ODYSSEY Newsmagazine, Vol. 15, Issue 4

Volume 15 Issue 4 May 2018 $3.00

12 A look into the opioid epidemic

32 a league of her own

Former Clarke Central High School head football coach Billy Henderson is remembered by friends, family and the Athens community.

VIEWPOINTS

10 to vote or not to vote

38

REMEMBERING HENDERSON << BY alexander robinson

Viewpoints Editor Valeria Garcia-Pozo and Viewpoints staffer Sam Mattern-Parkes argue on the issue of voter abstention.

BY SAM MATTERN-PARKES AND VALERIA GARCIA-POZO

NEWS needing some sleep 16Sleep deprivation is a growing problem among

Former Clarke Central High School head football coach Billy Henderson is remembered by friends, family and the Athens community.

high school students.

BY MACKENZIE CAUDILL

FEATURES

20 advanced problems

There is an underepresentation, compared to school demographics, of students of color enrolled in AP classes at CCHS.

BY MACKENZIE CAUDILL

REVIEWS simon says watch it 24“Love, Simon” is a positive, heart-warming and genuine depiction of teen life and identity.

Right: DELIVERING A DOSE: Clarke Central High School nurse Jessica Weems administers a dose of prescription medication for a student. Prescription opioids can lead to addiction. “There is a misconception that prescription drugs are safe, but actually they can be very dangerous, especially when used recreationally,” Clarke County School District Director of Nursing Amy Roark said.

12

Photo by Zoe Peterson

BY CONNOR McCAGE

VARIETY

Photo by Krista Shumaker

broad blunder 26Thewest West Broad Farmer’s Market, important to the Rocksprings and Athens communities, faces a potential risk of being relocated.

BY EMMA RAMSAY

SPORTS STEPPING UP TO BAT 36Clarke Central High School freshman Rebekah Camp has overcome criticism to join the baseball team at the high school level.

Cover by Suncana Pavlic Table of Contents by Lucia Bermudez

BY HANNAH GALE

37

Left: A STRONG START: Clarke Central HIgh School freshman Andre Lopez poses in Billy Henderson Stadium.

Lopez is the only freshman to ever start on the CCHS varsity boys soccer team under head coach Chris Aiken.

“Being a freshman has been really cool. Most of the guys are at least a couple years older than me, but they treat me as one of them,” Lopez said.

>> VIEWPOINTS

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR. Co-Editor-in-

ANEESA

Chief Aneesa Conine-Nakano discusses the impact students can have on gun control.

CONINE-NAKANO Photo by Kelly Fulford

Left: GETTING INVOLVED: Clarke Central High School students pose with “March for Our Lives” signs on the upper athletic field on April 20.

Students organized speakers, voter sign-up tables and calling stations where people were given the option for increased political participation. “I think that it went as well as it could’ve gone.

It just wasn’t very effective because there were some people who actually cared, but there were also people who just wanted to skip class,” sophomore Avery Sepesi said.

C

urrent Clarke Central High School students were roughly between the ages of 9 and 13 on Dec. 14, 2012 when Adam Lanza killed 26 students and faculty members at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

After the shooting, I remember my Instagram page flooding with text posts sending prayers and love to the people in Newtown, Connecticut. It made sense. When something is so hard to grasp and the politics surrounding gun control is a mystery to middle schoolers, what else would they post?

Over five years later, my classmates and I learned about the devastating mass shooting in Parkland, Florida on Feb. 14, where 17 people died at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSDHS).

However unlike the Sandy Hook shooting, I saw posts with the words “thoughts and prayers” crossed out and replaced with two words: “policy and change.”

In my last editorial featured in Volume 15, Issue 3 of the ODYSSEY Newsmagazine, I discussed the amount of conflict, and at times stagnation, that comes from armchair activism. It was easy to brush

this off as something that would pass quickly. A post is just a post if nothing comes from it.

After all, the death of 20 children in 2012 wasn’t enough to pass the 2013 Assault Weapons Ban. Legislation like the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which would allow anyone with a concealed carry permit to carry in all 50 states, was passed through the House of Representatives at the end of 2017. In addition to all the violence that happens on a day-to-day basis, how would this change people’s minds?

...now is the time to speak up.

Shortly after the Parkland massacre, students from MSDHS began speaking out. Most notably, student Emma Gonzalez delivered an 11-minute speech that went viral stating, “They say that no laws could have been able to prevent the hundreds of senseless tragedies that have occurred — we call B.S.! That us kids don’t know what we’re talking

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LUCIA

about, that we’re too young to understand how the government works — we call B.S.!”

Never before had there been this big of a push for advocacy and education regarding gun legislation by and for teenagers. Several protests, marches and walkouts have been planned including one that took place on March 24.

It is easy to become pessimistic after years of seeing minimal progress and at times, regression of gun control, however what we can learn from the students at MSDHS is that our voices matter and can be heard.

I turned 18 years old 10 days before the Parkland shooting. Many of the seniors at CCHS are either already 18 or turning 18 soon. We have the power of advocacy and an actual say in elected representatives.

Do research. Form opinions. Find ways to contribute to the movement and then fully engage.

We cannot afford to stay silent about tragedies and legislation that has a direct effect on our safety.

People are ready to hear our voices and now is the time to speak up.

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I

BERMUDEZ

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR. The disproportionate amount of students of color in AP classes must be addressed.

remember sitting at my desk in Advanced Placement World History as a sophomore. I took notes as my teacher talked about the first developing societies in Latin America. As I listened to my teacher, I looked around the room, and suddenly, I realized something.

“I’m the only Latina in this class,” I whispered to a friend sitting nearby.

I laughed it off, as it was something I had grown accustomed to at that point in my academic career. In my AP, and even some advanced classes, I have often been the only or one of the few Latinx people there. However, the moment still struck me.

How could I be the only Latinx person in a class with a school that has nearly 400 Latinx students?

This lack of diversity in AP classes is common at Clarke Central High School.

According to CCHS’ Student Enrollment Summary Report for 2017-2018 generated May 3, CCHS demographics were 45 percent Black, 25 percent Hispanic, 23 percent White and 2 percent Asian. Though CCHS has a roughly 77 percent minority enrollment rate, AP classes at CCHS do not reflect these numbers.

CCHS offers 18 AP classes. In the district as a whole, however, only 15.3 percent of all Black Clarke County School District students are in at least one AP course according to 2016-2017 official CCSD data. The number is 29.6 percent for Hispanic students, while White students, who make up only 17 percent of the CCSD high school population, have a 59.6 percentage rate of being in at least one AP course.

For me, lacking significant diversity in all of my AP classrooms has not been a major obstacle, as I’ve grown used to the circumstances and conforming to whatever settings are available to me.

However, for other minority students, walking into a classroom where no one looks like you, talks like you or shares your background can be alienating and uncomfortable.

Representation in all forms is important.

Whether it’s seeing people on movie screens that have your features or having a president who shares your language and culture, representation of minorities in all places and levels

in society is essential, and the same goes for the classroom.

AP classes must be spaces where minority students feel comfortable learning and thriving. These classes can help minority students advance educationally and be a big benefit later on in college.

2017 CCHS alumna Charis Stafford, who attended Georgia Southern University-Armstrong Campus, did not take AP courses in high school, as she felt uncomfortable in the classroom environment given the lack of racial diversity.

However, Stafford feels taking APs would have propelled her academically.

“I wish I would’ve stayed in there because I feel like it would’ve prepared me a little bit because college is like AP (classes) basically,” Stafford said. “I feel like (AP classes) would help prepare a lot of people because college is stressful. It’s really you being independent and making sure you’re on top of everything and making sure you’re doing what you need to do at all times.”

Not only is increasing the amount of minority students in AP classes imperative to minority student success and achievement, it also benefits all students in the classroom, as it makes for a more diverse group of learners who can contribute varying viewpoints, knowledge and experiences.

Programs like the Gifted Minorities Achieving group are a step in the right direction towards improving the diversity in AP classrooms, but we must not stop there. Other initiatives to encourage minority students to enroll in APs must be enacted within our building.

Whether it be a parent-student night catered specifically toward minority families or a more one-on-one approach with advisers, counselors or administrators, it’s imperative students of all color are encouraged to reach their full potential and feel good in the classroom they’re doing it in.

Below: OUT OF PLACE: There is a disproportionate amount of students of color in AP classes at Clarke Central High School.

Students of color in these APs may feel uncomfortable or feel hesitant to participate in class, like the student below (middle).

Cartoon by Paulina Hafer

>> VIEWPOINTS

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Odyssey

The ODYSSEY is a student-produced newsmagazine, published with the intent to inform, entertain and give voice to the Clarke Central High School community, as well as to educate student journalists. Established in 2003, the ODYSSEY is published multiple times a year, and each issue is an open public forum for student expression under the guidance of a faculty adviser.

Student journalists are provided with opportunities to investigate, inform, interpret and to evaluate: all traditionally accepted functions of the press in America. Published opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone other than the staff.

The ODYSSEY staff is committed to reflect the mission statement set forth by Clarke Central High School. The goals of the staff are to provide fair, accurate news and commentaries, as well as to serve the interests of the school and Athens’ community.

Advertising must conform to the guidelines set forth for editorials. Publication of advertisements does not indicate an endorsement by CCHS or the ODYSSEY staff.

Corrections of errors and omissions will appear in the next issue.

Managing Editor: Delia Adamson Senior Copy Editor: Jordan Rhym Senior Visuals Editor: Suncana Pavlic Viewpoints Editor: Valeria Garcia-Pozo News Editor: Jurnee Louder Variety Editor: Connor McCage

“I’m going to California, (and) just go visit different places -- go to the beach, Hollywood. (I’m going) with my family, probably like a week or two.”

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, sleep deprivation can cause anxiety disorders, which in turn, contribute to more sleep deprivation. For students, this can mean an inescapable routine.

In addition, some obligations -- such as jobs -- are not an option for students who must work to support their families.

Although academically competitive students could give up certain activities for the sake of their sleep and their sanity, that comes at a cost to students hoping to appear well-rounded for colleges.

Students have no choice but to pull all-nighters. And when these all-nighters become an every-night routine, something has to change.

Teachers should be considerate of students’ workloads from other classes, as well as their after-school activities and delegate assignments accordingly. Additionally, enforcing due dates at earlier times of night could aid in preventing all-nighters.

Having chronically tired students does not contribute to a positive school environment. It makes coming to school a stressful, vicious cycle that contributes to an already overwhelming amount of work.

Though the solution may not be clear, one thing remains certain: the vicious cycle of sleep deprivation cannot continue if the Clarke County School District wants to ensure health for its students.

Business Manager: Gabriel Mantione-Holmes Broadcast Editor: Kelly Fulford Director of Audience Engagement: Olivia Ripps Design Editor: Katie Grace Upchurch Staff Members: Mackenzie Caudill Caedmon Churchwell Owen Churchwell Emma Crane Edmund Davis Karla Dougan Bria Echols Luis Garcia Elena Gilbertson-Hall Kri Hair Madeleine Ingle Sam Mattern-Parkes Zoe Peterson Emma Ramsay Lily Bruce-Ritchie Alexander Robinson Dalace Thomas Everett Vereen

ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE Clarke Central High School 350 S. Milledge Avenue Athens, Georgia 30605 Phone: (706) 357-5200 Ext. 17370

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-- DIANA MEJIA, senior “I play football, so I’m gonna be working out mostly over the summer. It’s usually around a few hours (each day), and we work out or condition and lift weights.”

-- AMARI FULTON, sophomore “My family owns a restaurant, so I’ll probably be helping them because it’s a family business and my sister is in college, so she’ll be doing her own things.”

Below: NOT SNOOZIN’ AND LOSIN’: Sleep deprivation is an issue amongst students, many of whom stay up late participating in sporting events or working on homework assignments.

Adviser: David A. Ragsdale

T

-- LUCAS PARKER, junior

Junior Copy Editor: Ana Aldridge

BOILING POINT Managing Editor Delia Adamson shares what she wants her freshman sister to know before she graduates.

“A lot! I’m going on a monthlong family trip -- where I’m gonna go insane -- and for the rest of the summer I’m gonna be staying with my boyfriend in Connecticut.”

When all-nighters become an every-night routine, something has to change.

Sports Editor: Hannah Gale

DELIA ADAMSON

what are your plans for the summer?

Cartoon by Audrey Kennedy

The ODYSSEY is a member of the Quill and Scroll Honor Society, Georgia Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association and Southern Interscholastic Press Association.

Question

’m so tired.”

This phrase is heard all too often in the classrooms and hallways of Clarke Central High School as a normal, everyday part of conversation.

However, for many students, the phrase carries more weight than one may think. According to a study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), the problem is not unique to CCHS students -- 73 percent of high school students across the nation are not getting enough sleep.

At CCHS, this is due, in part, to an exorbitant amount of homework every night, with a large workload for each of seven classes.

For students who have jobs, after-school activities, or both, it can be even more challenging to complete work without staying up all night. This problem has serious implications for the school culture and student health.

“Unfortunately, our society right now just expects too much of people,” school psychologist Dr. Marcia Page said. “You’re more susceptible to just getting viruses like colds and flus and anything like that. And you’re actually more at risk for getting in a car accident or any kind of death really because you’re not as alert and then your body’s just not fighting infections, as well.”

Co-Editors-in-Chief: Lucia Bermudez and Aneesa Conine-Nakano

of the month

o my better half, Thank you for teaching me to be kind.

For never judging someone based on their appearance or how they act.

For helping me recognize when I am being recklessly negative.

Thank you for showing me optimism.

For showing me all the better sides of life and never letting me dwell on what I can’t change.

For telling me that things could always be worse and that I am a lucky one.

Thank you for your radiance.

For always smiling and trying to cheer me up, especially when I am sad.

For brightening up my darkest days.

Thank you for buying me food.

Thank you for teaching me to be kind.

For all the endless Ru Sans, Chick-fil-a and Barberitos dates.

For all the stolen fries and hash browns and taking pity on me because I am vegan.

Thank you for getting angry with me.

For telling me when I am wrong and not letting me off the hook.

For blowing up my phone and getting frustrated when I don’t respond.

Thank you for being you.

For showing me what I can be.

For allowing me to be your role model.

Thank you.

For being my sister.

Love, Your sissy Below: SISTERLY LOVE: Journalism I student Ava Adamson (left) poses for a picture with her older sister, Managing Editor Delia Adamson (right) in 2005. Throughout the years, their relationship has gone through glows and grows.

Photo courtesy of Delia Adamson

Students pictured in advertisements are not given monetary compensation. All advertising rates are available upon request from any ODYSSEY staff member.

“I

Our Take

-- RAYMOND PAN, freshman “I signed up to be a counselor at a teen boot camp. I do work with teenagers a lot and they say I’m ‘relatable’, so hopefully, I’ll be able to impact them in a way.”

-- THOMASINA MIRANDA, science department teacher

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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>> FEATURES

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR // Lucia

FINDING HER HOME // Maddie Ingle

Bermudez

Jordan (Butler) is one of my best friends. We met last year and ever since then, I’ve seen her anxiety start to dissipate. I didn’t know why until she started to talk about her love for agriculture more and more and started to get excited about the concept of maybe becoming the FFA president. Then, when she was asked to be interviewed for the ODYSSEY, she didn’t stop talking about it for a week. Imagine how excited she was when she heard she was the cover story. Thanks for helping my friend get the word out about her favorite thing in the world.

I agree with the editor when they say sexual education feels awkward to talk about due to the presentation. Teachers shouldn’t make the students feel awkward, as this is something that is needed and is something that is normal in everyday life.

Having sexual education at a younger age is also a good idea as the teachers can learn to better present sexual education and it teaches students not to feel awkward when they go through the rest of the course.

-- Xylan Moon, freshman

>> NEWS Work-Based Learning is a great opportunity for high school students to have an idea and some experience how the real world operates. Students should be encouraged to engage in such programs and likewise more similar programs that help students prepare for the real world should be introduced. I liked this article because it portrays the importance and advantages of Work-Based Learning. I missed a great opportunity by not engaging in Work-Based Learning and reading this article has encouraged me to apply to such programs in college.

-- Ikechukwu Obi-Okoye, senior

Corrections/Omissions February 2018 On page 3, the cover photo is by Zoe Peterson and the Table of Contents is by Lucia Bermudez.

On page 3, the story about Marquez Williams can be found on page 36, not 32.

On page 6, Elena Gilbertson Hall’s name should be spelled without a hyphen.

On page 35, the photo was taken by Krista Shumaker.

Contact

ODYSSEY Newsmagazine

“I

Journalism I student Andrea Matta-Castillo shares her love for soccer and why she continues to enjoy it.

If I could, I would dedicate all my time to it.

-- Nyah Carlson, sophomore

t was suprising Everett Vereen to hear that in reality, fraternities and sororities are just like the ones you see on a >> SPORTS screen.

MIXED MESSAGES // Hannah Gale

At the time, I did not know I had a passion for soccer. Only recently, I knew I loved the sport and if I could, would dedicate all my time to it.

Besides my love for soccer, I continue to play because it is great surrounding myself with people who also appreciate soccer as much as I do. I have met some of my closest friends through soccer and just being with a group of people through a loss or a victory is something I value.

Being part of a soccer team has also taught me many lessons. A key lesson I have learned throughout playing soccer is to cooperate with others and to trust each player to be successful.

As I keep playing soccer for the Clarke Central High School team, the adrenaline while being on the soccer field with people who love soccer as much as I do, will continue.

I loved reading this article by Everett because it gives an outlook on artists that aren’t known as “mainstream” in music media these days. This article really gives students the opportunity to expand their taste in music especially artists that have a huge ability to rise to stardom. Not only did Everett point out some really good artists, but he gave some of their background information and their music style in general, which is really helpful.

-- Freshman Nasia Greer, in response to viewpoints staffer Sam Mattern-Parkes’ editorial “Don’t Go Greek,” detailing the downsides of Greek life.

-- Lalita Imes, sophomore

As an active member of marching band in the fall and JROTC Drill Team/Color Guard, I agree with this article. I am aware that marching band and drill team are not considered “varsity sports,” but they are full-time commitments. Grades are very important for participation in these activities, as well. I definitely agree that a study hall should be added to our varsity athletics programs.

-- Elizabeth Gaskill, junior

r

THUMBS

The ODYSSEY staff’s opinions on this month’s issues.

F

rom the first whistle of the game to the last, I give it my all on the field.

Whether we win, lose or tie, the excitement of the next match is my motivation.

My dad, a soccer fan, would watch the national team of Peru and U.S. play on TV all the time. I was right by his side watching as the teams battled hard for a victory, oftentimes yelling because the team made dumb passes or because the team I was rooting for was not winning.

I later became interested in watching European soccer. As I watched my idols like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. play, I remember thinking that I wanted to be just as good as them.

My dad would also take me to the park regularly to just kick the ball around and would often take me to watch when he played with his friends at the YWCO.

5 ARTISTS TO WATCH IN 2018 //

“

HANDS-ON LEARNING // Luis Garcia

>> VARIETY

Fresh Voice

Below: A KICK OF PASSION: Clarke Central High School freshman Andrea Matta-Castillo passes the ball during the JV Lady Glads game against Athens Academy on March 24. Matta-Castillo has played soccer for Athens United, Clarke Middle School and for CCHS as a swing.

Photo by Owen Donnelly

GROWING FFA

Our February featured a news story by Ana Aldridge about the Future Farmers of America (FFA) program and its impact on students, both from Clarke Middle School and Clarke Central High School.

ANDREA MATTA-CASTILLO

HITTING A HOME RUN Freshman baseball player Rebekah Camp is the only female member of the ninth-grade team.

STUDENTS STANDING STRONG Following the rise of school shootings during 2018, student action in the form of protests and political action is more necessary than ever.

LINING UP LITIGATION Several firms are putting forth a lawsuit to lessen the flow of opioids.

BRIDGING THE GAP The Communities in Schools program offers specialized incentives and builds relationships with students.

LOVING “LOVE, SIMON” The film beautifully handles the subject of being an LGBTQ teenager.

DISADVANTAGED PLACEMENT There is a lack of minority students taking AP classes at CCHS, despite its high enrollment of minority students.

LOSING SLEEP Sleep deprivation is a problem for many CCHS students, who find it affects them in negative ways.

FAILING FUNNY BUSINESS When stand-up comics try to cater to sensitive audiences, they sacrifice the social critique that led to the rise of the medium in the first place.

REMEMBERING COACH HENDERSON Many members of the Athens community mourn the loss of Coach Billy Henderson, who passed away in February.

Letters: E-mail us at editors@odysseynewsmagazine.net, or drop off in the Main Office, in care of the ODYSSEY. We ask that all letters be under 250 words and signed. We reserve the right to omit or edit any letters received. Insulting, unsigned or libelous statements will not be considered for publication. All letters may be edited for clarity and space. Advertising: For ad rates e-mail us at business@odysseynewsmagazine.net. Online: Comment online at our www.odysseynewsmagazine.net.

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Accidental Addiction

HEAD TO HEAD: Voter abstention

Viewpoints Editor Valeria Garcia-Pozo and Viewpoints staffer Sam Mattern-Parkes argue on the issue of voter abstention.

T

he right to vote is the foundation of the United States’ political system, and is often viewed as a civic duty, meaning that everyone should vote.

But it is not that simple.

While everyone should stay informed and know what is happening in the United States and the rest of the world, voting isn’t necessarily good political participation. People who choose not to vote are still

BY SAM MATTERN-PARKES participating in politics.

Viewpoints staffer According to Shane Singh, an associate professor of International Affairs at the University of Georgia, who studies compulsory voting, voter abstention can serve as a statement.

People who choose not to vote are still participating in politics.

“Voter abstention (is) simply when an individual decides not to turnout to vote on election day,” Singh said. “It’s a strong way to signal that one is dissatisfied with the democratic system. So, I think it’s a valuable form of protest.”

It is a form of protest that can be even more powerful than voting.

For example, if all the Black men in Georgia, who overwhelmingly voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, had instead decided not to vote as a protest against police brutality or another issue, the election results would not have changed. Georgia’s electoral votes still would have gone to Donald Trump.

However, this large-scale protest would have certainly garnered more media coverage and sparked more discussion than simply voting.

And voter abstention shouldn’t just apply to people who won’t change the result of the election. Voting should not be seen as picking the lesser of two evils. A political party shouldn’t just be elected just because the alternatives are even worse.

If everyone automatically votes, that is what happens. Politicians don’t care why they were elected. If politicians are elected just as the least bad option, they won’t have any motivation to get better. Instead, by not voting, the electorate is sending a message that it demands other options.

It is true that voting gives everyone a voice, but that voice is lost if everyone is forced to say the same thing. Sometimes silence speaks louder than words.

RIght: VOTE OR DON’T?: While voting is the right of American citizens and is often encouraged, some feel abstention is a valid form of political participation.

M

any Clarke Central High School students are vocal about their wishes for change. On Feb. 15, approximately 150 CCHS students gathered in protest when they felt a fellow student had been censored by a teacher, and many students who did not participate voiced their support.

This was one way to get their voices heard.

However, students can advocate directly for change by

BY VALERIA GARCIA-POZO participating in the political system.

Viewpoints Editor Soon, CCHS juniors and seniors will become a part of the constituency that will decide what the next administration will look like.

It is imperative that students register to vote and take the time to vote in as many elections as possible.

However, voter abstention -- the decision not to turn out on Election Day -- is a dangerous, prevalent phenomenon that has reared its ugly head in recent elections, most notably the 2016 presidential race.

BY MADDIE INGLE Viewpoints staffer

A

Viewpoints staffer Madeleine Ingle gives insight on the opioid epidemic in Athens, what’s being done to combat it and what the next steps are toward remedying the damage.

thens, like other cities across America, has suffered financial and social repercussions from the opioid and heroin epidemic.

In hopes of receiving compensation for costs related to the epidemic, Blasingame, Burch, Garrard and Ashley Law Firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of Athens-Clarke County against opioid manufacturers and distributors in February. This lawsuit is being grouped with similar ones throughout the United States in a process called multidistrict litigation.

According to the official complaint from Athens-Clarke County, the goal of the lawsuit is to lessen the flow of both legal and illegal opioids by influencing the manufacturers and distributors to rethink their marketing strategies and further regulate the distribution of their product. ACC hopes to receive compensation from opioid manufacturers and distributors that would go towards

costs associated with opioid addiction treatment, opioid overdose, emergency room visits and incarceration costs.

Will this financial compensation help those affected by the opioid epidemic?

Yes. Will money from pharmaceutical companies provide a solution to a problem they helped to create? No. According to the official complaint from ACC, between 2006-2016, doctors wrote on average 116.8 prescriptions per 100 people in Athens.

This lawsuit blames the manufacturers and distributors of these pills for their misleading marketing and negligence in reporting excessive sales of opioids. Although this is valid, they aren’t solely responsible for the epidemic.

“I think doctors were negligent, too. I don’t think it all falls on the medication manufacturers,” Alliance Recovery Center (ARC) Program Director Julia Dale said. “I most certainly have experience with clients who are able to get about anything they wanted from a doctor.”

Many people break a bone, or get into a car accident, and before they know it, a seemingly innocent painkiller becomes a life-altering heroin addiction.

It is imperative that students register to vote and take the time to vote in as many elections as possible.

There, the lack of voter turnout resulted in the presidency of Donald Trump, who, according to a March 21 FiveThirtyEight poll, 52 percent of likely or registered voters disapprove of.

It implores each and every one of these voters to act on their disapproval.

Although abstaining from voting could be a form of protesting the political process, America cannot afford this kind of protest.

According to Shane Singh, an associate professor of international affairs at the University of Georgia, lack of voter turnout can decrease representation for marginalized communities.

“Let’s say there are a bunch of people who are in favor of immigration rights, (but) because they are upset with the current administration, they decide to abstain from the subsequent election,” Singh said. “That might send a strong signal, but it would also mean that people who are maybe sympathetic to immigration and immigration rights are less likely to get elected.”

Once of voting age, it is imperative that students register to vote and take the time to vote in as many elections as possible.

If not, none of the change they are asking for will come to light.

Since their opening in 2014, the ARC in Athens has had 736 intakes. The correlation between the overprescription of opioids and the plague of opioid addiction in America is undeniable.

“When a client goes to a doctor and gets a prescription, they feel like because they’re getting that prescription from that doctor, that it’s okay, that it’s safe,” Dale said. “People trust doctors, and if doctors are trusting pharmaceutical companies that were misleading them, you can see how that trickled down.”

Opioid addiction is nondiscriminatory. Many people break a bone, or get into a car accident, and before they know it, a seemingly innocent painkiller becomes a life-altering heroin addiction.

The lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors is a step in the right direction toward tackling the opioid epidemic in Athens.

But, there are still steps the government can take, such as prosecuting the doctors who have contributed to the epidemic, to protect people against the overprescription of opioids.

It’s time the Athens community shed light on this ongoing issue.

Left: PULLING THE STRINGS: The influence of pharmaceutical companies on doctors poses dangerous health risks for patients, who often become addicted to opioids, according to. Alliance Recovery Center (ARC) Program Director Julia Dale. “People trust doctors, and if doctors are trusting pharmaceutical companies that were misleading them, you can see how that trickled down,” Dale said.

Cartoon by Suncana Pavlic

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>> NEWS

NEWS <<

fighting against opioids

The increase in opioid addiction and opioid-related deaths over the past few decades has been costly for governments.

“As more people are becoming addicted to these drugs, that is increasing the costs of emergency room visits, opioid related deaths, addiction treatment services and there is also a spill-over effect into the correction system that is adding to the cost of localities in addressing these issues,” professor of law at the University of Georgia Elizabeth Weeks Leonard, who has an expertise in health law.

According to the New York Times, over 400 local governments across the United States, including

“When a client goes to a doctor and gets a prescription, they feel like it’s safe. They think that, as long as it’s prescribed, that they’re OK, when in fact, they can establish dependency to that medication.”

-- JULIA DALE, Program Manager at the Athens Alliance Recovery Center

On Feb. 7, Athens-Clarke County filed a lawsuit against numerous opioid manufacturers and distributors in an effort to alleviate the effects of the opioid epidemic.

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ccording to the Georgia Department of Public Health, from 2001 to 2015, Georgia’s death rate due to opioid overdose increased by nearly 400 percent.

In 2015, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 549 Georgia deaths from prescription opioid overdoses alone. Nationally, the opioid epidemic, the deadliest drug epidemic in American history, claimed the lives of 64,000 people in 2016.

According to the Georgia Prevention Project, a statewide program aimed at reducing the use of

BY ELENA GILBERTSON HALL News staffer

dangerous drugs among young adults, opioids are a class of drugs -- often used as painkillers -- that act on the body’s nervous system. When abused, these seemingly harmless painkillers can turn into a dangerous addiction.

“When an individual takes an opioid, they have a spike in their dopamine that gives them a pleasurable effect,” former addiction nurse and addiction counselor Patricia Marshall said. “It progresses to where the individual has to have an opioid just to feel normal. That’s when people get into trouble because they’ll do whatever they have to do to get that drug.”

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Athens-Clarke County, have filed lawsuits against many opioid manufacturers and distributors, including Purdue Pharma and Cephalon, asserting that they have exacerbated the human and financial costs of the opioid epidemic.

“We believe the drug companies, distributors, and even some of the providers, have worsened the problem if not actually created the problem with drugs that were sold to doctors as being safe and non-addictive, when in fact, that wasn’t the case,” city attorney for ACC Bill Berryman said.

The ACC lawsuit, filed on Feb. 7, alleges many opioid manufacturers and distributors contributed

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ACC is represented in the lawsuit by Athens law firm Blasingame, Burch, Garrard and Ashley (BBGA). The firm has developed a specialty in national mass tort litigation and is representing nearly 20 other Georgia counties in similar cases.

“We got involved (in the lawsuit) for two reasons.

One, we think we’re on the right side. And two, this is what we do. We do mass torts and multidistrict litigation stuff,” one of the lead counsels on the case Jim Matthews of BBGA said. “We’re the only firm in Georgia that represents plaintiffs like this nationally on a regular basis.”

The ACC case has been added to national multidistrict litigation (MDL) with other counties that have filed similar suits. According to Matthews, MDL is a way of making the legal process more efficient by having all plaintiffs heard by a single judge and can be beneficial for plaintiffs such as ACC. “We’re going up against multi-billion dollar companies that have pretty much unlimited resources to pay their legal expenses,” Matthews said. “We don’t, but when you band together with hundreds of other cases and the lawyers all pool their money and pool their talent, then you have the resources to deal with the heavyweights.”

Matthews believes the biggest challenge for BBGA in the case is proving the injuries done to ACC. “It’s not going to be hard to prove that the manufacturers committed fraud and withheld infor-

mation and purposefully set out to addict people.

We can prove that,” Matthews said. “It’s not going to be hard to prove the distributors violated the law so they could sell a bunch of pills. What’s going to be harder is proving exactly, in a monetary way, how this has affected the county.”

According to the official complaint, during the calendar years 2006 through 2016, ACC expe-

According to the complaint, there are a variety of damages desired by the plaintiff including “costs for providing medical care; costs for providing treatment, counseling and rehabilitation services; costs for providing treatment of infants born with opioid-related medical conditions; costs for providing care for children whose parents suffer from opioid-related disability or incapacitation; and costs associated with law enforcement and public safety relating to the opioid epidemic.”

On Feb. 10, just three days after ACC filed the lawsuit, Purdue Pharma cut its sales staff by half and announced it would stop directly marketing opioids to doctors.

“Sometimes these kinds of law-- BILL BERRYMAN, suits have an expressive function where even by alleging the lawsuit, Athens Clarke County city attorney you bring it to the public’s attention and sometimes the parties involved just respond to that,” Weeks Leonard said. rienced an average annual rate of 116.8 opioid The case will likely take over a year to settle in prescriptions per 100 persons. Berryman hopes the court, but the end goal is to hold opioid manufaclawsuit can begin to reduce the abuse of opioids in turers and distributors accountable for allegedly Athens and beyond. unethical practices.

“The ultimate goals (of the lawsuit) are to lessen “If Purdue Pharma and some of these other the flow of opiates and opioids, particularly preproviders had not taken the false position that they scription opioids into the market that are abused,” took, meaning that some of these drugs were not Berryman said. “We want to try to use the lawsuit addictive, we would not be here today,” Berryman to influence the manufacturers and distributors to said. “We wouldn’t have this problem. They need get a better control over how these drugs come into to share in helping solve this problem because, in a the population. And then we hope to get damages significant way, they were the cause of it.” to help remedy the situation.”

“The ultimate goals (of the lawsuit) are to lessen the flow of opiates and opioids, particularly prescription opioids into the market that are abused.”

Below: PRESCRIPTION PILLS: Clarke Central High School nurse Jessica Weems gives prescribed medication to a student in the nursing office. According to Clarke County School District Director of Nursing Amy Roark, abuse of prescription drugs is an issue for youth in the district. “Most teens get their hands on prescription drugs from the homes of friends and relatives,” Roark said. “Misuse and abuse of prescription medicine continues to be the third most prevalent drug abuse behavior measured among teens (in the United States), following use of marijuana and alcohol.”

Photo by Zoe Peterson

Infographic by Elena Gilbertson-Hall

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to the opioid epidemic by downplaying the risks of addiction and did not comply with federal laws requiring the reporting of excessive opioid sales in certain areas.

“The manufacturers aggressively pushed highly addictive, dangerous opioids, falsely representing to doctors that patients would only rarely succumb to drug addiction,” the official complaint said. “These pharmaceutical companies aggressively advertised to and persuaded doctors to prescribe highly addictive, dangerous opioids and turned patients into drug addicts for their own corporate profit.”

Purdue Pharma, one of the main opioid manufacturers targeted by the litigation, denies all of these allegations.

“We are deeply troubled by the prescription and illicit opioid abuse crisis, and we are dedicated to being part of the solution. As a company grounded in science, we must balance patient access to (Federal Drug Administration)-approved medicines, while working collaboratively to solve this public health challenge,” Head of Public Affairs at Purdue Pharma John Puskar said. “We vigorously deny these allegations and look forward to the opportunity to present our defense.”

According to program manager at the Athens Alliance Recovery Center, a medical center for those affected by opioid addiction, Julia Dale, misleading marketing by drug manufacturers has led to overprescription and addiction.

“When a client goes to a doctor and gets a prescription, they feel like it’s safe. They think that, as long as it’s prescribed, that they’re OK, when in fact, they can establish dependency to that medication,” Dale said. “People trust doctors, and if doctors are trusting pharmaceutical companies that were misleading them, you can see how that trickled down.”

However, since her career as an addiction nurse, Marshall has seen a decrease in opioid prescriptions because of doctors’ hesitance to prescribe addictive drugs with so much national attention.

“People begin their journey on opioids with a prescription but it’s becoming more difficult to get refills. You can’t go to a pain clinic now and get opioids like you used to -- they’ll check you up and down for drug addiction,” Marshall said. “Things are changing and where we need to focus now is better treatment.”

According to Clarke County School District Director of Nursing Amy Roark, the opioid epidemic has not only had effects on the community, but also within the CCSD. “Misuse and abuse of prescription medicine continues to be the third most prevalent drug abuse behavior measured among teens, following use of marijuana and alcohol,” Roark said. “The opioid epidemic is hitting school districts across the nation and many schools have chosen to stock Narcan in their buildings. Narcan is a drug that can save lives by reversing an opioid overdose and the use of Narcan in our schools is currently under discussion by (the) CCSD.”

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suffering a sleep drought Students across the nation are fatigued with chronic sleep deprivation, where vital hours of sleep lost are affecting their current and future mental and physical health.

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hronic sleep deprivation is the extreme condition of not getting enough sleep. According to a survey by University of Utah Health, it affects 90 percent of the national student population. Dr. Deepak Kumar Das is an internal medicine specialist in Athens who treats teenage patients suffering from chronic sleep deprivation, observing the short term effects it has on students.

“The first thing would be a difficulty paying attention, a lack of attention,” Das said. “They also have features which might mimic Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), that they are so tired they cannot concentrate and it seems like ADD or they fall asleep in the class.”

According to Das, adolescents need at least eight to nine hours of sleep a night. If a student is not getting enough sleep over a long period of time it can lead to long term effects later in life.

“It also has medical side effects, like in the brain lack of sleep can cause anxiety disorder, depression, stroke, memory loss and dementia,” Das said. “In the heart, it can cause hypertension. In the kidneys, it can cause protein in the urine and chronic pain syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome.”

BY MACKENZIE CAUDILL News staffer

Photo by Zoe Peterspn

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Featured: CATCHING ZZZs: Three CCHS students pose for a photo in a classroom. Sleep deprivation is caused in students by a variety of factors, including time management, anxiety and stress. “I think the kids are overburdened with a lot of activities along with their own curriculum and own course subjects,” internal medicine specialist Dr. Deepak Kumar Das said. “The kids also have a lot more social life compared to many years ago, so they are going out. On top of that, to make it worse, a lot of gadgets are available, so they never shut down.”

Clarke Central High School sophomore Beatrice Acheson says pressure to perform well academically affects the amount of sleep she gets.

“You never really feel like you’re doing enough, and so you constantly study more, because you don’t really know how well you’re gonna perform until you really have to keep going,” Acheson said.

“Sometimes that means being up until two in the morning doing something that you don’t really wanna do, just because you feel like you won’t perform as well as you want to.

Freshman Fernando Gillengarza finds himself struggling to focus in his classes due to lack of sleep.

“I can’t really explain it I’m just tired throughout all of my periods and I just fall asleep and pass out,” Gillengarza said. “It affects (my grades) a lot because I fall asleep in every class.”

Since switching from a four period per semester block schedule in 2013, Clarke Central High School follows a year-long seven period schedule. This schedule results in seven classes worth of curriculum for students, which can lead to chronic sleep deprivation, especially for students taking numerous Advanced Placement or accelerated classes.

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“It is a huge concern. There is a ton of work associated with those classes and so it is pretty much impossible to do it all in a couple hours a night.

I was here when we had block scheduling and I always like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if this is a good idea,’ because it requires students to be in the same class for an hour and a half, which isn’t great for some of our kids,” CCHS school psychologist Marcia Page said. “But the longer we’ve been on this schedule with seven classes, the more I think it might be better to go back to (block) because you wouldn’t have as many things to juggle at once and teachers can also focus more on their students.”

According to Das, students’ sleep is affected by countless factors such as electronics, drug and alcohol use and course-load.

“I think the kids are overburdened with a lot of activities along with their own curriculum and own course subjects,” Das said. “The kids also have a lot more social life compared to many years ago, so they are going out. On top of that, to make it worse, a lot of gadgets are available so they never shut down. Gadgets keep you more engaged which keeps you more awake. Because of all of the activities, their shortened (sleep) time is coming down MAY 2018

to seven hours, six hours. The more you are sleep deprived, you accumulate sleep debt and ultimately you start breaking down and then all the symptoms start happening.”

Acheson feels that her lack of sleep is the result of being assigned too much homework in multiple classes.

“I think one thing is like, for one class, the homework you have might feel like a normal amount, but once you have seven classes and you’re doing that amount of homework for all of them, it’s like there’s really just not enough time in the day,” Acheson said. “I think if you are really committed to everything you’re doing, you’re gonna be sleep-deprived.”

Students’ lack of sleep could also be the result of a pre-existing condition that causes them to lose sleep, such as anxiety, depression and manic disorders. According to Das, these can lead to diagnosed sleep conditions, like insomnia, that will cause students to lose even more sleep.

“A majority of the patients that have chronic insomnia, that means more than six months of difficulty falling or maintaining sleep, 80 percent of the time they have anxiety disorder or some kind of MAY 2018

psychedelic disorder,” Das said. “Depression or anxiety are the most common ones. We also see certain psychotic disorders like mania, manic disorders or bipolar disorder.”

Page believes chronic sleep deprivation makes it difficult for students to judge the severity of their case and what can be done to fix it.

“It’s actually really interesting because the more sleep deprived you are, probably the less good of a judge you are about how sleep deprived you are because it just seems normal to you to be exhausted all the time,” Page said.

Acheson believes cutting down the amount of work assigned in classes can be another solution.

“I think coming together as a team to decide how much homework (teachers are) gonna give out, smaller increments so it’s not as much,” Acheson said.

However, math department teacher Elijah Swift feels that it would be hard for teachers coordinate.

“I had a student earlier today who said she had six tests today, and I’m like, ‘Wow you went to all seven classes and in six of the seven classes, you had tests,’” Swift said. “What some teachers do is they coordinate together when they will give tests,

so maybe that’s something the teams of teachers can do. However, that’s not realistic because in the real world, when they go to college, professors don’t care that you have a test in another class.”

Despite coursework, Das believes students need to view sleep as more of a priority in order to solve the issue of sleep deprivation.

“What I would suggest is just a basic thing is, to respect your sleep. All the systems of the body are rejuvenated during sleep,” Das said. “From enzymes to hormones to your cell healing to heart, everything is rejuvenated.”

Swift believes another solution would be for students to evaluate their own time management skills so they can manage their own sleep schedules later in life.

“The students need to understand that sleep is vital. They need to get sleep and not just sleep but just rest,” Swift said. “I would suggest again students need to become better manager of their time, use their time wisely. That’s a big life lesson, to manage your time. If you can do that you can do almost anything.”

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thompson Takes time Clarke Central High School Site Coordinator with Family Connections and Communities in Schools Korbyn Thompson works to build relationships with students and families.

BY DALACE THOMAS Viewpoints staffer

Can you tell me about Family connections and Communities In Schools?

Communities in Schools was founded on the principle that it’s relationships that change people, not programs. So, our biggest focus -- and I have been told that (Site Coordinator with Family Connections and Communities in Schools Rodney Robinson) and I do it pretty well -- is building relationships.

We build relationships with not just students, but other teachers, other adults in the building and parents. We have the reward of not only working with a kid, but their families. We don’t pick kids.

There is a referral process. Teachers, administrators, counselors, family members can refer students to us and then Mr. Robinson and I do an intake process, then we decide if we are best fit for them or if we refer them to someone else.

What kind of students does this program cater to?

Above: A HELPING SMILE: Communities in Schools Site Coordinator Korbyn Thompson poses for a photo in her office. Thompson tries to keep a positive attitude with students. “Relationships are important. There’s a fine line between discipline and restorative justice,” Thompson said. Opposite: MAKING CONNECTIONS: Communities in Schools Site Coordinator Korbyn Thompson takes time to help one of her students.

Thompson believes building relationships with students and families is the best way to get through to them. “A lot of my students have been through various traumatic situations, whether it’s losing a parent or losing a friend--whatever it may be, so I help them with social and emotional support, I help them with academics -- making sure they stay on top their academics (and) teaching them how to communicate with teachers effectively,” Thompson said.

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It varies. I don’t like the term “at-risk youth” because that is negative and it’s also, what are they at risk of? We have some kids that got referred to us because of their behavior, in some people’s opinions, was off the charts for whatever reason, and we have some kids that are the quiet kids that no one thinks there’s something going on (with), so they kind of fly under the radar. We deal with the in-between, if that makes sense.

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Do you think this program is needed at CCHS and why?

Students have been overlooked, at any age level.

I have students that have been overlooked until now and it’s because some of those kids aren’t doing anything beyond the radar -- so they’re not doing anything like super “dangerous” or crazy but they’re also not doing something super great. (The) reality is that a lot of families feel uncomfortable coming to the school, especially if the only reason they come to the school is because (of ) a discipline issue, so we try to break the barrier. There are a lot parents here that do want their kids to do well, and there’s a lot of parents that don’t know how to support their students.

Can you tell me more about the awards that you and Rodney Robinson host for students?

There’s three tiers to my job: Tier One is an event activity that includes the whole school, and it doesn’t have to be our cased-managed kids. It could be anybody. A Tier One that we do is Honorable Gladiators. It’s really been effective for the past two years. We send out an email, a teacher nominates

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a student for any of the pride qualities, and then we on our end put it all together. Each student gets a certificate, and they get a prize -- whether its a bag of chips or a football t-shirt or a football.

Then, we make a poster that goes in front of the Mell Auditorium and the library, so that’s our Tier One that we do monthly. A Tier Two is just an event for our cased-managed kids. We have done field trips to Athens Tech as a Tier Two, but our monthly Tier Two is called the Student Awards Luncheon, so there’s four awards that you can get. I pick four students of my own and (Robinson) picks four, so a total of eight kids every month are recognized out of 120.

How do you think these tiers help students want to improve?

Sometimes, a lot of things that may have happened in (a student’s) childhood come back and there is a lot of fear. Some of them don’t know if they are gonna graduate, some of them don’t know what they’re gonna do after graduation. Having extra support in the school provides not only a safe, stable trusting relationship with an adult, but it also provides them with resources that they ignored or they haven’t been aware of, so being able to connect those dots: once a student trusts you, then they trust your judgement.

With building these relationships, do you see a difference in the student?

Yes. When I first started here, I was extremely motivated and people would tell me, ‘You can’t save everyone.’ That’s what I kept getting told by everyone: ‘You can’t save everyone.’ Well, I wasn’t trying to save anybody, Number One, ’cause I don’t see anybody drowning. What I learned is that (other people in supporting roles) weren’t wording it right. I think a lot of people in supportive roles come into the picture and have discipline roles and they think they are gonna be the ‘superhero.’ You’re not a superhero. You just might be the one turn on their journey, like the one turn signal. I have seen some of my kids mature and I have been able, after building the relationship, to redirect some of their thoughts -- or not even their thoughts, but their actions. They might not throw a chair now, but (instead), just walk out of the room. To some people, they are still walking out of the room, but (you would) rather them walk out of the room than throw a chair. It’s all a work in progress. I think that it’s important for people in supporting roles to realize that they are empowering. They are not the power.

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advanced problems “I would sit by myself in the back of the room, and I was the only Hispanic in that cl ass.”

Less than 1/3 of Hispanic students are in AP classes in the CCSD.

-- SHERLYN ALVAREZ-L OPEZ, Clarke Central High Sc hool junior

e “If you’ve never been in th class, you might feel like you’re not welcome...”

Only 7.8% of Black students score a 3 or higher on the AP exam in the CCSD.

Only 15.3% of Black students are in AP classes in the CCSD.

-- WILLIAM DOWNS, High School senior tral Cen Clarke

Featured: ALL ALONE: Five Clarke Central High School minority students stand holding statistics about minoritY students in AP classes. Minorities make up almost 77 percent of the total school population yet there is a low percentage of each ethnicity enrolled in at least one AP. “(I noticed a lack of minorities) all the time. Usually, I’m one of the only Hispanics in the class or most of the class is white people (with) probably just one or two Black people or one or two Hispanics,” CCHS junior Marilen Rodriguez said. Photo by Zoe Peterson *The data sourced above is official 2016-2017 Clarke County School District data, acquired from CCSD Charter System Director James Barlament on April 12.

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Although nearly 77 percent of Clarke Central High School’s population is made up of minorities, White students comprise the majority of enrollees in AP classes.

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ccording to the College Board, classes labeled as Advanced Placement courses give high school students the opportunity to take a college-level class to gain both high school and college credits simultaneously. Clarke Central High School offers a total of 16 AP courses to students.

As defined by prepscholar, and online test preparation site, the AP program is run by the College Board -- makers of the SAT -- and allows students to take courses that can earn them college credit. “(The curriculum) is closer to what you would get in college, the course level and the rigor,” CCHS senior William Downs said. “Of course if you pass the AP exam you can get credit for both classes.

It’s just more difficult, so you prepare yourself for college.”

According to the University of Georgia Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Katie Severens, having AP courses on their transcript will give students a better chance at being accepted into competitive colleges.

“We offer admission to the most competitive applicants each year based on our space availability,” Severens said. “AP and (International Baccalaureate) classes are nationally and internationally standardized curricula that well prepare a student for an academically rigorous college environment. To be

most competitive in our process, students should challenge themselves by pursuing the most rigorous courses available.”

Students are not required to take an AP to graduate, but for CCHS junior Marilen Rodriguez, taking AP classes feels like a necessity for her academic career.

“The teacher teaches you but is not on top of you. You have to worry about yourself and getting everything done on your own,” Rodriguez said. “I want to go to college so I want that experience so I have to take (AP classes). It’s not because I want to, but it’s something that I have to do.”

CCHS junior Aniya Willis feels taking AP classes have pushed her academically.

“What I like about the AP classes is that it kinda pushes you to be out of your comfort zone,” Willis said. “I feel like it gets you prepared for college, because one of the things I’ve learned from my AP Classes is that you really have to study on your own.”

While there are advantages for college admission and a rigorous environment, there is a disproportionate representation from the CCHS minority students, which make up nearly 77 percent of the total school population, which is 1584 students, according to the CCHS 2017-2018 Enrollment Summary report generated on May 3.

Infographic by Mackenzie Caudill

BY MACKENZIE CAUDILL News staffer

Disproportionality According to 2016-2016 District Data, provided

by Clarke County School District Charter System Director James Barlament on April 12, 60 percent of White CCSD students take at least one AP course, compared to 15 percent for Black students and 30 percent for Hispanic students. Rodriguez has taken four AP classes and has noticed over time that she stuck out in every single course she took. “(I noticed a lack of minorities) all the time.

Usually, I’m one of the only Hispanics in the class or most of the class is White people (with) probably just one or two Black people or one or two Hispanics,” Rodriguez said. “I was used to, in my other advanced classes, interacting with people like me, Hispanic. Then when I went to my AP classes I really didn’t talk to anybody else. I was in my own little bubble. That’s how I felt.”

Downs has also noticed the disproportionate representation, and has gotten used to not seeing other Black or biracial students in his AP classes.

“It’s kind of been like that for a while. The more advanced classes have less minorities,” Downs said. “I feel like my whole life I’ve been with those people who are in those classes so it hasn’t been like I was separated really.”

CCHS sophomore Sherlyn Alvarez-Lopez steered away from the AP path after her experience in AP Government during her freshman year.

“I got out of it because I felt really uncomfortable. I would sit by myself in the back of the room and I was the only Hispanic in that class,” Lopez said. “Everyone else was White and I had no friends so it was weird and awkward. So, I just decided to go into advanced.”

According to Rodriguez, in her experience the few minority students that are enrolled in APs, including herself, do not actively engage.

“Something that I’ve noticed is that a lot of minorities don’t speak out during group conversations or when (the teacher) asks a question or something like that. Most of the hands that go up are White people and not Latinos or Blacks,” Rodriguez said.

“I guess I could fix that by speaking up as well. It’s not that I don’t feel comfortable in that environment but it’s just something that I’m not used to.”

Causes and effects

Above: BREAKING DOWN THE STATS: Black students make up over half of the total population at Clarke Central High School but are not proportionally represented in Advanced Placement courses. Only 15.3 percent of the 1,818 Black students are enrolled in at least one AP. “In my AP Government class there’s a lot of White kids in there. It’s kind of hard because there’s a few black students in there but they don’t really participate,” CCHS sophomore Alyssia Jonas said. Opposite: VARIED LOAD: CCHS offers a wide variety of AP courses, offering a total of 16 during the 20172018 school year.

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For many CCSD students, they are tested in elementary school to be eligible for gifted services through the Spectrum program. As a result, they begin an academic track of advanced coursework Downs says, which often limits those not labeled as gifted.

“When I was in elementary school they separated (me) into the Spectrum program and my best friend MAY 2018

was Black, but when we got seperated I never saw him again, so I didn’t ever speak to him again,” Downs said. “(Minority students have) grown up with their friends. They live with their friends in this circle of people who don’t try as hard as they could because if you were to try harder than your friends, then you’re not going to be in classes with them anymore, so you won’t be able to talk to them and you’ll be with all these brand new people you’ve never seen before.”

Lopez was also labeled as gifted and placed into the Spectrum program and has observed how it has affected other students.

“I feel like it discourages them a lot because they’re like ‘Oh, I can’t be in the same class as you because you’re gifted and I’m not,’ and I just feel like it puts this kind of barrier on who your friends are,” Lopez said. “Children just kind of feel bad.

They’re like ‘Oh, well I’m not gifted so I guess that makes me stupid,’ just because we have a label that they don’t and it shouldn’t be like that.”

CCHS math department teacher and AP Coordinator Joy Sapp teaches AP Calculus. According to Sapp, academic tracking affects whether or not students can take an AP math.

“If you don’t have the prerequisite, it’s hard to go to the next level,” Sapp said. “But for social studies and science, you can take them. I don’t know why (students don’t.)”

According to Rodriguez, another reason minorities would decide not to take AP’s is that students also overestimate how difficult AP classes are going to be and discourage themselves from taking them based on how they think they’ll perform.

“I think that many of Latinos and other races don’t take those classes because AP classes are identified as hard and it’s not like that, well, to me it’s not like that. It’s the same thing, it’s just that our work is more -- it’s not hard but it’s a lot more challenging compared to on-level,” Rodriguez said.

Downs believes that when students leave their comfort zone and enroll in an AP class, the contrasting environment causes them to be intimidated and lose confidence in a group of people.

“If you’ve never been in the class, you might feel like you’re not welcome, (that) you’re not supposed to be in this group but you are. Some people might feel like that so they don’t speak out as much,” Downs said.

Willis feels fear and intimidation can also be a factor in lack of minority student enrollment in AP classes.

“Maybe they’re afraid, because you know you look around you do see ( White students) dominating and like being top of the class and stuff, and it’s not really minority (students), and maybe they feel like ‘Oh, you know, White (students) can have that I’ll just stay over here, I’m dominating in my advanced classes,’ but I feel like that shouldn’t hold (us) back, because if they can do it then I can do it too, you know,” Willis said.

CCHS school counselor Heidi Nibbelink believes there are barriers keeping minority students from enrolling in AP classes. According to Nibbelink, minority students aren’t likely to start enrolling in MAY 2018

APs on their own without a push from an outside source.

“They may not get the same push at home that other kids might get. It can be uncomfortable to be the only person that looks like you or is from your background in a group of people and it helps to have a friend,” Nibbelink said. “You have to see yourself as a bit of a pioneer. I think sometimes you have to put your own welfare maybe ahead of what’s comfortable in the moment, maybe your long-term goals, and that’s hard. That’s hard for anybody.”

Solutions CCHS Principal Marie Yuran is aware of the issue of representation and actively seeks opportunities to improve minority representation in AP classes at CCHS. “I know that we, as a school, have looked at that data over time and have tried to take steps to encourage students of all diversity, ethnic backgrounds, to participate. We’ve really targeted gifted minorities,” Yuran said. “It begins with conversations and communication. I think we have some things in place to facilitate those conversations. For those folks who have taken any kind of rigorous course, whether it’s AP or if you’re in a school that has an IB Diploma Track or those kinds of things, you find that you build a social network in order to support yourself to get through those rigorous classes.”

To help solve the issue, during the 2014-15 school year, Nibbelink, and former CCHS IB Coordinator Larissa Jean, co-founded Gifted Minorities Achieving, a program targeted towards academically gifted minorities who would be eligible for AP classes.

“We decided to take a look at the factors that might be contributing to that (disportionality) and I think one of the most important things we did was hold focus groups with students so we could hear from students themselves what some of the barriers were to even taking AP courses and then how it felt for students of color to be in an AP course,” Nibbelink said. “From that information we then designed the program and we got students who were interested to be part of it.”

During its first three years, GMA met regularly during Glad Time -- the school’s enrichment/remediation period on Wednesdays. However, Glad Time was replaced by Advisement this year, which has had an impact on the program Nibbelink says.

“In terms of our GMA initiative that we started with Ms. Jean, that has not grown out the way that I think it would need to grow out in order to really affect large scale change at Clarke Central,” Nibbelink said. “We’ve sort of ended up with this current group of 11th graders that are really our core group and we don’t have other cohorts coming up behind them, but I think that is the model that could work.

You identify your gifted or potential kids that you

think could do well in an AP class in eighth grade and then get them started on that pathway in high school and just keep building it out.”

Willis is a member of GMA and believes the program has been instrumental for its members.

“It kinda opens a door for students, minorities,” Willis said. “It kinda shines light on what we’re capable of doing and becoming, and I feel like that’s why it’s such a good thing. These good role models (are able) to show, ‘Hey, I’m a minority, but I made it.’ It’s kinda like, I wouldn’t say make us feel special, but we have potential to be something.”

CCHS 2017 alumna Charis Stafford, who attended Georgia Southern University-Armstrong Campus this year, now regrets not having the experience of a taking rigorous course and believes minorities should take the opportunity to take AP classes.

“My first experience of being in (an AP), I wasn’t comfortable because there was just not a lot of people from my background in there. It just made me feel a little out of place and so my stance was ‘No. I don’t like it. I don’t want to stay in there,’” Stafford said. “Thinking about it now, at the start of my first year of college, I wish I would have stayed in there because I feel like it would have prepared me.”

Willis also believes AP classes have been beneficial for her academically, and encourages other minority students to consider taking them.

“I just wish more minorities would take AP classes, because I mean I understand. I felt (weird) my freshman year because I was like one of the only black kids, but I mean, I enjoy being in AP classes because you’re around a group of people who think like you, and you guys have the same goals at times,” Willis said. “It’s just being in that environment -- I can’t even explain it. You just won’t find that in a regular class.”

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Cultural Buzz Crystal Ball Frappucino

The Starbucks Crystal Ball Frappuccino made its debut on March 22. With a whimsical appearance, this frappuccino has already gone viral on social media.

At first taste, the frappuccino appears to be peach and cream flavored, but an aftertaste of something close to cough syrup will gradually become present. Although the aftertaste isn’t desirable, the flavor of the frappuccino will start to develop after the first few sips.

This frappuccino offers a unique taste of fruity flavors. Most frappuccinos from Starbucks have a coffee base, while the Crystal Ball Frappuccino has a peach-infused fruit tea base.

However, at 380 calories and 55 grams of sugar in a grande-sized, this frappuccino isn’t all that healthy to drink.

Cultural Buzz

Lecrae At the Georgia Theatre

A wrinkle in Time

Grade Hound

FORTNITE

Erebos

Christian rapper and producer Lecrae performed at the Georgia Theatre on March 22, as a part of his “All Things Work Together” tour. Lecrae’s performance was decent, but what stood out the most was the show’s positive energy and message.

Lecrae spoke and rapped about standing up for women’s rights and ending police brutality. He also encouraged audience members to sign up for Food for the Hungry, a program working to reduce poverty in Uganda.

Lecrae had great stage presence and gave a high-energy performance equipped with loud music, backup dancers and smoke machines.

Overall, the show wasn’t a bad way to spend a Thursday night and hopefully started conversations about more serious issues.

“A Wrinkle in Time”, released on March 9, is a sweet and powerful, family-friendly sci-fi adventure that brings author Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 novel to life with a strong cast and magical effects.

The film follows Meg (Storm Reid), the daughter of two scientists. Ever since Meg’s father disappeared four years earlier, Meg has had trouble in school. Alongside Reid are Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and Oprah Winfrey staring as supernatural beings who take Meg, her brother and a boy named Calvin across the universe in search of their father.

Through their journey across space, Meg grows and learns about the universe, herself and family.

Although the film is at some points scattered, L’Engle’s classic novel is brought to life in this faithful and beautiful adaptation.

Grade Hound is app which allows users to keep track of their grades, GPAs and receive reminders about due dates and exams. It’s well worth the download for high schoolers who struggle with organizational skills.

The app, created by Nicholas Doherty, is free in the App Store, but the free version app only allows the user to keep track of two classes.

However, for $1.99, users can get organized in an unlimited number of classes.

Paying the small price is worth it for all of the help Grade Hound provides to help students remember important dates and keep up on assignments.

Epic Games launched Fortnite mobile on the iOS app store as an invite only game in March. The users who have played the game previously on gaming consoles, such as PlayStation 4, Xbox One or on a computer, are now able to play the game on an iPhone 6s or later.

The game revolves around a Battle Royale with 100 players where players that can compete alone or in teams to be the last man standing. This mode has been undoubtedly successful, proven by the record number of 3.4 million total users.

Creating a mobile version of this game inherently changes the controls. Not only are the controls compressed to fit on the iPhone screen, but the reaction speed of the app software is slower. So, users competing on the app may feel at a disadvantage to those using a gaming console because of the lag.

The thrilling book “Erebos” by Ursula Poznanski is an intense and excellent page-turner cliffhangers at the end of every chapter.

The story details 16-year-old Nick, who begins playing the mysterious computer game Erebos.

Players of the game must obey strict rules, but the story takes a turn when the game turns out not as expected.

Poznanski uses vivd detail in her writing. The book’s great mystery and romantic subplot keeps the reader curious and engaged throughout.

Though people of all ages can enjoy this book, it is more appealing to teens because of the video game theme.

Avid reader or not, “Erebos” will certainly pull readers in and is worth the read.

-- Katie Grace Upchurch, Design Editor

-- Elena Gilbertson-Hall, News staffer

-- Kelly Fulford, Broadcast Editor

-- Elena Webber, J1 staffer

-- Isabella Gonzalez, J1 staffer

-- Ana Aldridge, Junior Copy Editor

Pacific Rim: Uprising

W

ritten and directed by Steven S. DeKnight, “Pacific Rim Uprising,” released on March 23, is very similar to its predecessor “Pacific Rim”. These movies have a certain appeal not appreciated by the critics, but loved by the masses, and that is what they strive for.

As the big name in “Pacific Rim Uprising,” John Boyega rocks in front of the camera for the majority of the movie, acting as its comic relief, as well as the prime motivator to all other characters. As the son of Idris Elba’s character Stacker Pentecost, hero general of “Pacific Rim”, Jake has the great weight of having to live up to his father’s grand reputation.

Unfortunately, “Uprising” does not have good dialogue. It’s packed full of corny cliches that viewers will see coming from miles away. The poor speech could be excusable, but their stone-cold, emotionally-void faces make them seem like they were raised by a robot rather than a real human being. Crocodile tears and mechanical laughs make moments when they are on screen clunky and off putting.

While it may be poorly written, the dialogue will still leave viewers laughing in the theater. Borrowing from movies like “Sharknado” and other monster mash blockbusters, “Uprising” spends most of its dialogue on “so-bad-its-good” dialogue.

Crossing from a threshold of trash into a little comedy gold mine.

Apart from a twist that will neither astound nor surprise, this movie’s plot is pretty straight forward. Evil monsters known as the kaiju are trying to destroy earth and its up to one adult male and a staggering line up of seven children save the world by piloting large super robots to kill monsters from another world.

This movie is a blast to see. Despite its glaring plot holes, it still makes for a great movie. The special effects are fantastic making the fight scenes look realistic and make the movie worthwhile.

BY GABRIEL MANTIONE-HOLMES Business Manager

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Photos used under Fair Use guidelines Photo illustrations by Lucia Bermudez

MAY 2018

Love, SImon

I

t is painfully obvious when a movie studio makes a movie about a current social topic just to cash in on the subject and not to actually say or do anything meaningful. Thankfully “Love, Simon” is not one of those movies and it manages to be a good teen drama with enough heart to carry it.

“Love, Simon” revolves around Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), who has decided to keep his homosexuality a secret from his friends and family. While struggling with his identity, Simon begins emailing an anonymous blogger from his school who is also gay. As the movie progresses, Spier grows closer with the blogger, nicknamed Blue, and becomes more comfortable with who he is.

“Love, Simon” is an enjoyable movie and manages to deliver a good message without leaning too far into the corniness or sappiness that many teen dramas fall into. The movie manages to stay fairly grounded in reality and portrays a realistic and often sobering depiction of being gay in high school. More often than not, gay characters in movies are just described as gay with no other character traits or complexity.

To its credit, “Love, Simon” doesn’t use being gay as a novelty act or use the movie as a political platform and becomes a movie that can be enjoyed by any person looking for a good emotional pick-me-up.

“Love, Simon” has occasional overly-dramatic scenes pertaining to jokes about the internet that were clearly written by someone who has no idea how teens use the internet. Other flaws are also fairly noticeable, such as a lack of interesting camera shots, and cinematography that looks like it was ripped out of any generic high school movie. There is also a fair amount of stiff acting from some of the supporting characters and an antagonist that feels unnecessary and forced, especially during one ludicrous scene at the end.

“Love, Simon” is a decent movie with a great message. The movie won’t be taking home any Best Picture nominations, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an entertaining and heartfelt romp through Spier’s life. If anyone is looking for a fun movie, that will leave them a little happier than before, they could do a lot worse than “Love, Simon”.

BY CONNOR MCCAGE Variety Editor

MAY 2018

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VARIETY << Link has been an advocate for the West Broad Farmers Market and Garden since it opened, and has been a major voice in the talk about whether the market and garden is at risk of being shut down. Link brought attention to the concern to the public after she discovered there was a possibility of the market and garden being closed.

“There was massive community outcry when that proposal became public. I was the one who actually made it public ‘cause I don’t even know if I actually heard about it, but I just happened to be at a school board work session, and I saw the proposal and snapshotted it and put it on Facebook. I knew my constituents would be extremely concerned, and they were,” Link said.

After it was announced publicly that the West Broad Farmers Market and Garden could be shut down, the Athens Land Trust came up with their own proposition to resolve the issue.

“There’s a proposal on the table from the Athens Land Trust to partner with the school and Athens Clarke County to totally renovate the building, bring in some job training and economic development programs, some entrepreneurship programs, a community kitchen, so people can make goods,” Link said. “Right now there’s a Young Urban

Farmers (program) that runs out of the garden, and they’re talking about initiating a Young Urban Builders program, or they would have a workshop on site so kids could get trained in carpentry and then be sent out into the community to help fix up homes. That would allow some of the more dilapidated properties in the area to get fixed up and it was also give kids super valuable skills and job potential.”

property,” Thomas said. “The Board of Education will review proposals and will then determine next steps for the building. The process will definitely be one that is strategic and involve community input.”

Through his YUF work, O’Neill believes the market’s positive impact makes it necessary for the community. “(The West Broad Farmers Market Garden) is the community garden for the whole area and the whole neighborhood helps out with that garden,” O’Neil said.

“There’s no other farms nearby or other community garden I know of nearby. They have had it for many years now and it’s just unfair to take it away.”

While no final decision has been made, CCHS junior Coles -- COLES EHLERS, Ehlers, believes that CCSD would be making a huge mistake to build Clarke Central High School junior over the market and garden.

“I think that would be a big mistake on (the district’s part), especially (to) that community it CCSD Public Relations and Communications would be a disservice because that place is so imChief of Staff Xernona Thomas says there is a portant,” Ehlers said. “A lot of kids who work there process being carried out to determine the future of are from that area and having access to the fresh, the property. healthy, nutritious food grown right there is a huge “The district has currently posted a request deal for a lot of people around there.” for information on our website where potential developers can submit proposals for use of the

“I think that would be a big mistake on (the district’s part), especially (to) that community it would be a disservice because that place is so important.”

digging up the dirt

Opposite: PAINTING THE PRODUCE: A sign is displayed at the West Broad Farmers Market on 1573 W Broad St. It is decorated with paintings of the vegetables that are being produced at the Garden by the Young Urban Farmers. “At the beginning the year, we plant this stuff and by the end of the year, we sell it. It gives me a sense of achievement and accomplishment,” Clarke Central High School junior Coles Ehlers said. Below: HARVESTING HOURS: Students involved in the Young Urban Farmers program help tend to the garden that supplies the West Broad Farmers Market. Members of the program are taught about agriculture through classes and actively gardening in the spring and fall. “I have done it since freshman year, so I have always kind of had eight classes,” Clarke Central High School junior Finn O’Neal said. “It’s four days a week right now. At the career Academy we will go and we will work with Chef Stone, who is the culinary arts teacher there.”

The West Broad Farmers Market and Garden, vital to the Athens and Rocksprings community since 2010, faces the risk of being shut down.

T

he West Broad Farmers Market and Garden has been a staple of the Rocksprings community in Athens for the past eight years.

After being opened by the Athens Land Trust in 2010, the West Broad Farmers Market and Garden -- located on the campus of the historic West Broad Street School -- has provided job opportunities to the youth, introduced produce and healthy food to people in that area and has given local vendors a place to sell their food.

“It affects the community because it’s the community garden for the whole area and the whole neighborhood helps out that garden. (Community members) get some of that food,” Clarke Central High School junior and Young Urban Farmers ( YUF) member Finn O’Neil said.

BY EMMA RAMSAY Variety staffer

YUF was founded in 2013 by Clarke County, as well as the Athens Land Trust, as an effort to expose Clarke County School District high school students to agriculture. Students are given the opportunity to learn business skills in the winter when the market is closed. In the spring, students sell produce at the West Broad Farmers Market, which takes place at the West Broad Street School site on Saturdays.

Students that have participated in the program are taught to develop skills in agricultural education and business. Students are paid $8 per hour and work between eight to 10 hours a week. “(The Athens Land Trust) have an urban agriculture program where they help start community gardens. They went to the school district and asked them (if ) they could turn (the West Broad) old school yard into a community garden. The building was abandoned, the property was dilapidated and

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there was a lot of trouble making that was going on,” District 3 Commissioner Melissa Link said. “So they cleaned it all up and turned it into basically a little farm. And after the garden itself had been operating a couple of years, they decided to have a farmers market.”

Link was attending a CCSD meeting when she encountered information that the West Broad Street School property could potentially be renovated or repurposed. There was discussion of the CCSD office potentially moving to the West Broad Street School building. If this were to happen, the concern is that it could result in closing the garden and market.

“The whole program came under threat a couple years ago because the (CCSD) administration was toying with the idea of moving their administrative offices in to the ( West Broad) building,” Link said.

MAY 2018

MAY 2018

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VARIETY << and dialogue is better than less.”

Clarke Central High School sophomore Braden Delamater echoes the value of Facebook in bringing groups of people together at their own convenience.

“Sometimes coming together in person is tough (because) you have to get everyone’s schedule to interact,” Braden said. “On Facebook or any social media, everyone can say their thoughts on one thing where everyone can see and they can come to consensus without having to all meet up in a group. It’s a lot easier and quicker.”

Town Hall member and CCSD parent Dan Delamater recognizes the group as an outlet for discussion, but acknowledges the platform of social media can lead to a heated tone. “(The Town Hall) can be a really good place to share information, but because of almost an impersonal way of communicating, it can become emotionally charged too quickly,” Dan said.

The increase of emotion can sometimes morph into hostility, as Town Hall member and University of Georgia doctoral student Irami Osei-Frimpong has experienced firsthand. Osei-Frimpong’s affinity for controversial topics and intense conversation has led to calls for his removal from the group.

alk of the town For over five years, the Clarke County School District Town Hall Facebook group has been a forum for education discourse, but potential CCSD Board of Education policies pose a threat to its effectiveness.

of rewriting some rules for how they will operate as a board,” Frick said. “One of those many policies that’s being considered is regarding the use of social media and whether members of the board will participate in forums like Facebook for communication with members of the district.”

Bybee clarified by stating that the policy is in early stages of discussion and the direct implications should the policy be adopted are unknown.

“There’s no policy under consideration right now, there’s a conversation happening. We got a whole packet of information about how to be a better board, and one of the questions in there is how school board members should engage in public and on social media,” Bybee said. “So we have an ongoing conversation about trying to find the right balance to effectively communicate as a board.”

Town Hall co-administrator Nicole Hull fears that if a policy limiting board members’ social media interaction is enacted, Town Hall members could lose an important and accessible resource.

“Without that engagement, the board members aren’t able to learn what’s important to the people that they’re representing and people don’t get to have that conversation and that audience with the board

“We all have our bumps along the way, but in general, more communication is better than less. More information is better than less, and more engagement and dialogue is better than less.”

-- JARED BYBEE, Clarke County School District Board of Education President

“If you provoke anxiety, people are gonna feel a certain sort of way and they’re gonna want you to get kicked off,” Osei-Frimpong said. “I know that some people have wanted me kicked off (the Town Hall), but (the movement) hasn’t taken, so whoever the administrators are, they’re doing their job.”

Despite these charged incidents, Town Hall member and CCSD parent Janet Frick says members of the group are still brought together by the goal of student advocacy.

“At the end of the day, I feel like there’s more that unites us than divides us,” Frick said. “I think if there are people who feel like certain issues aren’t being heard, we need to listen and see what are those perspectives that people feel haven’t been addressed and how can we work to make things better.”

However, rumors of a new CCSD Board of Education policy have raised concern among Town Hall members over whether their discussions will reach the audience they need.

“The issue that has come up recently that has been reported in the media is that the board is in the process

Above: FACEBOOK FORUM: The Clarke County School District Town Hall Facebook group is an online forum for student advocacy created by Liza Jackson in 2013. The screenshot above displays the Town Hall’s home page.

“I’m really proud of the community that we have in (the Town Hall) and how we’ve come together and how we learn from each other,” said Jackson

M

oments after any major occurrence in the Clarke County School District, it’s a certainty that parents and community members are sharing their opinions in a digital space.

One such space is the Clarke County School District Town Hall, a Facebook group of over 1,000 people rooted in advocacy for students. Since its inception, the Town Hall has become one of the largest forums for community members to discuss issues in the CCSD. CCSD parent Liza Jackson, the Town Hall’s founder and co-administrator, started the Town Hall back in 2013 when she felt her concerns were not being addressed by the district. According to Jackson, she tried emails, public forums and even other Facebook groups, but to her, no progress was made. “(The Town Hall) is just to give a voice to community members who don’t feel like they have any other outlet. They can voice their concerns, learn from each

BY EVERETT VEREEN Variety staffer

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other, meet people (they) wouldn’t normally meet and advocate for the students and what they really need,” Jackson said.

Jackson believes that the communication generated by the group is beneficial in helping CCSD students succeed in their education.

“Good things have happened for (my friends’) students and for mine. I feel like we’re having important conversations to facilitate good things happening for typically marginalized students,” Jackson said. “I think we’re headed in that direction if it hasn’t happened already.”

CCSD Board of Education president Jared Bybee echoes the importance of conversation and awareness in the group.

“I think in general, groups like that are healthy. We all have our bumps along the way, but in general, more communication is better than less,” Bybee said. “More information is better than less, and more engagement MAY 2018

MAY 2018

members,” Town Hall administrator Nicole Hull said.

“I think it’s very disheartening if they can’t participate in that.”

Bybee appreciates the community response and hopes that community members will remain engaged as the school board discusses new policies.

“I think it’s fantastic that folks are interested and fantastic that folks are concerned and paying attention,” Bybee said. “I would just say, let’s keep this conversation going so that we can get the right policy for the school board members all the way through.”

At the end of the day, Hull hopes that the original intent of the group is not lost in controversy and concern.

“If we’re not there to help our students be the best they can actually be, what are we doing?” Hull said.

“We’re gonna share in the failure of a student or a family if we’re not having conversations to see how all of us can be better and how all of our students can get that level of education that they need and get that level of success that they need.”

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Stand-up comedians were once the leaders in a fight against censorship, but with the start of the 21st century, they stopped being funny.

F

rom Don Rickles to Kevin Hart, stand-up comedy has caused more controversy than any almost any other form of entertainment.

What started as a facet of Vaudeville theater and then evolved into its own artform with the creation of television and radio, was built on pushing the envelope and making the listener uncomfortable.

BY CONNOR McCAGE Variety Editor Comics such as Lenny Bruce, who was arrested in 1964 for using the word “c******cker” during a stand up, helped build the foundation for an artform that is and has always been designed to offend and push the idea of free speech to its limit. Stand up comedy has always fought against censorship in any form.

In fact, stand up comedians like George Carlin are the reason there is censorship on radio and television in the first place, after his sketch “The Seven Dirty Words” aired in 1973. It landed him in a Supreme Court case that decided the Federal Communications Commission could prohibit any broadcast they deemed obscene.

These comedians were followed by countless more who continued to offend, disgust, and agitate audiences, such as Richard Pryor. The release of his breakthrough album “That N*****’s Crazy” was almost stopped by his own label after the material was so controversial. Bill Hicks, who was often labeled “The Most Dangerous Comedian in the world” by media once called the American Dream a crock after his standup was removed from an episode of “The Tonight Show

with Jay Leno,” following a joke about a handicapped classmate.

Despite the artforms being interwoven with controversy since its conception, stand up comedians are afraid to push the envelope in the way they once did.

Before, attacks against stand up comedians’ material were isolated to antiquated forms of media, such as newspaper and radio, but with the creation of a 24 hour news cycle and the rapid growth of social media, comedians are afraid to make the same envelope-pushing jokes they once did.

Standup legends, such as Chris Rock, no longer perform at college campuses, which were previously a hotbed for controversial stand up, because he believes that they have grown too conservative. Jerry Seinfeld of “Seinfield” fame has echoed a similar sentiment, saying that “the younger generation uses words like racist, sexist, and prejudice and have no idea what their talking about.”

Now, anytime a comedian offends someone, which is often, they can be attacked on platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat. This has led to the same comedians that once actively sought out new taboos to break, catering to their audience and trying their best not to offend anyone, which just isn’t funny.

Even though comedy is subjective, it is hard to dispute that modern standup comedy just feels bland and toothless to its predecessors. Comics must constantly find new buttons to push or it will grow complacent and boring as an artform. Now the comedians themselves are just as afraid to push buttons as their listeners, and their jokes just aren’t funny anymore.

Cartoon by Suncana Pavlic

Even though comedy is subjective, it is hard to dispute that modern stand-up comedy just feels bland and toothless to its predecessors.

Left: A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE: Chris Rock, an American actor and comedian, sits reading mean Tweets people have made about him, a segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live. These Tweets are only a small part of the backlash comedians may face for saying controversial or problematic things in an increasingly “woke” society.

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MAY 2018

INFOCUS

killing comedy

Featured: NEVER AGAIN: Community members gather at the University of Georgia arch in support of tighter gun control on March 24. This demonstration was a part of the national March for Our Lives, a movement created and organized by #NeverAgain, a group of students who survived the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on Feb. 14. “I think (the march) went well. It was really inspiring to be around so many young people who are really passionate about the issue (of gun control),” Clarke Central High School senior Johanna Hall said. “I was also pleasantly surprised by how many really young kids were there with their families, and I also liked tt see how students led it as well as politicians who were there supporting it.” Photo by Kelly Fulford

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A LEAGUE OF HER OWN

SPORTS << Photo courtesy of Theron Camp

>> SPORTS

Despite doubt from naysayers, Clarke Central High School freshman Rebekah Camp is playing baseball at the high school level.

C

larke Central High School freshman Rebekah Camp, a pitcher, has been immersed in baseball since she can remember. Her older brother Theron introduced her to the sport at the age of six, while playing little league at Holland Park.

“My parents talked to me and were like, ‘There’s this thing called softball. It’s a different sport that’s similar for girls. Would you like to do that instead?’

And I was like, ‘Why would I want to do that? I want to play baseball,’” Rebekah said.

BY HANNAH GALE Sports Editor

“I play baseball because I always have, and because people keep telling me to stop.”

-- REBEKAH CAMP, Clarke Central High School freshman

Photo by Krista Shumaker

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Rebekah played baseball with Athens Little League from first grade to seventh grade. After that, she advanced from Little League to Senior League, where 13 through 16 year olds play at a different level. Then, during the spring of her freshman year, Rebekah tried out for the CCHS baseball team.

“At summer workouts this year, coming into ninth grade, a couple of the upperclassmen told me to go play softball, told me that I wasn’t any good, told me that I wasn’t going to make the team,” Rebekah said. “That was the first time any of my teammates or anyone involved in the game told me to go away.”

But Rebekah used that negativity to motivate herself during tryouts -- and it worked. Rebekah made the freshmen baseball team for the CCHS baseball program.

“I was just mad, but I think that actually helped

MAY 2018

Opposite: STANDING TALL: Clarke Central High School freshman Rebekah Camp poses for a photo on the CCHS baseball field on May 2. Camp has been playing baseball since she was six years old. “I don’t think I realized it wasn’t normal and then maybe 5th-grade early middle school as I was getting towards the end of little league I was like oh, kind of an outlier,” Camp said. Above: PITCHING MACHINE: Clarke Central High School freshman Rebekah Camp pitches the ball at a tournament with her girls travel baseball team, DC Force. Camp travels to different states to play in tournaments with DC Force. “Being on DC Force has helped with my confidence, which in turn has helped me to be more aggressive on the bases and it’s helped me be more talkative and communicative with my teammates,” Camp said. “Since I’m one of the oldest people on the team, it has also forced me to become a leader and be a good role model for some of the other girls.” make me stronger because I was like, ‘OK, I have to prove them wrong,’” Rebekah said. “‘I belong here and you can’t tell me what to do.’”

One senior varsity baseball player, who wished to remain anonymous, feels having a girl in the CCHS baseball program has been problematic.

“I don’t think there should be a girl on the baseball team. It’s not a girl sport. They make softball for girls. It’s the same thing, but it’s for girls,” the varsity baseball player said. “I mean she’d be a good softball player, she’s a decent baseball player but it’s just she can’t hit the ball far enough. She can’t throw it hard enough, she can’t throw it far enough, she just can’t keep up with everybody else.”

CCHS senior varsity baseball player Tee White believes that players should be given a chance to prove themselves, no matter their gender.

“I do applaud her for coming out and taking a risk. Some people may not like a female playing baseball,” White said. “Just like anybody else that comes and tries out, if you’re not good enough, you’re not going to make the team. Me personally, I don’t have anything against her. I actually encourage her trying to make a change.”

While there may be differing opinions among

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players, first year head coach Adam Osborne believes in giving everyone an opportunity.

“I think we just look at everybody like a ballplayer,” Osborne said. “Everybody gets a fair shake in that regard.”

While Rebekah felt ostracized by her teammates during summer workouts, an all-girls travel baseball team was forming through the DC Girls Baseball program, DC Force.

“Being on DC Force has helped with my confidence, which in turn has helped me to be more aggressive on the bases and it’s helped me be more talkative and communicative with my teammates,” Rebekah said. “Since I’m one of the oldest people on the team, it has also forced me to become a leader and be a good role model for some of the other girls.”

According to the DC Girls Baseball website, the “program aims to supplement co-ed little league, school-based, and travel team baseball by connecting girls who play, developing their skills, and offering them competitive opportunities in a positive environment.”

“The program has provided what I feel is a ‘safe place to fail.’ Naturally, all teams, especially at

Holland Park, encourage their players to take risks doing things, but I have always been hesitant,” Rebekah said. “If the guys try something new and do it wrong, it’s because it’s new. If I try something new and do it wrong, it’s because I’m a girl.”

Playing baseball has been a big part of Rebekah’s life and has helped shape some of her goals in life.

“One of the things that I dream about doing is establishing an all-girls (baseball) team at Athens Little League here,” Rebekah said. “I guess my end goal with baseball is to not have an end, to leave behind something for girls after me, and to play for as long as possible.”

Though she has been faced with ignorance for playing a predominately male sport, Rebekah’s passion for breaking down that barrier is what keeps her motivated and focused on the game.

“I play baseball because I always have, and because people keep telling me to stop,” Rebekah said. “I play baseball because it means that when a girl, in this town or in the area, is told that she can’t play baseball because she’s a girl, she can point to me and say, ‘That’s not true.’ I play and deal with doubt so that other girls don’t have to deal with all that doubt.”

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change of possession The NFL is currently the most popular sport in America, but it might not be long before the NBA takes this title.

The NBA as a league is more progressive than the NFL. A study done in 2017 by Boston University examined 111 bodies of former NFL players who had donated their bodies to science -- 110 of the subjects were found to have CTE. The NBA does have injuries, but unlike the NFL, it is not a collision sport, meaning there aren’t anywhere near as many incidents of head trauma.

Another cause of concern for the NFL is their declining ratings. According to Sports Illustrated, the NFL’s flagship show, “Sunday Night Football,” has suffered a 4 million viewer drop from 2015 to 2017, hitting an 18 million viewer average last year. That figure still dwarfs the NBA’s average game viewership, but there are only 16 games in an NFL season, placing a greater importance on each game in comparison to the NBA’s regular season.

The NBA will eventually become America’s pastime.

A recent Gallup Poll found that 37 percent of American sports fans chose football as their favorite sport, which is down from 43 percent in 2007. Basketball is only at 11 percent, again dwarfed by the NFL’s domineering presence. However, the NBA is on an upward trend, increasing 3 percent since 2007.

It may not happen within the next five or even 10 years, but the NBA will eventually become America’s pastime, just like baseball once was before the NFL.

Left: APPROACHING FIRST PLACE: In the race for sports supremacy, the NBA is proving themselves to be making better pace. Cartoon by Suncana Pavlic

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INFOCUS

Featured: CROSS-TOWN RIVALS: The Clarke Central High School boys varsity soccer team celebrates their victory over Cedar Shoals High School on April 7. The team won 3-2 against CSHS, and varsity right back Zander Dale, a senior, feels the team was strong this season. “We had a good team and a great season. We worked hard preseason and during the season and it showed in our games and through our record,” Dale said. “I wish we hadn’t lost in the second round, but our two losses all season were to the two best teams in the state.” Photo by Owen Donnelly

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he NFL is an American leviathan of an industry. The organization makes billions of dollars annually, and dominates our media and public consciousness. The Super Bowl brings in over 100 million viewers every year, and even the commercials have achieved a status of notoriety, a demonstration of the seemingly indomitable influence that the sport has over American culture.

This dominance, however, has a notable and quickly rising challenger -- a challenger that

BY LUIS GARCIA will soon overtake the NFL as America’s most popular sport.

News staffer The NBA is the nation’s second most popular sport, and it is quickly accumulating attention. It recently had its second most-watched season ever, and the association is in a golden age of unprecedented talent and starpower.

The NBA as a league is more progressive than the NFL. The NFL has recently dealt with the controversy of protests, in particular, the actions of former team quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose kneeling protests received national attention, consequently leading to Kaepernick’s unspoken blacklisting from the league. The NBA and its commissioner Adam Silver are much more supportive of player activism, sending an open letter to its players stating the intent to work with the players on these issues.

The NBA is also more progressive with mental health, with players such as Kevin Love and Demar Derozan opening up on their battles with depression and anxiety.

The NFL has dealt with a different health issue that has received increasingly negative publicity: the emergence of research on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disorder that is caused by repeated blunt contact to the head and can lead to depression, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, suicidal thoughts and a plethora of other horrifying symptoms.

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Featured: RUNNING RAGGED: Clarke Central High School freshman Andre Lopez juggles a soccer ball in Billy Henderson Stadium. Lopez is a starter for the varsity soccer team. “At the center middle, which is my position, I get a chance to play the whole field.

I play offense and defense, which means I have to do a lot of running in games,” Lopez said. Photo by Krista Shumaker

Starting off strong Clarke Central High School freshman Andre Lopez has become the first ninth grade student to start on the boys varsity soccer team under head coach Aiken, and has helped lead his team to a perfect season so far.

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R

ain poured over the stadium. The crowd watched with anticipation. The Clarke Central High School boys varsity soccer team waited on the field, a penalty away from saving a perfect 16-0 season and a secured route to the GHSA- AAAAA State Playoffs.

From midfield, a freshman stepped from the line of his teammates.

The crowd went silent as the whistle blew. He wound his right foot back and smashed the ball. A sudden roar erupted when the ball hit the back of the net, scoring the game-winning point.

The crowd screamed and CCHS freshman Andre Lopez was surrounded by teammates and friends as they carried him on their shoulders.

This was a cultivating moment for Lopez, the

BY CAEDMON CHURCHWELL Sports staffer

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first-ever freshman to start on the varsity team under varsity boys soccer head coach Chris Aiken.

Despite being the youngest on the team, Lopez has the power, skill and determination of his older teammates.

Lopez started playing soccer at age 4 and has played for multiple teams including Saint Joseph Catholic School and Athens United’s academy team.

Soccer runs in his veins.

On the field, Lopez is locked in and precise with every pass. He is quick to get rid of the ball, but not quick to make mistakes.

He stands out on the field.

He’s crucial to his team.

Being the first freshman starter is only the beginning of how far he’ll go.

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LEAVING A LEGACY Friends, family and teammates remember the life and accomplishments of Athenian icon Billy Henderson.

Photo from the 1979 issue of the “Gladius”

Above: READY TO LEAD: Former CCHS head football coach Billy Henderson poses for a photo at his desk for the 1979 “Gladius” yearbook.

Paramount Consulting Group founder and CEO Tharon Johnson, a former player of Henderson’s, reflected on Henderson’s coaching style during the memorial service on Feb. 25. “One thing that Coach Henderson taught me as a player is always figure out how to persevere,” Johnson said. “(He) always cared deeply about his players.” Below: BATTLE STRATEGY: Former CCHS head football coach Billy Henderson instructs a player while on the sidelines during a game circa 1980. During Henderson’s memorial service on Feb. 25, Johnny Henderson, Billy Henderson’s son and former player, reflected on having a father as a coach. “Coming off the field, one time my daddy heard, ‘At least we don’t have to go home with him.’ But you know what, when I got home, he wasn’t my coach anymore. He was simply my dad,” Johnny said. “We handled everything on the field. Everything he did on the field stayed on the field.”

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n Feb. 14, former Clarke Central High School head varsity football coach Billy Henderson passed away in his home in Athens at the age of 89. Henderson, who served as the CCHS football coach for 23 years from 1972 to 1995, won a total of 222 games at CCHS and three football state championships over the course of his career.

BY ALEXANDER ROBINSON Sports staffer

Above: ONE FOR ALL: Former CCHS head football coach Billy Henderson poses for a photo with the rest of the coaching staff for a Gladius yearbook issue circa 1980. Henderson’s granddaughter, Stephanie Brooks Hunt, reflected on how he was able to balance his work and personal lives well. “He loved peaches, bananas, Nike, yellow legal pads and was interested in everyone,” Hunt said. “He did everything he said he was going to do. He has pictures of his family covering the walls of his house, and savored quality time.”

“When I got home, he wasn’t my coach anymore. He was simply my dad. We handled everything on the field. Everything he did on the field stayed on the field.”

-- JOHNNY HENDERSON, Billy Henderson’s son

This record made Henderson one of the most successful high school coaches in Georgia football history, but to many, his legacy is much more profound.

To those who knew him best, Henderson was a mentor, teacher and optimist. To his granddaughter, Stephanie Brooks Hunt, Henderson was less a legend than he was an affectionate grandfather.

Brooks Hunt spoke about her personal relationship

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with Henderson at his memorial service on Feb. 24 at the Classic Center.

“He did everything he said he was going to do, and had pictures of his family covering the walls of his house. He savored quality time,” Hunt said.

“He was solid, deliberate, truthful and attentive -- a trooper and a missionary.

(He was) thoughtful, earnest and punctual. He loved writing letters. Most endearing was his affection for his family. His affection for that love is demonstrated in the hundreds of letters he wrote over the years. He was always writing on his infamous yellow legal pad, and not for any other reason than to say, ‘I love you.’”

Henderson’s son, Johnny, once played on his father’s team. At the memorial service, he recalled how his father managed to balance his work and family life.

“Coming off the field, one time my daddy heard, ‘At least we don’t have to go home with him,’” Johnny said. “But you know what, when I got home, he

he did on the field stayed on the field. I hope this really captures what he embodied. He always said, ‘You have a choice every morning when you wake up. What kind of attitude will you embrace today?’”

Johnny was also thankful for the Athens YMCA, which kept his father in high spirits in his latter years.

“Probably the most significant part of my father’s life was in his latter years was the YMCA,” Johnny said. “I cannot begin to tell you the gratitude our family has to the YMCA of Athens. (They) literally added 10 years to life, at least. He’d always -- DR. JON WARD, his say, ‘I take all of these pills, Clarke Central High School Athletic Director but the YMCA is the best medicine I have.’ I would take him into the Y in his wheelchair. He’d look at everybody in the hallway wasn’t my coach anymore. He was simply my dad. and ask, ‘Wanna race?’ I thank the YMCA from the We handled everything on the field. Everything bottom of my heart.”

“He did a lot of healing for the Athens community. I think our community as a whole owes a lot to Coach Henderson’s ability to bring a sense of togetherness and focus.

Football was just a tool that he used. It went way beyond the football field.”

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SPORTS << of Clarke County after the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s.

“Coach Henderson came in the early ‘70s, and integration had (just) occurred within Clarke County. There was, from my understanding, a lot of tension,” Ward said. “He did a lot of healing for the Athens community. I think our community as a whole owes a lot to Coach Henderson’s ability to bring a sense of togetherness and focus. Football was just a tool that he used. It went way beyond the football field.”

Paramount Consulting Group founder and CEO Tharon Johnson, a former player of Henderson’s, agrees with Johnny’s sentiments and remembers how Henderson remembered him long after he graduated from CCHS. “You know, my mother still lives here in Athens,” Johnson said. “She went to the YMCA every week to work out. She, all the time, would see Coach Henderson around town. She would say to Coach Henderson, ‘I’m Tharon Johnson’s mom--’ He’d say, ‘Oh I know Tharon! How’s he doing? What’s he up

Above: GUIDING VISION: Former CCHS head football coach Billy Henderson instructs some of his players during a football game in the late 1970’s. CCHS Athletic Director Jon Ward reflected on how he saw Henderson’s coaching style as a model. “I guess the primary area that I try to emulate Coach Henderson is being positive and trying to provide opportunities for each person to succeed to their fullest potential,” Ward said.

Above: TEAM EFFORTS: Former CCHS head football coach Billy Henderson (bottom right) poses for a group photo with the rest of the CCHS varsity football team. CCHS Athletic Director Jon Ward, who first met Henderson in the ‘80s, remembered how he had an innate ability to connect with others. “He was extremely insightful as to how to handle people and how and how to motivate people and how to bring the best out in people,” Ward said. “Not just in Clarke Central or athletics, but (also) in the Athens community.” Below: COACHER-IN-CHIEF: Former CCHS head football coach Billy Henderson enacts a play during a game circa 1980. Current CCHS head football coach David Perno remembered how he and Henderson always stayed connected, preserving the bond they developed on the field. “I always kept in touch,” Perno said. “I went into coaching right after that, but I always kept touch as much as I could to see him. He was just very instrumental in me being a football player and obviously developing me as a coach. He helped me through my whole career.”

“His affection for that love demonstrated in the hundreds of letters he wrote over the years. He was always writing on his infamous yellow legal pad, and not for any other reason than to say, ‘I love you.’”

-- STEPHANIE BROOKS HUNT, Billy Henderson’s granddaughter

Current CCHS head football coach David Perno also saw Henderson as a paternal figure on and off the field, but one who helped him pursue a career in coaching.

“He became more of a father figure over the years,” Perno said. “I had shoulder surgery after my junior season, so I couldn’t practice that spring. He told me to coach the C-team. It used to be just (a job) for seniors, but he trusted me enough to do it my junior year. I then did it again my senior year. I knew at that time what I wanted to do just because I played for him and had technically worked for him at such a young age.”

According to Perno, Henderson continues to serve as a coaching inspiration, as one who encour-

ages distinction.

“I can’t be Billy Henderson,” Perno said. “That was one thing he was adamant about. You gotta

But again, that’s something that he taught me.”

CCHS Athletic Director Jon Ward, who first met Henderson in 1986, says that he quickly became a lifelong friend who always saw the best in others.

“I consider Coach Henderson to have been a mentor and a friend,” Ward said. “I think he had the ability to see the potential in every person, not just (an) athlete. He was able to give that person confidence to utilize their abilities to their fullest potential. He was the -- DAVID PERNO, most positive person that I’ve ever encountered. He was Clarke Central High School head football coach extremely insightful as to how to handle people and how to motivate them.” trust your own instincts. You gotta be you, you can’t Ward also says that one of Henderson’s greatest try to be someone else. You gotta trust your gut. accomplishments was helping ease the integration

““I can’t be Billy Henderson,” Perno said. “That was one thing he was adamant about. You gotta trust your own instincts. You gotta be you, you can’t try to be someone else. You gotta trust your gut. But again, that’s something that he taught me.”

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to? How’s he treating his family?’ She would always come back and tell me that he always cared deeply about his players.”

Seleem Fathalla, a freshman who currently trains with the varsity football team, believes that Henderson’s legacy will continue to thrive through the athletic programs of Clarke Central High School.

“He obviously meant a lot to our school. The stadium’s named after him, (and) our coach right now, Coach Perno, was coached by him,” Fathalla said.

“I think the way Henderson coached stayed in our system, and his legacy will always live on through players and how we play. That’s why Clarke Central is Clarke Central at football, because of him.”

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Below: EYES ON THE PRIZE: Former CCHS head football coach Billy Henderson intently watches a football game in 1979. Current CCHS head football coach David Perno, who played under Henderson, reflected on how Henderson’s methods still influence him. “You try to do the things that worked from his view, but you can’t,” Perno said. “I can’t be Billy Henderson. That was one thing he was adamant about. You gotta trust your own instincts. You gotta be you, you can’t try to be someone else.” Photo from the 1979 issue of the Gladius.

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WILSON’S RETURN

Featured: WAY BACK WILSON: 2018 JV soccer coach Cole Wilson battles for the ball during a game his senior year at Clarke Central High School in 2016. Wilson hopes he can help his players mature over the 2018 season.

“I really like watching players get better and watching players who aren’t necessarily superstars but watching them work hard and become very key components of the team. I also like being able to be out and watch soccer and think about soccer and analyze soccer because I just think it’s a beautiful game,” Wilson said. Photo by Hannah Gale

Clarke Central High School alumnus and University of Georgia sophomore Cole Wilson returns to CCHS to coach the boys JV soccer team.

BY ELI CLARKE J1 staffer

T

wo years after reaching the Elite Eight in the State playoffs with the Clarke Central High School boys varsity soccer team, Cole Wilson has returned to coach the boys JV team

for the 2018 season.

During his time at CCHS, Wilson played on the JV team two years and another two years on varsity. During his senior year in 2016, Wilson led his team in goals, scoring 23 over the season, contributing to the team’s Elite Eight run at the state playoffs. According to Wilson, the team’s success was made possible due to the coaching of CCHS varsity head boys soccer coach Christopher Aiken and a high work ethic among the team.

“We had a lot of key senior players who were leaders. We were able to take practices and offseason seriously hold each other accountable, push each other.

I also just think that coach Aiken is an incredible coach,” Wilson said.

CCHS senior Muhammad De Lane played on the Elite Eight team with Wilson, and has seen Wilson’s ability to lead firsthand.

“I would say he showed me a lot of his coaching ability while he was on the team, leading the team through a lot and being able to pick everyone up. Even if we were playing bad he could pick us up and get us refocused,” De Lane said.

Wilson was a coach for the Clarke Middle School team with longtime friend, teammate and 2016 CCHS alumnus Scholl Wright. Wright believes that Wilson has many strengths as a coach that he showed while coaching at CMS. “He’s a great coach, he’s really good at knowing what to do after a game.

We’d sit down and talk and after a game and we could decide what we were doing wrong and then Cole was really good at being like, ‘We should do this drill for this, this drill for that,’ and he’s really good at getting people to listen to him too, which is useful.”

Many players from CMS became players under Wilson again this season. According to Wilson, this relationship had a positive impact on the team’s season.

“It definitely (made) things a lot easier because I (felt) more comfortable.

I (didn’t) have to introduce myself to everyone and know a lot of the guys by name right away and know their capabilities. It helps narrow what I have to look at as a coach, but it also helps them feel more comfortable with me and it (helped) those guys trust me as a coach,” Wilson said.

After seeing Wilson coach at CMS, Aiken believed that Wilson has been a good fit.

“He’s always on time, he’s very professional, he treats all the kids fairly regardless of their ability,” Aiken said. “He’s a great motivator at practice, all the kids like him, but they also respect him.”

Wilson is looking forward to next season and is hopes to have to helped his players improve as much as he can. Using methods he learned from Aiken, Wilson believes he can make a positive impact and help his players mature.

“Anything (Aiken) asked us to do, he would do himself, whether it’s footwork drills or dribbling drills or conditioning even, he would always do stuff with the players and that (was) something that was very respectable,” Wilson said.

“He would never ask you to do something that he wasn’t willing to do or didn’t think you could do and that’s something that I’m set on doing with this team.”

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A New Orleans Saints cheerleader was fired due to a social media post, which drew up attention to double standards in the industry.

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he New Orleans Saints fired cheerleader Bailey Davis after she posted a photo of herself in a lace, one-piece outfit on her private Instagram page. Her termination was prompted by a rule in the NFL employees handbook stating “Nude, semi-nude, or lingerie photography is strictly prohibited and terms for immediate dismissal.”

First off, the Saints cheerleaders outfits are a pair of booty shorts and bra-like

BY HANNAH GALE top, but the NFL does not have an issue with them prancing around in in front Sports Editor of millions of people every game day. Those outfits show more skin and cleavage than Davis’ one-piece outfit that didn’t get even close to as many views as the NFL cheerleaders do every Sunday.

According to Davis, these rules were put into effect to protect the cheerleaders.

“They told me it was because, ‘You’re a pretty girl. You’re on the field. They’re going to want to talk to you,’” Davis said in an interview with Today.com. “They say the players are players. They say they want to protect us from the players, that the players are predators and that they’re going to want to prey on us.”

The NFL also prohibits interaction between the cheerleaders and players.

Davis was also punished for attending a party where NFL players were present, while no NFL players were punished for being in close proximity of NFL cheerleaders. When attending a party, it shouldn’t be the woman’s issue to watch out for “predators.”

SPORTS << Featured: TAKING THE 10: Clarke Central High School varsity girls soccer player Nyah Carlson (left), a sophomore, plays against Cedar Shoals High School in a game hosted by CCHS on April 7. The Lady Glads’ win that evening marked the team’s 10th straight Classic City Championship. “Playing against Cedar was both frustrating and fun because, for one, I had a ton of shots on goal and I didn’t score, but I was playing against my friends, which was really fun,” Carlson said. “Everyone that scored had really really nice shots and it was overall just a really good game.” Photo by Owen Donnelly

dEALING WITH Double standards

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The NFL needs to change their unfair and sexist policies.

“If the cheerleaders can’t contact the players, then the players shouldn’t be able to contact the cheerleaders,” Davis’ lawyer Sara Blackwell said in an interview with the New York Times. “The antiquated stereotype of women needing to hide for their own protection is not permitted in America and certainly not in the workplace.”

The New Orleans Saints cheerleaders are not allowed to follow NFL players on social media, and must keep their accounts private. In an email, the senior director of the Saints allegedly said that the rules of social media are meant to “protect you from player advances.”

When NFL athletes, such as like New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, posed nude for ESPN’s “The Body Issue”, the NFL had no issues. So, why did they fire Bailey Davis for wearing a one-piece on her private Instagram account?

Each NFL team has a code of conduct that the football players have to follow, and a different code of conduct for the cheerleaders to follow. According to Forbes, an NFL player makes an average of $1.9 million per year while NFL cheerleaders make an average of $1000 a year, but have significantly more restrictions. Why is it fair for a cheerleader to have to change their lifestyle to abide by absurd rules, but gets paid significantly less?

The NFL needs to change its unfair and sexist policies. More women are speaking up and out and there will no longer be a cheerleading industry in the NFL if changes are not made.

Right: UNJUST TREATMENT: New Orleans Saints cheerleader Bailey Davis was fireed after she posted a photo of herself in a lace one-piece outfit on her private Instagram page. Illustration by Audrey Kennedy

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Star Players0 ODYSSEY Star Players

SPORTS << ODYSSEY Star Players are selected based on their academic standing and commitment to teammates, their sports program and Clarke Central High School. Star Players are written for each issue by the Sports staff based on interviews with players and coaches.

UT

GRADE: 11 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 4 GPA: 3.94 GAME DAY RITUAL: I get ready like any other day and I usually try to get hyped on the bus with my friends.

FAVORITE GAME MEMORY: The first track meet

FLORA LECHTRECK

this year, I looked at the sheet of who’s doing what and I saw that I was signed up for discus and I’ve never held a discus before, so I walked over with what they gave me and it turned out it was a boys’ disc.

ROLE MODEL: Florence Griffith Joyner WHAT COACHES SAY: “Flora definitely has swag; her personality brings color to the team. She has a great shot of placing in the Region advancing in the Sectionals. The coaching staff is impressed with Flo performance and style.” -- Stacey Scott

JENSON SCOTT

I was (previously) the Athletic Director and head football coach at ( Jackson County High School). I came here as assistant athletic director and assistant football coach and after two years, the previous athletic director moved to a different school, so (former Clarke Central High School principal) Dr. Maxine Easom allowed me to take on the job.

NECESSARY EDUCATION

Most high school athletic directors don’t go to school to be an athletic director. It’s something that you do for motions, interviews and things of that nature. I’ve got a doctorate as far as four years of undergrad, two years of masters and three years in a doctorate program and that’s nine years of school. I mean, I’ve used it all, but it wasn’t specifically for becoming an athletic director.

FLORA LECHTRECK

SHOTP

BECOMING THE DIRECTOR

GRADE: 9 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 3 GPA: 3.0

THE INS AND OUTS

There’s different components of (my job). I guess it can be broken down. There’s the administrative component which involves paperwork as far as eligibility, scheduling, things that are unique between the school and athletic department. Then other type of paperwork. And then there is the coaching and making sure our coaching staffs are in place and providing whatever guidance I need to them, as they can provide the guidance to the program. The third component would be finance budgeting. The athletic department runs as a separate entity. There is the support that the school system gives that’s primarily in facilities and coaches supplements. All other expenses, uniforms, official fees, equipment has to be generated through either gate receives or raising money in the community and then thoroughly this continual growth of the Athletic Department both from the bottom of working with the youth programs in the community and seeing out athletes in post-secondary situations that have the opportunity to play at the next level.

PRIOR EXPERIENCE

At the high school level, primarily, it’s good that you have been a coach, a varsity coach. I’ve coached and been both an assistant and head coach in football and baseball during my career. Normally, if you’ve been able to be an assistant athletic director or been exposed to a lot of the administrative and supervision type of responsibilities, those would be the two main requirements at the high school level of being an athletic director.

THE SATISFACTION

GAME DAY RITUAL: When I get to the course I

I’m a believer in athletics and the opportunity that it provides young people to grow, to have friends, to have experiences and I really find it rewarding when I see young people being able to compete and enjoy themselves, you know, to experience the thrill of victory. I think we learn a lot from defeat also.

But really to provide athletic opportunities to our students here at Clarke Central.

ODYSSEY Star Players

usually practice my putting and my swing.

FAVORITE GAME MEMORY: Just being out there playing with friends.

GOLF

ROLE MODEL: My dad, Larry Scott WHAT COACHES SAY: “Jenson loves golf and brings a quiet intensity to practice. He’s got great fundamentals and as a freshman, he has the potential to develop into a very good player.” -- Brian Ash

JENSON SCOTT

Photo by Krista Shumaker

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MAY 2018

MAY 2018

5

THINGS to know about being an

athletic director BY jon ward AS TOLD TO jackson bramlett

odysseynewsmagazine.net | ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

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