Fall 2019 Nighthawk News Magazine

ON THE COVER

A

s we began the planning process for the first edition of the school year, we wanted a cover story that was bigger than just First Flight. After what ended up being weeks of sifting through ideas, we couldn’t think of anything.

Except one: climate change. Though we all agreed that this topic has been tossed and turned by journalists for years and years, there is no topic more important than this one right now.

When we aren’t working or at school, students in our community spend their downtime surfing, enjoying boat dock sunsets, running through Nags Head Woods or just relaxing at the beach. For our cover story and climate spread, it was important to us that we took such a broad topic and narrowed it down to show that change can start in a community as small as ours.

We also wanted a way to show the younger people in our community that leadership doesn’t have an age requirement. We talk about young climate activists such as Greta Thunberg and Xiye Bastida to show that anyone can get involved and create change.

Once we knew what issue we wanted to tackle, we needed a cover that would embody the seriousness of the topic, but at the same time, be an image that the community could relate

2

to. With the art skills of senior Eliza Cowan, we designed an image of First Flight High School that will hopefully help readers understand the potential impact of climate change from one of its primary threats – sea level rise.

We wanted to share an array of stories to give readers a look at many perspectives of climate change. Simone Midgett’s take on the conservative perspective on climate change may help educate people on a view they may not agree with. Learn about how climate change has significantly affected the Outer Banks and other North Carolina coastal environments with Hans Paerl from his conversation with Emmy. And with tips and tricks in stories by Maren Ingram and Lexi Foster, we hope you’re encouraged to begin your activism at a small level.

Believe it or not, writing the stories and finding the photos for this edition was the least of our worries. By the time we had gained access to our Adobe programs, it was seven days until the deadline to send finished pages to the printer. While we are grateful for updated computers in our room, the idea of designing an entire newspaper in one week seemed nearly impossible – especially with more new staff writers than ever.

Now that the stressful part is over, we are so excited to share our first

Photo submitted by Hans Paerl

Climate change expert Hans Paerl shows ‘monster’ cyanobacterial blooms at Lake Taihu, China, where Paerl has conducted research that has ties to the North Carolina coast.

edition of the school year with you. In this edition, we look forward to sharing different elements of school life from controversial topics to fun features. We introduce new First Flight stars such as Sera Shaw and Ian Godwin, cover the “Big Dogs” and “FlowGang,” and

remind readers of the dangers that go hand-in-hand with vaping.

The students and teachers of First Flight all have a story, and we can’t wait to keep sharing them with you.

Thanks for reading!

– Emmy and Simone

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

WHAT’S INSIDE NEWS 4 Deaths spark renewed fight against vaping Vaping craze has come full circle after recent deaths.

Learn from Marine Sciences professor Hans Paerl and Simone Midgett’s take on the conservative climate change view, updates on OBX pier damage, and enjoy a sneak peak of StageKraft’s rendition of ‘Clue’ for the fall play.

FEATURES 12 The artsy side of our resource officer Get to know ‘crafty’ officer Cottrell. From origami flowers to Halloween costumes, this officer of the law does it all.

Also learn about one of First Flight’s newest additions right from Ocracoke. Catch the next beach trend, ‘Big Dogs,’ learn about our teacher-turned-trucker, get your fun fall bucketlist from Fiona and take a look at two of our students’ musical journeys in ‘Artist in the Spotlight.’

www.DareDemocrats.com

OPINIONS 20Nighthawk News on climate change Our staff editorial explains why not everyone has to protest at a UN summit to be involved with climate change activism.

Hear from Peyton Dickerson on why it’s all right to own your style whether it’s ‘VSCO girl’ or ‘eboy.’ Read about the successful Area 51 raid from first-hand experience in a great satirical piece from Michael Pearson.

SPORTS 24Green skims his way across the globe Read about Brady Green and his travels across the Pacific to compete in an international skimming competition based in Japan.

Lacrosse isn’t just a spring sport – get updated about the girls and boys ‘fall ball’ league on the OBX. Get to know First Flight’s ‘FlowGang’ and fall in love with the cross country power couple ‘Zemma.’

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / on the cover

3

GO AWAY:

An inside look at Climate Change on the Outer Banks

T

By Emmy Trivette Editor-in-Chief

he Outer Banks is “doomed” in the face of the climate crisis, according to the Charlotte News and Observer. National Geographic questions the estimated survival rate of our barrier islands, and even the Washington Post and The Guardian have recognized that the North Carolina coast sets a precedent for the rest of the country “post-global-heating.”

At this point in the debate over global warming and climate change, not many people are questioning the reality of the climate crisis. Instead, scientists are trying to determine what part of the rapidly changing climate will hurt the Outer Banks the most.

Will it be sea level rise? An increasing number of hurricanes? Great intensity in these tropical systems?

“The bottom line is that these storms are getting more frequent and more severe, especially in terms of rainfall that is associated with them,” said Hans Paerl, a Kenan Professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences at the UNC-Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City.

For 40 years now, the Dutch professor has studied North Carolina’s coastal environment. His focus is monitoring nutrients in estuaries and how they affect algae growth in that particular ecosystem. But with the changing climate, and therefore changing environment, Paerl’s work has led him to also analyze disturbing weather patterns impacting the East Coast.

“If you’ve got a hurricane sitting right offshore, and it’s very close and impacting the coastal zone, and you’ve got one of those highs (high-pressure systems), it’s just collecting rain and

4

Photo submitted by Hans Paerl

In Lake Taihu, China, Professor Hans Paerl sits with 15 water samples that he collected from the lake to study cyanobacterial phytoplankton blooms.

dumping it over the coastal area,” Paerl said in a Skype interview with Nighthawk News.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the hurricane strengths seen now are soon to be upstaged by even more intense storms as the earth’s climate warms in the next century.

From Floyd in 1988 to Florence in 2018, Paerl explained that unusual hurricane patterns have been present for quite some time. He notes that while scientists have recorded and closely studied a long-term hurricane dataset, not many have bothered to look at the storms’ yields in terms of rainfall.

“The rainfall is really the big problem,” Paerl said. “Because that of

course impacts the release of nutrients and organic matter and pollutants that are coming downstream into our coastal waters.”

Increased rainfall will affect the amount of flooding that, for the moment, locals are primarily concerned with. But once the runoff from increased rainfall is taken into account, other issues arise.

That’s what First Flight’s very own Phytofinders Club discovered when it began studying water quality right off the Outer Banks’ coastline: a bloom of phytoplankton Pseudo-nitzschia, a neurotoxin responsible for amnesic shellfish poisoning.

“We think what mainly causes it (the Pseudo-nitzschia) is the rain draining off of the coastline, where

they’ve had golf courses and lawns that are fertilized,” club supervisor Katie Neller said. “Phytoplankton are little plant-like algae, so when that drains, those nutrients drain into the ocean, and it causes (the Pseudo-nitzschia) to bloom. It feeds them.”

Paerl has also noted a spike of algal blooms in the last five years.

No one can say that they’ve seen any crabs or sea mammals asking around for forgotten personal information because of the amnesic poisoning, but looking at the various photo ops of beached whales and dolphins in the past year seems to be evidence enough of the phytoplankton’s presence.

Humans haven’t been directly impacted by the neurotoxin; however, a broken ecosystem will result from this bloom of phytoplankton, and the sea life that sustains the fishing and tourism industries of the Outer Banks will suffer.

Just ask Florida residents, who during the “red tide” blooms of 2018 lost more than $20 million in tourism dollars, according to an abstract from the University of Florida. And now, Tropical Storm Nestor is being blamed for more red tide blooms this fall off the Florida coast, with reports of more dead sea life washing onto beaches in the Sunshine State.

So what needs to happen to protect the OBX? Paerl wants to see the creation of a swift recovery and protection plan for estuaries before, during and after hurricanes make landfall to prevent future hits to the wildlife and economy of the Outer Banks.

“We need to get local legislators knocking, making noise up there in the northeastern part of the state,” Paerl said.

Senior Emmy Trivette can be reached at trivetteem0626@daretolearn.org.

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

To believe or not to believe: that is the question on climate change

A

plastic straw weighs approximately 0.4 grams – and that is the least of our environment’s worries. It can be hard for our leading political figures to take the matter of global warming or climate change seriously when teenage girls have taken advantage of a political problem and made it a way to start a bamboo toothbrush and $50 water bottle trend.

Liberals and conservatives have many different views on controversial topics. Climate change is just one of them.

It isn’t necessarily that the right thinks climate change is fake; just that there are more important things the government should be prioritizing, such as “now” problems and not problems that won’t seriously impact us for decades.

A poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute in

Canada showed that only 35 percent of conservative voters believe that climate change is a fact, and that it is mostly caused by emissions from vehicles and factories. But 81 percent of liberals and 85 percent of Democrats believe the same idea to be true.

Results from polls such as this show the vast difference in ideas regarding climate change that the left and right have. The undeniable divide is what makes it difficult to have set policies regarding climate change and makes this matter an ongoing problem.

The skepticism that comes from the right comes from the lack of knowledge we have about certain causes of climate change and the effect that taking extreme measures would have on the economy.

The GOP is thinking about what is best for our economy from a business standpoint and is reluctant

to make any policy changes regarding climate change because they don’t want to threaten the fossil fuel economy. Fossil fuels run the United States economy and the world’s economy, and if the production of fossil fuels were ever cut off it would cause those economies to come to a halt.

Instead of the past statements, when leading Republican figures would say that climate change is a “hoax,” they now acknowledge that the climate is changing, but continue to insist there is no way to know the extent of human involvement. And for sure, they aren’t about to say that cutting back on plastic straws is really going to help our planet.

It is obvious that it isn’t a matter of if climate change is real, because melting ice, rising sea levels and increasing temperatures are measurable facts.

What remains for today’s politicians is to decide if this is a man-made problem – and if it is something that we can reverse.

Senior Simone Midgett can be reached at midgettSa0827@daretolearn.org.

Everyday ways you can help the environment

By Cole Tomlin Staff Writer Eat less meat: Raising livestock is one of the highest producers of greenhouse gases; therefore, eating less meat is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint.

Unplug your devices when you’re not using them: Every time you plug into an outlet, it is drawing energy, so the more often you can unplug your devices, the better.

Keep that Chromebook charged, though!

Driving less: By choosing to ride a bike or walk, you are directly reducing your carbon emissions.

Yes, sometimes you have no choice but to drive a car. However, if you do have to drive, carpooling is a great way for you and your friends to reduce your carbon emissions.

Public transportation saves 37 million tons of carbon a year in the U.S.

planting a little garden is an easy way to contribute positively to the environment.

Don’t buy fast fashion: “Fast fashion” is a strategy used by most large clothing retailers. These businesses sell “must-have” trends at a very low price. This causes a huge amount of textile waste every time a trend changes. Also, if the clothes you’re wearing are not organic cotton or if they are made overseas, they are even worse for the environment because of pesticide use and the physical movement of the clothes from country to country.

Eating local/organic: Eating local and organic food will reduce your carbon footprint by reducing greenhouse gases that are emitted when food is transported over long distances by either plane, ship, train or truck. Also, eating organic food will mean you are eating foods that haven’t been sprayed with pesticides, which usually run off into nearby rivers and pollute the water.

Plant a garden: Planting a garden, whether it is a huge greenhouse or just a couple of greens on your porch, will reduce your carbon footprint. All plants use carbon dioxide and give out oxygen in the process of photosynthesis, so

Line-dry your clothes: By line-drying your clothes, you can reduce one-third of your carbon footprint. Yes, it might be faster to use a traditional tumble dryer, but usually, a dryer is equivalent to turning on 225 light bulbs for an hour, which is a lot of energy.

Recycle: Recycling has a direct effect on your carbon footprint. By recycling, you save trees, save money, reduce landfill space, conserve energy and reduce pollution. Landfills of trash do the exact opposite of all these things and have a huge effect on the number of greenhouse gases put into the environment.

Compost: By having a compost pile you can reduce the amount of trash that goes into a landfill and you can help your garden grow.

Compostable items are things such as rotten fruit, rotten vegetables, eggshells, leaves, grass clippings, old wine, manure, etc.

Take shorter showers: If you take shorter showers, lower your water heater temperature and install a low-flow shower head, you can save as much as 900 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

It’s Never Too Late for a

New Beginning

Christie McEwan

MS, M.Ed, LCAS, ICCDP, ICAADC, CCTP

Counseling Services Visit BoonSupply.com and search for First Flight to access the PTO fundraiser! Delivered to your door!

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / news

OuterBanksCounselor.com • 252-564-2804 5

Students make beach clean-ups the next big thing

C

By Lexi Foster Staff Writer

igarette butts, plastic water bottles, bottle caps, fishing line, plastic bags and wrappers are a variety of the common non-biodegradable materials left behind on the beach by locals and visitors.

In an attempt to be cleaner and greener, students and faculty pick up trash along local beaches. For some, beach cleaning may earn community service or volunteer hours, while others do it to give back to the community.

First Flight men’s and women’s soccer coach, Juan Ramirez, scheduled a first-time beach clean-up with his student-athletes in order to repay the community for its support.

Out of 60 players invited, 43 made an appearance at the Colington beach access. They were split into two groups and ventured to the neighboring piers: Avalon and Nags Head.

“It was tremendous. Everyone was there on time and really eager to walk on the beach to help clean up,” Ramirez said.

Although there was no exact quantity counted, the trash seemed more minimal than expected.

“The beach was actually pretty clean – some cigarette butts and a couple of bags here and there, but there wasn’t a noticeable amount of debris apart from the storm,” Ramirez said.

“With (Dorian) I was expecting more debris and trash on the beach, so I was very happy to see that we didn’t collect as much as I was expecting.”

Senior Kyle Keller played an important role at the clean-up, not for being a team captain on the field but leading the team off the field. For him, the experience was beneficial and rewarding to help contribute to bettering the community.

“The experience makes us more grateful for how clean our beaches actually are and can be. It shows us how easy it is to help keep them clean like they should be,” Keller said.

Along the way, the team faced an unusual dilemma that required strategic and quick thinking in order to accomplish the desired goal.

“A fisherman caught a bird in his line. A couple of our soccer players ran over to untangle the bird and eventually got him free,” Ramirez said. “Later, we found another little bird and he looked like he was falling all over the place. We picked him up and laid him in the grass on the sand dunes hoping he would recover and survive.”

It’s not just FFHS athletes who get into the act. AVID teacher Cindy McNeill requires a certain amount of community service hours for her class.

In order to complete these hours, she requires an authoritative witness and written documentation. McNeill mainly has students who clean up beaches in large groups, but also has some who independently clean up the beach and have a parent sign off as a witness.

6

Photo submitted by Juan Ramirez

Members of the men’s and women’s soccer teams take a group photo after picking up trash at local beaches on Sept. 28. Students often are part of a community-wide effort to keep Outer Banks beaches and other popular spots clean.

“(My students) are required to do community service. So, a lot of them will participate in the planned beach clean-up days,” McNeill said. “But I also have kids that if they need to get community service will randomly say, ‘Can I go clean up the beach?’ ” One of McNeill’s students, senior Gabby Murillo, doesn’t just clean up on the beach for volunteer hours. In fact, she picks up trash at multiple places on her own time as a hobby.

“Every football game that I go to, even if it’s away, I’ll pick up trash on my way out,” Murillo said. “After every home football game, I’ll clean up the bleachers and the area next to the grass because people always leave all of this trash from the concession stand.”

For Murillo, these actions aren’t taken lightly. She takes the job on a personal level when it comes to the environment.

“I’m really emotional when it comes to people throwing their trash on the ground because they’re too lazy to bring it to the trash can or recycle bin. It kind of hits a soft spot for me. I just feel like it’s unfair to our environment,” Murillo said.

When Murillo cleans up the beach on her own, it’s not always trash that she moves. She frequently finds birds and fish that can cause harm to adults and children walking along the shore.

“I’ll move the birds by taking sticks or something I have and carrying them to the dunes. If it’s a pufferfish, I will make sure to move it because those are dangerous for little kids who are walking by and could hurt themselves,” Murillo said. “Once I found this dead bird that had plastic all inside of it. It was one of the most emotional days for me on the beach so far.”

Some beaches are more polluted than others, so the Outer Banks is lucky to have influential students and leaders in the community who genuinely care about the environment.

“It’s our beach and in an ideal world, everyone should care enough to go pick up their trash,” McNeill said.

Junior Lexi Foster can be reached at 21fosterle79@daretolearn.org.

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

Hydro Flasks, metal straws and climate rallies, oh my!

F

or most, trying to reduce your carbon footprint is just a “trend.” In reality, it’s something we should actually be concerned about.

Teens all over America have been sucked into the stereotype of trendy tree-hugger, and certainly we can all blame the popular social media outlets such as TikTok, VSCO and Instagram.

As irritating as it may be, the hundreds of girls you see reposting stuff on their Instagram stories every day may be making a difference simply by spreading the word. The more people who begin to realize this is an actual problem, the more we’re going to get done as a society.

I’d say this eco-friendly trend spread quickly over the summer, and once it was time to head back to school, everyone carried their Hydro Flasks along with binders and Chromebooks back to class. But what’s so bad about that?

I believe it’s a good thing. Looking around school and seeing so many people with reusable water bottles, I can’t help but think how much the Earth is benefiting from the reduction of plastic water bottle use – even if it’s just from our school population.

But it’s not just the Hydro Flask trend that’s really taken off.

Everywhere you look, on every social media platform out there, there’s something every day about the ice caps melting and saving the turtles.

When I tap through my Instagram stories, at least every third post is a repost of something climate change-re-

Photo by Taylor Newton/Nighthawk News

Eco-friendly brands such as Patagonia, Hydro Flask and Birkenstock, along with reusable metal straws, silverware and shopping bags are popular among teens looking to reduce their carbon footprint.

lated, whether it be a Greta Thunberg speech, a photo of climate rally signs or a graphic of the trash polluting our oceans.

I have to admit, I have reposted a thing or two myself, but only because I think it’s important to spread the word about something as life-threatening as climate change, especially when it’s one of the few things we are able to do.

Nowadays, climate change is almost irreparable. Twenty years ago, you could actually make a difference by riding your bike to school or turning the water off while brushing your teeth to save water.

These actions do help, but what really needs to be done – reducing the number of cars on the road in overpopulated areas like India and China and reversing greenhouse gas emissions – just isn’t feasible for the everyday person.

So repost that picture of the ice caps melting. Get inspired by a Thunberg speech. Buy a reusable water bottle. Do anything you can, because

we’re going to need it.

Sophomore Maren Ingram can be reached at 22ingramma01@daretolearn. org.

party mar. 6

Pre-Order your copy of the 2020 Shorelines at YearbookForever.com or stop by the yearbook room.

A few spots remain for Senior Ads and Business Ads in our award-winning book, which was purchased by more than 440 FFHS families last year!

Contact adviser Steve Hanf with any questions about the book at 449-7000 or hanfst@daretolearn.org.

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / news

Art, Photos & Outtakes from 35 Issues of Outer Banks Milepost Dare County Arts Council | Mar. 6 -28. 2020

7

Dorian demolishes a pair of OBX icons O

By Cole Tomlin Staff Writer

n Sept. 6, Category 1 Hurricane Dorian, Avalon Pier and Nags Head Pier all clashed in a battle that left the piers stumbling on their pilings.

When Hurricane Dorian first made landfall in the Bahamas, it was a Category 5, with winds as high as 183 mph. Luckily once Dorian hit the Outer Banks, the storm was only a Category 1 with winds of 40-50 mph.

However, that didn’t matter when it came to the stability of the Avalon and Nags Head piers, as both local landmarks suffered extreme damage during the storm.

Avalon Pier lost about one-third of its length.

“We lost 216 feet of pier,” said Tim Lehman, manager of Avalon Pier.

“Dorian did a clean break, leaving us with a 400-foot pier.”

And only a little further south, Nags Head Pier lost about one-eighth of its pier.

“We lost approximately 102 feet off the end of the pier,” said Andy McCaan, manager of Nags Head Pier.

Being that parts of both piers were found as far away as Oregon Inlet, it has also been assumed that parts of Avalon Pier may have floated down the coast during the storm and crashed into Nags Head Pier, contributing to the southernmost pier’s damage.

“The story is that Avalon is what took out the end of Nags Head,” Lehman said. “But their pier had the same waves we did crashing on the pier.”

One thing both Lehman and McCaan can agree on is that the rebuilding process will be neither short nor cheap.

Avalon Pier estimates it will cost about $250,000 to $300,000 after the lumber and labor costs needed to rebuild the pier. Nags Head Pier is estimating it will cost as much as $400,000 to $500,0000.

In order to meet these figures,

Avalon Pier currently has a GoFundMe page for people to make donations.

However, as of right now, Nags Head Pier does not have anything set up for donations and officials there are still weighing their options.

While these money issues are the biggest concerns for both piers, they have both received amazing support from the community, which has really shown them what they mean to the people on the Outer Banks.

“Cards, phone calls and a large amount of emotional support have been reassuring we are doing the right thing,” McCaan said.

Senior Jack Piddington went to Avalon Pier almost every day before the storm hit. He gave up some of his personal time in order to help out the pier.

“Probably a week after the storm, I went out on the beach and we collected about $10,000 worth of lumber,” Piddington said.

Piddington was not the only person affected by the damage to the pier.

“There were people actually crying when they saw the damage,” Lehman said. “Crying! Men, women, children. A lot of great memories are made fishing off of that pier.”

Looking on the brighter side, Lehman explained his hopes for the completion of repairs.

“If all goes as planned, a spring completion date is not out of the question,” Lehman said.

The rebuilding process for Nags Head Pier could start as early as November. Officials at both piers want to rebuild as soon as possible for the locals of the Outer Banks and visitors who flock to the beach every year.

“Many people have incredible memories on the pier and we want to get it rebuilt to normal for all of the friends and customers to whom it means so much,” McCaan said. “The pier is a staple of the beach and loved by so many.”

Junior Cole Tomlin can be reached at 21tomlinco11@daretolearn.org.

Photo by Jacob Stewart/Special to Nighthawk News

This before-and-after drone shot of Avalon Pier shows the damage done by Hurricane Dorian. The image by junior Jacob Stewart went viral on social media.

Dorian and DCS – Hurricane Dorian led to a mandatory evacuation for Dare County residents.

The evacuation and impacts of the storm meant four days of school missed for First Flight students. Because extra instructional hours are built into the school calendar, those days will not have to be made up, but later days off this year for inclement weather may have to be rescheduled.

– Hurricane Dorian caused minor damage at a number of schools and extensive damage to Cape Hatteras Secondary. Students at Hatteras are able to use only about two-thirds of their school building while an estimated $3.5 million in repairs is being made. Work is underway, but the completion date is unknown.

8

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

Recent deaths spark renewed fight against vaping

A

By Maddy Wagner News Editor

fter capturing headlines in the last year, vaping continues to be a major public health issue and popular illegal practice among high school students. Recently, the effects of using e-cigarettes have conquered the front pages of major news outlets once again as vaping has been linked to severe lung disease and at least seven deaths in teens across the country.

In all its seemingly harmless flavors, experts estimate that one Juul cartridge can have as much nicotine as 20 cigarettes, and concerns persist about the impact of the vapor on the lungs. As the number of deaths linked to vaping continues to climb, a renewed sense of urgency to combat its explosive use among youth can be felt in communities and schools in virtually every state.

Dare County and the First Flight community is no exception.

Brandie Fitzgerald teaches about the dangers of tobacco in her Peer Power class. Her students then go to the middle school and share what they’ve learned by providing lessons to sixth-graders as part of their healthy living curriculum.

“There is a sense of huge concern among the health community because the number of severe cases of lung failure are increasing along with death,” Fitzgerald said. “We also don’t know what the longterm effects of vaping may be since this is a newer form of tobacco use.”

Along with the effects on a person’s physical health, vaping is known to trigger mental health issues in heavy users.

“It can make young people feel panicky,” Dare

County Health Department Communication Specialist Kelly Nettnin said.

Nettnin added that there have been some studies on the connection between mental health problems and heavy nicotine use among young people.

In light of the explosion of vaping among young people, the growing number of lung disease cases and the recent deaths, public health officials in Dare County have taken steps to raise awareness among today’s youth about the consequences of vaping, and help adults become more informed.

Dare County is working more closely with adults who work with youth, as well as with parents through a program called Keeping Current.

The program serves to inform and prepare adults with the tools to prevent teen substance abuse.

Organizers take a direct approach, showing adults what vapes look like and how they are used. Participants then go through a mock bedroom and attempt to identify hidden vapes and other items that could indicate substance abuse. Participants take note of anything that is worrying or alarming, while instructors point out signs that adults should be on the lookout for.

“We really want parents to understand and be able to spot these devices,” Nettnin said. “So we are actually going to be doing another Keeping Current (session) and further enhance the section on vapes.”

The Dare County Board of Health also has begun a close communication stream with local healthcare providers to inform them about lung illnesses and symptoms that could indicate lung disease linked to vaping.

Many professionals in the public health field believe that vape and e-cigarette companies have intentionally found ways to make their products ap-

pealing to teens through the fruity flavors of the pods and designing them as small and easy to disguise.

“Most vape companies target youth through their marketing,” Peer Power’s Fitzgerald said. “The goal is to hook them young so they become consumers for life.”

One major danger, and a huge concern among these public health professionals, is that so little research has been conducted on these new vaping devices – the chemicals in them and how they affect the human body and brain, especially in youth.

Nettnin pointed out that it took decades to discover the health implications of cigarette smoking.

“It’s especially concerning because for anybody under 24 years of age, the part of the brain that regulates impulse control is not fully developed,” she said. “That creates the thought process of, ‘That won’t happen to me.’ And then young people can end up in a bad situation.”

That situation can equal an addiction to vaping they never anticipated. But there is hope for those who want to quit.

For example, at Cape Hatteras Secondary School, a pilot program that has been launched by a certified tobacco treatment specialist allows students to come in twice a week and learn strategies to quit vaping.

Students who want to quit can also talk to a trusted adult that could be a guidance counselor, a friend’s parents, or their own parents.

“Talking to a trusted adult is very helpful because they can help connect kids to resources as well,” Nettnin said. “Students need to understand that it is not harmless, that it has multiple chemicals in it that are harmful to the body and it is addictive.”

Junior Maddy Wagner can be reached at 21wagnerma13@daretolearn.org.

‘Peanut Butter Falcon’ soars at the box office

T

By McRae Walker Staff Writer

he Peanut Butter Falcon,” since its release in theaters Aug. 9, has brought in nearly $20 million at the box office and been nominated in six different film festivals, including South by Southwest, Nantucket, Heartland, Hamburg, Deauville and Crested Butte.

There’s even buzz that “The Peanut Butter Falcon” could get some attention in awards season when nominations for Oscars are announced in January.

Yet, despite these accomplishments, director and writer Tyler Nilson has tried to keep his expectations low.

“I try not to have expectations because those expectations often lead to disappointment,” Nilson said.

Nilson and co-writer and co-director Michael Schwartz continue to work on making the movie more financially successful. The creators hope to release the movie on Blu-Ray and DVD and also hope to have the movie on various streaming platforms.

Nilson, who grew up in Colington and graduated from Manteo High School, believes streaming has become a necessary move for distribution due NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / news

to its widespread popularity. This distribution would further the directors’ goal of displaying the talents of Zack Gottsagen – the actor with Down syndrome who stole the show despite working alongside Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson.

Nilson couldn’t name a singular reason as to what caused the film’s success, but he discussed how the writing, soundtrack, Americana nostalgia and Gottsagen all played into it.

“I think a character like Zack right now is really somebody that everyone can cheer for,” Nilson said. “In a time where we can’t agree on a lot, it feels kind of nice that we can all agree on that.”

Nilson noted that the people who worked on the film were all happy with the product they helped create, and even without money, telling a story is a currency in and of itself.

“Hope for everything, expect nothing,” Nilson said. “If tomorrow we didn’t make one more dollar, we’d be OK and I’d move on.”

Because of the film’s success, Nilson and Schwartz now have what Nilson described as a “commodity” when it comes to pursuing new projects.

“It was the first time that we’d not

Photo by Madison Murry/Shorelines Yearbook

Tyler Nilson (left) and Michael Schwartz visit with students earlier this school year while in town to celebrate the release of ‘The Peanut Butter Falcon.’ Nilson grew up in Colington.

only just work again, but work again for a bigger price,” Nilson said.

The pair does plan to work together again, including writing for a new TV show, and the success of their current film doesn’t mean their work has stopped with “The Peanut Butter Falcon.”

In fact, it was while Skyping with fans at one of the various film festi-

vals they attended that the two grown men appeared on screen dancing their appreciation for the audience.

“Yeah, I didn’t know that was for like 6,000 people in the theater,” Nilson said. “So I’m in my pajamas and I’m dancing and I thought it would be seen by just 20 people.”

Junior McCrae Walker can be reached at 21walkermc@daretolearn.org.

9

Theater helps Shaw adjust to new surroundings

I

By Versailles Dalessio Staff Writer

is a competitive application process for gifted and talented high school students who excel in different arts and academic areas.

At her new school, Shaw decided to try out for this year’s school play, “Clue: On Stage,” which is directed

by English teacher Lauren Deal. It is based on the movie and board game “Clue” and involves six primary suspects, one of which is Miss Scarlett, played by Shaw, the part she originally tried out for.

magine this: Your whole life, from first grade to junior year, you’ve been in a close-knit family with your best friends from school who you never thought you’d be leaving. Then transitioning from a small, charter school with close to 45 students in your grade to a much larger school with just under 900 students.

Would you believe a shy student who kept to herself when she was younger is now taking on a lead role in the fall play?

Well, she is. It’s time to meet senior Sera Shaw.

“I think theater has always been a really good way for me to get involved in my community, whether it’s at school or outside the school,” Shaw said. “And coming in at such a big school, I really wanted to establish myself with at least a small group of kids to maybe branch out from there.”

Since eighth grade at Woods Charter School in Chapel Hill, Shaw has taken part in drama classes and expanded her career as an actress. Prior to her arrival here, she had been performing in one-act musicals at a community musical theater in Chapel Hill. In fact, she was given the opportunity of being signed into a professional acting agency.

With this in mind, Shaw is figuring out what she wants to do next and how far she plans to take her success.

“That’s my next step and just trying to see where I fit in,” Shaw said. “Is it musical Photo by Maren Ingram/Nighthawk News Senior Sera Shaw conveys her love of singing on the stage. theater, is it acting for the camera or is it just “They actually asked me to improvise a scene – a straight acting on the stage?” one-person scene. They said, ‘OK, here’s your characShe has devoted time and effort into studying ter, here is what we want you to sort of embody and theater at the UNC School of the Arts over past sumbring to life, go,’ ” Shaw said with a laugh. “I actually mers, as well as attending Governor’s School, which had to create the scene, right then and there on the

stage, and I was not expecting that.”

Not only did her stage presence amaze Deal and co-director Monica Penn, but her resume offered something else that was worth considering.

“Sera really impressed us at her audition, and she had a very extensive resume that she showed us when she arrived and we thought, ‘You know what, let’s give it a shot,’ ” Deal said.

Through all her accomplishments, Shaw has had to adjust to her new surroundings and seems to be managing it well.

“I give her a lot of props: Theatre kids are all really close, and I know it can be hard to jump into a group of friends that are already really close,” Deal said. “She hasn’t let any kind of fear of rejection hold her back at all, which is awesome.”

As performing arts has been on Shaw’s mind especially for the last five years of her life, she has been an active member of the International Thespian Society (ITS), which is an international honors program for middle and high school theater students. She’s also involved in the art club, the environmental club and Hawk-apella. Aside from this impressively long list, she can play the violin.

Theatre has played such a huge role in who she is today that Shaw couldn’t picture where she’d be without it. Not only has it presented her with different opportunities and challenges, but it’s allowed her to forge new relationships with people she’s never met.

“I didn’t know how capable I was of making new friends because I hadn’t done that in forever,” Shaw said. “I think coming here, I’ve learned to just trust myself, and that as long as I’m who I am, then people will come to me and I’ll go to people and it’ll all sort of work out.”

Shaw expresses a deep love for what she does and doesn’t plan on quitting anytime soon.

“It’s one of my favorite things to do and I feel like it’s one of my talents,” Shaw said. “I can’t even really imagine where I would be without it. I would never be able to picture myself even having this conversation.”

Sophomore Versailles Dalessio can be reached @22dalessiove31@daretolearn.org.

Drones taking off in

Z Photo by Emmy Trivette/Nighthawk News

Sophomore Cole Eldridge watches his drone take flight in Nancy Stevens’ Python Programming class. Drones continue to grow in popularity in the classroom and everyday life.

10

By Kayla Hallac Staff Writer

oooooooom – the distant sound of a small machine reaches your ears. It sparks a contagious look upward for everyone in the near vicinity, all fascinated by the flying object in the sky.

It’s a drone, of course. And now, that buzz of excitement, along with the 10 new drones housed by computer science teacher Nancy Stevens, has taken to the air across First Flight.

These drones now allow students to have a “birds-eye” view of the Outer Banks and provide new technology for advanced programming – especially for Stevens’ new Python Programming course.

Stevens was able to purchase the drones with LEDs for indoor use with

money left over at the end of last school year. The use of these new drones is just beginning, but so far portrays very positive results.

“We’re using a block-based language, but students are actually programming the drones to take off, and fly, and do a few little tricks in the room,” Stevens said.

Applying what’s learned in classes like Python Programming and seeing it conveyed in technology has made waves for First Flight students.

“We just thought it would be a great way for students to actually see something happening when they program because sometimes you don’t see the results of what you’re programming,” Stevens said.

One of the most exciting things for Stevens was seeing the enthusiasm students displayed for coding the drones

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

Take a hint and come see StageKraft’s ‘Clue’ this November

C

By Peyton Dickerson, Online Editor-in-Chief

lue,” the murder-mystery board game and movie, comes to life on the stage of First Flight from Nov. 14-16 with a combination of plot twists, music and humor that will make those of any generation crack a smile.

“Six guests receive a mysterious invitation to dinner at the Boddy Mansion, where their secrets are at risk of being exposed,” head director Lauren Deal said. “All six have a motive for murder, all six are given a weapon and six dead bodies will lay on the floor of Boddy Mansion by the end of the evening.”

The cast is enthusiastically preparing for this show – from watching the cult classic film to rerunning lines, cues and stage directions with hopes that they are living up to the iconic roles they play.

For senior Sera Shaw, this will be her first time preparing for a StageKraft show.

Shaw will be playing the role of Miss Scarlett, a rather cunning and egotistical seductress. Shaw is eager to perform with her fellow cast members and start her first StageKraft show with a bang.

“In the past, I’ve worked with people who are just sort of doing it for other reasons,” Shaw said. “But having the pure passion, you know, radiating from everyone else really inspires me to keep going.”

Shaw is diving head-first into her character and taking every step to be the best Miss Scarlett she can be.

“I enjoy watching and listening to characters in other TV shows or movies that have similar traits to my character to see how I can bring Miss Scarlett to life in the most real way,” Shaw said.

As for returning StageKraft performers junior Grace Hewitt and senior Damon Horak, they are equally as eager to take to the stage once again.

Horak will be playing the character of Wadsworth, a classical British butler.

“He’s the only one who knows the house and knows what the events of the evening are, and the rest of them are just complete strangers,” Horak said.

Horak is enthusiastic about all of the details within this unique show, especially being able to speak in a British accent.

“The plot twists, the music, everything about ‘Clue’ makes it ‘Clue.’ The little, special things, if you know the movie. It’s just classic dry humor,” Horak said.

For Hewitt and the role of Miss White – a rather weathered servant who has her fair share of secrets – the show is something she can hardly wait for.

“She’s pale and tragic, a widow who may or may not have killed her last five husbands,” Hewitt said.

“She’s kind of one of the more seasoned of the group.

She is very subdued and mysterious.”

It’s no mystery that the cast of “Clue” is hard at work to put on a show-stopping performance.

“In the past three years, we’ve done a serious Holocaust play, a classic British play, and a children’s fantasy play, and this one is a comedy and murder mystery,” Deal said. “It’s been a lot of fun to rehearse and direct, and we definitely hope to entertain our audience.”

Junior Peyton Dickerson can be reached at 21dickersonpe28@daretolearn.org.

Photos by Peyton Dickerson/Nighthawk News

Senior Quinn Ratti and junior Diego Hernandez practice cues on stage. (Below) Juniors Jonathan Davis, Travis Lawrence and Grace Hewitt and senior Jack Tine run lines.

class and beyond and observing how they play a role in creating a future for many in her computer classes.

“I think there’s enough there to engage students and think about possibilities in not just coding, but also there’s a lot of job opportunities involving being able to fly drones,” Stevens said.

Some have even taken it beyond the classroom and invested in drones for themselves.

Junior Jacob Stewart and sophomore Tucker Crook both own drones that they use to document and share all of what the Outer Banks has to offer them from that bird’s-eye view.

“Last year, I made a summer video with it,” Crook said. “I did the ocean and stuff, which is kind of cool.”

This fresh technology gives students a different frame of reference to explore.

“You can get a perspective that no NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / features

one else has, and get really interesting pictures that no one else can do,” Stewart said.

The aerial view of a drone has created new opportunities on multiple scales.

After Hurricane Dorian, 22 new inlets were created on Cape Hatteras National Seashore. This wouldn’t have been discovered without drones.

“You see the before-and-after pictures showing damage or changes that happened to a landscape,” Stewart said.

The unique components of what a drone can do have surpassed expectations for Stevens’ class and other students enjoying the hobby.

“The easier access to drones exposes more people to the technology that can be used for photography, or just getting a different view on life,” Stewart said.

Sophomore Kayla Hallac can be reached at 22hallacka85@daretolearn.org.

Photo submitted by Tucker Crook

Drone photography is growing as a hobby, especially in locations like the Outer Banks with great landscapes to shoot.

11

Ocracoke damage hits close to home

By Maddy Wagner News Editor

M

oving to a new high school can be challenging for anyone. But junior Whisper Meacham, a sweet-natured Ocracoke native who grew up playing in the ocean and drawing and swinging a baseball bat with the boys, has begun to settle in to life at First Flight High School. And she’s brought with her a sense of community and creativity that is rooted on an island where everyone is considered family.

“It’s kind of overwhelming, coming from a school of 30 high school kids who all know each other and were raised together, most of them cousins or related,” Meacham said. “The first few weeks were surely nerve-wracking.”

The Meachams have lived on the East Coast of the Carolinas for 25 years, but just recently moved from Ocracoke to Kitty Hawk. What brought them to the northern Outer Banks is Meachams’ mother’s popular, local soap business, Milk Street Soaps. The ferry, Meacham said, was becoming too hard for her thriving business.

Ocracoke, the tiny island just south of Hatteras, has a year-round population of less than 700 people and is only accessible by ferry. Growing up on its sandy shores has shaped Meacham and given her an experience that most children in more populated areas don’t have.

The tiny island of Ocracoke has a community-oriented atmosphere, and growing up in that type of community gave Meacham an amazing sense that family isn’t just immediate blood relatives, it’s the friends and neighbors surrounding her in the community.

“She is a very loving and giving

sort of person to be with, so I believe having had the ‘everyone-on-Ocracoke-is-family’ experience served to reinforce what seems to come naturally for her,” said Denise Deacon, a friend and neighbor of Whisper and her family. “I also think that being surrounded by so much natural beauty helped mold her creativity and her artistic side.”

Only weeks after the Meacham family moved to Kitty Hawk, the whipping winds and devastating flood waters of Hurricane Dorian began spiraling toward the Carolinas.

“We didn’t think it was going to be that bad ... just a little wind and a little water,” Meacham said.

Her family headed to Ocracoke over Labor Day weekend to help family and friends prepare before the storm hit.

As the storm approached the barrier islands of the Outer Banks the nerves started to hit for Meacham. She watched Dorian batter the shores of Ocracoke through Facebook and the videos her friends were sending her via Snapchat.

“It was pretty nerve-wracking, since you’re so far away,” Meacham said.

The damage left to Ocracoke as the waters receded was devastating.

Meacham herself hasn’t been back since the storm made landfall, but her parents have been going back and forth helping friends and family with the cleanup of their island home. Her family had some of their personal belongings on their home on Ocracoke.

“We surely did lose a lot, but we’re one of the more fortunate families because we have a place up here that we were already renting,” Meacham said.

Though the Meachams were one of the more fortunate families on Ocracoke, seeing destructive winds and storm surge impact your island home

Photo submitted by Whisper Meacham

FFHS newcomer Whisper Meacham grew up on the beaches of Ocracoke. In addition to adjusting to life at a new school this year, the junior also has had to deal with the devastation friends and family suffered on the island when Hurricane Dorian hit.

can be a difficult thing.

“Material possessions aside, I know her family was terribly affected by seeing all the destruction that their numerous close friends on the island also suffered,” Deacon said. “I know they have been down there often, helping many others as much as possible in the weeks since the storm.”

For Meacham, it’s been an emotional fall with starting at a new school and seeing how badly her island home of Ocracoke has been impacted from Dorian. But for this resilient junior, she is already thriving in her new community.

Junior Maddy Wagner can be reached at 21wagnerma13@daretolearn.org.

Photo submitted by Tim Fitch

In the wake of Hurricane Dorian, volunteers raced to the island in boats filled with supplies to begin the difficult process of clearing flood-damaged homes before the rebuilding process could begin. Local pastor Tim Fitch (middle) is among the many people helping at houses and even churches (above), which lost everything from carpet in the sanctuary to hymnals when storm surge turned the streets of Ocracoke into raging rivers.

12

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

Cottrell is one crafty School Resource Officer

A

By Fiona Finchem Staff Writer

fter a long and busy day at school, most would go home and immediately grab the remote to relax on the couch.

But School Resource Officer Edward Cottrell would much rather get his zen on by doing arts and crafts.

Cottrell came to First Flight High School this year after working at First Flight Middle for several years. Walking into his work space, students might expect to see an orderly office. Instead, the room looks more like a teenager’s bedroom: It is filled with lava lamps, artwork and a couch.

“I don’t want it to look like a police department. If everything is sterile and clean and it looks intimidating, it’s not very welcoming,” Cottrell said. “This kind of looks like my kid’s room. And that’s why I do it. Because if it looks like their room, they’ll come in to hang out and talk. If they’re more comfortable with me, then they’ll come in when they have a problem.”

Cottrell started papercraft when he was a little kid. His mother was Japanese and taught origami and he picked it up. He makes everything from origami cranes to quilling vases of sunflowers, all made out of paper.

“I do it just to pass time and to keep my fingers flexible,” Cottrell said.

He also enjoys teaching students how to papercraft.

Photo by Aliza Snow/Nighthawk News

Photo by Fiona Finchem/Nighthawk News

School Resource Officer Edward Cottrell holds a ‘Halo’-inspired Halloween costume he made for one of his sons. It is a tradition in their family for Cottrell to handcraft Halloween costumes for his children. This one can be found in his office at FFHS.

Cottrell crafted a beautiful display of sunflowers from quilling, just one of his many creative outlets.

“I teach so many different things.

For Halloween I taught some costume building and then during Christmas I gave different ideas on what to do for alternative Christmas cards,” Cottrell said. “I try to teach it so it’s inexpensive and just about anybody can do it.”

When Cottrell worked at the middle school, he would take time to teach the students origami and quilling and would sometimes be invited to teach it during a class period.

“See, for me, it’s like a stress

For Cottrell, papercraft is more than just a hobby. It’s a way of connecting with the students he works with every day.

“I have the art stuff all over the room so I tried to use that as distractions or different ways to talk to kids.

I may just try anything to get their attention and get their interest,” Cottrell said.

Sophomore Fiona Finchem can be reached at 22finchemfi99@daretolearn. org.

reliever. I don’t go out and hang out with the guys and drink,” Cottrell said.

“I’d rather sit at home with my kids, watching TV, so while I’m hanging out with them, I’m trying to do something and then learn something.

Cottrell’s creative juices are always flowing. When a pencil is on the floor in the hallway, most would kick it to the side or just completely ignore it.

Instead, Cottrell picks it up and turns it into a flower, with the pencil as the stem and folded paper as the petals.

Time to meet the Big Dogs on First Flight campus

J

By Ross Sullivan Staff Writer

uniors Payton Savage and Evan Wienert have claimed themselves to be “big dogs”– important people – of the Outer Banks, and now with their start-up T-shirt company, anyone else can be one, too.

“Evan came up with the idea of making a website featuring all the legends and big dogs of the Outer Banks and that’s how it all started,” Savage said.

T-shirts sold by the company bear the logo “Big Dogs, On Scene” inside of a surfboard frame.

“We got the ‘on scene’ part from lifeguarding because when you’re a lifeguard, you’re always ‘on scene,’ but we’re not just lifeguards, we’re big dogs, too,” Wienert said.

This past year was their first year beach lifeguarding, with Wienert guarding in Kill Devil Hills and Savage in Nags Head. It was their summer jobs that inspired them to begin their company.

Their biggest advertising platform has been Instagram, where they feature favorite local surf legends that

they have deemed to be big dogs. “(Payton and I) have been surfing since we could swim,” Wienert said.

Wienert and Savage don’t plan to stop merchandising with regular T-shirts and tank-tops. In the future, they plan on releasing stickers, hats and long-sleeved shirts for the winter.

“We have a lot of big dogs – kids around the Outer Banks wearing the Big Dogs merch,” Savage said.

When Wienert and Savage began making the shirts, they used a stencil to spray paint them. Now they have upgraded to a printing press, which they bought using the profits from their original shirt design.

“The printing press is just so much easier than the stencil and spray paint,” Savage said.

Big Dogs has made a mark on Instagram as well as at First Flight.

Wienert and Savage decided to team up with the FFHS Surf Club for more endorsement and members. Now, they have twice as much “Big Dog power” to teach the Outer Banks groms how to shred.

Sophomore Ross Sullivan can be reached at 22sullivanro96@daretolearn.org.

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / features

‘Big Dogs’ Evan Wienert (left) and Payton Savage pose with a surfboard logo of their startup company wearing their infamous shirts for the shot.

The pair and several of their friends and fellow ‘Big Dogs’ marched with their homemade sign during First Flight’s homecoming parade (below).

Photos by Emmy Trivette and Taylor Newton/ Nighthawk News

13

Volunteers exhibit a burning desire to serve

F

By Maggie McNinch Staff Writer

or some students, a normal evening after school involves various sports or instrumental practices. For others, they just go on home to relax. But four students at First Flight head in a slightly different direction: learning, training and volunteering to fight fires.

Juniors Conner Roberts, Tyler Roberts and Will Roepcke and senior Jake Pendergrass spend their time during weekdays and weekends helping at the Colington Volunteer Fire Department.

“I spend most of my time at the fire station,” Pendergrass said. “I’m there between two and seven hours a day.”

Their time spent at the station consists of taking classes and learning how to become a firefighter.

“The classes I’m currently taking are a series known simply as ‘Fire Academy,’ ” Conner said. “It’s just the basics of firefighting as well as a surface-level knowledge of basic medical care.”

All four students take similar classes outside of school. They have the choice to take over 20 firefighting classes, which would total more than 300 hours of class time. Most of these classes are taught in the evening, which means the students have plenty to deal with beyond math, science and English.

“I wake up at 7 a.m. to go to school, and I don’t get home until 11:30 p.m. or 12, and once I get home, I just sleep,” Tyler said.

With a day like that, it’s easy to imagine the experience would be pretty draining, but the students enjoy it and are each looking at firefighting as a possible career choice.

“I want to eventually become a paid firefighter, and I’m going through the state training to become paid out of high school,” Pendergrass said.

All the boys volunteer for different reasons. For Roepcke, whose dad is deputy chief for the Kill Devil Hills Fire

14

Department, volunteering was an easy choice.

Deputy Chief Roepcke is pleased that his son is following in the footsteps of others in his family: “I’m proud. He’s the third generation of my family to volunteer as a firefighter, so it’s pretty cool.”

While Roepcke joined last December, the Roberts twins joined the following May out of general interest.

Pendergrass started training at the Southern Shores Volunteer Fire Department when he was 16, but living in Colington made it difficult for him to make it to the truck once it was dispatched, so he transferred to Colington.

Volunteering at the station is not just about taking classes – it’s also about responding to calls.

The boys own pagers that the station uses to contact them when someone calls about a fire. This means that no matter what time it is, they have to rush to the station in order to suit up and be on the truck in time to fight the fire.

“When I first got it, I was kind of confused on how to use it, which is pretty funny,” Tyler said with a chuckle. “Everyone was like, ‘Just show up when it starts beeping at you,’ but it does more things than just beep at you.”

Being on call can be nerve-racking for some, but Roepcke handles it well: “I’m used to it, just from the way I’ve grown up with it, with my dad, but it gets your heart pumping,” he said.

And though there is a fast-paced feeling that comes with firefighting, the boys agree that through the firecalls and classes, many memories have been made.

“We had a fire where we had five guys fall into a pool,” Roepcke recalled.

Added Conner: “Climbing the aerial apparatus onto a roof, or blindly crawling through a smoke-filled room for training” were two interesting events.

While their volunteering is beneficial to the community, it helps the students personally as well.

Photos submitted by Conner Roberts

Members of the Colington Volunteer Fire Department practice rescue skills both in the field and at the fire station (below left). Several FFHS students give up their nights and weekends for Fire Academy training at the local station.

“It gives them some idea of how things work in life and they get more than just school, they learn how organization and responsibility work,” Deputy Chief Roepcke said. “It’s a skill that can last their lifetime, and in a lot of places it’s a civic responsibility to volunteer because that’s all most places have in the country for firefighters.”

The hypothetical question – “Would

you run into a burning building?” – is a very real scenario for these students.

The choice to run into a burning building while others are running out takes a lot of courage, but that is something the Roberts twins, Roepcke and Pendergrass all have in spades.

Sophomore Maggie McNinch can be reached at 22mcninchma07@daretolearn.org.

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

From prison to the open road ... to FFHS

F

By Kejsi Zyka Opinions Editor

ormer prison teacher Ian Godwin took a year off from teaching to become a truck driver. Godwin traveled to almost every state in the U.S. last year.

Now he’s a new English teacher at First Flight, and is glad to be around new students – or just people in general.

Godwin decided to embark on this journey and try something new after the summer of 2017 and the 2018-19 school year.

“I had thought about truck driving, and money was the main reason I did it,” Godwin said. “I thought it would be more lucrative.”

The money was beneficial, but so was traveling to a lot of places for Godwin, who had many favorites.

“I got to see the countryside, the Grand Canyon, the tip of Florida, the Rocky Mountains and my favorite area in Washington State, Snoqualmie Pass,” Godwin said. “The place is totally treacherous in the winter.”

Although driving a truck was a wild and fun ride, it wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be.

“I would be in the back of the truck if I wasn’t driving, then I would wake up and start driving again, and it was extremely repetitive,” Godwin said. “It was cathartic and meditative, but it was mind-numbing.”

As Godwin drove his Freightliner International every day, he realized how much he missed teaching, and how much he wanted to go back.

“I think it made me appreciate the role of the teacher and the importance of school,” Godwin said.

Before Godwin made the decision to become a truck driver, he was an English teacher in a juvenile prison outside of Richmond, Virginia.

The job was not one that many people favored. But to Godwin, it was an opportunity he was excited about.

“My youngest student ever was 12 and the oldest was 19,” Godwin said.

“They were supposed to age out at 18, but there was a program where a

Photo (left) submitted by Ian Godwin Photo (above) by Taylor Newton/Nighthawk News

Ian Godwin takes a break from driving as he poses next to his Freightliner International 18-wheeler. He described his driving experience as ‘mind-numbing’ yet meditative. Now, Godwin’s drive is all about helping English students like freshman Josh Card as he settles into his new classroom at First Flight.

couple of students were able to return before they were 19.”

For the most part, Godwin loved the experience, even though he was threatened a couple of times.

“I got threats like if I existed where they were from and I was in their neighborhood, then things would be different,” Godwin said. “And I agreed with them for obvious reasons.”

But at the same time, Godwin was able to establish a rapport with most of the kids, even the ones who were not so fond of him at first.

“It was awesome, and I had the opportunity to make sort of a breakthrough with my students on a daily basis,” Godwin said.

The prison job sounded intriguing for the English teacher, as he wanted something different compared to the last place he had worked.

“I had been teaching at a very high-performing school at a very expensive neighborhood, sort of the

other side of education, and I wanted a different experience,” Godwin said.

From teaching in a prison to driving a truck to becoming an FFHS English teacher, Godwin has quite the list of life experiences. Now that he’s shifted

from the cab to the classroom, he’s just glad to not be in solitude any longer and is also looking forward to an exciting year at First Flight.

Senior Kejsi Zyka can be reached at zykake0914@daretolearn.org.

Join the fun!

WANTED: Experienced coaches for the upcoming youth travel volleyball season Contact us at obxwavevolleyball @gmail.com

US 158 MP 4 Kitty Hawk, NC 27949 252-261-4422 Supplying commercial and residential heating and cooling products and plumbing products.

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / features

15

Kitty Hawk Fall Carnival celebrates 60 years of fun and games

I

By Camden Crook Staff Writer

t’s the first Saturday in November, the weather has finally cooled and a brisk sense of excitement fills the air. As you pull into your elementary alma mater, memories start flooding back.

You remember winning your first cake at Mrs. Davis’ cakewalk and begging your parents to bid on the special lunch date with your teacher at the silent auction. But most of all, you remember the past carnivals and the sense of nostalgia that surrounds them.

Autumn on the Outer Banks is jam-packed with fall festivities. One festival, in particular, draws crowds from near and far: the Kitty Hawk Elementary Fall Carnival. This event has brought friends, families and faculty together for the past 60 years.

“People plan their vacations around Kitty Hawk having its fall carnival. It really brings the community together,” Principal Greg Florence said. “The PTA raises important revenue and the kids and families always have a lot of fun.

It’s really just a great environment.”

The community’s love for Kitty Hawk Elementary is evident in the large crowds that attend the carnival each year. While most may anticipate the ever-changing list of fall activities, one of the festival’s main attractions is not its evolution, but its lack thereof.

Since the school opened in 1959, Kitty Hawk has hosted its annual carnival. Despite the passing of time, very little has changed. Carnival-goers still enjoy “taking a cakewalk,” playing bingo and perusing treasures at the silent

auction. These timeless traditions are what make this event so unique.

“It just works, year after year after year. Over the years, a little bit has changed, but the general model hasn’t and I think that’s the neat thing about it,” Florence said.

To residents, the festival is a fun Saturday to spend with friends and family. However, to the men and women behind the event, the carnival means so much more.

“Our PTA doesn’t sell wrapping paper at Christmas, popcorn in the fall and cookie dough in the spring. Our parents aren’t continuously bombarded with things for their kids to sell,” Florence said. “It’s a one-time shot and then we’re funded for the rest of the year.”

Being the sole fundraising event of the year, the carnival’s success is extremely important. Its profits provide reading materials for students and instructional materials for teachers.

“One year it was computers for the classrooms, another year it was playground equipment and another year it was reconditioning the landscape outside,” Florence said.

The carnival is an opportunity for people to give back to the community while supporting the school and having a little fun, especially for the teenagers who return year after year. And though the fun never fades, new opportunities may arise for the returners to benefit from the event.

“Our kids always come back for the carnival. Even the high school kids come back for the carnival,” Florence said. “So why not ask them to put in a couple of hours so they’re not just giving back to their school but they’re

Illustration by Eliza Cowan/Special to Nighthawk News

also getting credit for it.”

Senior Taylor Stuart has attended the carnival since she was in elementary school. And since beginning high school, she has enjoyed volunteering her time while giving back to her old school. Stuart has worked face painting, bracelet-making and helped run the silent auction. This year, aside from volunteering, she’s looking forward to a more sentimental aspect.

“I’m looking forward to spending it with my friends. We’ve always gone together, ever since elementary school,”

Stuart said. “This is probably the last time we’ll all be able to volunteer for it since we’re seniors, so I’m excited to do that for the last time.”

Being the 60th anniversary, this year’s celebration on Nov. 2 is not one to miss.

“This year for the 60th, there’s going to be live bands, and new rides and activities. Because it’s an anniversary, the PTA is trying to really go all out this year,” Florence said.

Senior Camden Crook can be reached at crookca0109@daretolearn.org.

Bucket list: fun fall festivities Go apple picking

Watch Halloween movies

Go to a corn maze

Go to Wanchese Woods

Go hiking

Go to Howl-O-Scream

Attend a football game

Have a bonfire

Go to a pumpkin patch

Thrift shop for a Halloween costume

Carve pumpkins Go to Fall carnivals Go on a hayride Enjoy a pumpkin spiced latte List by Fiona Finchem

16

Decorate your house Stargaze Go Trick-or-Treating Jump into a pile of leaves Graphic by Peyton Dickerson

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

Wanchese Woods: A job so fun, it’s scary

A

By Aliza Snow Staff Writer

through and swing at us,” Strader said.

“We’ve had people that were so scared they had to be escorted out.”

The employees try to use personal scaring tactics to truly terrify people.

Some especially enjoy frightening friends who may not know who is spooking them behind a mask or makeup.

“I jump out, and if I knew their names I would use names,” Strader said. “If they took a wrong turn, I could go another way so I knew where they would end up.”

Even though not everyone can strike terror in people’s hearts, someone has to get visitors to sign a waiver before they begin their journey.

For the last two years, Honeycutt has been in charge of getting everyone to sign the waiver. However, having visitors sign the waiver is more important than one might think. People can get injured in odd ways.

“These two girls last year went through and they both tripped and one of them chipped their tooth,” Honeycutt said.

Other visitors have been known to crash into everything from parts of the maze to trees when running away in fright.

Not only is Wanchese Woods a horrifically imaginative experience for visitors, but it’s a way for some employees to express their creative freedom.

Kepler does about 50 percent of the makeup for his co-workers who aren’t wearing masks and even designs his own outfit.

“I’ve always been really into special effects makeup most of my life,” Kepler said. “I really like the idea of just making myself look scary by my own means.”

And while hours and hours of work

drenaline pumps through the veins of anxious thrill-seekers as they prepare to enter Wanchese Woods on a chilly Saturday night in October. As soon as they turn the first corner, they are blinded by strobe lights. And just when they think they’re safe, a gruesome monster springs out of the darkness, and the still night is pierced by their screams as they sprint away in terror.

Working at Wanchese Woods – the local horror attraction – come Halloween season provides a fun job for several First Flight students. Seniors Kade Kepler and Zach Strader, as well as sophomore Callie Honeycutt, spend their October weekends working different components of the attraction.

Employees show up a little more than an hour before dark to begin setting up. They have to ensure all special effects are working as well as get into character before the night begins.

Kepler spends almost three months perfecting his costume and about an hour doing his makeup so that he can frighten people, many of whom are his classmates. However, it sometimes comes with a price.

“I’ve been punched, I’ve been kicked, I’ve had to walk out numerous drunk people, I’ve run head-first into one of my co-workers and given him a concussion,” Kepler said.

Kepler isn’t the only student who has had these kinds of wild experiences. Strader, who works in the clown maze, has shared many similar moments of concern.

“We’ve had drunk people come

may be put into the creation of his look, at the end of the night, all it takes is a couple of makeup wipes to take it all away.

Around 11 p.m., once the night starts winding down and customers begin to dwindle, the employees close up the haunted house and let everyone know the spooky magic has come to an end.

Though the challenges of setting up, getting ready and dealing with unusual circumstances can be taxing, it’s something each employee enjoys – that, of course, and seeing the terrified reactions of the customers.

Junior Aliza Snow can be reached at 21snowal92@daretolearn.org.

Photos courtesy of Wanchese Woods

Terrifying costumes are part of the fun for the workers every fall at Wanchese Woods, including senior Kade Kepler (bottom right)

Spooky movies to scare you straight

Along with being one of the best movies of all time, ‘The Nightmare before Christmas’ gives you a taste of Christmas and Halloween at the same time.

This Disney Original is about two kids who follow their Grandma back home and end up discovering she lives in a magical place called ‘Halloweentown.’

‘Ghostbusters’ is one of the most classic Halloween movies. One of the most popular quotes from the movie is, “Who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters!”

Review by Tatum Love

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / features

Graphic by Peyton Dickerson

17

A r t i s t s

i n

From the field to the stage, Kovacs conquers the arts

A

By Cassie Honeycutt Features Editor

s the morning sun shines through the stained glass window, the young girl rubs her tired eyes. She is captivated by the choir practice. Staring at her mom in amazement, she watches her every move with the hope that one day that will be her.

Senior Hopelyn Kovacs grew up admiring the arts and has been in love with performing since she was little.

“We would learn music in elementary school between singing in the choir to acting in the musicals.

Then once I got to middle school, I knew for a fact I wanted to join the band. I was also a part of the choir at the middle school,” Kovacs said. “I knew I wanted to continue band in high school, but I decided to do choir instead of jazz at first. And now here I am, the field commander of the marching band, and first trombone of the honors jazz band.”

Kovacs applied to be the field commander of the marching band last spring, and with such a serious position comes a lengthy application process.

“I had to go through an audition, fill out a question packet, write an essay and then have an interview with Mr. Ebert,” Kovacs said.

Kovacs started preparing for the position a while ago and was hoping all that hard work she put in paid off.

“I had worked hard on getting better at conducting and to actually get the position and to truly be able to conduct this year made me very excited,” Kovacs said.

Bob Ebert, First Flight’s band teacher, knew that Kovacs had many qualities that would benefit the band, but one stood out in particular: “Hopelyn has brought a style of leadership that’s a little more direct than the last few years and she is not afraid to identify and address performance issues and does so in a professional manner.”

Kovacs was ecstatic when she received the position. Those close to her knew what she had overcome to get what she wanted most.

“This year, as field commander, she has overcome her anxiety of leadership of her peers and stepped up in other areas to help not just the marching band but the honors jazz band and the chorus program by teaching herself how to run the sound systems for jazz after that role was left vacant from a graduating senior,” said her supportive mother, Jennifer Kovacs.

Field commander is a position that holds many responsibilities, including serving as the main conductor of the other student leaders. Kovacs takes this position very seriously and tries to be the best she can be for her bandmates.

“With leading all of the songs, I have to have all of the music memorized, which might seem like something simple but there are so many different things going on,” Kovacs said. “We have to get the speed of the different charts correct, and make sure if

18

Photo (left) by Taylor Newton/Nighthawk News Photo (above) by Aaron Jennings/Special

Senior Hopelyn Kovacs salutes the crowd before leading the marching band through its halftime show as field commander. Kovacs also has immersed herself in other artistic pursuits, including a role in ‘Mary Poppins’ last spring.

there is a time change we put it at the right measure and do the correct beat pattern.”

The work started this summer with band camp in August and after-school rehearsals throughout October.

“After falling behind schedule due to Hurricane Dorian, she’s helped get the band back on track, which means the entire halftime show has been installed and now we’re simply cleaning it up,” Ebert said.

Having so many outlets in the arts – and wanting to be part of them all – Kovacs has come upon some issues.

“I was in the Honors Choir my freshman year, but I had to drop due to the fact that I just couldn’t fit all of the classes I wanted to take into my schedule, so I had to choose between Choir and Honors Jazz,” Kovacs said.

Even though Kovacs doesn’t take choir class anymore, she still incorporates it into her life.

“I do still sing for fun, and then I’ll occasionally sing the national anthem at the soccer games or wherever they want me to,” Kovacs said.

Though Kovacs is the one everyone sees performing, she credits the person behind the curtain – her mom.

“She has taken me to countless evening rehearsals, and she goes to every single performance I am in, even if she has to drive hours to and from the events,” Kovacs said. “She is my biggest cheerleader, and always has been there for me. Without her love and support, I doubt I would be where I am in music today.”

Kovacs has worked hard to achieve her goals, and her hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“She has always set the bar higher than I said it had to be,” Jennifer said. “And while I always wanted to attempt the same things she has at some point growing up, I never had the huge amounts of courage and grit that she has.”

With Kovacs catching the “theater bug” her junior year, she plans to expand her interests in the arts in the future. In college, she wants to major in some type of musical theater with a minor in music or instrumental.

“All I know is that no matter what I do in the future, I will always have my love of the arts with me, and will always have that love for as long as I live,” Kovacs said.

Junior Cassie Honeycutt can be reached at 21honeycuttca35@daretolearn.org.

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

the Spotlight

The next big music producer?

Meet beat-maker ‘OG Cutta’

By Katie MacBride Online Editor-In-Chief

A

Photo submitted by Henry Lotas-Sherratt

(Above, from left) Marc B., Spaceman Music, Yung Lan and junior Henry Lotas-Sherratt pose for a picture during Lotas-Sherratt’s visit to Atlanta. Lotas-Sherratt is currently on the up and up with his beat-making career, including helping produce the albums pictured below.

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / features

ctor, chef, firefighter, astronaut, ballerina and teacher are just a few dream jobs that children want to have when they grow up. Most of these dreams are not realistic for many children as they grow up, but this is not the case for junior Henry Lotas-Sherratt. His childhood dream, to make music, has already started to become a reality.

Lotas-Sherratt has always had a deep love for music, but a little over two years ago he started to make his own. After being inspired by the rap genre and taking the time to research how big-time producers create hit songs, he started to create his own beats.

“I was listening to rap music and I just fell in love with the musicality of it so, I started making beats,” Lotas-Sherratt said. “I love the music aspect of rap music, so I just wanted to pursue it. I also liked the ways you can become famous and make money off the beats.”

The young music maker creates his beats from the comfort of his home. His set-up consists of Sennheiser headphones and two speakers connected to his computer. He then uses FL Studio to compose the beats.

“I start off with a loop that another producer sends me and then I create the beat for that loop. I then arrange the whole thing. The beat and the loop create a melody and then I have to ‘drop it’ – and that’s called the range,” Lotas-Sherratt explained.

Lotas-Sherratt didn’t always have producers send him the loop, though.

Recently, he was able to obtain a manager by putting his first beats on internet platforms and emailing his music to people in the music industry.

Once he got a manager, Lotas-Sherratt started being introduced to rappers.

“I post snippets of beats on Instagram and I was posting on YouTube, but then I stopped because I liked Instagram more. I got my manager, Marc B., when I flooded emails with beats trying to see if he liked them so he would manage me,” Lotas-Sherratt explained. “Then all I did to get with

rappers was networking. I used my Instagram ogcutta1 mostly to build my business and reach out to artists.”

The young entrepreneur is also getting paid to make his beats.

“My manager Marc will set up the road royalties and advances, which is like getting paid up front. So I’ll get paid when a song does drop, like if it’s on an album or something,” Lotas-Sherratt said. “I’m hoping this year that I can make enough money and just fly to Atlanta or New York or wherever to go hit the studio.”

On top of receiving income, Lotas-Sherratt and his manager were invited to Atlanta last summer to a studio session to make beats.

“We got invited to go to a studio session with this artist named Paper Trail. I met my manager for the first time in person and I also met Yung Lan. He was a big producer and I met them because they were all friends.

We made beats and talked about the industry,” Lotas-Sherratt said.

Some of the rappers Lotas-Sherratt has made beats for include JayDa Youngan, Lil Tjay, Fredo Bang, NoCap, Smooky MarGielaa, Yung Mal, Lil Gotit, BBG Baby Joe and Young Scooter.

When Lotas-Sherratt isn’t making beats for rappers, he also creates music with some of his friends.

Junior KJ Williams has used Lotas-Sherratt’s beats to freestyle to, and Lotas-Sherratt has also introduced the beat-making process to junior Justin Beasley.

“It was a pretty fun experience just learning everything because it seems like something I would want to do one day,” Beasley said. “It was awesome because he was talking to some rappers on the phone and it was a cool experience just hearing them talk and everything.”

Lotas-Sherratt is looking forward to his future in the music industry and hopes to continue making his dream job a reality.

“I just love creating something new, something that no ones heard and then putting it out there. Especially when an artist hops on, it could be a big hit,” Lotas-Sherratt said.

Junior Katie MacBride can be reached at 21macbrideka62@daretolearn.org.

19

Our View: We should all be climate change activists

Editors-in-Chief – Simone Midgett, Emmy Trivette News Editor – Maddy Wagner Features Editor – Cassie Honeycutt Online Editors-in-Chief – Peyton Dickerson, Katie MacBride Opinions Editor – Kejsi Zyka Photo Editor – Taylor Newton Sports Editor – Jack Voight Staff Writers – Emma Byard, Camden Crook, Versailles Dalessio, Fiona Finchem, Lexi Foster, Kayla Hallac, Kate Hamilton, Callie Honeycutt, Maren Ingram, Noah Kinnisten, Tatum Love, Maggie McNinch, Michael Pearson, Aliza Snow, Ross Sullivan, Cole Tomlin, Crae Walker Adviser – Steve Hanf

N

ighthawk News Magazine is published four times a year by the journalism classes at First Flight High School. The publication is distributed free to the FFHS student body, faculty and staff and to First Flight Middle School. Approximately 3,000 copies are distributed in various retail outlets throughout the Outer Banks.

The Nighthawk News staff strives to provide informative and accurate coverage of individuals and events within the school and the Dare County community. The opinion pages serve as a forum for the publications staff and community. Views expressed in Nighthawk News do not represent the opinions of the faculty or administration, the Dare County School Board or its administration. Editorials represent the views of the staff; bylined columns are the opinion of the authors.

Readers are encouraged to write letters to the editor on matters of concern.

Letters may be mailed to FFHS or delivered to Room B-214. They must be signed.

We reserve the right to edit letters for length, grammatical errors or libelous content.

Reach us by mail at 100 Veterans Drive, Kill Devil Hills, N.C. 27948, by phone at (252) 449-7000 or by e-mail at hanfst@daretolearn.org. Advertising inquiries can be made by phone or email.

Nighthawk News is a member of the North Carolina Scholastic Media Association and the National Scholastic and Southern Interscholastic press associations. Our stories also are published online at NighthawkNews.com. Follow us on Twitter @FFNighthawkNews, Facebook.com/NighthawkNews, Instagram @FFHSNighthawkNews and Snapchat at Nighthawk.News. Sun Coast Press of Venice, Florida, prints our paper.

Stay current at NighthawkNews.com!

M

ost of us stress about straws” – younger generations have Calculus homework that become more involved when it comes we procrastinated on for to climate change. And of course, now a week, or maybe worry that teens have tiptoed their way into about our sports or theater practices the environmental conversation, comthat take up our free time. panies have jumped on this capitalistic Then we get home and venture to profit off of our begin scrolling through concern. our phones only to be While it seems like bombarded with tweets more people are talking and posts about amazing about climate change, no youths who sacrifice the one seems to be doing normal teenage lives they anything concrete: not the could’ve had to make lawmakers, not the voting STAFF resounding impacts on the adults and not even the EDITORIAL rest of the world. teenagers who claim to It makes us wonder why we’re not care about their environment and yet doing more. Is it because we don’t refuse to change their lifestyle in ways think we can make a difference? Bethat will actually count. cause we believe we are not important But we need to emphasize this: It enough to make that kind of impact? doesn’t start with speeches to the UN We’re wrong. We all start from someor ditching school to be an activist. where. Climate change activists like It starts with something as simple as Greta Thunberg, Xiye Bastida, Kallan putting a recycling bin in your bedBenson and John Paul Jose all started room, or driving responsibly in your out small. Participating in rallies and car. Some may find satisfaction in the making posters, they have been fightboycotting of fast-fashion businesses, ing for our planet from a young age. or feel the gratification of converting Thunberg’s campaign has gained to a plant-based diet. international recognition. Her speech And while none of us will be creatat the United Nations has become ing a plastic cleanup company before legendary. A year ago, she was right we graduate high school – probably where you are today – just another – there are behavioral changes that we kid in school. Same for Bastida, who do have the ability to make right now. received the spirit of the UN award in And if we don’t start soon, there might 2018. not be a home for us to come back to If these 15- and 16-year-olds can do after we’ve graduated. it, why can’t we?

The sentiment of “save the seas” Oh, wait. We can reposts or posting an Earth Day picture Even though we can’t all form tech about keeping our beaches clean is companies or give speeches to the UN, nice, but isn’t enough now. And in all the students of First Flight, as teens fairness, it never was. living on the coast, need to step it up We need to believe in change. We because we’re already taking hits that need to do something for our planet no one is talking about. before it is too late. This Earth is a gift.

With recent buzz on social media A gift that needs to be taken care of.

– think “save the turtles, no plastic And we are destroying it.

IN OUR OPINION

Hawk Talk: What was your biggest costume

“There was one year my dad dressed me up as Frankenstein. I hated it so much ... for the whole Halloween night I hid behind a car crying.”

- sophomore Anthony Olszewski

20

“I was a hot dog last year. It was last-minute and my friends dressed up as ketchup and sriracha sauce. It was really funny.”

- senior Taylor Stuart

“I was a minion for two years straight and it was the exact same costume. It was really bad.”

- freshman Paulina Goping

“I convinced myself to dress up as Poseidon and I dyed my hair blue and got a fake trident and I had a blue tablecloth mounted to my shoulder. It was terrible.”

- senior Joseph Lewis

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

Hallothanksmas – the most wonderful time of the year

N

o matter who you are, or where you’re from, you have a favorite time of the year, whether it’s Fourth of July in the heat of summer or Valentine’s Day in the dead of winter.

But what’s my favorite time of the year, you ask? Oh, why it’s HALLOTHANKSMAS, of course!

Now, you’re probably wondering, – what is Hallothanksmas? Well, it’s all three of your favorite holidays – Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas – combined into one super-holiday.

You have Halloween with free candy, Thanksgiving with free food and Christmas with free presents. Christmas is my favorite. We get the long break from school, usually get to see our family, and it has the best candy of them all: candy canes.

Also, each specific holiday has its traditions. For Halloween, I have been helping out at Wanchese Woods with my mom. At Christmas, I ring the Salvation Army bell with my parents.

These tiny traditions are special because I get to do them with my family while helping other people.

The first holiday of the triumphant trio is Halloween. As a little kid, my favorite part of Halloween was trickor-treating, but as I have grown up, trick-or-treating has become more of a little-kid thing, but I try to participate as much as I can.

I have always loved Halloween because you dress up, get candy and go to tons of parties. Post candy-collection, I sort out Reese’s (for my dad) and the Almond Joys (for my mom).

Illustration by Savannah Sawin/Special to Nighthawk News

The second holiday of the big three is Thanksgiving. This is a time when you can catch up with family all the while eating really good food. There’s nothing better than sitting down at a big table with your family eating a plate full of ooey-gooey mac & cheese and perfectly cooked turkey.

And the third holiday of the holy trinity is Christmas. Not only is Christ-

mas an amazing day, it has a great atmosphere.

The feeling of knowing you are helping others is the best, probably just as good as the feeling of giving gifts. And not only that, Christmas is a double whammy for me because my sister’s birthday is on Christmas Eve. New Year’s ends the Hallothanksmas season and brings us into the new

year with a bang.

If you ever need a word to describe the warm feeling from October to December and throughout the holiday season, please feel free to scream: HAPPY HALLOTHANKSMAS! (Please don’t do this in class, though.)

Sophomore Callie Honeycutt can be reached at 22honeycuttca54@daretolearn.org.

fail from Halloween when you were a kid?

“When I was little I wore this pumpkin spice costume. It had an orange wiry skirt and an itchy bright orange wig. It was pretty embarrassing.”

- senior Kelly Smith

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / opinions

“A few years ago I dressed up as the fish in ‘Cat in the Hat’ because my friends wanted to be Thing 1 and Thing 2 and I didn’t have anything.”

- sophomore Virginia Godley

“The mask of my plague doctor costume fell apart, and everyone thought I was an emo farmer.”

- junior Davin Zeimer

“I was a vampire one year and I dyed the ends of my hair red and I was wearing a red cape and a black dress.

It was just bad. “ - sophomore Kiley Tucker

21

Area 51: The first-hand encounter

B

ack in July, you may have seen – or even signed up for – an event called “Storm Area 51”, just to “see them aliens.”

Despite what you may have heard, the event on Sept. 20 was a success, exposing the hidden secrets of Area 51.

The original sign-up page, which included two million participants, was full of people who were adamant that “they (the government) can’t stop us all.”

The million people who actually attended were split into two groups. About 50 percent were Kyles – gamers who drink many energy drinks. The other half were Naruto runners, those who prefer running in a style from various anime shows.

The raid started early in the morning, with the Kyles lined up in the front and Naruto runners in the back.

“Once we were all ready, someone screamed ‘charge,’ so we ran in,” said Mike Honcho, a resident of Wyoming who traveled to Nevada for the event.

The original plan from Facebook to have the Kyles in the front while the Naruto runners ran inside the base from the back worked flawlessly, allowing most of the raiders to enter with ease.

“The other Naruto runners and I ran through the wall of Kyles and were

able to enter the base successfully,” Honcho said.

Area 51 has been one of the government’s best-kept secrets, and many have been eager to know what is hiding behind those barbed-wire fences.

“There weren’t as many aliens as I thought there would be,” Honcho said. “We found toothpaste recommended by 10 out of 10 dentists, and hand sanitizer that kills 100 percent of bacteria and germs instead of 99.99 percent, but no aliens.”

And being that Area 51 is one of the most secure military institutions in America, it turned out to be just as hard to escape as it was to enter.

“We found a Fortnite bus inside of the warehouse and drove through the fence,” Honcho said. “It had just enough gas to get us to the closest town, where we called an Uber to get home.”

During the interview, a Florida Man made it clear that he was disappointed in how the raid turned out and stated that he may take legal action against the people responsible for the raid.

“I was disappointed that I couldn’t enter the base,” Florida man said.

“I am happy that some of us got in, though” Though there were no aliens to be seen, this raid showed the passion

and dedication which Americans have when faced with the chance to “see them aliens.”

Sophomore Michael Pearson can be reached at 22pearsonmi74@daretolearn. org – assuming he’s not picked up by the CIA after the feds read this story.

The editors would like to note that this is a satirical piece.

From Red Bulls to Spongebob, Twittter screenshots showed the excitement which the ‘true’ Area 51 believers had for the raid that took the internet by storm.

Photo Illustration by Michael Pearson/Nighthawk News

Just as the Action News 13 reporter arrives on scene of the Area 51 raid, Naruto runners begin their advance on the military base, running in perfect unison. The poor unknowing reporter was too overwhelmed by the amount of Narutos to take shelter amid the war zone.

22

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

Students should embrace their modern stereotype

F

irst, it was girls who liked One Direction. Then, it was girls who wore makeup or watched “Twilight.” Now we turn our nose up at girls who use metal straws and Hydro Flasks.

With every decade comes a plethora of new stereotypes, and the majority of them stem from pop-culture or media.

In the ‘80s, the popular film “The Breakfast Club” portrayed myriad

stereotypes such as the geek, jock and basket case. Bands in the 1990s such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam inspired grunge and punk-rock aesthetics.

When the 2000s arrived, the beloved high-school-spoof film “Mean Girls” depicted the “queen-bee” stereotype.

Now it’s 2019, and apps such as VSCO and Instagram are causing societal standards to be more prominent than ever. People who use Hydro Flasks are “VSCO girls,” or “basic.”

This is just one example of a modern stereotype that has recently surfaced. Others include E-boys/ girls, which is an umbrella term for people who wear dark clothing, chain jewelry and like to skateboard. These people are usually associated with being “too edgy.”

The list of nicknames is never ending, but the most prominent issue with them is the idea behind them – that people are shamed for the things they like because society has to label them.

Now, it’s hard for us to not walk into a room and place everybody we see into a category.

The feeling of walking down the hallway while people watch and whisper about you is one of the worst feelings. You spent so long choosing that

outfit, thought it looked great, and now all you can see are eyes of judgment beaming your way.

If girls and boys enjoy pop-culture, let them. If someone wants to wear a shell-necklace and a scrunchie on their wrist, let them. We have become brainwashed into judging boys and girls who follow popular trends. It’s become trendy to be different.

The “I’m not like other girls” movement – the idea that girls have to be different in order to be considered a valid member of society – is dangerous.

It pains me to know that people feel like they have to meet this standard.

It is OK for people to like what they like. The more we lower our arrogance and embrace our differences, the less conflict there will be.

Focus on spreading positivity and uplifting others rather than using every excuse you can to tear them down.

When you first meet someone, try not to point out everything you find wrong with them.

You don’t have to be different to be cool. Like what you want, even if it’s considered too basic. If you want to, grab a colorful scrunchie to wear on your wrist. Fill up your Hydro Flask

Graphics by Savannah Sawin/ Special to Nighthawk News

without fear of judgment. It may be extremely cliche, but be who you want to be, and so will everyone else.

Junior Peyton Dickerson can be reached at 21dickersonpe28@daretolearn.org.

Common App hands out more tricks than treats

I

t’s Oct. 31, one of the most exciting nights of the year: Halloween.

Students are eager to get home and head out for the night, but this year, for most seniors, college applications stand in the way. The majority of early applications are due Nov. 1, which is going to put a halt to most people’s Halloween festivities.

I think most seniors could attest to the fact that there is not enough time in the day to accomplish what is needed to prepare for college.

Between AP and honors classes, being involved in extracurriculars and studying for the SAT, completing applications is a thought that is clouded in the back of most people’s minds.

Applying to college starts with The Common Application, where students fill in all of their personal information, brag about their accomplishments, attain letters of recommendation, answer short-response questions – and the worst part – write a personal essay.

This essay is one of the most important parts that admission offices put into consideration when they are NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / opinions

reviewing your application. First of all, deciding the subject takes a lot of thought. After this is determined, the essay is expected to be checked by multiple people, which could take a lot of time.

Sure, one may have a free period, but one-on-one opportunities to discuss the application process during classes are unavailable since the time in those classes is already so limited with large curriculums. So, working on college essays where a teacher is readily available is not really an option.

That leaves us seniors having to manage our own schedule to complete applications. For those of us who are busy after school, you know that making time for this is nearly impossible.

After returning home from a tiring day of school and extracurriculars, the only thing you want to do is go to bed.

The only issue is the deadline is slowly creeping up on you, and you know it.

Luckily, we have amazing counselors and a college adviser who can answer all of our questions. Personally, I would be unable to manage the stress

Graphic by Savannah Sawin/Special to Nighthawk News

that college applications engender without them.

For those of you who are applying regular decision, consider yourselves lucky: You can have an enjoyable

Halloween instead of scrambling to put together the pieces of your college applications.

Senior Emma Byard can be reached at byardem0329@daretolearn.org.

23

Green skims his way across the globe

C

By Jack Voight Sports Editor

atch him skimming on a hot summer day, surfing the most recent hurricane swell on a fall morning or hitting up the skate park on a nice midwinter evening. But do you know where else you can find senior Brady Green? It might not be at your favorite surf break right around the corner.

This past summer, the surfer and skimmer took a trip for SkimUSA (an organization that runs competitions across the U.S.) to Japan for two weeks to compete against other skimboarders from Japan in a skim competition.

Green has competed in SkimUSA competitions since he was 5 years old – and just a few weeks ago, Green announced he was turning pro in the sport.

Green and two other kids from the East Coast were selected to compete against Japanese locals. They were selected for their attitude outside of the competition, school and, of course, how good they were at skimming.

“I’ve known Brady for about six years,” said Victor Enriquez, a Virginia Beach native who is the Virginia Co-Director for SkimUSA. “I met him through the contests and just skimming in general.”

Becoming immersed in a completely different culture is mind-boggling as it is, but add competing against locals in an international skimming competition? As soon as Green touched down in Japan, he knew he was going to be in for a mind-blowing Japanese vacation.

“When we first got out of the plane, all the cars were different, the language barrier was insane,” Green said.

“If you didn’t use Google Translate, then you couldn’t speak to the cab drivers and tell them where to go.”

Green skimmed his way along the entire east coast of Japan, passing through landmarks such as Mount Fuji and visiting cities like Tokyo.

“He was a pretty big star over there,” Enriquez jokingly said. “After he finished competing everyone started emulating his style, so to say.”

Green also noticed an age disparity between him and some of his other competitors in Japan, something that isn’t common on his OBX beaches.

“The average age for a skimboarder is 36 over there,” Green said. “People don’t start skimboarding until they’re, like, 30. There was a guy that was probably better than me and he was 50 and he does kickflips and stuff.”

Despite less-than-perfect skim conditions (and good waves distracting him), Green finished second in the pro division and fourth in the men’s division. Competing in the pro division gives Green the opportunity to earn money and prizes depending on how well he does in competition.

And on top of skimming and surfing, Green also skated some while on his trip to Japan, and it wasn’t just a regular trip to the park. While visiting

24

Photos courtesy Maggie Fernandez Photography (top)/Evan Foster (below)

Senior Brady Green defies gravity on his skimboard in a pair of competitions last summer. Skimboarding has taken Green all over the East Coast and as far away as Japan, and he recently turned pro in the sport.

Call 441-6330 a skate park, a clip of Green skating was seen by a pro skater, and he skated with Green for a short session.

“I got to skate with the best skateboarder in Japan,” Green said. “That was probably the coolest part (of the trip). He was insane.”

Green’s love for board sports will continue as he travels around the globe in the near future. Prior to Japan, he had already been on several trips to California, and he plans to be traveling over the winter for more competitions.

“I’m going to either Brazil or Mexico in December,” Green said.

Who knows where you’ll find Brady Green the next time you look for him.

Junior Jack Voight can be reached at 21voightja99@daretolearn.org.

Milepost 9 on the Beach Road

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

‘FlowGang’ makes waves in new, interesting sport

T

By Noah Kinnisten Staff Writer

hese groms are the bomb at this newfound boardsport on the Outer Banks called the FlowRider.

H2OBX, the water park right down the road in Currituck, always has a few familiar faces, but some are more recurring than others, like FFHS freshmen Jackson Meyers, Nick Bernard, Griffin Ash and Noah Boddicker. Over the summer, these FlowBoarders (someone who uses the FlowRider) would be at the water park multiple days a week for hours on end.

Closer to the back of H2OBX lives the FlowRider: a wave riding machine where a normal FlowRider board is used to simulate boogie boarding, and a “stand-up” board used to simulate surfing.

And though they are freshmen, these four are extremely skilled FlowBoarders who do tricks which seem physically impossible – pulling off different flips, spins, turns and other tricks with ease.

These elite FlowBoarders have called themselves the OBX FlowGang.

“It started about a week after (H2OBX) opened,” Ash said. “When the waves were bad at the beach, we would just go there.”

Added Meyers: “I just (started FlowBoarding) one day, then I did a couple of tricks, then I started to do it more and more.”

Now they spend as much time as they can at the water park.

The group even went to a few tournaments for FlowRiding over the summer in places such as New Jersey, Florida and Alabama. Ash went to two differ-

ent competitions in New Jersey and got first in both of his heats.

Meyers, who spends up to “five to six days a week” practicing his technique to the best of his ability, went to Waterville USA in Gulf Shores, Alabama, during August as well as Florida and New Jersey.

“My favorite was Alabama because it was the national championship, so there were a lot of pros there and it was set up really nice,” Meyers said. “I had a stand-up pro staying with me and there was a lot of free food.”

Meyers also explained that the national championship changes locations every year and there is a chance it could be at H2OBX in the coming years.

He came in fourth in the country for his age group: “I think I have a good chance to get first this summer.”

Sophomore Noah Kinnisten can be reached at 22kinnistenno93@daretolearn.org.

Photos submitted by Nick Bernard and Jackson Meyers

Freshman Jackson Meyers (left) performs a sick flip on the FlowRider at H2OBX. Freshman Nick Bernard also practices his FlowBoarding skills at H2OBX.

Offseason commitments keep lacrosse players busy

I

By Tatum Love Staff Writer

t’s a Wednesday afternoon and most students are eager to hang out with friends and relax after a long school day. But for some students, the only thing that awaits them is a long car ride – and the opportunity to play the sport that they love.

Students on the First Flight men’s and women’s lacrosse teams have decided to improve their skill levels by traveling to play in the Southside Fall Lacrosse League during September and October. Here, players join other high school players from all over coastal Virginia to compete in what is commonly known as “Fall Ball.”

Steve Morris has been coaching the FFHS women’s lacrosse team for four years and is excited that his players want to play in the offseason to improve their skills.

“It gives more game experience, which is a huge learning tool for new players, and they get to play with other girls rather than just their teammates,” Morris said.

Senior Simone Midgett has been playing lacrosse for four years and started fall ball last year when it was only the team’s first season.

“I like it a lot more than I thought I would because the games are a lot more fast paced, so the whole team can develop more skills before the regular NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / sports

season starts up in the spring,” Midgett said.

Along with playing the sport they love, one of the many benefits of playing lacrosse is learning the art of time management.

Sophomore Nick Gardill has been playing in the fall league for two years and has become more comfortable with managing school work and lacrosse because of the three-hour round trip every week.

“Honestly, driving an hour and a half isn’t that bad compared to how long the bus rides are for high school season,” Gardill said. “I don’t really mind it, and when I have homework I just use Empower Time and the car ride.”

Plus, driving to Virginia once a week does have its upside for the players – one of them being something that the Outer Banks doesn’t have to offer: Chick-fil-A. “Chick-fil-A is the team tradition,” Midgett said. “After every game most of the team goes and it’s just really fun to hang out and talk about the game and just spend more time together.”

So with the vision of more Chickfil-A visits in the team’s future, another year of having a 5-0 record looks as easy as ordering the No. 1 chicken sandwich, with extra pickles.

Sophomore Tatum Love can be reached at 22loveta53@daretolearn. org.

Photo by Tatum Love/Nighthawk News

Sophomore Nick Gardill and senior Simone Midgett soak in a perfect sunset after a lacrosse game in Virginia Beach this season. A number of Nighthawks are playing fall ball.

25

Ice cream, sunsets – and lots and lots of miles

H

By Kate Hamilton Staff Writer

e was an outgoing and adventurous guy and she was a quiet and shy girl.

Who would’ve thought after a bus ride to William & Mary, there would be a new spark among two cross country runners?

They were brought together by chance, but stay – and run – together by choice.

Seniors Emma Byard and Zach Hughes met in their sophomore year. They knew of each other because they had been running together for the Nighthawks, but didn’t know one another personally.

“The first time I talked to him was when we were on our way to a meet at William & Mary and he sat down on the bus next to me,” Byard said.

They kept running in the same crowd, but gradually started spending more time together.

Of the many memories they share, one night in particular stands out to Hughes.

“We had school that day and then had cross country. We then went out and ate and then went to the beach,” Hughes said, fondly recalling the memory. “We were laying there and that is when I asked her if she would go out with me.”

Since that time, they can be seen exercising together, chatting during the school day, winning Homecoming King and Queen honors – there’s not much this duo can’t do.

In their spare time, Byard and Hughes condition together to stay in shape. Byard rides her bike next to Hughes as he runs. They do about six miles as they go around their neighborhood but have done up to 10 miles during summer workouts.

“Biking for 10 miles straight is not very fun, but I can’t complain because I’m not running the 10 miles like Zach is,” Byard said with a laugh.

Having a sport after school gives them opportunities to spend time together.

“The bus rides and just the experiences we have with the team and individually definitely keeps us close,” Hughes said.

It can be harder for couples who don’t have sports together to spend time because of conflicting schedules. But since both of them run indoor track and cross country, they have a similar agenda during the fall and winter.

“It’s not like I’m really busy and she’s not (busy) or she’s really busy and I’m not,” Hughes said. “We both are busy. It goes hand in hand.”

While cross country is their original pastime, they do enjoy “normal couple” things besides 10-mile workouts: gobbling ice cream, watching movies and sunsets, and going out to eat. A hot spot for these two is Viva Mexican Grill.

The goal for every runner is to reach the finish line. When it comes to this running relationship, Byard and Hughes have talked about what track they may be on after high school. For now, they’re hoping for the best.

“I think we are going to try to stay together in college,” Byard said. “It’ll be kind of tough, but we’re not going that far away from each other.

“Talking and spending time together is the most important thing,” Byard continued. “We definitely share a lot of common interests, so that helps, and just having fun with each other.”

Sophomore Kate Hamilton can be reached at 22hamiltonka86@daretolearn.org.

26

Photos submitted by Emma Byard

Seniors Zach Hughes and Emma Byard show off their banners during the cross country Senior Night festivities earlier this month.

After getting to know each other on a team bus ride, the duo has become First Flight’s running power couple.

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

Follow FFHS on the court, in the pool, on the mat, on the track Basketball Schedule

Wrestling Schedule

Three-game nights are JV Boys, Varsity Girls, Varsity Boys unless otherwise noted. Four-game nights are JV Girls, JV Boys, Varsity Girls, Varsity Boys.

Nov. 23 @ West Carteret Beach Brawl Tournament

Nov. 19 @ Hatteras 4:30, 6, 7:30 Nov. 22 @ Gate City Classic TBA Nov. 23 @ Gate City Classic TBA Dec. 3 @ South Central 4, 5:30, 7 Dec. 5 @ Washington 4:30, 6, 7:30 Dec. 9 vs. Hatteras 4:30, 6 Dec. 10 vs. Hickory 6, 7:30 Dec. 12 @ Camden 5:30 7:00 FFHS Boys Host Good Guys vs. Cancer Tourney Dec. 13 TBA Dec. 14 TBA Dec. 18 @ Manteo 4:30, 6, 7:30 Jan. 7 vs. Pasquotank 4, 5:15, 6:30, 8 Jan. 8 vs. Camden 4:30, 6, 7:30 Jan. 10 @ Northeastern 4, 5:15, 6:30, 8 Jan. 14 @ Hertford County 4, 5:15, 6:30, 8 Jan. 15 vs. Manteo 4:30, 6, 7:30 Jan. 17 vs. Bertie 4, 5:15, 6:30, 8 Jan. 18 @ MLK Kinston TBA Jan. 20 @ MLK Farmville TBA Jan. 24 @ Currituck 4, 5:15, 6:30, 8 Jan. 31 vs. Northeastern 4, 5:15, 6:30, 8 Feb 4 @ Pasquotank 4, 5:15, 6:30, 8 Feb 7 vs. Hertford County 4, 5:15, 6:30, 8 Feb 11 @ Bertie 4, 5:15, 6:30, 8 Feb 14 vs. Currituck 4, 5:15, 6:30, 8

Dec. 3 @ Pasquotank, South Central Dec. 7 @ Pierce Davis Individual Tournament at North Pitt Dec. 10 vs. Northeastern Dec. 13-14 @ Beast of the East Individual Tournament at Croatan Dec. 17 @ Hertford County, Pasquotank Dec. 20-21 @ Tiger Holiday Classic at Chapel Hill High School Jan. 4 @ Coach Overton Duals at Edenton Holmes Jan. 7 @ Northeastern Jan. 10-11 @ Fred Diem Scott Miles Duals North at Hampton High School Jan. 14 vs. Hertford County, Manteo Jan. 17-18 @ Ram Rumble Individual Tournament at Lafayette High School, Va. Jan. 21 @ Currituck Jan. 25 @ Conference Tournament Jan. 28 host First Flight Beach Duals vs. Currituck and Manteo Feb 14-15 @ Regional Individual Tournament Feb 20-22 @ NCHSAA Individual State Tournament

Dec. 11 @ Outer Banks Family YMCA, 4 Dec. 13 @ Elizabeth City YMCA, 4 Dec. 18 @ Outer Banks Family YMCA, 4 Dec. 20 @ Elizabeth City YMCA, 4 Jan. 8 @ Outer Banks Family YMCA, 4 Jan. 10 @ Elizabeth City YMCA, 4 Jan. 15 @ Outer Banks Family YMCA, 4 Jan. 17 Conference Championship @ Elizabeth City YMCA Jan. 22 Last Chance Meet @ Elizabeth City YMCA, 4 Jan. 25 Backup conference meet @ Elizabeth City YMCA Jan. 31-Feb. 1 @ Regional Championships Feb. 6-8 at State Championships

Indoor Track Schedule Dec. 3 @ Norfolk Academy Meet at Boo Williams, Hampton, Va., 3:30 Dec. 9 @ Norfolk Academy Meet at Boo Williams, Hampton, Va., 3:30 Dec. 13-14 @ High School Winter Frolic at Christopher Newport University

Nov. 20 @ Outer Banks Family YMCA, 4 Nov. 22 @ Elizabeth City YMCA, 4

Jan. 7 @ Norfolk Academy Meet at Boo Williams, Hampton, Va., 3 Jan. 15 @ High School Showcase at Christopher Newport University, 9 Jan. 21 @ Norfolk Academy Meet at Boo Williams, Hampton, Va., 3:30

Dec. 4 @ Outer Banks Family YMCA, 4 Dec. 6 @ Elizabeth City YMCA, 4

Feb. 15 @ 1A/2A State Championships at JDL Fast Track, Winston-Salem

Swimming Schedule

Cas and Cal Services is excited to help you with all of your pool and spa needs, and a whole lot more – from custom pool design and outdoor living design to custom wood fencing, gazebos, decks and ocean accesses.

Proudly serving the Outer Banks and all of northeastern North Carolina. Contact us today!

(252) 573-0452 | CasAndCalServices.com | Find us on Facebook NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / sports

27

CLASSES

28

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

HOMECOMING

2019

Photos by Taylor Newton/Nighthawk News Clockwise, from top left: Sophomores cheer out of the ‘Saved by the Sophomores’ float. Mora Newton and Lynette Ford dance their worries away at the pep rally to end the Spirit Week extravaganza. Popularity comes with a price sometimes, and football head coach Jim Prince was rewarded with a pie in the face after getting the most votes from students during the week. During halftime of the Homecoming game against Bertie, seniors Zach Hughes and Emma Byard were crowned Homecoming King and Queen. Juniors ‘KISS’ the Seahawks goodbye as they pass the middle schoolers in the crowd. The ‘Psychedelic Seniors’ reminisce on their final year participating in the Homecoming festivities while channeling their inner ‘70s theme and style. Freshmen take part in the parade for the first time as Nighthawks, enjoying what their high school freedoms have to offer.

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / sports

29

First Flight Fall Spotlight: A Q&A with

Kevin Thoms Senior

How long have you been playing football? This year is my first year since eighth grade.

What are you going to miss the most? The coaches: Coach (Jim) Prince and Coach (Mike) Head.

What is your favorite thing to do before a game? Go eat at Shipwrecks What is your favorite part about your sport? Probably the camaraderie and being able to hit people.

What player (teammate, college or pro) do you look up to the most and why? Probably Cameron Liston, because he’s been there all four years.

What is your dream job? Cyber security, information security officer, because it seems like a fun thing to do, to be able to gather information about someone.

If you could have dinner with any three people (living or dead), who would it be? George Washington, because he was the first president and it would be an interesting conversation. Muhammad Ali, he’s a pretty influential person; and Bill Gates, because he owns Microsoft.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

When someone thinks they know more about you than you do.

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

I’ve had a beard since seventh grade.

Best teacher ever? Mrs. (Nancy) Stevens, because I love computer science and she was a great teacher and a great person.

If you could be any animal, what would it be? Silverback gorilla, because I want to be powerful, scary and intimidating.

30

Olivia Sugg Freshman

How long have you been playing tennis? I played a lot when I was younger and when I was in elementary school and middle school, and I just started back this summer.

What’s your favorite part about playing? This year on the team I like that when you play it’s just you. If you lose it’s your fault and if you win it’s your win and you’re not relying on others. Also, all the girls on the team this year have been amazing and I have made so many new friends and they are all really supportive.

What is your favorite part about your sport? Probably just that it’s all you and you can really get into the match and play for yourself.

Landis Limon

Maggie McNinch

Senior

Sophomore

How long have you been playing volleyball? I’ve been playing since sophomore year.

What are you going to miss the most? Definitely the family aspect of my team, and I’m going to miss just learning about a bunch of new things.

What is your favorite part about your sport? My favorite part is definitely learning new plays and new hits, just getting better and also jumping higher and just kind of going for that.

Where is your favorite place to eat before/after a game? Probably Plaza Azteca or Tropical Smoothie.

Where is your favorite place to eat before/after a game? Every Tuesday the whole team goes to La Fogata’s and we always have tacos and it’s really fun.

What player (teammate, college or pro) do you look up to the most?

Maddie Ball, who graduated two years ago. She just had so much positivity and I’ve never seen a senior going into the game with positivity instead of, just like, “I rule the court.”

What is your dream job? I want to be a nurse or a doctor just because I know I have always been interested in that since I was really little.

If you became a millionaire by age 20, what would you do with it?

I’d definitely take my mom out on a really nice vacation.

If you could have dinner with any three people (living or dead), who would it be? My great grandmother because of all the stories I have heard about her; Rosa Parks because of all the influential things she did; and Taylor Swift.

If you could have dinner with any three people (living or dead), who would it be, and why? Justin Bieber, because he’s so beautiful and I love his voice and he would just sing the whole time, and then probably Drake because he has some cool lyrics, and I’d just want to see why he says that. And then probably a really good college athlete.

What is your favorite holiday?

I like Fourth of July because all of my family gets together and hangs out on the beach. It’s one of the only times each year we’re all together.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

When I am in the hallway and people cut me off or step on my toes.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

My biggest pet peeve is actually in volleyball when people get down on themselves and they lose energy and they start kind of shutting down mentally, and then we’re all just on different mental stages.

What’s your favorite part about running? I love the team and I love how I feel after running a race or after a workout.

What is your favorite part about your sport? I don’t like the running part so much, it’s the team aspect of it.

What player (teammate, college or pro) do you look up to the most?

Definitely either Zach Hughes or Emma Byard. Zach is super inspiring, funny, a great leader and he makes you do better. Emma’s the same way and she is super kind and caring.

What’s your favorite memory playing your sport? Just getting Panera after every away meet.

What is your dream job? Being a journalist, because I like to travel and I think it’s interesting.

If you became a millionaire by age 20, what would you do with it?

I would definitely use it to travel the world.

What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas, because I love the spirit it puts you in and everyone is super happy. I also love giving presents to people.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

I cannot stand silverware scratching plates or teeth.

What is a lifelong dream of yours? I’ve always wanted to visit every country in the world, even though that is definitely difficult.

If you could be any animal, what would it be? I would be a dolphin, because I like to be in the water.

Go-to karaoke song? “Woman” by Kesha

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019

Nighthawk student-athletes

Jude Sproul Junior

How long have you been playing soccer? About six years. Maybe, I don’t know.

What is your favorite part of playing soccer? Like, getting the ball.

Passing it. Scoring sometimes. I like destroying kids. It’s my passion.

What is your favorite memory playing the sport? It’s all the same to me. It’s all one big memory to me.

What is your favorite thing to eat before a game? I don’t eat before games usually.

What is your favorite thing to eat after a game? Smoothie, extra thick, and I just scoop it up out of the cup with a spoon.

Biggest pet peeve? When people try to tell me what to do.

If you became a millionaire by age 20, what would you do with it?

Buy a house and do nothing for the rest of my life. Maybe I’d have a butler to feed grapes to me.

What’s your favorite TV show?

“Rick and Morty.”

What’s the best movie you’ve ever seen? “Five Nights at Freddy’s.”

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

I’m not interesting at all in any way, shape or form.

Amber Hite Senior

How long have you been cheering? Since I was 10.

What are you going to miss the most? Friday night lights with my best friends.

What’s your favorite part about cheering? Hitting stunts that I’ve been working on for a really long time.

What is your favorite thing to do before a game? Eat with my teammates.

What’s your favorite memory from your sport? When Hayley’s sticky boobs fell out when she was tumbling my sophomore year.

What is your dream job? An elementary school teacher, because I love kids.

If you become a millionaire by age 20, what would you do with it?

I would buy a G Wagon, and then I would make a bunch of scholarships because college is really expensive – that’s what I found out.

If you could have dinner with any three people (living or dead), who would it be? Dem White Boyz because, I mean, have you seen them, and that’s three people.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Bad smells.

What is a lifelong dream of yours? To be able to spoil my kids when I grow up.

Tyler Sylvia Junior

Come ride the wave

Call the Joe Lamb Realty Sales Team

What’s your favorite part about cross country? The rewarding feeling after a race.

What is your favorite thing to do before a meet? Listen to music.

What’s your favorite memory?

Winning states in the 4x8 last year.

What’s your favorite part about running? The rewarding feeling after crossing the finishing line and making a new personal record.

joelambrealty.com 252-261-4444

How did you feel? It was such a relief after all the hard work.

What player do you look up to the most? Zach (Hughes), because he is just an overall good person.

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

I am vegetarian.

What’s your favorite beach access? Carlow Street What is a lifelong dream of yours? To run in college.

What is your dream job? A nutritionist, because I like seeing how food affects the body.

If you could be any animal, what would it be? Cheetah, because they are fast and fit.

If you became a millionaire by age 20, what would you do with it?

I would buy the island and build it up and then rent the island out to people.

Photos by Cassie Honeycutt, Aaron Jennings, Cassidy McNeill, Taylor Newton, Michael Pearson and Aliza Snow.

Reporting by Kayla Hallac, Kate Hamilton, Callie Honeycutt, Cassie Honeycutt, Simone Midgett, Jack Voight and Kejsi Zyka.

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / sports

31

Southern Bank proudly supports First Flight High School.

Visit Our Local Branch Locations: Kill Devil Hills | 202 S. Croatan Highway | 252-449-4499 Kitty Hawk | 4804 N Croatan Highway | 252-261-1326 Manteo | 704 S. Highway 64\264 | 252-475-3688

www.southernbank.com

Individual and Group Classes From Beginner to Advanced

252-955-0706

NCMusicTeachers.com

DOOR & WINDOW REPLACEMENT • DECKS • ROOFING KITCHEN & BATH RENOVATIONS • INTERIOR & EXTERIOR PAINTING • GUTTERS • FLOORING • DRYWALL REPAIR SIDING • STORM PREP & REPAIR • CLEAN UP

C had T omlin Owner/Operator

32

252.305.0636 obxchad@gmail.com • Kill Devil Hills, NC

NIGHTHAWK News Magazine / / fall / / 2019