Southern Accent
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015 FEATURES
Answering phones as an art form
ROBERT E. LEE HIGH SCHOOL, TYLER, TX
VOLUME 47, NUMBER 2
VIDEOS THAT
“When people leave my office or my window, I want them to feel valued.” -receptionist Coreen Renshaw
PACK A PUNCH
STORY PAGE 4
SPORTS
Extreme sacrifice leads to Auburn
“I’ve wanted to quit a lot of times, and just have a normal life, but then I remember that God gave me this talent for a reason so I can’t really abuse that.” -sophomore Drew Watson
STORY PAGE 7
FEATURES
Top chef shares his love for food
“My number one goal is that when [the students] leave here that they’ll have some confidence in their ability to go home and cook themselves a meal.” -Culinary Arts Dir. Joseph Gazzetta
STORY PAGE 5
ENTERTAINMENT
The best of 2014
Take a look at some of the best songs and movies the year had to offer.
STORY PAGE 4
inside
2 OPINIONS 4 FEATURES 6 SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT 8
BY VICTORIA SUNDIN STAFF WRITER
The perils of posting fights on social media Fights at school will catch the attention of anyone who sees them, regardless of what they think of them. Amidst the heat of battle, some run away; some call a person of authority; some even try to break it up; and some encircle the action with their cellphones, recording it to show their friends -- or the world. The shrine of Lee fights can be found on Instagram. The page called @relfights has more than 1,400 followers and consists of videos of students fighting and a comment section for its followers. To follow the account, one must promote it on their own account and use the hashtag #RELFights. The account doesn’t mention those who are in the fight, but anyone who follows the account may comment and say whatever they want. “I guess people who follow the account watch the videos to entertain themselves,” senior Carlos Salazar said. “They think that it’s like watching a street performance.” Unlike a street performance, however, watching fights on social media can have negative effects. The Journal of Adolescent Health published a study that found media violence contributes to higher levels of antisocial behavior. It also makes the viewer less sympathetic of the fight, and more empathetic towards the fighters. “I don’t think it’s right to post videos of
people fighting,” senior Rachel Cargile said. “It’s very uncomfortable to watch people fight. It shows [people who watch fights] that it’s cool to fight, and that it is a way to become famous.” Junior Noah Reeves said that he watches videos of fights because they’re funny and exciting. He said that they don’t promote violence and that only ignorant people will watch fights and then go out and do the same. “I think it’s completely fine to post videos of fights,” sophomore JJ VanDeventer said, “because what if the fight or the people fighting went to court? Then you could use the video as evidence.” Principal Gary Brown said that the act of fighting at school itself is a violation, punishable by three days in ISS. But the posting of videos of fights isn’t. Brown said that the only time it starts to bleed into the school’s policy’s procedure is if it transcends into the school day and disrupts it. “There isn’t anything, legally, that I would say is wrong about posting fights,” Brown said, “but I would believe that there is something moral and ethical about posting something about someone without their permission.” A recent Southern Accent survey showed that a majority of students feel students who post videos of fights on social media
should not be punished. Junior Kelli Kissinger agrees. “It’s not very smart to [post fights], but it’s not breaking any laws,” Kissinger said. “I don’t think people will directly watch fights and then go out and do it. It’s like watching UFC.” What do you think?
WHAT THINK Should studentsYOU who record fights on campusstudents and post who them on Should record fightsbe atpunished? school and the internet
Q:
post them on the internet be punished?
NO 58% YES 42%
Q:
What should the punishment for fighting at school be?
3 days ISS.........53% 1 week ISS........25% 1 week Plyler....15% 30 days Plyler.....7% 203 random REL students polled
School store to offer new line of spirit wear beginning Feb. 3 BY VICTORIA SUNDIN STAFF WRITER
students running it.” Barns said that having Life Skill students run the store gives them an opportunity to be trained in The school store will have a grand opening of new spirit wear several aspects of retail. “They’re going to learn things Feb. 3. Shirts and other spirit wear items from previous football like stocking, merchandising, social skills, how to handle games will be for sale as well money,” Barns said, “just lots of as brand new shirts, scarves and skills that they will need for the fleece headbands. future.” The store is already stocked Barns also said that selling and with free school supplies donated from Walmart, and every student buying spirit wear will promote school spirit. She said that with is able to acquire one free item the store’s location and windows, per week, first come, first serve. the new shirts will easily be on The shirts, however, will not be display to show them off and free, but still reasonably priced. to let students know where the “We had a lot of extra space, school store is. so [the PTA] decided to fill it “The more the kids wear spirit by adding school spirit wear,” wear, the more they identify with administrative assistant Lori the school,” Barns said, “and the Barns said. “Now that we’re not more that the community sees selling spirit wear at football them out in Tyler and identifies games, we can now start selling them as a Red Raider.” it at school, with the Life Skills
WWW.RELSOUTHERNACCENT.COM
Lori Barns/SOUTHERN ACCENT In the Spirit Junior Keaton Cunningham models one of the new t-shirts in the school store that is set to go on sale Feb. 3.
411 ESE Loop 323, Tyler, TX 75701