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The Omniscient
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Table of Contents News Pregnancy 4-5 Cheating 6-7 Cyber-bullying 8-9 Teacher Salary Legislation 10 Fast Food 11 Separation and Divorce 12-13 Snow Days 14 Hosting Exchange Students 15
Tyler White/The Omniscient
Fast food can cause health problems. pg 11
Entertainment Kelsey at Carnegie Hall 16 Poetry Slam 17 Too Old? 18 Reviews 19 Photo courtesy of Kelsey O’Daniel
Kelsey O’Daniel visits New York City and performs at Carnegie Hall. pg 16
Opinion 20-21 Sports Skiing and Snowboarding 22-23 Ballerinas 24-25 Freshman Basketball 26 Coming back from Injury 27 Supercharged 28
Photo courtesy of Savannah Raynor
Students at Northwood do ballet. pg 24-25
- THE NORTHWOOD -
OMNISCIENT - STAFF -
EDITORS Allison DeJong—Editor-in-Chief Jessica Clayton—Graphic Editor Taylor Maloch—Social Media Editor Lauren Merrill—Social Media Editor Tori Nothnagel— Photo Editor Tyler White—Online Editor STAFF WRITERS Byron Aguilar Frances Beroset Adrianne Cleven Ashlynn Davis John Dunning Arlo Estill Madison Fitts Katherine Goodrich
Jasmine Harris Becca Heilman Emma Korynta Breanna Leach Kenya Lee Meredith Lewis Sara Lipofski Bill McPhilemy Meredith Norman Jamie Palermo Katie Robbins Rachel Sipe Jack Teague Dana Walker Skyler Waugh Greyson Willard Jay Williams
-ADVISOR-
Neal Morgan nmorgan@chatham.k12.nc.us (919) 542-4181
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.
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The Omniscient
Fifteen and Former Northwood stu
By Ally DeJong Editor-in-Chief “It took six months of me being stupid to get pregnant,” former Northwood student Ashelyn Hood said about having unprotected sex with her boyfriend at age 15. Hood is now 18 and has a healthy son named Caden, who was born Nov. 23, 2011 and “was the best baby to be born.” “[Caden’s birth] brought my family closer, which was surprising. I tell my parents every little thing now, whereas before, I just kept to myself all the time. I think of it as a miracle,” Hood said. Unlike some teenage mothers, Hood has an overall supportive family. “[My mom] supported me through the decision I wanted to make. My dad was worse; I had a rough time with him. He wouldn’t talk to me for two months. But throughout the time of not talking to me, he went out and bought baby stuff the entire time,” Hood said. Hood’s initial thought was abortion, and she says she never considered putting her son up for adoption. “I believe in abortion more than adoption. For me, I can’t get attached to a baby for nine months just to give it up,” Hood said. “It would be easier to keep him, or get an abortion. That way, he isn’t moving and I wouldn’t get all the feelings for him and then be like, ‘You’re not mine.’” Even though Hood’s father was angry at first, he was the one who convinced her to keep the baby. “[He said:] ‘You had a responsibility and you took advantage of it, so you’re going to live with it.’ As months passed, I knew I could do it,” Hood said. Hood’s parents treat Caden as a son of their own and support Hood emotionally and financially. Hood says without her family’s help, she would most likely be “out on the street.” Although Hood has had her family throughout her pregnancy, she says Caden’s biological father has not. “We broke up two months after I got pregnant. He left completely, not talking to me, no texts, no anything, until Caden was born. He said one word: ‘Congratulations.’ I was all alone,” Hood said. After receiving minimal financial support, Hood says her family requested child support. “He hasn’t ever gotten a gift for him. [His view of child support] is him saying, ‘Here, I’m giving you money so you can get him something.’ But it just doesn’t work that way.”
Caden’s father was contacted, but would only consent to answer questions through text message. He denied many of Hood’s claims. He says that he sees Caden as often as he can and does pay for things beyond child support. Hood said she never would have thought that the father would leave her if she got pregnant, but believes everything has turned out for the better. “I’m a lot happier now. It was really hard to get over. It’s a lot harder when he’s your first love, he’s your first and then he’s your first kid’s dad. All that combined is worse than a typical heartbreak,” Hood said. “A lot of people ask me if I can stand to look at Caden because I can’t stand the father. It actually makes me love him more because I can sit here and be two parents. Every day I have to open my eyes and realize Caden looks like him. And Caden does look just like him, he’s just a cuter version.” Hood became pregnant February of her freshman year, and decided to try and go back to school after the summer for her sophomore year. “Some people knew I was pregnant, but most people didn’t. Most people just thought I got fat over the summer. That put me down even more because, okay, they didn’t know, but they were still talking,” Hood said. “Honestly, with having Caden and going through everything now, I wouldn’t care. If you still want to talk, you can talk. But with all my hormones, I was either in a crying mood or a not caring mood, but mostly a crying mood. It would get me down, and make me think well maybe I can’t do it.” It did not take long for her pregnancy to take a toll on her body. “It sucked. I went through my hormones, which just [made me] want to cry in the middle of class for just sitting there or wanting to get up and move but you can’t,” Hood said. “I have breasts, they grow, and on top of that, they leak. You sit there, and they start leaking and are so swollen it’s scary. You’re sitting in class and you can’t even wear flats because your feet are bulging out of them. It was the worst.” Hood’s pregnancy led her to leave Northwood early November 2011, right before report cards came out. “I was so tired. Even if I would get 12 hours of sleep I would be so tired just from walking five minutes. I was waking up at 4 a.m. to catch the bus so I was falling asleep in all my classes. I took all honors, so it was more and more work that I couldn’t finish,” Hood said. “Both of my parents work and so I was watching my brother, and taking care of him, so I couldn’t go to sleep until he did. I left right before report cards because I knew it was going to be really bad, so I just never got it.” Hood’s parents were supportive of the decisions she was making, and soon enough she went into labor Nov. 23, 2011. “I remember that day so clearly. We went into my appointment, and my blood pressure was so high they told me
“I wish I knew what I was getting myself into, but I also wish I didn’t know, because I wouldn’t be here now.” — Ashelyn Hood
-Graphic by Morgan Yigdal/ The Omniscient
March 2014
Pregnant:
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dent shares her story I had to go into labor right then. I wanted to go the natural way until they induced me,” Hood said. “In the background there were screaming women giving birth. So finally I said I needed an epidural. I was half asleep the whole time and I didn’t feel anything. I would fall asleep after breaking from pushing. It took from seven in the morning to 11 in the morning [until Caden was born].” After giving birth to Caden, she went back to school six months later. Hood attended CCCC, received her GED, is now in college taking online classes at home and wants to eventually become a pharmacist. “I want to spoil him. That’s the main thing about my future. It sounds bad, but I want money. It sounds greedy but it’s not greedy at the same time,” Hood said. “I don’t want money for a nice car or a big house, I just want money to be able to spoil Caden.” Hood was not always so focused on her future. She referred to her teenage pregnancy being “a blessing in disguise.” “Before [I got pregnant] I had in my mind: I want to go party, I want to drink. I had nothing under control. Basically, I started messing up in school freshman year getting C’s and D’s just because I didn’t want to do my work, I just wanted to party,” Hood said. “That’s another good thing about the pregnancy, I matured a lot, I got my life together. Yes, I dropped out, but I went back to school as soon as I could.”
Hood says that if she could go back, she wouldn’t. “I wish I knew what I was getting myself into, but I also wish I didn’t know, because I wouldn’t be here now. I wouldn’t be here, I would be partying,” Hood said. “[My pregnancy] changed me in a really good way because I could be partying or have my head on my shoulders.” Hood says she is a lot happier than she was, and that her son is the source. “He is definitely my best friend. You hear a lot of people, ‘Oh you don’t want to be best friends with your kid,’ but he has been through thick and thin with me,” Hood said. “You’ll be sitting there and you’ll be in a bad mood and he will come over and pet you because that’s what he thinks is okay. When you’re crying, all he wants to do is wipe your tears. Everything I do for him, he wants to do for me now.” Hood says her pregnancy has strengthened her family relationships but that she still has missed out on a regular teenage life. “I don’t really have anybody anymore. I used to be really good friends with a lot of people. When people hear of teen pregnancies they automatically think ‘She’s a pothead’ or ‘She’s sleeping around,’” Hood said. “But you don’t know unless you’re in my shoes. Everyone looks down on you, but if they would have stuck around long enough, they would see I’m going somewhere with my life.”
Photo courtesy of Ashelyn Hood
FORMER NORTHWOOD STUDENT ASHELYN HOOD and her two year old son Caden.
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The Omniscient
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Two months ago, James never imagined that he was the kind of person who would lie to his girlfriend. He never thought he would find himself cheating with another girl. He never thought things would go this wrong. “Emotions are complex,” said James, which is not his real name. “People can read certain emotions in the wrong way… they commit actions they wouldn’t dream of.” When relationships go wrong, sometimes people cheat. As teenagers, learning how we work with others is an important part of who we are, and along the way there are often missteps. Part of developing as a teenager is forging an identity and a sense of self. “Dating and having relationships with people is an important step as you’re developing and growing,” said school social worker Rachel Norris. “It helps you learn about yourself and what you like in other people, friendships or otherwise.” Most highschoolers agree that a relationship has to include mutual effort, care and respect. “You don’t even have to be in love necessarily, but you both care about each other and do a lot for each other,” an anonymous sophomore said. Despite good intentions, many high school relationships are doomed for failure. “[Teenagers] are not more likely [to cheat], [but] I think that we probably hear more about it, because when we’re in school… people tell other people,” Norris said. “I think as adults
they learn to hide it.” Sometimes, people in relationships become romantically or sexually involved with other people. They cheat. But just what constitutes cheating can vary from person to person. According to a poll conducted by The Omniscient, 88 percent of seniors and juniors agree that physical intimacy counts as cheating. Approximately 20 percent feel that texting another person is cheating, and 50 percent say that flirting with someone else is cheating. “Cheating is when there’s another person in your life that you care about more than the person you’re with,” an anonymous senior said. “It could be sexual, but it could be kissing the other person, or it could be emotional.” Many teenagers feel that physical intimacy is not the only form of cheating. Forty percent of upperclassmen say that lying to your partner is cheating. “[Cheating is] if you feel the need to go behind your partner’s back,” an anonymous junior said. On the issue of lying, there is a division between genders. In some classes, 53 percent of female respondents felt that lying to your partner was cheating, but only 50 percent of male respondents said the same. Twenty-seven percent of female respondents said texting another person was cheating, while only 11 percent of male respondents said that it was. Even those who have cheated may be unable to describe their reasons behind cheating. “[My boyfriend] was asking me why [I cheated] and I really couldn’t tell him why,” an anonymous senior said. “I guess [people] cheat because they’re missing that one thing, but they still love that person.”
52 percent of Northwood juniors and seniors say they have been cheated on.
Have you ever been cheated on? no no
yes
Have you ever cheated?
no no
yes
yes
March 2014
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Why do they do it? Others have unapologetically low opinions of people who cheat. “I think it’s really weak to not have the courage to at least end the relationship, or at least voice your feelings before you go off with someone else,” an anonymous senior said. Finding out about infidelity often elicits a strong emotional response, but some are able to recover quickly after the initial blow. “I was crushed for about 20 seconds,” an anonymous senior said, “but then I realized that I was the lucky one because she has to live with the guilt forever.” Many people whose partner cheated at least partially questioned their own role in the decision. “[After I found out that my boyfriend had cheated], I was in knots because I didn’t know what I did wrong to be betrayed like that,” an anonymous freshman said. People who have not been cheated on can empathize with the feeling. “I’d feel like crap, that’s for sure. I’d feel like I wasn’t as good as whoever they’re cheating on me with,” an anonymous sophomore said. The motivations of people who have cheated vary. “I have been cheated on, and once I found out, I cheated on him,” an anonymous freshman said. “[It] gets old when you’re with the same person for a long time; you just get used to the feeling. After I cheated on him, I felt good, and it showed me that he basically didn’t care.” Adults seem to feel that cheating may indicate a deficit in the existing relationship. “Maybe some need is not being met,” Norris said. “They’re not able to communicate effectively with their partners, so they perhaps find someone that they can be more fulfilled [with].” There may be environmental factors to blame in addition to personal feelings.
“I think that what we experience in our lives… whatever you’re watching, social media, TV, friends, family… can influence what we think are normal and healthy relationships,” Norris said. In high school, peers have a much larger role in relationships than they might with adults. According to one psychological study by Welsh, Grello and Harper, “following the normative trajectory of romantic development” is extremely important to adolescents. Teenagers often compare their relationships to the relationships of others, which can cause problems. “I want my relationship to be better than everyone else’s,” an anonymous junior said. “Everything is a competition.” After cheating, some felt conflicted. “[Right after it happened] I felt a mix of emotions. [I was] on one hand, excited because I had just done something that was morally wrong,” an anonymous senior said. “On the other hand I felt like, I don’t know, I didn’t necessarily feel sad or anything, that came later, but I just felt a weird feeling in my stomach because of it.”
What do you consider to be cheating?
100 90
female
80
male
70 60
%
50 40 30 20 10 0
physical intimacy
kissing
a date
flirting
texting
lying
Meredith Lewis/The Omniscient
Some who have been unfaithful regret their decision. “[If I could go back and do things differently] I would have broken up with him and then I would have kissed that dude instead of doing it while I was in a relationship,” an anonymous senior said. A few students choose not to condemn cheaters entirely, despite never having cheated themselves. “I don’t think that people who cheat are bad people,” an anonymous senior said. “I think that everyone makes mistakes and I’m just as likely to do it as someone else would be.” Cheating, for some, may be a learning experience. “I would hope that both parties would learn something from it that would help them in their future relationships,” Norris said. Part of the learning takes place from the painful feelings that come after cheating. “Sometimes guilt can be a good thing; it can be a motivator,” Norris said. “If they are feeling guilty about hurting their partner, perhaps that will make it so the next time they face a similar situation they will make a different decision.” Some people who have cheated say that they feel they’ve changed. James feels that he has learned from his experience. “One-timers just make a terrible mistake, and if they’re mature about it they’ll learn from that and move on,” he said. “I feel like, even though I completely regret my decision, and if I could change it, I would; I feel more emotionally mature because of it.” The take home message for cheaters? “You’re wasting people’s time,” an anonymous senior said. “You shouldn’t have to put people through that.”
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The Omniscient
March 2014
Cyber-bullying: “Don’t be a popcorn and coke person.”
Ally DeJong/The Omniscient
By John Dunning Staff Writer “I wanted to slap [the person who did it]. I wanted to really do something to [the person],” said an anonymous junior who was cyber-bullied. A recent poll suggests cyber-bullying is not uncommon at Northwood. 52 percent of students polled admit that some one has, at some point, used social media to say something mean or offensive about them. 34 percent of students polled also admitted to having used social media, at some time in their lives, to say something mean or offensive about someone else. Administrators decided to hold an assembly March 3 to address the topic. “Recently in the news there has been a lot of talk about social media being used inappropriately and being used in illegal ways as well,” guidance counselor Telisa Hunter said. “We’ve had some issues over the years here at Northwood but recently it has come to law enforcement’s attention.” Hunter explained the assembly was necessary because issues on social media can often affect dayto-day activities at the school and that anything with the potential to disrupt the learning environment must be addressed. “When something happens on social media, everyone sees it,” Hunter said. “Our job is to prepare you for the future and warn you about all the things that can hinder your future. It’s more about education, prevention and warning students of the consequences before they make a mistake themselves.” Often times issues which start in person can be-
come widespread when they reach social media. “Sometimes people say that I look like a thumb,” sophomore Brodie Beasley said. “They tweet pictures of thumbs and put pictures of me next to thumbs, saying that I look like one.” Beasley went on to explain that prior to the first post of his face next to a thumb it was more of an “annoying joke” in his circle of friends, but once it hit social media everyone began talking about it. Principal Justin Bartholomew feels cyber bullying is not a simple issue and suggests it extends to all areas of the world. “I think there’s a cyber bullying problem in the United States, Canada and in every country in the world,” Bartholomew said. “As soon as anyone has the ability to sit behind a computer with popcorn and a Coke and post or say hateful things, there is going to be a problem.” Several recent online pages created on Instagram were responsible for posting a multitude of explicit photos, most of which were nude. All the accounts involved went under investigation by the North Carolina Police Department and State Bureau of Investigation. The investigation of these accounts began Feb. 12 after a woman contacted Wake Forest Police when she discovered nude photos of her daughter on Instagram. In this particular case, the images that were posted of the student, who is now 18, were said to have been from her freshman or sophomore year of high school. In mid-February, Bartholomew was prompted to send out a phone call to all students’ homes regarding the issues of cyber-bullying, sexting and the dangers they entail.
“You have students who, with the click of one button, can destroy their futures,” Bartholomew said. “So I think sending out a public service announcement, particularly when we know we have a whole bunch of different cases of cyber-bullying going on locally, was the appropriate thing to do.” Another recent poll shows that 28 percent of students admit to sending nude photos while 48 percent admit to, at some point, having received nude photos. Students found with nude photos on their phone can be charged with child pornography if the individual who possesses the photo or the individual in the photo is under 18 years old. Bartholomew stressed the importance of the parent’s role in a student’s development and protection. “If we had to take on every single social issue, we’d be in trouble here at school,” Bartholomew said. “We can control your laptop and what comes in and out of it, but we can’t do anything with your cell phone.” In North Carolina, certain cases of cyber-bullying can be charged with as much as a misdemeanor simply because of the harassment component. Child pornography is also a secondary charge that will most likely be brought up in the cases regarding the Instagram accounts. “Between your laptop and your smart phone you can do 50 million things; you’ve got to pay attention and take it seriously,” Bartholomew said. “It’s like your license; when you get it, you are given the right to sit behind a vehicle with incredible amounts of power, so it’s a great tool, but a lot of damage can also be done. At a young, young age, you can do immense amounts of damage to yourself if you don’t act with responsibility.”
March 2014
The Omniscient
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Red for Rights:
March 2014
Teachers protest against budget cuts B y S kyler Waugh S taff writer “Losing your job is definitely a thought in the back of your mind. You try not to think about it and you try to do what you do every day,” math teacher Seth Risinger said. “It is definitely a thought that, at some point in time, most people have.” The state of North Carolina is experiencing budget cuts that could affect this generation and the ones to come. Some feel the education system is the subject absorbing the brunt of the changes. “The cuts to education are huge,” English teacher Pat Thornhill said. “I have a strong fear that what will happen over time is that public education as we know it now and how we’ve known it in the past, is basically going to disappear in North Carolina.” Because of the legislature changes to North Carolina in Jan. 2012-13, some teachers at Northwood are experiencing financial struggles. Teachers only collected a 1.5 percent raise in the last five years. “[There is] less money; the amount we pay for health benefits has increased and things are costing more: it is just harder to make ends meet,” science teacher Darian Cork said. North Carolina’s legislature has cut $500 million from the educational system, leaving fewer
teachers, supplies, buses and textbooks. Three thousand teacher assistant positions were lost in 2013, according to ABC News. “We’re losing funding and of course we’re going to lose very good teachers because of teacher pay,” Thornhill said. On Feb. 9, Governor Pat McCrory said in a press conference that there are plans to raise teachers earnings by 14 percent, but this only applies to teachers who have been in the classroom between zero and three years. Teachers who have worked for a decade or more do not qualify. Since his original statement, he has said he would like to eventually raise pay for all teachers. In 2008, the education budget was just over $7 billion, but during the 2014 fiscal year, $500 million less is predicted to be spent. That amount is not enough to keep up with the rapidly growing population, according to NC Policy Watch. Students may experience longer bus rides, larger classes, the loss of some extra curricular activities and help after school may be dismissed. Teachers and staff also could encounter salary cutbacks and loss of positions. Claude Pope, the chairman of the NCGOP or North Carolina Grand Old Party (Republican Party), is a proponent of the budget cuts. He feels that even though people are upset about what is happening,
“We’re losing funding and of course we’re going to lose very good teachers because of teacher pay.”
— Pat Thornhill
they should not object. “Would the losing team of the Super Bowl go protest the winning team’s locker room because they lost the game and they fumbled the ball?” Pope told Fox News. About 10,000 people hit the streets of Raleigh to protest against the education cuts. Alan McSurely, North Carolina lawyer and civil rights activist, is the co-founder of “Moral Mondays,” which is the common term used to describe the protests, named by the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.) “We had a church service on Sunday night and we came up with this name ‘Moral Monday’ because we decided we would do it every Monday afternoon,” McSurely said. “[The Tea Party Republicans] bring out all of these really reactionary ideas, basically anything with the word public in front of it with it being their number one target. Anything that uses money to try to make society a little more fair, to try to even out the playing field,” McSurely said. “We got together and we said we have to do something to stop it.” McSurely and his long time colleague and friend, Rev. William Barber, took action by giving the community a chance to speak out. When McSurely and Barber first started the protests, only a handful of people showed up, but the word spread all across the state. McSurely feels that North Carolina was prepared to speak out. “They were ready. There has been a pent up progressive strain in North Carolina that is ready to move,” McSurely said. “Let’s all go forward together and not one step back.”
State by state average teacher pay:
Alaska: $62,918 Photo courtesy of Will Thomas
REV. WILLIAM BARBER speaks at one of the “Moral Monday” protests.
Hawaii: $55,063
Skyler Waugh/The Omniscient
March 2014
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The Omniscient
Fast Food or Fat Food?
Fast food restaurants near Northwood could affect student health
By Tyler White Online Editor
Many students are familiar with the fast food restaurants close to Northwood such as McDonald’s, Taco Bell, KFC and Subway. The new Bojangles opening up across the street adds yet another fast food restaurant for students to indulge in. With so many food choices to choose from so close to the school, many students eat at these restaurants at least once a day. According to the USDA, nearly 30 percent of youth in America consume fast food at least once on a typical day. Unhealthy eating habits can contribute to health problems later in life, and on top of this, around 9 million children are considered obese nationwide. With obesity stats in America somewhat overwhelming, this is not stopping some students from eating unhealthily. Senior Daniel Clark says he eats fast food around once or twice a day. “It’s just easier to swing by and get something to eat,” Clark said. Although he eats fast food often, Clark is aware of the potential health risks. “I don’t always get the biggest thing, and sometimes I’ll try to get healthier things like a salad or something,” Clark said. According to research done by the University of California at Berkley, having a fast food restaurant within 530 feet of a high school resulted in a 5.2 percent increase in the occurrence of obesity in students. Nutrition expert and assistant research professor at UNCChapel Hill, Dr. Archana Lamichhane, says that the research findings on concentration of quick service restaurants near schools and student nutrition are still rather inconclusive, only because of the inconsistencies between schools and fast food locations. “The findings look at the access to or the availability to [unhealthy food] around your residence, your school or your work, and how that impacts your diet and in the long run, your health problems,” Lamichhane said. Although research results are still debatable, Lamichhane says that the unhealthy options could affect nutrition in students. “If the students have access to those resources nearby their school, then without any doubt, their diet will be poor as compared to the schools who do not have those types of resources in a closer proximity,” Lamichhane said. Northwood has a closed lunch policy, which means that
Bojangles: 0.4 mi. from NHS
Northwood High School
KFC/Taco Bell: 1.0 mi. from NHS
Subway: 0.9 mi. from NHS
McDonald’s: 1.1 mi. from NHS students are not allowed to leave campus for lunch. Lamichhane thinks that this is a safer option as it limits access to unwholesome foods. “I would be more worried if the school had allowed students to go out and eat. I think that the impact could have been more, versus a school with a closed lunch policy which doesn’t allow students to go out during lunch time,” Lamichhane said. “So that reduces in some amount the exposure to these non-nutritious foods, but it does not mean that [students] don’t have access to it either before school or after school.” Even with the closed lunch policy and students being re-
stricted from bringing in outside food, it would be difficult for schools to keep these foods out of the hands of the students. “The opening of these restaurants nearby, I think, may tempt them to eat there more often, and even bring food to the school cafeteria and eat,” Lamichhane said. Despite the fact that certain trends appear in data, there is no conclusive evidence on the subject. “As I said, the findings are mixed, and you can’t definitely say that the opening of one restaurant will degrade the health condition of students,” Lamichhane said.
Nutritional Facts of Popular Fast Food Items
Big Mac: 1 sandwich Calories-550 Total fat-29 g Sodium-970 mg
Doritos Locos Taco: 1 taco Calories-170 Total fat-9 g Sodium-390 mg
Original Chicken: 1 piece Calories-320 Total fat-14 g Sodium-1130 mg
Chicken Biscuit: 1 biscuit Calories-454 Total fat-21 g Sodium-949 mg
6” Chicken Bacon Ranch Calories-570 Total Fat- 28 g Sodium-1050 mg —Graphics by Tyler White/The Omniscient
The Omniscient
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“[Growing up] was kind of hard because some things you grow up with and need your dad for and then there are some things you need your mom for,” senior Gwen Kinney said. “When you don’t have that connection with one of your parents, it’s kind of sad when you see other people talk about their mom.” Kinney’s mother was not around when she grew up and Kinney moved in with her dad and aunt at age five. Then, in sixth grade her dad died, so she now lives with just her aunt. Only 45 percent of American children grow up with an intact family for their childhood (CNSNews.com). The other 55 percent either grow up in a divorce situation or with one parent. “I knew [the divorce] was coming because they got separated, because he had [committed] domestic violence on my mom,” an anonymous student said. “My mom called the cops and they said she was a victim of domestic violence and they filed separation papers.” Other students never grew up with their parents together and never knew what it was like to have both parents. “It didn’t really affect me until high school,” said senior Trent Hackney, who grew up with just his mom. “I started doing things you can’t tell a woman, you can’t tell your mom. I didn’t have a brother to go to, he was always gone, so it penalized a couple of things, but other than that, I grew up knowing my mom was going to be that figure.” Though senior Allie Ray’s parents are divorced, she still has had both in her life. “I’ve been raised two different ways; I’ve had to find a middle ground where I can please my dad and please my mom,” Ray said. “It’s hard to be accepted by both of them and not to go 100 percent with your dad or 100 percent with your mom.” This split between parents or separation of the family can cause relationships to be different than they would be if the family were whole.
“[Our relationship] has gotten better over the years. I think I sort of resented [my mom] at one point for not allowing me to still be with my dad, so that had a toll on the relationship, but now we’ve gotten a little closer,” said senior Kirsten Coleman, whose parents divorced when she was young. For others, separation strengthens relationships right away. “[The divorce] made us stronger, my brother and I in particular. We had to learn how to adjust to everything and going back and forth between houses,” senior Holly Thomas said. “I like the situation. It would be weird now if my parents were together. I’m happy with it. I think it’s harder for people that are older and are used to their parents together and then they split up.” Some children of divorce still have contact with the other parent or still see them regularly. For some kids, though, they only have one parent around for support, advice and love. “Not having your dad is kind of miserable because you don’t really have a role model of what a man should be, so it’s kind of hard dating-wise and it’s hard as a daughter not having your dad around to watch sports and do all the things that dads and daughters do,” Coleman said. According to voices.yahoo.com, growing up in a single-parent home has been found to affect children negatively and cause problems, like depression and difficulty in school. But students feel their single parent has done well. “I think [my mom] did pretty well. I think to have a complete support system you need to have two parents, but my mom has been pretty strong and I’m sure she was hurt too during the whole thing, so she’s been strong,” Coleman said. While Hackney does not have his father around, his mother is a big part of his life. “My mom is my queen and I’d do anything for her,” Hackney said. “I can get on her nerves and she calls me this and that, but at the end of the day I love her to death.” (Dana Walker contributed to this Morgan Yigdal/The Omniscient story)
“My mom is my queen and I’d do anything for her.” —Trent Hackney
affects the lives of teens: March 2014
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with separation and divorce
Single-Parent Families Statistics
Tori Nothnagel/The Omniscient
• 35 percent of children in the U.S. in 2011 were in single-parent families • Out of 12.2 million single parent families in 2012, more than 80 percent were headed by single mothers • Four out of 10 children are born to unwed mothers • One in three children (15 million) are raised without a father • 45 percent of single mothers never married, 55 percent are divorced, separated or widowed • In 2012, 84.1 percent of single parent families were headed by mothers and 15.9 percent were headed by fathers. • In 1980, 19.5 percent of households were single-parent. In 2008 it was 29.5 percent.
Sources: datacenter.kidscount.org, singlemotherguide.com and census.gov
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March 2014
No School, Snow Problem: Snow Days in Winter 2014 By Adrianne Cleven Staff Writer
County delivers a unique challenge to officials. “Because Chatham County spans 707 miles and borders eight other counties, it is very likely that the conditions could be extremely different in variThe uncommon snow and following snow ous segments of the district at the very same time,” days that occurred during January and February of Jordan said. this school year impacted virtually all Northwood The majority of Northwood students reported students and staff. As soon as county administrasnow at their houses during the canceled school tors heard of the possibility for severe weather, they days during January and February. Many had unique went on high alert. experiences, including Kerscher. “The decision to close, delay or dismiss schools “I was with Tristan Cochran, and the first thing is a very complex one and requires the use of a we did was snowboard,” Kervariety of information,” Superinten“The two hour day? I scher said. “It was interesting dent Derrick Jordan said. “Predicwe were trying to do tions from the National Weather didn’t come because because flips over a rock and a river and Service, the National Oceanic and it was two hours; it it didn’t work very well, and Atmospheric Association and local Tristan fell into the river.” meteorologists are all considered. was really pointless Chatham County’s AuxilWe also gather information from and a waste of gas iary Services Team—including the North Carolina Department of Chris Blice, former Northwood Transportation and the Sheriff’s and time.” principal—is the group that Department.” — Hailey Martin recommends that schools close Though Jordan and his staff for inclement weather. carefully evaluate the options when “[The team] begins travelling roads between considering closing school, the two-hour (8-10 a.m.) 3 and 4 a.m. to observe conditions,” Jordan said. school day Jan. 28 puzzled some students. Because “Based on their assessments and the weather preof time constraints, each class period lasted twentydictions available at the time from the experts, a five minutes. recommendation is made to the Superintendent, who “In every class we basically went in, got homemakes the final decision.” work and left. We accomplished pretty much nothThe decision to choose make-up days is similar. ing,” junior Maxwell Kerscher said. In order to accumulate 1,025 hours of school time, Some students weighed the options and decided missed days due to snow have to be made up. A to forgo the school day. survey was available to both employees and par“The two hour day?” junior Hailey Martin said. ents about whether they wanted to use Saturdays or “I didn’t come because it was two hours; it was reSpring Break for makeup days. ally pointless and a waste of gas and time.” The most current makeup days were determined Many students voiced questions about whether during a School Board meeting Feb. 17. Additionthe two-hour school day was considered a “full day” ally, beginning March 3, elementary and middle of school. schools will add 15 minutes to their school day. State law requires a minimum of 185 days or Since the high school instructional day was ex1,025 hours of instruction that spans nine months tended all year, the 15-minute extension will not be of the year. Chatham County Schools follows the necessary. “1,025 hours” section of that rule. “We had an overwhelming response [to the surEvery minute of education counts when the veys] and made the decision to amend the calendar school system has a minimum number of required utilizing those considerations, which resulted in us hours that students must attend school. However, avoiding Saturdays and Spring Break,” Jordan said. sometimes closing school is necessary in order to “Our community seems to appreciate our efforts to ensure student and staff safety. The size of Chatham
protect Saturdays and Spring Break.” Students were aware of the efforts of administration and the makeup days they chose. “I’m happy with [the makeup days],” sophomore Gabriel Webb said. “I think a lot of people during Spring Break are going on vacation, so a lot of people wouldn’t be able to go because they have made plans already.” Teachers are struggling to catch their classes up through the aftermath of the canceled school days. Theater teacher Kayla Gahagen spoke about the effects of the snow days on the upcoming Spring musical. “We’ve had to make two different revised copies [of the schedule]. We try to do a schedule so that we have blocking one scene each day, and also working on music. So, with that we’ve had to push the music and blocking, so everything seems really slow right now when it should be moving a lot faster,” Gahagen said. “A lot of the students are stressing out.”
“I do not find it hard [to make up the work missed during the snow days]. I feel like our school and the people who operate the school are really organized at what they do and well prepared for situations like this.” — Shea Wood, senior “If you are in an honors class the work is a bit harder; now we have missed eight days so we’re behind and trying to catch up.” — Jessica Puckett, sophomore “The classes seem a lot choppier and the teachers are still struggling to catch up with what they have missed.” — Anthony Rolka, junior
Make up days: Friday, March 7 Friday, April 11 Monday, April 21 Wednesday, June 11 (Now a full day) Early release March 3 3 Hour Delay March 4 3 Hour delay March 18 Delay, Early Release or Closing related to inclement weather.
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Hosting Exchange Students: Experiencing new cultures
By Taylor Maloch Social Media Editor
“It’s weird having another person in your house; you have to get used to what they’re like and how it meshes with your family,” senior Jeremiah Hartsock said. “From the get-go I noticed that [Thailand exchange student Jakkarat Soonthornrak] was really nervous and I was nervous too, since I had never done anything like this before.” Exchange students from all over the world come to Pittsboro to experience the small town American lifestyle. Although this is a different opportunity for the exchange student, it is a new experience for the host as well. Two years ago senior Nathaniel Zanavich and his family decided to host their first student, Soonthornrak, nicknamed ‘Book.’ “We thought it would be a fun experience; my mom was looking online and saw that it brought families closer together, so she said, ‘Let’s do this!’” Zanavich said. After a few months, the Zanavich family decided to no longer host their exchange student because of cultural differences. Hartsock and his family decided to host Soonthornrak for the next eight months. Hartsock says he did not have a close relationship with Soonthornrak either. “With culture exchange sometimes cultures clash a little bit. I think that was the major problem. It’s not that something went wrong, it was just a culture clash,” Hartsock said. Sophomore Hunter Koch and her family hosted their first exchange student, Katharina Rudy, from Germany last year. “It was crazy, she was so scared. We picked her up at the airport and we came home and [Rudy] was really quiet… she would say
‘Thank you so much’ or ‘Nice to meet you’ and she gave us all huge hugs,” Koch said. Koch’s mother had the idea to host an exchange student; after contacting exchange program YFU (Youth For Understanding America), the family received a quick response. Rudy needed “emergency placement,” meaning the home she was staying in could no longer host her. “Sometimes we have a situation where a student cannot stay in the family that they are in. Sometimes it’s because of a situation or there has been an issue in the host family and it’s not going to work and they don’t want the student in their home anymore or the student doesn’t want to be there anymore,” said Linda Strickland-Jaubert, local area coordinator and volunteer for YFU. “So we have emergency families who agree to be our secure placement for a very short term until we can find another placement for the student.” Within a few days, Rudy moved from Colorado to the Koch home, where she stayed for 10 months. “She was like a sister to me. I know that’s so cliché, but I really miss walking home from the bus together everyday…. we would religiously watch The Voice together [and now] I don’t even watch it anymore because it’s not fun to watch it without her,” Koch said. Senior Thomas Reynolds, who has hosted six exchange students, also took in students under emergency placement. “We knew a guy who worked for the organization, so usually we took kids at the last minute who didn’t have a home,” Reynolds said. Both Koch and Reynolds had favorable experiences with their exchange students. Koch and her family traveled a lot with Rudy, but she says her favorite place Photo courtesy of Hunter Koch they went was Disney World. THE KOCH FAMILY with German exchange stu“I could just see the little kid in her come out bedent Katharina Rudy at Disney World last year. cause she had obviously never been anywhere like that. It was so much fun,” Koch said. Reynolds has hosted many exchange students, but one of his favorite memories places and taught me new things. I really like everyone and actually kind of miss the USA a lot,” Soonthronrak was during the holidays. said. “[My favorite memory was] celAfter the school year is over, exchange students ebrating Christmas with a Muslim leave their temporary home to return to their home exchange student because he country. Koch says she became very close with Rudy, didn’t really know what and Rudy even stayed a few extra weeks because she to expect and he really did not want to leave. enjoyed it,” Reynolds When the day came for Rudy to say goodbye, said. Koch and her family wanted to enjoy their last day Soonthornrak together. says he also en“We went to Top of the Hill for her last dinner; joyed the tradiit was so surreal, she was crying,” Koch said. “We tional American tried to treat it like a regular day so we weren’t that holidays. emotional, but I just remember all of her bags were “I love all downstairs and we packed up and drove her to the the festivals and airport.” celebrations beNeither Hartsock nor Zanavich have had any cause we don’t contact with Soonthornrak since he returned to do anything Thailand. This summer, Reynolds and his family special on days will go to Denmark, Germany and France to visit like Christmas some of their previous exchange students. Koch and or Halloween… her family are planning to go to Germany in 2015 to [my host family] visit Rudy. took me to new
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Entertainment
KELSEY TAKES CARNEGIE
“We went to the top of ‘The Rock,’ which is the Rockefeller Center, and you could see everything from up there. We saw a Broadway show; I had seen it before but it was so much better on Broadway.” O’Daniel said. “Now that I look back at it, it kind of seems really surreal. It feels really weird to be back here after being in New York City for five days.” O’Daniel began playing clarinet in middle school. Middle school students who are interBy Kenya Lee ested in participating in band can select a woodwind or brass instrument to learn. Staff Writer “[The clarinet] is such a versatile instrument, you can play any style of music on it really,” O’Daniel said. “When I was in the fifth grade I was like: ‘This instrument looks awesome, She stepped onto the stage that overlooked thousands of faces in the packed Carnegie Hall. Her six I’m gonna play it.’” Success over the years has not come without trial and error. To O’Daniel, it is part of and a half years as a clarilearning. netist had all led up to “You just have to get over [slight mistakes]; you this. The conductor took can’t let one mistake pull you down completely. If you his place in front of the just dwell on that mistake, you’re going to make more band, motioning for them mistakes,” O’Daniel said. to raise their instruments. While taking clarinet lessons, O’Daniel realized She brought the wooden that she wanted to pursue music. After high school, she clarinet mouthpiece to plans to major in music performance. She was recently her lips, taking a deep accepted to the music school at the University of North breath before she would Kenya Lee/The Omniscient Carolina at Greensboro, and after college wants to land play in what would be a career performing with an orchestra or playing in pits one of the biggest performances of her life. When the director cued for musicals. the band to begin, she moved her fingers over the clarinet’s silver “Before I started band, I always liked music. I was buttons, her eyes quickly following the notes on the music staff. never really sure what I wanted to do after high school, “When we played the last note I was sad, but it was a crazyand since I started taking clarinet lessons, it just opened awesome experience,” said senior Kelsey O’Daniel, who perso many doors…. I know it’s what I want to do,” formed at Carnegie Hall Feb. 9. “I will never forget being on stage O’Daniel said. at Carnegie Hall; the whole experience was once-in-a-lifetime and Her choice to pursue music as a career is supported I’ll never forget it. Before [I went] I don’t think that I was compreby her family and friends, but the media makes it seem hending everything that was going to happen, but it was awesome.” like a risky career choice. Carnegie Hall, a concert venue for world-renowned performanc“I haven’t heard any negativities from anybody in es, sits in the heart of Manhattan. The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Judy my life; usually people are super supporting. My famGarland and Yo-Yo Ma have all performed at this famous venue. Photo courtesy of Kelsey O’Daniel ily is so supportive,” O’Daniel said. “From media and “[Carnegie Hall] is huge; there’s orchestra seating and then KELSEY O’DANIEL (far right) rehearses before outside of my life I hear musicians don’t make enough there’s four upper levels,” O’Daniel said. “You step out onto the performing at Carnegie Hall. money, but I don’t really let that get to me.” stage and you can see every seat. It’s kind of intimidating, but at O’Daniel knows that she wouldn’t be where she is the same time it’s fascinating.” today or be able to expand her talent if she did not set aside time in her day to practice. The competition for the opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall was selective; only the top “If you’re a musician and you want to do it, just practice like crazy,” O’Daniel said. caliber of high school musicians from North America and select international schools were “[People] ‘say what does it take to get to Carnegie Hall?’ Just practice, practice, practice.” chosen as finalists for the American High School Honors Band. Ten thousand students were nominated for band, orchestra or chorus and approximately one hundred students were selected to participate in the Honors Band. “It is high schoolers from all over the country; just high school students like me who tried out for this ensemble. I had to be nominated for it by [NHS Band Director Eugene] Cottrell and then over the summer I had to send in an audition,” O’Daniel said. “I found out I was chosen at a Halloween party, which was crazy, and it was the day before my birthday, so it was a really nice birthday present.” Before being chosen as a finalist, O’Daniel practiced for months under her private tutor to perfect her recorded audition. “It took me forever to get it recorded right and I’m very happy it was a recorded audition because I could just keep doing it until I got it right,” O’Daniel said. “I had to play something that they requested for us to play, so I had to learn that, and then I played a little bit of a solo I was working with.” After arriving in New York City, practicing the music with the ensemble was equally important. “We started playing the day after I got there, and that was intense rehearsal. We practiced for eight hours: four hours at a time, then a lunch break, and four more hours. It was like that for two days,” O’Daniel said. “The rehearsals were fun and the conductor was awesome, but it was really physically tiring.” O’Daniel also had the opportunity to meet fellow high school musicians. “It’s always nice to play with people who know what they’re doing. [I enjoy playing] with people who have the same goal and who really want to be there,” O’Daniel said. When she wasn’t in rehearsal, O’Daniel had the opportunity to tour the sights of New York City.
CARNEGIE QUICK FACTS Carnegie Hall opened in 1891 The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Tony Bennet, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole and Elton John have performed at Carnegie Carnegie seats 2,804 people Photo courtesy of Kelsey O’Daniel
March 2014
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Northwood Inklings host Poetry Slam By Ashlynn Davis Staff Writer A nervous student stands at a microphone, fists clenched around a sheet of paper, ready to deliver their poem to the crowd in the auditorium. It’s not just poetry, it’s a form of expression; a way to say things that are otherwise hard to say, and it’s something the members of the Inklings poetry team know a lot about. The poetry team took on Carrboro High School in a competitive poetry slam March 14. Each school brought their best poets and each poet brought their best, but in the end, Northwood came out on top. This slam was an opportunity for both schools to test their competitive prowess and develop an inter-school community. “Kids from different schools are connecting in a really important way. It’s something that happens way too little among high schools; that is, kids actually socializing from school to school and talking about things that they care about… and this kind of thing gives us that opportunity,” said Ben Thompson, Inklings advisor and English teacher. “It’s supposed to be a chance to build a community between the two schools.” The Inklings poetry team held their first ever poetry slam Feb. 20. Preparations for the slam started last semester and Thompson hopes to bring the team to more slams in the future. The members of the poetry team have planned to go to Word Rivalry, a regional slam in May that could lead to much bigger slams. Some of the poets that participated in the slams had more experience than others, but they all came to a con-
Ashlynn Davis/The Omniscient
BRANDON KELLY competes in Northwood’s first poetry slam Feb. 20. sensus about how it felt to deliver their poems. “Every poet, regardless of how much experience you have, you’re always nervous,” junior and co-chair Brandon Kelly said. “You have that nervous [feeling] before a game, match or a test, but this is like a whole other level of nervousness.” The poets may have been nervous about presenting, but the atmosphere at the slam was anything but nerve inducing. The format of both slams promoted kindness and acceptance. “I think the format for the poetry slam is cool
because even though it’s a competition, everyone can feel validated and have their story heard even if they don’t win,” senior and co-chair Allory Bors said. “It’s not just about winning; it’s about sharing your story with other people.” A contribution to the supportive atmosphere was one of the traditions the club has adopted. If a poet got choked up on stage or forgot a line, the rest of the members of the Inklings rubbed their hands together as an encouraging gesture. CJ Suitt, who is part of an awardwinning spoken word organization called the Sacrificial Poets, introduced this to the club last year. Suitt served as the emcee for the February and March slams. The Inklings poetry team is still growing, and that is allowing the team to attend more events. The Word Rivalry slam in May could lead to much bigger slams on much larger scales, and Thompson is confident in the ability of the Inklings poetry team to perform well at more slams. “If you haven’t seen our Northwood poets you are missing one of the most special things about our school,” Thompson said. Students enjoy the Inklings poetry team not only for the slams, but also for the constructive criticism offered during meetings. The Inklings poetry team has become a place to share one’s stories and to become a better poet. “[The team] supports you…. It’s a good place to get feedback from other people,” senior Chelsea Korynta said. “There’s an opportunity for improvement [here].”
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Students debate whether age should have an effect on childhood activities By Meredith Norman Staff Writer Toys, stuffed animals, trick-ortreating and cartoons: all these probably were, or still are, a part of our fondest childhood memories. As we get older, teenagers agree that more people expect for them to act mature and to give up childish things. Is there ever a point when teenagers should be considered “too old” for something? “You grew up with [childish things], and you liked them then, so it is okay to like the same things now,” senior Nathaniel Zanavich said. “Like cartoons— I watch them, and they make you laugh and you’re never too old to laugh.” The teenagers who agree that it is okay to indulge in so-called “childish” activities usually do so out of routine, believing they should not change their habits just because they might be considered “too old” for an activity. “I turn on cartoons every morning and watch them, [it] has been something I have always done,” senior Courtney Lineman said. “It is frowned upon by society if at this age you like doing things like watching cartoons or going trick-or-treating, but you can overcome society.” A lot of teenagers insist that something like trick-or-treating can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of age. “Trick-or-treating is fun and you get free candy,” sophomore Natalie Hayman said. “My boyfriend is 18 and he still goes trick-or-treating with me and that is okay. You are never too old for free candy.” Still, other students try to move away from “childish” things once they enter high school. “I get uncomfortable when it comes to trick-or-treating; I feel like I’ve grown out of it,” senior Chelsea Korynta said. “It is cool when you are an adorable little kid, but when you
are a teenager with a job and ‘bigkid responsibilities’ it is time to buy your own candy and save some for the young’uns.” Others try to make the change between enjoying “childish” things and growing up more of a gradual process. “I don’t think it is childish to own toys or stuffed animals, but I have slowly been trying to fade them out,” sophomore Adrianne Cleven said. “When I throw them away I feel like I’m throwing away precious childhood memories. But if you hold on to everything, you just can’t move on.” A lot of teenagers believe it is our culture’s fault that we can not enjoy “childish” pastimes once we reach a certain age. “It is just the way the culture is,” junior Anthony Rolka said. “People expect you to grow up at such a young age, when really they need to enjoy what little time they have as kids. Everything you enjoyed as a child you should still be able to enjoy once you get older.” Culture and personal choices can lead teens to the decision to act more mature and give up things they enjoyed when they were younger. “It is a mix of people expecting you not to do things and being self-conscious about doing them,” sophomore Kat Taylor said. “Some things, like trick-or-treating or playing with toys, are kind of embarrassing to enjoy when you’re older.” Other teenagers do not let outside factors such as peer pressure, what their parents might think or society influence their decisions, but instead leave the decision whether or not to do certain activities completely up to themselves. “My parents tell me, ‘Kat, you shouldn’t do this,’ but I’ll do it anyway because I don’t really care about what people think of me,” Taylor said. “Even when I grow up, I’m still going to do some childish things because I’ll always be a child at heart.”
“My boyfriend is 18 and he still goes trick-or-treating with me. You are never too old for free candy.” — Natalie Hayman
Tori Nothnagel/The Omniscient
Kayla Perry, Madison Cohen, Hannah Coffee and Leah Perry still take pictures with Santa.
The Omniscient polled over 190 students on what activities they still partake in:
Does Santa still “visit” your house on Christmas?
Do you still watch cartoons?
Do you still go trick-or-treating?
75% said yes
64% said yes
65% said yes
Valentina Moreno/The Omniscient
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Reviews
Classics
Prisoners When I sat down to watch this 153-minute thriller from director Denis Villeneuve, I had little idea of what exactly I was getting myself into. I only knew that Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal were in it and some little girls were going to be kidnapped. I fully expected to chalk this one down as another quality, ultimately unmemorable chapter in the careers of Jackman and Gyllenhaal. Instead, I was treated to one of the most tense, emotionally devastating and best silver screen experiences I’ve ever had. Jackman stars as Keller Dover, a man hell-bent on finding his kidnapped daughter. I cannot understate the kind of screen presence that he had throughout this entire movie. Dark and seemingly ready to explode into violence at any moment, I never took my eyes off him when he was on screen. This character is taken to a place so amazingly dark and depraved that it is hard to imagine how he could ever come back. That he wasn’t even nominated for an Oscar is simply stunning to me. Gyllenhaal plays Detective Loki, the man tasked with finding Jackman’s daughter. Prone to outbursts of violence, the buttoned-down Loki is clearly a man at odds with himself. Gyllenhaal shines the most when that enraged version of Loki comes to the surface. Jared Leto did a great job as Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club, but Gyllenhaal’s Loki easily beat that performance. Matthew McConaughey consistently overshadowed Leto, whereas Loki and Keller Dover fight for your attention every time they appear on screen together. One big slap in the face to Prisoners is the lack of a Best Picture nomination. Nine movies were nominated for the award and the maximum is 10. Having seen a number of the other nominees, I can pretty comfortably say that Prisoners was more deserving of this award than, say, Nebraska, and certainly was worthy of filling that 10th spot. Nebraska was an enjoyable movie and worthy of your time, but Prisoners was multiple orders of magnitudes more powerful and a better cinematic experience. It explores what depths humans can sink to and the kinds of truly depraved things they can rationalize. Prisoners is a dark, emotional, occasionally heart-breaking movie.
“Danger Zone” is not just a classic of the 1980s but it reminds everyone of the even better movie, Top Gun. Kenny Loggins is the artist that gives you one choice, and that is to take the highway to the danger zone. He starts and ends this song strong, with compelling beats and lyrics written by the hands of a songwriting genius. This song is what you should listen to give yourself confidence, it’s truly inspiring. —Tyler White
Photo courtesy of www.prisoners.com
Unfortunately for cinematographer Roger Deakins (Skyfall, True Grit, Fargo, The Shawshank Redemption) and Prisoners, the one nomination the movie received was a category that was Gravity’s to lose. It was Deakins’ work that first made me realize that this was a movie that demanded to be taken seriously. The cinematography of this movie is better than any other thriller I’ve seen, and joins Dirty Harry as being one of the most surprisingly well shot movies I’ve seen. Best Director is yet another category that had a rather noticeable lack of Prisoners. It is not an overstatement to say that this is the best thriller I’ve ever seen and that Villeneuve is largely responsible for that. There is one big twist toward the end of the movie that you are likely to miss if you do not pay close attention to the plot, and that is because there are no cues to the audience that something really important just happened. It allows you to just sit there, seemingly with knowledge that no one else involved in the movie knows. Not the actors on screen, not the director, not the cinematographer and not the music editor. Villeneuve prefers not to waste the audience’s time and only shows that which is truly necessary to see. Consequently, several moments that would appear in most other movies are absent, and the movie is better for it.
“Talk to me Goose.” Top Gun, released in 1986, was an action hit then, and still is now. With so many quotes and references taken from this movie, it is definitely a must see. Talented Navy pilot Pete Mitchell (played by Tom Cruise) is sent to the T.O.P.G.U.N. fighter pilot training facility. With stunning high-altitude footage, the film will take you for emotional barrel rolls. With a plotline full of love, hate and even vicious rivalries, this movie will have you ready for take-off. From Kenny Loggins hit “Danger Zone,” to the famous volleyball scene, Top Gun is an invigorating movie that is a must-watch, if you haven’t seen it already. —Tyler White
Photo courtesy of www.nbc.com
Community brings you the classic storyline of lovable misfits to a new level. Seven strangers attend a community college and form a Spanish study group that takes on a Spanish 101 class. If you want a show worth watching that doesn’t make you follow along with an undesired laugh track, then Community is it. — Meredith Lewis
–– Jack Teague
West Coast rap is better than ever! Schoolboy Q’s newest album Oxymoron is out on TDE, the same label that Kendrick Lamar is signed to. Oxymoron has recurring themes of drugs and the gangsta lifestyle that Q once lived. In the opening song “Gangsta,” he goes into storytelling his early lifestyle and influence of guns on it. In “Prescription/Oxymoron” he tells of his days selling Oxycodone and being addicted to drugs. Q had quite a number of features including Kendrick Lamar on “Collard Greens,” Kurupt and Tyler, the Creator on “The Purge,” Raekwon from Wu Tang Clan on “Blind Threats,” BJ the Chicago kid on “Studio” and 2 Chainz on “What They Want.” Each feature brings a unique sound to the album. The most unique is “The Photo courtesy of www.Disney.com/movies Purge,” where Tyler, the Creator delivers a hook and Kurupt brings out the most in his verse. Q finishes off the album on a high note, warning everyone that he is in fact the “Man of the Year.” Disney’s hit movie Frozen, released on DVD Tuesday, Mar. 18, gave mil— Byron Aguilar lions of viewers a wintery delight. Known well for its hit song, “Let it Go,” performed by Idina Menzel, this Academy Award winning movie gives a warm relief to the bitter cold weather of the past winter months. As usual, this Disney movie’s plot is full of turns and twists that will lead you to believe Childish Gambino’s Because the Internet was released Dec. 2013. This is his most one thing and then surprise you with another. Anna, the main character, honest work so far, and he wants to reflect that “Because the Internet,” Gambino journeys to the North Mountain to find her sister, Elsa, and bring her home. is where he is today. Gambino has been working to find his voice, and it is clearly Together, the two work to restore summer to Arendelle, which Elsa had portrayed in this album. He has always been a clever songwriter, and the songs accidentally set off in an eternal winter during an emotional breakdown at on this album show that. This album is meant to accompany a screenplay that her coronation. An unlikely romance soon springs up between Anna and Gambino wrote. This makes his work different from anything that he has done Kristoff, an ice seller who acts as a guide to her. The two race against time to before. find a cure to save Anna’s life from her sister’s magic. — Meredith Lewis —Rachel Sipe
20 Dana Walker Whether you want to call it fútbol or soccer, it’s hard to disagree that it is a beautiful game. For all of my life, ever since I was five, soccer has been my world and one of the things I know best. It all started with my older sister, and my parents dragging me to each and every one of her club games. At first, when they mentioned the idea of soccer, I immediately screamed “no” because I didn’t want to be like my older sister, but they eventually coaxed me into giving it a shot, which was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. And, yes, I know that I was only five years old at the time of the decision, but soccer has changed my life. They called me a natural and talented, which was something I never thought I would hear. I’ve always been a competitive person, whether it is with grades or sports, so when it was time to move up from the recreation league and join a club team, I was beyond
The last season excited. Even though I was still young, soccer began to become my life; my weekends were no longer filled with sleep overs, but rather tournaments and weekend games. I loved every minute of it, though, and never wanted it to end. As I grew older, I became more skilled and worked my way up to the higher-level club teams. My parents always wanted me to branch out and try different sports, so in middle school I played softball and was also doing gymnastics; however, soccer always topped them all. I can’t quite tell you what it is about the game that makes me love it so much; it just is magical. Sooner than I thought it would ever come, I became a freshman in high school and soccer season was just around the corner. My sister was an amazing player and as a freshman made the varsity team—that became my goal. I ran in the off-season so that I would be in shape for the three days of dreaded tryouts. I worked my butt off and it all paid off—I made varsity as a freshman and could not have been happier. For those of you who play on a sports team, you are aware of the bond created among teammates. That bond is
Opinion
hard to break, and in my freshman year quite yet. As the games go by and our one was created. While being a freshsenior night creeps closer, it becomes man on varsity did have its downsides, a bittersweet feeling knowing that in a like carrying the water cooler, fetching couple of months my last time playballs out of the woods and doing all the ing for Northwood soccer will be here. things that the upperclassmen didn’t The team meals, sleep overs, playoff have to do, that year was what made shirts and memories created over the me enjoy high school the most. I was past four years have been wonderful fortunate to become close with the upand I wouldn’t trade them for anything. perclassmen girls and had a great coach To everyone who plays a sport they from whom I learned a lot. love, cherish it for as long as you can, I am now in my senior year, and because before you know it, it will be after the third tryout day of soccer last your last time putting on that beloved month, it finally hit me jersey. that this is my final season. Being a captain on the team is weird because now you’re one of the girls that everyone looks to for advice and instruction and we run things rather than being told how it’s going to be. I plan to make it the best season yet, but I know that it won’t end without tears. While I will not play soccer in college, club teams will remain a Photo courtesy of Chris Walker part of my life so I don’t DANA WALKER (right) and her older sister, Erin have to give up the love Walker, on the sideline at a soccer game.
When should schools intervene with social media? Staff Editorial
Our world is getting smaller and smaller; not literally of course, but through the use of the Internet and social media websites. As teens get more comfortable with what they post on the Internet, more problems are beginning to arise. As some of these posts may be inappropriate, and they are available for everyone to see, we ask ourselves: when should the high school get involved with matters over the Internet? Since anyone can see what we post—from partying to Twitter fights—are we asking to get reprimanded by school systems for things that go viral? Most instances have to be taken on a case-to-case basis; if something happens on school property, such as on campus, on our laptops or if a social media post references NHS or any activity that deals with NHS, it is definitely the responsibility of the school to step in. Also, if a potentially dangerous situation is present, school involvement is a necessity because it is their job to keep students safe. But how far should schools get involved with off campus activities? The
Editorial Cartoon
— By Jordan Pollard state policy is that if a situation causes a disruption in learning, then it is a school problem. We believe that if that is the case, schools do have the right to intervene and find a solution. Although, it is the right of the school to get involved in certain situations, that
is not always the case. We do not believe schools have the right to monitor our social media accounts or “hunt students down” to find out our activities. Petty Twitter fights should not be a concern of the school; students will never be able to deal with their own problems if an out-
side force constantly comes in to solve it for them. Now, if it turns into persistent cyber bullying and eventually to inperson bullying, the school should get involved because that could cause either physical or mental ramifications. Social media incidents are complicated when it comes to school involvement. Everything you say on social media has the potential to offend someone, and all opinions stem from experience. Everyone is going to interpret things on social media differently, so is it okay to punish someone based on an opinion that offends someone or a picture that they think isn’t harmful? No. It is our opinion that if something is done outside of school, it is not a school issue. If the guidance counselors want to try and help the students, that is okay, but if the student rejects the help the school shouldn’t go any further. It is the job of a parent to monitor what is going on with their children’s social media accounts, and if they don’t do that, that is their choice. At that point, it is up to teens to become smarter about what they post online and learn the aftermath of what destructive posts can do to your future.
March 2014
The pressure point:
The Omniscient
The horrors of my car accident
Teens forced to make important life decisions Tyler White The pressures of society for youth to plan out their lives are huge. Yes, some type of general idea is necessary, but it is harmful to have to choose exactly what we want to do when we are young. Young people should not be made to feel like they have to choose now. From an early age, children are always asked this one question: What do you want to be when you grow up? They are filled with the ideas that doctors and lawyers are great careers, but what six year-old kid actually knows what they want to do at that age? The same goes for high school students. When we are freshmen, we are told to choose career paths to help determine what we want to pursue after we graduate. Even with that, 50-70 percent of college undergraduates change their major at least once while
in college, according to Georgia Mason University. The fact of the matter is that more than 50 percent of college students are in careers that are unrelated to their majors, says the U.S. Census Bureau. The choice of your college major is important, but doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what you have to do for all eternity. As an 18-year old stepping foot for the first time onto a college campus, it would be difficult to know exactly what you want to do with your life. With practically 1,500 academic programs disclosed to the Department of Education in 2010, it would make it nearly impossible. So explore things that interest you, and don’t feel like you have to choose just one thing to strive for, for the rest of your life. If you already have your mind made up, that’s wonderful, but it’s not for everyone. Keep in mind that there are so many things to choose from and you have much longer than just after high school to really find out what you love to do.
People just passed me by: Meredith Lewis
The worst part wasn’t the car tumbling, it wasn’t the roof collapsing on my head; the worst part wasn’t even my uncontrollable screaming. The passing cars who ignored us was the worst part; when people saw what happened, they looked and stared, but they didn’t stop, they didn’t care. I was trapped in the car with the door bent and smashed around me. My passenger rushed out and got me out somehow. I don’t remember much, but I remember him screaming for help outside while trying to pry my door open, my hand on the glass window trying to reach out to him, but I couldn’t. I was covered in glass, my eyes were full of tears and I could feel myself blacking in and out while yelling, “I’m sorry.” I was sorry to my parents for ruining their car, I was sorry to my friends for being sarcastic and mean to them that day, I was sorry to the person next to me for putting them through this. The next thing I knew, I was being put on the ground and I was grabbing handfuls of grass, screaming. The thing is, still no one
has stopped to help us, and we had to call our own ambulance. Being on your own, watching almost 70 cars pass you, is the most confusing thing I have ever experienced. If I ever saw an accident happen as bad as this one, I would stop. I would make sure that everyone was okay. I received text messages while sitting in the ambulance from people asking if I was okay and that they saw me. The car spun in a circle, hit the median, flipped twice, went airborne and stopped 234 feet away from where it was when I lost control. How could someone see that, see a mangled car, two teenagers, blood all over the arm of one, and not stop? It seemed heartless.
Meredith Lewis/The Omniscient
MEREDITH LEWIS’ CAR was totaled after the wreck.
Why I became an Atheist
Jack Teague My mother and I found Bo at a rest stop in Virginia when I was two. He was a German-Shepherd mix, more mutt than purebred. When we lived across from someone who had horses, he would love to run across the road and roll in ungodly amounts of horse poop. He would always stink like a sewer, but could not have looked more pleased with himself. He was deathly afraid of thunder, alternately barking like a dog possessed and cowering in a corner. He survived leukemia, something that we were told only five percent of dogs do. He died last year, on the last day before returning to school from Spring Break. That day started out like any other that whole week. I was at my dad’s house (my parents are divorced), I woke up around eight, got out of bed around 10, poured myself a glass of orange juice, and returned to my room to watch The Office on Netflix. My father had gone out earlier to take pictures
Page 21
somewhere, and had left my sister and I alone. Bo had been having trouble for a long time at this point, having gone deaf several months before and his back legs no longer being strong enough to support his weight. He spent the entire day, just like every other day of Spring Break 2013, lying on the floor. I took a break from Season 8 around 1 p.m. and went back out to the kitchen. From there, I could see that Bo was still lying on the ground, just as he had been when I had last emerged. I walked over to him and ran my hand across his stomach. It was then that I noticed a certain hot, heavy stench. Bo had pooped on the floor. I picked him up as best as I could (he was barely more than dead weight at this point), and cleaned up the mess, as well as what I could get out of his fur. In order to make him more comfortable, I picked him up again and laid him on top of a dog bed. He didn’t sound like he was breathing right at this point, so I called my dad and told him. He came home right away. It was soon after that my father decided to call Dr. Adriano Betton, the veterinarian who performed checkups on all of our pets, and have him put Bo down. My father, sister and I all gathered
in the living room, waiting for my mother and Dr. Betton to arrive. First my mother got there, tears springing to her eyes as she looked down on Bo, who couldn’t do more than move his eyes in her direction. When Dr. Betton arrived, he explained to us exactly what was going to happen to Bo: he would be given a shot or two, experience a small amount of pain, go to sleep, and then be taken to a place where Dr. Betton had the equipment to put him down. The ashes, because my father wanted him cremated, would arrive in a week or two. My father helped Dr. Betton pick Bo up once he was asleep, and carried him to Dr. Betton’s van. I picked up the dog bed, and moved it to a corner of the room. I found a puddle of urine underneath. I was raised Lutheran by my mother and the pastors of Advent Lutheran Church and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. When I was seven, I accepted what they said without hesitation. Jesus performed miracles and died for my sins, God loved me, and the Devil was really bad. I did my duty as a good Christian kid and went to church nearly every Sunday, though quite a few times were under protest, and partici-
pated in the various youth group/Bible study programs. Still, I was never very invested in Christianity. It was always more of something that I did than something that I enjoyed. As I grew older, I asked more and more questions of what was in the Bible. How could someone live for 200 years? How could Jesus turn water into wine? How could Moses part the Red Sea? By 11th grade, I had pretty much made up my mind that I was agnostic, because I still assumed that there was a higher power out there. How could there not be? That puddle made me an atheist, convincing me, beyond a doubt, that there was no God, Yahweh, Allah or Zeus. Bo rolled in poop as happy as could be, barked at thunder, survived leukemia and is in most of my earliest memories. And he died in a puddle of his own piss, his fur matted with his own feces, so weak that he could only move his eyes. What kind of omnipotent being, capable of knowing things about myself I could only guess at, would allow an injustice like that to happen? What sort of kind, loving god wouldn’t let Bo slip away quietly in his sleep? Not any kind of God I can bring myself to believe in.
22
Sports
Hitting the Slopes
B y E mma K orynta S taff W riter
“I like progressing throughout the week; you gradually get better every day,” junior Cassidy Welge said. “The first time my dad took me up to the top Even teachers admit that the winter sports can of the mountain, I was like seven… most fathers be challenging. would wait for their children to go first and follow “Snowboarding has probably been the most difafter to make sure their child was okay; he took ficult for me,” said Rick Parks, Career and Technioff,” said dance teacher Kristen Norwood. “So I cal Education teacher. took off and just followed where everyone was Skiing and snowboarding can be especially going. I hit the jump and I landed backwards and challenging when you are just starting out, accordI started skiing backwards. My skis popped off, ing to theater teacher Kayla Gahagen. everything was flying off and I rolled in a ball. I “My first time skiing I ran into the fence and I picked my skis up, walked down the rest of the knocked down the whole thing. I didn’t get hurt, mountain and my dad was at the bottom. I was like but I left it how it was and skied away,” Gahagen ‘I am done! I’m never said. coming back again!’ Regardless of how We came back the next talented a skier or day.” snowboarder is, many Norwood has been people have had their skiing and snowboardfair share of accidents ing for most of her and injuries. life. “I got a slight con“I was five when cussion,” sophomore I first started skiing,” Kelsi Roland said. “I Norwood said. “Chilhit a bump, an icedren have no fear, or rock. I rolled down at least, I didn’t.” the hill and I faceNorwood, along planted in the snow with many others and my goggles hit my at Northwood, has helmet.” always been interested Other than a helin skiing and snowmet, goggles and snow boarding, but the two boots, protection is winter sports have limited for skiers and recently had an impact snowboarders. This on many students and often leads to minor Photo courtesy of Daniel Marro injuries from falling teachers and how they SENIOR DANIEL MARRO went snowboarding at spend their time in the Seven Springs Resort in Pennsylvania. down the slopes. winter. This year, the “I think I cracked student interest in skimy rib on a tumble ing and snowboarding has skyrocketed. going down the mountain,” Parks said. “It was like “With all the snow, why wouldn’t [skiing and the second run down and I was feeling more confisnowboarding] be popular? People are trying to dent. I went head over; it still hurts.” find things to do,” senior Hannah Holloway said. It can be hard for skiers and snowboarders to Call it cabin fever or just excitement stemming get back on the slopes after an accident. from the recent snow days, but a growing number “It makes you wonder,” junior Jessica Mann of students headed to the slopes this winter. said, “Is this going to happen again? Is it not? Am Students have varying opinions as to why there I going to is an increased interest in skiing and snowboardget better? Should I quit? The important thing ing. when you get back on your feet is to have faith in “The Winter Olympics are this year and maybe yourself and your board.” people are hearing about that and thinking they Some say one of the most appealing aspects of want to do that too,” junior Amanda Peele said. skiing and snowboarding is the separation from The professional athletes at the Winter Olymhome. pics can inspire students to try their hand at winter “It’s so exhilarating and different; we don’t sports, but students agree that you don’t have to be have it right in Pittsboro so it’s a unique experia professional to have fun skiing and snowboardence,” senior Lindsey Holloway said. ing. Many enjoy the fact that skiing is an indiSome students even venture outside of the state vidual sport that doesn’t have to be competitive to to get the full experience. Senior Daniel Marro be enjoyed. says he goes to Pennsylvania annually to snow-
board because the real snow is different from the packed, fake snow in North Carolina. Students tend to agree that skiing and snowboarding provide an outlet for entertainment and excitement during the cold winter months when they are otherwise cooped up inside their houses. Many also enjoy the independence it provides compared to other sports. “If you’re really good or really bad [at a sport], then that can affect the other people, but in skiing if you crash it only affects you,” sophomore Matt Streets said. Many students who have been skiing and snowboarding have enjoyed the experience and plan to continue skiing and snowboarding in the future. Many encourage their friends to try it as well. “If you haven’t done skiing or snowboarding,” Roland said, “you should really try it.”
The Omniscient
March 2014
Page 23
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J
The Omniscient
Dancing On Your Toes
By Lauren Merrill
March 2014
even every few weeks. Pointe shoes can range in price from just under $50 to over $100. unior Madeline Yentsch started ballet “If I was doing a big show and I had a big part, I for fun, but as her career continued, the would use a pair for every two performances,” Smith pressures of being a ballerina began to said. “For The Nutcracker, [I was the] Sugar Plum add up and she quit in the eighth grade. Fairy; we did seven shows and I had four pairs of Yentsch once tried to wear a t-shirt and slider shorts pointe shoes. Before that, I had the rehearsal pointe over her common attire of a leotard and tights. The shoes, so I would say for that whole performance, dance teacher yelled at her for the way she was from the beginning of the rehearsals to the end, I probdressed and made her take off the shirt and shorts in ably went through 10 to 15 pairs.” front of the entire class. With ballet comes long hours and less time for “It was just awkward and it made me feel uncomschoolwork. fortable about myself,” Yentsch said. “It has become harder now that I have a lot more Ballerinas commonly wear a leotard and tights, homework, because if I come home, I have an hour which are form-fitted to their bodies. This display to do homework, and then I go to dance and won’t makes some ballerinas concerned about their physical get home until 10 p.m. It’s like that every night I go image. to dance; it’s stressful,” said freshman and current Photo courtesy of Isabelle Frame “In the beginning I didn’t [watch what I ate],” ballerina Sarah Yunker, who takes ballet classes Yentsch said. “Once I started looking at the other girls ISABELLE FRAME does an arabesque in ballet class. three days a week. and there was pressure to be the best in the class, I kind Frame dances six days a week for multiple hours each have to do that each night when I got home, while I did of started eating less. I would have water all of the time day, which cuts into her social life. my homework,” Smith said. “Then there was also another and I would have salads. I would be scared to eat meats “The days I have off and people want to hang out, I’m machine that forced your inner turnout, so it basically because you’re in class in a leotard and tights; you expose forced you into a straddle split, which hurt; it was not fun.” so tired and I don’t want to go anywhere,” Frame said. “I your body.” just want to stay home and do Ballerinas use toe pads to prevent some pain and damSome ballerinas choose to eat in moderation rather than age, but injury is not completely avoidable. my homework and get everycutting out junk food entirely. thing that needs to be done out “[Pointe] hurts like crazy. I thought, ‘There is no way I “I have been told by dance teachers that I needed to lose am ever going to do this. How do people do this? They’re of the way.” weight even though I have never been over 115 pounds,” But for dancers like Frame, psycho,’” Smith said. “My feet had the unfortunate probsaid sophomore and current ballerina Isabelle Frame, who the sacrifices are worth it. lem where they bled a lot from underneath my toenails. has been doing ballet since she was three years old. “You “It helps me escape from I didn’t have toenails for quite a while because of all the can sit down and enjoy a cheeseburger, but you should any problems like drama with pressure. It hurt a lot, but once you get going, you’re so actually watch what you eat and how much you eat.” focused on what you’re doing, the technique of it all, being family, friends and the outside Dance teacher and former ballerina, Leah Smith, saw a good partner and being a part of the class, that you forget. world,” Frame said. “I Photo courtesy of openclipart first-hand what ballerinas did to themselves to stay thin. love it because it is difIt’s almost like your mind takes over and adrenaline takes “[They were] not eating, or eating very little amounts,” ficult to do and it’s beneficial in your life.” over. Your feet hurt when you first put them in the shoes, Smith said. “Right before a big performance, they would Frame hopes to pursue dance as a career. then they go numb.” be in the gym when they weren’t in rehearsal working out “I really want to go to New York or California to the When pointe shoes can no longer be used they are like crazy. Girls would soak cotton balls in orange juice San Francisco Ballet, and then maybe another country and called “dead shoes.” and consume them because it would make them feel full, “Because [pointe shoes] are made of fabric and glue, they try out for their company,” Frame said. “I’m training for which is super dangerous auditions that are coming up next year, so I might be home crack,” Smith said. “They’re not stable forever. When you because cotton balls are not schooled just to train.” use them so much, they do weaken, crack and get soft.” approved by the FDA.” Others don’t see ballet extending past the next few Because pointe shoes break, they need to be replaced, A ballerina needs to have years. which can be as often as every few months, or skill, but is expected to main“I’m not going to put myself through it past high tain a certain body image. school,” Yunker said. “[Ballerinas] have a fine life, but I “I hate to say this, but want more than that.” with ballet, it’s an ugly comSmith was discouraged from ballet as a career choice. bination,” Smith said. “You “I did [see it as a career choice] until my ballet have to have the right teacher told me that it was not a choice for me because body type to be a ballerina I did not have the right body,” Smith said. “She told me just for the technique. that I was too big and didn’t have a long enough neck, Photo courtesy of Wikimedia legs or arms.” Commons The technique of ballet is made for long legged Despite what Smith was told, she keeps an optimistic people who are very light on their feet, have beautiful view of ballerinas. extensions and who have no bones, [almost like] they’re “To me, a ballerina was always the most beautiful girl just straight rubber. So it is, unfortunately, your body, that I have ever seen, perfectly put together,” Smith said. but you also have to have the technique and the talent to “They have this perfect look and their technique is perfect back it up. Very few people have both naturally.” and their costume is perfect. They’re just the poster child It is important for a ballerina to have energy, especialof grace.” ly when they start on pointe. Pointe shoes allow balleriEven though ballet can be difficult, some ballerinas nas to go up on their toes and dance. A ballerina starts on encourage this form of dance. pointe whenever her feet and ankles are strong enough, “Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s stupid or that dance which takes specific training. The age a ballerina starts isn’t a career because it is,” Frame said. “It’s becoming on pointe can range, but a common age is 12. something that is amazing…. It’s something to express “I had to force my arch. I put [my foot] in a wooden yourself.” Photo courtesy of pixabay thing that would do little crunches for your toes. I would social media editor
March 2014
The Omniscient
The Practice and Performance of Ballet
Page 25
“To me, a ballerina was always the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, perfectly put together.” –– Leah Smith Photo courtesy of Savannah Raynor
SAVANNAH RAYNOR shows off a back attitude.
Photo courtesy of Savannah Raynor
Former student SAVANNAH RAYNOR performs a coupé derriere. Background courtesy of Evelyn Flint/flickr
Photo courtesy of Sarah Yunker
SARAH YUNKER performed in a pointe dance called “Masquerade” last June.
Photo courtesy of Savannah Raynor
SAVANNAH RAYNOR practices a back attitude with a deep combré.
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Page 26
The Omniscient
March 2014
Freshman Takeover
By Becca Heilman Staff Writer A rarity to most varsity programs, freshmen are scarcely found on the team’s roster, let alone confidently patrolling the courts on game day. However, this became a common sight on the varsity girls’ basketball team. Freshmen Bryn Aydt, Jazanae Billings and Kristian Eanes have all earned substantial amounts of playing time and often starting positions, contributing heavily to the team’s 16-9 season record. “It is unusual to have that many [freshmen] get the minutes that they are getting,” head coach Cameron Vernon said. “We have had one freshman play [like this] before, but to have three is unusual and unique.” Many of the older players on the team acknowledge that the freshmen have earned their spots. “If you work hard and you’re good enough, [you] deserve the playing time that [you] get,” junior Eboni Watson said. According to Eanes, a guard who averages 11 points per game, being a freshman on varsity is a privilege and it can come with a lot of pressure to do well. “As a freshman, I need to work harder because I don’t want people to be like, ‘Oh look, that’s the freshman.’ I don’t want people to be able to tell that I’m a freshman,” Eanes said.
Just the mention of a freshman on varsity can generate doubt and criticism from others. “They’re freshmen. People don’t expect them to be good. People don’t expect them to get as much playing time as they do. They have a lot to [overcome],” senior Tyeshia Baldwin said. Joining the varsity team straight out of middle school is often a big adjustment for freshmen. “Last year in middle school, I never got yelled at for making a mistake,” Eanes said.
“We didn’t really have a lot of competition, so there weren’t a lot of mistakes to make. This year, I came in and realized that I make mistakes.” Aydt, a shooting guard who shoots 41 percent from the field, agreed and said that it took a while to get used to. “Eighth grade was just runand-gun for us, but now we have to learn plays and settle down, actually move the ball. We can’t just pass it down the court and do layups,” Aydt said. The transition from starting in middle school to starting in varsity games was difficult. “[The first time I started], it was scary,” said Billings, a point guard who shoots 39 Photos courtesy of Bob Norwood
FROM TOP: Kristian Eanes, Bryn Aydt and Jazanae Billings
percent from the three point line and averages 6.9 points per game. “I was nervous and didn’t want to mess up because I play point guard. Being able to step up for [injured player] Shontai [Totten] was exciting, but was also scary because I wanted to run all the plays correctly and just play well.” Being new to high school athletics can be an obstacle for many freshmen, and because of this, coaches and players may treat them differently. “I treat them differently because I know that they don’t know a lot of things about high school basketball that the older girls do,” Vernon said. “At the same time, I have expectations for them and I think that they can play at this level.” According to some, age may be a factor in how one plays and practices. “Their maturity level is not where it should be. At [age] 14 and 15 you don’t have the maturity level of 17 and 18 year olds,” senior Briana Green said. Though they haven’t had much experience playing high school basketball, expectations are still high for the young players. “They definitely don’t understand the game like a junior or senior would,” Vernon said. “They make some silly mistakes, but that is going to happen with young kids playing varsity basketball. Hopefully, over time, it will improve and make our team better.”
Designs Bere CUSTOM DRAPERY/BEDDING ROMAN SHADES/UPHOLSTERY CORNICE/HEADBOARDS/PILLOWS & MORE Sandra Ramirez (919) 444-1173
March 2014
Page 27
The Omniscient
Powering through recovery:
Why student-athletes return from injuries By Jack Teague Staff Writer Senior Tyler Glosson was soaring through the air. He realized he was flipping over with his bike above him. If he didn’t do something soon, the bike would land on top of him. He had broken ribs before that way, so he jumped. One short second later, he landed on the ground, feet first. Two bones in his left leg shattered. “I couldn’t move my legs when I broke them,” Glosson said. “My brain couldn’t control them.” Seven months in a leg brace awaited him. It was the most painful and, because of medical bills, expensive moment of his life. Glosson has been hurt during a motocross race “easily 10 times.” Still, he plans on returning to motocross the instant he is cleared, just as he has every other time. Why? There remains the danger that the very next time an athlete returning from an injury steps back on the field, court, or track, he or she will hurt him or herself all over again. For some athletes, like Glosson, that doesn’t matter. “I’ve been riding since I was four. The first [motocross] race I went to, a kid broke his arm and it was up on the big monitor. I guess at a young age I accepted I was going to get hurt,” Glosson said. The injuries that athletes face can be especially serious. Torn
ACLs and meniscuses, concussions, broken and sprained legs, arms and collarbones are all common injuries that athletes risk being afflicted with when participating in sports. These kinds of injuries can keep athletes from competition, let alone physical activity, for months. “I’m still in physical therapy, trying to get muscle strength back.… Originally, I wasn’t even supposed to be walking yet, so [the doctors] said I got super lucky,” Glosson said. For some, it is the seemingly endless waiting that is the true pain, not the injury. “It was terrible. Everybody would always ask, ‘When are you going to get better,’ and I really had no idea, so I would always have to say ‘soon’, or ‘in a few months’ or ‘a few weeks’, or something like that,” said senior Thomas Reynolds, who hurt his shoulder playing football, then dislocated it playing rugby. “I didn’t really like just sitting in the shade in August and watching all my friends die outside during football practice.” Athletes are one unlucky moment from sitting on a bench in a cast for the rest of the season. “It was kick-off in the second game of the season and I was running to make the tackle, and as I wrapped the dude up, another one of our teammates pushed him from behind and I tore my ACL,” senior Trevor Hackney said. That play and injury were the
reasons that Hackney made the decision to quit playing football. “The day after it happened, [I quit]. I mean, I liked it and I was good at it, but not more than baseball, which is my main sport,” Hackney said. Hackney is going to play baseball at Pfeiffer University next year. “Sometimes [I regret it] because I feel like I could have been really good [at football], but then again… I’m moving on to better places with baseball.” Why would any athlete go back to playing their sport then? If serious injury potentially awaits them the very moment they go back, why not stay away? Non-senior athletes have their own socially motivated reasons for continuing to play. “I have fun doing it. I have a lot of friends on the teams and also, if I don’t, I’d probably just sit at my house playing video games, so it helps me stay in better shape,” said junior Jack Dalton, who broke the growth plate in his ankle and his tibia during a football game. Some seniors said, ‘Why not?’ “It’s not like it’s my sophomore year or my junior year; it’s my senior year,” said senior Tyeshia Baldwin, who tore her ACL playing basketball and tore the meniscus in her right knee trying out for cheerleading. “It’s my last time playing high school basketball; it’s like I have nothing left to lose.”
Pittsboro 35 Thompson St. Suite 103 Pittsboro, NC 27312 (919) 542-5481 Photos courtesy of Tyler Glosson
TYLER GLOSSON (48) has hurt himself more than 10 times racing motocross. He recently broke two bones in his leg.
Chapel Hill 101 Conner Dr. Suite 401 Chapel Hill, NC 27514 (919) 929-2365
www.severtsmiles.com
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Sports
Every issue we’ll showcase an individual and his/her achievements from an ongoing sport. In order to qualify, one must be nominated by his/her coach for athletic ability, outstanding leadership, work ethic and sportsmanship.
Zack Higgins baseball Plays first base.
— Compiled by Tori Nothnagel & Sara Lipofski
Tyler White boys’ tennis
Eric Franklin lacrosse Plays goal keeper for varsity.
“He won his first two starting varsity matches and he was the only one in singles to defeat Carrboro.” —Coach Joseph Kiertekles
“Zack’s a really good leader and is always there to help out the younger guys. He’s a good person to look up to on the baseball team.” —Peyton Walker, Jr.
“Franklin is the backbone of this team. He made some huge stops in the game against Carrboro to change the momentum of the game.” —Coach Kevin McDaniel
charged shot Lauren Merrill/The Omniscient
Skyler Waugh/The Omniscient
Tristan Cochran boys’ track
Dana Walker girls’ soccer
“She’s always positive and gives us nice, constructive feedback. She’s very motivated.” —Ellie Saksa, So.
Tyler White/The Omniscient
Anna Jasper softball “She has developed into a good pitcher and leads our team to victories.” —Morgan Oldham, Sr.
CODY NORRIS warming up for his match against Northern Vance March 24.
Bill McPhilemy boys’ golf
“He is very dependable, honest and hardworking; a quiet leader that is non-assuming.” —Coach Preston Hardage
He runs the 800, 1600, 4X800 meter relay and cross country track. “Tristan is the hardest working kid on the team and is a distance runner.” —Coach Richard McDonald
Savannah Morris girls’ track Runs the 200, 400 and relays. “She never misses practice and I can count on her to do anything asked of her. She is a sprinter and a real competitor.” —Coach Richard McDonald