

The seminar, which Mullis participated in earlier this summer, allows prospective students a chance to see what West Point is really like. Students are exposed to everything from weapon familiarization and computer hacking to obstacle courses and squad time.

“They pick you up and they throw you into the most advanced stuff,” explained Mullis, who chose to take systems engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering during his visit. “But they teach it in a way that you can still understand and have fun with.”

Although the academic and technologic part of the camp was interesting, Mullis says he walked away with a lot more than just an interesting experience.

“I made a lot of friends, some that I still keep in touch with,” he said. “You get very close to your squad. By the second night, we were talking to each other like we’d known each other for years. Your squad pushes you and you push your squad. You make each other better.”

The camaraderie is one of the main reasons Mullis loves the military.

“It’s a big family,” he said. “I like the idea that even if you retire it’s something that you will always have with you and that you will always be a part of.”

Tucked away in the Fine Arts Building, the smell of paint and sculpting materials lingers in the air as nine art students concentrate intently while working on their pieces under the direction of Nancy Huggins.

For the first time, FPD is offering a year-long course of AP Art. The class is available only to those who have taken two previous art classes and have Huggins’ approval. Work consists of projects in both 2D and 3D design, depending on which concentration the student chooses, and ultimately will help build individual portfolios that will be sent to the College Board at the end of the year.

Unlike other AP classes at FPD, the final exam is not a written test; students will be judged on the bodies of work in their portfolios and will be given a grade based on the quality of that work.

“After Christmas, each individual student will complete a concentration for the portfolio and that will be work that is completely student-driven,” Huggins said. “Right now, the work is teacher-driven, but at that point they’ll come up with their own areas of concentration and pick their materials and content as well.”

Huggins said one of the things she hopes her students will take from the creative process is self-sufficiency, both in the classroom and on their own.

“I hope that they gain some self-motivation and learn to get started on some things without me pushing them so much,” she said. “The whole idea is that the teacher gives a lot of direction in the first part of the year and starts easing off as it progresses, but the student continues to produce the same quantity and quality of work the whole time.”

By the end of the year, 2D design students will have become proficient in drawing, painting, and printmaking, and 3D design students will develop an extensive knowledge of sculpture and ceramics.

Countless hours of dedication and effort will have to come first, though.

“It’s a lot of work,” senior Rebecca Miller said, “but I love it. I’m learning a lot.”

Mac lab well-received

By ADRIANA FIGUEROA Staff Writer For the first time, students enrolled in journalism, yearbook and broadcast classes now have access to a fullyfunctional lab of 12 computers from Apple’s latest line of Macs.

The switch from PC to Mac in these multimedia classes, which had been in talks since the beginning of last year, was decided upon in hopes that students will become proficient at using the new platform because of its widespread use in the design world.

“We wanted to get as close to what they’re using in the professional world,” said Matt Thompson, who is in charge of the broadcast team and uses the lab with his students daily.

The new, state-of-the-art technology is considered to be among the most impressive in the state.

“It’s probably the best lab in Middle Georgia, I have to say,” said art teacher and yearbook adviser Nate Rupp.

“Even (Herff Jones yearbook representative) Mr. Tom Cannon told me that this is the best one he’s been in.”

From the front

The Saga

Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 Page 13

DREAM From page 1 The school had an opening in ninth grade English, and Yu was interested. And then she got the job.

...

The first day of school is always exciting for students. While most dread the order and expectations that come with summer ending, the allure of seeing classmates forgotten over June and July mixed with a handful of new faces keeps everyone relatively positive, at least for that first day.

This year, there was one name that was getting tossed around significantly more than all the rest.

The groan-inducing puns were inevitable. “I miss Yu!” “See Yu fourth period!” “I hear next year we’re getting a teacher named Ms. Me!” And then the rumors spread. It was confirmed that Ms. Yu was, in fact, of Asian descent, and the story circulated that she referenced her race when a student asked her if her class was difficult.

Unconfirmed reports that she used to be a rapper entered every lunchroom table’s daily gossip queue.

And her students were falling in love with English because of her.

“It’s different from any other English class I’ve taken,” senior Tyler Lewis said, struggling to come up with the reasons why.

Finally, he settled on the right words.

“She gets down to business,” he said.

...

“I grew up in central Florida,” Yu said. “Close to Ron Jon Surf Shop. Near Cocoa Beach.”

During the Cultural Revolution in China her parents were taken out of school and sent to labor camps to be “re-educated” as farmers.

“My grandfather on one side was a businessman and my grandfather on the other side was a doctor,” she said. “These things were considered counterrevolutionary at the time.”

The escape played out like a movie plot.

“My father went first,” Yu recounted. “He saved up some food and left in the middle of the night before they could find out where he was. Later he wrote a letter to my mom describing the trail she should take and how she should get out and my mom did the same thing.”

Unfortunately, leaving the camp wasn’t enough.

The two ended up having to swim from Southern China to Hong Kong – no small feat.

“My mom wasn’t a very strong swimmer, so that must have been a terrifying experience for her,” Yu said.

Victoria Vanhuss/The Saga English teacher Belinda Yu helps some students with a lesson during a recent trip to the library’s computer lab.

Many relatives of the family also attempted the escape, but they weren’t all as fortunate as Yu’s parents.

“We just assumed they’d been shot by the Red Guard,” she said. “We feel so fortunate to live in America.”

It seems taking risks runs in the family. Many years later the daughter of those two escaped Chinese citizens got in the car alone and drove to Boston, unsure of what lay ahead.

“I am a bit of a perfectionist,” Yu said. “But at the same time I try not to let that stop me from doing things where I could fall on my face. That’s how you grow.”

She tells her students to dare to do the same thing.

“If there’s something that you’ve always wanted to do, life is short and you should just do it with all that you have,” she said. “Nobody that I’ve ever met that has gone after something has ended up regretting it, even if it ends in heartbreak.”

So far, Yu said she certainly hasn’t regretted anything.

“It sometimes was very painful, like when I was injured for example, but I never felt regretful,” she said.

That injury in particular ended up being a catalyst for her realizing her other talents and interests.

“I was really disappointed and I was frustrated because I felt that I had worked really hard for this

Turning the corner

goal that never came to fruition,” Yu said. “But at the same I time I knew that God had some other plan for me and that faith in God helped me through that time.”

God’s plan eventually led her to FPD, which is simply a new chapter in the dynamic storybook that is her life. So far she has loved every minute, describing her students as “awesome” and FPD as a “community where people are driven to be excellent but also people have compassion for each other.”

“Those two things don’t always go together,” she said.

…

Truth is, Belinda Yu was never a rapper, but she did play electric violin in several hip-hop gigs in Atlanta during her spare time while working at CNN. One of her ninth graders recently had a birthday, so she brought in her violin to play for him and led the class in a chorus of “Happy Birthday.”

Later in the class, during her lesson on conflict and complication, one student, when asked to give an example of the two from literature, responded with “The conflict, Ms. Yu, is that we all want you to play another song on your violin and the complication is that you want us to come up with another example from the text.”

Yu laughed, recounting the incident.

“I played them another song,” she said.

MAKEOVER From page 1 When asked how this plan will affect him personally, Strickland said he is very excited about how the expansion will improve the quality of the education offered.

“Having a facility that supports our strong work even better, it’s just going to be amazing,” Strickland said. “I think it has the potential to make this the arts school of our area.”

Victoria Vanhuss/The Saga Junior Melissa Hash turns on the afterburners in last week’s Powder Puff game as part of homecoming week festivities. Senior Ashley Blann was named homecoming queen at halftime of Friday’s game.

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Sports

Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 Page 14

Sports

The Saga

Move to GHSA playing out smoothly

Softball just ‘part of the plan’ for Allen

By MOLLY MCCOY Staff Writer For junior Luci Allen, softball has always been simply “part of the plan.”

Whether it’s recreational league, summer camps or intense high school competition, Allen always finds a way to stay involved in the sport.

Following in the footsteps of her father, a former member of the Stratford baseball team, Allen began to explore sports at an early age, beginning in the local T-ball leagues.

“My dad is the most amazing encourager and he supports me 100 percent in everything I do,” Allen said.

“He always knows how to help me in softball because he played baseball and knows how I feel.”

What started out as innocent, stress-free fun as a child still remains fun, with a little more pressure and commitment added to the equation.

In the sixth grade, Allen began her FPD career as a centerfielder for the softball C-team. Three years later, she was starting on varsity as a freshman.

“Playing Westfield at Westfield as the catcher was a great moment for me,” she said of her first game on varsity.

Like many other sports, softball requires a huge time commitment.

For Allen, life revolves around school, softball and sleeping.

While many people would quit after several years of this rigorous schedule, Allen doesn’t consider this an option.

“Quitting never crosses my mind during a hard practice,” she said. “I wouldn’t be out on the field if it did.”

Being able to develop strengths and

“Quitting never crosses my mind during a hard practice. I wouldn’t be out on the field if it did.”

and make good plays.”

Whether college softball is in the plan or not, Allen isn’t sure.

“Softball is just so much fun, so I can’t really ever see myself not being involved in the sport,” she said.

By ANNA GAINEY Staff Writer

- Luci Allen learn new skills makes practice worth it for Allen.

“Of course, we all wish those hard practices will be cut short and fly by, but that never happens,” she said.

But softball isn’t all work.

In the springtime, Allen participates in the recreational league at Freedom Park in Macon. “Freedom Park is totally different than school ball because it’s just for fun and it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose,” Allen said.

With a light practice schedule and relaxed atmosphere, “rec” ball helps Allen keep up her skills during the off-season.

“This helps me prepare myself for school ball in the summer and fall, which is what really matters,” she said.

During her years at FPD, Allen has not only improved her athletic skills, but she says has grown personally and spiritually.

Allen has learned that a softball game plan is similar to everyday life.

“When you play softball, you can’t let a little mistake ruin the whole game for you,” she said. “The same goes for everyday life, because you need to try your hardest to learn from past mistakes and do better.”

Having the team as a support

group to come behind and pick you up during a game really makes a difference to Allen.

“Whenever I make a bad play or strike out, I have faith that my teammates will be there to encourage me,” she said.

Because Allen has been a part of FPD softball since middle school, she has had the opportunity to form deep bonds with her teammates.

“We all know each other’s strengths and weaknesses well, which allows every player to pick up another teammate,” she said.

Allen has also seen tremendous growth in athleticism and player relationships on and off the field. She credits this bond with much of the team’s success.

“We have a good time together wherever we are,” Allen said. “If there is no connection between players, then it’s hard to work together

Cal Powell/The Saga Junior fullback Ben DuBose busts through the line for a big gain during the first quarter of the game against Irwin County on Aug. 26.

Softball team claims region title with sweep

By VICTORIA VANHUSS Co-Editor

Photo by Madison Kross

Weight room undergoing major renovation Expansion expected to be completed by early next month.

By KRISTEN HOBBS Staff Writer It is inevitable that every FPD student will spend a good bit of time in the weight room at some point in his or her high school career.

As a necessity to both physical education and athletic training, this space is in demand at any given time almost every day of the year.

Because of ever-increasing participation numbers and a heightened need for space and equipment, the weight room is in the middle of a long-awaited expansion.

“We’re simply out of space,” coach Greg Moore explained. “The weight room saw its last renovation over 10 years ago and this school has been through some obvious changes since then.”

The athletic department hopes to have this new space open for use by early November.

“There will be some inconveniences with football,” Moore said, “but we’ll take the headaches because we know what the end result will be.”

Specifically, this involves a room doubled in size and the purchase of much-needed new equipment.

Athletes are clearly elated over the expansion.

“I’m glad I can actually have room to work out,” senior Clay Martin said.

“It’ll be nice not to be crammed into a small room with 50 sweaty guys.”

Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 Page 15

In addition to providing students with ample space and equipment, the new weight room is perceived as a symbol of school pride and a representation of the very ideals FPD upholds, Moore said.

“It reflects the importance of Cal Powell/The Saga making sure you Construction workers lay concrete for the addition are adequately equipped,” he said. to the weight room on Sept. 29.

New benches and squat racks are “There is no way to count how already being put to use in the gym, many students will benefit from this their temporary home until the new expansion,” Moore said. “We’re all weight room is complete. very blessed.”

The FPD softball team swept Strong Rock to claim the Region 9-A championship on Saturday.

The Vikings won the first game 6-0 behind Jenna Byrd’s shutout, then won 11-1 in game two.

Byrd had three runs batted in for each game, while senior teammate Fran Johnson went 3-for-4 in the first game and 4-for-4 in the second.

A series of playoff games will begin next week to see which region teams will go to state.

“I think we have a really good chance of winning state,” Heather Langston said. “We just have to come ready and prepared with the right mindset.”

Cross Country The cross country team had a strong showing at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, N.C., last weekend.

Freshman Grace Tinkey placed second in the Girls

SPORTS ROUNDUP 5,000 Meter Run Invitational Seeded Race with a new personal best of 17:55.

She was closely followed by teammate Victoria Coppage who placed seventh.

The girls team finished in ninth place overall with an average time of 20:25.2.

The boys team placed fifth out of 13 teams with an average time of 17:51.6.

Gray Lindley led the way Saturday with a third-place run in the Boys 5,000 Meter Run Invitational.

The team left Thursday for the Disney World Championships in Orlando.

Football The football team beat previously-undefeated Our Lady of Mercy 20-6 in Friday’s homecoming game.

Seniors Robert Thompson and Taylor Bridges helped lead the Vikings’ defense, which tallied several pass breakups while holding the Bobcats to just 158 yards of offense.

Darren Moore electrified the crowd with a 57-yard touchdown run on a busted play that put the Vikings up 14-0 early in the game.

The win helped boost the morale of the players after a tough loss to Eagles Landing Christian the week before, senior quarterback Clay Martin said.

“We have a lot of motivation after this game,” Martin said. “They were the second best team in the region.”

Martin said the team’s goal is to win the rest of the region games and crossover games so they will qualify for the playoffs.

The Vikings (2-4 overall, 1-2 Region 5-A subregion) play Whitefield in Smyrna tonight.

The initial nerves caused by FPD’s move to the Georgia High School Association have now turned to outright excitement.

Now that the athletic season is several weeks old, the apprehension and uncertainty that came along with moving to a new league has started to fade.

“It’s not as scary as people thought it would be,” head football coach and athletic director Greg Moore said.

With the new association came the loss of rivalries with local schools, but the moves gives the team the opportunity to make new rivals.

“It is refreshing to meet new people and the hope is that the team will realize that it doesn’t matter if you are public or private, black or white, rich or poor. All are God’s children and all are equal,” Moore said.

GHSA does not sanction debate this year, FPD debate coach Nancy Cofer said. The Georgia Forensics Coaches Association is the governing body for high school debate in Georgia.

FPD will participate in GFCA tournaments along with both GISA and GHSA schools.

The band will continue participating in the GISA All-Select band functions, the GISA marching competition as well as all GMEA events such as AllState and District Honor Band.

The move to GHSA has given FPD’s band a chance to see more shows from the other schools’ bands.

It also gives the band students a chance to meet the musicians from other schools, which is what happened during a third quarter break in the game against Irwin County.

“The kids were very humble and welcoming to the other band,” FPD band director Jonathan Baker said.

“They had a great time mingling together and getting to know each other a bit.”

Stephanie Tinkey/Special to The Saga Freshman Grace Tinkey approaches the finish line at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, N.C., last weekend.

The Saga

Friday, Oct. 8, 2010 Page 16