C
Vol. 8 Issue 6
THE CHRONICLE
Mill Creek
Chronicle
CONGRATS GRADS Summer ‘16 Bucket List Senior
Spotlights Memories
2016 Olympics Governor’s Honors Senior Reflections
April/May
S E N I O R S T A F F
Alyssa Casole Editor in Chief InDesign Diva
Olivia Parks Manager
Most Makeup Oriented
Marisa Hernandez Editor
Bring your BF to class day is everyday
Gavin Childers Online Editor The Mobile Deli
Kyle Lowe
Kelsey Bruce
Always on the scene: with a camera
Most Membean minutes
Photographer
Staff Writer
And Jae Choi ALL PHOTOS: Magic Moment
Table of
Contents 4 Governor’s Honors Program 5 Terrorism and Travel 6 Olympics 2016: Road to Rio 8 High School Rewind 10 Senior Styles
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11 Summer Before College Bucket List 12 Class of 2016 Graduation 14 Senior Reflections
16 Senior Athlete Spotlights 18 Waterfall Road Trip
Masthead Editors
Alyssa Casole Marisa Hernandez Kaitlyn Neher
Online Editor Gavin Childers
Management Ashley Baptiste Olivia Parks
20 Hawk With A Story: NotEnlisted
Photographer
22 2016 Spring Dance show
Staff Writers
Kyle Lowe
Julie Akin Kelsey Bruce Faith Montgomery Madeleine Moody Eric O’Hara Michelle Ortiz Amauri Richardson Collins Sainovich Megan Smith Camron Williams Cover Design: Ashley Baptiste, Kaitlyn Neher Cover Photo Credits: Kaitlyn Neher Pictured in Cover: Riley Snyder and Kirby Stanesic Top Photo Credits (From Left to Right): Ashley Baptiste, Kaitlyn Neher, Ashley Baptiste Side (From Top to Bottom): Kyle Lowe, Courtesy of the Johnson Family, courtesy of Morgan Davis-Vauls
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Governor’s Honors Program
The program has a high standard for who it accepts and the stakes are very high, so the interviews are very important. Junior Branton Fletcher said “I got into the program with general social studies, was interested at first by things I’ve heard from other students. They told me it was a life changing experience, and that I would have a lot of fun. I am personally very excited about the program and can’t wait to see what it brings.” The GHP winners from our school are: Social Studies: Branton Fletcher
“Every time I got through an interview I was more confident that I would get all the way through, and all my work paid off!” - Colby Price
Dance: Madison and Megan Govedich. Music: Suekyung Jin, Annabelle Spoto, and Lizbeth Yanez. Communicative Arts: Leah Merritt. Agricultural Science: Daniela Murcia. Mathematics: Briana Nations and Jayson Russell. German: Colby Price
Jayson Russell said “I am very excited to participate in this program. I love learning and math is very enjoyable. I hope one day to go to Stanford and further my math learning. I am excited to go and learn new information and show me people with similar interests and perspectives” The GHP program provides our brightest students with an ability to further study the subjects they excel in. This summer the program will be held at Valdosta State University. GHP is a great opportunity for students to get a head start on their higher education while having experiences that last a life time.
PHOTO: Kyle Lowe
By: Kyle Lowe The Georgia Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) is a residential summer program for gifted and talented high school students who will be rising juniors and seniors during the program. Earning a place in GHP is a long process with many steps. According to junior Colby Price, the process began with a nimination from a teacher followed by a test, three applications, and three interviews. “Every time I got through an interview I was more confident that I would get all the way through, and all my work paid off. Now I am accepted!” said Price.
Colby Price
Terrorism Y Dangers in Travel
es, you read that right. Due to the recent terrorist attacks in France, Belgium, Pakistan, and Egypt many people have likely changed their plans for traveling abroad this summer vacation.
Sources: iii.org, express.co.uk
By: Camron Williams
The 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center cost the United States $31.6 billion alone, and 2,996 people lost their lives. Although this attack occurred nearly 15 years ago, the threat of terrorist attacks still exists in society as we know it today. In 2015, there were 409 attacks around the world that were categorized as terrorist incidents. Although many of these incidents occurred within the Middle East, late 2015 and 2016 has ushered a batch of deadly attacks into Europe. On November 13, 2015, gunmen who claimed association with ISIS coordinated 6 attacks simultaneously within the city of Paris, France. The attacks resulted in the deaths of 137 total people with 7 of them being perpetrators. Contrary to common stereotypes, none of the attackers in the Paris attacks were Middle Eastern.
PHOTOS: Sean Floyd
Again on March 22, 2016, bombers who claimed association with ISIS detonated explosives within the Brussels Airport and the Maalbeek metro station. Although this attack only claimed 35 lives as compared to the 137 in Paris, this incident exemplified the weak nature of Belgian security which has since been tightened in response. These attacks have led to the placement of many western European countries on a high threat for terrorism. This list includes the United Kingdom, Spain, France, and Germany. Other countries on a high or general threat in the area include Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Sweden, and Russia. Delaney Moore (11) is visiting two of the aforementioned countries on the list this summer when informed about their current terror ratings he said “I’m honestly not scare at all. By the time we head over there, it’ll either be controlled to where we shouldn’t fear terrorism, or there will be an actual threat which could force us to postpone the trip a year or two”. This sense of heightened security is certainly something new for Europe, Adri Rosario (10) said “I went in 2014, so tensions weren’t as high, and we were only on the lookout for pickpockets. Our tour guide even commented on the fact that Europe doesn’t have to worry about guns as much as we have to in the US”. Hopefully the security isn’t necessary, but if terrorists do strike this summer, Europe is sure to be 5 prepared to deal with any threat.
Road to Rio: 2016 Summer Olympics by Collins Sainovich
The 29th Summer Olympics This summer, the 29th Summer Olympics will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The games will begin on August 5th and end on August 21st. The Olympics are a series of competitions held every four years in which the top athletes from each country compete in their sport against athletes from all around the world.
Rio’s famous Christ the Reedemer statue stands 98 feet tall watching over the city. Photo: TurnbacktoGod.com
America’s Olympic History
The United States currently sits at the top of the list of countries who have won the most gold medals in the Summer Olympics with 977 gold medals to date, according to Olympic.it. Along with the most gold medals, The U.S. also leads in silver and bronze medals with 758 and 668 respectively. Trailing the U.S. in all three categories is Russia. According to olympicmedalspredictions.com, America’s team this summer should continue to win the most medals. Calculated based on the latest results, it is pre dicted that the U.S. will win 39 gold medals, 19 silver medals, and 29 bronze medals with a grand total of 87 medals. However, instead of Russia in second, China is predicted to trail America closely with 73 total medals.
The 2016 Summer Olympics Logo. Photo: NBC
Trouble In Paradise: Rio’s Olympic Struggle The Olympics adds massive expenses measured in the billions to a host city’s bill. According to Business Insider, the last two Olympic games had an average cost of $16.2 billion. Once chosen as host, the city has seven years to prepare for the games. Rio, however, has still had many troubles. One of the biggest issues that has come under fire is the cleanliness of Guanabara Bay and Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, the bodies of water in which some of the athletes will compete. Accord ing to Business Insider, if you were to swallow three teaspoons of the water, you would have a 99% chance of infection. “What you have there is basically raw sewage,” said John Griffith, a marine biologist at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project. Efforts are being made to clean the water up, but it will not be enough to sanitize the water by the games. Garbage floating in the waves in Rio de Janeiro’s waterways. Photo: Associated Press
The original Olympic Park design. The original estimated budget for this design was $10 billion. Photo: Olympic.com
Hawks at Olympic Trials
Katherine Parker (12) swimming the 100 butterfly at the 2015-2016 High School State Championships. Photo: Katherine Parker
Mill Creek senior Katherine Parker will be swimming in the Olympic Trials this summer in Omaha, Nebraska. Parker will swim the
100 backstroke against the best in the country. “At Olympic Trials this summer, my goal is to go a best time in the 100 back and to qualify for semi-finals in it as well, which is the top 16 out of everyone that competed,” said Parker.
Parker will be swimming for the University of Georgia next year, one of the best women’s swim teams in the country. “Word can’t even describe how excited I am to swim for UGA next year,” said Parker.
Most Watched Summer Olympic Sports Out of over 100 Mill Creek students surveyed, 28% said that swimming was the most-watched Summer Olympic sport. Gymnastics was second with 23% and Track and Field was third with 18%.
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High School Rewind By: Michelle Ortiz
A
s it is time for our seniors to part ways with us, one has to wonder how they got where they are now and what highschool memories will they remember the most ? What will they remember and what will they forget ? Many trends came and went during their four years here, impacting and shaping these Mill Creek students into who they were and what they would become. And while trends are not everything, they provide us with guidestones to reach back in time to 2012 and travel all the way to 2016 and see the events that occurred during our senior’s high school career.
2012
Starting in 2012, trying not to get lost within the crowd of over 3000 people the now senior students were new to Mill Creek.
Popular Phrase: Yolo. An interjection used to rationalize impulsive and reckless behavior.
Big event: Election year was upon us
with Mitt Romney and Barack Obama head to head. President Obama won with 51% of the public votes. Mitt Romney conceded the presidential race to President Obama, telling his supporters that he had wished his rival well during a telephone call moments before coming onto a stage at his Boston headquarters. “This is a time of great challenges for America, and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation,” Mr. Romney said.
Craze: 2012 was also was the year the Mayan calendar would reach its last cycle and it was believed that the world would end.
2013 news.
was another memorable year full of incredible
Popular phrases: New words “derp” and
“twerk” were added to the dictionary this year, the word “selfie” even became Oxford dictionary’s “Word of the Year.”
Big event:On March 13, Pope Francis became the first pope to emerge from Latin America. “I love all of you very much, I thank you for everything you have done. I pray that your work will always be serene and fruitful.” said Pope Francis at the end of his address.
Craze: The Geico camel commercial made
many eager for Wednesday to come along so they could yell “Hump Day!” to anyone in sight.
Catholics and others curious people await the white smoke to see who the new pope will be. Photo Credit: CNN
Favorite Past Songs
2015
Popular phrase: “Just do it.” This In the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards there was only one image you really needed to see: Beyoncé literally putting the spotlight on feminism. Picture Credit: MTV Video Music Awards.
2014
Taking it home, 2014 was a year for superheroes to emerge within our community and the world as they fought battles for their liveand others.
Popular Phrase: The F-word,
Feminism.While feminism used to be a controversial word, girl power was major in 2014. Between Beyonce’s feminist anthem “Flawless,” and Emma Watson’s UN Speech launching her #HeForShe campaign, this year brought feminism back in a big way.
phrase came to surface when Shia LaBeouf gave a powerful speech of just doing it.
Big event: The United States Supreme
Court ruled 5-4 in favour of same-sex marriage nationwide. The court found that the US Constitution guaranteed due process and equal protection under the law, which prevents states from banning same-sex marriage. President Barack Obama praised the decision, saying it was a “victory for America”. The decision legalises same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
Craze: Almost 30 years since the original Star Wars hit cinemas, the much anticipated sequel The Force Awakens smashed box office takings as billions of fans worldwide turned out to celebrate a return to form for the franchise.
Big event: #ALSIceBucketChallenge
made everyone a hero with videos of celebrities to common people pouring ice water over their heads to raise awareness. To date, it’s raised $100 million dollars to help find a cure.
Craze: Alex From Target. A really cute guy working at Target who captured the heart of all teenage girls on twitter.
The United States lighted the white house with a rainbow of colors to celebrate the Supreme Court ruling 5-4 in favour of same-sex marriage nationwide. Photo credit: CNN
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Senior Styles The world of fashion is constantly evolving and changing. Even the teenage style trends from four years ago are very different from the trends we see today. The seniors at Mill Creek have changed a lot from freshman year. As they have gone through these four years, most admit to finding themselves and their own styles during the high school experience. Thomas Godwin said, “I look and dress a lot different than my freshman year. I have matured a lot since then.” According to the survey we sent out on style trends, most seniors admitted to the fact that their style has changed tremendously since four years ago, in fact 90%.The once popular Abercrombie dress is no longer the must have item. One of the senior’s responses in the survey said, “I am embarrassed that I wore pajama pants and a leather jacket all the time my freshman year.” According to Stlye magazine, most teen’s styles are dependent on something around them. It may be influenced the crowd they hang out in, the house they grow up in, or the style trends they are interested in, it may be all. The influence of the world has a large impact on
teens’ lives and styles because, whether they admit it or not, they care what people think of them. Ansley Pierce said, “I think most people’s style is based on their friend group.”
By: Megan Smith
Do you think you’re a trend-setter at Mill Creek?
At Mill Creek, 13% of the seniors believe that they are trend setters at the school. Mill Creek is a very diverse school with a lot of different styles. All of the seniors have their own identity which they represent through their styles. From freshman year to senior year, the seniors have grown and matured. The seniors have found who they are. Many people believe that clothes are just something you put on your body every day and that there is a lot more to a person than clothes, but people’s personal styles say a lot about who they are. All in all, the senior class does not have a specific “style.” Kristen Gomez said, “At Mill Creek, everyone dresses very differently. We have so many students here that everyone fits in to their groups with their own styles.” The seniors’ style has developed greatly since they were freshman, and who knows maybe they’ll look back in four more years and think “what was I wearing my senior year of high school?”
Do you think your style changed since freshman year?
2k16 Summer Bucket List
PHOTO: ultraswank
PHOTO: padhaaro.com
This year 911 Mill Creek students are graduating, going off to college, and starting their life beyond high school. For these students this summer should be one to remember because they’re no longer going to have to stress over a summer reading project or going back to high school for yet another year.
By: Maddie Moody
PHOTO: ultraswank
Instead they get the joy and freedom of being 18 and and are free to spend their summer however they want. Put all your positive energy into making summer 2016 the best one yet! To help you here is a summer bucket list of 20 things to do before you start college and your new life away from home.
1. Do something out of your comfort zone (cliff diving, sky diving, etc..)
11. Pull an all-nighter (for something besides studying for exams)
2. Go somewhere new/ travel with your best friends
12. Find a huge hill and make a DIY slip and slide with a tarp and soap or baby oil with your friends
3. Go to a drive-in movie 4. Bake something you’ve never made before 5. Send a message in the bottle next time you go to the beach 6. Dress up and have a photo shoot with your friends 7. Watch the sun rise on the beach 8. Make a blessings jar ( get a mason jar or some type of jar and at the end of every day write on a small piece of paper the fun things that happened that day or something you’re grateful for or someone new you met that day and when you’re off at college if you’re ever missing back home open the jar and look at all the memories.) 9. Do something different to your appearance (dye your hair, cut your hair, get a piercing, etc...)
13. Fill a pool with glow sticks and go night swimming 14. Take a lot of fun pictures with your friends so that you have them to look back on when you are all in different places in life 15. Play messy twister with paint 16. Go geocaching (there is an app for it: GEOCACHING) 17. Create a summer reading list and finish as many books as you can 18. Go a week without using social media 19. Explore your hometown 20. Make a multi-course dinner from scratch
10. Attend a music festival or concert
According to the survey sent out to all Mill Creek seniors, most seniors are most looking forward to traveling with friends,
sleeping, and getting ready for college this summer. So as your new life begins take this summer to complete your own bucket list.
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GRADUATION When?
May 25, 2016 Graduation practice will be held in the Commons, mandatory to walk at graduation. The practice should last around 2-3 hours. Seniors will receive their 10 tickets for graduation at the practice.
Concerns
By: Faith Montgomery
What if it rains?
The ceremony will be delayed, unless it is obvious that the rain won’t stop, and then the ceremony will be moved to the 26th at 10 a.m. in which seniors will be expected to arrive at 8 a.m. when doors open to the parents. If the rain continues, graduation will be held in the gym, and each senior will receive 4 tickets for their family.
Does a small child need a ticket?
Yes, anyone attending graduation, regardless of age, requires a ticket.
Can I bring refreshments?
No, the only refreshments allowed in the stadium during graduation are the drinks sold in the concession stand.
Are the tickets seat-specific? Graduates arrive, and gates open for family members.
Graduation Starts Live Streaming of graduation will be at: http://www. esenetworks.com/liveevents.aspx?id=3826
After the ceremony
Seniors will go to the gym to receive their diploma. Only seniors are allowed into the gym at this time. Once seniors receive their diplomas, they will be able to meet up with friends and family outside the gym. Make a plan before because seniors won’t have cell phones! PHOTOS: Ashley Baptiste and Kaitlyn Neher
No, the seating is first-come first served.
INFORMATION
What to Wear: Boys
What to wear: Girls
Shirts and Pants
Girls should wear lightweight dresses, and they should not have high necklines so that they do not show above the gown. Additionally, the dresses should be short enough that they do not go past the gown, or they should be taped up, with masking tape, in order to keep dresses from showing while being worn under the graduation gown.
Boys should wear collared dress shirts with a dark tie and dark dress pants, so no light khaki pants are allowed.
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Shoes
Shoes should be dark dress shoes, but cannot be flip flops or tennis shoes.
Can I bring refreshments?
No, the only refreshments allowed in the stadium during graduation are the drinks sold in the concession stand.
Cap and Gown Cap
Caps should be placed on the front of the head, and they should be level with the point centered on the right. At the beginning of the ceremony, tassels should be placed on the right.
Gown: Ironing
If the cap and gown is wrinkled, iron on cool. Do not iron on warm or hot or else the gown will be destroyed.
Dresses
Shoes
For shoes, it is expected for girls to wear dress shoes that are black, white, or brown. These shoes can be flats or opened-toed shoes, but they cannot be flip-flops or tennis shoes.
SENIOR REFLECTIONS
PHOTOS: Magic Moment
By: Eric O’Hara & Gavin Childers
Thomas Godwin
Brayden Bishop
What is your biggest regret about high school?
What is your biggest regret about high school?
What is your biggest regret about high school?
“Not going to as many football games my freshman through junior year”
“I really regret not joining any clubs or sports.”
“Waiting until senior year to socially branch out.”
What is your best decision regarding high school?
What is your best decision regarding high school?
“Taking classes that helped me find my passion for neuroscience.”
“Starting to run and meeting a bunch of new friends in the process.”
What is your best decision regarding high school? “Applying to GSLT”
Austin Pyle What is your biggest regret about high school? “My biggest regret probably is taking AP Calculus” What is your best decision regarding high school? “My best decision in high school was joining the cross country team”
Sade Michaud What is your biggest regret about high school? “Not taking high school seriously enough freshman year. I had to work hard to pull myself out of the hole that I put myself in.” What is your best decision regarding high school? “Breaking out of my shell and becoming involved. I’ve met a lot of great people and have gotten close to so many.”
Bailey Kreinbrink
Austin Booth
Johanna Mercurio
What is your best decision regarding high school? “My best decision is to trust in Jesus with everything in my life. Also the more people you meet and love on, the merrier!”
What is your biggest regret about high school? “I regret drifting away from people over the years. As a senior, it makes me kind of sad that I didn’t do a better job to stay close to some of my good friends from middle school and freshman year.” What is your best decision regarding high school? “I’m glad I stayed active in the school from participating in homecoming week and senior week to going to my friends high school sporting events to being involved in clubs and other organiztions.”
Riley Moran
Maggie Muzi
What is your biggest regret about high school? “I really wish I could’ve gotten more involved in sports! Also I wish I went to more football games during my junior year.”
What is your biggest regret about high school? “Not caring about my grades freshman year” What is your best decision regarding high school? “Taking sports medicine my senior year”
What is your biggest regret about high school? “I don’t have any regrets. I managed to balance doing fun stuff and school so I don’t feel like I missed out on anything.” What is your best decision regarding high school? “Probably taking Microbiology. I realized that I really like science, and now I’m majoring in micro at Mississippi State.”
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Thomas Godwin
Brayden Bishop
Austin Booth
Austin Pyle
Bailey Kreinbrink
Johanna Mercurio
Sade Michaud
Riley Moran
Maggie Muzi
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT Basketball
ATHLETES
Cross Country
By: Madeleine Moody
By: Gavin Childers
basketball season playing for Mill Creek was sophomore year because it was me and Keeton Glover’s first year playing on varsity and we just went in there not having any varsity experience and just had a lot of fun. My motto is stay frosty.”
has been a huge part of my life ever since freshman year. I will be forever grateful for the impact it has had on me.”
MILES RILEY: “My favorite SAM COSTA: “Running
KATE KOSTEL: “My
favorite inspirational quote that coach gave us was, ‘Drop the Hammer,’ basically meaning even when you’re mentally exhausted, you can still give it that last push at the end.”
Track & Field By: Gavin Childers
BRYCE HALL: “I started
doing triple jump in the middle of my senior season and caught on right away, becoming a varsity competitor and the top jumper at the school for a short period of time.”
Soccer By: Camron Williams
BILLY JOHNSON: “It’s
been an outstanding experience to be a part of the team because they have truly become a second family to me.”
ERIN JOHNSON:
“Playing for the Mill Creek Soccer program led me to some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, and it has been one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had.” PHOTO CREDITS: Magic Moment Photography: Miles Riley, Kate Kostel Anna Braschler. Kyle Lowe: Steven Aceto. Courtesy of the Johnson Family: Billy Johnson. Courtesy of the Johnson Family: Erin Johnson. Gwinnett Daily Post: Sam Costa. Elizabeth Jordan: Will Jordan. David Welker: Katherine Parker. Emily Gubitoso: Hannah Petit.
HANNAH PETIT:
“Running has showed me that I am capable of so much more than I have ever imagined. It has provided me with a greater mental toughness and better outlook in any situation.”
Pride Of Mill Creek By: Eric O’Hara
STEVEN ACETO: “what I
enjoyed the most about marching band was the friendships I made throughout my four years in the program. Through band I befriended all ages and all walks of life, and met hundreds of people not from Mill Creek, but from all across Georgia, the country and even the world. Without band, I would’ve never had the chance at friendship with all of those amazing people, and that has made me a better person myself.”
Swimming
By: Collins Sainovich
WILL JORDAN: “Overall I think my swim season was the best one I’ve had. Our team has grown so much since I got here thanks to the coaches. The atmosphere they have created has left a lasting impression on me and my teammates and I know that there is a bright future ahead of MCHS Swim and Dive.”
KATHERINE PARKER: “Words can’t even describe how excited I am to swim for UGA next year and compete for one of the best college teams in the country.”
Lacrosse By: Amauri Richardson
JEREMY KOHN: “Going
into a big game not knowing what is going to happen and just pulling it out at the end is the best part of the sport to me.
Volleyball
By: Faith Montgomery
ANNA BRASCHLER:
“My favorite part of the senior season was senior night; it was really fun because all of my family came out to support me. Plus, we beat Archer which made the night even better. But, out of all of my seasons playing volleyball, my favorite memory was when we played a game where we were really close with the other team the entire time, and we won right at the last minute. We all played really well, and I had a bunch of kills which made the night really memorable.”
Softball By: Kaitlyn Neher
EMILY LAWRENCE:
“Softball is more than just a sport to me; it is something I have fallen in love with the moment I picked up a softball. I’ve made so many friendships through my 15 years of playing and I can’t wait to continue my softball career at the next level in college.”
Football By: Kyle Lowe
TYLER VERNON: “I
played the position on our team that I needed to, and supported my teammates with hard work and dedication.”
TYLER VERNON Football
Baseball By: Michelle Ortiz
MATTHEW LEWIS: “My motto is ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work’-Tim Notke”
Golf By: Kelsey Bruce
GRACE CHOI: “I’m playing
at Georgia State next year. The golf team has been a family to me, and I wanted that in college.”
ANNA BRASCHLER Volleyball
SAM COSTA Cross Country
BRYCE HALL Track & Field
EMILY LAWRENCE Softball
BILLY JOHNSON Soccer
ERIN JOHNSON Soccer
MILES RILEY Basketball
KATE KOSTEL Basketball
STEVEN ACETO POMC MATT LEWIS Baseball
HANNAH PETIT Cross Country
CAROLINE MCCOLLUM Cheer
WILL JORDAN Swim
KATHERINE PARKER Swim
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HAWK WITH A STORY
CREATING HIS OWN
BRAND
By: Amauri Richardson
PHOTOS: Courtesy of Morgan Davis-Vauls
Morgan Davis-Vauls, junior, is a Hawk with a story. In addition to being a 16 year old student at MCHS, Morgan is a young entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of the clothing brand“NotEnlisted,” along with his partners Andre Rocha & Jaylan Lindsey. The three of them started as good friends. They all met in seventh grade at North Gwinnett, and all joined together with the idea and philosophy behind it. NotEnlisted is not geared towards just one demographic Vauls
“Our style comes from the skateboard and HipHop culture, but we’re just all about anyone who wants to be themselves and do their own thing.” says,
The clothing line was started during the winter break of 2015. Products sold include a variety of windbreakers, hoodies, and t-shirts. The latest collection of NotEnlisted clothing dropped in early May, where they will introduce their new official NotEnlisted tees. Though some may think otherwise, the process for getting the clothes made is not that tough. Vauls says, “We design and distribute clothes, but we don’t manufacture them. We design what we want and have a connection of ours make it, then we distribute it at market price.” Though,Vauls and company are entrepreneurs, they’re still young and in high school. A lot of their reasonings for starting a clothing a line were inspired by any other young adults motives. Vauls said their motivation was;”We wanted to gain experience in business management as high school entrepreneurs have a higher success rate in their life. Also,
money for a car, college, and other typical teenage motives.” Being so young and an entrepreneur, you can imagine one would encounter hardships, and other problems. According to Vauls, the biggest struggles of being a young entrepreneur, he’s discovered, is “time availability” as well as income to maintain his main ideas. We asked Vauls what his overall vision for the NotEnlisted is and he said, “All I see is progress. We have our summer line coming out right now and we’re going to introduce t-shirts and sweatshirts down the line, just so many new things that are going to be happening and being so young, it’s a great experience to have and gain from.” The goal for him and NotEnlisted is to inspire people to basically just be themselves; Vauls said,
“Since not enlisted means to think for yourself and always do your own thing, we’d like to inspire people to live their own way and to chase their dreams.”
Vauls is definitely a Hawk with a story, and he tells his through his fashion expression, his achievement as a young entrepreneur, showing us that we can all S.O.A.R. in our own way, while 17 year old Vauls and NotEnlisted S.O.A.R in entrepreneurship. Vauls ended his interview by stating something he’d like to call, The NotEnlisted which is: NotEnlisted is more than the clothes, its more than a lifestyle, it’s a mindset! Go support your fellow comtemporaries Andre Rocha, Jaylan Lindsey and, fellow Mill Creek Hawk, Morgan Davis-Vauls today at www.notenlisted.com and get your windreaker, hoodie, or tee online.
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Waterfall Recently a map of the best waterfalls in Georgia has been circulating the internet. While some may want to do all of them, others may only want to visit a few. Use this as a guide to help you choose!
Amicalola Falls 418 Amicalola Falls Lodge Road, Dawsonville, GA 30534 Distance from MCHS 1:20 hours
Photo By Wikimedia
Amicalola Falls- A 729 foot waterfall is the main attraction of this destination. You may hike the trail, choosing either the pathway or the challenging staircases. If you choose to take the trail with the staircases you can join the Canyon Climbers Club, with the challenging trails being 8.5 miles, the pathway loop being 2.1 miles. There is a lodge on the mountain and hotels in the area. The park has a restaurant called The Maple Restaurant which is known for its Sunday brunch buffet. Trout fishing is popular in the area. Amicalola Falls is one hour and twentyone minutes from Mill Creek High School.
Desoto Falls- With a short 2.4 mile trail, this is the second best for those who don’t enjoy hiking as much as they enjoy the falls themselves. These falls are best seen after rainfall. Lower Desoto Falls is about 35 foot high drop, while Desoto Falls is not a drop, but meanders off three ledges to a clear pool at the bottom. Desoto Falls is about one hour and twenty one minutes from Mill Creek High School as well.
Photo By Wikimedia
Desoto Falls Highway 19, Blairsville, GA Distance from MCHS 1:20 hours
Road Trip
By Alyssa Casole
Raven Cliff Falls Richard B Russell Scenic Hwy, Helen, GA 30545 Distance from MCHS 1:13 hours
Photo By Wikimedia
A popular waterfall destination, Raven cliff falls has a moderate, 4.9 mile trail. This hike is full of small waterfalls that lead up to the 40 foot fall that cuts through a large rock. Beside the nearby campsite is a swimming hole that is about 5 feet deep. If you so desire, once you reach the trailhead at the end of your hike you can hike a short one mile paved trail to Dukes Creek Falls. Camp sites are free and it is first come first serve- if you’re planning on staying overnight make sure to get there early.
Toccoa Falls 107 Kincaid Dr, Toccoa Falls, GA 30598 Distance from MCHS 1:04 hours
Photo By Wikimedia
This 186 foot sheer dropping waterfall is located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College. The path to the falls is short, but boasts pretty foliage. The 100 yard path to the falls is also handicap accessible. A restaurant, Gate Cottage Restaurant, nearby is open to the public for Sunday buffet at lunch time. Bring a few dollars, adult tickets are $1 and children and 65+ tickets are 50 cents.
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Mill Creek Spring Dance Show
By: Olivia Parks
April 2016, the Mill Creek Spring Dance Show has rolled around once again; this time, the theme is “Decades”. Each class period will be dancing to a song from a different decade, anywhere from the 1920’s to the current day. Even the Senior Piece of this show is mash up of different songs from the 1990’s and 2000’s to represent the graduating class. Students in the program have put hours, even months, into preparing for the show on top of endless amount of money spent on costumes, jazz shoes, makeup, and food throughout the week. Ms. Muck herself, and a few volunteers, have also taken the time to set up the light and music, Ms. Muck even burned more than 5 different CD’s of music in attempt to perfect the order of the music for the show. Much like past years, Muck has pulled back and allowed students to choreograph more for this year. A few dancers who have contributed their pieces and talents are Lindsey Wrolson, 12, Madison Romeo, 12, Alivia Georgia, 11, N’Deyah Warren, 10, and even alumni such as Birdie Jackson, class of 2015. Wrolson and Romeo are both taking the Dance Composition class, which enables them to teach and choreograph for a certain class period each day with Wrolson teaching 3rd and Romeo teaching 5th. Wrolson choreographed three pieces for 3rd period, including a jazz piece to a remix of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, “I found the sound perfect, it was perfect for the class. The choreography came easily to me and I know the class and the audience would love it because it was fun piece,” said Wrolson. George, a 5th period dancer, decided to set an audition piece rather than a piece for a class period. A few dancers, such as Warren have choreographed their own solo pieces for the show; Warren choreographed her solo piece for dance team competitions originally. As expected, with a dance show, or any show, there comes the need for costuming. In the dance program, costumes ordered from costume companies such as Weissman Costumes and Dancewear Solutions can cost anywhere from $40 to $300 per costume but is on average $50 per costume. In fact, due to the cost of costumes, the dancers reuse and buy
or create their own costumes for many dances. According to randomly selected members of the dance program, the students spent an average of $30 on each costume they were required to buy for themselves. Most times, Muck will allow students to look in the costume closet before asking them to purchase any piece of clothing for a costume, understanding the need to save money. On top of the price of the costume itself, dancers must have shoes, such as jazz and ballet shoes, to dance in which cost around $25 to $40 on average. Other than costuming and choreographing, lighting and music is a vital part of the dance show. Muck does most of the work involving these factors, cutting the music for most of the dances and setting the lights for each piece. She must set specific lighting for each dance, sometimes causing her to have to stay late after the dancers have finished rehearsal.. For the spring show, Decades, Muck had to put each song for each dance on a CD; the order of the music fit the order of the dances in the show, going in order of the decades, such as all of the pieces set to music from the 70’s grouped together, all the pieces set to music from the 80’s grouped together, and so on. Beginning the Monday the week of the dance show, the program starts rehearsals in the theater after school. On average, the dancers spend around four to six hours at rehearsal throughout the week. According to a survey of dancers, average time spent on doing makeup and hair for each show is around an hour to an hour and a half as they are required to wear such a large amount of makeup for their faces to visible on stage under the bright lights. On top of the amount time and money spent by students, parents tend to put in quite a bit of time and money as well. Parents, with younger students, have to pick their children up from rehearsal, drop them off for shows and some parents buy and bring their children food. There is also a bake sale during the show and flowers sold; students usually bake the goods for the bake sale but a parent or two is in charge of picking up all of the flowers to be sold. All in all, parents and students part of the
PHOTO: Olivia Parks
PHOTO: Katherine Rodriguez
PHOTO: Katherine Rodriguez
dance program spend on average $25 to $35 on fast food during the week of show, according to a random survey of dancers; this does not include money spent on gas, makeup, costumes, or bake sale items. Backstage and beforehand, dancers stretch and warm up in order to prevent injuries and perform better during the show. By warming up, dancers are more prepared to dance to the best of their capabilities. If something does go wrong, as did in this show, Muck and other people backstage are prepared to take on anything. During the Friday night show, a girl in the senior piece fell and hit her head, knocking her out in the middle of dancing. Muck immediately dimmed and cut the lights, turned off the music, had someone draw the curtain, and had people rush to help the girl. She was able to bring the girl back to consciousness, get her with her family, and eventually picked up by an ambulance. Most people didn’t even
realize this had happened; many people reporting they thought there was a technically difficulty with the lights. On top of this, on Saturday night, multiple dancers were missing due to their responsibilities to their dance studios outside of school. The classes were prepared as this was known about before-hand, and had planned the blocking of the dances around the missing people. Even if a problem presents itself, the dancers and Muck are always prepared to solve it. Muck reported hearing from multiple people that this was the dance program’s “best show yet”. With an abundance of different students choreographing, there were multiple styles of dance seen in this show. But it would have never come together without the work of Muck, guest choreographers, dance students, backstage hands, and parents putting everything in during rehearsals and even months beforehand.
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Congratulations Class of 2016!
See You Next Year!
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