October 2015

Page 2

October 2015

The Omniscient

Points of Interest

cHloe GruesbecK/tHe omniscient

P.R.I.D.E. members lobby for gender-neutral bathrooms. pg 4

DANCE ENSEMBLE performs during the pep rally.

Jasmine WilKie/tHe omniscient

The Art Department performs Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. pg 19

Jasmine WilKie/tHe omniscient

Student council hosted the annual pep rally for the homecoming game Oct. 16. The rally included performances by dance ensemble, dance team, cheerleading, marching band, the step team and an appearance by the football team. For the first time in years, the rally was held outside, and the pieces were performed on the football field. Most notably, several groups participated in the popular dances “Hit The Quan” and “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae).” Student council senator Aiden Williams led the committee that coordinated the afternoon’s activities.

O M N IS C IE N T - THE NORTHWOOD -

EDITORS Chloe Gruesbeck Editor-in-Chief

Becca Heilman Managing & Online Editor Hunter KocH/tHe omniscient

Students and teachers discuss the formation of hip hop. pg 21

Sawyer Davis Layout Editor Hunter Koch Social Media Editor

Riley Wolfgang Social Media Editor STAFF WRITERS Tanner Althoff Colin Battis Malia Hamilton Elizabeth Her Ava Johnson Rania Kazmi Jessica Kolomichuk Jailen Leach

Cassandra Navarro Lara Summers Calvin To Cameron Underwood Anna Welsh Jasmine Wilkie Zoe Willard Eva Willauer

ADVISOR Neal Morgan nmorgan@chatham.k12.nc.us

The Northwood Omniscient is published by journalism students at Northwood High School. It aims to present accurate coverage of events of interest to our readers, as well as provide an open forum for the opinions of students, faculty and the community.

We welcome letters to the editor, which can be delivered to the advisor in Room 607 or sent containing libelous statements, to edit for length and to ascertain the truthfulness of the content.

Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the editorial board. Columns, letters and cartoons represent the views of the authors.

Hunter KocH/tHe omniscient

head of the football program. pg 24

Cover: Northwood’s defense tackles an Orange player Oct. 1.

Photo Credit: Hunter Koch

October 2015

The Omniscient

Malia HaMilton/tHe oMniscient

Eroding the History of the Rock

By Malia HaMilton S taff Writer

ized the rock. Toomer said that she did not know the exact details of the supposed vandalism.

“I’m just glad it was cleaned up and it is back to its rightful owner of the class,” Toomer said. “I haven’t known anyone to have to paint it twice, so I hope we can get people to keep their hands off of it.”

Burwell saw it as an opportunity for Northwood to grow.

On the right side of the entrance into Northwood lies a large, often colorful rock. For most students, its origins are unknown, yet some recognize it as being a symbol of senior pride.

Some have tried and failed to crack the history of the rock.

Senior Adrianne Cleven researched the origins of the rock but was unable to find conschool pride is,” Burwell said. “In some ways, crete evidence. when people mess up things that are important “It feels like it’s just this huge mystery around the school,” Cleven said. “It’s like no think the pride rock is a really important aspect one really knows what the rock means and of building more pride at Northwood.” where it comes from. It’s just sitting there and McKnight is now a teacher at Durham School people drive past it.” of the Arts. While she no longer works at NorthAssistant principal wood, she looks forward Valencia Toomer said at to the tradition continuing.

“We might not remember one time the rock was “There aren’t many everything about Northwood, but traditions left at Northused as a prop during senior portraits. some of us might remember the wood, and I think that “My older brother rock and what it means. It’s just the senior rock should be graduated in 1992, and the one of them that stays,” kind of a senior thing. It’s a cool McKnight said. rock was painted then, but experience.” they used it more so during Toomer had similar senior portraits,” Toomer views.

— Adrianne Cleven, senior said. “It wasn’t as it is now “If we make it a big where each graduating deal now, it may be class sort of owns the rock. It was just more so a something that people will kind of want to nice area in the woods for them to take pictures.” carry on,” Toomer said. “Some people don’t Eleven years ago, the rock served as a memoriknow that classes before [them] didn’t even al for former Northwood principal Michael Trifaro. recognize the rock as being a deal.”

In June 2004, Trifaro committed suicide in his Raleigh home. Visual arts teacher Leslie made a visual impression. It is now painted Burwell recalled the difficult time. bright yellow with a zigzag design and the year of the current graduating class. the sadness that the school was feeling,” Bur“Honestly, this [year] has probably been well said. “It is a pride rock, but I think that year the most busy that the rock has been,” Toomer it was a way to commemorate someone who said. “It kind of reminds me of an [Easter] egg. made a difference, because he was a teacher and I think it’s been pretty simple before, but this is then a principal at Northwood.”

Former Northwood staff member Debbie While the history of the rock remains largely McKnight agreed that the rock took on a form uncertain, for Cleven it is a memorable part of of commemoration that year.

Northwood.

“An English teacher planted a garden “It’s such a cool tradition because all around it in his memory, and I remember that schools have different traditions,” Cleven said. she became upset that the seniors painted the “We might not remember everything about rock,” McKnight said.

Northwood, but some of us might remember There has been speculation that as an act of the rock and what it means. It’s just kind of a school rivalry, Jordan Matthews recently vandal- senior thing. It’s a cool experience.”

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October 2015

The Omniscient

P.R.I.D.E. members advocate for gender-neutral bathrooms

By Becca Heilman Managing & Online editOr

Jean Berry said. “I identify as a male, but I don’t really single-user options. want to go in the boys’ bathroom with cisgender boys.

“When it comes to school, the restroom is sort of a safe Usually, I just go in the girls’ bathroom because I’m more haven for most girls,” senior Miranda Svirk said. “I don’t Around the country, transgender and gender nonconcomfortable in there, but since it doesn’t really match my think [community gender-neutral bathrooms] should be a forming students are often singled out and ostracized for identity, that’s kind of weird for some people.” thing, because a lot of people need that [gender] separaexpressing their identity in school. According to a survey Lucas Van Duinen, a transgender sophomore, has also tion…. I think in general, [single-user bathrooms] would by the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network, experienced discomfort when trying to choose which be the best idea if they wanted to do gender-neutral bath59 percent of transgender students are denied access to bathroom to use. rooms, because you get the ultimate privacy.” restrooms that match their gender identity. Some members “It’s horribly awkward and uncomfortable to use the Some schools utilize single-user, gender-neutral of P.R.I.D.E. (People Rallying in Defense of Equality), wrong bathroom and to feel like you don’t belong in that bathrooms to combat the problems associated with their the LGBTQ+ support organization at Northwood, have sort of spot,” Van Duinen said. “Furthermore, if you do use installation. However, according to principal Justin Barintroduced the idea to make the the wrong restroom, and if people tholomew, Northwood doesn’t currently have adequate school safer for these students know that you are transgender or access to such facilities. An obstacle in having to build new through the incorporation of gender nonconforming, it’s going gender-neutral bathrooms. A to be harder for people to validate gender-neutral bathroom would your gender identity.” cient funding. create a collective space for Many LGBTQ+ youth experi“We can’t even get [the money] to put a single stall into people of any gender or people ence harassment in numerous the men’s bathroom that doesn’t have one,” Bartholomew who have no gender as opposed aspects of their lives, especially said. “In some of the men’s bathrooms, you can be sitting to a designated bathroom for in under-supervised places like on the toilet and looking at the person next to you, and I only male or female students. school bathrooms. According to was told that they did not have money for dividers.”

“P.R.I.D.E. is constantly a report by the National CoaliThe addition of gender-neutral bathrooms at Northwood brainstorming and discussing tion of Anti-Violence Programs, ideas for ways to positively transgender people are 28 percent administration, which would then be brought to Central impact the Northwood student more likely to experience physibody,” school social worker and cal violence than those who are cial proposal in order to receive funding from the county P.R.I.D.E. club advisor Rachael gender normative. for any bathroom revisions. Bartholomew discussed the Norris said. “One such idea is “There have been cases where the possibility of having gender people literally are beat up in funds as the main reason why the project might not be neutral bathrooms. The issue these restrooms because they able to be carried out right away. However, with potenof gender neutral bathrooms aren’t congruent with [the norm], tial renovations coming to Northwood in the near future, is one that comes up at many and they get called slurs,” Mather Bartholomew said a gender-neutral bathroom project may schools and businesses around said. “It’s terrifying, honestly. the country. The teenagers in Having gender-neutral bathrooms Despite the controversy and limitations surrounding the P.R.I.D.E. are very thoughtful creation of gender-neutral bathrooms, P.R.I.D.E. still has a Chloe GruesbeCk/The omnisCienT would provide a safe place.” people, and they are working to UNC-CHAPEL HILL’S CAMPUS Y, a According to a national common goal. support all Northwood students building on campus dedicated to social survey by the Gay, Lesbian, & “Even if we don’t get the gender-neutral bathroom, in order to make their environ- justice, has four designated single-user, Straight Education Network, which is obviously the ultimate goal—to have that safe ment a safe and inclusive place gender-neutral bathrooms in its building.

75 percent of transgender youth place, it’s going to start a discussion, and it’s going to come to school.” feel unsafe at school. In fact, to inform people,” agender senior Minx Taylor said.

Transgender junior Nikolai Mather discussed the lack of according to the same survey, transgender students have “That’s another thing that we want.” options for transgender students at the school.

“It kind of reinforces this feeling of, ‘I’m an other, I’m not likely to miss school out of safety wanted here and because I was born biologically female, that concerns and are less likely to plan doesn’t make me who I am—a man,’” Mather said. on continuing their education.

Agender: A person who is internally ungendered or does not have a felt Agender senior Aggie Puckett had similar sentiments and Some fear that allowing stusense of gender identity. suggested that creating a gender-neutral bathroom could be dents of all genders in a private one of the solutions to such problems. area like the bathroom could be Cisgender: “[Creating a gender-neutral bathroom] breaks down problematic, leading to inapproprithat mold in your head where you think, ‘Oh, they’re trans, ate conduct or bullying in lessGender binary: A system used to classify a person as either male or so they’re not normal; they’re different than the default,’” supervised areas. female, excluding those whose gender does not fit within the tradiPuckett said. “We don’t want [the gender binary] to be the tional dichotomy. default anymore. Representation is important; it’s key, and because there are people that would we don’t have that.” exploit that, but I feel like the Gender nonconforming: A person who doesn’t conform to society’s exNear the end of the 2014-2015 school year, P.R.I.D.E. pectations of gender expression based on the gender binary, expectations split into committees. One group of about 15 students conily,” Mather said. “[Some] kids here of masculinity and femininity or how they should identify their gender. centrated on physical changes in the school, like the addition aren’t comfortable with using the of gender-neutral bathrooms. Although P.R.I.D.E. is still bathroom at all; I have friends who LGBTQ+: An acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/ in the process of reforming and regrouping for this school literally go in the morning and then Questioning and others. This refers to a population of people united by year, many of its members want to make the project a priorwait the entire day to go when they having gender identities or sexual orientations that differ from the heteroity for the upcoming year. The proposal isn’t yet concrete, get home. They just don’t feel safe sexual and cisgender majority. but a few students have suggested changing the gendered at school, and something needs to bathrooms on the 200 hall across from Student Services into be done about that, regardless of Transgender (Trans): A term for people whose gender identity, expression gender-neutral spaces. issues with people doing bad stuff or behavior is different from those typically associated with their assigned Many transgender and gender nonconforming students in there.” sex at birth. are not comfortable using the bathroom that matches their Some students are made gender for a variety of reasons, including a fear of harassuncomfortable by the thought Sources: Dictionary.com, The University of California at Berkeley’s ment or violence. of community gender-neutral Gender Equity Resource Center and the University of Central Florida’s “I myself am transgender, so it’s kind of hard,” senior bathrooms but support the idea of Social Justice and Advocacy

Glossary

October 2015

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October 2015

HUNTER KOCH/THE OMNISCIENT

MORNING TRAFFIC stretches down Highway 15-501 South.

You Snooze, You Lose: Heavy

traffic

causes

numerous

complaints

BY ELIZABETH HER STAFF WRITER

Life is Too Short to Be in Pain

Dedicated to restoring wellness while helping you eliminate the conditions that are holding you back from living life at

“Rooted in Your Health.” www.newbranchchiro.com

Over 1,350 students currently attend Northwood, adding an additional 85 students to the school since last year. The growing population contributes

to

the

morning

traffic

buildup

along

the intersection of U.S. Highway 15-501 and Northwood High School Road. On a weekday morning, it is common to see lines of cars stretching from all directions at the intersection.

“I’ve been here going on 10 years, and this has been

the

worst

I’ve

ever

seen

it

as

far

as

traffic

and

the

numbers,”

School

Resource

Officer

Herbie Stubbs said.

Senior Anne Barone drives herself to school and

dislikes

the

morning

traffic.

“I hate it,” Barone said. “I live like half an hour away, so I have to leave even earlier to get to school. If I don’t leave at 7 a.m., I’m going to be late.”

Senior Jenny Li, a morning bus rider, has an hour-long bus ride to get to school.

“Last year, I got on the bus at 6:33 a.m.,” Li said. “But this year, because there are more students

coming

to

the

school,

there

is

more

traffic.

I

have to get out [to the bus stop] 15 minutes earlier just to get [to school] on time.”

Assistant principal Phillip Little agrees that the addition of new students every school year affects the

traffic

outside

school.

“The problem is that every year, the school is gaining more students who don’t drive,” Little said.

“That

makes

more

stress

on

traffic.”

After

the

first

week

of

school,

the

traffic

coming into Northwood begins to shrink. Though the traffic

build

up

slowly

diminishes

through

the

school year, principal Justin Bartholomew says it is always an issue.

“I

don’t

think

[the

traffic]

solves

itself,”

Bartholomew said. “It alleviates itself, but it needs a major overhaul to solve that whole piece.”

The large number of buses and cars poses a hazard to all drivers and pedestrians along the intersection.

“We’ve had a few accidents this year,” Stubbs said. “Nothing serious, but people do get impatient.

We’ve had three or four rear-enders, where people hit other people because you have that stopping and going and stopping and going motion. If somebody stops and the person behind them is looking at their

cell phone or looks in the mirror, then bam—it’s too late. You’ve hit somebody.”

Though

the

traffic

around

Northwood

High

School Road continues to grow, Chatham County Schools

says

it

has

no

power

to

fix

or

control

it.

“Chatham County Schools has nothing to do with

the

traffic,”

Stubbs

said.

“It’s

the

state

of

North Carolina.”

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (N.C.D.O.T.) monitors the intersection between Northwood High School Road and Highway 15-501. Stubbs says the school is too far off the highway to make it a school zone, allowing drivers to go 55 mph in front of the school road.

“There are petitions the town of Pittsboro is trying to do to get them to [install a school zone area] and get people to slow down,” Stubbs said.

“Some people go through the intersection running 55 to 65 miles per hour in front of Northwood when school is starting and ending. Right now it’s D.O.T.”

N.C.D.O.T.’s

Media

Communications

Officer

Ginny Inman says there are new implements being added this school year to accommodate for the highway

speed

limit

and

traffic.

“What’s new [this school year] is that there will be school zone signs for the morning and afternoon periods,” Inman said. “But it will not be for the lunch hour. It will only be for when school is opening and closing.”

Along with the school zone signs, Chatham County Schools and the N.C.D.O.T. have made plans to potentially add a second entrance into Northwood. When asked if the school could help with

traffic

problems,

Bartholomew

said

all

options

have

been

exhausted.

“They all know something needs to be done,” Bartholomew said. “They’re just waiting for someone to do something.”

Though

the

traffic

solutions

will

take

time,

Stubbs

suggested

a

method

to

fix

the

school

traffic.

“If you can ride the school bus, ride it,” Stubbs said. “But if not, I think the big problem is that everybody is trying to get somewhere at the last minute. Get up and leave the house sooner. If you get here at 7:15 or 7:20, you’re not going to be stuck in line. But if you wait till 7:30 or after, you’re going to be stuck. You try to hurry up, but then you’re going to wait. Just getting up earlier and getting to school would be a big help.”

October 2015

Is the 10-point grading scale making students more lazy?

kind of just disagree with that.

Midthun: You disagree with that?

Wolfgang: Yes. When you’re reviewing thousands and thousands of applications that come in, the grades are just one factor, and while we recognize that the state of North Carolina has a seven-point scale, you’re getting the majority of students applying with a 10-point scale. In a way, in my experience, we have cut kids a little bit of slack who are coming in with a 92… In that respect, I

Cassandra navarro/The omnisCienT

At the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year, Northwood High School, along with North Carolina’s other public schools, switched its grading system from the seven-point scale to the 10-point scale. As students and teachers adjust to the grading changes, a common question has arisen: How will this new grading scale affect students’ motivation in classes?

— Compiled by Riley Wolfgang, Social Media Editor Farah: [Students] know now that they can pass with an A as a 90; I feel like [students] are slacking in their work.

Midthun: That’s an assumption that all tests are standard and exactly the same as they have been for the past number of years, and that’s a huge assumption because that’s just not real. It’s like the county bumps the EOC assessment grades. An eight out of 33 [was counted as] a 70 percent, and I teach math, and an eight out of 33 is not 70 percent... eight out of 33 will not be 70 percent anymore; it’ll be 60 percent because they’ll adjust those things too. So all of that stuff gets adjusted as it comes out. I think that the brilliant part is that it’s easier; 10 is easier. It doesn’t make it so more kids will pass… it’s just easier to use.

Wolfgang: It just makes sense…

I was curious as to whether teachers are going to be grading harder because of [the new scale] and if that’s going to change how they view students’ work.

Forbes: I don’t know if they’ve actually started doing it, but some of my teachers have said things like, “If you give me A work, it’s going to be an A.” It’s not like you can get the grade easier, the scale is just easier.

Bazzari: My biggest reservation with it is that I do think, and I have overheard students saying, “Okay, I’m

Page 7

The Omniscient

good with that grade because now it’s a B instead of a C,” instead of trying to up their level, just becoming more complacent. The criticism I have of it is that there’s no differentiation, while in my mind, when I’m plopping grades on, there is. You might be in that range of 90-100, but it’s not the same A. When I’m putting that grade in there, in my mind it’s still on a seven-point scale. To me, a 90 is still a B response as opposed to an A response… For those three or four assignments in college, a 10 point scale seems to make a lot more sense because each [assignment] carries a huge amount of weight.

Midthun: College actually uses a three point scale; they use an A, an A- and an A+… therefore there is a 3 point scale, not a 10 point scale... I’m with you; just go to a 1 point scale. If you got a 90, you got a 90. If you got a 95, you got a 95. Because if I am higher in authority—either in college admissions or a job or something—to me, a person who came out with a 90 is not the same as a person who came out with a 100. On paper they are, but they aren’t. This means bigger essays, which means more weight on standardized tests because that’s going to be their differentiation. It’s not going to be the “You got all A’s in the class because they’re on the 10 point scale.”

Wolfgang: Considering my years of experience in college admissions, I

The Panel Phyllis Bazzari is an English teacher who has been teaching for 16 years.

Shannon Wolfgang is currently the Distance Learning Facilitator and has previously worked as an admissions counselor at Duke University and the University of Michigan.

We somewhat disregarded it, but at the same time we knew they were on a seven point scale, so that 92 for one student applying from say, Connecticut, was an A, so we checked off the A for that class. A student applying from North Carolina with a 92 got a B checked off. It could work to a disadvantage. While that wasn’t the only deciding factor, it was part of the decision-making.

Midthun: When my daughter applied to the [University of North Carolina], the average entry GPA was a 4.8, and you’re going, “Okay, this is crazy.”

Wolfgang: They look at curriculum differently than grades.

Charles Midthun is a math teacher who has been teaching high school for two years.

Midthun: I think that for the most part, your 98 [grade students] and your 99 [grade students] are intrinsically motivated in a lot of ways, and they’re going for the 99. They don’t stop at the A. The 99 [grade students] differentiate themselves.

Tala Farah is a current sophomore.

Forbes: I agree; they’re going to do that regardless.

Matt Forbes is a current junior.

Wolfgang: And [Northwood students] have the actual percentages on your report cards while some schools report just letter grades… I think time will tell; I think that it’s still too early in the process to say how it will really affect motivation and how it affects grading; it’s too early.

Bazzari: It may be the type of thing where I’ll eventually start readjusting my grades.

This is an edited transcript of a conversation in which panelists engaged in further debate.

Page 8

The Omniscient

October 2015

JESSICA KOLOMICHUK/THE OMNISCIENT

BREATHALYZERS are

used

by

police

officers

to

determine

the

blood

alcohol

content

of

individuals

under

the

influence.

Driving

Under

the

Influence:

Students

discuss

the

consequences

BY SAWYER DAVIS LAYOUT EDITOR “There was glass in my face…. My friend had glass in his mouth and everyone was bleeding. That was really the moment I knew I messed up.”

As senior James Cook stumbled out of his wrecked car and checked on his passengers, he knew there was trouble looming.

“We were partying, and we had too much to drink, and we tried to make it back to the house that we were staying at that night,” said Cook, which is not his real name. “I looked

off

the

road

to

fix

my

radio,

and I looked back up, and we were at the end of the road. I stomped on my brakes, but by then it was too late, so we went through the stop sign and into a ditch. After we made sure everyone was okay, [the police] were already there and they did a sobriety test and made me blow into the breathalyzer, and then they [arrested] me.”

Cook

was

later

convicted

of

driving

under

the

influence

(DUI). The breathalyzer indicated his blood alcohol level was .2, over two times the limit for a legal adult. His charge was increased by North Carolina’s “zero-tolerance” policy for underage drunk drivers.

This

was

not

the

first

time

Cook

had

driven

drunk,

but

it

was his last.

“Any time I get in the car, I make sure that the person I’m

driving with is sober, even if it’s myself,” Cook said.

Not

every

student

who

drives

while

intoxicated

gets

caught, however. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a report in 2011 indicating that the average drunk driver will drive drunk about 80 times before their first

arrest.

Many drunk driving incidents do not end simply in arrest. Many involve a crash of some sort, as in the case of the over 10,000 drunk driving fatalities that occurred in 2013, according to the National Traffic

Safety

Administration.

The

National

Traffic

Safety

Administration also released a report revealing that the leading cause of death for teenagers is car crashes, and about 25 percent of those crashes involve an underage drunk driver.

Despite these statistics, students at Northwood still choose to drive under the

influence.

“I won’t get caught [driving drunk] because I take good routes and know my way around this county,” an anonymous senior said.

As serious as an issue like drunk driving is, many students who drink and drive regularly often downplay the danger

by

making

jokes.

When

talking

about

his

experiences drunk driving, one anonymous senior joked that he was “invincible.”

“It honestly kind of makes me angry [to hear people joke about drunk driving] because it reminds me of how I used to be,” Cook said.

School

Resource

Officer

Herbie

Stubbs

also

views

the

“Deciding

t o

d rive

drunk

o r

d eciding

t o

get

in

t he

c ar

w ith

a

drunk

d river

c ould

b e

the

last

d ecision

y ou

ever

m ake.”

—

Kirsten

Sellers,

senior

Drunk Driving: What students think

Teen

drivers

are

17 times

more

likely

to

die

in

a

crash

when

they

have

a

blood

alcohol

level

of

.08

percent

than

when

they

have

not

been

drinking.

100 random juniors and seniors were surveyed

Do you think it is okay to drive drunk?

0 said Yes 100 said No

One

in

five

teens

who

were

involved

in

fatal

crashes

in

2010

had

some

alcohol

in

their

system.

Have you ever driven drunk?

7 said Yes 93 said No Have you ever gotten in a car with a drunk driver?

25 said Yes 75 said No

issue more gravely.

“Students

think

they’re

invincible,”

Stubbs

said.

“[They

think], ‘Hey, I’m good; I can drive; I can get home,’ and then before you know it, they realize that they made a huge mistake and they caused an accident and hurt themselves or someone else.”

Some

students

get

in

cars

with

drunk

drivers

even

though

they know they shouldn’t. A survey of 100 Northwood juniors and seniors revealed that while 100 percent of students do not approve of driving drunk, 25 percent of them have been

driven

by

someone

who

was

intoxicated.

One

anonymous

senior

recounted

her

experiences

getting

in a car with her drunken friend.

“I was scared but trying to stay optimistic,” the senior said. “I wanted to think that everything was going to be okay. He was driving really slow, really cautiously, but he did forget to turn the headlights on for a solid 30 seconds.”

An

anonymous

junior

had

a

similar

experience.

“It feels like you have no other choice,” the junior said.

Senior

Kirsten

Sellers

offers

another

perspective

on

the

choice of whether or not to get in the car with a drunk driver.

“There

are

so

many

other

options,”

Sellers

said.

“You

can

find

someone

who’s

sober,

you

can

call

your

parents, you [can] call a designated driving service or even

get

a

taxi.

Deciding

to

drive

drunk

or

deciding

to

get in the car with a drunk driver could be the last decision you ever make.”

Cook offers this advice to students who might drive drunk in the future: “Don’t do it; it’s not safe. No matter how good you think you are, you will eventually get caught, no matter what.”

Jessica Kolomichuk contributed to this article.

HUNTER KOCH/THE OMNISCIENT

SOBRIETY TESTS

are

one

way

police

officers

judge

whether

an

individual

is

intoxicated.

One in 10

teens

in

high

school

admitted

to

drinking

and

driving

within

the

last

30

days.

DATA COURTESY OF CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

October 2015

The Omniscient

Page 9

Driving

Under

the

Influence:

A

victim

tells

her

story

BY JESSICA KOLOMICHUK STAFF WRITER

felt Whitt gasp and realized she was still alive. Davis then turned around and headed toward the hospital.

A highway trooper spotted Whitt and Davis’ speeding On a night in 1989, Patricia Whitt was on her way vehicle and fell in pursuit. Davis, knowing his girlfriend’s home from a Charlotte Hornets’ game. Upon entering her life was at stake, refused to stop the car despite the trailing vehicle, Whitt made the decision to drive instead of her highway troopers. As Davis neared the hospital, local law boyfriend,

Robert

Davis,

because

he

enforcement had set up a had consumed “a couple beers” at roadblock for Davis. After the game. the

officers

realized

the

According to Whitt, on their way situation, they released home they encountered a car that Davis to continue toward was swerving and heading toward the hospital. Once at the them. Whitt slowed down as she was hospital, Whitt was carapproaching a left hand turn and the ried inside the emergency swerving car veered left, hitting a signroom and her boyfriend, post.

The

signpost

flew

through

the

air

Davis, was arrested for “like a projectile,” crashing through driving

under

the

influWhitt’s windshield and into her head. ence and escorted to jail.

Whitt survived the crash but has “He didn’t know lasting memory issues. The driver of if I was alive or dead PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICIA WHITT the other car had no life threatening PATRICIA WHITT (left) recovers

from

a

traufor about four hours,” injuries

and

was

under

the

influence

matic

brain

injury

caused

by

a

drunk

driver.

Whitt said. at the time of the accident.

After the wreck, “It just sunk in that somebody decided to drink and then Whitt

required

an

extended

stay

at

the

hospital. made the decision to get in the car and drive and hurt some“I was in [the] ICU for 7-10 days, and then I was taken one else forever,” Whitt said. up to the TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) unit, and I stayed Whitt was knocked unconscious, her boyfriend saw there for three and a half months,” Whitt said. what

happened,

applied

the

car’s

brakes

and

exited

the

Over

the

course

of

the

next

three

months,

Whitt

vehicle to pursue the other driver who had taken off. had to go through multiple programs and relearn Thinking that Whitt was dead, Davis removed the everyday functions. signpost from her head, moved Whitt over and got into the “[I had to relearn] everything; how to walk, how to driver’s seat of the car to track down the other driver. As he talk,

how

to

feed

myself,

physical

exercise,

how

to

go

out

headed down the highway, holding Whitt in his arms, he in the community,” Whitt said. “ [I also went through]

speech therapy, physical therapy and psychological occupational therapy.”

Even

after

extensive

therapy,

Whitt

still

has

lasting

effects today.

“I had my long-term memory; I could remember things long term, but short term is impacted… that’s why I have to write everything down or put in it my phone, and word retrieval is an issue too,” Whitt said.

Word retrieval is the process of identifying the word needed to complete a thought. For instance, Whitt can see a rose and know what it is, but when it comes time to produce a

sentence,

she

can’t

seem

to

find

the

word

to

use.

The

other

driver

was

not

identified

until

three

days

after the accident when the man’s mother gave him up to the police.

“The day after my accident, he was playing softball with his friends, drinking beer,” Whitt said. “He had no idea.

When I heard that, it was pretty alarming.”

According to Whitt, when the case was taken to court, the

defendant

was

ordered

to

pay

a

small

fine,

and

his

insurance company had to pay for the sign damage. Whitt calls it a “slap on the wrist.”

According to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety,

a

level

five

DWI

can

obtain

the

punishment

of

a

$200

fine,

a

minimum

jail

sentence

of

24

hours

and

a

maximum

of

60

days.

According

to

dui.drivinglaws.org,

in

most cases a judge will waive the jail sentence in favor of a 30-day revocation of the offender’s driver’s license.

Whitt’s advice for how to avoid situations like hers from occuring is simple: “Have designated drivers, don’t let people leave bars and

get

into

cars…

or

put

people

that

drive

while

intoxicated in prison.”

Page 10

The Omniscient

October 2015

New School, Old Challenges: A visually impaired student adjusts to Northwood B y C olin B attis S taff W riter In the new Speech & Debate class at Northwood, there is never an idle moment. Students spend every day mastering new techniques of public speaking or developing speeches that they will present the next week. Amongst this hurried activity, the students are frequently found writing. They draft outlines, record their cue cards and jot down peer reviews of their speeches.

At least, that is the case for all except one student in the class. Junior Katharine Barry, who goes

by Adia, doesn’t record her speech notes or peer feedback because she can’t. She is legally blind.

Barry is a new arrival at Northwood, having previously attended Carrboro High School in Carrboro and Carolina Friends School in Durham. Barry has been legally blind since birth and is unable to make out text without a high level of magnification. In class, she utilizes a combination of a tablet computer and Braille machine in the place of pencils, pens and paper.

“It didn’t affect me too much when I was little,” Barry said. “In elementary school I read with magnifiers, then when I was eight or nine I started to learn Braille and walk with a long white cane.”

Outside of school, Barry plays goalball, a sport designed specifically for the visually impaired.

In goalball, players use sound and touch to orient themselves on the field and to aim their shots at the opponent’s goal.

Barry’s teacher and several classmates agree that she is competent academically and well adjusted to her impairment.

“She’s an excellent student,” junior Graham Cleven said. “Clearly very intelligent, and she’s a fine speaker. She’s an excellent memorizer; she memorizes things really quickly, which is very cool.

It’s a skill that a lot of us haven’t developed.”

Though some might think that Barry would be on a more level playing field in a class focused on speaking, there is still an abundance of written material. This helps most students, but it can actually hinder Barry in her classwork.

“That has been very difficult, because although it’s a verbal class, you would think that would lend itself to being an easier venue for Adia,” English and Speech & Debate teacher Jill Bone said.

“But what’s happening is that so much of the initial instruction is online or is in paper copy or group work.

She has to listen, because she can’t read, and then she has to do the group application but doesn’t always have the background that the other kids do. I send her the lesson material ahead of time. Whether she prepares the material ahead of time is up to her.”

-

ing process, it is not as difschool. She is currently taking both Honors English III and Honors Precalculus.

“Usually classes like English [are easiest],” Barry said. “It’s just reading and writing essays, and I can pretty easily do that on a computer, where other students just use a book or normal writing it down.

But math is hardest, because there’s a lot of stuff on the board and I need to get cameras to follow it. And it’s hard to make graphs in math so that I can see them.”

Barry also frequently has difficulties with completing her homework.

“It takes me longer to do my homework than it would for anyone else,” Barry said. “My family will help read textbooks or draw out charts bigger for me.”

Barry says that the greatest obstacle to her performance in Speech & Debate is the fact that she is unable to use written notes or prompts during her speeches.

“If you need to remember a long speech, you’d have to write it down on a Colin Battis/the omnisCient series of note cards or on a JUNIOR ADIA BARRY delivers a speech in Speech & Debate class. teleprompter,” Barry said.

“Right now, I’m working on It’s a tricky thing, this special equipment…. I think a Braille display, so that’s harder to go along with that she would be better served being trained with my speech.” this equipment before she takes her classes, and A Braille display is a device that attaches to a then she would have a far better experience.” computer or tablet and displays words in Braille by Barry herself disagreed with this, saying that she raising bumps from did not need any other help with her learning in its surface. However, Speech & Debate or her other classes. She thought the fact that these that the school has provided all the essentials and projections must be more assistance would be unnecessary. raised and lowered “It’s just hard the first couple weeks of school by pins in the device knowing what to get and then trying to figure it all to display new letters out,” Barry said. “The refreshable Braille display is limits Barry’s readcomplicated, since I am still learning how to use it, ing speed to just 70 but it will be useful for longer speeches.” words per minute, On the whole, Barry has been able to adapt to much slower than the Northwood and fit into her new classes. The many usual rate at which challenges that accompany the process of transipeople speak. tioning to a new school are greater for someone “She’s working with a disability like hers, and who is not used to on this new Braille attending schools as large as Northwood, but Barry machine; the problem is that the technology, the has started becoming another member of the Northlearning curve for anything that would help her, wood student body. there’s nobody here to guide her with that, and I “It’s been a pleasure teaching Adia, because it’s don’t know a thing about it,” said Bone. “So the helped me think outside the box a little bit more, burden… the responsibility for that becomes hers. and that’s what the entire class is,” Bone said.

“It’s been a pleasure teaching Adia, because it’s helped me think outside the box a little bit more, and that’s what the entire class is.”

— Jill Bone, Speech & Debate teacher

October 2015

The Omniscient

Page 11

Getting the Answers: Cheating in the next generation

By C alvin To S taff Writer Cheating. Not in relationships, but in academics. Cheating is a dilemma that has universally troubled students and teachers for as long as education has been a part of society, even at prestigious universities like Harvard and Stanford.

Of the 77 juniors and seniors surveyed at Northwood, 56 percent admitted to having cheated at some point during high school. Furthermore, over 80 percent of them later stated they hadn’t been caught. This low catch rate is one of the primary reasons found that so many students are willing to cheat.

“To me, it’s just like speeding,” social studies teacher David Orphal said. “If there was a 100 percent catch rate, even with a light punishment, nobody would speed. The same applies to cheating.”

Though many of the traditional methods that previous generations used are still practiced today, modern students have come up with increasingly creative methods in order to slip answers into their exams without being caught.

“The craziest method that I’ve seen is taking the wrapper of a coke or a soda bottle, scanning it into the computer and then, in photo editing software, writing the words and the information rather than actually having it as the health information,” senior Ricky Young said. “Where it

might say protein intake, you instead put ‘a2 + b2 = c2’ and then print it out on glossy print paper and wrap it back onto the bottle.”

While cheating has always been a concern for administrations everywhere, a new problem that has arisen is how easy it is to access information with the rise of the Internet.

“You have the combined knowledge of the entire human race at your fingertips, and it’s just adding another tab and then looking on that tab instead of actually being on that test,” Young said. “It’s that easy sometimes.”

Many disagree on just how much of an effect the advancement of technology truly has on cheating, especially in regards to the motivations behind the act.

“Technology is changing how kids cheat,” Orphal said. “Kids today are cut and pasting off of Wikipedia instead of copying by hand off the inside of the encyclopedia. But the core value of ‘I’m afraid that I’m going to get it wrong, so I’m going to do [anything] to make sure I get it right’ hasn’t changed.”

Although they’re aware of how dangerous being caught might be, the majority of students are still willing to accept that risk, and around 20 percent of the students surveyed here stated they never felt cheating was unacceptable. One reason brought up was that there was fault with one side of the system.

“If you really need to cheat, then

something is going wrong,” an anonymous senior said. “The teacher isn’t doing something right or the student isn’t doing something right. There’s a disconnect between the educator and educated.”

Students often find it difficult to match the expectations put upon them by their parents, their peers and even themselves. Despite fully knowing the consequences, they find themselves willing to cheat in order to not fall behind and lose out on college or scholarship opportunities.

“Those students who are highly motivated, maybe very grade aware, maybe feeling parental pressure, they’re not going to fail,” science teacher Victoria Raymond said.

“They’re afraid to not make that A, and that will drive those students to do [whatever they need to do] just as strongly as those students trying to keep their head above the water.”

Another point often brought up was the culture today’s genera-

Calvin To/The Omniscient

Calvin To/The Omniscient

tion was born and raised in and the focus that is put on academic achievement rather than actually understanding the material.

“Everywhere across the board, learning is assessed through standardized testing, which leads us, warps us, shapes us, into thinking that… the value of learning can only be assessed or demonstrated as it relates to a numeric outcome, like as it relates to a grade,” science teacher Aaron Freeman said.

Regardless of the new methods that students are devising to replace the old or how much of an effect technology has truly had, there’s something that hasn’t changed over the years: the negative attitude teachers have towards cheating.

“My underlying belief about cheating is that it’s a reflection of your personal integrity,” Freeman said. “If you value authentic learning, then you value your performance, your name, your reputation and your image to others in terms of your academic persona.

I feel like those who cheat will eventually get theirs.”

The Omniscient

Page 12

October 2015

Jane tyska/oakland tribune/mct

Students Soaring:

By AvA Johnson Staff Writer

fears, it is very safe for teens to pilot. said. “I think they have such a cool perspective of the

On a cloudy Wednesday afternoon, junior Hannah Cook blinking panel of hundreds of knobs and levers, she’s a little nervous. Nonetheless, she begins her take off and completes it almost perfectly. Making three takeoffs and landings, Cook steers the plane back to Raleigh Executive Airport feeling thrilled.

“You just feel like you can do anything right then,” Cook said. “I Cook spends most of her afternoons license. Another student pilot, junior

In order to become a licensed pilot, Cook and Cleven had to undergo a medical examination to prove that they are in good health. They are in the process of obtaining 45 structional class that teaches pilots about

“You are in a tin can powered by a lawnmower engine at 3,000 feet above the ground.”

— Graham Cleven, junior

acquire his licence.

Cook and Cleven both have very distinct motivations behind their passion for piloting.

“Both my parents are pilots, and both my grandparents

and other things of that nature. Lastly,

any other person,” Houston said. “In fact, young people often make very good pilots. Young people tend to absorb information quickly and easily, and they often learn the

truly a leap of faith.

“You have to have the courage to go out there and do something you’ve never done before and succeed in it,” Cook said.

“If you don’t succeed, you’re putting your life on the line.”

By the time Cook receives her prishy of the hours required to receive a Cook has no interest in becoming a commercial pilot.

had a bad day,” Houston said. “As a teen, it’s refreshing to ing—young or old, rich or poor, experienced or inexpecommunity, even at a young age.”

-

making a mistake is still a very real one. at 3,000 feet above the ground,” Cleven said. being able to do something ‘larger-than-life’ gives me the

Cleven responded differently.

Carolina Flight Club, believes that regardless of personal

Photos courtesy of Graham cleven and hannah cook

JUNIORS GRAHAM CLEVEN (left) and HANNAH COOK (right) both aspire to be licensed pilots.

Photo courtesy of Graham cleven

GRAHAM CLEVEN took this aerial picture of Northwood while flying.

October 2015

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The Omniscient

Page 13

Page 14

The Omniscient

By Cameron Underwood Staff Writer

October 2015

A

Principal Justin Bartholomew answered some of the most pressing questions students had about Northwood and its future, as well as some questions about himself and his role in the administrative process.

-

Q: A lot of students wanted to hear about the student parking lots in general. As the student body increases, what are the plans to increase parking spot availability?

A

Jasmine Wilkie/The OmniscienT

Q: Why can’t students go off campus during lunch?

PRINCIPAL JUSTIN BARTHOLOMEW speaks at the pep rally Oct. 16.

Q: On a lighter note, a lot of students have praised your fashion and want to know where you buy your suits.

A

A Q: A lot of the male students asked about the student bathrooms. A lot of them don’t have dividers and stalls, so is there any plan to renovate them in the future?

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(919)-908-9264 www.favordesserts.com

October 2015

The Omniscient

Page 15

16

O piniOn

The Life of a Ballerina: More than meets the eye Jasmine Wilkie

You are doing the hardest variation, or classical pas seul, meaning to dance alone, of your life. Despite the gleaming smile on your face, you can feel your feet bleeding in your shoes and you are breathing so hard that your lungs burn performance matters. The audience does not care you are in pain. Perform! Enjoy yourself! Fight through the pain! You are almost there! You take your last pose, stand up and bow, your face still shining.

As soon as you are off the stage, you cry: you wish you could’ve done better.

I think nondancers (and even some non-classically trained dancers) have a skewed idea of what it is like to do ballet.

I cannot tell you how many times I have seen adolescent boys mock ballet by haphazardly twirling on one foot and then saying something along the lines of, “Ballet can’t be that hard.” What these people do not see is the other side of dance.

My longest day of dancing was a Saturday: ballet class for warmup started at 9 a.m., and my last rehearsal ended at 9:30 p.m. This was technically my longest day ever, but it was only two hours short of what is my every Saturday routine.

In professional ballet companies, all dancers are required to take an average of six ballet lessons per week. These classes normally last anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours, sometimes including pointe. During a class, we practice straightening our spines, getting our full weight on our legs and turning our knees outward, all of which are required for good technique, until the ballet master is nies such as my own normally do not require this amount of extensive training, but because it improves your dancing, everyone does it, including myself. In these can last anywhere from 45 minutes to nine hours, and because a ballet class of class time. your toes, the blisters from yesterday’s toes to be bleeding, staining the previously perfect pale pink pointe shoes. As

if the second excruciating hour was not bad enough, the next six to seven hours are unimaginable. Eventually, you are so tired that you start falling off your pointe and out of your positions because of the pain, but it is then that the ballet master yells at you even louder to stay in position: a true paradox.

Many times, food is second to dancing. Every classically trained dance teacher will implore you to eat well and often, but it is rare that the rehearsal schedule includes breaks for snacks.Water bottles the dancers regularly run off of pure adrenaline, self will and protein bars.

That is not the only negative aspect of ballet teachers I have noticed. Once, when I was in fourth grade, a teacher told me I should reconsider my choice to pursue ballet because I didn’t have a thinly built body. As a growing child, a little pudginess was not uncommon at my school, but at the studio, compared to the extremely small girls, I was wide.

This, by far, is not normal behavior for my ballet teachers, but this one has always been open about her traditional views on what a ballerina should be. into my skin better than then, but my

bone structure never did change: even now I am wider than most ballerinas. I still have classes once a week with this teacher, and she still tends to point out my nontechnique-related imperfections.

Thankfully, I’ve been able to get through this period of selfconsciousness without harming my health, but many of my friends have not been so lucky. Professional ballet companies take your physical shape into consideration when deciding whether or not to employ a dancer, so everyone is constantly watching their figure. Many of my friends have tried diets such as liquids only and no carbs and no sugar, but these diets usually only result in muscle loss and therefore weaker bodies: another frustrating contradictory scheme.

I think people do not consider this crude side of ballet because spectators only see the glamourous, wellrehearsed version. This effortless way of dancing is the goal for all dancers, but getting there is ugly, sweaty and laborious. Ballet is so hard all our lives to make it look like it rious dancers have to the art, and I would rather die than never dance again.

Senior Year Isn’t What Students Imagined Staff Editorial During the past three years’ pep rallies, the current seniors sat on the bleachers in the noisy gymnasium as the then-seniors triumphantly walked in and took a victory lap, shouting and jeering as loud pop music played over the speakers. It was their year, a time to celebrate high school coming to a close. Fast-forward to 2015, and as the seniors walked 50-feet to the bleachers for their “senior walk,” they couldn’t help but feel a bit shortchanged. As a whole, the staff believes that the seniors have been cheated out of many of the experiences of what is supposed to be the best year of high school.

The trouble began when word got out that the yearbook would not be running serecent history. We understand their reasoning: our class sizes have gotten too large, and it would be a nightmare to coordinate, the yearbook staff has had to deal with their peers incorrectly writing the quotes and then

complaining when they are run with the mistakes. There are just too many seniors to carry out this large undertaking.

However, most seniors had that “perfect” quote in mind. The words struck a personal chord with many, be it inspirational, sad or an inside joke with friends. One of the most popular aspects of yearbook pages of the senior pictures and their adjacent quotes. The class of 2016 will never have the chance to do this.

It is a common conception that junior Standardized testing and more advanced courses add stress that causes many to better understand the ease and simplicity of their previous high school years. Another common notion is that once junior year is over, the rest of high school will become exceedingly less tedious. “Senioritis” sets in, and classes supposedly become easier. For most, this is not the case. Planning for college during senior year becomes a job of its own. Between gathering recommendation letters, writing

stress levels are equal to, if not greater than, previous years. The idea that seniors can “coast” through senior year has been shattered.

Some underclassmen look up to seniors because of their age and all the special treatment they earn for their seniority.

Seniors gain priority when buying parking passes and scheduling classes and are given the opportunity to participate in special Jasmine Wilkie/The OmniscienT senior-oriented activities THE SENIOR CLASS sits in the bleachers during like Senior Day. Seniors the pep rally Oct. 16. have waited three years for their turn, and now that ence” is the not the same as it was in previous years. However, we recognize and it is not all it is cracked up to be.

The editorial board of The Omniscient nity who strive to make senior year special agrees that the celebrated senior “experidespite the setbacks.

October 2015

Page 17

The Omniscient

The Great Presidential Triathlon: Why presidential candidates campaign too long Cameron Underwood In the past few election cycles, what was once known as the Presidential Race has evolved into a strange and malicious creature that could only be described as the Presidential Triathlon. It is not enough for our TV networks and radio stations to be swamped with a cascade of attack ads in nowadays, we as Americans are all but forced by the mass media and our angry friends and relatives to care about the election more than a full year before hand. My family’s dinner discussions have instilled my seven-year-old sister with a feeling of absolute terror when she considers the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency, and it has become impossible to search for news on the web without having his tactical Radicals and frontrunner hopefuls alike are forced to endure the nation’s close scrutiny, ridicule and attention for a much longer time than they are used to. Candidates have been slowly and steadily beginning their campaigns earlier and earlier over the past half-century, starting with Kennedy, who announced his candidacy 311 days before the election. This number has gotten larger every election cycle: Ronald Reagan announced his candidacy a full year before the election in 1979, and in 2015, Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy 576 days before the election. This longer election politicians and their constituents alike, and whether it is a necessarily positive development is debateable.

A positive outcome is the exposure that is given to candidates who wouldn’t be as known if not for the news coverage, such as Bernie Sanders and Ben Carson. Because of the expanded attention span of the media, and therefore of the American public, candidates who wouldn’t normally have a shot are now given a chance at the spotlight.

There is more time to campaign, more time to fundraise, and more time to reach out to the electorate. People get to be more involved and more in touch with politics because of this.

On the downside, this also entices candidates to say and do crazier things in a grotesque battle for media coverage, as the outrageous. While there are many intricate differences in the American public, one thing we all have in common is that we like together. The longer election cycles, and really the longer primary cycle, prompts campaign hopefuls to say and do crazier things in order to stand out and to rile up the negative, more attention is more attention.

This leads to an increased polarization of American politics. Politicians become far too busy getting angry at each other that they forget how to compromise in order to move the country forward. The whole affair seems to be slowly becoming more like a bizarre sports event rather than a serious democratic process, which frankly disgusts me.

So let me know who is still standing on the top of the polls in 2016, because then I will have the patience and the motivation to care. For now, I’m more than content to shut out the noise and focus on matters that have much more importance to me, such as reading comics, instead of being constantly election system has become.

My Older Brother: Growing up as Max’s protector Eva Willauer As a little girl, you’re told that a good big brother watches over you. He’s supposed you the best routes to use when going from class to class and scare off all the guys that try to hit on you. What nobody tells you is that this is all a myth. A great older brother is a teacher.

I’ve always been the protector of my older brother, Max, and he has always been my teacher. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Max has never been physically able to protect me. He started losing his vision when he was 18 months old and became Max is 15 months older than me, making him only a grade ahead of me. When I started middle school, my mother held Max back for a year so that he and I could go through high school together. Even though Max has been able to physically progress through elementary, middle and high school, his brain has never been able to retain an education above that of a preschooler.

Holding him back for one more year didn’t change much for him because he had already been in the same special needs class for the previous three years. Truthfully, he loved everybody so much that it made him even happier to spend an extra year with his teachers and younger friends.

I remember when the two of us were in eighth grade, and we both entered the school talent show. I did a contemporary dance with my friends, and he sang the song “Bicycle Built for Two.” It was the

most heart-warming performance the school and I had ever witnessed, but a few of the kids in the seventh grade section of the bleachers seemed to disagree. you could hear three boys yelling offensive slurs, including the word “retarded.”

Max, deserves to be treated like that, not to mention the fact that I loathe the “R-Word.”

Max hesitated during his song, but he kept on going. He didn’t really understand what was happening, but every person around who cared for him did. anger. Ever since that day, I’ve viewed the world much differently.

The world is not a place full of loving people. “Treat everyone the way you want to be treated” is only a rule in kindergarten.

The difference between Max and the rest of the world is that Max has that motto encoded in his brain. To know that I have someone in my life who thinks that way, let alone be related to him, is the greatest blessing I’ve ever had.

What my older brother has done for me is teach. He’s taught me to love and forgive.

Even though those seventh grade boys couldn’t have cared less about Max’s feelings, Max could not have loved them more.

From the point of view of his little sister, I could not see how he was able to act like nothing had happened, but what I learned My big brother taught me to release person and show them love in the hopes that they can change.

Max has never actually been able to protect me, but he’s done better. He’s given me the morals that I’ve come to treasure most. He’s taught me how to be genuinely happy. How could an older brother be any better?

Paper Books and Romance: Why I choose paper books over Kindles Calvin To

More than once, my parents have questioned why I adamantly refuse to transition to a Kindle despite my passion for literature. I’ve given them a number of different answers, but in truth there’s only one real reason: and kisses kind, but rather anything that appeals to emotions. Imagine a

well-crafted painting of a young man reading underneath a blossoming tree in the spring, the blue sky filled with clouds, and maybe the leaves are shaking from the breeze. Sounds like replace that book in the young man’s hand with a piece of modern technology like the Kindle, and while it’s certainly realistic, the image loses a lot of its charm.

I don’t doubt the usefulness of the Kindle, and I believe the chance is quite high that paper books will stop being printed altogether. Yet I have no intention of choosing a digital copy over a physical one until I’m forced to. The cold, practicality of modern

technology will never be able to replicate how easy it is to sink into a good story with the book in-between your hands. That indescribable appeal that can be measured only with emotion, not logic, is the definition of romance.

It’s difficult to say where exactly this attitude of mine came from. If I had to pick something, however, it’d be the countless fantasies I’ve read over the years, whether it’s a straightforward tale like Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, a satirical story from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, or even the classic myths of King Arthur himself. The idea of knights saving damsels in distress from whatever villainous creatures are happening

to pass by that afternoon has been burned into my mind. It’s an undoubtedly simplistic ideal, but it’s in that simplicity that I find the romance of chivalry, the same romance I feel as I hold that gathering of paper in my hands, reading those legendary tales.

In the end, you can boil it down to, “I like paper books because I do.” I’m sure that I could come up with a handful of logical explanations as to why I feel that way, and even convince others to think like I do, but it still ends up with the same result. Besides, sometimes in this highly cynical and utilitarian era, it’s nice not to think about the why of matters, and just curl up and relax with a good book.

Page 18

October 2015

The Omniscient

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A Mid-Autumn Night’s Production: Shakespeare comes to Northwood

By Jasmine Wilkie Staff WritEr Have you ever had a crush that just didn’t like you back? What about a crush that didn’t like you but liked your best friend?

What if a magic creature, maybe a fairy for example, came along and used their supernatural powers to make your crush like you back? Plenty of people have thought of this, and many, perhaps, have even wished for it, but it has only come true for one girl: Helena.

William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

This fall, Northwood’s theatre department brought this drama to life.

In the play, Helena, played by junior Chantal Shine, is a part of a group of four characters called the Lovers along with freshman Anna Butler, who played Hermia; junior Nikolai Mather, who played Lysander and sophomore Caleb James, who played Demetrius. “[Demetrius is] a rather pompous standoffish jerk who is in love with a woman named Hermia who does not love him back,” James said.

Butler described Hermia, her character, as a “strong female character.” “[Hermia] does not want to marry who her [mother] wants her to marry,” Butler said. “She wants to marry Lysander, not Demetrius.”

Later, fairies, who live in a magical forest, intervene with the four lovers by giving them potions, which creates new problems.

The play was nothing like a typical Shakespeare play. Kayla Sharp, Northwood’s theatre teacher and the play’s director, said the play’s concept was 1920s-themed.

“In the beginning, when [the play was] staged in Athens, [the set was] black and white like old black and white movies [from] the 1920s,” said junior Elizabeth McKnight, who played Egea in the play and was a part of the tech crew. “Then, every time a character [went] to the magical world of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, color [was] introduced, like maybe a flower on the guy’s jacket or pink lighting or something.”

Jasmine Wilkie/The OmniscienT

THE FAIRIES follow after their queen, Titania, who fell in love with a donkey.

Junior Kendra Moon, who played Hippolyta, said the characters were higher-class people.”

The Mechanicals, another group of characters in the play, Brothers, a family comedy act that was popular in the 1920s.

“She has tied characters from the play [to the Brothers’] personalities,” said senior Aggie Puckett, who played Snout.

“Certain [character’s personalities] line up Jasmine Wilkie/The OmniscienT with the personalities of a certain Marx Brother.” OBERON AND PUCK discuss their plan to couple “the Lovers.”

Many cast members becomes like a family at the end of the production, are having a hard time getting a grasp of their it allows them to get comfortable with characters’ personalities because of the upperclassmen and it destroys the stigma.”

Shakespearean language. This is especially true for Butler also mentioned how much the group has freshmen since they generally have less experience. bonded and her nerves coming in as a freshman.

“I was super nervous coming into it,” Butler said.

Shakespeare and praised the freshmen for giving it a try. “[I was] like, ‘I’m going to be new, and everyone’s “I’m excited that so many people put their faith in going to [already] be like [a] big family,’ and it is like the theatre department and said, ‘Okay, it’s a family, but I’m included in this family. It’s really Shakespeare. I’m going to try, even though I’ve never fun [and] just a great atmosphere.” done anything at Northwood before,’” Sharp said.

Pollard even went on to encourage more Senior Jordan Pollard, who plays Titania, the underclassmen to join the theatre department. queen of the fairies, also expressed a positive “The theatre department has become a second attitude toward the freshmen. home for me,” Pollard said. It’s probably [been] “I think [having a lot of freshmen on the cast] is the highlight of my… four years, and that’s really awesome,” Pollard said. “[In the past it has been] saying something. To any, especially freshmen and mostly veterans or, if there are freshmen, [then] they sophomores—I cannot implore you more—try out. play a lot of small roles… but this year we have Even if you have stage fright, even if you don’t freshmen in the leads. I’ve never liked the stigma think you’ll get in, try out for a play or a against freshmen as a general population. When you musical. It is an eye-opening experience and [it have freshmen in such a tight-knit group that has] changed me.”

Jasmine Wilkie/The OmniscienT

THE CAST MEMBERS line up on their way to the wedding party.

Jasmine Wilkie/The OmniscienT

STARVELING AND BOTTOM prepare to show “the Lovers” their play.

Page 20

October 2015

The Omniscient

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919-754-3904

October 2015

Page 21

The Omniscient

Hunter KocH/tHe omniscient

CD ALLEY in downtown Chapel Hill houses a wide variety of classic vinyl records, including artists like Nas and Outkast.

How the Game Has Changed: What you don’t know about rap

By Hunter KocH Social Media editor Straight Outta Compton an R-rated picture in the month of August. The movie had been in development since 2009 and details the rise to fame of the California hip-hop group N.W.A. comprised of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren and DJ Yella in the late 1980s. Since its release, it has brought to importance the origins of the genre. on the legacy that the rappers leave behind.

“They leave a really strong passion for music, hip-hop and R&B,” Atkins said. “They wanted to keep it going.”

However, some rap and hip-hop listeners are unaware of modern-day artists. Rap as a genre of music is fairly new.

Rapper Tupac Shakur, commonly known as Tupac, deposition related to accusations of his music inciting violence. He said, “It’s poetry. To me, story-telling poetry…”

English teacher Terrence Foushee had similar thoughts “Rap is just something that has come from generations and generations of oral tradition,” Foushee said. “The oral tradition of telling stories and writing poetry has been here for thousands of years.”

Junior Daquan Ghee spoke on the tough subjects Tupac covered in his raps, including racial injustice and the importance of women in society.

“Tupac was thug, but he also rapped about what was

happening in the world,” Ghee said. “They took what was happening in the neighborhood and in their life and put it on the songs so it could relate to other people.”

Rap artist J. Cole is popular among students for rapping similarly about world issues and his North Carolina roots.

Senior Tyler Collura is a listener of J. Cole. stand it,” Collura said. “Tupac was inspiration for a lot of my favorite rappers, like Kendrick [Lamar], J. Cole; J. Cole’s biggest inspirations were Nas and Tupac.”

Tupac and other rappers like Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E have on artists now.

“Their whole sound was gang related, high fashion, bragging almost,” Bailey said. “Travis Scott now, A.S.A.P. Rocky, Kanye West, they’re all kind of into the same idea.

So that basically passed on from the early 1990s and so on.

I think it’s cool.”

Spanish teacher Cristobal Herrera had similar regards for the original artists of the genre.

“They’re the biggest rap names in history,” Herrera their mind no matter what people thought. They’re the big pins, the big rappers of the day that set the path for the new ones.”

Tupac had a rivalry with East-coast artist Notorious B.I.G. or “Biggie” Smalls that ultimately claimed both of their lives.

“Tupac and Biggie, in our eyes as far as rap music, typically are diametrically opposed; either you’re a Biggie fan or Tupac fan,” Foushee said.

Bailey recounted the infamous West Coast-East Coast

rivalry of the 1990s.

“Tupac and Biggie were doing their own things, and there was this rivalry that came between them because Tua song called ‘Who Shot Ya?’ Tupac was still mad about that. People thought of that as Biggie taunting [Tupac], so that just added more tension between the two groups.”

Whereas before insults between feuding parties were done through diss tracks or statements in the media, nowadays they can be aired on the social media website Twitter. Singers such as Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift have engaged in the practice, and more recently rappers Drake versus Meek Mill. Bailey said his opinion on how the feuds differ. “‘Who Shot Ya?’ came out and then ‘Hit ‘Em Up’ was Tupac’s response to Biggie,” Bailey said. “It said something along the lines of, “You didn’t do your job right,” a more real beef as opposed to talking junk over Twitter.”

Foushee agreed. “‘Hit Em Up’ is one of the best diss tracks ever created,” Foushee said. “It came from a real place and it was before social media. They had a relationship before.”

Although Tupac and Biggie’s lives were cut short, their legacy lives on through current rappers and artists who draw inspiration from their work, such as J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar.

“I’m not saying I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world,” Tupac said in a 1994 interview with MTV. “And that’s our job. To spark somebody else watching us.”

27 Years of Rap in 4 Pictures

Straight Outta Compton is released. It is certi-

1996: All Eyez on Me is released, the last album before his death. Tupac is killed in September.

1997: Tupac wins an American Music Award for his last album in January.

Biggie is killed in March. Both murders remain unsolved.

2015: Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a is released. The track “Mortal Man” is a hypothetical conversation between Tupac and Lamar.

The Omniscient

Page 22

October 2015

Throwing a Brick for Equality: Students discuss Stonewall and discrimination in media

BY RANIA KAZMI STAFF WRITER

!

2089 Lamont Norwood Road Pittsboro, NC 27312 (919)-918-1080 oldschool.fancygap@gmail.com

would have grown out of that.�

Social Studies teacher Melissa Hayden looked at the

 
 possible

 
 beneď€ ďŹ ts.

In 1969, a movement known as the Stonewall Riots “If they know the story, and if there is enough backtook place. This movement consisted of a series of lash from any community that says, ‘This is factually riots by the LGBTQ+ community spurred by a police inaccurate,’ it might have a positive effect on the raid at a New York City gay club called the Stonewall transgender community,� Hayden said. “They [then] Inn.

 
 Historical

Â â€¨â€Šď€ ďŹ ction

Â â€¨â€Šď€ ďŹ lm

 
 Stonewall, directed by have the chance to stand up and say, ‘Why are you Roland Emmerich, covers the events and was released ashamed to portray us?’ If the movement is getting Sept. 25 to much controversy. big, it will have a good backlash, and people will want The police who raided the Stonewall Inn were auto learn more about the Stonewall riots.� thorized because the club was serving liquor without In an interview with Buzzfeed, Emmerich exa license. However, violent protesting began due to plained his reasoning. the fact that homosexuality was illegal at the time, and “You have to understand one thing; I didn’t make police

 
 had

 
 reportedly

 
 been

 
 speciď€ ďŹ cally

 
 targeting

 
 gay

 
  this movie only for gay people,� Emmerich said. “I clubs because of this. The Stonewall Inn was leased made it also for straight people. I kind of found out, in and closed three months after the riots. the testing process, that actually, for straight people,

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 The

Â â€¨â€Šď€ ďŹ lm

 
 includes

 
 signiď€ ďŹ cant

 
 historical

 
 inaccuracies

 
  [Danny] is a very easy in. Danny’s very straightfor which Emmerich has been previously known. For acting. He gets mistreated because of that. [Straight example,

 
 in

 
 his

 
 Revolutionary

 
 War

Â â€¨â€Šď€ ďŹ lm

 
 The Patriot audiences] can feel for him.�

(2000), British soldiers A common inaccuwere portrayed to be cruel racy in Hollywood is and ruthless, at one point whitewashing, which is burning a village of people the idea of replacing the in a church—an event that role of a person of color never took place. with a white person. This “If you’re going to is considered racist and make a movie about a discriminatory. historical event, follow the “As a person of color, role of the event,� sophoI absolutely hate it,� Shomore Mariah Shobande bande said. “When it’s in said. any

Â â€¨â€Šď€ ďŹ lm,

 
 I

 
 hate

 
 it.�

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEN LUND/FLICKR One of the inaccuracies Whitewashing occurs in is who is depicted throwing THE STONEWALL INN was leased and movies such as Stuck (2007), the

Â â€¨â€Šď€ ďŹ rst

 
 brick

 
 at

 
 Stonewall.

 
  closed three months after the riots. It rein which the character of In the outbreak of violence, opened with its original name in 2007.

Chante Jawan Mallard, a coins, beer cans and bricks were thrown by rioters. black woman, is played by white actress Mena Suvari The

Â â€¨â€Šď€ ďŹ rst

 
 brick

 
 of

 
 Stonewall

 
 was

 
 actually

 
 thrown

 
 by

 
 a

 
  and renamed “Brandi Boski� and Cloud Atlas (2012), transgender black woman named Marsha P. Johnson. where white actor Jim Sturgess plays Korean Hae-Joo However,

 
 the

Â â€¨â€Šď€ ďŹ lm

 
 depicts

 
 a

 
 cisgender

 
 (someone

 
 who

 
  Chang. Sturgess was also given prosthetics to alter the identiď€ ďŹ es

 
 with

 
 the

 
 gender

 
 assigned

 
 to

 
 them

 
 at

 
 birth)

 
  appearance of his eyes for the role. white

 
 man

 
 named

 
 Danny

 
 throwing

 
 the

Â â€¨â€Šď€ ďŹ rst

 
 brick.

 
  “Whitewashing happens way too often in the Although a black character gives Danny the brick to media,� Puckett said. “I think that really the only throw,

 
 this

 
 is

 
 a

 
 signiď€ ďŹ cant

 
 omission

 
 because

 
 the

 
 vast

 
  people who get fair recognition and representation in majority of the Stonewall rioters were transgender the media are white, cisgender, heterosexual people. I people of color. think that’s unfair, but it’s completely typical, and it’s “We see cisgender white men all time,� senior absolutely unacceptable.�

Minx Taylor said. “I feel like [the movie’s direcAnother one of Emmerich’s omissions also includes tor is] doing that just because it’s a safer option. ciswashing, which is the act of replacing the role of a People are going to be more comfortable with transgender person with a cisgender person. having a white cisgender man play the role. “[Ciswashing] erases the history [of the trans The whole movie isn’t about [making the audicommunity],� Shobande said. “People can’t look at ence feel] safer or normalizing the experience, something and say, ‘I don’t like it; I don’t support because it wasn’t safe for the people, and it still it, so it never happened,’ because it did. You can’t isn’t safe for many trans people and people in the erase that.�

LGBTQ+ [community].�

Puckett is involved in the LGBTQ+ community Senior Aggie Puckett agreed. and gets upset when they see LGBTQ+ representation “Black transwomen are some of the most unprobeing censored in media. tected people in America,� Puckett said. “[To have] “Other people’s anxieties about not being able the opportunity for them to [be represented] and tell to understand things that they haven’t personally their story taken away by someone at the top of the experienced has nothing to do with whether or not we, food chain really infuriates me.� as an oppressed or marginalized group, deserve fair Allies who are not LGBTQ+ themselves also gave representation,� Puckett said. their take on the matter.

Shobande explained the significance of “It’s probably hard enough dealing with judgement representation. from others without adding [a lack of representation],� “Representation is so important,� Shobande said. “It said

 
 sophomore

 
 Brittney

 
 Rigsbee,

 
 who

 
 identiď€ ďŹ es

 
  lets kids who face discrimination know that nothing as straight and cisgender. “You would think society can stop them.�

October 2015

The Omniscient

Page 23

REVIEWS On my way to see The Visit, I, as a horror fanatic, was excited only because I hadn’t seen a horror movie in far too long. Having seen some

The Martian is one of the I have ever watched. The

technological theorizing and mathematical thinking that has been bringing science for decades with the look, feel and humor of a summer blockbuster. The story follows an astronaut named Mark Watney who becomes stranded on the planet Mars and must survive for several years using only the rations and materials that he could scrounge up from the now abandoned facility his team once worked on.

Needless to say, this causes the story to be quite dark ney is able to maintain his light-hearted wisdom even in these dire circumstances. Just this once, you can trust — Cameron Underwood I went and saw Hotel Transylvania 2 at the request of my older sister and I was very prepared for the worst. From extremely tired family scenarios to Adam Sandler’s cliched writing, I was not surprised, nor impressed. The plot was nothing I hadn’t seen before, and the only twist put on it was that there were monsters involved. This movie focuses more on Adam Sandler’s character and his unwillingness to which somehow makes it less interesting. This movie was certainly directed towards children, but I do not think that excuses the worn out tropes used in the writing.

— Sawyer Davis

prior to this one, I was prepared for disappointment. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The movie revolves around a teenage girl and her younger brother’s experience then slowly realizing their family visit was something else entirely.

While the movie was plenty scary, The Visit was more disturbing than frightening, and honestly that was more enjoyable than just the scare factor. The idea of demonizing something that’s normally considered innocent has been done before, but never like this. What’s more, I found that on more than a few occasions I was laughing at the clever jokes and hilarious characterization of the younger brother.

The humor added juxtaposition and made everything in the movie more effective. All this, with the addition of a fantastic plot twist, made it one of the — Rania Kazmi

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is the movie adaptation of the bestselling novel by James Dashner, and is the sequel to the book and movie The Maze Runner. However, it deviates quite a bit from the source material, sometimes in ways that make it lose some of what made the book distinct.

If you aren’t familiar with The Maze Runner, you will become very lost very quickly. The plot moves rapidly, taking little time to explain things that wouldn’t make any sense to people who haven’t read the book, which is why it seems so odd that there were so many changes to the plot. Plus, many parts of the movie seem directly “borrowed” from other Apart from those problems, the frequent action sequences are very well done and often are truly tense. The visual design is great, and throughout the movie there is a strong atmosphere that helps distract from the thin plot.

If you’re interested in an action movie to distract you for two hours, I’d recommend The Scorch Trials. If you want something distinct from the rest of the played-out realm of zombies, post-apocalyptic dystopias, and rebellious teenage protagonists, go ahead and give this movie a pass.

— Colin Battis

Movies coming soon:

The Peanuts Movie November 6, 2015

The 33 November 13, 2015

Mockingjay: Part Two November 20, 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens December 18, 2015

Back On Top

Honeymoon

What A Time To Be Alive

Jersey born indie band The Front Bottoms recently released their new album titled Back On Top, and fans are not disappointed. The Front Bottoms’ feel-good style continues to develop with the new release, though it differs slightly from the style of their self-titled album. Back On Top shows signs of adopting more of a rock n’ roll style rather than

Lana Del Rey has done it again. Her new album, Honeymoon, is an exquisite mash up of the styles found in her previous albums, Born To Die and Ultraviolence. The mood is not as dark as it was in Ultraviolence, but it uses the same instruments that set UV apart from Born To Die. Del Rey references David Bowie’s “Major Tom” in the bridge of “Terrence Loves You” while she closes the album with her cover of Nina Simone’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” Overall, Honeymoon tells a story of a tormented love through Del Rey’s incredible range of vocals and choice of diction.

— Eva Willauer

Future and Drake dropped their much anticipated collaborative album titled What A Time To Be Alive Sept. 20. The album feels and sounds like a Future project with Drake added in as a side note. “30 for 30 Freestyle” and “Jumpman” are the two most popular songs the album has to offer. These songs are both a great mix of Future’s vibe and Drake’s lyrical genius, and that’s what people anticipated when the album was announced. Despite all the hype, Drake and Future admitted that the album only took them six days to put together. However, the time it took Drake and Future to make this mixtape might have improved its spontane-

Regardless, lead vocalist Brian Sella’s voice holds true to its honest and solid sound. Matched with unique drums, keyboard, bass and horns and featuring New Jersey rapper GDP, the album comes together beautifully.

— Rania Kazmi

released, which was to be expected, but overall, the album did well to mesh their two distinctive styles.

— Jailen Leach

24

S portS

Hunter KocH/tHe omniscient

COACHES BRIAN HARRINGTON AND BILL HALL watch over the players at the game against Orange High School Oct. 1, 2015.

Handing Over the Reins: Football gets new coaches

By Zoe Willard Staff Writer

Harrington was the defensive coordinator in the past

Omar Sbaiti said. “That’s one of the things that was

cheer on the players from the bleachers. Cheerleaders sophomore Dylan Hamer said. adding that it is similar to Hall’s together: the coaches.

The football team went to its most recent playoff

different factors.

“The biggest difference is the -

ing of Bill Hall. wish Coach Harrington and all the players the best

My football philosophy is [that] -

“My football philosophy is [that] hard work, faith and accountability will produce positive results.”

— Brian Harrington, football coach

Coach Hall was the head coach for 14 years before handing over the position to Brian Harrington. AlA more drastic change this year was the roster change. still coaches special teams.

Hall said. “We do have a [the players] have accepted Coach Harrington well and Players agree that the football program is still

Page 25

The Omniscient

October 2015

Setting Up for the Future: Volleyball advances to playoffs for first time in years

BY J AILEN LEACH S TAFF WRITER The volleyball team had a season to remember. Led by seniors Emma Johnson, Alexis Hollis, Becca Heilman and Palmer Bussey, the team was 10-9 and advanced to the playoffs

for

the

first

time

ever

under

coach

Steve

Thomas.

The four seniors who have been with the program for their entire high school careers have witnessed

a

significant

change.

They

had a winless season their freshman year, a four-win season as sophomores and a seven-win season as juniors.

Bussey gives credit for the change in the program to the coaches.

“I have noticed that we are interacting with the coaches a lot more,” Bussey said. “It has led to a lot more success for us on the court because they listen to our suggestions.”

The volleyball team had the opportunity to learn from former

U.S.

beach

volleyball

player

and

North

Carolina

native Tristy Bittikofer.

“Coach

Bittikofer

came

in

over

the

summer

and

taught

us

a

lot

of

new

things

about

volleyball,”

Bussey

said.

“She

was very helpful.”

Numerous

team

members

stepped

up

this

season,

but

many name Hollis as a game changer. Hollis led the team with 67 digs and 23 service aces.

“Alexis has stepped up a lot this year; I have seen more drive in her this season,” Johnson said.

Another

player

who

improved

was

junior

Katie

Snipes.

Snipes

is

described

as

a

well-­rounded

player

who

can

play

any position on the court.

“Katie has been playing all over the place,” Hollis said.

“She

has

been

a

great

player

this

year.”

Hollis wants the younger players to remember one thing about volleyball moving forward.

“I want the underclassmen to remember that volleyball is a sport that you play because it is fun and you enjoy it,” Hollis said. “Volleyball should be something that you do because you love it, not because the coaches are making you.”

Thomas has taken notice of not just the senior leadership but also the young talent. This includes the duo of freshman

Cera

Powell

and

sophomore Khoury May. The two of them led the team in kills and assists.

“We have a lot of new talent for the future moving forward,” Thomas said. “I am excited to see what the future holds

for

Cera

and

Khoury.”

The seniors are thrilled about the legacy they will leave on the volleyball program.

“I want everyone to remember us as the class that created

change

for

Northwood

volleyball,”

Johnson

said.

“We have a lot of new talent for the future moving forward.”

— Steve Thomas, volleyball coach

TANNER ALTHOFF/THE OMNISCIENT

SOPHOMORE KHOURY MAY jumps for a kill against Cedar Ridge.

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October 2015

Finding Motivation in the Face of Tragedy: The rise of Jonathan Robbins

By Tanner alThoff Staff Writer

He was also moved up to varsity for a few games, including the state playoffs. Robbins also played basketball in middle school.

Motivation can come from many different Football is a sport where brute strength means places. For sophomore Jonathan Robbins, it comes more than it does in other sports. Standing at six feet from a personal tragedy. His father, James Robbins, tall and 240 pounds, Robbins is already bigger than died from a heart attack July 3, 2010. When this many varsity players. Robbins moved to the line this happened, Jonathan used it season, and according to as a motivation to change head coach Brian Harhis mindset and become rington, he is doing well. more mature.

“He’s a starter, so that “It wasn’t that he had makes him one of the top to fill in the spot his dad left; he just became very rington said. “Over time, independent.” said Anna he could be one of the best Goldman, Robbins’ longwe’ve ever had.” time girlfriend.

Robbins says he wasn’t alRobbins says that his famways the athlete he is today. ily was on the way to a vaca“He was just a normal PHoto courtesy of JonatHan robbins tion when they received the news of his father’s death. kid,” Goldman said. “Nothing really separated him SOPHOMORE JONATHAN ROBBINS AND HIS They immediately returned home, departing on a long, from anyone else.”

FATHER JAMES share a special moment together. silent car ride. Robbins said his father’s poor health Goldman recalls an example of Robbins’ change. was what caused the heart attack, which motivated him “In a yearbook from North Chatham (Robbins’ “He still comes to my games and sends me to be healthier and not repeat his father’s mistakes. elementary school), there is a picture of Jonny with emails,” Jonathon said. “He really stepped into a green cupcake icing all over his face,” Goldman said role and helped me develop as a person instead of varsity football team. During his freshman year, he “He was just messing around like a normal kid would. just coaching football.” played on the JV lacrosse team and won team MVP. That’s not Jonny. It’s not the same as the strong, intelJonathan’s parents got divorced when he was ligent and hard working Jonny you five years old, and his mother remarried. Jonathan see today. Before his dad died, he says he was a bit hesitant about having a stepdad was just a normal kid.” and accepting him into the family. However, the Davis Palermo, Robbins’ friend two eventually became close. Gary Bolt, Jonathan’s and neighbor, noticed a change dur- stepfather, a huge part in his drastic change both ing middle school as far as Robbins’ athletically and mentally. athletic abilities.

“My stepdad bought the bench press we have, “In seventh grade, he made the and he has always pushed me to work out more,” basketball team, and that was when Jonathan said. “I talk with him after all of my games. He always gives me advice. He does a lot of ermo said. stuff for me, and I appreciate it.”

Palermo also noticed changes in When Jonathan was younger, he wanted to play Robbins’ routine after school and on flag football, but his mom didn’t allow it. About the weekends he would see Robbins two years after the death of his father, Jonathan in his garage lifting weights. decided he wanted to try full-contact football. This Many things changed for Robbins time, his mom agreed and decided it might help him after his father passed away. His sis- move past the tragedy. ter, Katie Robbins, has been present “She told me that if I was going to do this, I had throughout the hardships. to go 100 percent and put my full effort into it,” “In middle school, he was more Jonathan said. to himself, and then in high school, Jonathan’s success comes from a drive and the he got into football and other things dedication to do well. Even in practice, coaches that he enjoyed, which made him notice his motivation. come out of his shell,” Katie said.

“He works very hard,” Harrington said. “[He has Jonathan says he wouldn’t be a] willingness to learn [and] the desire to do well. In where he is today if it weren’t for sprints, he gives us everything he’s got. In drills, he the help he has received from people goes very hard.” in all different parts of his life.

Fellow teammates have also picked up on Jonathan’s work ethic during practice and games. nitely helped me a lot,” Jonathan “He will go the extra mile to get better,” sophosaid. “Coach Harrington would more Tyrell Baldwin said. always grab me after school and it Jonathan says he wishes his father could be around made me think, ‘Maybe I should be to see him play. at workouts.’”

“I hope he would be proud.” Jonathan said. “I Hunter KocH/tHe omniscient One coach that made a huge impact hope he would be happy. I think he would come to SOPHOMORE JONATHAN ROBBINS in Jonathan’s life was Mike Mitchell, most of my games. He never got to see me when I on Northwood’s varsity football team. his AAU football head coach. got bigger.”

“Over time, he could be one of the best we’ve ever had.”

— Brian Harrington, football coach

October 2015

The Omniscient

Page 27

Northwood’s Identity Crisis: Bartholomew wants consistent uniforms

BY CASSANDRA NAVARRO STAFF WRITER Like many teenagers in high school, Northwood seems to be having an identity crisis.

For several years, there has been ongoing confusion as to what the true school colors are. Sports teams are being asked to change their uniform colors to include less black. Many students are asking the same question: what are the school colors? “[Our school colors are] ‘dark forest’ green and ‘athletic’ gold,” principal Justin Bartholomew said. “Black is not a school color.”

Since arriving at Northwood in 2013, Bartholomew has

struggled

with

defining

the

school’s

brand

and

making it well known to the students and staff.

“One of the things you have to do when you’re identifying yourself as a school is think about your logo, your motto, what you believe in, and with that comes school colors,” Bartholomew said. “When I came to Northwood,

we

had

black,

camouflage,

green,

white

and variations of gold. The identity is really important, because

when

the

school

goes

out

on

the

field

or

a

competition, how does anybody know it’s Northwood?

There is no identity that goes with that. So what we’re working toward is, when this green and gold shows up, you know who it is.”

Some Northwood sports teams have been asked to change

their

uniforms

to

fit

the

colors

better.

Lacrosse

is one example.

“This year, we are getting new helmets that are green; they were black last year,” lacrosse coach Kevin McDaniel said. “But it’s just a transition time again, and I can see that the black is phasing out, which I don’t have an issue with.”

In a recent survey conducted by The Northwood Omniscient, of the 70 total students surveyed, 47 percent said they believe green and gold to be the school colors, while 28 percent think green, gold and black are.

“To me, black and white are accent colors,” McDaniel said. “Black’s not a team color, white’s not a team color—it’s an accent color, so I don’t see any issue with black or white [being used in the uniform].”

McDaniel believes that the reason behind the color confusion is due to the number of principals the school has seen.

“We’ve had so many different principals, so much turnover, that the school has lost its colors,” McDaniel said. “So when a new principal comes in, the colors need

to

be

established.

They’ve

been

fluctuating

for

so

What do you think the official NHS school colors are?

70 surveyed students said:

Green & Gold

47%

Green, Gold & Black

28%

Green, Gold & White

10%

Green, Gold, Black & White

15%

CASSANDRA NAVARRO/THE OMNISCIENT

JESSICA KOLOMICHUK/THE OMNISCIENT

THE LACROSSE TEAM has recently changed their helmet colors from black to green. many years that someone like me, if you go through my drawer of lacrosse shirts, you’ll see I have multiple styles of green and gold because I’m just trying to go with

the

flow.”

The basketball team has also had an issue with their uniforms. However, some students think the black would make a good accent color.

“Our [basketball] warm-up jumpsuits are black and I think Dr. B said that we’re not allowing black to be a color anymore,” junior girls’ varsity basketball and volleyball player Kristian Eanes said. “I know the original colors are green and gold, and I think we should respect the people who made this school and the alumni by keeping them green and gold, but I think maybe a black accent would be nice.”

Another reason Northwood sports teams have had to cut down on using black and white in the uniforms is because of complaints from former students.

“Our coach told us that we had to change because a lot of people like alumni were complaining about the ‘new school colors,’” sophomore volleyball player Candice Overcash said. “They thought we were changing them to include black.”

Eanes is also related to some alumni from Northwood who do not support the inclusion of black in sports uniforms.

“My mom is an alumna, and she doesn’t know why we have black, because the school colors were originally green and gold,” Eanes said. “She feels like we’ve made black into one of the school colors. My aunt

was

also

in

the

first

graduating

class

of

Northwood in 1973, and she hates the black uniforms... I think they’re just saying that black was never really a color, so it shouldn’t be one now.”

Head custodian and Northwood alumnus James Harris, who has been working at Northwood for many years, also believes the colors should stay the same.

“The school colors are green and gold, and that’s what they need to stay,” Harris said. “Anytime you get away from the original, you’re messing up. It would break my heart for anyone to change the school colors.”

Senior tennis player Morgan Sowards believes the team’s uniforms should be consistent.

“I think that if you’re playing a sport for Northwood, every uniform should be either one color or the other,” Sowards said. “It shouldn’t be like soccer has black and white uniforms while lacrosse has green uniforms. I think they should both be green, or at least the same color.”

Baseball coach Thomas Parks has the same idea.

“I think we’re just trying to go with more of a uniform, consistent look, which makes sense because people used to come in with tie-dyed uniforms or camouflage

uniforms,

which

didn’t

match,”

Parks

said.

“But our school colors haven’t changed. They’re still green and gold.”

What Northwood seems to be having an issue with is representation. Bartholomew hopes the school will make a name for itself and that people will recognize the school by its colors.

“This school has been here now for 44 years,” Bartholomew said. “At the beginning, if you look through the yearbooks, you can see the changes. There was one year that they went to another color—yellow—but then all of a sudden that color disappeared. Things can change, and you can make your own traditions, but historically,

these

were

the

emblems

that

defined

the

school and who we are.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF NHS YEARBOOK

NORTHWOOD STUDENTS sporting the original school colors, green and gold, at a pep rally in 1992.

SUPER

CHARGED

The students athletes shown below have exhibited traits that earned the recognition of their coaches for exemplary athletic accomplishments.

— Compiled by Jailen Leach

Photo courtesy of Austin KoryntA

tAnner Althoff/the omniscient

Brooks Holt

Austin Korynta

always trying to pump us up before cross country meets.”

— Keely Burleson

“Austin works hard everyday and is dedicated to running even when cross country is not in session.”

— John Terzotis

JessicA KolomichuK/the omniscient

Angel Rosas — Coach Brett Pedigo

JessicA KolomichuK/the omniscient

JessicA KolomichuK/the omniscient

Logan McClamroch

Alexis Hollis “Alexis has been playing amazing this year and is a great leader.” hunter Koch/the omniscient

Championship for the fourth year in a row.

Featured Athlete: Montel Goods

tAnner Althoff/the omniscient

strives to be the best tennis player she can be. ” — Tess Terll

Senior Montel Goods is the top rusher in the Big 8 3A Conference and one of the best in the state.

“It feels great knowing I am one of the best in the conference and the state,” Goods said. “I give credit to my linemen and coaches for my success, because without them, none of this would be possible.”

Goods amassed 1,400 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns through the first eight games of the season. He rushed for 400 yards as a sophomore and 629 yards as a junior.

“I try to do everything in my power to not go down, and I want to get as many yards as possible,” Goods said.

Goods rushed for seven touchdowns and 206 yards on just 14 attempts against Carrboro. When he faced county rival Jordan Matthews, he ran for a career-high 270 yards. Goods says he has plans beyond this season and hopes to play at the next level.

“I constantly want to get better at my game,” Goods said. “I want to be playing college ball somewhere and to continue my football career for as long as possible.”

— By Tanner Althoff

JAsmine WilKie/the omniscient

Kaelyn Oakes

though she is involved with other things at Northwood.”