NHS Omniscient Jan. 2016

-THE NORTHWOOD-

OMNISCIENT Heritage or Hate?

Students discuss impact of Confederate symbols

Volume 9 • Issue 2 January 2016

Being forced to let go: When cancer spreads.

Pages 8 and 9

Page 2

Points of Interest

January 2016

The Omniscient

Zoe Willard/The Omniscient

Students at Northwood play in bands outside of school. pg 19

Photo courtesy of Bob Norwood

DANCE ENSEMBLE performs the “For Magnolia” piece Dec.11, 2015.

Hunter Koch/The Omniscient

Brothers Micheal and Hunter Queen aim for wrestling state titles. pg 23

The Dance Ensemble performed a secret dance for dance teacher Leah Wilhelm’s new daughter, Magnolia, in the Winter Dance Concert, which took place Dec. 11 and 12, 2015. Wilhelm is on maternity leave and did not play a role in this production, so dance teacher Kristen Oakes choreographed a piece in honor of her new daughter. Sophomore Skyler Herrick said the group would pretend the dance was about a wedding when asked, but it was actually about Magnolia. “The most exciting thing for me and most of Dance Ensemble was when Mrs. Oakes went [on stage] and told Mrs.Wilhelm that our dance was for her daughter, Magnolia.”

- THE NORTHWOOD -

O M N IS C IE N T

EDITORS Chloe Gruesbeck Editor-in-Chief

Becca Heilman Managing & Online Editor Cassandra Navarro/The Omniscient

Who is Charlie the Charger? Explore the mascot’s origins. pg 24

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 Michaela Youngs ADVISOR Neal Morgan

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 to the school’s address. Letters must be signed, and the staff reserves the right to reject any letter 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.

Becca Heilman/The Omniscient

The boys’ and girls’ basketball teams start off the season. pg 25

Cover: Silent Sam, a statue of a Confederate soldier, located at UNC- Chapel Hill.

Photo Credit: Becca Heilman

January 2016

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By Malia Hamilton Staff Writer

Fighting To Be Queen of The Jungle: Girl on girl hate on the rise

“Even just walking down the hallway every day, you compare yourself to the other girls you see,” senior Guadalupe Catalan said. “You say, ‘Oh she has a better hairstyle, better clothes or even better eyebrows.’ It is difficult for sure.”

Some Northwood students have noticed a rise in mistrust amongst female students. Many have the “crab mentality,” which means they fight to get to the top of the barrel and climb over their peers to do so.

Catalan says the female hierarchy at Northwood once made her hesitant to pursue a possible relationship.

“I had a crush on this one person freshman year, and I did not talk to him because I thought there were girls better than me,” Catalan said. “I essentially did not think I was good enough for him because I thought other girls were better than me. I put myself low on the pedestal.”

In addition to relationships, senior Natalie Hayman says that class rank has contributed to the backbiting amongst female Northwood students.

“The top 10 percent at Northwood are mostly women, so as women we fight for that class rank,” Hayman said. “I know that my friends will sit here and beg me to tell them my class rank so they can compare themselves to me, or I try to compare myself to them.”

Social worker Saundra Gardner also sees this at Northwood and says that girls should try to focus on their own achievements.

“I always say, especially when it comes to GPAs and things like that, ‘Worry about your own success and not the person next to you,’” Gardner said. “If you are doing your best, that’s the person you should compete against.”

School counselor Ciera Dixon agrees.

“I saw it more when I was a freshman counselor because so many girls didn’t understand the transition into high school,” Dixon said. “They dealt with a lot of girl-on-girl bullying I guess you could say, or girl-ongirl jealousy. But I do think it is common whether it’s to see what college they are going to get into, clothing or boyfriends.”

Senior Kyla White says the competition is fueled by people’s insecurities.

“Everybody competes,” White said. “Everybody

Malia Hamilton /The Omniscient

“I try not to focus on what somebody else has, because I know that I will never be anyone else. I am my own person, and I try to stay my own person.”

— Kyla White, senior

wants the best grades, the best clothes, best shoes, best hair; even the senior superlative had best eyebrows. There is even a competition within the school, but I think people are really fighting their insecurities. They are not content with themselves.”

Hayman believes that some women size each other up and pull one another down in an effort to feel better.

“They are comparing themselves,” Hayman said. “It’s not like they are trying to go out and be better than that one girl. No, they are trying to prove to themselves that they are good Malia Hamilton /The Omniscient enough. Some women FEMALE STUDENTS fight for the crown and to be high on the social hierarchy. feel that the more women they can pull down, the higher they’re up on the ladder.” Senior Taylor Hendriksma has heard harsh words between female students.

Some female students even judge each other by the “I hear a lot of gossiping about other women, and a amount of opportunities they have.

“Females sometimes compete amongst each other for lot of girls will call other girls sluts if they are sexually active, which shouldn’t be a problem, because that is spots in clubs and varsity sports,” Hayman said. “That sort of the age we are at right now,” Hendriksma said. title is something they can hold onto. It makes them more competitive as they try to prove to themselves they “We are females and we should just support each other, which is what we are here for.” are better than the other girls.”

Hayman and White both have tactics for handling the Dixon also said she dealt with jealousy from other insecurities from female backbiting. female peers in high school sports.

“Personally, with the class rank thing, I don’t tell my “I was tall,” Dixon said. “I was being recruited heavgrades, and I don’t like other people telling my grades,” ily for basketball. I was on varsity as a freshman and a Hayman said. “I don’t like people knowing my class sophomore. Many times girls were really mean to me. rank or my scores, because if they do, then they will Ultimately, I just ignored it.” compare themselves to me.”

As a current student athlete, senior Jazmine Atkins White says she tries to remain true to her own idenhad a similar experience. tity when faced with competition.

“I started playing varsity basketball as a freshman, “I try not to focus on what somebody else has, and I felt like there was some jealousy from some other because I know that I will never be anyone else,” girls because I got a lot of playing time,” Atkins said.

White said. “I am my own person, and I try to stay “I guess now as a senior, I have sort of grown up and my own person.” gotten over it.”

Malia Hamilton /The Omniscient

“We are females and we should just support each other, which is what we are here for.”

— Taylor Hendriksma, senior

Malia Hamilton /The Omniscient

“It’s not like they are trying to go out and be better than that one girl. No; they are trying to prove to themselves, that they are good enough.”

— Natalie Hayman, senior

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THE POSSIBLE EXPANSION may feature a more defined entryway to the school.

January 2016

Northwood High School Programming Study/Corley Redfoot Architects

Possible Expansion: Northwood moves up instead of moving out

By Chloe Gruesbeck & Jasmine Wilkie Editor-in-Chief & Staff Writer What can nearly $27 million buy for a school? For Northwood, it can buy a new addition that includes a larger media center and cafeteria, additional academic classrooms and an auxiliary gym that will be added onto the existing gymnasium.

The Chatham County School Board approved a proposal Oct. 5, 2015, that budgets roughly $26.6 million for an expansion that aims to increase Northwood’s student capacity to 1,500.

The conceptual plan released by Chatham County Schools adds 88,000 square feet to the existing structure. The square footage will partly be added by tearing down Northwood’s 600s hallway (where English classes and the math pods are located) and building a two-story structure that will function as the new front of the school.

Chief Auxiliary Officer and former Northwood principal Chris Blice notes that one key aspect of the proposal is the addition of a new front entrance to the school. He hopes this will improve Northwood’s aesthetic appeal.

“We asked the architects to address creating a real front entrance to the school,” Blice said. “We have folks all the time that [will] pull up and try to come in down by the bus lobby because they [think] that [is] the main entrance…. So this would also address that, and it would create a main entrance for the first time.”

Blice says that an important thing to remember is that while the board did approve the proposal, everything is still “tentative.”

“It’s not a cheap thing; it’s very expensive,” Blice said. “Now the question is, and this is the kind of thing that the [Board of] Commissioners will have to be looking at… ‘Is this a good investment of $27 million? [Is putting] $27 million into Northwood with the idea that we’re going to be building a new high school in the next 10 years or some time [beneficial], or does it make more sense to go ahead and jump

off that cliff and start building the new high school instead?’”

Due to the uncertainty surrounding the project, many other specific details are still being decided.

However, Chatham County Schools superintendent Derrick Jordan says that the new additions will resemble the county’s most recent build, Margaret B. Pollard Middle School. Opened in 2011, Pollard is known for having many eco-friendly features. “[In the new expansion,] there will certainly be some similarities to Pollard with respects to ‘going green,’ and some of the open-air designs may be rep-

“I’m not a fan of mega schools. Putting 2,000 kids in one building is great because you can offer a ton of programs, [but] how well am I going to know you?”

— Justin Bartholomew, principal licated,” Jordan said.

In contrast to Pollard, Northwood’s age contributes to many structural issues.

“When you look at it, it’s just clear that you have to have something done,” principal Justin Bartholomew said. “The science classrooms have to be updated. The heating units have to be changed. All of those things have to be addressed. This building is 43 years old.”

Opened in 1972, Northwood was originally built to house far fewer students than it currently does.

Chatham County Schools social worker Saundra Gardner was a student in the graduating class of 1977.

“When I was a student, Northwood didn’t have traffic problems [or] the crowding [problems] that you

guys have now,” Gardner said. “From my experience as a Chatham County Schools employee, Northwood has changed. The traffic [was] not the nightmare that it is now.”

Bartholomew agrees the building is overcrowded and in need of an extensive renovation.

“Right now, Northwood has a core capacity of, depending on who you ask, 800 or 1,000,” Bartholomew said. “We have close to 1,330 students, and that’s why [we] have a [math] pod and trailers for world languages. We are packed to the brim.”

Blice notes that the proposed expansion would solve many other problems the school is experiencing due to the overcrowding.

“Something very near and dear to just about everyone [at Northwood]—and it was to me when I was there—is parking,” Blice said. “The proposal that you see on the website includes all of [that] and more, and another piece that is included is an alternative way in and out of the school. This [renovation] solves a huge range of [problems]; it’s not as simple as, ‘Okay, we’re just going to add more classrooms to the school.’”

According to Bartholomew, the expansion could potentially include a larger cafeteria that could house the entire school in one lunch period instead of in four. Sophomore Morgan Simmons agrees that the added space will be necessary.

“I definitely think that it is something that Northwood needs,” Simmons said. “Students are really going to like the new cafeteria and being able to have lunch with all their friends. They are going to like the extra gym.”

The added space is intended to house the expected exponential growth of the area around Northwood.

The official census says that Chatham County’s population grew 29 percent from 2000 to 2010.

Administrators like Blice acknowledge that a new school will have to be built sometime in the future to combat the expected population growth, but if Northwood’s expansion proposal is approved, then the new high school’s plan will be postponed until 2025.

January 2016

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Opinions differ on whether or not the high school should be built before Northwood is expanded. In addition, views also conflict on to what student capacity Northwood should be built to, if the proposal is approved.

“I’m not a fan of mega schools,” Bartholomew said. “I think putting 2,000 kids in one building is great because you can offer a ton of programs, [but] how well am I going to know you? Kids here already have to ask teachers [who they have only had once] for [college] recommendation letters.”

Others believe that adding onto Northwood would allow more opportunities since larger schools typically have a wider selection of clubs, advanced classes and sports for students to choose from.

“I like [the expansion] because I have not been fond of them making another high school,” Gardner said. “I watched what happened in Chapel Hill when they made Carrboro, and it made Carrboro the small school.

You really don’t get more AP classes by going small. It would be better to be bigger and get more AP classes than to [build] another school… and make Northwood smaller.”

Similarly, some have questioned whether or not the proposed 1,500 student-capacity will be enough to accommodate potential future growth.

“Trying to build a school [according] to what your population is going to be three to four years from now is a difficult thing,”

Bartholomew said. “They could build this [expansion] for 1,800 [students], but suddenly there could be a [population] bump in Briar Chapel or Chatham Park. Then they would need a school for 2,100 [students].”

In addition to the uncertainty about the population, administrators are still unsure as to when construction will begin, if at all.

“I’m not sure about the construction timeline because everything is still in limbo, but should everything proceed, our goal is to have it ready for occupancy in 2019,” Jordan said. “Of course, one of the things we are trying to make sure of right now is that our demographers are doing the very best they can to help predict the growth that we’ll be facing in the future. If we hear from our demographers between now and January that the [predicted] number of students has changed such that we need to proceed with a new school [instead of expanding Northwood], then that will generate some additional conversation and could perhaps result in us going in a different direction [from the expansion].”

Jordan has high expectations for the future of Northwood, no matter the decision of the commissioners.

“We have great schools at Chatham, and Northwood is certainly doing a lot of great things,” Jordan said. “With whatever we decide to do in the future, an expansion on Northwood or a new school a few years down the road, we are always aiming to provide the best experience possible.”

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Northwood High School Programming Study/Corley Redfoot Architects

THE SITE PLAN details the potential changes to the school.

Northwood High School Programming Study/Corley Redfoot Architects

AN AERIAL VIEW displays an additional bus driveway to the property, which currently only has one entrance.

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January 2016

Photo courtesy of Allison Strickland/The Daily Tar Heel

CONFEDERATE HERITAGE SUPPORTERS rallied in McCorkle Place on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus to defend the statue of Silent Sam Oct. 25, 2015. A protest against the statue occurred simultaneously by members of the Real Silent Sam Coalition.

Heritage or Hate? Students discuss impact of Confederate symbols B y Becca Heilman M anaging & O nline Editor At the north edge of McCorkle Place, UNC-Chapel Hill’s upper quad, a Confederate soldier stands high, facing Franklin Street and watching over his surroundings. He is silent, holding a rifle but possessing no ammunition, rendering him unable to fire his gun.

This is Silent Sam, a statue erected in 1913 in remembrance of the 321 UNC alumni who served in the Confederate army and died during the Civil War. On a typical day, the area around him is peaceful, shared by university students and community members alike.

This silence was broken Oct. 25, 2015, when two groups of protesters encircled him, engaging in hostile chants and verbal disputes. Some were seen waving Confederate flags and talking about states’ rights. Others held banners and signs with the messages “#SilenceSam” and “Black Lives Matter” and shouted slogans such as “Whose university?

Our university!” Police officers were present on the scene.

This protest involved the Real Silent Sam Coalition, a UNC student organization, and two Confederate heritage groups: Alamance County Taking Back Alamance County and Orange County Taking Back Orange County. These two groups rallied in support of the statue, while the Real Silent Sam Coalition protested against it, arguing for its removal and contextualization.

Kenya Lee, a Northwood graduate and current sophomore at UNC, attended the event and described her experience.

“I definitely knew there would be a lot of tension,” Lee said. “First, I felt really unsafe, because the first people you encountered when you came from Franklin Street were the Confederate protesters, and it felt like the police officers were more so protecting them rather than protecting the students. They had officers surrounding the Silent Sam statue to protect it, and then they had officers surrounding the [Confederate heritage] group. It was a little bit hostile.”

The statue has been the site of multiple protests and cases erased because they weren’t positive,” Atwater said. “Some of vandalism. Most recently, it has been spray painted with of the stuff those people did was terrible, but they did a lot the words “KKK” and “murderer” and blindfolded with a that obviously impacted the university and the community.

Confederate flag. Lee believes that the Silent Sam statue has I trust the university to establish or keep buildings that shed no place on campus. a positive light on the university. I’m trusting that they are “Personally, I feel like the statue belongs in a museum,” using their good judgment in [honoring] people who deserve Lee said. “I definitely feel like it stands for a symbol of to be remembered and commemorated.” white supremacy and racism.”

Lee offers a compromise.

Others have different opinions of the statue. John Atwa“I think the moderate solution is definitely to contextualter, a Northwood graduate and current freshman at UNC, is ize it and teach people about the history of the Civil War, beless critical of the monument. cause the way it is taught in schools is very varied depend“It’s a part of history,” Atwater said. “It obviously means ing on which history teacher is teaching it,” Lee said. “They a lot to the university. I honshould at least put a plaque on estly don’t have a problem [the statue] saying, ‘This is with it. I know what it what it was, and this is what entails, and I know where it stands for.’” it came from, but I think On a larger scale, debates we’ve moved on from that over the use of the Confedpoint. If anything, I feel as erate flag rage across the if they should… educate nation. Some argue that it more on why they have the promotes southern heritage, statue up.” while others say it repreThe university has been sents racial oppression. criticized because many Opinions vary on where of its campus buildings it is appropriate to display are named for men with the flag. histories related to racism “I’ve always been Photo courtesy of Stephanie Lamm/The Daily Tar Heel and slavery. UNC rebothered by the use of the cently changed the name of THE SILENT SAM MONUMENT AT UNC-CHAPEL Confederate flag,” Lee said.

HILL was vandalized with the messages “black lives “I definitely agree that it Saunders Hall to Carolina Hall because its namesake, matter,” “KKK” and “murderer” in July 2015. does not belong in [state] UNC class of 1854 graduflags or on capital grounds. ate William L. Saunders, was reportedly a chief organizer As a person of color, when I see the flag, I just really feel of the Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina. However, Atwater unsafe. I feel like I don’t know if I can approach this person. feels that completely removing these pieces of history is I understand that people are still going to buy it and put it on the wrong solution. their trucks and in their homes, but I just don’t agree with its “I realize that we’ve made a lot of mistakes in U.S. use in public places.” history, but I don’t think that those mistakes should just be Some support its continued use.

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“It’s a symbol for a lot of people,” senior Tyler Johnson erate flag, it was never the official flag of the Confederacy. said. “It’s the way we grew up and the way that we were This battle flag was designed by William Porcher Miles taught and raised. It’s not racist.” of South Carolina, who was part of the “Fire-Eaters,” a The flag holds many different connotations depending on group of extremist, pro-slavery Democratic politicians who whom one asks. wanted the southern states to secede from the Union. The “It means ‘redneck,’ ‘rebel,’ ‘not scared to do things,’” flag was rejected as the national flag in 1861 and instead freshman Abby Douglas said. adopted by the Army. However, “It’s something that has to do with its design was incorporated into Southernism, not racism.” the Confederacy’s second and This dilemma comes into play third national flags. at school, where the dress code ex“I know that in physical plicitly bans “…racial slogans and/ appearance it’s just a couple of or other material reasonably likely colors and stripes and stars, but to cause a substantial disruption what it really stands for definitely in the school setting, including the makes other people feel uncomConfederate battle flag.” fortable,” Lee said.

Assistant principal Phillip Junior Kristian Eanes has a Little discussed the flag’s impact. similar perspective of the flag.

“Symbols have power, and “When I see someone wearing although an argument can be it, I have two thoughts in my made that the Confederate battle head,” Eanes said. “Some people flag is a symbol of history, and feel very strongly about the fact indeed it is, it also has been used that it’s southern pride, and I as a symbol for hate by various totally understand that, but some groups for the last 150 years since people really just wear it because the Civil War,” Little said. “As a they’re told by their parents not to Becca Heilman/The Omniscient like black people.” result, because that symbol can SILENT SAM was erected in 1913 as a monhurt people’s feelings, we have Spanish teacher Henry Foust eliminated that, because we want ument to the 321 UNC-Chapel Hill alumni doesn’t believe that hate is always who died serving in the Confederate army. people to be able to come to the primary motivator in someschool and feel safe.” one’s opinions.

Much of the confusion surrounding the Confederate flag “The things people say and do are sometimes done in ignostems from misconceptions about its history. According to rance, and I really think they don’t mean to say anything that’s an article by John M. Coski on historynet.com, although the insulting,” Foust said. “But the fact that they don’t understand Confederate battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia is that it’s insulting is evidence that there is still a lot of work to the most popular and well-recognized variant of the Confed- be done in race relations in this country and the world.”

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Page 7 Senior Justice Brooks believes that the flag’s history is not racist.

“I see why [people] feel [like it’s racist], but if they understood the history behind it, it doesn’t have to do with racism,” Brooks said. “The southern soldiers were supporting land rights… the taxes were being raised, and they were trying to keep the taxes fair and trying to keep their farmland. The Union didn’t want that; they wanted to raise taxes and boost industrialization.”

Social studies teacher Sara Keever says that the argument isn’t so simple.

“You have to ask the question, ‘What are you arguing for?’ The whole idea of states’ rights and the fight against federal power is so tangled up with the system of slavery that you can’t say that they’re two different things,” Keever said.

“This ‘state pride’ and states’ rights over federal power issue is the issue of slavery. If you look at the secession statements of South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida… they’re clearly saying that God created these two races unequally and that one should be subservient to the other, and in order to maintain that system, they’re leaving [the Union].”

Despite the controversy over its history, many believe that it is no longer necessary to view the flag negatively.

“In the past, it was used in a bad way, but if we don’t move on from that, we’ll never better ourselves as a country,” senior Morgann Tew said. “If you live in the past, you can never have a better future.”

Though the roles of Confederate symbols in our society are largely disputed, many agree that discussion is the best way to bridge the gaps of understanding.

“I think it’s okay to get uncomfortable talking about race, because you have to bring it up,” social studies teacher Melissa Hayden said. “The less you talk about it, the more misunderstanding people have about each other. That’s why it’s really important to put it right out there in front and just be raw about talking about race. It’s not going away.”

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January 2016

Hunter Koch/The Omniscient

JUNIORS MATT OLDHAM, SAM HOLLOWAY and EVAN JONES (left to right) look over business plans.

Virtual Enterprise: Bringing business to the classroom

By Calvin To Staff Writer Marketing. Sales. IT. All key components of any business. But for students interested in working for or even running a company, there’s often little opportunity to acquire experience before joining the workforce.

Enter Virtual Enterprise, a two-year-old class that gives aspiring students the chance to be employees of a virtual business.

“We have it set up so there’s marketing departments, a CEO, finance, all the traditional business departments,” Virtual Enterprise teacher Thomas Parks said. “We give students a chance to become employees of these companies, and they set it up just like a regular business would, as if they were starting up for the first time.”

Virtual Enterprise goes against the norm of the teacher lecturing from the front of the room, assigning homework and handing out tests. Instead, the students are divided into two companies, Capital Enterprise and Extra LLC, where they are put into complete control of the classroom and are responsible for managing their own schedules.

“Both of them have totally different business plans, so they have to come together as a group once we decide who’s going to be CEO and put all the pieces in place,” Parks said. “Then they have the chance to choose what exactly their roles in the company are going to be.”

Another aspect of Virtual Enterprise that sets it apart from other classes is the fact that acceptance into the class itself requires the student to go through an actual interviewing process.

“On the Capital Enterprise website, we have a button that says ‘Apply,’” Extra LLC CEO senior Marissa Stephenson said. “The kids fill out an application, which is general information, and then they go through an interview process where they interview with second year students such as myself or [senior and CEO of Capital Enterprise] John Dunning.”

In addition to interviewing for getting into the class, students are also questioned to determine their

position in the companies.

“I interviewed for [CEO] my first year,” Dunning said. “Coach Parks, [Shannon] Wolfgang and [DeLisa] Cohen asked me questions that would be similar to the same type of questions if I were applying as a real CEO at a real company, or any position. We all go through the interview process; we all earn each position based on our strengths and weaknesses and how we interviewed.”

Virtual Enterprise is still full of its own challenges, just like any other class. In particular, students are graded not only on their work but also the work of their fellow employees.

“It can be kind of difficult sometimes,” Stephenson said. “[Seniors] Conner [Leinbach] and Nadeem [Sbaiti] are doing what we call an elevator pitch, but everyone is graded on how well they do. It’s things like that that make it hard. As a company, you really get the aspect of ‘If one person fails, you all fail.’”

Depending on their department, students might be attempting to advertise their products to other virtual businesses from different high schools or actually going out to local business such as Lowe’s and trying to form contracts with them. Often, students in one

department will have to work with another, such as marketing cooperating with IT to create a commercial.

Another issue for students entering the class for the first time is trying to get used to the idea of having superiors inside of a classroom.

“You kind of have to adjust to it, because you have peers above and below you,” said senior Allyson Blake, who is in her first year in the class. “I’m vice president of marketing, so I have people my age under me, and we’re all students, so it’s a little weird in that sense in having to be directive.”

Despite that, for those who have an interest in the business field, Virtual Enterprise is a class that comes both highly regarded and recommended.

“I’d definitely say that Virtual Enterprise has been the most enriching educational experience in my four years of high school, academically and as far as personal enjoyment goes,” Dunning said. “I genuinely feel like I have learned lessons in Virtual Enterprise that I can walk out of this high school with tomorrow and apply into the real world, through college, and eventually in my career once I’m graduated from college. So I’m very thankful to have had an experience with the class.”

Hunter Koch/The Omniscient

ENGLISH TEACHER KATHLEEN GREENLEE and SENIOR JOHN DUNNING discuss a contract.

January 2016

The Omniscient

Over the River and Out of the Wood: Students study abroad

By Sawyer Davis Layout Editor

Page 9

But since then, I took my time to learn everything about Klein said.

Similar to Klein, junior Meredith Avison is spending the city, and I just try to be like a [citizen of Quebec] in my day-to-day life.” the entirety of her junior year in Germany.

Avison experienced trouble of another kind.

Many students think school is hard enough while “I go to an American-German school, and I’m in the “[In] 40 degree rainy weather… my train home living in Chatham County, but picture living in a American part, so the schooling system is not that differstopped and turned around because of a fire at another completely new ent since I’m taking AP courses,” country and atAvison said. “People are so much station,” Avison said. “So here I was, no map to be found, in a place I had tempting to not more enthusiastic [about never been. I navigated only pass your school] here. They’re reto another station after classes but also ally smart; it’s scary.” walking an hour in sublearn an entirely This is not Avison’s urban German neighnew language. first trip to Germany; borhoods and along This is what she spent two and a half highways. It was quite life was like for years of her life living with her father in Berlin the adventure.” junior Mara Klein from age three to six.

Setbacks aside, both from early Octo“[Studying in GerAvison and Klein enber to December many was] a pretty great couraged other students of last year. Klein opportunity, and my dad to study abroad as well. took part in a seven-week, full“I think it’s a really Photo courtesy of Meredith Avison lives here, so I wanted to immersion French SOPHOMORE MEREDITH AVISON attends a climate spend a year with him,” good thing to break program in QueAvison said. “And to learn out of the traditional change march in Berlin with her father. bec, Canada, and German, of course.” path of school and do she arrived knowing no French at all.

Despite growing comfortable with the your own thing that’s “My first day was really nerve-racking,” Klein said. countries that they lived in, both Avison and best for you, because “I didn’t really realize what I was doing until I got off Klein have experienced adversity at some point traditional isn’t always the best,” Klein said. the plane and saw only French signs. [I] was like, ‘Oh during their trips.

Avison offered three my gosh. It’s all French.’ It was really exciting, but that “I’m in Quebec City and… I got lost on Photo courtesy of Mara Klein was the point when I got scared.” the buses my third day here…. I guess I kind JUNIOR MARA KLEIN (left) spends pieces of advice to students hoping to study Despite her initial fears, Klein says she has changed of jumped into everything really quickly and the day in downtown Quebec. abroad in the future. ended up walking, lost all around the city for her opinion of Quebec drastically.

“It’s okay to be sad and miss home, you’re going to five hours on a Wednesday night,” Klein said. “They “At first it was really aggravating [being in Quefeel really, really American at some point and never eat say there’s usually ‘culture shock’ and moments when bec], because no one understood me, and I didn’t out at tourist-y restaurants.” you want to go home, and for me, that was that night. really understand anyone, but now I’m loving it,”

Infinity Ballet Conservatory & Theatre Learn the Art of Dance in a fun and progressive enviroment!

(919) 303-1105 3462 Apex Peakway, Apex, NC 27502

10

Entertainment

SOUNDCLOUD offers users the ability to upload and discover music.

Hunter Koch/The Omniscient

Small Town Rappers, Big-Time Issues: Aspiring musicians use SoundCloud for their ambitions

By Hunter Koch Social Media Editor

artists, like McCrea.

“It’s a good place for people to do mixes and get their stuff out there,” Lassiter said. “[It’s for] people “All the time! All the time!” who are trying to get other people to know them as That’s how often junior AJ McCrea says he is an artist.” asked to rap battle someone else.

Senior Deshawn Alston also uses SoundCloud “If somebody tells me to freestyle, I can freestyle, to post his work. He produces music; this includes or if they want something written, I can do something everything from making beats, remixing songs, written,” McCrea said. “I’m not nervous at all to rap working with vocals on tracks and collaborating in front of anybody now.” with other artists.

McCrea has been an aspiring rapper since age “I was like, ‘Well if I want to make music, I need nine and frequents social media to upload his music. to get it out there,’ so I posted [my music] on SoundIn March of this year, a fan page re-uploaded one of Cloud,” Alston said. “I’ve just been posting, and his old videos to YouTube, telling viewers the story people have been liking it and commenting.” behind his music. After Twitter Alston was a DJ before he “Pain is the best story. user Jessica (@HeyTenenstarted to create his own music and I could be in a room full of baum) drew the attention of has been doing it for about a year people and still feel isolated now. He explained a bit of his creher 51.5K followers to his music, the video hit it big. It from the entire universe, and ative process. has since amassed over three it’s like, when I start writing, it’s “I normally start with a kick million views. In August, she snare, or I listen to a sample that I just incredibly phenomenal.” like, and I break it apart,” Alston tweeted videos of him rapping — AJ McCrea, junior and the most popular garnered said. “I kind of make a different 1.2K retweets. sound with it. A lot of my music is kind of galaxy or “Rapping, originally, was kind of a stress reliever, outer space-type stuff. I’ll take music from everybut ever since my dad left and then I went into foster where and then make it into something different.” care, I got really deep into it,” McCrea said. “It kind SoundCloud was founded in 2007 in Stockholm of went from there.”

by Swedish sound designer Alexander Ljung and McCrea says his stylistic flow is inspired by artist Eric Wahlforss. The audio distribution company Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar and poet Black Ice. is popular among on-the-rise artists and was acquired McCrea uses a variety of social media platforms by Twitter in May 2014 for $2 billion. to promote his music and connect with listeners “We are uniquely positioned in that spectrum of including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube services,” Wahlforss said in a 2013 interview with and SoundCloud. website Whiteboard. “We rely on a community of Senior Christian Lassiter shared thoughts on audio creators, and that’s something that nobody else SoundCloud and its popularity among up-and-coming has. It’s less about search and listen. SoundCloud is

audio that reaches you in various ways.”

SoundCloud’s appeal mainly comes from its user-friendly interface and that it operates at no cost to users. Lassiter talked about its ease compared to traditional methods of distributing music.

“It’s a free service that anybody can use, and you can upload whatever you want on there,” Lassiter said.

“It’s easier than selling records. It’s a lot quicker.”

However, there is a threshold on the amount of audio uploaded. “[It’s free] for a certain amount of time,” McCrea said. “You have an hour of uploading, and each song is three minutes, so you can upload however many songs it takes to make an hour; after that, if you want to make it bigger than that, you have to pay for it.”

It is free for McCrea to have his music public, accessible and interactive to anyone with a computer or smartphone. Similarly, Alston works with social media to promote his work.

“You can link your account to Instagram, and people can go on there and look at you,” Alston said.

“It’s really inspiring to see people’s reactions to my music because that’s what makes me want to keep making it.”

McCrea’s songs are written down in notebooks and stored in word documents created on the bus ride home, and the junior says that they come from his own experiences.

“Pain is the best story,” McCrea said. “I could be in a room full of people and still feel isolated from the entire universe, and it’s like, when I start writing, it’s just incredibly phenomenal.”

When asked about pursuing a music career in the future, McCrea’s response was simple.

“Definitely. That’s not even a question.”

The Omniscient

January 2016

By Elizabeth Her Staff Writer As the temperature goes down and family dinner leftovers pile up, the holiday season passes by with new memories and stories to tell. But truth be told, the holiday season doesn’t always go as planned. Whether it is troublesome pets, unique family members or a broken back, not everyone has a jolly time. These are some stories people shared to spread the holiday spirit.

Breaking for the Holidays

Social Studies teacher Skip Thibault “It was a couple of Fridays before Christmas, and we were having a party at my house that day. It was people from school that were coming, and I’m all about Christmas. I had icicle lights around the front, and some near the front door had come down. I was standing on a step stool about [a foot] high. It slipped and I landed on my elbow. I knew it was broken as soon as I hit the ground. I couldn’t move it. They had to cut my jacket off me in the hospital.

I was in the hospital telling my wife to just tell everyone the party would be a little late. She said, ‘Uh… There will be no party.’”

Underneath the Christmas Tree “I’ve had two cats ever since I moved [to Pittsboro] 10 years ago. One cat weighs so much more than she should, but she climbs into the bottom branches [of the tree], and the other cat chases her up there, and then they both end up breaking the branches off the bottom of the tree. For the past couple of years, our tree hasn’t had a bottom foot of its branches. This year, finally, we got a new fake tree, and our cats still manage to bend the wires. I think our Christmas tradition will be just to not have the bottom set of our tree there anymore.”

Junior Zoe Kaegi

Oh, Christmas Bat! Junior Madi Roberts

“When I was two, we brought the Christmas tree home. We have these fake birds that we put in the tree for good luck. I was pointing at something and said, “Mom! There’s a bird in the tree!” She said, “Of course there is; it’s fake.” But I wasn’t pointing to the birds in the tree. There was a bat flying around. I thought it was a bird. It got out of the tree and flew around the house.

My sister was a baby, so my mom was really worried it would get into her room. She was chasing the bat around the house with a broom.”

A Festive Fall

Sophomore Sydney McGee “I woke up on Christmas day and found my amazing American Girl doll pajamas. I was in denial that they were too big, because I really wanted them and I’d been waiting a long time for them, but wore them anyway. I walked downstairs to show my mom after I put them on. However, I slipped down the stairs, hit a baby gate and fell down another two stairs. We had to go to urgent care. I ended up bruising and fracturing a small part of my tailbone. It wasn’t that bad, but it hurt for a good couple of months.”

Merry Brick-mas!

Senior Lily Parsons

“My uncle Tommy always jokes about how he’s going to get the biggest present on Christmas. So every single year, someone gives him this huge box.

When he opens it, there’s another box, and then another box. In that box, there is newspaper and then a brick. Every year, he gets a big box that ends up being a ball of newspaper or a brick. He is like, ‘I got the biggest present!’ but he doesn’t.”

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The Omniscient

Go sky diving THEATRE TEACHER KAYLA SHARP experiences skydiving for the first time.

January 2016

Photo courtesy of Kayla Sharp

Things to do Before you Kick the Bucket — Compiled by Jessica Kolomichuk & Riley Wolfgang

Run in a Color Run “I did the Color Run 5k Aug. 8 at the Triangle Town Center Mall and I did it with a group of friends. I thought it was really fun to just be with friends and have a good time with colors flying and being in a big group of people. I think it’s really fun to do, and [the races] are always for a good cause.”

— Sydney McGee, sophomore Photo courtesy of Sydney McGee

Go to the World Cup “I went to Brazil and visited Rio and Sao Paulo and the waterfalls in Argentina. I saw Belgium play Korea and saw the Netherlands play Chile, England play Uruguay. It made me think about soccer and made me appreciate the sport a lot more. It made me think about how that could be me one day. [The World Cup] is one of those things that happens every four years and the atmosphere is so crazy. It’s just something that everyone should do.”

— Thomas Russell, sophomore

Hike the Grand Canyon

Photos courtesy of Thomas Russell

“At the Grand Canyon we started on the south rim, and we hiked all of the way down to the Colorado River. We swam in [the river] and then hiked all of the way back up.

It was like 18 miles in one day. The Grand Canyon is very cool, and it is much different than here…. There is a lot you should see there. [The trip] made me appreciate the beauty of nature in the world around us.”

Photo courtesy of Greyson Willard

— Ben Choate, sophomore

January 2016

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The Omniscient

Swim with manatees

Go parasailing

Photo courtesy of Lori Marro

PAIGE MARRO, TIFFANY HODGES, HARPER LITTLE and EMMA LUFT swim with manatees.

Photo courtesy of Peyton Kelly

PEYTON KELLY, SYDNEY ROTH and ALLISON ROTH go parasailing.

Meet someone famous

Photo courtesy of Lori Salzmann

SARAH SALZMANN meets the president of Vietnam.

Travel the world “[Traveling] is so important. It is important because you realize that the world is so much bigger than you think it is. There’s so much more to everything; there is culture and there is different music and different arts and patterns and symbolisms and religions from all of these different places.... It’s just so important to notice what’s going on out there and that there’s so much more than just you.”

— Vanessa Jones, senior Photo courtesy of Vanessa Jones

Photo courtesy of Vanessa Jones

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January 2016

The Omniscient

Finding the Beauty in Bynum

By Lara Summers Staff Writer

Lara Summers/The Omniscient

The Old Bynum Bridge

The most popular place to visit in Bynum is the bridge. It’s covered with graffiti, with art in memorial of Northwood student Carver Meyer; “RIP CEM” or “Class of 2016” designs. As people come and go, memories remain with art on the bridge. The view over the river is blissful, and when the sun is setting while on top of the bridge, a picture-perfect memory is formed.“The Haw River is very peaceful. It’s my favorite place in Chatham County,” senior Savannah Jenkins said.

The Haw River

Graphic courtesy of Google Maps

The Haw River is located inside the beautiful neighborhood of Bynum. The area began as a cotton mill town with nothing but the original mill built beside the river in 1872. Through this, Bynum was one of the first places in Chatham County to have electric lights. The turbines were built for the mill to have extra power. This former mill is now apart of the Lower Haw River State Area. It’s a popular place to visit, with a canoe pull-in and several hiking trails around the area.

Bynum bridge is typically filled with potlucks, gatherings and fun activities throughout the year. During Halloween, Bynum features carved pumpkins all across the bridge. “Pittsboro artists bring carved pumpkins on Halloween night with bright lights in them; it’s great to see,” senior Valentina Moreno said. “I like how it’s so dark that you can only see the pumpkins at night.”

Lara Summers/The Omniscient

Friday Night Live

Lara Summers/The Omniscient

During the warmer months, from May to September, Bynum hosts the Friday Night Music Series under the Front Porch. This yearly event began through the support from the Chatham Arts Council. It’s a great place to bring the family under an open sky to enjoy local vendors, beautiful music and the people around you. Anyone is invited to listen to the music from 7 to 9 p.m. and there is no entry fee. The music ranges from gospel and folk to blues, rockabilly and bluegrass.

Lara Summers/The Omniscient

Community Garden and Beyond

There are other places to roam around in this neighborhood besides the bridge. The Community Garden is a developed area used by the residents of Bynum. There is always fresh produce being grown year around, and wildflowers are common. Beside the garden, a baseball field and playground are often used by local kids. This sense of community gives Bynum its lively appeal. These are fun places to adventure with friends, take a walk or just explore.

January 2016

The Omniscient

Page 15

ART

SPOTLIGHT — Compiled by Jessica Kolomichuk

Dance “I really love being in dance because I can relax and express myself.”

— Kadie Snipes, junior Vocals “The passion behind wanting to sing keeps me coming back.”

— Brittany Biddle, sophomore Cassandra Navarro/ The Omniscient

JUNIOR KRISTIAN EANES takes center stage during the winter dance concert, in her duet, choreographed by herself and junior Jazanae Billings.

Their choreography displays a personal story of their friendship over time.

Marching Band “Marching band is about working as a team to strive for the best; that’s why I love it”

— Gianluca Iacono, freshman

The Gallery

Top row L to R: Jordan Pollard, Hunter Koch Bottom row L to R: Kirsten Sellers, Elizabeth Her, Vanessa Jones, Caroline Lougee, Jennifer Dowden

January 2016

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The Omniscient

Upcoming Game Previews: Titles to look out for

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

XCOM 2

Release Date: Aug. 25 Developer: Eidos Montreal Plaforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One

Release Date: Feb. 5 Developer: Firaxis Games Platforms: PC

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided takes place in 2029, two years after the award-winning Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The series takes place in a gritty cyberpunk future where corporate monopolies and new technologies are driving social instability. The world has changed for the worse from the previous game, and robotically augmented humans now live separated from normal humans.

Players will return as protagonist Adam Jensen, who is now working for an anti-terrorist organization The game promises to include a huge degree of freedom in both gameplay and story. It allows choice and customization of augmentations and weapons for use in combat or stealth, or a mix of the two tactics. Huge, open levels will allow the use of many different strategies for victory. The creative design and attention to detail of this futuristic world is extensive and all meant to add to the story of the game, which like the gameplay, will be greatly influenced by the decisions players make.

In the game XCOM: Enemy Unknown, players command the military group XCOM in a war to defend Earth from alien invasion. It gained popularity for its strategic and challenging gameplay, blending decision-making and resource management with tactical squad combat. The sequel XCOM 2 takes place 20 years after the war was lost and the aliens conquered Earth. This time players direct XCOM not as a special ops commander, but as the leader of a resistance movement against Advent, the joint human and alien government.

The game keeps many features of the original, while adding plenty of new aspects, such as procedurally generated maps to keep battles unfamiliar.

Gameplay is now meant to reflect guerilla warfare.

Stealth will factor into combat scenarios, and Advent forces will alter the ways that they fight and hunt XCOM depending on how players fight against them.

Street Fighter V

Uncharted 4

Release Date: Mar. 18 Developer: Naughty Dog Platforms: PS4

With over 21 million sales worldwide, the Indiana Jones-esque Uncharted series is one of the most popular exclusives on the PlayStation system. Uncharted 4 is the series’ next installment, bringing a new storyline and multiplayer modes to an existing set of action-based third person shooter mechanics. And now, the game’s well known action-based gameplay is supplemented by stealth mechanics and by open levels that offer multiple pathways. The game’s multiplayer beta has already been praised for its engaging and varied action.

Uncharted 3 appeared to end the series, so many may ask why a fourth game was necessary. According to writers, Uncharted 4 tells a heavier story than previous installments, and also sheds light on the past of protagonist Nathan Drake. They have also assured that the story will still follow the series’ lighthearted precedent, not straying into the hopelessly bleak territory of The Last of Us, which was made by the same developer.

Dark Souls III

Release Date: Feb. 16 Developer: Capcom Platforms: PC, PS4

Release Date: Mar. 26 Developer: FromSoftware Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One

Street Fighter V will be the first major installment in the Street Fighter franchise since the fourth game’s release in 2008. Street Fighter is a fighting game series where players can compete against their friends and other players online in a one-on-one bout of skill.

Fans of the series are very excited, and justifiably so, for a variety of reasons. For the first time in the franchise’s history, extra characters added to the game after its release will be available for free. In most fighting games, including the previous Street Fighters, these additional characters had to be bought separately. In Street Fighter V, all additional characters will be unlockable through an in-game currency.

In addition to the in-game currency feature, several new characters will be added to the standard cast, though not much information about them has been disclosed. Overall, the game promises to continue the series’ success by retaining the other games’ signature art style and look, while adding some new gameplay features to keep things fresh.

Dark Souls III is the next installment in the hit Dark Souls series, which is renowned for its infamously difficult gameplay and rewarding mechanics. Dark Souls I director Hidetaka Miyazaki will be directing Dark Souls III, after his abscene during the development of Dark Souls II The game takes players through a dark world where they must hunt down all the Lords of Cinders, a group of past rulers who are returning from the dead. Exactly how the player will achieve this, and who exactly all the Lords of Cinder are, is still unknown at this point.

The game mixes a lot of different aspects of both Dark Souls and Dark Souls II, removing the agility stat from the second game, while retaining many gameplay features that made the previous games stand out. The gameplay also looks very similar to that of Bloodborne, a title by the same developer, with the action being more brutal, claustrophobic and fast.

Fire Emblem Fates

Release Date: Feb. 19 Developer: Intelligent Systems Platforms: 3DS

Fire Emblem Fates is a collection of games that were released together in Japan last June that will be coming to North America this February. Fates was released as two main games, Conquest and Birthright.

The gameplay centers around the player commanding an army of characters in a long series of battles. Every one of the soldiers has a distinct personality and a set of abilities that aid the team in their endeavors. Unfortunately for the sentimental who choose to play the game on “Classic” mode, if one of your soldiers dies in a battle, they remain dead for the rest of the game. However, Fire Emblem Fates also gives the option for players to have characters return at the end of battles in “Casual” mode, and the next turn in “Phoenix” mode.

Fans have taken to Fates with enthusiasm in Japan. Some key features of the game that have gotten North American fans excited include the addition of same-sex couples and the ability to build a personalized castle.

— Compiled by Colin Battis & Cameron Underwood All screenshots courtesy of the respective developers

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The Omniscient

January 2016

Anna & Eva’s Declassified: School Survival Guide confused about who I should be in high Q: I’m school and what groups I should fit into.

By Anna Welsh and Eva Willauer Staff Writers

How do I just fit in or become comfortable with myself?

Q:

How am I supposed to deal with the stress that I get from having so many challenging classes? “Better time management” just isn’t doing the job.

A: Odds are, you’re stressed because you’re in the higher-level classes, and the reason you’re in those classes is because you have big dreams. Let your goals be your motivation rather than your stressor.

If that doesn’t work, then you should start taking some “you time.” Step away from the textbooks, the notes and the laptop; turn on your favorite song and dance around a little bit. Just make sure that you don’t procrastinate all of your time away. That’s when anxiety and sleep deprivation show up in your life, and they’ll only make things worse.

Q: How do I get over an unavailable person?

A: This one is never a fun situation because there’s nothing you can do to change what already is. First off, don’t try to sabotage the relationship. You need to let them be happy. Then, you need to start thinking about yourself. What makes you happy? Find an activity that you’re passionate about and immerse yourself in it. Also, spend a lot of time with your friends and family. Tell them what’s going on and go have fun with them. It’ll be difficult, but the

Illustration by Cassandra Navarro/The Omniscient

world doesn’t revolve around a single person, and you’d be surprised by the other opportunities out there. Good luck!

A: Start hanging around people that make you a better ‘you’. Although you don’t know who you are yet, when you hang around certain people, your gut may tell you that it’s not a good situation for you personally. Don’t force yourself to hang out with people or participate in activities that you don’t enjoy but don’t be afraid to try new things. The more you explore the world and different interests, the more you’ll find out about yourself.

do I talk to my crush more?

I don’t eat breakfast in the morning, Q: So, Q: How It’s always awkward when we do... and I don’t eat lunch at school. I eat later on in the day, but not a whole lot. Does that mean I’m anorexic, or am I okay?

A: It would be safer for you to start packing simple, healthy snacks for school. If you aren’t really hungry, you should eat less filling foods such as celery or oranges. Your brain will tell the rest of your body that you’re going into starvation mode, and your body will start to eat off of the body fat you currently have and produce even more. This leads to malnutrition, dehydration, constant tiredness and a major change in mood. If you eat in the morning, you’ll be able to concentrate better in your classes.

Bottom line: don’t miss your meals.

A: If you both like each other and you know it, just act calm when you’re around them. If you guys are having that much of a difficulty finding things to talk about, then maybe it’s just not meant to be. The worst thing that will happen is that things won’t work out and at that point, the best thing would be to just move on and find someone you can be yourself around and be comfortable with. Truthfully, if there’s that much of a struggle with communication, that would be a much better solution. Don’t waste your time on that person when you could be spending it finding someone better; don’t keep watering a dead flower and take care of yourself.

January 2016

The Omniscient

Amped Up: Northwood’s student musicians

By Zoe Willard S taff Writer

Bright lights illuminate your surroundings.

You hear the crackle of an amp coming to life. Two taps to test the microphone, and everyone is so quiet you can hear your shoes squeak beneath you. You nervously wipe your palms and begin to play what you’ve spent countless hours rehearsing before. It may seem like a foreign concept, but finding a student in the halls of Northwood who does just this isn’t as hard as you would imagine.

“It’s amazing being in a band,” senior Arlo Estill said. “We are making new music almost every single day. I love my [band members].”

Estill is a vocalist and guitarist in his band, The Lemon Cukes, which also includes seniors Shane Brykailo and Greyson Willard. Having formed in August 2015, they’ve already performed in a multitude of places, including the Pittsboro Roadhouse and a community party involving around 60 people.

“We’re inspired by Eric Clapton and blues

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guitar of the 60’s,” Brykailo said. “We play covers of about 10 different songs, some Tom Petty and Old Crow Medicine Show, other artists [similar to them].”

While being a band member and full-time student may be a time-consuming idea, it’s a reality for some young performers right down the hall.

“I play guitar in my free time,” senior Ricky Young said. “A few hours out of my days are spent just playing guitar. I never feel like [I have] to practice. It’s just what I do for fun. Some people play sports or video games; I play guitar.”

Zoe Willard/The Omniscient Young is a guitarist, and although he is not in an official SENIORS ARLO ESTILL (left) AND GREYSON WILLARD (right) practice after school. band, he has performed with other musicians before. was little – six or seven,” Herrick said.

“I played the National Anthem on guitar at two Herrick says she enjoys the overall experience football games, a lacrosse game, and the pep rally; of performing as a high schooler. that was cool.” Young said.

Many students can agree that the payoff of perSophomore Skyler Herrick has been practicing forming trumps the hours of hard work behind it. and performing with her family’s band for years.

“Practice what makes you happy,” Young said.

“I [have sung] on and off for the Red Clay Ram“Every other technique will come along with it. No blers, [my dad’s] band, about twice a year since I matter what, just practice what makes you happy.”

“Some people play sports or video games; I play guitar.”

— Ricky Young, senior

20

O pinion

College Football: Why the NFL is too predictable Tanner Althoff

Every weekend, millions of Americans tune into their televisions to watch football. Friday nights consist of going to your local high school and watching the hometown boys battle it out on a poorly kept field. Saturdays are for tailgating and watching the college game filled with big rivalries and college spirit. Finally, Sundays have the constant check up on fantasy sites and sitting on the couch watching the best of the best. But is this “best of the best” the best we can watch?

In the NFL, everything is automatic.

Players rarely make mistakes and when

they do it is highlighted to the extreme.

In college, players will mess up all the time, but that’s what makes it fun. We see players drop balls, miss kicks, have terrible clock management and miss tackles. When a college kicker lines up for the game winning 30-yard kick, we don’t know if he will make it. In the NFL that kicker will make it 99 percent of the time.

In college ball, we see crazy finishes that just wouldn’t happen the NFL. Just this year, we have seen an eight-lateral, game-winning touchdown with nothing left on the clock. Michigan State won on a fumbled snap on a punt and brought the ball back for a touchdown. Georgia Tech beat Florida State by running back a blocked field goal. Those games were all just in this year. In the NFL you have great games, but they are usually the same. The multimillion-dollar quarterback drives

the ball down the field for a boring field goal kick.

College football also has the greatest rivalries in sports. Ohio State vs.

Michigan, Clemson vs. South Carolina, Florida State vs. Florida, and many more. Even if the two teams haven’t won a game, that one game is the biggest thing for those teams. A win against a big rival can save a coach’s job even if that game was his only win.

You don’t have to live in the area to be into the rivalry game. You can be in Maine and still be in on Ohio State vs. Michigan. With the NFL, unless the teams are good, rivalries don’t matter outside of those areas. We don’t watch the bad teams unless either of those teams matter to you.

When a 1-4 team beats a 5-0 team in the NFL it will get talked about, but it isn’t that important. That now 5-1 team can just win the next game and

be fine. They will most likely make the playoffs even if they lose four more games. In college football, every game matters. If you are ranked No. 3 in the country and you lose one game, you might not make it back into the top four in order to make the playoff.

This is why we see huge upsets in college that actually matter. If Michigan can spoil Ohio State’s Championship hopes, then Michigan’s season is complete. Every game means just as much as the next and the one before. In the NFL, teams will sometimes take out starters at the end of the season if they know they are in the playoffs. That just wouldn’t happen in college because you have to try to win every game.

I love the NFL. I’m a huge fan and try to watch at least one game a week.

But college football is just so much better. Better games, better rivalries, and every game matters.

WorkKeys Testing: Confused teachers, upset students Staff Editorial

WorkKeys: a test designed by the writers of the ACT, constructed to help those going directly into the workforce after high school find their skill level of basic work abilities. At Northwood, the WorkKeys test was taken by approximately 130 seniors who had completed a Career and Technical Education (CTE) career cluster. Although the test is designed to be a helpful push from high school into the workforce, many students found the test to be a burden rather than a benefit.

In early December, an announcement was made reminding students that the WorkKeys test would take place the upcoming Tuesday. The announcement went on to list the consequences that would follow for the students who did not attend the testing day, including revoking parking passes and banning students from attending all extracurricular activities. Students were baffled; some were missing emails that were supposed to inform them of their responsibility to test, and the emails that were sent failed to mention that the test was not optional. With less than one week until the testing date, students were puzzled and still did not understand what was expected of them.

When the testing day rolled around, many classes were missing a large majority of their students. Even students who did not take the WorkKeys test felt the repercussions brought by the testing.

Classes were forced to come to a halt, which proved disadvantageous, especially nearing exam time. Students complained about how the curriculum of the classes didn’t match the test questions and how the test offered little variation from the ACT. The whole ordeal was a jumble of complex instructions and miscommunication; it wasn’t useful or relatable for many, and it affected students who didn’t even take the test.

As students, we already test more than seems necessary, and adding another to the list isn’t favorable. Since the test was mandatory but deemed useless for many, the level of motivation to score well was dampened.

Further, students questioned if the right people were being asked to take the test.

Although the test is designed to measure one’s workforce readiness, students who were already accepted into college were required to take it, along with students who plan to enter the armed forces or have other plans that don’t involve entering the workforce immediately. Also, it seemed unfair to students who were planning to go into the workforce and wanted to take

Malia Hamilton/The Omniscient

STUDENTS took the WorkKeys test Dec. 8 2015. the test but did not have the career cluster requirements to do so.

As students, we wonder what alternative testing conditions could be offered.

It would be preferable to treat the test like the SAT, whereas it is not mandatory but highly recommended and advertised as profitable for our futures. The school could possibly hold the test on a school

day during a less crucial time in the semester or offer more test day options when it is more practical for students to attend. The test should be publicized weeks or even months in advance using phone calls home, TV announcements, fliers, whatever it takes to get the word out without leaving students uninformed about the testing.

January 2016

Moncure, North Carolina: There’s no place like home

Zoe Willard Whenever I tell most people where I live, they laugh. They laugh because Moncure is tiny, with its total land area not even reaching five square miles. It’s unincorporated, having no official police department and a volunteer-only fire department. People laugh at Moncure because the school population hardly tops 250 and because the only establishments are two convenience stores, an ABC Store and a post office. But what people don’t know about my hometown is, well, everything.

I live in the middle of the woods.

My neighbors are scarce, all out of eyesight and earshot. Whenever I used to walk home from the bus stop, I was prepared for a mile-long hike. I have to wake up at 5:55 every morning just to be to school on time, and the closest grocery store is 15 minutes away.

There is not a single stoplight in the whole town, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I love everything about where I live. I can’t see streetlights or hear cars from my house. I love that I can sit on my porch and see nothing but woods. I have a place to keep horses, chickens, dogs, cats, goats, pigs, whatever. I feel so lucky to live somewhere that feels like home for me. There’s a reason people complain

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about the drive out but keep coming back regardless. Driving into Moncure you can find a sign welcoming you with the line, ‘Moncure: A community of artists”.

People don’t understand how my community really is. Having a town with a small population doesn’t mean it’s isolated and boring; it means that the people who do live there are tight knit and friendly. I can name each of my neighbors in order for miles down the road. Everyone here knows and interacts with each other. Having a low population isn’t a downside at all; it brings us together more than anything.

My town is quiet, and is often used as a pit stop for road trips and a hang out for truckers. If you want to visit the nearest city, be prepared to drive 20 miles or more. On summer nights, the sound of cicadas dominates every other noise. In the fifth grade, I told my mom I hated where we lived, because all my friends lived in town and could walk to a destination. I envied having everything in one place and I longed to hear the sound of a car whoosh by or be able to see a streetlamp come on in the night hours. I wanted to be anywhere else besides where I was. It took me a long time to love being stuck in the middle of nothing.

There’s a saying by George Washington Carver that goes, “Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise.” I am fortunate enough to experience that every single morning. I love where I live, I am proud of where I live and I would not trade it for the world.

Terrorism Has No Religion:

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Don’t condem an entire group for the actions of few

Becca Heilman As of 2010, there were 1.57 billion Muslims in the world, making Islam the second largest religion worldwide. The combined forces of Islamic State, Boko Haram and Al-Qaeda constitute only .003 percent of the worldwide Muslim population. And despite the fact that most Muslims are integral parts of our communities with no intent to harm us, there are many people who still believe that all Muslims are inherently bad and dangerous, which is simply an ill-informed and blatantly false generalization. If Islam legitimately bred terror, nearly all of us would be dead by now.

An FBI study examining terrorism in the United States from 1980 to 2005 found that 94 percent of terror attacks were carried out by non-Muslims. As of 2014, in the time since the 9/11 attacks, Muslim-linked terrorism had claimed the lives of only 37 Americans. During the same time period, over 190,000 Americans were murdered in violent crimes.

The 9/11 attacks stick out in our minds because of the immense number of casualties they caused. However, Islam is not the reason almost 3,000 people died that day.

Yes, the attacks were brutally violent and terrible, and we should certainly condemn those who carried them out, but we cannot blame them on an entire religion based on the actions of a few hateful individuals.

According to a study by the New America Foundation, white Americans are

the biggest terror threat in the United States.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, nearly twice as many people have been killed in terror attacks by white supremacists, anti-government fanatics and other non-Muslim extremists than by radical Muslims. Of the 26 attacks the group defined as terror, 19 of them were executed by non-Muslims.

We are quick to label attacks carried out

by Muslims as terrorism, but we hesitate to do the same for those carried out by people with other beliefs. If all Muslims are terrorists, does that mean that all white Christians hold the beliefs of the Ku Klux Klan or the Westboro Baptist Church?

What about the extremist Buddhist monks and their followers who killed hundreds of Muslim civilians in Burma in 2013? Do they represent their entire religion? And we can’t forget about the Jewish terrorists in Israel who attacked Palestinian civilians and vandalized mosques and Christian churches in 2013. They surely do not represent Judaism as a whole.

As University of California, Riverside professor Reza Aslan said in an interview with CNN: “Islam doesn’t promote violence or peace. Islam is just a religion, and like every religion in the world, it depends on what you bring to it. If you’re a violent person, your Islam, your Judaism, your Christianity, your Hinduism is going to be violent….

People are violent or peaceful. And that depends on their politics, their social world, the way that they see their communities [and] the way they see themselves.”

ISIS is not Islam. Terrorism has no religion, and religion does not breed terror.

It is dangerous to condemn an entire group for the actions of a few. This unjustified hate only fills the world with further violence, prejudice and discrimination.

Letters to the Editor

Re: “P.R.I.D.E. Members Advocate for Gender-Neutral Bathrooms” First of all, I am very glad this article was in the newspaper. Although it has sparked some controversy, it has also educated many students in the school. It’s nice to see something we started at P.R.I.D.E. making its way into people’s conversations. Also, being transgender myself, I believe this is an important step the school has to make.

What people don’t realize is how much it hurts to misgender yourself by walking into the wrong restroom.

Being agender, I don’t feel comfortable using the “men’s” or “women’s” restrooms. Every day is a struggle, and going into the women’s restroom simply increases my anxiety and body dysmorphia. Although I understand it will not be possible anytime soon, I

Chloe Gruesbeck/The Omniscient

believe a gender-neutral restroom is a must have. Even if I won’t be here to use it, I want future trans students to feel safe and comfortable.

— Phoenix McDonell

I was shocked to learn from this article how uncomfortable and scared transgender and nonconforming students were feeling toward using the bathroom.

Of course, I know that there had to be some level of discomfort there, but I did not realize students were feeling “horribly awkward and uncomfortable.”

I know that there are many students who are most likely “uncomfortable” by the thought of community gender-neutral bathrooms, just as nonconforming students are to using the bathrooms we have now. This seems to be where the issue emerges. While single-user, gender-neutral bathrooms seem like a great idea, we obviously “can’t even get [the money] to put a single stall into the men’s bathroom

that doesn’t have one.” And while community gender-neutral bathrooms seem like a good idea in theory, many high school students can act horribly immature, and that supposed “safe haven” could turn into even more of a nightmare.

Although I am all for treating everyone with respect no matter what they look like or how they choose to live their lives, I honestly do not think gender-neutral bathrooms are the answer here. In my opinion, we should instead be teaching students to become more accepting and not as hateful toward others just because they are different.

— Samantha Miller

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January 2016

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Wrestling Royalty: Brothers Michael and Hunter Queen aim for state titles

By Jailen Leach Staff Writer There is one last name that comes to everyone’s mind during Northwood’s wrestling season. That last name is Queen.

Junior Hunter and senior Michael Queen are brothers who have been wrestling since they were young. Last season, Hunter finished third in the state, and Michael went to the state tournament but did not place. Going into the 2015-2016 season, both

Hunter Koch/The Omniscient

MICHAEL AND HUNTER QUEEN have each other’s backs.

Hunter and Michael are in the top five for their respective weight class.

The brothers started wrestling after their father, former University of North Carolina wrestler Michael Queen Sr., introduced them to the sport.

Hunter sees their father as a mentor.

“It is very interesting having a parent that did the same sport as you at a high level,” Hunter said. “It is great to learn new things from my dad, and it is helpful to have someone so close to you to give you tips.”

However, Michael’s view differs.

“It is cool to look at what he did, but I don’t want to be my dad; I want to be the best I can possibly be,” Michael said.

Hunter is moving up in weight class this year and is a contender for the state championship in the 170-pound weight class. He expects to do it.

“I’m expecting to leave Northwood as a two-time state champion,” Hunter said. “I think I have the ability to win back-to-back state championships.”

Michael is the third-ranked wrestler in the state for the 182-pound weight class. He believes he could win the state championship this year.

“I think I can win the state championship because of how hard I worked in the offseason,” Michael said.

The brothers believe that they cannot win the state championship alone; they understand that they will have to work hard and help each other. They do this during practice by making sure they are working on getting better at something to achieve their goal.

“I expect my brother to push himself to become a better athlete and a state champion wrestler,” Hunter said.

We are going to push each other to become state champs; that’s our main goal.”

With two wrestlers in the same household and in different weight classes, the brothers usually do not drill with each other, but this season, it will be different.

“My brother and I don’t wrestle often because we are in two different weight classes,” Hunter said. “This year, we will be drilling with each other a lot more, because we are closer

in weight this year.”

While Hunter and Michael do not wrestle each other often, they still try to learn from each other.

“I think having a brother that wrestles is a great thing because we are always together and we can always help each other get better,” Hunter said. “I have learned a lot from Michael.”

Hunter and Michael have been wrestling at a high level throughout their careers. They both have competed in AAU tournaments. People who compete in AAU tournaments are on a club teams trying to get a better ranking at the state and national level. The state AAU rankings are different than the high school state rankings, but both rankings are important. They mentioned that the experience in the AAU tournaments has helped them become better wrestlers.

“I wrestled all throughout middle school, and the experience has prepared me for the competition in high school,” Michael said. “I have also made a lot of friends through wrestling.”

Head wrestling coach Jason Amy has noticed how their experience in middle school has helped them.

“They have more experience than most high school wrestlers because they did it in middle school, and it has made them better,” Amy said.

Hunter does not just wrestle in AAU tournaments; he also competes with a club team. During wrestling season, he practices with the school team for two hours then goes straight to club practice where he drills with some of the best wrestlers in the state.

“My club team is good, and there are good drilling partners all over the room,” Hunter said. “ My club team showed me how to carry myself as a wrestler and a way of life.”

Michael does not want to compete in wrestling at the next level, but Hunter does. Hunter believes he can be one of the best wrestlers in Northwood’s history.

“I want to be an All-American and place in some national tournaments,” Hunter said. “My ultimate goal is to go to a Division I school on a wrestling scholarship.”

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January 2016

The Mascot Mystery: Who is Charlie the Charger?

By Cassandra Navarro Staff Writer

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The crowd cheers wildly. Fans scream, throw their fists in the air and wave massive cutouts of football players’ faces on sticks. This is just part of the high school football scene. The school mascot, Charlie the Charger, whose identity remains a mystery to some, dances along to “Hells Bells” by AC/DC and waves to the crowd.

Senior Deshawn Alston is the school mascot for this school year. He was inspired to try out by alumnus Jalen Gipson, who was last year’s mascot.

“I’ve always actually hated mascots since I was little, and the best way for me to get over that was to try out for the school mascot,” Gipson said.

Gipson had such a great experience being the mascot for Northwood that he plans on trying out when he transfers over to a four-year college.

Gipson introduced Alston to cheer and dance advisor Heather Davis, who praises Alston’s performance this year so far.

“I didn’t know Deshawn before he tried out,” Davis said. “He put on Charlie [the costume], and it’s like, ‘Woah!’ I loved it. He does these little dance moves that he has, and I think it’s really cool. I’m so glad that he joined us this year.

He was very dedicated and came to the tryouts and made sure to learn the material.”

Alston is also a member of the marching band, which can be heard playing in the stands at every home football game and performing during the halftime show. While he is not playing with the rest of the drumline, Alston is seen cheering on the football team. He is often asked how he balances both.

“Normally during halftime I don’t really do anything as the mascot, so I can just take off the suit and go play with the marching band,” Alston said.

However, Alston has a great time with the audience while he is dressed as the mascot.

“I love messing with people, so by being the mascot, I can go do that and get everyone excited, happy and ready for the game by motivating the team,” Alston said.

Junior Marcanthony Iacono, who has attended many home football games, commented on Alston’s performance.

“I’ve seen him twerking with a bunch of girls,” Iacono said. “He got really into it.”

Very little is known about the history of the school mascot at Northwood. No teachers seem to know why or when the mascot was named Charlie.

“It’s a mystery,” Davis said. “I have no idea why he’s called Charlie…but it does roll off the tongue: ‘Charlie the Charger.’”

However, through investigation and questioning, Davis was able to uncover a very interesting part of social studies teacher Skip Thibault’s past.

“I found out Thibault was actually the first Charlie,” Davis said.

Thibault recalled his experience as the mascot.

Cassandra Navarro/The Omniscient

“[The senior class] had raised a lot of money and had enough money left over that the senior class officers wanted to buy a gift for the school, and we sat down and we talked about various things we could do for the school, and the students decided that they wanted to buy the [mascot] costume,” Thibault said. “So I sourced it out—I went online, looked at a bunch of different vendors that sold that type of thing, and it was expensive; it was over $1,000 to buy it.”

The first time Thibault wore the mascot suit was at a student awards assembly in the spring.

He describes his experience as being “miserable” in the costume.

“It was so hot,” Thibault said. “As soon as I put that head on, my glasses immediately fogged up. I started sweating, and I went up there, and it was a long time ago, so I was much younger and more physically fit at the time. But I had a blast and ran around acting like a fool because nobody knew who I was, but I couldn’t wait to get out of it!”

That was the only time Thibault dressed as Charlie. The students and cheerleaders took over after him and were in charge of the mascot uniform.

“I just thought that was too cool, that he was the first one to actually put Charlie on,” Davis said.

Alston has a few words of encouragement for the next mascot that tries out.

“Just be yourself,” Alston said. “Your goal is to make everybody happy and excited for the game, so just be happy and have fun with it.”

January 2016

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The Omniscient

Hoop Talk: Boys look to rebound, girls eye state title Boys’ Basketball

By Tanner Althoff Staff Writer

Only three players are returning to a season, and I really like what he did with boys basketball team which finished 10-14 the program,” Harrington said. “I feel like (4-10 in conference). However, many we can be good this year.” players think they have one thing going for In Hart’s second season, he hopes to add them: chemistry. a mentality that makes “We lost a lot of talent,” his players go all out all senior forward Chaz Baithe time. ley said. “I think this year “You can never have we have a connection and the expectation of commore chemistry between peting at the highest the players. I think that level if you don’t hold will really help us out.” yourself to that same Many Chargers play standard in practice, on the same AAU team, because ultimately you the N.C. Eagles. Junior are what your habits guard Christian Farrell dictate,” Hart said. says this will benefit This year Hart will them this season. be focusing on the “We’re going to work importance of each on playing as a team, and every game. He because that’s where we felt that last year the struggled last year,” FarBecca Heilman/The Omniscient team didn’t take some rell said.

SENIOR CHAZ BAILEY drives games seriously.

The Chargers will com- to the hoop against county rival “Every single bat the loss of four starting Jordan Matthews. [game],” Hart said. “The seniors that included leadbig thing is taking care ing scorer Ti Pinnix (12.8 PPG), with the of your business, and when the season addition of senior forward Brian Harrington starts, get those non-conference wins to and senior guard Darius Horton. Both last build your confidence.” Currently the boy’s played in their sophomore seasons. team is 5-7. Over the winter break they won “This is Coach [Alex] Hart’s second the Don Amos Holiday Invitational.

CHATHAM TUTORS & CLINICAL TEACHING TUTORS

Girls’ Basketball

After finishing second in the confercoming off an ACL injury,” head coach ence last year, the girls’ basketball team is Cameron Vernon said. expecting big things this year.

Four out of five starters will be “We are going to win the state champi- returning. Atkins, Billings, junior guard onship,” junior guard Bryn Aydt and junior Jazanae Billings said. guard Kristian Eanes The girls will will all be back. have to deal with the The Chargers will loss of their leadbe running a small ball ing scorer Shontai set this season. With Totten; the team will three guards starting and have to find a new without a true center, source of points. the Chargers will have “I know we will to work extra hard to miss her, and she grab rebounds and deplayed a big role on fend the paint. the team, but I think “Our attitudes will that we will do rehave to change and workally well this year,” ing hard in practice will Billings said. “We have to be a priority,” have others who sophomore guard Natalie contributed to the Becca Heilman//The Omniscient Womble said. “Also, since team last year who JUNIOR JAZANAE BILLINGS we are not very big, we are coming back.” will have to have great shoots a layup while playing Senior forward basketball IQ.” Jordan Matthews.

Jazmine Atkins, who The girls will have to averaged 10.5 points per game before her face the state runner up in Chapel Hill and season was cut short by an ACL injury, is a Southern Durham team that coach Vera candidate for taking Totten’s place. non thinks will be much better. The girl’s “I’d like to see Jazmine Atkins step team is currently 11-2 and won a Christup since it’s her senior year and she is mas Tournament over the winter break.

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January 2016

The Gray Area: Where do arts and sports collide?

By Rania Kazmi Staff Writer There always seems to be a debate on where the world of athletics integrates with the world of performing arts. While activities such as football and baseball are considered sports by the vast majority, other activities including dance and marching band are often up for an argument. The question is: What do you consider a sport?

“To me, a sport is a physical activity,” sophomore Emma Blythe said. “If it’s physically engaging and it’s something that you can’t just pick up and do right away, then it’s a sport.”

Blythe, a member of the marching band, considers marching band a sport with exception.

“I don’t necessarily consider band a sport, but the marching aspect of it and then competition on top of that would make it a sport,” Blythe said.

Of students surveyed, 37 percent said they consider marching band a sport. Marching band director Brett Cox explained why he disagrees.

“I think sports should have some kind of conflict between two sides; the gray area is whenever there is some kind of physicality to it,” Cox said. “[Marching band is] not a sport in the way that it’s not head-to-head competition. There aren’t two opposing forces trying to battle one another; it’s more of a physical activity where you’re just trying to better yourself.”

Of surveyed students, 46 percent responded that dance should be considered a sport.

Sophomore Connor Lewis, a Dance I student, classifies dance as a sport.

“Dance is a sport; it takes a lot of dexterity,” Lewis said. “Sporting is usually very masculine, and people see dance as not masculine because it touches into [emotions and] feelings.”

Dance instructor Kristen Oakes agreed that sports require competition.

“Sport to me has the idea behind it that there’s a competition, and at the end of the day, there’s a winner and a loser,” Oakes said.

“I definitely think that dancers are athletes, so athlete is the better way to say it.”

Approximately 57 percent of survey participants said they consider cheerleading a sport.

Sophomore Kaelyn Oakes has been cheering since the seventh grade and discussed why some people would disagree.

“Some people don’t think cheerleading Hunter Koch/The Omniscient is a sport unless you’re competing against THE VARSITY CHEERLEADING TEAM engages the crowd at others,” Kaelyn said. “Some people argue that the homecoming football game Oct. 16., 2015 competitive cheerleading is [a sport], but high school cheerleading isn’t, but it’s exerting just there is any kind of trait of a sport, then it could be classified as much energy, and you’re working just as hard. It’s just as a sport.” not competing.”

P.E. teacher Jason Novak explained the bias between the Junior cheerleader Rachel Shore disagreed. worlds of sports and arts and what defines a sport. “[I do not consider] high school cheerleading [a sport], but “It depends on what definitions you look at,” Novak said. competition cheer, yes,” Shore said. “There’s not as much “If you look at some definitions, then band is for entertainstunting or tumbling; it’s really just more cheering and danc- ment purposes, for halftime shows, to entertain the crowds, ing, so it’s not really a sport.” [and] to perform at the local Christmas parades for entertainThere are many activities that bear the traits of what is ment purposes, and same thing with dance. You could ask defined as a sport, but does that make it a sport? some of the athletes here and they would say, ‘No, band’s “It definitely depends on the person’s idea of a sport and not a sport; we do this everyday.’ Band’s out there every day the way that they perceive it,” Shore said. “I think that if just as long as the other sports. I think it’s just up in the air.”

January 2016

The Omniscient

By Ava Johnson Staff Writer

Just Keep Swimming: Swim team paddles toward success

“We have a swim team?” said sophomore Riley Koch with a look of surprise on his face.

Koch’s shock at the fact that Northwood has a water sport is not uncommon. Swim team is arguably one of the least known sports teams at Northwood.

Part of the reason for its ambiguity is the traditionally small size of the swim team. Last year, seven of the team’s nine members graduated. This left coach Lyn Smith with just two members to start the season: senior Joshua Conger and junior Sarah Helen Shepherd. After three days of tryouts, she had 14 members that were eligible and registered to swim.

“This is our largest swim team on record,” Smith said.

Because of the increasing size of the team, many of the swimmers believe that there will be a lot more collaboration.

“We are going to be more team oriented instead of swimming with different teams,” Shepherd said.

Many questions from students arise when talking about the Northwood swim team, and the most common is where they practice. Without a pool of their own, the swim team practices with East Chapel Hill High School at the Homestead Aquatic Center in Chapel Hill.

Practice is mandatory Monday through Thursday, but there is an optional practice on Friday which is popular with members. For the first 10 minutes of practice, swimmers take a short jog to improve their endurance, then, for around 90 minutes, they do drills and learn technique in the water. Lastly the members participate in core strengthening out of the pool.

“If your core isn’t strong, you’re not going to be able to support it in the water,” Smith said. “Swimming is unlike any other sport. You can’t train on land for swimming other than strengthening your core; you have to be in the water.”

Senior Taylor Hendriksma started swimming when she was six and has been swimming competitively for eight years.

“More people should probably get into swimming; even if you start your freshman year, you can still letter and maybe get to states by your junior or senior year,” Hendriksma said. “It’s an all-around great workout.”

Like other traditional sports, swim team has given students from Northwood scholarship opportunities.

Class of 2015 graduate Bailey Revels is currently at North Carolina State University for diving, and fellow graduate Rory O’Dell attends Saint Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. for swimming.

“I think that diving doesn’t define me; it isn’t who I am, but it is a large part of who I’ve become,” Revels

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said. “It’s taught me self-discipline, trust, how to trust in others. It’s taught me a lot of life lessons that I would not have learned or not valued as much if I didn’t participate in swimming or diving.”

More recently, senior Joshua Conger committed to St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn. for a swimming scholarship.

Conger is a stand-out member of Northwood’s swim team. He was a finalist at 2014-15 North Carolina 3A State Championship and is ranked 40th in the state. In Conger’s opinion, the dedication swimmers have is different than other sports.

“Swimming requires more commitment than any other sport,” Conger said. “If you miss a day of football or basketball, then you don’t get better. If you miss a day of swimming, you get worse.”

Shepherd shares a similar opinion in regards to the dedication swimming requires.

“It’s really good for time management; you really have to learn to prioritize,” Shepherd said. “You have to spend such a sheer amount of time swimming, and in the end, there’s not a lot of time for homework.”

Smith has several goals for the swim team this year. “[I’m] just excited to try and get Northwood’s swim team off the ground and to try to make an impact at states so everyone knows Northwood’s swimming as one of the best programs around,” Smith said.

Ava Johnson/The Omniscient

SENIOR JOSHUA CONGER signed with St. Cloud University Nov. 17, 2015.

Jessica Kolomichuk/The Omniscient

JUNIOR LEAH NELSON dives at Homestead Aquatic Center during swim team practice.

Jessica Kolomichuk/The Omniscient

THE SWIM TEAM is the largest it has ever been with upwards of 14 members.

SUPER

CHARGED

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

— Compiled by Jailen Leach

Becca Heilman/The Omniscient

Jazanae Billings — Girls’ Basketball

“Jaz is a hard worker, and she is a great defender.”

— Jazmine Atkins

Featured Athlete: John Dunning

Becca Heilman/The Omniscient

Chaz Bailey — Boys’ Basketball “He is a player that leads by example and tries to be the best leader he can be for the team.”

— Coach Alex Hart Hannah Gail Shepherd Swimming “Hannah is a very dedicated swimmer and tries her hardest in everything she does.”

Photo courtesy of Susan Dunning

Senior John Dunning is currently undefeated in his favorite sport: wrestling. He has aspirations to win the state championship this year and says he has put in a ton of work to accomplish his goal.

“I have been going to club [wrestling] and doing a lot outside of school,” Dunning said. “I have invested a lot of emotion and physical effort into this sport. I expect success. I deserve it based on how much work I have put in.”

Dunning isn’t focused on his record right now; he is setting his sights toward the future.

“I’ll start getting excited in February once [the] state [tournament] comes around,” Dunning said. “That’s all I really care about, just to be a state champion and be No. 1 in my weight class.”

— By Tanner Althoff

— Taylor Hendriksma Jessica Kolomichuk/The Omniscient

Amber Leviner Cheerleading “Amber is very nice and a great leader when it comes to cheerleading.”

— Jamison Dorsey Becca Heilman/The Omniscient