The Nevarmore, February 2011 by Ravenscroft

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Ravenscroft School

7409 Falls of Neuse Road

February 2011

Alum brings world experiences to classroom

PATRICK BAILEY

the tens of thousands of dollars, Fish was excited to find the organization, STAFF WRITER Volunteer Nepal, at a cost of only $6,000 for all six months. fter completing four or Fish’s first assignment was to more wonderful years at Ravenscroft, a government-run orphanage. Her the typical or expected plan of action first experience was walking into a is to go on to undergraduate school at room filled with 60 children all under a college or university. However, gap the age of 18 months. The room was years, are growing in popularity with roughly the size of the main office in some Ravenscroft Alumni like Alicia the Upper School. Assigned to the 60 Fish, ’10, choosing to swim against children are only four caretakers. the expected matriculation current. When volunteers would come, Fish recently returned to speak to the caretakers would leave to go students enrolled in hand wash the baby’s the Global Issues cloth diapers. Fish was “I think they class about her gap typically responsible [the citizens of Nepal for eleven or twelve year experiences. Fish deferred children at one time. she assisted] her acceptance to “When any changed me more McDaniel College volunteer walks into the in Maryland to than I changed them.” room their faces light participate in a up because they know gap year program they will actually be - Alicia Fish, ‘10 through which she given attention. It was could help others. heartbreaking when I With the help of family friends, would have to put them down, having she found a program in Nepal that the literally pry them off and put them consists of two, three month terms. in their crib.” Fish has already completed “I thought I was going to her first term and cannot wait to go die,” stated Fish as she described the back for her second term scheduled fifteen hour bus ride to the country February through May. With most side of Nepal to get to her next gap year programs costing well into job of teaching English in a very impoverished school in Bastipur. Fish explained that the learning atmosphere was so different because children are often physically punished with little explanation. The children quickly understood that she would not hit them and many would run and cling to her when she entered the classroom. Through teaching English and Geography at the Merry Children Academy School, Fish began to settle in. However, she encountered some people whose past experiences troubled her. While visiting Narti she went to a refugee camp specifically A baby at the government for girls who had been sold into the run orphanage during meal sex trade. As if this was not troubling enough, Fish found out that often time. There are not enough times it was the girl’s family that volunteers, so the bottles are originally sold her into the sex trade. propped up with blankets.

Alicia Fish, 10, caught riding a water buffalo during her stay in Bastapur. All photographs provided by Alicia Fish

Unfortunately since Nepal is the poorest country in the world, outside of Africa, this is not uncommon. “I think they [the citizens of Nepal she assisted] changed me more than I changed them,” stated Fish as attempted to describe her new appreciation for her own life in America. She also mentioned that the people around her in Nepal were surprisingly happy even though they often lacked life’s basic essentials like food and clean water. Fish gained a different perspective about what is really important in life and plans to continue to serve the people in Nepal through fund-raising efforts during her time in college. Fish explained that after living there, she understands how to contribute to organizations that directly help the individuals in need. Since their government is corrupt, donations given at that level are taken by politicians. She experienced two orphanage; one run by the

INSIDE...

government and one run by Volunteer broader understanding of the world. Napal. The latter made use of all Fish reports that she will approach her donations and was free of corruption. college education with a more mature She learned a lot through her attitude and a greater understanding experiences in Nepal and is looking of the struggles a majority of the forward to going back in February. people on earth face courageously Coming from Ravenscroft and going each and every day. to Nepal, a lot of things were put into perspective. Fish will always remember the grandmother she met that, at 65 years of age, would wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning and work tirelessly until 6 o’clock in the evening. She will never forget walking down the street feeling a little discomfort because “some have never seen a white person before…they would stop and stare.” Fish highly recommends stepping out of your comfort zone. Fish surrounded by some of her stuShe feels like she gained a dents at the “Merry Children Academy.”

Faculty Horoscopes

Face-Off: Republican Congress

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Page 15

Bringin' out the big guns... Page 10 & 11

The

Pruden-T WILL MASSEY

STAFF WRITER

After an eventful and cold

Photo by Brad Ehileghbu

first half of winter the 6th period journalism class sat down with Head of Upper School, Bill Pruden to ask him some of the pressing questions that everyone has wanted to ask.

Will there be a ski trip next year?

“There is a lot of emotion going on and we do not want to make a rash judgment right now. The ski trip was out there for plenty of years without incident. We will look at the full range of things. There was much more to the ski trip than the events that occurred this year. I think it is important to have some time and perspective before makSeniors Sarah ing a judgment on something like Stumpo and Will this that has been here for a while. Massey during the There is no promise that it will be ski trip. back; but nothing has been definiPhoto by Annie Reali tively said that it won’t be.”

Translation: We can’t deny that the ski trip is awesome, but it’s probably over... If there is another snow day, will we have to make it up, and if so when?

“We will have to make it up; we have used all of the snow days built into the calendar. It MIGHT be the March teacher work day. We tried to decide if that or a Saturday was more or less preferable for teachers and that looks to be the best bet.”

Translation:

More snow days

More school days

A shot of the Upper School after a rare white Christmas. Photo by Dr. Watters

How is the inclement weather school cancellation decision made? “Ultimately it is up to Mrs. Kelly. She consults many of us who may have been out on the roads. She also consults with Mr. Farrow, the head of building and grounds, because sometimes it isn’t a question of the roads but a question of the conditions here on campus. It comes down to, can everyone get here safely and once they get here will they be safe on campus?”

Translation: Faculty input but ultimately Mrs. Kelly controls our snow days What’s up with the stricter rules in morning meeting?

News N evarmore National News In a Nutshell

I N F O R M

STAFF WRITER

One Remarkable Recovery

A Sea of Problems with Oil

fter suffering a gunshot wound to the head, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has made incredible progress in her recovery. She was moved to “serious” condi- All photos CCBY License tion from “critical” condition a mere six days after the attempted assassination. Doctors estimated that her recovery would take up to one year but Giffords has shown tenacity and strength. She has been responding to commands, breathing on her own and, as of January 26, she entered rehabilitation. Politics aside, Giffords has proven that strength and hope still help us through the toughest of times.

hat better way to start the New Year than be given a strange omen? Just before midnight on New Year’s Eve in the small town of Beebe, Arkansas, 5,000 birds dropped from the sky. The cause is unknown, but it may be because of lightning or a hail storm. The most likely cause is a stress situation started from the fireworks, causing trauma to thousands of birds. Still, it is a mystery... Sounds like it will be penned for a future horror movie in the making - or just a sequel to Hitchcock’s “Birds.”

hat’s even scarier than having 5,000 birds fall from the sky? Having 2 million fish found dead on the shores of the beach. The environmental mystery occurred at Chesapeake Bay shortly after 100,000 fish died in Arkansas. The Maryland Department of the An Environmental Services Environment released the statement worker in Beebe, Arkansas saying “natural causes appear to be picks up one of the 5,000 the reason.” Perhaps Mother Nature is red-winged blackbirds that fell PMSing. Residents of Arkansas, from the sky on New Year’s consider moving.... ASAP! Eve at midnight.

New year, new job? Senior Austin Hill at work as a lifeguard at the YMCA. Photo provided by Austin Hill

o all those teens scouring for minimum wage jobs, there’s still hope! After a never-ending series of economic downfall, a hiring boom has arisen from the unstable economy. Despite the bleak 9 percent unemployment rating, an average of 2.5 million jobs were offered at the beginning of this year, approximately double that of 2010. So, to those who still do not have a New Year’s Resolution— Get a job!

Not National…But Still Important!

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n Friday, January 14, 2011, the country of Tunisia overthrew its president, A city during a police raid that Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. involved the use of tear gas, Hours after he left the leaving several civilians dead Sunni Muslim country, and injured. he was in Saudi Arabia. Ben Ali was forced into exile after a series of protests that lasted almost four weeks sparked by economic downfall and perceived political corruption in the country with the enrichment of growing wealth of the ruling family. The protests were literally ignited when one collegeeducated street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, set himself on fire in response to police confiscation of his produce cart. After trying to file a complaint with the local authorities, to no avail, he set himself alight in front of a government building and passed away on January 4, 2011. Bouazizi was in debt and frustrated with the political corruption in Tunisia. Afterwards, hundreds of civilians were killed and violence spurred among police and residents. The Prime Minister of Tunisia, Mohammad Ghannouchi, announced that a new government would be established with an election within 60 days. The political upheaval has caused turmoil in several Arab states such as Morocco because the thought of an Arab ruler being overthrown by his own people is a dire situation. This series of events has been called the “Jasmine Revolution” to raise the significance of a new revolutionary wave.

Translation: Don’t be shy but keep it PG and make sure we know who you are Are students who have been expelled allowed to come back on campus?

“The rule in the past has been that the student may not come back on campus for the rest of the school year that they were expelled in, that includes dances.”

o add to the disaster of the BP oil spill last summer, a similar problem has washed ashore in Dorchester, Massachusetts when an oil tank spilled over 100 gallons of oil and was pulled out of the basement of an apartment building. The tank had been leaking for about two weeks before anyone decided to take action. What if there was some serious damage beforehand, like a fire? Failure on the part of corporations to deal with oil spills is creating far too many unexpected slippery situations for our country. We had too many problems with oil last year, let’s hope for a cleaner 2011.

It’s a bird, it’s a fish, it’s an omen?

New year & government for Tunisia

“We have wanted to make it a little bit more formal and a bit more productive information distribution. No one has had their voice stilled or been told that they can’t make announcements. We would just like it to be presented in a more formal way and to know who is speaking which is why we have asked for the introductions.”

Translation: Just be Facebook friends...

The news you need to know while you’re on the go ANDIE PARK

International floods cause damage O

n January 11, 2011, the Brazilian state of Rio de Janiero experienced the worst series of floods, mud slides, and landslides in their country’s history. The devastating effects have killed 763 people so far with an estimate of more than 400 missing. In Australia as well, a series of floods began in December in the state of Queensland. Over 200,000 people were affected and the damage is estimated to cost $1 billion. Three quarters of the state of Queensland was declared as a disaster zone. The Queensland floods were followed by another series of floods in the state of Victoria in January of 2011. 30 deaths were attributed to the floods and 14 people are reported missing. 55,000 people volunteered to clean up the damage of the floods.

A dog orphaned after the flood rests next to its owner’s grave in Teresopolis, Brazil.

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News

What’s up with raves? MARIEL ZIPERSKI L

STAFF WRITER

ately, it’s all anyone has been talking about- raves. It seems so much more than just a simple dance, making parties almost seem bleak. Some might ask- What is a rave? According to Mirriam-Webster’s dictionary, a rave is a “large overnight dance party “Yeah, I went to a featuring techno music.” Though, the rave is relatively new to popularity in rave in senior the states, it had been originally trendy study hall. We had a in European countries such as Sweden, strobe light and techno while the slang term rave had first been popular in Britain. Unlike most parties and music and dances, raves primarily consist of techno were jammin’ music with light effects and glow sticks pretty hard.” for decorations. Though some raves can get out of control, most are very contained - Shannon and are only a few hours long. McDonnell, ‘11 The word “rave” is usually used as a slang term to describe a party, and not an actual rave. Real raves are difficult to come across, especially in rural areas like Raleigh since it’s hard to gather enough people for the organizers to pay for the decorations, DJs, and make a profit. Though raves have been notorious for happening underground to avoid being inspected by police, some (very legal) raves have made a wave as they enter Wake County. Some raves this year have been produced by groups of DJs and lighting technicians, such as AudioRush and Resolutionz. Connections Even Center and Lincoln Theater have hosted raves in the past and continue to house some of Raleigh’s biggest parties. High school students from all across the state have attended, gathering around six to eight hundred people in the past with 750 attendees at the last rave a few weeks back. These gigantic events are not for the faint of heart, however. Music blares throughout the venues and venders sell glow sticks that dancers keep between their fingers and wave in front of people’s faces. In the past, organizers have spent over two thousand dollars on lighting effects and DJs for their raves. This month’s raves were not the only opportunities to experience these massive celebrations. AudioRush is hosting another on February 5th from 8 pm to 12 am at Goel’s Plaza (117 International Drive in Morrisville). Space is limited to around seven to eight hundred guests and pre-sale tickets are on sale online for ten dollars, so it is suggested to buy now if you plan to attend! “I’ve never been but I’m sure For more details, visit their they are the cats meow.” Facebook group, AudioRush: - Matt Colwell, ‘12 Surge.

The College Alumni Panel made up of Jack Greenberg, ‘09, Jeff Guilford, ’07, Bahati Mutisya, ’07, William Myers, ’08, Lucy Turner, ’08, Rebecca Smith, ’10, and Nicole Mortimer, ‘09, shared with the Upper School. Photo by Susan Washburn

Annual Alumni Panel Past Ravenscroft graduates tell of their college experiences

KOFIE YEBOAH O

STAFF WRITER

ne hundred percent. Is that the percent of legal citizens in the United States today or perhaps the chance that Duke will win back to back championships? No, this is the percentage of Ravenscroft students that have graduated and gone to college. This 100% statistic is something that the college counseling office takes pride in considering that the national average graduation rate is 69%. The College Counseling Suite does as many things possible to get students where they need to be. “Well, we have programs for freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors. The programs for freshmen and sophomores are broader and they focus on doing well in school, starting the college process by having an open mind and looking at a lot of different colleges. Then it gets more personal junior year as the students are assigned an individual college counselor and they can talk specifically about their college list. Then we move in to the senior year where the students are assisted with their college application process,” explains Lindsey Waite, College Counselor. One of the broader presentations offered by College Counseling is the Annual College

Alumni Panel that occurs every January during a 9:35 Common Period to all Upper School students. Each year, the college counselors try to include a variety of individual students that attend a wide range of different colleges with special effort to include interesting options like gap year experiences. Nicole Mortimer, ’09, is enrolled in George Washington University as a freshman this fall after taking a gap year to visit Russia, China, South Africa, and Iran. She thinks that the aspects of high school and college diverge. Her advice to high-schoolers is to stay focused. “There are a lot of distractions. I guess that depends on the person. If some people don’t care about their grades and goof off, but for a lot of people it’s important to them they’ll go to the library and find a nice quiet place to study,” recommended Mortimer. Mortimer only completed one application for admittance as an early decision candidate and was accepted. In contrast, a fellow panel member, Jack Greenberg, ’09, applied to 13 colleges and is now a freshman at Harvard University as a sophomore. Greenberg mentioned to the audience of Ravens that there are many reasons to be in college and advised students to keep that in mind. He added that some students are there for the clubs and activities; others

are purely academic while some choose more of a middle ground. He recommended figuring out why you are there and then maximize the opportunities that the campus has to offer. “I’m not sure if [the alumni panel presentation] is going to change where people go; that’s a pretty personal choice. But, in terms of little tips like how do get your work done, balance everything and what to expect, I hope it helps,” explained Greenberg. The other panelists represented a wide range of universities including: Jeff Guilford, ’07, a senior at N.C. State University; Bahati Mutisya, ’07, a senior at Carnegie Mellon University; William Myers, ’08, a junior at Tulane University; Lucy Turner, ’08, a junior at Vanderbilt University; and Rebecca Smith, ’10, a freshman at Colorado College.

Alumni Jack Greenburg, ‘09, and Nicole Mortimer, ‘09, share with The Nevarmore their college experiences. Photo by Kofie Yeboah

College Updates for Class of 2011 Bowdoin College Emi Gaal University of North Carolina at Wilmington Dan Lang Carson Smith

Florida State University Joel Hopkins

North Carolina State University Wilson Day Allie Withers East Carolina University Hunter Broughton John de Treville Chloe Giovinazzo

Future Seahawks show their UNCW pride.

Duke University Sean Kelly

Queens University of Charlotte Kristine Kapatos University of Alabama Chris Cornelius University of Mississippi Charlie Killian Washington and Lee University Tyler Anderson Genny Francis Hampden-Sydney College Andrew Watters

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Peyton Burgess Gracie Jackson Thomas Schiemann Reeves Zaytoun

Virginia Institute of Technology Allison Powell Wake Forest University Robert Boyce

Ravens of the Class of 2011 sporting their new logos and team spirit of the college they have committed to. All photos by Julia Heffring

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Service

Key Club members skate for a cause Key Club sponsored an Ice Skating for UNICEF event on Saturday, January 22nd, coordinated by Faith OBrian, ‘11. There were 61 ice skaters at the RecZone which generated a donation in the amount of $354 to UNICEF.

Michael Byman, ‘11, works on the frame of the Habitat for Humanity house. Photos provided by Janet Smith

RavensBuild 2 for 1:

Stimulus bill doubles charitable efforts SARAH COLLINS B

STAFF WRITER

ill Pruden, Head of the Upper School, began the Martin Luther King, Jr. program on January 14, 2011, by saying that the students in the video were activists for their cause. A few Ravenscroft students and alumni are working for the cause that they feel is important in society: Habitat for Humanity. RavensBuild has been working hard for the past year and a half to raise money to build a $75,000 house for a family in need.

However, recently Emi Gaal, ’11, the 2010-2011 RavensBuild president, received news that would allow RavensBuild to reach out to a larger part of the community. As part of Obama’s stimulus bill, Raleigh was given money to revitalize the city. Habitat for Humanity was given part of this money, and later a piece of the money was given to RavensBuild. The money will pay for the house. This means RavensBuild is only responsible for paying for the plot of land. RavensBuild has already raised $27,000, and the houses cost $17,000 each to build. This means

Emi Gaal, ‘11, and Angelika Barth, ‘12, hard at work building the Habitat house.

that RavensBuild has been allowed to secure two plots of land on which to build two houses, rather than one house. Michael Brajer, ’10, past President of RavensBuild, is hopeful that there will be enough money left over to even begin building a third house. “All of [the people receiving the houses] were really passionate about turning their lives around, and my passion was simply [an] extension of theirs. Many of these families were fleeing from gangridden neighborhoods or unsafe homes- situations that not many of us experience and hopefully never will,” said Brajer. “Giving them the opportunity of home-ownership [is] the foundation for a better future for them and their families, and I feel that it was my obligation to help them out.” The houses will be small. They will have a few bedrooms (two or three) and one and a half or two baths. They will include a kitchen and a living room, as well. Although they may be small, the houses will make a big difference. RavensBuild will begin building the houses during February or March, and they will probably be finished in May. Brajer says that he will return to start building the house during part of his Spring Break. Although Wake Habitat will find volunteers throughout the area to build the two houses, Emi says she really wants the house to be built exclusively by Ravenscroft students. RavensBuild needs volunteers every Saturday. It would be best if 15-20 people could come out. Students can work from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 12 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., or both. Gaal chose to become the leader of RavensBuild for the 20102011 school year. She thinks of those who are homeless. She says, “You pass by and wish you could do something. Now here I am with the opportunity, and there is no way I’m going to pass it up! Just challenging myself to sacrifice a few comforts of my own life to reach out to people in need is one of the most satisfying feelings I know.”

Seniors Aaron Sugar and Carson Smith support a friend.

Taylor Letts, ‘13, and Lee Massey, ‘13, lend each other a hand.

UNICEF event coordinator, Faith Obrian, ‘11, displays the check for $354 as she thaws out in the lobby of the RecZone.

Perhaps Birds should stick to flying... Junior Garrett Bird finds out the hard way! All photos by Elise Thrash

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Ravens make global connections:

A glimpse into the relationship between foreign exchange students and their hosts Elena Zazo Gil Katie Kumbar, ‘11 Name of student you stayed with: Elena Zazo Gil Country: Spain Favorite food: There were these fruit juice/milk boxes that were delicious. And I liked the Serrano ham. Something you found to be different from your culture? It seemed like they understood how much they really needed in terms of material objects, and how much space they needed to hold them. Also, the amount of freedom teens have to go place to place and hang out, that was really cool. In the US, you usually need a plan or a schedule to meet with friends. In Spain, teens will meet in one of the MANY parks and open spaces, and just hang out with whoever shows up. Very, cool. Overall what did you learn from the experience? People across cultures are the same in a lot of ways. We’ve got similar wants, needs, and problems. Cultures are different because we have different ways of dealing with problems in our lives. Studying other cultures gives people opportunities to learn other solutions.

Name of student you stayed with: Katie Kumbar Country: United States of America Favorite food: Her mum’s chicken with Caesar sauce Something you found to be different from your culture? In Raleigh everything was bigger than Spain, I mean, I live in Madrid, and all (streets, buildings, houses, roads...) seems smaller and compressed, but in Raleigh, everything was huge. Overall what did you learn from the experience? I loved the exchange program. Not just because of the English I practiced a lot, but, the most important is that I met people that really have a place in my heart, people that even wasn’t in the exchange program with us, students, people in general... it is nice to know that you have somebody feeling the same for you just on the other side of the world. I can say that I have 2 families, my own here, in Spain, and the Kumbar’s, that hosted me and made me feel like another daughter, and I love them like if they were my parents, and my siblings. And that experience I would never ever change by nothing.

Emily McDowell, ‘11

Melina Gozzo, ‘11 Name of student you stayed with: Aurore Country: France Favorite food: Bread and Cheese Something you found to be different from your culture? Amount of homework and after school activities-everyone in France just hung out everyday after school!! And Aurore only studied for her exam for about an hour!! Overall what did you learn from the experience? I learned French people are really welcoming, they wanted to learn about us, made an effort to speak English, but also tried to teach me French as much as possible. It helped me appreciate different cultures, but I also learned how similar my exchange student and I really are. I love Aurore! We are hopefully going to get our families to meet sometime!

Name of student you stayed with: Yaiza Perez and AnJi Liu Country: Spain and China Favorite food: In Spain it was the ham and in China it was the eggplant Something you found to be different from your culture? In Spain I loved that the city was so upbeat and lively and all the people were amazingly fashion forward and all around awesome. In China I loved the completely different culture they had like ways to get to work and family structures. Overall what did you learn from the experience? Dumplings should only be eaten at dinner.

Nick Kron, ‘11 Name of student you stayed with: Grock (Guo Shu Yan) Country: China Favorite food: Ox-tail Soup Something you found to be different from you culture? Traditional medicine is still very popular in China, unlike here in the USA. When someone wasn’t feeling well, his host Zhwang gave him a traditional Chinese soup for stomach aches. The traditional medicine is based around “how qi” (life energy) flows and is the basis for things like acupuncture and massage. Overall what did you learn from the experience? The kids in China are just like kids anywhere else in the world.. They worry about little things and big things just like we do, the only real difference is what language they speak.

Emily Martin, ‘11

Name of student hosted: Quyen Country: Vietnam Favorite food: A type of spring role she made at my house Something you found to be different from your culture? Her overall respect for everyone is so much greater than what people here have for each other Overall what did you learn from the experience? She was here for a year, and within that time I really learned how close you can become with someone. She now comes back to visit from USC, where she is at school, for holidays or just for a visit.

Egan Hart, ‘11 Name of student you stayed with: David Chavez Country: Mexico Favorite food: Food is not a problem for me, so I liked everything. Marco Polo was one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. Something you found to be different from you culture? I thought they were pretty normal. One thing though, the families there are very important, so David’s older sister, she lived with them and she worked. Overall what did you learn from the experience? One of my favorite activities that we did there was Bungee Jumping. It was scary but it was an amazing feeling after wards. One of the most important lessons I learned was how to appreciate others opinions and be an open-minded person.

Garrett Bird, ‘12 Name of student hosted: Antonio Country: Spain Something you found to be different from your culture? They don’t sit around watch TV and play video games like we do; they sit together and talk as a family Overall what did you learn from the experience? I learned to experience other cultures first hand and to get rid of stereotypes that we have about these cultures.

Emi Gaal, ‘11 Name of student you stayed with: Segolene Guillaume Country: France Favorite food: NOT the raw meat, probably the bread. Something you found to be different from you culture? They are very welcoming and want to know all about you, they are a ton of fun. Overall what did you learn from the experience? It is okay to make yourself live outside of your comfort zone because that is how you really get to know how other people view the world!

The

evarmore Opinion N Is the Republican

Congress Good for Hell s e A m e r i c a ? Y l l No e H

EGAN HART O

STAFF WRITER

ur country is recovering and stabilizing right now and the last thing America needs is a bunch of Republicans who want to pull the plug on progress. Their proposed efforts are a waste of time as they try to undo everything that the Democratic Majority and President Obama just passed in the last two years. Going backwards is not in our country’s best interest. On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed a major piece of legislation, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. Many have tried to reform health care before but failed. This is the first time in our country’s history when everyone is going to be able to afford health care. “Now it is law. Now it is history. Indeed, it’s historic,” declared Democrat, Max Baucus of Montana. Our citizens need this health care reform because 1 in 2 non-elderly Americans have at least one pre-existing condition that could deny them health care coverage without new health reform law, according to a U.S. government report released on Tuesday, January 18, 2011. The report released by Health and Human Services Department stated that without Affordable Care Act protections by the year 2014, up to 129 million Americans under the age 65 with a pre-existing health condition (like heart disease, arthritis or cancer), would be at risk of losing health insurance when they need it most, or be denied coverage altogether. This makes a strong case against the Republicans push to repeal the reform which is scheduled to be on Wednesday 19, 2011, Although Republicans are in control of the House they do not control the Senate, nor do they have a Republican president; thus they have very little power to overturn this major piece of legislation. This is one of the examples of a futile Republican effort because they do not have the numbers. Translation: A colossal waste of time and effort. It is bad enough that it will cut health care coverage to millions of Americans; the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the repeal would add another 240 billion to the deficit which is almost at 14 trillion. So, it is interesting that the Republicans say that the only way to cut spending is by repealing health care reform. Really? Another successful effort of President Obama was overturning the controversial Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy which denied gay and lesbians to serve freely in military during lame duck session. Obama promised to repeal DADT, a 17 year policy during his 2008 presidential run. The historic event took place on December 22, 2010. Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and potential presidential candidate in 2012 says that he is in favor of reinstating DADT. Pawlenty, who is pro-life and believes in family values. According to recent polls, nearly 80% of Americans support repealing DADT, so the Republicans should just let it be. Why does it matter if you are gay or a lesbian? As President Obama clearly stated, any willing citizen should be able to serve. It doesn’t matter if they are “black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American; Democrat and Republican,

young and old, rich and poor, gay and straight, disabled or not.” If one is willing to put his or her life on the line to fight for freedom, then let them serve for the country we all love. There is no need to try to go and undo what already has been passed in to a law. There are other more important issues to deal with facing this nation. It is clear to me and should be clear to anyone who has been paying attention that the above mentioned efforts to undo what was just done, matters to the Republican Party -- not the majority of American people. Delegates should not vote against things like extending unemployment benefits which hurts families if they really care about their plight. They should also not vote against tax cuts for small businesses if they really want to get the economy moving. Let’s be clear, tax cuts for the rich do not create jobs. What does create jobs are tax cuts for small businesses - which the republicans voted against. Making the Bush tax cut for the very rich permanent would add trillions of dollars to our debt. But, that seems to be okay with the republicans. The debt only matters when it comes to helping million of real Americans that really need the help. Republicans withholding tax cuts for the middle class holds them hostage while the continuation of tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires are clearly a higher priority. They would not do these things if they really cared about the suffering American people. Republicans do NOT care and that is clear. In his acceptance speech as the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, said, “We can defeat Barack Obama in 2012,” adding that, with the election over, it was time for the committee to unite. “I am here to earn the trust and support of each and every one of you.” “Over the past week, some have said it was indelicate of me to suggest that our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term in office,” reported Mitch McConnell during an NPR broadcast as he explained that in order to get the bills passed and certain ones repealed (health spending bill), the Republicans would need to have someone in the White House who would not block their agenda. They should concentrate on the tasks at hand instead of plotting to undermine Obama. They are also wasting time spreading rumors to try to impeach President Obama. He has not done anything that is worthy of impeachment or even investigation. I’m not saying that America’s current condition is entirely the Republican Party’s fault - believe me there is enough blame to go around. But what I am saying is they don’t seem to have any interest in helping the country get out of this mess created by previous administrations, along with unforeseen tragedies like 9/11. Because Republicans control the House now, they have a lot of responsibilities that require action; they can’t be just the party of “no” anymore.

F A C E O F F

AUSTIN HILL

STAFF WRITER

s the country group Montgomery Gentry put it “Hell Yeah!” The new Republican Congress will be a large step toward a better America because the Republicans are dedicated health care system (but without handouts to doing what they promised to do in their and ridiculous mandates). In a nut shell, campaigns and what their constituents elected the plan is the same as the current health them to do - stop the White House and Senate’s care law; it still allows children to stay destructive agenda. on their parents’ policy until age 26; it I’m going to play devil’s advocate still prevents random policy cancellation now. With the coming over taxation and an by insurance companies; it still creates even greater deficit resulting from the overa universal access program; and it still sized budget and health care plan, we’re just lowers premiums. going to sink faster. So when it’s all said and However, the promised programs done, we’ll all be poor and right back where are not handouts; they support people we started when it comes to health care. So by giving them affordable, not free, anything the Republicans can do to stop and health care. Additionally, the Republican hopefully reverse the current administration’s plan has provisions against “junk agenda will save this country. lawsuits,” essentially the tort reform In the almost three years since President that conservatives have been after for Obama took office, the new administration has years. So the Republican plan seeks to spent $3.5 trillion and has now passed one of aid people by allowing citizens to work the most costly and frankly dangerous laws in for affordable coverage and helping to history: the Health Care Law. reduce red tape that can come between The truth of the Health Care Law, hard working Americans and their health commonly dubbed “Obamacare,” is clearly a coverage. problem. We should know this from the facts While the Republicans are aware that: that they can, and most likely, will A) Our current two socialized medical be over-ruled by the Senate and the programs (Medicare and Medicaid) are President, they have a goal: stop the already failing with only around a third of the current Democrat agenda that will spread population utilizing these programs. what’s left of our financial reserves B) Based on that fact, a program too thin, while keeping taxes low and designed for the entire uninsured population reforming health care to PROMOTE would be unsustainable (especially with a $630 BUSINESS PROFITS THAT WILL billion a year price tag). FUEL THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY C) With $13.5 trillion in debt and and PROVIDE AFFORDABLE (NOT counting and the President’s current spending FREE) HEALTH CARE, respectively. rate of $3 trillion in only 2 years, we will only This is why the Republican Congress is sink into further debt. great for America. D) Europeans and Canadians whom are already on socialized medicine come to the United States for health care because their systems are so poor. The Nevarmore asks... Now back to brass tax. While the coming tax hikes target Do you approve of the old Congress business owners, businesses, and and current Senate or do you support the +$200k tax bracket, everyone the new Congress and future change will be affected. I explained this in a previous article, yet here we in the Senate and administration? are again. If the business or people you work for are taxed more, they have less money to spend. If the companies and employers have less money to spend, they Support new will spend less. If they spend less, they will spend less on the Congress employees’ pay checks or further cut costs by laying off employees. Then the employees, employers, and businesses (everyone) all Support old have less money. Now that Congress everyone is spending less on goods and services, businesses are making less money and the cycle continues until we have an underpaid, overtaxed, and Of which party are you a member? crashed economy. Now that I have told you that this “spend, spend, and spend 20 some more” agenda is going to sink us and I’ve explained—and 15 even given examples—of how and why it will be so destructive, I will tell you the Republican 10 plan. Contrary to want many ill5 informed voters may think, the Republicans are not the puppets 0 Republican Democrat Libertarian Independent Green Undecided of insurance companies and are, in-fact, trying to reform the

The

Editorial

Students EWARE!!

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B students: Watch your back

Senior exam exemptions reinstated to reward mastery I

n November, the seniors were asked to stay after morning meeting for an important announcement. Buzz had been going around about the reinstatement of senior exemptions. Students were thrilled to hear that of the exemption from spring exams, until they heard of the requirements surrounding the exemption. “Any student in a year long course whose second semester grade as of the start of the last week of classes is at least a B+ may be exempted from the semester exam so long as they do not have any unexcused absences or more than 3 tardies in the class,” said Bill Pruden, Head of Upper School in a reminder email sent to seniors at the beginning of the second semester. “Beyond that all seniors who have a grade below B+ will take an exam if one is ordinarily given in the course.” Although excited by the reinstatement, many students do not feel that these requirements are fair to them as seniors. What about the students who are taking Honors Pre-calculus or Physics and are struggling just to obtain a B average? How is it fair that those students, who are working their hardest, will still have to be forced to take an exam at the end of the year while their peers start their senior internships? The faculty decided that senior exemptions were not a reward, but rather a privilege that must be earned by showing a mastery of a course. To some students, however, mastery might be a C+, especially if they worked hard to raise their grade to a C+. If the curriculum of a certain course just doesn’t click with a student, it isn’t going to click any better if they’re forced to take an exam on the information. “As educators, we have a responsibility to try for as long as possible [for students to master the information],”

Aaahh!

$#!&!!

Fina l Exam

Cartoon by Zawadi Mutisya

said Pruden. That point being made, no matter how hard the faculty tries, some students still will not achieve grades higher than a B, even if they understand the information but had a rough test in January. Starting in the 7th grade at Ravenscroft, students start to take semester exams. For those students that have been part of the Ravenscroft community since then, the skill of exam preparation and execution has already been learned. By the 12th grade, students have generally learned how to take exams so they should not be forced to take them once they are already in college and so close to graduating. Exam exemption should be a reward for the students after all the hard work they’ve done throughout the past four years of high school. Some students go through school being the average B-student, never quite being able to obtain that coveted B+ or A-. Those students should not be required to take an exam when one or two hard tests brought their average down. B-students get into colleges just the same, understand the material to the best of their ability and shouldn’t have to deal with postponing their senior internships to take an exam that won’t make or break their B grade. Exams might be a way to try to prevent seniors from catching that pesky disease “senioritis,” but if a student wasn’t paying attention throughout the entire semester, I don’t think he or she will pay much attention to the exam either. In the end, B+ or not, seniors are still happy to have the opportunity to be exempt from exams. B students, strive for that B+ or higher and avoid getting stung by an exam.

Back in black confusion: Gone but not forgotten The

Ravenscroft Upper School population decreased by 6 students in the aftermath of the school sponsored ski trip. Thankfully, theses six students did not disappear from the earth; they were simply separated from the school as a result of actions taken during and surrounding the trip. While the entire community Upper School community is affected by and mourns the loss of classmates, the actions during the trip taken were in direct violation of school rules. Before the ski trip, all participants of the trip were held after morning meeting and informed that a violation of any rules would result in expulsion. “Mrs. Kelly was very clear,” says Julia Heffring, ‘11, one of the ski trip leaders.

The

Kelly also sent this same information via email to all of the students attending, as well as to all of their parents. Verbally and in writing, Kelly had her bases covered with her attempt to create a ski trip environment that would be fun and safe for all members of the Ravenscroft community in attendance. Most heeded Kelly’s warning. Unfortunately, a handful did not. Those students that chose to break the rules knew exactly what they were risking; yet they broke the rules anyway. “I understand why it had to happen. Hey – she [Kelly] did what she said she was going to do. But at the same time, it’s still really upsetting because one of the students involved is one of my good friends,” says Will Massey, ’11. While on a school-sponsored event, school rules are in effect 24/7. The things you wouldn’t do at school shouldn’t be done while on a school trip. While there is more freedom on many school-sponsored trips, rules

still need to be followed. Nonetheless, the entire school has been affected by no longer being able to see those students in the hallway daily. Luckily, the 6 students are still alive and well, contrary to what organized groups of students wearing black for the loss of the students would suggest. A member of the sophomore class created a Facebook page for these students with their photos and the message “We love you. We will miss you.” A suggestion was made on this page to wear black on Thursday in recognition of the loss to the Class of 2013. Many students wore black in support of the students, but it was perceived by some faculty and other students that some wore black in opposition to the decision to separate the students. In fact, many of these students wore black as show of their sadness for losing classmates. To confuse the perception of the student response even further, virtually the entire senior class wore black on

evarmore 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.

Wire Service

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

Faculty Advisor: Helen Velk

Friday because of a “Black Out” day that was decided upon in advance of the ski trip results. Although some wore black in support of the lost students, the majority of seniors were just trying to show class spirit. Upset about the students having to leave the school is understandable. However, it cannot be said that these students were not fairly warned of this possible consequence. Many students felt that information about the events surrounding the ski trip should have been disclosed to students. As a close community with many “lifers” that have been together since they were in Pre-K/Kindergarten, Ravenscroft students feel like family. Although we want to know what happened in order to support classmates and get the facts straight, each and every member of our community deserves privacy and respect. As a community, we do not need to pass judgment on each other, not to mention the legal aspects of sharing personal information about

Editor-in-Chief Peyton Burgess Associate Editors Katie Kumbar & Madeline Louden Happy Valentine’s Day! xoxo, The Nevarmore staff International Reporter Esther Urios

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.

people under the age of 18. In keeping with the administration’s discretion on the matter, and legal considerations, The Nevarmore cannot directly address the ski trip events or name the students involved. Continuing to discuss the ski trip and the school’s disciplinary action by scrounging for details or posting on Facebook could hold serious repercussions for the friends that are no longer a part of the community. Therefore, as we continue in the aftermath of these events, discretion should be observed by all of us. The current student body needs to understand that the administration means what they say when they set guidelines for our behavior on schoolsponsored trips and that information surrounding anything that breaks rules is not going to automatically be explained. With that understood, losing members of the community is always a sad thing, and they will be missed.

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.

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Winter weather halts the Ravens travels

Miley Cyrus’ reputation takes a hit as viral video reaches its height in popularity

BRAD EHILEGBU

STAFF WRITER

DREW Rasberry

STAFF WRITER

uring this past Holiday Season a record amount of flight cancellations and travel agencies were forced to cancel all plans to make way for the huge amounts of weather accumulation across the Northeast. This storm affected many people’s Christmas plans and caused families to be stranded for numerous hours. Airports have come up with the total number of cancellations as high as 9,726. Many problems hampered the travel plans without people getting to the airports. Millions of people’s power were lost and the roads conditions were brutal causing many folks to be stranded in their cars on the sides of the road. The Nevarmore was very interested in finding out if our fellow ravens were affected by the inclement weather.

Photo by MCT Campus

Calley Mangum, ‘13

Haley Barefoot, ‘11, and Lewis Stocks, ‘12 Calley Mangum, ‘13, safely back on Ravenscroft campus. Photo by Drew Rasberry

Haley Barefoot, ‘11, and Lewis Stocks, ‘12, waiting to board their flight.

Photo provided by Haley Barefoot

he Bahamas is a very popular tourist spot over the Winter break. Two fellow Ravens, Haley Barefoot, ‘11, and Lewis Stocks, ‘12, were traveling with their families to defrost from the unusually cold weather in Raleigh this year. Their flight was on December 26 at RDU at 7am. When they boarded the plane, the plane was delayed take off for nearly two hours. Once they finally took off they arrived in Miami for there connect flight, they had been delayed in Raleigh that they had missed their flight. Lewis, Haley and their families were forced to stay over the night in Miami, and take the earliest flight out tomorrow morning. Numerous other Ravens had similar problems like these.

angum was flying from Salt Lake City to Raleigh going through Dallas. She was traveling with her Mom and they were planning on leaving and flying out at 8am, but there alarm clock did not go off. So, hurriedly they had to rush to the airport to hopefully catch their flight. When they sat down at their seats, they were delayed in order to de-ice the wings of the plane for little over and hour. This took more time due to the fact that at the same time, all the de-icing trucks were out of fluid. Then once they arrived in Dallas, they had received word that there flight to Raleigh had been cancelled. They stayed at the Hyatt for the night, enjoying a break from the weather troubles. Only for a brief while could they bypass the weather while enjoying fancy food and a heated pool at the top of the roof. The next morning they had to get up at 5am to catch the 6am flight. But the security checkpoint was closed at the hotel, so they had to take one final long walk to finally get on their plane home. The rest of their travels went smoothly.

Shannon McDonnell, ‘11 S

enior Shannon McDonnell went through a similar occurrence over the holiday break. McDonnell was awaiting her flight from Cleveland back to Raleigh in order to sports med at the boys Glaxo Smith Kline tournament. But RDU cancelled her flight. Leaving her in Cleveland for two extra days in frigid temperatures reaching a high of 12 degrees over the course of her stay. When she finally returned to Raleigh, she was disappointed to see that all the snow accumulated in Raleigh had melted. Making the start of her Winter break not so much fun.

Opinion

Senior Shannon McDonnell (middle) on the sideline of a Varsity Boys Basketball game as part of the Sports Med team. From Right: Chad Stanback, ‘12, Haley Barefoot, ‘11, and Jenna Pepe, ‘11 Photo by Dr. Watters

iley Cyrus owes an apology to all of her fans, primarily the younger kids who look up to her. She owes an apology not only to her fans but also her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus who was very hurt after seeing the video. “Sorry guys. I had no idea. Just saw this stuff for the first time myself. I’m so sad. There is much beyond my control right now,” said Billy Ray Cyrus stated in a recent Twitter post. Now I guess we all know what Miley Cyrus meant by “Party in the USA.” Miley Cyrus is not the little princess that everyone thought she was. There is video evidence that Miley Cyrus was taking hits of salvia out of a bong. Salvia is legal but it is frowned upon by the Drug Enforcement Agency. The actions of Miley Cyrus were wrong even though what she did was legal. Just because other people do it, doesn’t mean it is okay for her; especially since she is an idol for younger girls. She is an idiot for having someone film her on camera but the filming aside, she just should not have smoked salvia. The video was taken by one of Miley’s friends just five days after her 18th birthday. TMZ thinks that the video was stolen from the person who was recording and now the video has become viral. Hopefully, Miley Cyrus’ behavior will not mirror the fate of that video.

What is Salvia?

he official scientific name is Salvia Divinorum. Salvia is an herb that causes hallucination when inhaled or ingested directly. This drug is also dangerous because it can make a person lose sense of reality, which could be particularly dangerous if a person is driving a car. Salvia is legal in some states, but many states are trying to ban this potentially harmful drug. As soon as she inhaled the substance the effects took effect with thirty seconds. Miley Cyrus started to hallucinate and she soon started to believe that her ex-boyfriend was in the room when he was not. Miley Cyrus is a pure dime but her looks can’t overshadow the fact that she was caught on camera taking hits of salvia out of a bong.

English Speaking Union exchange student shares her first impression

ABI FIELD

STAFF WRITER

irstly I want to say a big thank you for having me here – my first two days have been incredible. Everyone I’ve met has been friendly and helped me feel at home, which is an especially impressive feat considering that I’ve spent a lot of time getting lost and walking into the wrong classrooms. I still can’t help but be surprised every time I realize just how different (in a good way!) Ravenscroft is in comparison to Scottish schools, from the more casual teacher-pupil relationships to looking down a corridor and seeing everyone in their own clothes. I was also surprised that most people use “backpacks,” which I made the mistake of calling “rucksacks” (something I’m still mocked for at home!) to carry their books, instead of the large handbags or bookbags that I was used to. But one of the best surprises by far was the lack of padlocks on lockers here. In my Scottish school it was generally known - if you don’t have a padlock, expect to “lose” things from your locker. The trusting atmosphere here has made a pleasant change and it really feels like a community instead of just a school. And when I was asked what was most different for me? “Well, probably the fact that everyone has an American accent!” Obviously it was difficult for everyone who heard to resist laughing at me after that… Photo by Katie Kumbar

The

Fine Arts

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Photographers wrap-up exhibit with a visit to The Gallery After a month-long display of their photography in the Fine Arts Center, Ron Flory and Diana Bloomfield present their work in person

MADLINE LOUDEN N

STAFF WRITER

ot many high schools have an art gallery on campus. Furthermore, not many schools exhibit the work of professional artists in their galleries. Located in the Fine Arts Center lobby, The Gallery usually features artwork from students in Lower, Middle, and Upper School. Three times already this year, though, The Gallery has featured professional exhibits. During late August and throughout all of September, painted

A photograph captured by Ron Flory, part of his Little River Resevoir series. Photo by Susan Washburn

portraits by artist Janelle Howington could be found hanging on the white walls of The Gallery. In October, they were replaced by the “deep, mysterious” drawings of Gerald Auten, a Dartmouth art professor. Most recently, The Gallery is hosting its third professional exhibition – the images of photographers Ron Flory and Diana Hopper Bloomfield. On January 26th, Flory and Bloomfield presented their work to a group of students at Ravenscroft after it had been on exhibition in The Gallery for the prior month. Flory and Bloomfield’s collections are both comprised of documentary photography. Documentary photography, often an aspect of journalism, chronicles significant events, trends, or changes in the environment. Specifically, Flory and Bloomfield’s collections document the changes to Franklin and Wake Counties. Flory’s photos chronicle the progression of Raleigh’s Little River Reservoir Project, a project to construct a drinking water reservoir on Little River that will serve multiple towns and require the building of a dam and the altering of roads and other infrastructure. The project has begun, however it is far from finished. “The whole character of the place…it’s kind of in limbo,” Flory said of the area. His plan is to continue

Documentary photographer Ron Flory elaborating on his Little River Resevoir series. Photo by Susan Washburn

photographing the progression of the project and how it affects the land and homes around it, creating, in his words, “a mosaic of photographs that when taken together summarize the entire tract of land, and hopefully do it justice.” Bloomfield’s photographs document the change in environments surrounding the Southern Railway System in Raleigh. As a child, train tracks ran through her home’s yard in a small North Carolinian town.

“I can remember running out into the front yard and waving at passengers,” she reminisced, “Where are these people going? How far do these things go?” Bloomfield has taken to answering these questions, and gaining the perspective of those passengers. All of her photographs are taken from the rails, capturing the images of what passengers would see if they looked out the window. Bloomfield is interested in

discovering how passing time and a lessening demand for train travel affects not only the rail system but also the places through which it passes. Flory and Bloomfield’s exhibit has now been replaced with the Upper School Fine Arts Exhibition in The Gallery, but their work will continue and hopefully be seen in many shows to come.

The Tavern

The drama department is hard at work on their next production - The Tavern, written and directed by our own Ravenscroft Senior, Michael Santos.

Outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania lies The Brandywine

Tavern. Located in the Brandywine River Valley, this tavern has stood proudly since the days of General George Washington and the American Revolution. The building is historic, and rumors claim that the ghost of a Revolutionary War soldier haunts the place.

Seeking shelter at The Tavern from a powerful storm, twelve characters from all walks of life are thrown together by the hand of fate. They are trapped inside only to discover that they must rely on each other for support as one of them is kidnapped, one murdered, and the legendary ghost haunts them throughout this intriguing two act play.

March 18 7:00 March 19 7:00 the young people’s theatre

Bringin' out t

gun control KATIE KUMBAR EDITOR

Sophomores Chase Duncan and Thomas Sigmon:

igmon has been hunting for the past 10 years and the past 6 have been on his own. He hunts deer, duck, dove, goose, rabbit, coyotes, and quail. He tries to go hunting every other weekend and the coolest place he has been hunting is at Lake Mattamuskeet located near the center of Hyde County, on the mainland just west of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Thomas’ dad and brother hunt as well and happily none have them have been hurt while shooting.

Junior Alex Finley:

Alex shoots

at the Durham County Wildlife Club around twice a week. He started trap shooting with his grandpa with his great-great uncle’s 16 gauge side by side bird gun. For his last birthday, his uncle repaired the shotgun and gave it to him. Alex now usually shoots with a Browning Citori XT.

he terrible shootings in Tucson demonstrate the necessity of gun control. A man with a gun did not cause that tragedy; an insane man with a gun caused it. Because he so easily obtained a firearm and was permitted to carry it without registration, children and innocents are dead, and a member of the United States House of Representatives has been severely harmed. Soldiers face death and fight to protect our rights, but they make that choice willingly. Innocents should not be forced to sacrifice themselves for the 2nd amendment against their will. The solution is to ensure that guns remain in the hands of rational, well-trained individuals, not trigger-happy vigilantes interpreting the law for themselves. Similar to soldiers and the police force, those seeking to own guns should be required to prove their competency. Guns can only do harm in the hands of people, and the purpose of gun control is to keep those guns out of the hands of bad people. A seminar run by a trained officer of the law needs to be a required part of the licensing process, similar to driver’s education. This way, everyone who receives a firearm is properly trained in how to operate it, as well as educated in the conditions under which it should be used. Interpersonal contact for more than a few minutes during an application interview will also give officers more opportunities to determine the moral character of gun applicants. The words of the 2nd Amendment, protecting the right to bear arms, describes that a “well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to e’s been shooting/hunting for 4 yea keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” Most people skip the first half of that sentence and his most valuable tr go straight to the line about “the right to bear arms shall not be infringed,” but the amendment clearly states the purpose these civilian guns were intended to serve: protect our nascent nation. He got into shooting because his grand Though the British did not actively confiscate guns and other armaments from the colonists, the Founding Fathers understood that in a state of war, the army needs weapons, so The most interesting place he has bee people were guaranteed to keep their arms in the event another war occurred. To protect the security of a Free State in this day and age, the government maintains fully he hasn a standing army with cutting-edge weaponry and technology with everything from tanks to Vernal also competes in a biological weapons and nuclear warheads. A person with a gun can do much less to protect his or her country than the Minutemen of the eighteenth century. Today, massive firepower is at the disposal of the President of the United States. He is the civilian commander of the armed forces, and the only government official chosen in an election where every citizen has the opportunity to cast a vote and choose. It is the President’s duty to protect the people, and he has the full power of the US military at his disposal to deal with foreign threats. There is no need for a civilian militia, and the everyday citizen has no need for a gun. What about protection of property? Doesn’t a person have a right to protect his or her property, family, life? Again, guns are not the solution. Civilians should not hold guns under the pretense of self-defense because abuse of the 2nd amendment deprives others of their 5th amendment rights: the right to due process under the law. If a civilian deems another person to be a threat—a trespasser, thief, attacker—and shoots on sight, that person has been judged by a single person’s action. No judge, no jury, no fair trial has determined who the real victim was and if the crime warranted capital punishment. Justice is universal. It is blind, treats all equally, and ensures fairness for all. When one person with a gun takes justice into his or her own hands, the United States becomes a nation ruled by firepower. Might would make right, and even those who own guns would live in constant fear of the other guy shooting first. Hunters and recreational shooters would have nothing to fear from a widespread inclusion of a training component to the gun licensing process. They understand the power of their weapons and are well trained to minimize hunting accidents. Consider the fact that hopeful doctors often spend over ten years studying, practicing, and learning, so that when they earn credentials in order to save lives and uphold the Hippocratic Oath to “do no harm.” Conversely, hopeful gun owners fill out a one page application, mostly about contact information; submit it to the Sheriff who grants a 5 year permit as long as the applicant has a clean criminal record. No training or test of knowledge is required and the potential to do harm is insurmountably higher. What’s wrong with this picture? Better yet, what is right about it?

Freshma

Exampl

Bo Newcomb:

He’s been hunting for 9 years and in November, he flew to Canada with his father to hunt. The photo to the left is from that trip. Newcomb currently has15 days of hunting days under his belt this year. His most honorable trophy is the first banded greenhead he ever shot and is now mounted in his room. Luckily, Bo has had no injuries while hunting.

the big guns...

l shoot out

an Collin Vernal:

ars. He currently hunts deer, dove and squirrel and rophy is a deer that scored a 151. dfather is a big hunter and now Vernal hunts every weekend. en hunting is in Oxford, North Carolina and thankn’t suffered any injuries. archery and last year scored 250 points out of 300.

le of a handgun purchase permit

Sophomore Bryant Dowd:

He’s been hunting ducks, deer, and quail for the

PATRICK BAILEY STAFF WRITER

past 7 years. Dowd’s prized trophy is 7 point buck he shot when he was 10 years old. He says the coolest place he has been hunting is in Halifax County when it was snowing. Fortunately, Bryant has never been harmed while hunting.

learly stated in the constitution of the United States, the 2nd Amendment states, “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” I am not sure how else to go about debating this issue. Obviously, all prayers are with the families involved in the Arizona shootings, but using that tragedy to call for stricter gun control is irresponsible and is exploiting the vulnerability of the families who have lost loved ones or are still unsure as to the long term ramifications. While I don’t necessarily disagree with regulations for gun control, it is important to protect the rights the Founding Fathers gave to us in the Constitution. But it all leads us back to a central point: guns don’t kill people, people kill people. For anybody who disagrees with this, look at other examples: pencils don’t misspell words, people do; cars don’t drive drunk, people do. Increasing the hoops that law abiding citizens must jump through to obtain a gun will not decrease crime. Rational people understand and respect the power of the weapon. As many of my fellow Republicans already understand, using the federal government to create obstacles in the form of increased procedures will only create a bigger, less efficient bureaucratic nightmare that ALL of us will end up paying for with wasted time, frustration and cold hard cash. Criminals have no problem obtaining weapons and more policies and procedures for the rest of us will not have any effect on them at all. Of course, no individual should consider themselves above the law and recklessly use a weapon to thwart the 5th amendment rights of fellow citizens of America. However, can anyone fault a man that shoots an armed invader in his home wielding a weapon as he storms through his home as his family is sleeping? It is hard to take advantage of your 5th amendment rights from the grave. Self-defense is a recognized plea in a court of law and the constitution provides us this right the Founding Fathers set the tone for our government and we should continue to respect their wisdom.

Junior Avi Mundra: tively and hunts and has been shooting/hunting for the past 5 years. He hunts rabbit, duck, dove, squirrel, pheasant, and woodcock. His Grandfather enjoys the sport and was on the National Guard pistol shooting team. Avi’s mom was also a competitive rifle shooter. He says his biggest accomplishment has been winning 4th in the junior shoot in NC for overall average. The coolest place he’s been shooting he said he went to shooting camp in Texas.

Sophomore Leslie Pratt:

Avi shoots competi-

ratt has only been shooting since March of 2010. She went hunting with a friend and loved it. Her mother told her that if she wanted to continue to shoot, she would have to take a class to learn more about the safety aspects of the sport. While attending a hunter’s education course, one of the instructors noticed that Pratt hit every target she took a shot at. He recommended her to professional shooters and she is currently training with them to prepare for her first tournament this spring. She has been duck, deer, and squirrel hunting.

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Features

Raven gamers face-off on Facebook

How much time you spend playing Facebook games?

CHARLIE HIRSCH & RASHAAD RATLIFF-BROWN

80 60 40 30 20 10 0

10 min

20 min 30 min 45 min 1 hour 1+ hour

Ravenscroft’s Favorites Games Crazzie Cabbie

Snake

Curve Ball

STAFF WRITERS

undreds of Ravenscroft students go home with hours of homework in various classes, yet instead of homework they choose to go onto Facebook and play games. These games allow the students to unwind and relax after a long and stressful school day. It is also no secret that high school students do not like homework and will procrastinate using any means necessary. Facebook and Facebook games provide students with an easy way to waste time and put off their homework. Across the nation, 53% of the over 500 million Facebook users play games and 19% say they are addicted to them. Students also use the games as a way to take a short break from their homework. These breaks are an effective way to relax and take someone’s mind off of equations and the European economy. Instead, we can focus on collecting data in Data Worm or avoiding cars in Crazy Cabbie. Within Ravenscroft, 70% of guys and 49% of girls play Facebook games. Snake and Data Worm were Ravenscroft’s favorite games. 41% of Ravenscroft students also play other online games on other sites other than Facebook. Facebook games are an important part to a student’s day; however, for all the teachers and parents reading this, students do not spend all day and night playing games. 60% only play Facebook games for ten to twenty minutes. This is the perfect amount of time to either take a break or procrastinate from an assignment. Only 14% play for over an hour. Juniors play the most out of each of the grades which makes sense because they are the most overburdened with homework. Freshmen play the second most because they have time to waste (even though they don’t realize it yet but they shouldn’t be wasting their time). Ravenscroft is also blessed to have a very competitive student body and have several high scores. Brad Ehilegbu, ‘12, holds a high score in Word Drop of 60,310. Melina Gozzo, ‘11, beat Joseph Brusino, ‘11, by a solid 12 points in Fast Typer 2. Parker Preston, ‘12, has a level 35 farm in Farmville as well as a score of 1,490 in Snake. These internal rivalries keep students awake and invigorated when they go home with a 50 pound backpack.

Do you play Facebook games? 60

Yes

Ravenscroft’s Least Favorite 0 Games Word Drop

Cube Field

Sarah’s Shows....

The Teen Mom 2 Sensation sweeps the School in new episodes SARAH STUMPO

Meet the Girls of Teen Mom 2

STAFF WRITER

t’s a new year meaning it’s time to say goodbye to Maci, Amber, Farrah, and Catelynn, who warmed our hearts through seasons 1 and 2 of Teen Mom. There are rumors of Teen Mom Season 3 returning in the Spring of 2011, so we will possibly be seeing little Bentley, Farrah’s rumored boob job and Amber’s prison journey soon. Teen Mom swept the nation with their struggles as teen mothers, their heart break, first birthdays and even domestic violence. Teen Mom 2 Season 1 begins with four new graduates of 16 and Pregnant….

Is Teen Mom promoting teen pregnancy? “I am not a fan of reality TV, including Jersey Shore, etc. because I question why people want to expose their lives, but I believe that if the show truly shows the struggles of the teen moms, it could be more helpful than harmful.” - Mary Catherine Strickland Guidance Counselor “I think teen mom highlights the negative consequences of having an unexpected pregnancy in a young teen relationship and how detrimental it is on not only the teen moms but also friends, family, and tax payers everywhere. Teen Mom does not promote pregnancy it scares the begeezius out of teenagers.” - Baker Mills, ‘11

Jenelle Evans is from Oak Island, North Carolina, and representing North

Carolinians, but not very well…she’s a chronic partier and on this season. On Teen Mom 2, you will see Jenelle putting Jace to bed then going out until the early hours of the morning because she claims she can be a mom and a teenager. Her mom doesn’t agree. In a recent episode showed Jenelle threatening to “&%#$!@# kill her [mom].” So maybe we are going to see another Amber-like domestic violence case on TV? Getting custody of Jace for Jenelle is going be harder than she thought, especially since she admitted to “dabbling” with marijuana…on national TV…And in October, she and her new boyfriend were charged with trespassing and possession of marijuana. She’s going to need a really good lawyer. Anyway, Spoiler! Jenelle is going to turn over custody to her mom eventually, which makes me think maybe Jenelle’s going to split.

ailyn Lowry is raising her baby Isaac currently in her ex-boyfriend’s house, and that is stirring up some drama for her and her ex-boyfriend Jo. She lives in the basement of his house (that’s awkward…) because her mom is not able to financially and emotionally to provide a stable home for Isaac. She is the most independent on the show, signing up for community college classes, graduating, having a job and raising a baby... and dating someone else while living in her ex-boyfriend’s house?

One of my favorites, a cheerleader from Virginia, Leah

Messer, got pregnant after 1 month of dating her baby daddy, Corey… An even bigger surprise, she got stuck with TWINS, Aliannah and Aleeah. After having her babies, she split from her Corey after cheating on him with her ex, which she sorely regrets. Aliannah has a spinal disorder and the first medical problem with the helsea Houska dropped out of high school at the end of her episode of babies on Teen Mom 2. This causes Corey to step up and saying to Leah, “You are the mommy and I am the daddy 16 and pregnant, and this season she will be attempting to get her GED (good job Corey for figuring that out) and we have to be and graduate from beauty school all while balancing a new house, bills, the strongest people in her life, so the fighting ends here”. and a roommate. If she doesn’t get her GED by the end of the summer Leah and Corey are said to be getting back together later her dear daddy is going to stop paying her rent... Chelsea moved into an this season… apartment with her friend and has found that it’s not as easy as she thought to watch her go out when she can’t. Chelsea’s baby daddy, Adam is going to cause some drama as he returns to Chelsea’s life. But what I’d like to know is why Chelsea’s dad can buy a house for Chelsea but he can’t splurge for a crib! I guess sleeping bags for newborns are comfy…

Tune in Tusedays at 9 pm

The

evarmore Features Rise of the Oh Hey, 2011! Senior Resolutions Plastics M V

CAROLINE SCALES

STAFF WRITER

veryday, we look at pictures of beautiful models and celebrities on TV, in magazines, and in ads plastered across the street. Their perfect completion and bone skinny bodies seem unreal. Most of the time, they are. Thanks to plastic surgery, people can look more and more like the person they long to be, not who they really are. Cosmetic surgery has risen 162 percent since 1997. Americans spent almost $13.2 billion on cosmetic surgical procedures in 2009. The expense is only one of the many cons of plastic surgery. Others include death, skin growing over the wound, infections, the result not turning out how expected, silicon bleeding into the body (from breast augmentation), nerve damage, long recovery time, and the fact that every procedure is very invasive to the body. Even though it’s very risky, plastic surgery does have its advantages. These include raised self esteem, a youthful appearance, and better psychological health. Obviously, the cons outweigh the pros by a landslide. Most celebrities are paid to look good, and once they reach a certain age, their looks go, making them turn to plastic surgery to look youthful. Many times it can go well, such as with actress Kate Hudson or “The Artificial Beauty” Hao Lulu, who is famous for undergoing an extensive amount of plastic surgery, with positive results.

But we rarely hear about the good plastic surgery in a world where every breakdown is documented and posted on every tabloid. Celebrities like artist Michael Jackson, reality star Heidi Montag, designer Donatella Versace, wealthy divorcée Joycelyn Wildenstein, and model Janice Dickinson, are famous for their plastic surgeries gone badly. Even with all the pressure to look like Barbie, there are some celebrities who oppose plastic surgery. “Have you seen those shows where ordinary people want to look like Britney Spears or Brad Pitt? What on Earth possesses them to want to destroy their own character? To go under the knife to do that, well, it’s sick. I would never have anything done. I think beauty comes from the inside. When I see women who have had plastic surgery I find it unnerving. All I can see is the surgery. The person who has had it has vanished. I don’t want to look like that,” said Cameron Diaz in Britain’s Daily Express It is true that the actress, 38, has had a rhinoplasty (nose job), but for medical reasons. She had a deviated septum and the procedure was to fix it. Most celebrities, such as Dana Delany and Kim Kardashian, have had cosmetic surgeries and later regretted it. In 2002, Delany’s Botox injection caused hematoma, or a localized pool of clotted blood, that, in return, has damaged a forehead nerve and now makes her right eye droop. Kardashian, as seen on her family’s show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, had an allergic reaction to her Botox injection.

EKA

s the Class of 2011 finally enters senior year, The Nevarmore decided to conduct a survey to collect ideas for a class New Year’s resolution. Questions included: suggestions as to what the resolution should be; how they plan to complete them; and to describe their funniest resolutions from the past. According to about.com the top 10 New Year’s resolutions for teens worldwide are to get healthy, get happier, be a better person, find love, show more love to your family, be a better friend, get better in school, learn something new, be a role model, and make some money. The most common results from our poll are to get into college or fight senioritis. Although it took hours to read through the overwhelming n u m ber of responses - okay, so there were only 16 - the seniors have come up with a wide variety of suggestions for a resolution for the entire Class of 2011.

Edgar gets a makeover complete a new nose and lips. Photo by Susan Washburn; Michael-Jackson-esque nose, added by Caroline Scales

Heidi Montag, said to be “addicted to plastic surgery” by People Magazine, admitted her obsession in the same article. The reality star now regrets getting so much due to a couple of reasons. Montag and her husband, Spencer Pratt, recently became bankrupt, spending $10 million on houses, cars, plastic surgery, and a failed music career. The couple also spent $2 million respectively on plastic surgery and Montag’s music album each. From parents and friends to even big screen actresses, there are many who agree to keep bodies natural – without plastic and silicon. A word to the wise: keep your body the way it’s supposed to be.

The Nevarmore asks...

How do Ravens feel about plastic surgery? 100%

75.3%

#1 reason for plastic surgery is

low self esteem

agree with plastic surgery for

medical reasons

(as in facial reconstruction after a car accident)

What are the main reasons for someone to get plastic surgery?

Age 30.9% (30)

Weight 27.8 % (27)

Low Self Esteem 75.3 % (73)

Pressure from Hollywood 44.3 % (43)

ALLIER STAFF WRITER

84%

plastic surgery can boost

confidence

Do you agree with getting plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons (i.e. nose job)?

Patrick Bailey

“To get our spirit together for spirit days.”

Peyton Burgess

Spencer Cates

“To have lunch with a different person in our grade every single day until graduation.”

“We should try to connect as an entire class. Stop being so “cliquey” and bond as a whole.”

Kristine Kapatos & Egan Hart “To party more!”

Meka Vallier-Timlic No 59.7 % (55)

Yes 42.1 % (40)

s for me, this may sound corny, but I grew up with most of the people in my class today since the second grade. Though not everyone will admit it, we all want to be able to go up to someone we don’t talk to everyday and actually be able to have a decent conversation without it being awkward. Hopefully, we can achieve at least one of these resolutions by graduation day. If not, at least we can all say we tried. All photos taken or provided by Meka Vallier-Timlic

The

N evarmore

Features

Globetrotter Luna lands at Ravenscroft New Spanish instructor brings international views

KATHERINE FINNEY H

STAFF WRITER

e would hate it if you addressed him as “Sir.” He has gone to Switzerland every summer for the past 16 years, directing a day camp. He played football for the University of Hawaii. He was good friends with Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, once an Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion. He likes the respect he receives from people when they see his bald head. He worked as night club bouncer and high school teacher in California. He lived in Barcelona for almost 4 years. He’s been to Cuba. Haven’t guessed who he is? It’s Señor Gregg Luna, the newest addition to the Foreign Language faculty this year. Born in Mexico City, the Santa Barbara native moved to California at 10 years old, and lived there until last year. As many of his students know, anything Santa Barbara or California related mentioned will result in pure joy on his part.

Recently, he decided he needed a change of scenery. “I’ve always liked this area, Virginia and North Carolina.” Luna enjoys the variety of having four seasons, noting that in Santa Barbara, although beautiful, it is rare to see much meaningful fall foliage. This is Luna’s 14th year of teaching, having taught 6 years at the university level, and 7 years in high school, also coaching soccer and football. This year, Luna has a busy schedule teaching sophomores, juniors and seniors. When his students ask for a fun day, he’s well known for “checking the computer” and quickly replying “computer says ‘no.’” A year spent studying abroad in Barcelona during Luna’s senior year of college sparked his love of traveling. Luna went on to live in Barcelona for 3 more years, working as a football coach. He has traveled throughout most of Western Europe, and his next big destination is Eastern Europe. He spends his summers at a day camp outside of Geneva, Switzerland, which he now directs.

Señor Luna shows his love of California by hanging the state flag in his office. Photo by Katie Kumbar

Hair today, gone tomorrow Ravenscroft students are gearing up

for another year of shaving heads and raising money for young cancer patients. Ravenscroft is participating in St. Baldrick’s Day this year with plans to raise the standards. Last year, the Ravenscroft team raised $8,600 to shave their heads bald in support of children’s cancer research, patients and doctors. This year, the Ravenscroft team’s goal is to raise $10,000 and have as many participants as possible. If you are interested in participating in St. Baldrick’s Day on March 5th, please contact junior Perry Dubow. pdubow@ravenscroft.org

If you are interested in participating but don’t want to shave your entire head (especially girls), contact junior Catherine Green.

The twenty students of the 2010 Ravenscroft St. Baldrick’s team after shaving their heads. Photo by Susan Washburn

cgreen@ravenscroft.org Conor Fry, ‘12, shaves his head for kids with cancer.

Photo by Thomas Schiemann

The

N evarmore

Features

The Ravenscroft Zodiac

KATIE KUMBAR T

EDITOR

he Zodiac - ancient art of predicting the future from the constellations. Generations have looked to the heavens, searching for hints of what their futures may hold.

Taurus

Aries

ries has a strong sense of your own potential with James Wehrli, AP Economics and Government Instructor, guiding your sign. Each Aries has an inborn desire to be a “nation builder,” and you like structure as you approach this goal. Katherine Belk, Math Instructor, gives you the organization and formulas to guide your path. Unlike the economy and politics, math is all about you, and it’s much easier to look at your life in a careful graph. Unfortunately, extraneous details can make you throw your hands in the air and scream Belk’s favorite catchphrase, “What the ham sandwich!?” and throw a major wrench in the works. Try your hardest not to sweat the small stuff, and when all else fails, assume everything is fine.

Leo

July 23 - August 21

Holy

cow, Leo! Your faculty friends are in the Science and Foreign Language departments, but you’ve got a wealth of hidden talents! Susann Heckman, Science Instructor, holds a degree in music and spends a lot of time writing poetry and short stories, while her colleague John Karny enjoys running and cooking. Steve Swaim from the foreign language department rocks the billiards table in official tournaments and is an avid science fiction reader. Don’t let your Leo’s sarcastic sense of humor sell yourself short. You DO have special talents. Make it your goal in 2011 to discover a few of them, and share them with the world!

Sagittarius

November 23 - December 22 your goal for the New Year is to pull yourself together. Your interests and experiences are all over the board! To start, you have Sagittarius Joyce Fillip, visual arts teacher, responsible for putting on the wonderful galleries in the Fine Arts center. Then there’s Nicole Moore, an English instructor with teaching experience at some of the oddest schools imaginable, such as the correctional institution, the Hyde School. To top it all off, Sagittarius is also the sign of Mark Laskowski, AP US History and US government teacher, with interest spanning from the history of our nation to JV softball! Try your hardest to find the common ground between all the things you like, and if there’s very little overlap, see if you can create some. You’re a wonderful, talented individual, but like a rubber band, keep track of how far you can stretch.

Zodiac, but then deliberately threw it out for a more balanced, less prime number-y 12-sign Zodiac. If the future doesn’t begin to break, it’ll be safe to just read your horoscope the way you always have, on a traditional 12-sign calendar. With no professional

astrologers at Ravenscroft, The Nevarmore invented its own horoscopes, based on the faculty members that identify with each sign. Feel free to take them as seriously or frivolously as you wish. Welcome and good luck in the year 2011!

Gemini

April 21 - May 21

Cancer

May 22 - June 21

June 22 - July 22

aurus, you’re heavily involved in helping others succeed! Two notable Taurus among the Ravenscroft Faculty are Angela Connor from the college counseling and Janet Smith, Academic skills instructor and AP Psychology teacher. You know all the best study skills and the best way to make someone else’s paper résumé reflect their personality. Try using some of those skills on yourself once in a while. Take 2011 to pull your grades up and ace those end-of-year exams, and set yourself up to look amazing for college when the time comes.

emini, you almost didn’t get a horoscope. Several wonderful members of the faculty identify with the sign of the Twins, but their replies came in way late after the rush. With teachers like Susan Ramquist, Latin scholar, and Russell Chissoe, technology wizard, it’s easy to get caught up in the past or future and forget about the present demands on your time and energy. This New Year, you can choose to focus on your classically rooted ideas or your space-age dreams, but remember to share your passions with the present. Don’t let today pass you by!

ow! So many changes have happened in your life, Cancer. You’re practically a new person this year, especially compared to the beginning of last year. Just like new faculty member and Cancer Greg Wilson and Cancer college counselor Lindsey Ringenbach, formerly Lindsey Waite, your New Year will be filled with the results of the life-changing decisions you made last year. But also, you share your sign with the ever-stable, never-phased, time-tested and true Charles Benoit of the math department. Reconcile the best parts of the new you with our old 2010 self, and you’ll have no reason to be crabby in 2011.

August 22 - September 23

September 24 - October 23

March 21 - April 20

Sagittarius,

keeps shifting. To stay balanced, the thirteenth sign adjusts for this top-like wobble, and throws the traditional astrological Zodiac out of whack instead. But, Ophiuchus is no cause for alarm. The ancient Babylonians were aware of the thirteenth sign in the

Wait a second. Isn’t the Zodiac off now? Isn’t there a thirteenth sign, Ophiuchus, between Scorpio and Sagittarius? Well yes, there is. Because of the Earth’s tilt and the gravitational pull between the Sun and the moon, the exact location of the Zodiac

Virgo

Libra

irgos, you possess exultant capacities for prose and a remarkable aptitude for dissertation. For everyone else, that means Virgos are good with words and deep thought. Two long-standing English department members share your sign, Sharon Beineke and Steven McGill. English assignments are a snap for you, as you rip prose and poetry apart with your astute mind. But a little piece of advice: make sure this elevated thinking doesn’t get in the way of communication with others. Straight talk has its uses, too, and your friendships could benefit from a dose of simple honesty. Not every conversation can answer the deep questions posed by literature, like Hamlet’s famous i n q u i r y, “To be or not to be?”

Capricorn

December 23 - January 20

apricorn, you’re generally ahead of the curve when it comes to information. Michael Murphy, who teaches the very real science of astronomy, was aware of the mysterious 13th constellation in the Zodiac far before the popular media was. Though you use this information to your advantage, remember, nothing is written in stone, and asking the stars to tell you about your future is “hokum,” according to Murphy. In fact, just take a look at his fellow Capricorn, Dr. John deTreville! He started out in the military service, and now teaches US History along with specialty courses about the Vietnam War and American Civil War. No set of luminous plasma balls in the sky could have predicted that switch! Researching and planning for the future can only get you so far. Keep an open mind, and you may find a calling you never foresaw.

Scorpio

October 24 - November 22

ibra, the sign of the scales, balances perfectly between Science teachers Mimi Lieberman and Nelson Nunalee and Math instructors Ed Durham and Laura Kovalaske. Then, with the one of the Croft’s new guidance counselors Mary Catherine Strickland as the central pivot, you can see the way before you as clearly as a the answer to a quadratic equation or physics vector! High school will throw a lot of drama your way, but if you can stay cool and calm like your faculty friends, 2011 will be a great year.

corpio has a strong grounding in foreign language, with French teacher Kelly Bolz and Mandarin teacher Kuo Jenwei sharing the sign of the scorpion. There’s something about the way other people do and say things that fascinates you. Explore this interest in the new and different with your fresh start in 2011. Take extra initiative to ask friends, family, and teachers about what makes them special, and learn about their little oddities. If you ever feel overwhelmed, rest assured, you can easily take a break. Why not indulge your no-place-likehome English side, and have a good literary discussion with fellow Scorpio and English teacher, Marcia Jones? Taking a break every once in a while to return to the familiar keeps you from getting bogged down by the strange and uncertain.

Aquarius

Pisces

January 21 - February 19

You’re a master of going with the

flow, Aquarius. You share your sign with some of the most laid-back, friendly teachers in the Upper School, from many departments. In the foreign language department, Gregg Luna stays cool like the water bearer, just like his more experienced science-department colleague, Zoe Welsh. Kevin Flinn and Helen Velk from the English department know how to hang loose, too. Your goal for the New Year should be to learn what your teachers know: when it’s time to buckle down and work! All smiles and all fun seem great, until you got your first semester report card! Ask your fellow Aquarius faculty members for help getting yourself motivated, and get ‘er done!

February 20- March 20

isces, stand tall and proud! You’ve got fellow Pisces, assistant head of Upper School Kevin Billerman, to back you up! Just like our Varsity basketball coach, you’re very mature with have a strong sense of the rules and discipline. In the New Year, find times to cut loose! A little fun is good for you, and helps keep you fun and light, even when staying in line. Also, now might be a good time to look into your history. Alison Craig, a new English teacher, was born a month late, with a projected due date under Aquarius. To keep from being a fish out of water, she reads both Capricorn and Aquarius, just to get a clearer picture of her future. Dig around a bit in your past, and you might discover a fascinating detail to explore in this coming year!

The

N evarmore

Entertainment

Valentine’s Day Cinema Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

“Wish me a happy Valentine’s Day when you call. That’d be... nice!” -Clementine

“I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” -Harry

The Gold Rush* (1925)

Time to break out the romance

movies you just looooove to watch! Whether it’s a sappy “chick flick” or a cute “date pick” you can watch with someone special, here are eleven possibilities for Valentine’s Day 2011 and their famous lines! *The Gold Rush is a silent film Movie posters, courtesy of IMBD.

Jerry Maguire (1996)

“You complete me.” -Jerry

Annie Hall (1977)

“A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies.” -Alvy Singer

Chick Flicks

Titanic

500 Days of Summer

“I’ll never let go, Jack. I promise” –Rose

“I love how she makes me feel, like anything’s possible, or like life is worth it.” -Tom

(1997)

STAFF WRITER

Date Picks

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

CARSON SMITH

(2009)

The Notebook (2004) “That’s my sweetheart in there. Wherever she is, that’s where my home is.” –Duke

Amélie (2001)

As Good As It Gets (1997)

“You make me want to be a better man.” –Melvin Udall

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

“At least you’ll never (2003) be a vegetable...even “I love you Binky... but I don’t have artichokes have hearts.” to like you right now.” -Amélie –Andie

The

N evarmore

Entertainment

Pointless songs that take no talent to write “Ay Bay Bay”

GRAYSON MILLER

“You’re a Jerk”

STAFF WRITER

Artist: New Boyz “You’re a jerk, I know. You’re a jerk, I know.”

“Dinosaur”

Artist: Hurricane Chris “When I holla Ay Bay Bay, I finna get my groove on. It’s so hot up in da club, Dat I ain’t got no shoes on.”

lthough this song may have a cool dance that comes along with it, saying “You’re a Jerk. I know,” over and over again not only takes absolutely no talent. To every radio station that played this annoying song over 10 minutes, actually YOU are the jerk.

really think there is no level of intelligence whatsoever put into this song. What can “I finna get my groove on” be translated into? Who knows. I guess Hurricane Chris just blew away after this one-hit wonder?

“Say”

“Hollaback Girl”

Artist: Gwen Stefani “Let me hear you say, This $%*# is bananas B A N A N A S This $%*# is bananas B A N A N A S”

Artist: John Mayer “Say what you need to say, Say what you need to say, Say what you need to say, Say what you need to say.”

Artist: Ke$ha “D-I-N-O-S-A- U-R a Dinosaur. D-I-N-O-S-A- U-R a dinosaur. O-L-D M-A-N. You’re just an old man. Hitting on me, what? You need a cat scan.”

irst of all, what $%*# is bananas? Secondly, I don’t need to be reminded of how to spell bananas over and over again - I think I learned that one in kindergarten, thanks anyway. And Third, the thought of $%*# and bananas together is repulsive.

Even John Mayer’s beautiful voice

can’t save this song from being claimed as pointless- does he actually have anything to say? I wish he would just say what he needs to say…and only once.

I think we all know Ke$ha has come up with some

crazy songs, but this one is just too much - I feel like my IQ went down after listening to it. Dinosaurs are extinct, and this song should be too.

Artist: Lil Mama “What you know ‘bout me? They say my lip gloss is cool, My lip gloss be popping, I’m standing at my locker, And all the boys keep stopping.”

Artist: Soulja Boy Tell’em “Dis right here is my new swag, All the girls are on me, damn. Everybody pay attention, Dis right here is my pretty boy swag.”

So what exactly is a “pretty boy

o Lil Mama, no one knows about you and we want to keep it that way. Of all the things she chooses to write a song about, she chooses her lip gloss? Maybe I should try writing a song about my mascara.

swag?” If he’s going to waste 4 minutes bragging about being famous, at least try and put some decent lyrics to a beat.

“Whip My Hair”

“Lip Gloss”

“Cooler Than Me”

“Pretty Boy Swag”

“No Handlebars”

Artist: Mike Posner “I hope that you like this, but you probably won’t, You think you’re cooler than me. You got designer shades, just to hide your face and You wear them around like, You’re cooler than me.”

Artist: Willow Smith “I whip my hair back and forth” x 80.

The recently popular song, “Whip

Artist: The Flobots “I can ride my bike with no handlebars, No handlebars, No handlebars.”

Not gonna lie, I thought Mike Posner was pretty cool,

My Hair” has blown up the music charts. It is catchy, but who would have ever thought that a ten year old could make millions for singing a song about swinging her hair around. Makes me want to pull my hair out.

but after hearing him sing about his frustration with some girl thinking she was cooler than him, I realized he’s not actually that cool. Quit stalking random girls and write a better song. Oh and, “I hope you like this, but you probably won’t”- You’re right on that one Mikey.

couldn’t think of a more intriguing way to open a song. So, you can ride a bike with no handlebars and you can write a song with no real lyrics…..please crash.

Nobody Compares to Mark CHANNING TATUM

Channing Tatum,

LIAM HEMSWORTH

iam Hemsworth, 20- year-old actor is known for his dreamy part in the movie, The Last Song. Liam has beautiful eyes, but they cannot compete with the Mark’s brown beauties.

30-year-old actor, starred in Dear John, Step Up, She’s The Man. He is hot as ever. He is married to Jenna Dewan. Although Tatum has a great body, it does not compare to “The Body” - Marky Mark’s abs of steel.

TAYLOR NEWCOMB STAFF WRITER

oooo, the idea for this hottest male celebrity list came about in response to Sean Kelly and Quinn Billerman’s hottest celebrity actress page in last month’s issue. Then, the 6th period Journalism/Newspaper class members kept whining about the fact that the photo of Mark Wahlberg below is “from 20 years ago.” Then it dawned on me, no one compares to Mark Wahlberg. So, instead of creating a top 10 list, I decided to compare the newer actors to the gold standard - Wahlberg.

MARK WAHLBERG

Mark Wahlberg, 39 year-old actor, is a beauti-

ful actor who has starred in many films such as: Shooter, The Fighter, The Other Guys to name a few. He is married to Rata Durham and they have four kids. Mark has amazing abs, wonderfully defined biceps and shoulders, and eyes that will make you melt. His smile is one of the best ever and we can’t forget his luscious hair. To sum it all up, Mark is hands down the hottest male actor!

PAUL WALKER

aul Walker, 37-year-old actor, starred in The Fast and The Furious, Running Scared, Into The Blue, and more. Paul’s eyes are stunning. When you look at them, it is hard to look away. But when Mark’s in the room - all eyes are on him.

ASHTON KUTCHER

shton Kutcher, 32-year-old hunk, starred Valentine’s Day, What Happens in Vegas, and The Guardian. Ashton’s dreamy face is one of the best, yet Mark still prevails with the best face and smile.

11ers

The

N evarmore

p o T

Quinn’s List

1 LeBron James

To simply put it, he’s the best player alive. He can pass, rebound, block shots, he’ll take out the trash, he’ll walk your dog, and he can shoot. The only thing he can’t do is pull off an entertaining 45 minute “announcement.”

2 Kevin Durant

Pure scorer, he does it in every way. He’s next in line to be the best player in the world. He showed this by leading a youthful Team USA to its first world championship in 20 years.

3 Kobe Bryant

He’s a winner; all he does is win championships. He’s been the best player in the world for the previous 5 years but has recently lost a little bit of his edge but is still one of the

STAFF WRITERS

4 5 Amar’e Stoudemire 6 Deron Williams Carmelo Anthony

The best point guard in the game, can score and pass. In elementary school and middle school, Williams won two state wrestling championships. In 1993, as an eight-year-old, he won the 67 lb. weight class Texas State championship. Four years later in 1997, he won the twelve-year-old 116 lb. weight class championship

7 Rajon Rondo 8 Derrick Rose 9 Pau Gasol 10 Blake Griffin

He is the best passer in the league, and the star of the Boston Celtics. He turned Boston’s “big three” into the Rondo show. The most athletic point guard in the NBA, just check out his YouTube highlights. He can jump his way in and out of any gym. The best post player with the best post moves in the NBA right now, the x factor for the LA Lakers. He is also a doctor off the court which you can also call him a doctor in the post. Blake is a regular on Sportscenter’s top 10 plays because he’s a freak of nature that can do it all. He’s built the Clippers arena into a highlight factory.

The youngest scoring champ in NBA history (roughly 30 ppg), Kevin Durant has arrived as the superstar of the league, and carried what used to be a bad Oklahoma City Thunder team to a threat in the Western Conference.

2 LeBron James

LeBron James is a physical freak of nature and can also be considered for the number one spot. Unfortunately for him his sellout to

Dirk Nowitzki

As Sean Kelly put it, he’s the “German Sniper.” He continues to carry the Dallas Mavericks on his back.

play for the Heat not only hurt his stats, but his reputation in the league.

3 Deron Williams 4 Kobe Bryant

Deron Williams is not only the best point guard in the NBA, but one of the best players. He’s a do it all player who has the deadly combo of scoring and passing. He’s currently averaging 22.1 ppg, and 9.3 apg. He also averages roughly one steal, and four rebounds a game.

5 Carmelo Anthony

Scorer is a good one word description for Carmelo Anthony. Although his year has been marked with trade rumors and question whether or not he wants to remain in Denver. He’s averaging 24.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, and 3 apg.

7 Derrick Rose

A number one overall pick, hometown boy Derrick Rose is the perfect fit for Chicago. He’s a scorer and can get assists. His pure speed and athleticism is hard to guard, but can occasionally shoot a low percentage game.

Sean’s List

1 Kevin Durant

QUINN BILLERMAN & SEAN KELLY

he National Basketball Association is full of the best basketball players in the world. The players are elite athletes as well as extremely skilled players. These are our individual lists of the top eleven playGreat post up player, and has the best jab ers in the NBA. We understand the list can constantly step in the league. change throughout the season, but this is where we locked ours in. Although Quinn’s basketball knowlA super athlete that has been the straw edge is less then my own please respect his opinion. that stirs the New York Knick’s drink.

best players in the league

Sports

Russell Westbrook

A young electric point guard who plays on the Oklahoma City Thunder with Kevin Durant, Westbrook has established himself as a premier point guard in the league. When Kevin Durant was hurt, Westbrook stole the show for a career game and a win. He and KD are the center pieces for a bright future in Oklahoma City.

The “Black Mamba” has only recently lost his title as the best player. His team is currently in a little funk, and he has not done much to help. He was the clear number one player the last two years and the LA Lakers won the NBA championship, but Kobe isn’t getting any younger and his injuries aren’t healing any faster, so although he’s still an elite player, he’s not the best.

6 Blake Griffin

It’s rare to see a rookie on a top ten list, but Blake Griffin deserves it. He has done nothing but dominate since he’s stepped on an NBA court. He single handedly is keeping hope alive for a franchise that has been awful. He’s averaging 21.7 ppg, 12.7 rpg, and 3.3 apg. He’s the definition of a player.

8 Amar’e Stoudemire

Amar’e Stoudemire is a superior athlete, the most athletic center in the league. Since signing with the New York Knicks this off season Stoudemire has done nothing but prove he’s worth the money, revitalizing a team that had gotten used to the bottom of the Easter Conference. He’s averaging 26.4 ppg, 9 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1 spg, and 2.3 bpg.

10 Dwayne Wade

Dwayne Wade would have a better ranking had LeBron not come to Miami. Dwayne is now the second best player on the team, and his stats show it. It’s ok to trade stats for championships, but it doesn’t help you on this list. He’s averaging 25 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.5 spg, and 1 bpg.

11 Rajon Rondo

Although he’s struggled with injuries this year, Rondo is what keeps the Boston Celtics motor going. He’s a pass for point guard who is also an amazing defender.

Ravenscroft Winter Sports Update Varsity Boys Basketball 16-2

Varsity Girls Basketball 7-11

Wrestling

Varsity Boys Swim Team

Varsity Girls Swim Team

9-6

3-6

7-1-1

The The

Sports 7-9 and in the playoffs?

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No changes necessary to the NFL playoff system

JORDAN BEDNAR

STAFF WRITER

s it fair that a team with a record of 7-9 makes the playoffs over a team that is 10-6? The Seattle Seahawks not only made the playoffs this year, but they clinched home field advantage in their first game against the New Orleans Saints in the first round. Prior to that, they won the NFC West division over the St. Louis Rams finishing with a regular season record of 7-9. This unusual situation leads many to question the playoff system. However, changes should not be made just yet. This is the first time in the NFL’s history that a team with a 7-9 record made the playoffs. The Seahawks had the best record in their division. So, they should get to enjoy being the champions of the NFC West. The New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers both finished 10-6 in the regular season, but did not clinch a playoff seed. The Giants are part of the NFC East, a division known to be one of the more competitive ones in the NFL. They were the penultimate to the Philadelphia Eagles; another 10-6 team who clinched a playoff spot. This year, with the exception of the Carolina Panthers who finished 2-14, we saw a very competitive NFC South division with the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Falcons clinched the division and home field advantage, the Saints won a wild card spot in the playoffs, leaving the Bucs watching at home. There has been buzz around the league with solutions, one of the more extreme ideas is eliminating the AFC and NFC all together and giving the top teams in the league a playoff spot. Another idea floating around is to set a win limit to get into the playoffs, so for instance, a team would need to win a certain amount of games in the regular season to be eligible for a playoff seed. Despite the odds, the Seahawks beat the highly favored defending Super Bowl Champion, the Saints, in a thriller resulting with a score of 41-36 on January 8th. The Seahawks rallied back from an early 10 point deficit in front of an electric crowd of 66,336. Mike Hutter, ‘12, and Bradley Ehilegbu, ’12, avid fans of the NFL, agreed that the current system should be kept as is unless teams with a record like the Seahawks’ make the playoffs more frequently. Charles Benoit, Math Instructor and former NFL sideline professional affiliated with the Patriots, believes that this system should not be changed, stating that the Seahawks won their division and this is the same set up as other leagues in various sports.

Seattle Seahawks’ running back, Marshawn Lynch (24), rushes during the first round of the playoffs against the New Orleans Saints. Photo from MCT Campus

Dedicated golfers play through the snow flurries last month at North Ridge Country Club. Photo provided by Tracy Adkins

Golf: Staying on par in the off-season EVIE DOLE O

STAFF WRITER

ff season, training in golf is just as important as training in football, baseball, hockey, tennis, soccer or any other sport. This is especially true considering the sometimes challenging conditions on the course in hot, muggy weather and the need for energy to focus throughout the five hour round while carrying a 20 pound golf bag. A dedicated golfer not only plays when it is beautiful and sunny outside, but also when it is less than forty degrees with snow on the course. As every serious golfer knows, continuous play and fitness are the keys to staying on top of his game when it is winter and everyone else is at home hibernating. Seniors Wilson Day and Reeves Zaytoun, will play golf next year at NC State and UNC, respectively and both continue their hard work during the winter or offseason. “When I workout, I do exercises to strengthen my core and increase my flexibility; which are probably the most Wilson Day, ‘11, finishes a important in regards to golf. But, I also do some swing. strength work,” says Photo provided by Wilson Day Zaytoun. His routine includes cardio work as well. “I feel it’s important to practice as much as you can because that is going to put you much farther ahead of the kids who choose to take the winter months off and then pick up a club again in the spring. I feel like if you take the winter off you are just taking a step back from all the hard work you put in throughout the summer and fall,” agrees Day. “Mine is a lot of stretching and core work. Sit ups, different things with the medicine ball. But, I do a lot of flexibility stuff with the big rubber bands and making my lower back and shoulders more flexible. I also do about 30 minutes of running or riding my bike. I don’t do that much upper body lifting heavy weights or anything but mainly making my lower body strong for a strong base for golf,” adds Day. Paul Simson, believes that golf requires some physical skill, great coordination, mental sharpness, superlative focus, and an ability to accept whatever happens after you hit a shot. Simson is the father of Phillip Simson, ‘00, and a member at North Ridge Country Club with a winning record including the following titles: 2010 US Senior Amateur Champion; Canadian Senior Amateur Champion; and British Reeves Zaytoun, ‘11, Senior Amateur Champion. “I like to ski in the winter so follows through in a my workouts concentrate on my legs match. and cardio-type exercises. To avoid Photo by Dr. Watters

injury skiing, I increase my reps from 10 to 15 using the same weights as I do in the summer. I spend more time on the life step machine and try to eat responsibly as ‘eating season’ lasts from just before Thanksgiving through the New Year,” explains Simson. Simson went on to add that “the KEY factor is to avoid ‘burnout.’ Golf is a game to be enjoyed for a lifetime. Sure some make a very good living playing golf. Far more people enjoy golf for it’s recreational and social values. Golf is a game that can be played long after you have competed in high school or college.” To his point, some very Evie Dole, ‘13, competitive junior golfers get help from during a Ravensports psychologist to avoid burnout and scroft match. improve focus on the course. Photo by Dr. Watters Top professional golfers like Tiger Woods, Camilo Villegas, Vijay Singh, and Adam Scott are religious about their training. Wood’s golf workout consists of an hour of cardio, an hour on lower body weight training, and half an hour of upper body weight training every day according to tigerwoods.com. This is in addition to his practicing golf for an average of six and a half hours a day. “Without fitness, I wouldn’t be on Tour. No doubt about it. It’s absolutely central to my success,” says Villegas on the website golf.com. Villegas earned more than 13 million dollars in the past four year. As a competitive golfer myself, I agree with Reeves and Wilson’s thoughts on practicing and working out throughout the winter months. It can potentially mean a few strokes in major summer tournaments- the difference between winning and losing. And there is not much time to practice between school ending and tournaments beginning in the summer. For example, the prestigious North South Tournament in Pinehurst that began in 1901 is June 15-17 this year. In the winter months, I spend about thirty minutes on cardio and thirty minutes on core and stability strengthening. In addition, I try to practice on the range at the course If I do not, I have a 20 foot putting surface at home which helps with both my putting stroke and tempo. Having played lots of sports such as travel soccer, ice hockey, swimming, I believe that off-season training in golf is as important as off-season training in any other sport, perhaps even more.

Pro Golfer Camilo Villegas in one of his trademark positions that demonstrates his strength and agility as he lines up his putt. Photo license CCBY

The

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Sports

Ravens Recruits shed light on process Golfer Wilson Day signs with NC State Wilson Day, ‘11, after signing his national letter of intent to play at NC State

Staff Writers

It seems like every other day the headlines are about

another scandal involving the recruitment of college athletes. Thousands of students go through the recruitment process every year and the vast majority of them do it without breaking any rules. Next year, a handful of Ravens will be starting their collegiate athletic careers and a few of them have provided insight into their college recruitment experiences.

Zaytoun Chooses Tar Heels

Reeves Zaytoun, ‘11, after signing his national letter of intent to play at UNC, Chapel Hill.

Other Recruited Ravens

Highly recruited guards

Photos by Susan Washburn and Dr. Watters

Ravenscroft guard Anton Gill ,’13, and junior guard

Senior Wilson Day recently

committed to play golf for North Carolina State University. Day, 3 time State Champion and 5 year member of the Ravenscroft Varsity Boys Golf Team explains that the recruitment process is a long one, surrounded by many rules that you have to carefully follow. Day says that colleges start the process by sending the athletes information through the mail during their freshmen and sophomore years to let them know that they might be interested in them. The scouts actively recruit the athletes and may even offer them scholarships when they are in their sophomore and junior year of high school. Student athletes can unofficially visit universities as often as they choose to do so. Official visits can only occur during the senior year. The major difference in the two is that the school can pay for the transportation, meals, and other needs of the student athlete on an official visit. The unofficial visits are completely paid for by the student athlete. “It was nice to go see all the different places and see what they had to offer academically and athletically. The coaches treat you well and make you feel like you are a celebrity, even though you aren’t,” adds Day. “I visited State and loved it and I decided I would rather stay close to home. My brother is on the team at NC State and he is my best friend so that also had a lot to do with it,” explains Day.

Joell Hopkins & Hayden Gridley

Madison Jones, ‘12, gets ready to drive down the court.

Madison Jones, ‘12, are no stranger to the recruiting process. Both players are being highly recruited by major schools. Gill is currently being recruited by UNC, Virginia Tech, Xavier, Wake Forest, ECU, NC State, UNC-Charlotte, Florida State, and Clemson. Gill says that being recruited while you are underclassmen is extremely difficult because of the lack of contact you can have between a coach or whoever is recruiting you. Jones describes some of the same feelings. Jones, who is Anton Gill, ‘12, shoots a currently being recruited by Miami, Georgetown, Wake Forest, foul shot. Florida State, Drake, NC State, Marshall, Old Dominion, Richmond, and UNC-Charlotte, explained how you have to play in AAU circuit and go teams elite camps to start your recruitment. Jones and Gill explained that coaches can make calls to colleges on your behalf during the dead period.

Hopkins heads south to FSU Ravenscroft

forward Joell Hopkins, ‘11, will be slam dunking at Florida State University next year. Hopkins says he ultimately decided to attend Florida State because of their great academic programs, their basketball facilities and their coaching staff. “The facilities at FSU are new and it’s in the ACC, there’s not a better opportunity than that. I also get to play against Ryan Kelly,” explains Hopkins who didn’t play with Kelly during his senior season. Hopkins found that the college coaches have to follow more rules than the athletes do. “There are certain periods of time when coaches can not have any direct contact with the person they are recruiting and this is called the dead period. There are certain months where coaches are allowed to make phones calls to a recruit, but the big month for basketball is July. July is a live month where coaches are allowed to talk to a recruit and watch them play. July is also the month in which the biggest AAU tournaments are played, teams come from across the country to play in cities like Orlando and Las Vegas.”

Margo flies north to be an BC Eagle C

Taylor Newcomb,’12

aroline Margolis, ‘12, committed to play at Boston College in the fall of 2012. She is one of two junior Ravens that committed early. For her, the recruitment process went by quickly. She narrowed down the schools she was considering to Duke, Stanford, and Boston College by the last week of November and she verbally committed to Boston College the next week. “I thought I had a lot more time than I did, however I am really happy with my decision.” There are rules that both sides must follow surrounding recruitment, some of which have been most recently highlighted in the NCAA investigations of the recruitment of current Auburn University quarterback, Cam Newton, and former University of Southern California running back, Reggie Bush. He accepted cash from agents while he was in college and he was given automobile and parents a house. Margolis found that the most annoying rules were those involving how and when she could contact the coach or vice versa. For instance, college coaches can’t call the athletes until July 1st before their senior year, yet athletes can call the college coaches.

Committed to UNC-G

Nick Ritcher,’11

Recruited by Richmond Ball State

Connor Gonet, ‘11

Recruited by Duke, Richmond

Caroline Lindquist. ‘12 Committed to UNC

Andrew Franz, ‘12 Recruited by ECU

Ravens Take 1st Place in Glaxo Smith Kline Tournament

Front row: Isaac Copeland,’13, Travis White,’12, Anton Gill,’13, Joell Hopkins,’11, Madison Jones,’12, Chad Stanback,’12, and Leonard “Chuck” Langley,’12. Back row: Andrew Franz,’12, Mike Hutter,’12, Quinn Billerman,’12, Marcus Bryan,’13, and Avery Edwards,’14. Photo provided by Kevin Billerman

During winter break, our Boy’s Varsity Basketball Team

participated in a state-wide tournament at Broughton High School. After numerous attempts and second place finishes, Head Coach Kevin Billerman and his Ravens captured their first Glaxo Smith Kline Holiday Tournament Championship. The Ravens defeated Hillside High School, Cary High School, and Middle Creek. The Ravens were led by Marcus Bryan’13, Joell Hopkins’11, Madison Jones’12, and Anton Gill’13. Gill was awarded MVP while Bryan and Jones received All Tournament team honors.