Redhawk Times January 2015 by Redhawk Times

REDHAWK TIMES

RT Dec. 2014/Jan. 2015 Vol. III, No. 2

WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL Blythewood, South Carolina

Nothing is in Miss Westwood’s way

e Sadie Hawkins e Winter Ball Did you know?

Sadie Hawkins Day is a pseudo-holiday that originated in Al Capp’s classic hillbilly comic strip, Li’l Abner. This inspired real-world Sadie Hawkins dances, where girls ask boys out.

January 15 Westwood Cafe 8-11pm Semi-Formal

Who are you going to ask?

by Brianna Brooks, staff writer

“For the first time in forever, nothing’s in my way!” You could practically hear each of the contestants minds’ screaming as they crowned the winners of the Miss Westwood 2014 Frozen Pageant. Senior Baili Byrd won the overall title of Miss Westwood. Alandria Hayes won Miss Senior with Zakiya Harris earning runner-up. Senior Ekklesia Hawkins was crowned Miss Congeniality, and senior Alyssa Castelluccio won Miss Talent. Junior Sarah Lee Jenkins took Miss Underclassmen with junior Kristen Lincoln as runner-up. Junior Samarya Jenkins won Miss Publicity, a new title for this pageant. The opening number of “Do you wanna build a snowman?” had the audience falling in love with these talented young ladies. Byrd said, “The funniest part had to be practicing the opening dance number. I can’t dance at all, so we all had fun laughing at my attempts.” Lincoln said, “I would like more time to actually prepare for the pageant; I felt like everything was due and happening so fast.” “What I want to keep around for the contestants in the future is for them to keep their confidence up for doing this pageant and exploring their horizons, and learning from their experiences,” said Haynes. The girls seemed to enjoy being in the pageant. “I want the public to not be afraid to put yourself out there,” Haynes said. “This pageant is a confidence booster. It’s not about the most expensive dress or the most glamorous shoes; it’s about your confidence and courage going up there and having fun.”

Wishes of Westwood brings hope, help for the holidays Wishes of Westwood, aka The Elf Days of Giving, started off with a bang at Westwood Night at Chipolte. Raising over $1,600, Student Government used the proceeds to help fund the party for the 74 foster kids the Westwood family adopted this year. The Redhawk spirit of giving included: eCanned goods -sponsored by FCA eNewspapers/blankets for the local animal hospital sponsored by National Honor Society e Clothes for Tricia’s Trunk - sponsored by Redhawk Helping Hands e Toys for Richland Memorial Hospital - HOSA e Gently used shoes - Leo Club

After a week of holiday giving, the assembly on Dec. 12 had everyone in the mood for winter break.

Pictured: Miss Senior Alandria Haynes, Miss Senior runner-up Zakiya Harris, Miss Westwood Baili Byrd, Miss Talent Alyssa Castelluccio and Miss Congeniality Ekklesia Hawkins.

Activists responding to police killings see potential for new civil rights era by Tina susman, Los Angeles Times

NEW YORK _ The chants are angry, but simple: “I can’t breathe!” “Hands up, don’t shoot!” “Black lives matter!” They have echoed from the American heartland to the coasts in the wake of two recent grand jury decisions that cleared white policemen in the deaths of unarmed black men. Now, activists are counting on the rage behind those words to spur a movement that would force the country to confront the interlocked issues of race and policing and press the government to automatically take control of cases of alleged police abuse. “They’re asking for something simple. They want to be treated the same,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said of protesters Thursday as he sought to calm a city where many were seething over a grand jury’s decision not to indict Daniel Pantaleo, a white officer, in the death of Eric Garner. Largely peaceful demonstrations broke out in New York soon after Wednesday’s announcement of the Staten Island grand jury’s decision. Protesters blocked major roads and gathered at landmark sites, including Times Square and Grand Central Terminal. Police made 83 arrests, mainly for minor offenses. “It was a murder on video and there was no justice,” said Mickey Thomas, a 21-year-old Hunter College student. “I definitely think we’ve had enough. I feel like there is a new civil rights movement.” Last week, violence, arson and looting erupted in Ferguson, Mo., after a grand jury declined to indict Darren Wilson, a white policeman, in the shooting death of

Michael Brown. Marches have been almost daily occurrences there since Brown’s shooting in August. At a Thursday news conference, black leaders, including Al Sharpton of the National Action Network and Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, sought to draw protesters from around the country to Washington for a Dec. 13 event aimed at pressing for federal intervention in excessive-force cases. “Marches and boycotts led to the ‘64 Civil Rights Act,” Sharpton noted. He said that just as federal legislation led to change 50 years ago, similar action is needed now to ensure that prosecutors no longer handle cases involving their own police. “That’s what (Dec.) 13th is all about,” Sharpton said. Holder has launched federal inquiries into several police departments in recent years, and many have led the Justice Department to mandate reforms. But those investigations often follow years of abuse claims, and they are never guaranteed to take place. The demand made Thursday was to automatically put in federal hands cases in which law enforcement officials face possible criminal charges arising from civilian deaths or injuries. The visceral impact of Garner’s death, which was captured on video, and the recent death of Tamir Rice, a black 12-yearold shot dead by Cleveland police in an incident also caught on video, could help galvanize protesters, experts said. continued on page 3

RT VOICES

What’s the Scoop on Scandal?

by Ashli White, staff writer

The fourth season of the hit series Scandal kicked off on Sept. 25. The show definitely received some competition when How to Get Away with Murder started, which is a show also created by Shonda Rhimes. I think that the season started off a bit slow, but definitely ended with a bang. We lost Harrison (his disappearance and death haven’t been very detailed, but we know that Papa Pope had something to do with it). We saw Tom forced into a false confession about the killer of Fitz’s son Jerry, and then we saw Olivia manipulate Tom into spilling the real confession. So far this season, Olivia is still stuck between Fitz and Jake and can’t seem to make up her mind. She looks like she’s leaning more towards Jake, but in the midseason finale she stated that she wants to be in Vermont with Fitz as well as standing in the sun with Jake. And can we believe that Olivia was willing to kill Papa Pope? She pulled the trigger in her own dining room only to find that the gun was empty. To me, this had to be the biggest betrayal of the season. Let’s not forget about Cyrus, who has been absolutely wild. With the death of James, he hasn’t had a companion, so he turned to other resources. Unfortunately, he was exposed by the female head of the Republican Party and was the laughing stock of the media. The saddest scene was when Cyrus turned in his letter of resignation to Fitz, but it ended up being better when Olivia was able to turn the situation around for the better (like always). Last but certainly not least, WHERE IS OLIVIA?!?! She went missing in the last five seconds of the show, which ended up being a really good cliffhanger. The countdown until January 29, 2015 is on Gladiators! #WheresOlivia

Wait...Do I have Ebola? Probably not. by Brianna Brooks, staff writer

Ebola: an infectious and generally fatal disease marked by fever and severe internal bleeding, spread through contact with infected body fluids by a filovirus (the Ebola virus), whose normal host species is unknown. Also known as NOT the reason you should raid your nearest hospital or Sam’s Club. This is not the Zombie Apocalypse, but rather one of the most feared diseases in the world right now. Why the panic when only nine people have been diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. and eight have recovered? The one fatality was the first Ebola patient to ever enter the U.S. We’re not really in much danger, especially compared to other countries. Africa is the hardest hit continent. As of December, Liberia has almost 7,000 open cases, and Sierra Leone has over 5,000 cases with a nearly 90 percent fatality rate. Not to downsize the severity of this disease, but last year alone, we had over 108 pediatric deaths of seasonal influenza, aka the flu. Why are people freaking out over a non-airborne disease rather than protecting themselves with a flu shot every year so they don’t become one of the many lives that the influenza takes? Maybe it’s because of the media or a political agenda. Although the more likely reason would be because this disease is new and relatively unknown to people here in the U.S. The main thing you should know about Ebola is it has yet to become airborne. This means it has to be transferred by fluids from an infected person either by touch or through consumption. So, unless you have recently been in contact with an Ebola patient’s feces or vomit, the likelihood of getting Ebola is slim to none.

UNC’s fake class scandal unethical

The revealing of an ongoing academic scandal at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill has caused many to question the integrity of the school. It has also created a national discussion of how colleges should treat their athletes. For the past 18 years, more than 3,100 students took “paper classes”, the majority of which took place in the African-American Studies department. The classes rarely met, were not supervised by a faculty member, and only required the submission of a single research paper. Four employees have been fired and five more have been disciplined due to their roles in the scandal. One former employee has also had their honorary status removed. While unethical, there is nothing criminal about the actions of those involved according to Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall, although the report, which has been shared with the NCAA, could result in several implications for the university, including the revoking of several national championship titles. By comparison, a 2009 academic scandal at Florida State involved sixty-one athletes, a far cry from the number of those involved at UNC.

Marching Band at State

This year, marching band has made it to state and placed 15th, an improvement from last year’s 19th place. Sophomore James Salmond said, “I knew where we were going to place rank wise, and I knew that some of the other bands, some of the best bands in state.” He believes that next year will be even better for the band. “Basically, every time we make state, we try to get a higher ranking than we did the year before. So next year, we will hopefully crack the top ten.” “Our performance at state wasn’t our strongest, nor was it our weakest. A lot of improvement could have been made,” said senior Joel Celestaine. “I honestly wasn’t so much intimidated as I really wanted to see the other bands that were performing. I was enthusiastic to see what their shows were to be, and how they were put together” As to the future of the marching band? Celestaine said, “Despite making it to state, it depends more on the work ethic of the staff and students alongside the enthusiasm. Also, the coming generation of band students will require a lot more hype to have any kind of determination.”

Drama writes, performs Strange Warfare

Set 100 years ago, Strange Warfare is based on the events of the Christmas Truce of WWI. This project-based learning production written and performed by drama students also featured the chorus and string quintet. With music written by composer Peter Dutilly, the production was funded in part by the STEAM grant, Distinguished Arts Program Grant and the State Department of Education. Drama teacher Anne Richardson said, “I am proud of the work of the singers, musicians, and actors who have been working on this production since the beginning of school in August! This has been a great opportunity for our students to work with so many professional artists in preparation for this show.”

Student Government wins again

In October, six of Westwood’s Student Senators went to Atlanta to attend the 80th annual meeting of the Southern Association of Student Councils, which encompasses schools from fi fteen Southern states. At the conference, Westwood placed second in four different categories, winning more awards than any other school in attendance. These awards include: Community Service in Fundraising for the Hunger Games activity, Community Service Outreach for the Senior Citizens’ Prom, Environmental Awareness for Litter-Free football games and Membership Motivation and Development. The next conference that Student Senators will attend is the South Carolina Association of Student Councils conference, held next semester. Be on the look out for more from your award-winning student council! To check these awards out (and many more), stop by the Student Activities room. 2014-2015

REDHAWK TIMES STAFF

STAFF: Brianna Brooks, Baili Byrd, Channing Cross, Nathaniel Cruz, Ryann Felder, Alandria Haynes, Monique Holland, Katie McCarthy, Abigayle Mabey, Maysia Miles, Anisah Reed, Angel Salley, Jordyn Seibles, Mya Singleton, Ashli White, Carmen White, Rebekah Williams, Arianna Wilson, Delaney Woodham PHOTOGRAPHERS: Ilayzia Brown, Aaliyah Sabree, Lynn Washington

FACULTY ADVISOR: Mary Brebner Editorial Policy The purpose of the Redhawk Times is to inform the students, faculty and community of Westwood High School of events and issues which affect them. The paper also serves as a communication link between the students of WHS and the community at large. Editorials reflect the opinions of the staff and/or individual journalists and do not necessarily represent the views of the faculty or administration. The Redhawk Times welcomes submissions, which may be edited for grammar, inappropriate language and length. Please email submissions to mbrebner@richland2.org. Subscriptions are also available. For more information, please contact Ms. Brebner or a member of the staff. To send a letter to the editor: RedhawkTimesWHS@gmail.com To advertise: mbrebner@richland2.org or 803.691.4049 x36072

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RT NEWS

Around the ‘Wood

Connie Rice, a civil rights attorney and founder of the Advancement Project in Los Angeles, said that if the mainly young marchers taking part in current protests harness those demonstrations into political action, “we’ll see a response that’s more than lip service.” “It’s a continuation of a very old civil rights era,” Rice said of the latest cries for change. “It’s not going to look like it did, but that doesn’t mean it’s new.” The New York Police Department said Thursday it was moving forward with an internal review of offi cer Pantaleo’s actions on the day Garner died. Pantaleo and the police offi cers union have denied that he used a banned chokehold on Garner, who died as police tried to arrest him on allegations of selling illegal cigarettes. Pantaleo will face an administrative trial, which could bring a range of punishments, including his termination from the NYPD, said Lt. Col. John Grimpel, a department spokesman. (c)2014 Los Angeles Times

Obama: ‘Protect net neutrality’ on the Internet By Vera Bergengruen, McClatchy Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON _ President Barack Obama on Monday dove head-fi rst into the heated net neutrality debate, urging the Federal Communications Commission to adopt “the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality” by aggressively regulating Internet service providers like Verizon, Comcast and AT&T. “We cannot allow Internet service providers to restrict the best access or to pick winners and losers in the online marketplace for services and ideas,” Obama said in a video posted on the White House website. Obama called for an “explicit ban” on paid prioritization, which would allow the deep pockets of large services such as Google, Skype or Netfl ix to pay for better, faster streaming for its users. It’s a lucrative deal for the big Internet companies, but one that opponents say discriminates against smaller and newer services that would never get off the ground. “No service should be stuck in a ‘slow lane’ because it does not pay a fee,” Obama said in the statement. “That kind of gate-keeping would undermine the level playing fi eld essential to the Internet’s growth.” His outline of “common-sense” steps for service providers to keep the Internet fair and open includes no blocking of legal content by service providers and “no throttling,” saying companies should not “intentionally slow down some content or speed up others.” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s original net neutrality proposal allows Internet service providers to engage in “commercially reasonable” deals, including some of the paid prioritization criticized by Obama. The president’s statement comes amid intense debate among Internet service providers, technology companies and lawmakers as the FCC tries to draft new net neutrality laws that will stand on solid legal footing. They are replacing the rules that were struck down by a federal appeals court in January, on the grounds that the FCC does not have the authority to regulate Internet companies the same way it does telephone carriers. The president’s statement was applauded by online advocacy groups and quickly denounced by Internet service giants and their supporters, who argue that the FCC lacks the authority to get involved in their business. If the FCC heeds the White House’s statement by enacting “onerous government regulation,” it would be a “mistake that will do tremendous harm to the Internet and U.S. national interests,” AT&T said in a statement. The president emphasized that the fi nal decision is up to the FCC, an independent agency. Wheeler has said he wants to vote on new net neutrality by the end of the year, but with the White House and others weighing in and pressure from all sides as the agency tries to craft a complicated hybrid proposal, that looks increasingly unlikely. (c)2014 McClatchy Washington Bureau

Redhawk

That Awkward Moment When...

By Abi Mabey, Staff Writer

8 Times We’ve All Been Caught Slippin’ By Ryann Felder, Staff Writer

The more you know...

Photo Credit: Aaliyah Sabree

1. You can’t remember if you have any homework or if you forgotten all of it. Oops. Maybe should have written that down somewhere. 2. You’re walking in a crowded hall, and someone calls your name but you have no idea who or where they are. You try to play it off and just shout, “Hey!” and keep going. 3. You’re taking a math test, and everybody is using a ruler and you have no idea why. Did they learn something while you were napping? 4. You’re taking notes in class, and the teacher starts erasing the notes so you have to yell out “Wait!” to get her to stop. 5. You’re playing with your pen or pencil, and it flies out of your hand and lands on the other side of the classroom. Hopefully, it doesn’t poke someone’s eye out. 6. Your teacher makes a joke, and the whole class falls silent for a minute. Good effort but...no. You talkin’ to me? 7. You get a test, and you don’t know anything except your name and the date. Hopefully, the teacher will be generous and give you points for that. 8. Somebody from your class sees you outside of school, says hi and you have no idea who they are. (Even worse when it’s a teacher.)

New emojis let you tell it like it is

Broken-hearted? Feeling blue? Need to fully express your emotional state? This year, 250 new emojis were unveiled. One thing missing? People emojis with different skin tones. Only two emojis represented people of color. Nearly 5,000 people signed a petition, and Apple said it’s working on a solution.

RT FEATURES

When you just wanna chill... Top 10 (Worst) Reasons You Forgot Your Homework

1. I didn’t do it because I didn’t want to add to my teacher’s already-heavy workload. 2. We ran out of toilet paper at my house last night. 3. I have a solar-powered calculator, and it was cloudy. 4. I was up late taking care of my sick gerbil that my grandmother gave me as a present. The only thing that could relieve Gerbil Bob’s pain was a soft bed of notebook paper and the only piece of paper in the house was my homework. Gerbil Bob thanks you. He’s doing much better now. 5. I got soap in my eyes and was blind until just now. 6. It spontaneously combusted and vaporized. 7. The dog ate it. (A classic!) 8. I had a cold over the weekend and sneezed all over my papers while I was doing my homework. I didn’t want you to get sick, so I didn’t finish it. 9. The AC in our car went out, and the wind blew it away while we drove with the windows down. 10. My little sister wanted to prove she could shoot an arrow as well as Katniss Everdeen and decided to use my homework as the target.

6 Classic Tweets (and ReTweets) of 2014 By Ashli White, Staff Writer

Throwin’ shade at the school down the street.

Kitteh knows when he’s done good.

*headdesk*

‘Cause you’ve gotta have the hot swag.

This classy guy trying to avoid being caught.

Mr. Young would have a fit if this happened.

Rodney Summers

The State Coach of the Year At the State Football Coaches Association Awards Banquet on Dec. 4, Head Varsity football coach Rodney Summers was named the State Coach of the Year. He was also named the 4A Upper State Coach of the Year. “It’s an honor to be chosen as The State Coach of the Year. We could not have been successful without the assistant coaches’ and players’ hard work and dedication these past three years. We look forward to next year in hopes we can improve and build a championship program,” said Summers. Just three seasons ago, Summers started a 3A team from scratch, working with his players and assistant coaches on the field and in the weight room. This year, his team ended the regular season with a 10-1 record and made it to the second round of the playoffs to finish the season 11-2. Defensive end Bradley Carter, senior, said, “Coach Summers is a great leader, mentor and coach to us. He motivates us to do better on and off the field each and every day. Coach Sunmers has made my whole high school football experience that much better. We (his players) practice and work hard during the week and on Fridays because he has instilled in us that you can achieve anything through a good work ethic. He deserves every award he receives.” Athletic Director Jason Powell said, “We’re very proud of Coach Summers. He’s done a tremendous job leading our team, and we know there are even better things to come.” “Congratulations, Coach Summers! I don’t know anyone who deserves this honor more! Your committment and dedication to hard work is evident by the way your team performed this season,” said Terry Dozier, head boys basketball coach. “The future is bright for the Redhawk Football program because of your leadership and committment to excellence. Again, congratulations, and I hope to accomplish similar feats as you during my coaching tenure here at Westwood.” “Thank you all again for your support of Westwood Football,” said Summers.

Football teams bring the pain, break records

Redhawk Football undefeated against Richland Two teams on every level

Varsity: 11-2

JV: 10-0

B Team: 7-3

by Maysia Miles, Journalism I

Contributing writers: Mya Singleton & Channing Cross, Journalism I

The football team had a strong season, ending the regular season with the record of 10-1 and earning a spot in the state playoffs. The first round was held Nov. 14 against Colleton County, winning it handily 34-10. After the win, they accelerated to round two. Unfortunately, they were knocked out of the playoffs with a shut-out to Greenwood 16-0. “I feel we have had a great season to make it this far. We have opened up a lot of people’s eyes that we have a very good team, and every day we try to get better and better,” said wide receiver Montre Miller, freshman. Despite the winning season, the players stayed humble. Safety Tyler Gallman, senior, said, “Throughout the season our coaches have also kept us humble after every win, reminding us that just because we won last week, doesn’t mean we’ll win the next.” Quarterback Nick Leveretter, senior, said, “I honestly hope that the next team will be able to keep the winning tradition alive and surpass our 10-1 mark and go 15-0.” He added, “We have a lot of outstanding players this year that will return next year.” Miller feels that since day one, the team has worked hard, leading them to where they are. Miller encourages any athletes who wish to play next year to work hard during the offseason as far as lifting, conditioning, and perfecting their craft.

Running back Andrew Plante, junior, as a team and to achieve a common goal. When takes the lead when conditioning. Some of the it comes to developing a trust with teachers, parguys go home with Plante to work out after prac- ents and players, he has an open-door policy. tice while during practice, they use individual JV player Shane Harkness, junior, is drills for specific positions. proud of his team’s sweep of the season (10-0), Conditioning was one of the most chal- but he has big plans for the future. “I want to go lenging parts of the season, according to the all the way and become State Champs,” he said. players. Nose guard Deundhray Steele, junior, Moving up to 4A provided all the teams said, “I think we condition more than any other with tougher competition. “We moved up to 4A, schools do.” so we had better competition,” said B-Team “Some days you wake up and tell your- coach Gary Waller. self, ‘I can’t do this anymore’ but somehow, I found myself out of bed every day and coming,” said Gallman. Va r s i t y football coach Rodney Summers pushes his team for the best, especially in things such as fundamentals. He believes that football is a chance for individuals to Varsity running back Andrew Plante works his magic, dancing his way through Irmo’s defense. Photo Credit: compete together Lifetouch

RT SPORTS

XC team gains runners, wins Ereck Lewis heads to state Shrine Bowl by Anisah Reed, staff writer

Contributing Writers: Jordyn Seibles & Angel Salley, Journalism I

After moving from 3A to the 4A division, cross country had a strong season with both the boys and first-year girls team seeing success. “This year was a lot better, we gained more experience,” said second-year competitor Marcus McNear. This year, his personal record for the 5k was 18 minutes, 10 seconds, and he hopes to continue running after high school. Junior runner Blake Risher ran a personal record of 17 minutes, 10 seconds to beat McNear. Sophomore Mason East and seniors DeAngelo Shannon and Ereck Lewis had good showings at the State XC Championships Nov. 8. Athletic Director Jason Powell said, “They represented Westwood really well...and had a great season.” Lewis was also selected to the State XC Shrine Bowl Team. The 2014 Shrine Bowl Run team was announced following races at the South Carolina High School League Championships. The run, which starts at the Shriners Hospital in Greenville and finishes at Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, takes place on Dec. 20. The Shriners use the run to raise funds for the hospital. Runners are chosen based on their times at the state meet. The exception is a senior is chosen if he or she wins an individual state title. “The Lady Redhawks gave it 110 percent and we are very proud of our first season together,” said Coach Kimberly Taylor. “The season was exactly as it should be.” She added, “The commitment from the girls paid off as most of their times qualify them for Westwood’s Girls XC Top 10.” Sophomore Mason East said, “This season was alright. Practice was always fun, and we had plenty of meets to go to.” As far as improving, Taylor said, “I’m not sure there is an athlete or coach out there, regardless of the sport, that doesn’t think, in hindsight, that more could’ve been done.” She plans to improve and continue to build the team based on strong runners and establish a strong foundation through spring sports and summer conditioning.

Ladies tennis finishes strong Record eight wins takes them into playoffs by Nathaniel Cruz, Carmen White & Arianna Wilson, Journalism I

The girls tennis team finished their season with eight wins and qualified for the State 4A playoffs, breaking their previous records. “I’m really proud of our team,” said senior player Taylor Bronson. “We have drastically changed for the better and because of those changes, we made it to the playoffs, and I’m just thankful for the opportunity.” Tennis helps to improve personal skill sets and build athleticism, as proven by the girls tennis team. “(We) started out losing a lot, but got better and gained more skills as the season went on.” Junior Anna Bramlette said. “The hardest thing about playing tennis is developing your skill and trying to get a consistent swing to be able to keep the ball in bounds on the court.” “To prepare for these opponents, the girls get as much practice time as they can,” said tennis coach Ramona Gonzalez. “Players gained skills by the end of the season.” In tennis, players practice against higher-ranked opponents to help build their skills. They worked on building upper body strength and keeping the ball in play. “The hardest thing about playing tennis is consistency because you may be able to hit well but if you are not consistent, then you won’t win a majority of the points,” said Bronson. The team also proved that tennis can be an enjoyable sport that builds integrity and sportsmanship. In the high school league, the players must referee their own games, which gives them a taste of honesty. Gonzalez said, “The players were very good at making calls and playing with integrity.” But honesty and integrity is hard to obtain without compromise. Junior Rebekah Holliman said that there weren’t any major arguments, but “tension arose if the call is questionable.” Gonzales said she was proud of her girls for making it to the playoffs and improving their record from last year. She looks forward to implementing more play time, lessons and camps to prepare for the next season. “In the end, I think we had a great season, and we are looking forward to going farther next season.” Holliman added, “We had a good time.”

The girls basketball team volunteered their time to serve as course monitors for the 24th Annual Palmetto Health Foundation’s Walk for Life and Race for Life. As course monitors, they were stationed along the 5K and 10K courses and cheered runners and walkers on to make sure they made the right turn to stay on the course and made sure that cars did not cross the runners’ path.

Girls Basketball: Bigger team, bigger goals by Delaney Woodham, Journalism I

Gregory Bauldrick, girls varsity and JV basketball coach, hopes that a steady training plan and a bigger team will provoke the girls to get more wins this basketball season. This year, the girls want to up their game and leadership factor. The girls have been off-season training, following through with different conditioning like shuttle drills and sidelines, and they hope to have a mind set of just winning the next game. Senior varsity player Mikeya Matthews said, “I need to push myself more.” Even though the girls have a strong sense of family, Bauldrick said he hopes the girls “bring aspects of family attributes into play.” More girls tried out and, this year, there are 12 girls on varsity and 10 on JV. With a bigger team, the girls have more to accomplish and, as a 4A team, face harder opponents.

Volleyball wraps challenging season Record eight wins takes them into playoffs by Monique Holland, staff writer

The volleyball team wrapped up a 5-5 season with a loss at T.L. Hanna. The Lady Redhawks fought the Yellow Jackets all the way before surrendering with an unfortunate loss. Senior Jordan Jones said, “The most challenging game this year was away against Dutch Fork. The refs were terrible, a couple of our players were out for either college visits or injury and in the last set, one of our girls got hurt. All of those things put us in situations that we had never practiced before and there was a lot of chaos. In the end, we still pulled out the win, which just shows how we are good at adapting in bad situations.” Ajia Long, senior, said, “My most challenging game this season was every one of our games my junior and senior year because I tore both my ACLs, and I didn’t get to play any. But thankfully, I got to play a little my senior night and that was the highlight of the season.” “Whenever our team experienced a loss, it motivated me to become better than how I was and to learn from each mistake of my contributions that made us lose,” said senior Kelsey Keesee. “However, I think overall, the season went pretty well. We all believe that we could’ve had better results with all of our games, but we had our moments where we truly showed heart. If we were to talk and play as a team more often, then I’m more than sure that we JV player Jasmine Brown, freshman, sets would’ve had better turnouts.” up the ball for a wicked serve. TaMia Williams said, “I think our relationship on the court was the same. We would start off getting along great, but then after a couple mistakes or after we get down by a couple of points we got down on ourselves and our chemistry wasn’t strong at all.” Williams added, “In the last three years, I believe that the chemistry between us off of the court grew tremendously. We got a long a lot better this season.” With the season ending, it won’t stop Jones, who is committed to Morehead State University in Kentucky, and senior Jamila Minor, who is committed to the University of Nevada, from continuing their passion for volleyball.

Mission: To advance freedom through knowledge and strategic action.

Human trafficking needs to be talked about more. -Uriaha Smith, Junior

Volunteers. Activists. Champions. Westwood students are known by many names, but these days, they’re proud to also be called another: Modern-Day Abolitionists, a title they earned as the first school to launch the Globalize 13 initiative with the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI). Globalize 13 and FDFI service-learning projects work to promote awareness that slavery still exists in the modern world and present lessons about the realities of child and forced labor that exists all over the world. After months of studying slavery in a variety of contents and cultures, on Friday, Nov. 17, students shared their learning and promoted awareness of modern day slavery through a variety of projects and presentations during an assembly and walk-through event in the Learning Commons. Kenneth B. Morris Jr., the great-great-great grandson of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and the great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington, attended the event and spoke with students and audience members about the undertaking. He urged students to become a voice for the voiceless. According to Morris, he learned a lot from the students, as well. Headed by English teacher Stacey Plotner, the initiative began when, after reading “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, Plotner discovered FDFI online and contacted Morris. After a skype session with Morris and FDFI vice president Robert Benz, the students wanted to do more. “Afterward, the students were really inspired and they didn’t want to stop with their paper and presentation; they wanted to start a campaign,” Plotner said in a interview with The State newspaper on Nov. 30. “We started an anti-human trafficking campaign at school.” The project evolved from there as students created public service announcements and documentaries and conducted interviews and more Skype sessions with other organizations involved in the fight. They then shared these projects during the Globalize 13 event, which was broadcast live on Redhawktv.org.

The world needs to give out more helping hands and try to make it a better place. -Dasha Miller, Junior Photo Credit: Ilayzia Brown and Aaliyah Sabree, photojournalism

Modern-day abolitionists: Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives President Kenneth B. Morris, Principal Ralph Schmidt, Project Leader Stacey Plotner and FDFI Vice President Robert Benz.