The Nevarmore, March 2014 by Ravenscroft

evarmore

Ravenscroft School

7 4 0 9 F a l l s o f N e u s e Ro a d

March 2014

Cold War Heat Up: Ukranian Meltdown

Photo of spray painted mosaic by Sydnie Schwarz, ‘16, bearing the signatures of SPEAK participants on the reverse. Photo by Helen Velk

Students spend morning discovering diversity E mi Myers T

Photo of Zachary Chapman, ‘15, John Landers, ‘15, Skye Dietlebaum, ‘15, and Shiva Boroojerdi, ‘15 debriefing the “Step Over the Line” activity. Photo by Helen Velk

“I think this was my most proud day at Ravenscroft. I am still amazed that it happened, and I am very excited about the potential our school has to become exceptionally inclusive. The diversity is already here, and there is so much we can learn about the world.” - Sydnie Schwarz ‘16 SPEAK Morning Student Leader

Editor

he Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 17, Upper School students took part in a half-day program called “SPEAK,” organized by their peers. Students began their morning by participating in 5 classes taught by their peers to learn about Dr. King’s legacy and discuss diversity on campus. Afterwards, the closing ceremonies featured a song performance, a spray painted mosaic, and the sensational group of spoken word poets called the Sacrificial Poets. The morning was part of an initiative to recognize and promote diversity at Ravenscroft. All participants were constructive and most students responded positively to the offered activities which they felt explored many different aspects of diversity and acceptance in an accessible way for teenagers to learn from their peers. (Continued on page 2)

A protester hurls a cobblestone over a wall of fire toward police forces storming Independence Square in central Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014. (Sergei L. Loiko/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

ensions are rising between pro-Russian and rebel forces in Ukraine as a result of a $15 billion bailout from Vladimir Putin, Russian Federation President, in order to draw Ukraine away from the European Union and establish a regime favorable to Russian economic and political interests. November brought this conflict to a climax when tens of thousands of Ukrainian protesters took to the streets to protest what they believed to be a “pet” government of Vladimir Putin, a concept heavily reminiscent of Cold War Soviet Russia. Following of unmarked, but suspected Russian, troops’ presence in Crimea, a southern peninsula officially a region of Ukraine but carrying a predominantly Russian or pro-Russian population, President Barack Obama met with the leaders of Germany, Poland, and Great Britain to condemn the “complete illegitimacy” of Russia’s actions. Responding to the militarization of Crimea, Ukraine has officially mobilized their military and made an appeal to the United Nations Security Council for sanctions against Moscow. On Sunday, March 16, a referendum was passed in Crimea by 97% allowing its creation as province of the Russian Federation. This Russian backed initiative had since led to American sanctions against the key Russian political and military figures by freezing their assets and issuing travel bans. President Obama stated these sanctions in an address on Monday and further stressed increased sanctions when he warned, “Further provocations will achieve nothing except to further isolate Russia.”

CH- CH- CH- Changes C asey Harris B

Editor

By: Emi Myers

efore Winter Formal new Head of Upper School, Peter Bogue, sent out a school-wide email describing the changes in Ravenscroft policy and the Student Handbook. Starting this year, the schools policies of breathalyzing at dances and allowing outside guests to attend school functions have had some students wondering what the specific changes are and what brought them about. This past summer, the language regarding the policy of breathalyzing at school dances came into question and has been changed to state that should a student refuse to take a Breathalyzer test, they will be assumed guilty and disciplinary procedures will follow accordingly. The changes were designed to give clarity to students on the consequences of refusing to take the test. There has been use of a Breathalyzer in past years, but Bogue wants to ensure students that the administration hopes to not have to use the new policy, and does not plan on breathalyzing random students at dances. Many students have felt that presumed guilt violates their right to innocence until proven otherwise. Bogue says that the administration is only concerned about the overall safety of students attending a school-

sponsored function, and believes it is better to “err on the side of caution” when dealing with potentially dangerous situations such as a students’ intoxication at a dance. Also pertaining to dances are the changes involving whom a student can bring as their date. Guests have always had to be approved by former Head of Upper School Bill Pruden or Kevin Billerman, Assistant Head of Upper School, but now there are specific restrictions on the allowed age of the guests. Juniors and Seniors are officially allowed to bring Freshman in college to Homecoming, Winter Formal, and Prom, and officially not allowed to bring anyone older than that. While there is nothing that specifically lays out rules on this in the handbook, Bogue explains that they generally do not approve of a student bringing a date who has been out of high school for more than a year because of the complications that could arise from a large age difference. Guests submitted to be approved will continue to be decided on a case-by-case basis but some people think this rule is generally unfair to the seniors, since it allows a presumed two-year age difference between juniors and their date, but only a one-year difference for seniors.

Nevarmore

“SPEAK”(Cont.)

dents were asked to step across a line if they personally identified with a question asked by the student facilitator. This activity was followed by a debrief discussion to talk about the results of the activity be that certain prompts that more people responded to than expected or prompts that participants thought would have had a stronger response to. Socio-economic status was also a focus of one of the groups. Here, students were asked to separate a list of items ranging from a Mac computer to a bus ticket into groups of families under the labels “more than enough,” “enough,” and “less than enough.” The sixth and final session watched a video by the “Vine famous” Nash Grier that talked about what the ideal qualities in women were. Students were asked to share their opinions on how the media shaped societal ideas and what an individual’s role is in either perpetuating the current standard practices or changing them. Although the morning activities were interesting and fun, most students enjoyed the closing ceremony most of all. The closing ceremony featured a musical performance, a painted mosaic bearing the word “SPEAK” with the signatures of all of the participants of the day,

Page 2 SGA, Clubs, Calendar

Four members of the spoken poetry group, Sacrificial Poets, intoducing their act.

Page 3 Winter Olympics Haley Gardner

Photo by Helen Velk

Page 4 Big Ideas Emi Myers

Page 5 Editorial

Emi Myers, Stephanie Wiehe, Austin Morin & Casey Harris

Page 6 & 7 CCL/Student Leadership Initiative Stephanie Wiehe, Adam Jordan & Brett Haensel

Page 8 Flappy Bird Liz Gulden & Anna Collawn

Staff Writer

Student

Page 10 Frozen

Gina Patalano

Page 11 Super Bowl Conner irey

Page 12 Jonathan Marlowe & Anna Collawn

Government has had a very successful winter. One of the highlights of our work these past months was the Winter Formal Dance. This year, however, attendance was down and many felt that the band, The Heather Hayes Experience, did not live up to their reputation. The Badminton Tournament was also a successful event and raised money for the American Cancer Society. As pledged at the beginning of the year, we continue to donate to the American Cancer Society, and so far we have raised over $3000 from various events. This spring, SGA looks forward to hosting the Independent School Conference, in which various schools from around North Carolina will come to discuss the role and or-

S.G.A

Katherine Ann Robinson & Anna Collawn

their respective schools. This conference will help us to expand the scope of our government beyond Ravenscroft, and find ways to improve how we work. This spring, we also look forward to the annual kickball tournament to benefit In Sam’s Name. In Sam’s Name is a charity that honors Sam Biedermann, a Ravenscroft alum, to raise awareness about drug safety. This is a charity close to the hearts of many Ravenscroft students and SGA has worked to make our presence in the charity known. We continue to work on involvement in the surrounding community through sending students to Art Atria where they make art with senior citizens. We look forward to a successful spring in SGA and hope to make a lasting impact on Ravenscroft’s presence in the community.

pass on important leadership skills to their peers.” One of the student facilitators, Sydnie Schwarz, class of ‘16, said “I think this was my most proud day at Ravenscroft. I am still amazed that it happened, and I am very excited about the potential our school has to become exceptionally inclusive. The diversity is already here, and there is so much we can learn about the world; regardless of how students seem to believe the Ravenscroft community is homogenous and limited, I know that it is not. This purpose is an important one, and must be introduced to our community so that it is accepted and embraced.” Kevin Billerman, former Duke Basketball Captain, and Mary Grady Bell, ‘14, after one of their annual Duke/ Carolina bets...obviously, Carolina won! Photo by Helen Velk

or the first time in over ten years Ravenscroft has a Morehead-Cain Scholar. Mary Grady Bell,‘14, has been an involved and dedicated student during her career at Ravenscroft. She is a leader both in and out of the classroom, as she serves as Secretary of the Upper School in SGA and is also an FCA leader. An accomplished athlete, Bell has seen both her Track and Cross Country teams make it to States. She is also an avid violinist, playing in the school’s orchestra as well as the White Memorial Youth Strings, and a string quartet. Bell is a member of National Honors Society, as well as National Charity League. The Morehead-Cain Scholarship is the first scholarship in America and includes four years fully paid at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as well as many, many more enrichment opportunities. After months of interviews and applications, Bell was happy to announce that she was one of 49 students to receive this very prestigious scholarship.

n Sam’s Name is a fund established in memory of Samuel Elgie Biedermann, who passed away at the age of 19 when he was just beginning to search for his unique place in life. His family’s goal is to support other young men and women like Sam who are facing pressures and uncertainties during their transition into adulthood. The fund will make contributions to charities that support youth in the Triangle area to identify and nurture their talents and overcome the barriers they face. The goal of the fund is to assist youth in becoming self-confident and compassionate young adults.

March 2013 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUEDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Nevarm re nline

In Sam’s Name Mission Statement

K athryn Ann Robinson ganization of student government at

Pages 9 Valentine’s Day

Basketball

ne of the sessions was a Ted Talk video called “The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. After watching a video about the dangers of unintentional stereotyping, students had a conversation about the orator’s experiences from moving to London from Nigeria, her college roommate assuming that she only listened to tribal music, and the idea that Africa is one unified country.Another session was an analysis of Dr. King’s lesser known quotes. Students were able to react to different quotes in an open environment. The third session was an activity designed to realize diversity in the Ravenscroft community. Stu-

and the poetry group called “Sacrificial Poets.”The Sacrificial Poets were a smash hit among all of the attendees. Their performance based poetry was a far cry from the poems many students find cumbersome and boring to study in the classroom. Covering subjects from red sneakers and social injustice to the difficulties of growing up in Durham, each of the five performers showcased their talent and passion for Martin Luther King’s legacy and had students and faculty alike snapping in agreement. One of the most remarkable parts of the event was the fact that it was completely student led. All of the sessions were led by a total of 24 student facilitators with the help of faculty sponsors. The “SPEAK” day was an extension of six upper school students’ trip to National Harbor, Maryland where they attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). Jessie Lutz, class of ‘14, was a second year attendee to the Student Diversity Leadership Conference and one of the many key student leaders who helped to organize the SPEAK morning. While reflecting on the effectiveness of SDLC concepts during the SPEAK day, Lutz said, “Orchestrating a student-led day helped the SDLC students not only practice, but

Honor

Table of Contents Katherine Ann Robinson & Haley Gardner

News

Local

The Oscars

UNC vs. Notre Dame @ UNC

Pharrell album release NCSU vs. Pittsburgh @ PB

Lea Michele album release

Duke vs. WF @ Duke

UNC vs. VT @ UNC

NCSU vs. Miami @ NCSU

Canes home game

UNC vs. Duke @ Duke

300 movie release Mr. Peabody movie release

16ACC Final

home 25 Canes 26 game

NCSU vs. BC @ NCSU

Canes home game

NCAA 1st Round Foster the People album release

Canes home game

Shakira album release

ACC 1st Round

Need for Speed ACC 2nd movie release Round Bad Words movie Canes home release game ACC Quarterfinal Divergent 1st day of movie release spring Muppets movie NCAA 2nd release Round

NCAA Sweet Sixteen

ACC Semifinal

A Haunted House 2 movie release Noah movie release

Sabatoge movie release

NCAA 3rd Round

29 NCAA Elite 8 Canes home game

HaleyGardner

Winter Olympics

STAFF WRITER

Nevarmore

News

ebruary sixth marked the beginning of the Winter Olympics hosted in Sochi, Russia. This year was the first time that the Russian Federation has hosted the Winter Olympics (the Soviet Union hosted the Summer Olympics in 1980). Located in Krasnodar, the third largest region of Russia, Sochi has a population 400,000 people. Planning for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics began in the summer of 2007, and the games were the most expensive Olympics ever, costing around $50 billion. Before the games, there were many controversies in Russia regarding the Sochi Winter Olympics. First of all, there were multiple threats of terrorism on the games. Also, people “called for boycotts of the Sochi Olympics because of Russia’s political alignments,” according to CNN. Additionally, Russia recently passed an “anti-gay propaganda” law on June 30th, 2013, which banned gay rights and relationships caused protests. Furthermore, 2014 apparently marks the 150th anniversary of the Circassian genocide, and protesters had many concerns that the Olympics

were being hosted on “mass graves.” Lastly, environmentalists were concerned that constructing the Olympic buildings would disrupt the natural and “pristine” setting, although planners of the Sochi Olympics declared that the games would be the “greenest” Olympic games ever held. The games took place in two places. The ice events were held near the Black Sea in the Imeretinskaya Valley, and the skiing and sliding event were held in the Krasnaya Polyana Mountains (see diagram at bottom left). Mascots for the games included the Polar Bear, Hare and Snow Leopard who occasionaly made appearances at various events. Ravenscroft students and faculty gave their input on the 2014 Winter Olympics in a survey before the games started. They shared whether or not they would watch the Olympics, if they had ever spectated at an actual Olympics, and what game they were looking forward to the most. Out of 80 students, 88% said they would watch the Winter Olympics, 6% said that were not sure, and 5% said that they would not. Additionally, the most popular

One snowflake refuses to expand into an Olympic ring during the Opening Ceremony.

Fireworks explode over Fisht Olympic Stadium. Courtesy of MCT Campus event Ravenscroft students were excited about watching was skiing (see graph at bottom right). Katherine Booth, ‘15, shared her story of the time she visited the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. At the time, she lived in France, so she and her family only had to make a five hour drive to Turin. She told The Nevarmore, “My sister and my dad went to the womens hockey finals where team Canada won gold. My mom and my sister went to the figure skating event, and we all saw team Canada play against Russia in hockey.” Her favorite part about the Winter Olympics was touring around, watching hockey, and “seeing people from your country coming together as one to support your team.” At the end of the Olympic games, Russia earned the most medals with the United States not following too far behind. The next Winter Olympics will take place in PyeongChang, South Korea in 2018.

Ravens, Which

events are you looking foward to?

“ICE HOCKEY!!!!!!! Can’t wait to see my favorite NHL players battle it out on the ice.” -Emi Myers, ‘15

Courtesy of MCT Campus

“The opening ceremony fo’ sho” -Jordy Baende, ‘14

“Anything to sit in front of while doing schoolwork.” -Karen Carroll Courtesy of MCT Campus

# of Votes

Favorite Events

Courtesy of MCT Campus

Events

Nevarmore

Opinion

We Need To Talk About Race

“We have in this country this dynamic where we really don’t like to talk about our problems. We don’t like to talk about our history. And because of that, we really haven’t understood what it’s meant to do the things we’ve done historically. We’re constantly running into each other. We’re constantly creating tensions and conflicts. We have a hard time talking about race, and I believe it’s because we are unwilling to commit ourselves to a process of truth and reconciliation.” -Bryan Stevenson

African American History Month EmiMyers

Editor

In February of 1970, the first Black History Month was organized by the students of Kent State

1 out of 3 African America men between 18 and 30 are either in jail, onparole, or on probation

University’s African American Student Union in order to recognize the important people and events of the African diaspora on the bicentennial of the United States. Forty-four years later, many individuals of varied ethnicities question the purpose and value of this month. Does it promote acceptance or simply emphasize difference? What value does it hold? Those that are of the anti-Black History month orientation argue that creating a separate month for people of a different skin color reinforces the idea of segregation instead of pursuing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream for people “not to be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Additionally, assigning a single month to African American history contributes to the idea that they, as well as their history, are completely separate from the history of the United States of America. Such an explanation was offered by the successful African American movie actor Morgan Freeman when he said, “I don’t want a black history month. Black history is American history.” The argument for Black History Month is equally strong. More often than not, American History, a high school class required by many states, is taught from the caucasian colonist point of view. As a result, many figures and events that are central to the story of African American history go overlooked in day-to-day studies. Either way, no one can dispute the validity of the goal of the National Black History Month. According to the African American History Month website, their objective is for people and institutions to “join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.” So, noble cause? Check. But, their goal refers to the African American struggles with adversity and achievement of full citizenship as an accomplishment of the past, when in reality, many African Americans continue to battle predjudice and unfair judgement. In a TEDtalk, human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson rattles off several startling statistics of African Americans (right) that are truly shocking. They suggest that perhaps, true equality has not yet been achieved. In fact, following current trends, there is a regression in African American voting. What does this mean for African American History Month? In short, these facts suggest that maybe the progress Americans, both black and white, feel they have made is not as far past the grievances of slavery and segregation as they would like to think it is. Take the terms used to describe each race: white and black. Two colors that stand in for two races of people. The very concept of black and white is that they are opposites, further encouraging the divide between people and colors that are far from accurate in describing the actual varying skin tones of the people they represent. In reality, no person is either “black” or “white.” Perhaps instead of focusing on individual leaders in African American history, the month should be geared towards combating contemporary issues about race that persist today. Instead of simply teaching about W.E.B DuBois and Carter G. Woodson, we should try to pursue their ideas for change and integrate them into our legal, political, and social institutions. This year, the month long celebration was themed “Civil Rights in America,” but Stevenson argues that focusing on events of the past will not resolve the inter-race tensions that continue to manifest. He suggests that we focus on integrating everyone in a just future. Focusing on slavery and hundreds of other racially motivated abuses will not do believe African-Americans have reached full citizenship because the written law states we do. change the past. The only way to move towards true Many African-Americans did face adversity while fighting for these laws to be made. But, to this day we still equality is to focus on a fully integrated future. face adversity in our everyday lives. Socially and in different environments, especially the South, we are not treated the same as other citizens. Everything we do is always amplified and we cannot get away with certain things that others can. African-American History Month to me is not only a celebration or a tribute, but also a reminder. A reminder of what others went Here’s a few resources to check through so I can have freedom and how they expect my generation not to lose that drive while continuing to fight for equality. out online to learn more: African-American History Month in itself is not effective to me. It is what people do during that time of reminder that is effective. People are effective by teaching others about their family culture and background, by marching, or by simply rejoicing. UCLA Black Bruins video There is nothing I would like to change in African-American History Month. Many may advocate to change the month because it is the shortest month but, I like it being the shortest month. It gives the African-American community an extra drive to strive for greatness. Bryan Stevenson TED talk Lastly, I would like to say there is a need for people, including African-Americans, to understand that not every African-American is the same. I never even thought of this myself until a couple weeks back. We all have different backgrounds, different stories, different “We Need To Talk About Injustice” struggles and a different idea of what our culture is. That is what makes us unique. We are different, but one. African-American History Month is a celebration, tribute, and reminder that we are uniquely different, but must stick together.

In Alabama, 34% of African American males are permanently disenfranchised because of a single criminal conviction.

In 10 years, states like Alabama will reach levels of disenfranchisement unseen since the Voting Rights Act

In states belonging to the “Old South,” a black defendant is 22 times more likely to receive the death penalty with a white victim than vice versa.

Student Opinion

Thoughts on African American History Month and its Effectiveness I

Still Interested?

1. 2.

3. www.itooamharvard.tumblr.com

- DJ Washington, ‘16

Editorial

Nevarmore Changing Our World:

The Junior Perspective on the Ravenscroft Leadership Initiative Upper School students were forced to adjust

to numerous changes in the past few years such as locker/hallway realignment, dress code, new grading scale, as well as elimination of traditional senior privileges, and this year, they were faced with another sizable change in their daily lives that hits every student in every grade level: The incorporation of the Student Leadership Initiative into the school’s curriculum. The editorial team decided that the most efficient way to voice the students’, primarily juniors’, frustrations surrounding this new initiative is to chunk them into three categories.

“The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.” -Tony Blair

TREEmendous Values Have Difficulty Rooting Themselves in Students’ Minds

Reduction of “Free” Time

Our Suggestions:

dvisory time, often used to finish work, study, or just relax and enjoy the family atmosphere of the advisory crew, has now been taken away for leadership lessons. In the case of the juniors, it is now a time to work on the “Change Your World” project. Many considered the old version of 9:35 Common Period on Tuesdays and Thursdays as a rare period of free time to use for whatever they please; a welcome reprieve in their already hectic lives. Most students can relate to the feeling of hitting the wall, right around 11 or 12 o’clock, after hours of homework on top of projects/presentation/sports practice/play practice/band/etc. - when students simply cannot go on any longer - so they decide to get some much-needed sleep. As sophomores, juniors, and seniors were accustomed to having regularly scheduled free periods, many students could budget the 9:35 Common Period on Tuesdays and Thursdays as a time for completing work from the previous night. With the new program, students, juniors in particular, have had to use their “growth-minded” skills to adapt to a new schedule, often at the expense of mental and physical health. In addition to piling onto an already overbearing workload, Juniors are asked to create a project aimed at “changing their world” while confined to the Ravenscroft campus. Many of the greater issues students care about reach far beyond the borders of our safe, beautiful environment. Such issues received resistance from administrators and advisors alike.

Communication T

he communication between the administration and student body has been inconsistent. Because of so many competing events during the 9:35 Common Period, students face long stretches with no work or direction regarding the junior project, then short periods where the initiative is brought back in full-swing, leaving students confused as to what is going on in terms of scheduling, deadlines, and direction. The inclement weather this year has further exacerbated the situation. Juniors are still not sure what is going on with the project as a whole. Wondering, for example, how students will be granted the “20 hours of community service,” the deadline, and worse yet, there is still confusion as to what the final product is supposed to be, and the actual overall goal of these projects. In an attempt to increase communication with the students and gain student insight, a student leadership group was formed and Colleen Ramsden, Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs, will be meeting with all juniors to clarify the above questions.

Nevarmore

This paper serves as a communication link within Ravenscroft School and between the school and the local community. The Nevarmore staff strives to produce a professional-quality publication that follows the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists. Our overall objective is to print the news for and about our students and other members of our school and community in a fair and objective way with the utmost regard for integrity.

Faculty Advisor: Helen Velk

2. Make advisory a graded

Cartoon by Austin Morin ‘15

Forced Values/Overwhelmingly BIG Concepts C

oncepts like “Leading Self, Leading Others” and “Changing Your World” are all good in theory, but difficult to be of much value at this point in students’ lives. A high percentage of students at Ravenscroft between the ages of 14 and 18 have not yet encountered things requiring such moral conscience. Each value is so large and difficult to embody that students are reluctant to value the importance of them. It is like saying “be a good person, ready set GO!” However, keep in mind that the goal of the program is to prepare students for an ever evolving workforce. Perhaps, if the CCL based Student Leadership Initiative was more slowly integrated into the Ravenscroft culture, better results would be observed. The suddenness and scale of this year’s program is stressful for most of the Upper School students, but this is an integral part to the purpose of the pilot program.

A Brief Word from Colleen Ramsden: A

s Ravenscroft strives toward the goal of having every student realize he/she has the potential to be a leader, the program needs to continue to be tweaked. The good news is the administration wants to hear from students on how to improve it. They will look to accommodate students’ time management needs, communicate more effectively, and provide more concrete concepts in the hope of obtaining the broad goal.

Editorial Team: Stephanie Wiehe & Emi Myers, Co-Editors-In-Chief Casey Harris & Austin Morin, Associate Editors

Wire Service

The Nevarmore subscribes to MCT Campus, which provides photographs, national news & entertainment services to high school newspapers.

Replace the senior internship with a“Super Project” that must be implemented and reported on. Ensure completion by culminating essay or presentation.

The unsigned editorials in this issue are a reflection of the combined opinions of the editorial team. Responses in the form of a letter are welcomed and will be considered for publication.

class if it gives assignments.

3. 4.

Less structure on the Google site

Make a list of requirements and a schedule of all meetings so students can plan accordingly.

Invite a speaker whose 5. message is more in line with the scope and goal of the project.

Allow students the flexibility to choose a topic they are passionate about.

Our Questions: Is it possible for EVERYONE to be a leader? Is it important to be a good follower as well? How can a broad program cater to the needs of each student at different steps of leadership development?

Editorial Content:

1) The students on The Nevarmore staff will print articles which have been researched to the best of their ability to obtain the most complete information. 2) The information will be presented in an objective, truthful and fair manner. 3) When personal commentary is given it will be in good taste on issues that have been researched, analyzed and where expert opinion has been sought, and then presented to the best ability of the writer. 4) No material which is obscene, libel or anything that will cause a “material and substantial disruption” of the school day, according to accepted legal definitions, will be printed.

Starting an

Creating Leaders f A New Definition of Leadership Embraced at Ravenscroft Stephanie Wiehe Editor

“

f your idea of leadership is a positional thing, you aren’t Photo by Susan Washburn talking about the leadership were trying to create,” says Colleen Ramsden, Assistant Head of School, and the lead coordinator of the Citizen Leader program at Ravenscroft. Although the program has really only been rolled out to students this year, Ravenscroft has been working with the Center for Creative Leadership for three years now. Early on, the school went through a discovery process with focus groups comprised of parents, teachers, and students, trying to figure out what the community wanted to improve for students. It was clear that the greatest desire was a Citizen Leadership program for students of all ages. “We already had leadership development opportunities like band, sports, and SGA, so why not put a label on it and get all students involved?” That’s exactly what the school did, from Pre-K to 12th grade, all students are being exposed to the new program and the new “brand” of leadership. The over-arching goal of the new program is to “live the school’s mission which says that students will thrive in a complex and interdependent world,” according to Ramsden. This entails teaching students how to work with others and develop skills both in and out of the classroom, as well as teaching students that “it’s okay to fail...and to learn how to overcome,” says Ramsden, who went on to add, “with an ever changing society, it’s not enough to just be smart anymore.” The school is working towards its goal by creating a common language for leadership. “Whether you walk into a math or a history class, there’s a common language.” Each grade focuses on a specific part of this language: Leading Self, Leading With Others, or Changing Your World.

Leading With Others:

ixth and ninth graders focused on the Leading with Others portion of the Character Tree in team building exercises at a retreat before school in August. According to the Ravenscroft website: “Our faculty and CCL will facilitate “retreat” days at Ravenscroft for all rising sixth and ninth graders. Each grade will spend one day during the first full week of school working on team building, citizenship and leadership exercises. This is an invaluable opportunity for our students to begin the year with a greater sense of community.”

Leading Self:

The “Leading Self” portion of the character

tree diagram is the focus of lessons in Pre-K and the Upper School alike. The youngest Ravens are taught that “Leading Self” is essentially being responsible for their own actions. Ramsden recounts that “at Lower School gatherings, Dr. Harper, Guidance Counselor, simply asks the students if they are “leading self” and the room quiets down immediately.” As students progress through the program, they learn of the different sub-categories of Leading Self. High school students were asked to incorporate the Leading Self terms of accountability, self-aware, resilient, growth-minded, and motivated into their self-evaluative report card comments.

Changing Your World:

Members of the junior class are the most

The Fortner Advisory participating in one of the CCL activities in August. Photo by Susan Washburn

August 20, 2012 Faculty CCL retreat: Faculty of all areas of the school returned to campus early for a CCL led conference learning about leadership through lectures, presentations, and activities.

August 27, 2012 First Citizen Leadership led day of student activities. 10th-12th graders attended a presentation given by Rick Waechter learning about personal finance and money management, skills not otherwise taught in school. 9th graders spent the morning doing team building exercises, and adapting to the Upper School. In the afternoon all students met in advisory groups to do on-campus service projects at the direction of CCL leaders.

Ravensc

involved in exploring the Changing Your World portion of the Citizen Leader program and Ravenscroft co-generated diagram. Each advisory was split up into groups and presented a challenge: To create a presentation and raise awareness about a problem within our community. Projects range from awareness about texting while driving to leading healthy lifestyles. Juniors work on projects during 9:35 scheduled work times, will create a video, and will present projects to a committee from outside of Ravenscroft for critiquing and possible funding.

Leading Self Self-aware Growth-minded Motivated Resilient Accountable

Changing

Vi St Res Re Ad

n Initiative:

for a Better Future

croft School

B rett Haensel

9th Grade

Staff Writer

Leading with Others Empathetic Ethical Culturally Inclusive Collaborative Communicative

g Your World

isionary trategic sourceful eflective daptive

August 27,

2013 Ravenscroft receives a Citizen Leadership $50,000 grant projects and from the discussions are Edward E. introduced into Ford Foundation Upper School in support advisories and juniors of the new begin research and leadership planning for Change initiative. Your World Project.

hroughout the year, the freshman class has been focusing on developing several qualities of leadership during Common Period. Advisors come prepared with a video or pre-planned activity and leads the group through the event that is focused on a particular leadership quality. These activities either put the advisory through a specific situation in which they have to work together or individually, or they lead the advisory in a discussion about the topic and trait. Lately, advisory groups have been working on developing the trait of resilience. Freshmen have watched videos about inspirational figures who have been resilient in their lives, as well as taking part in activities that have required a demonstration of resilience. Overall, the Citizen

A dam Jordan

10th Grade

Staff Writer

avenscroft’s Citizen Leadership program is now in full swing, and advisory activities are changing. Whenever I walk into my sophomore advisory knowing the meeting is based on this program, I never know what to expect. Whether it be sitting down and discussing different scenarios based on a video, or standing up and moving around virtual continents made of yarn to learn about issues with energy and money distribution around the world, the sophomore activities seem to be focused around identifying and discussing potential solutions for global and social issues. All of these activities go hand-in-hand with Ravenscroft’s effort to prepare students to be leaders in the ever-changing world in which we live.

Stephanie Wiehe

Leadership activities focus on bringing the advisory together as a group and helping each individual become a better leader. Students are not always excited about walking into advisory, which feels like a class, and having to participate in a Citizen Leadership activity. However, often the well-timed activities have a very positive effect on the group. Some people view it as added stress to an already stressful day, so they do not get the most out of the activity. Lately, the activities are more spread out, and students (including myself) are more excited about each activity. Also, interactive activities tend to get students more interested than when they just listen to their advisor talk for the 35 minute period. The Citizen Leadership activities definitely serve their purpose in teaching students the importance of certain leadership qualities, but if they are put into use too often, they can work against the goal they are trying to achieve.

Ravenscroft’s partnership with CCL has shown to be a strong idea, however, it will take time to see if teaching leadership to high school students really pays off. For now, it is difficult to tell if the lessons students learn about social and global issues will be effective. It could be a rousing success with students becoming successful innovators solving the great problems of the world. It could also be successful in developing leaders in the fight for social equality, as was showcased in the Speak program in January. Did current student leaders have leadership skills already in them? Or were they brought forth by this program? That is a question that will be more easily be answered as the sophomore class, which will be the first to go through four years of our Citizen Leadership training, moves on through high school and beyond.

11th Grade

Editor

he 11th grade Citizen Leadership project is based around the “Change Your World” ideas presented in the Citizen Leadership curricula. Students were asked to divide into groups, come up with a question or problem, and create an answer or solution. The projects culminate into a presentation, geared at a target audience to increase awareness

of the problem or issue in our community and the topics range from increasing awareness of texting while driving to promoting healthy living styles. Students have been complaining about the time commitment of the project, taking away free periods that are necessary study and homework time. Junior year is a stressful and busy time, and many students feel the school is demanding too much during the most influential year of high school.

February 24, 2014 Ravenscroft highlighted in Stanford Social Innovation Review article about schools creating entrepreneurial leaders. The article focused on the school’s “Lead from Here” initiative with its cooperation with CCL.

January 23-March 25, 2014 Junior Citizen Leadership Projects: Juniors complete and presented their question-based “Change Your World Projects,” bringing awareness and action to problems faced both inside and beyond the Ravenscroft community.

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Feature

Who Gives a Flip About the Flap? Hot New App Flew South Forever Liz Gulden T

Flappy Bird has inspired many game designers to create similar games.

Staff Writer

he popular app “Flappy Bird” has become a sensation around the country. In our Upper School alone, approximately 91% of students have played the simplistic yet addicting game with 58% admitting to be avid players. The app was released in the spring of 2013, but with the sudden spike in January, the pesky bird consistently claimed the top spot in the App Store with an overall 4 star review, over 50 million downloads, and a daily revenue of $50k from advertisements. Despite its rapid success, the seemingly innocent game became a serious issue to creator Doug Nguyen when his app led to violence amongst the players and death threats to himself. The app’s short time in the spotlight led to numerous hoaxes, including that in which a Chicago teen murdered his brother merely because he was jealous of his brother’s high score of 17. Another report claimed that Nguyen killed himself over the extreme response to his game and threats delivered to him. These bogus articles from Huzzlers.com, a well known satirical news site, similar to The Onion, spread rapidly to the International Business Times, amongst other news sources, which published the information as fact. While the stories were fabricated, Nguyen did in fact receive death threats while the game was on the App Store, which led him to remove the it completely. Flappy Bird Fanatics became frantic and frustrated when he tweeted the news that the game would not longer be available on the App Store, but other creators have designed similar games to fill the hearts of those who need their Flappy Bird fix. One of the more popular games is Flying Cyrus, where the player leads a floating Miley head through a course of wrecking balls. Others like Hoppy Frog, Splashy Fish, and Flappy Wings are popular alternatives to the late and great Flappy Bird. It seems everyone agrees that life became exponentially more stressful once the infuriating little bird flapped into mainstream media, but just as quickly as he flew in, he fled. Although no one can know which app will take the country by storm next, many would agree that there is no way it could be more addicting and time consuming than the infamous Flappy Bird.

WHY WAS FLAPPY BIRD REMOVED? The founder was concerned about how addictive it had become and deleted it. He claimed “it’s gone forever.”

I hate this game. - Alexis Hunter

Screen Shot by Liz Gulden

Some people think that the devil looks like a red beast, with horns on his head, that brings death and destruction, but in real life this is what evil looks like, it’s that tiny little yellow bird that can't even fly straight! - Dasha Teyf

It seems as if it should be easy to get the bird through the green poles. So when you end up not being able to do it you get frustrated and you want to try again and again. - Chris Little

I only play on my friend’s phone because I know if I download it onto my phone I won’t be able to stop playing. - Brooke Sharp

It's horrible and I hate it and it's not creative. It's a waste of time. Do something else like learn how to play an instrument or jump on a trampoline. Don't play that game. - Ford Layman

Dying is so frustrating and you feel inclined to play again. Plus you feel like you can always do better than your last one. - Max Haensel

Flappy Bird is Life. Flappy Bird is salvation. Flappy Bird is love itself. - Jaxon Stocks

Everyone else plays it. Gotta be the best. - Jack Torborg

I want to play Flappy Bird but my phone is at 20% because I played so much today. - Kathryn Anne Robinson

It's a waste of time and I really need to get a life. - Andrew Thrash

SCOREBOARD Evan Colby Donald Fuller James Kirk Catherine Gardner Chandler Presson Kenny Bowling Sydney Olson Mary Mac Glenn Jonathan Prather Garrett Davenport Jeffrey Hines Max Van Lokeren

409 303 269 284 248 216 205 168 140 134 133 129

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Feature

What Does Your Heart Desire on Valentine’s Day? Dream date?

“I would jet to Thailand then ride on an elephant into the sunset on a beach.” - Sara Kasbekar, ‘14 “Dinner on top of the Empire State Building and then go to a broadway show.” - Amy Lamond, Administrative Assistant

Kathryn Anne Robinson & Anna Collawn

Staff Writers

“Miley Cyrus is my dream and nightmare. She’s the complete package” - Connor Irey, ‘14 “We would go to a beach in the Caribbean, just the two of us, then go sailing and take a long walk on the beach holding hands. Then, we go to a reggae concert and a sporting event!”

Worst Valentine’s Day? Dream celebrity date? “Ryan Reynolds”

“Ryan Gosling”

- Emily Ratliff, ‘14

- Anna Collawn, ‘16

“I baked a heart-shaped cake and dropped it. Then, that night, I went to see “The Vow” and it was awful. Then, I had to study for a test and felt really sick so I didn’t want any candy.”

“It was bad because I had an APUSH test” - Rachel Ormand, ‘14

-Mary Grady Bell, ‘12

Nightmare celebrity date? “Young Jennifer Aniston” - Georgio Georgedakis, ‘14

“Scarlett Johansson” - Chris Corchiani, ‘14

“ It would start in the afternoon at a warm tropical resort with some tropical drinks out on the beach then proceed to a romantic dinner and a night of dancing.” - Kevin Billerman, Assistant Head of Upper School

“Justin Beiber” - Haley Gardner, ‘15

“Mr. Mosby” - Morgan McCreedy, ‘14

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Sports

The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway: A Frozen Film Review Gina Patalano STAFF WRITER

espite having gone into the theater expecting a mushy, sappy Disney film, I was pleasantly surprised. Frozen is now at the top of my list of films I would watch repetitively - and sing along to. Frozen has taken box offices around the world by storm since its premier in December of 2013, taking in over $359 million so far. This cinematic masterpiece has wowed audiences and caused the Winter Fever to skyrocket. Earning 89% on famed movie review site, Rotten Tomatoes, Frozen is a definite must see. I was initially urged to see the film in December by Sophie Raymer, ‘15, when she claimed, “It isn’t like every other Disney film. The graphics are amazing and the storyline is actually pretty deep. It even shows some elements of real life relationships with people instead of all fantasy.” Sensing that not only she felt the hype of this movie, I decided to see it with my mother.

As someone who has always been less than charmed by the Disney franchise, she told me afterwards that she had thoroughly enjoyed the movie and found connections to her own life within the story. Joe Morgenstern, of the Wall Street Journal, agrees with my assessment of this film as he wrote in his Rotten Tomatoes review: “If you thought there was only so much to be done with ice and snow as visual fields, think again along the lines of prismatic crystals, epic storms and fantastical structures built on water’s gift for freezing itself into see-through art.” Loosely based on the story The Snow Queen, Frozen adds Norway to its list of movie destinations and gives those who see it a sense of love and appreciation for their families. With outstanding voice acting and music performances by Broadway stars Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell, the audience is provided with an auditory and visual masterpiece brought to us by Disney’s animation renaissance. If you are considering missing this movie for any reason, I suggest you take that idea and simply… let it go.

Queen Elsa of Arendelle Artwork by: Gina Patalano

Upper School Choir and Band Concerts: March 2014

All photos by Susan Washburn

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Sports

Super Bowlin’, Super Ballin’ ConnorIrey

The Super Bowl is a mo-

Staff Writer

mentuous a event that is watched all over the world. Every year at halftime there is an event that has a famous musical guest performance. The event this year was performed by Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The halftime show has had very famous acts in the past years. Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed “Give it Away,” Beyonce peformed some of her famous hits in in 2012 like “Crazy in Love,” “Baby Boy,” and many more.

Game Recap T

he Seattle Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl 43-8. At the start of the game the Seahawks won the coin toss. They chose to defer and play defense for the first drive of the game. The Seahawk’s defenese captilazied on the first play of the game with a safety. The Seahawks then scored a field goal. By the end of the first quarter the Seahwaks led 8-0. During the second quarter Marshawn Lynch ran a TD in. Peyton Manning later threw a pick 6 which was scored by Malcom Smith. The Seawaks led the Broncos 22-0 by the end of the first half ended. The Broncos were unable to get a first down in the first quarter. At the start of the second half Percy Harvin ran back a kickoff for a TD. During the second half the Seahawks conitnued to score in the second half with the Broncos only being able to score a TD with a two point conversion. The final score was 43-8 Seattle with their first Super Bowl win ever.

Varsity Team Winter Sports Records

Swimming Ravenscroft Vasrity Girls’ Swimming took home the TISAC Championship. They went undefeated in the regular season with a final record of 18-0. Varsity Boys Swimming ended with a winning record of 10-6.

Wrestling Varsity Boys’ Wrestling Took 6th out of 16 teams at the TISAC Championship Tournament with a total of 86.5 team points. This is the highest the team has placed since the re-establishment of the Varsity Wrestling Program.

All photos by Susan Washburn

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Sports

TISAC Champs Seven In A Row

Jonathan Marlowe

Staff Writer

ver the past decade, Ravenscroft has been well-known for its impressive boys’ basketball team. While holding an undefeated record in the Triangle Independent Schools Association Conference (TISAC), the Ravens went to Durham Academy early one Saturday morning to secure the repeat. Due to the great regular season, the Ravens had a bye and took on the toughest opponent, North Raleigh Christian Academy. The Ravens instantly came out of the gate with intensity and with the great leadership of the three seniors in the starting lineup: Chris Corchiani, LJ Young and Byron Horton. The TISAC player of the year, David Reynolds ‘15, came out of the huddle with a strong aggressive first half, leading the team with 17 points. Senior Point Guard Chris Corchiani kept the team under control contributing with 5 assists. Freshman sensation, Ian DuBose, chipped in 15 points with 6 rebounds to help the Ravens claim victory.

Senior leader of the team, Chris Corchiani played his last season with the word “Ravenscroft” proudly worn across his chest, and he took this season very seriously, as he wanted to prove to both his teammates and rivals that he can compete with any point guard in North Carolina. He showcased his talent in every game, winning awards such as the North Carolina Player of the Week, and he was later named All-Conference Player of the Year for the second time. “Senior year has been a pretty good year and I enjoyed working with the younger guys. I regret not winning a couple close games that were in our advantage to win,” explained Corchiani, who is known for his high expectations of himself as well as the team. Corchiani’s nickname is “Pops” or “Dad” because he is an unselfish player who always puts the team first, and the younger players look up to him for answers. “Glad I could help continue to contribute to the conference win streak,” added Corchiani, who left a strong mark on Ravenscroft’s basketball history. After clinching the Conference Championship, The Nevar-

The boys varsity basketball team proudly display their trophies after winning the conference championship. Bottom: Coach John Dover. Left to right: Coach Kris Williams, Patrick Dorsey, Chris Corchiani, Andre Ejijor, Hugo Corchiani, Lj Young, Jonathan Marlowe, and Coach Kevin Billerman. Top left to right: Bryant Vucich PJ Stevens, Mike Okaru, Byron Horton, Tommy Corchiani, and David Reynolds Photo by Stewart Corchiani

more got a chance to sit down with the man of the hour, Coach Kevin Billerman. Knowing Coach Billerman, he has high expectations, and he spoke about the improvement of the boys basketball team from the beginning to the end of the season, he said, ”evaluating teams each year includes talent, commitment, discipline, [and] experience. [You need to] develop an overall view on where, as a

team, you can reach.” Regarding the goals for the regular season, he said the team is “a very young team. To win a conference championship is our first goal, [and] that has been set for their development.” He added his expectations for the next year’s state tournament. He said that the team has “shown improvement with experience [and he is] really inter-

ested to see how we play in the state tournament based on that improvement and the development that the team has shown this year. We would have to play almost perfect basketball to win the state championship, as we have competed well against the top three teams in the state, and have beaten one of them.”

All photos by Susan Washburn

TISAC Champs With Undefeated Season Anna Collawn

The Girls’ Varsity Basketball Team with trophies after winning the TISAC Championship. Bottom: Claudia BellerTop: Coach Sean Hardy, Cailin Dorsey, Liz Gulden, Nandi Traywick, Alexis, Amanda Fredericks, Kira Muller, Coach Phil Robinson Photo provided by Liz Gulden

Staff Writer

he Lady Ravens basketball team had a great year, ending the season with a record of 22-5 including a sixteen game winning streak. Beating rival Durham Academy three times during the regular season was great for the team, as well as beating cross-town rival NRCA. The 20132014 women’s team went undefeated in the TISAC conference and won the conference championship. This year’s Women’s basketball team was fairly young with only one senior, two juniors, three sophomores, three freshmen, and one eighth grader. Senior co-captain, Liz Gulden, had a lot to say about the team’s success this season: “I think we had a really great season and did a lot better than anyone expected. Our record of 22-5 shows that we had a lot of success. and I think it sets the tempo for next season. There’s a really good shot next year at winning states, and even though I can’t be a part of it, I hope they can go home with a trophy.” “I wish we would have made it further in the state tournament. We beat DA three times during the season and then lost to them in states,” commented junior co-captain Cailin Dorsey about what she regrets this season. A few girls on the team were recognized for their outstanding season: Cailin Dorsey, All-Conference and All-State, Madison Taylor and Nandi Traywick, All-Conference. One key to the team’s success was how close knit they had become by participating in activities together off the court such as: an early season potluck instead of a regular parents’ meeting, a Christmas party, which included a cookie exchange and gingerbread house making, and a team picture at the mall with Santa. “We all spent a lot of time together outside of practice and games, which is weird because you would think we would be sick of seeing each other so much, but that really wasn’t the case. It felt like we were always together. By the time everyone was on their way home after a game we would already be texting each other, and it didn’t matter that we just saw everyone ten minutes beforehand.”