Nhs35406april by Susan Newell

northridgereporter.wordpress.com Northridge High School • 2901 Northridge Road • Tuscaloosa, Al• 35406

April 23, 2013 • Volume 10 • Issue 7

JEOPARDY

DOUBLE

ACT and prom scheduled on same day Rabisa Khan Copy Editor

Testing by day, dancing by night. Students taking the ACT and attending prom found themselves with a busy schedule when the two events were placed on the same day. Julia Hocutt, junior, said she did not think having the prom and the ACT on the same day would be a problem. “I don’t think they’ll interfere that much because the ACT is in the morning and prom is at night,” she said. Hocutt said prom has interfered with her preparations for the ACT. “This week I haven’t been able to study as much as I’d like to because of prom,” she said. Hocutt said as long as she gets a “good night sleep and a nutritious breakfast” for the ACT, she should be good. “I won’t focus on prom until it’s actually happening,” Hocutt said. “The ACT is my number

one focus because in the long run it matters the most.” Kearston Wells, senior, said she has been able to “prioritize and organize everything outside and inside of school.” “I made a schedule around the ACT, so I can make sure I can get everything done on time,” Wells said. She said the ACT is more important. “I have taken it a few times, and I know what is on there and what I need to do to raise my score,” Wells said. Marianne Martin, junior, said she is also not worried about balancing prom and ACT. “I don’t take that long to get ready anyways, and I’ll be done with the ACT by about noon,” she said. Martin said she does not need a lot of time to get ready because she is not “getting her hair or nails done.” “I don’t think it’s necessary because I want to look recognizable,” she said. “I don’t want

to look completely fake.” Martin said she wishes the prom and the ACT were not on the same day because she is going to be “really exhausted by the end of the day.” “I never have enough sleep, but I’ll try to get as much sleep as possible because it’s going to be a busy day,” Martin said. She said she will be able to focus on the ACT because “honestly, it is more important.” “Prom may suffer but not my ACT,” Martin said. After taking the ACT, Wells said balancing the two was not bad at all. “Taking the ACT on the day of prom was actually not as difficult as I had heard,” Wells said. “It was just another thing on my to-do list.” Hocutt said she also thought it was pretty easy to handle both events in one day. “It felt like waking up for another school day,” Hocutt said. “But, I will say by the time prom was over, I was exhausted.”

AP Diploma graduates with current seniors

college and give me AP credit,” he said. “I need AP Chemistry the most because Pharmacy is a strongly chemistry-dependent field.” He said whether or not he will waive college courses with AP credit is When faced with a “regular” or “AP” diploma, students often choose dependent on his exam scores and the benefits of taking the class again. Elizabeth Tiley, counselor, said the decision to eliminate the diploma the option that carries more weight –literally– simply because it “looks” better. However, many students and counselors agree was left to the state officials. “I would imagine a lot of thought behind the elimination of the AP that funneling students into an overload of AP classes for the sake of a diploma with an asterisk is not neces- diploma is [that] taking an AP class in each subject is not beneficial, necessarily.” sarily a good idea. Jackie Hudgins, counselor, said that Some people felt it wasn’t in the “One of the major negatives was that some people felt it wasn’t in the students’ best interests to [require classes unreas far as students’ opportunities are concerned, the lack of an AP diploma does students’ best interest to [require] lated to] what they wanted to do in the future,” Tiley said. classes unrelated to] what they Julie Potts, junior and self-proclaimed overachiever, not change anything. said she is undecided on her major, but chooses to take “Basically, [we] are moving with a man- wanted to do in the future. AP classes because of the intensity. date from the State Department of Educa“First of all, you get college hours for taking AP tion towards a singular diploma,” she said, Elizabeth Tiley, counselor classes in high school, so it saves you money. I like to “but it’s not going to change the classes we take a few challenging classes to keep me from getting offer and students can take as many AP courses as they want.” Hudgins said that she disagrees with students taking Advanced Place- bored of material that I already know,” she said. Potts said she would take AP classes even if she “wasn’t going to get ment classes merely for the sake of AP endorsement. “The main purpose of taking an AP class is the intention of earning an AP diploma.” Boping Kang, a junior in AP Chemistry, said she believes students college credit, not just an AP diploma,” she said. Michael Gamble, a junior intent on entering pharmacy school, said should be offered an alternative diploma option. “Students should be rewarded with AP diplomas because they work even though taking five AP classes his senior year will “[make] next year hard in their classes, and it motivates them to take more AP classes,” more difficult,” it will “make college easier.” “I am planning to take AP classes because they will help me out in she said. Kelly Caroline Burnham Sports Editor

In the news

School dismisses early for severe weather Alex Hauser Editor-in-Chief

Students learned they would be dismissed from school because of severe weather on April 11 during the morning announcements. School was dismissed at 11:00 a.m., so students could eat lunch, which would qualify the day as a full day of school, thus keeping April 26 a weather day. Kris Strickland, science teacher, said that buses are not allowed to travel with any weather warning. “We’re getting dismissed at a time for buses to run their routes before the severe weather warnings start,” he said. LeAmbreya Long, sophomore, said she had mixed feelings about getting out of school. “I’m glad because we’re getting out early, but then again, it means that there’s something serious, and it’s tornado season, so I’m a little nervous,” she said. Kim VanHorn, senior, said she was glad she was getting out of school because everyone can go home and prepare before the storm comes. “It’s good that they are letting the people that drive leave early because some students like to rush, and that could cause accidents,” she said. “Plus, it gives me time to go home and get ready for prom [tomorrow].” Nicoletta Versace, sophomore, said she liked the weather day. “Better safe than sorry,” she said.

Counselors sit down with students to discuss registering for classes Alex Hauser lored to their interests and strengths.” too much time. Editor-in-Chief

he normal registration process has been modified for next year. Each student is scheduled to have a personalized session with their counselor to discuss classes they need to take. Elizabeth Tiley, counselor, said there were “so many” benefits to meeting with students individually. “Central Office Administration encouraged all middle and high schools to meet with students individually to have a more personalized registration system,” she said. “Students receive more attention and classes can be tai-

Rebecca Perkins, junior, said she understands the purpose of the sessions, but is afraid she will not be allowed to take the classes she wants. “It seems like if a class isn’t suggested, but you want to take it anyway, you’ll have to fight it. [It’s the] same if they try to get you to take something you don’t want to,” she said. Tiley said current course placement and grades are considered as well as class prerequisites and assessment scores. Career interests are also used to help determine the appropriate placement. Perkins said she thinks that the sessions are taking up

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“I want to take the classes I want, so I don’t see why we need these meetings that are so time-consuming when just writing them down myself would take five minutes, likewise for everyone else,” she said. Tiley said that questions and misconceptions could be addressed with individual sessions. They also give the counselors more insight to each student. “Everyone has been very positive, and I have been able to get to know all of them [students] a little better. I met a few students for the very first time, and I’ve been able to discover interests and understand personalities a little more,” she said.

Honk! Page 3 Soccer Page 7

2 Opinion

The Northridge Reporter April 23, 2013

Our Thoughts

Wi-Fi access essential to classrooms

See story on the Wi-Fi on Page 6

agree (18) disagree (0)

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Art by KanJalla Dancer

Student finds hope within tragedy Katie Poore Staff Writer

his has been a trying year, with more senseless killings than I care to remember and innocent lives destroyed. Most recently, the e bombings at the Boston Marathon shook the nation. Three people were killed, 170 were injured, and thousands more were left in a state of shock and grief*. A sense of horror, a nightmarish haze of despair, seemed to settle over citizens of the country as a single question resonated within their minds: again? Yes. It has happened again. Another tragedy has taken place in the U.S. Another community has been slammed with the anguish that comes from lives being cut short, of sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers being taken away far too early. Boston can now join Newtown, Connecticut and Aurora, Colorado in healing from these awful tragedies. And they will heal. It is human nature to recover from these unthinkable events, human nature to be able to rebuild a life when at first it may not have seemed possible and to face these seemingly insurmountable calamities and, eventually, triumph. Yet, scrolling through my Twitter feed shortly after the news of Po or

s the world gets more technologically advanced so do our classrooms. Teachers now rely on laptop computers and the Internet as teaching tools so need a reliable Wi-Fi connection. A few months ago, the school suffered a complete Wi-Fi shut down, so the filter on the websites students can and can’t access could be fixed. For weeks students and teachers struggled to work around the lack of Wi-Fi access and turned to more tedious ways of conducting class. When the steady connection returned, people were relieved. Most assumed that it was the end of the Wi-Fi troubles. However, in the past few weeks once again Wi-Fi is unavailable. This time the reasons for the Wi-Fi being down were attributed to new ports being added, and there being trouble configuring the old ports to the new connection. Whatever the reasons, the lack of Wi-Fi has been nothing but an inconvenience. It isn’t about students who want to access Twitter and Facebook during school, it’s an inconvenience to teachers and their teaching methods and students who wish to use personal computers for school work. It hinders productivity in classrooms and ignites complaints from students and faculty. The on again off again Wi-Fi connection has been another thing added to the list of inconsistencies in our school, causing nothing but mistrust between our school and the Central Office. One of the main issues is that the suspension of Wi-Fi hits everyone cold turkey. In the middle of class people are forced to face the surprise of no Wi-Fi connection and forced to change the plans for the class. It’s not just students who are constantly in the dark about the situation with the Wi-Fi, even teachers are given no warning or explanation. The Northridge Reporter understands that the situation might not be easy to deal with, and there might not be one person to blame, but if there was some sort of warning given to those who depend on the Wi-Fi every day, people might not feel as betrayed by the system.

these bombings broke, I continued to witness the same sentiment again and again. “This world is sick,” everyone seemed to be saying. “There’s no hope left for this country.” But to those saying our hope is gone: I disagree. There is hope. There has always been hope. How else could we have seen ourselves through some of the darkest times this earth has known, like the Holocaust, Pearl Harbor and 9/11? How else could we have not only gotten through these times, but learned from them, and healed from them, and honored those whose lives were lost with strength and courage? Not by wallowing in despair. Not by staring at our televisions in open mouthed shock and thinking, That’s it. I don’t want to live in this world anymore. We got through these times by hoping and helping one another. And to those claiming this world is sick: do not forget the heroes. Do not forget the incredible human beings that ran 26.2 miles through Boston and continued on past that, beyond that, to give blood to those who were injured. Do not overlook those people that, instead of fleeing the explosions, turned around and ran into the chaos to help complete strangers. Remember, the first responders who risked their lives. Remem-

ber the doctors and nurses who faced this tragedy with poise and control and saw firsthand the horrific aftermath of the bombs. There is terrible evil, yes, that can sometimes seem so overpowering that it appears to eclipse anything good. It can manifest itself in the likes of James Holmes, Adam Lanza and the bombers of the Boston Marathon. But for every villain, there are thousands of heroes. We may never know all of their names or any of their stories or exactly what they did to help, but they are present. Whether it is the bystanders at the Boston Marathon, the teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary or those who died protecting others at the Aurora theater, they are still here. My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones in these tragedies. It is an unimaginable thing to endure, and I know I can never quite understand how awful the reality of it is. But I also want to thank the people who ensured these tragedies were not quite as devastating as they could have been. They were everyday people who leaped into the chaos, heedless of their own safety, to help make the burden of devastation, perhaps, just a bit lighter. Those were, and are, the heroes in this world. They may not wear capes, or have superpowers and a crowd of desperate citizens cheering them on, but they are still here—thousands of them. *Statistics from The New York Times April 17 edition.

Journalist of the Year 2013 • Bailey Thomson Award for Editorial Writing 2013 • Rick Bragg Feature Writing Award 2009 • NSPA 5th Place Best of Show 2012 • NSPA 1st Place Best of Show 2011 • NSPA 5th Place Best of Show 2008 NSPA 8th Place Best of Show 2008 • NSPA 9th Place Best of Show 2006 • CSPA Silver Medalist 2003, 2004 CSPA Gold Medalist 2005-2011 • SIPA All-Southern 2003, 2005–2012 • ASPA All-Alabama 2003–2011 • NSPA All-American 2004, 2008, 2011 • Best SIPA Newspaper in Alabama 2003–2007 • NSPA News Story of the Year 2005 • SIPA First Place News Story 2007)• SIPA First Place Review 2009

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Entertainment

The Northridge Reporter April 23, 2013

Photo by Beth Allaway

Senior Nick Motz portrays Greylag the goose in his song “Wild Goose Chase.” “It was my senior show and the last one at Northridge, so I invested a lot into it,” Motz said. “I know I’ll remember it for years to come.”

Photo by Beth Allaway

The cast of Honk! Jr. end the show in their final pose after the last song “Look At Him Reprise.” Colin Hammond, sophomore, worked backstage on lighting cues for the musical. “It’s always fun working back stage,” Hammond said. “It’s cool to see how things work behind the scenes and what goes into making a show work because the end product is so different than what the rehearsal looks like.”

Photo by Raiha Bajwa

Sophomore Anna Beth Northington plays Ida, as Ugly, played by senior Craig First hatches from his egg. Margaret Crow, freshman, played Penny. “The cast worked very well together,” Crow said. “We all pulled through at the end.”

Production of Honk! Jr. “cute” and” clever” Katie Poore Staff Writer

he musical Honk! Jr. performed by the Musical Theater class on April 5 and 6 was cute, entertaining and clever. The musical, which was a retelling of the story The Ugly Duckling, was funny, charming and full of great talent. Ugly, played by senior Craig First, was endearingly innocent and impossible to dislike, and First played the role flawlessly. The audience found themselves drawn in by his evident sincerity and enthusiasm. He is an incredible singer and actor and was con-

vincing and engaging in Ugly’s role. Sophomore Anna Beth Northington played Ida, Ugly’s mother. Every single one of her solos— and there were plenty—was as amazing as the last, and when she and First were onstage together, the scenes became sensational. Northington portrayed a loving, kind mother perfectly, especially during the song “Every Tear a Mother Cries.” Not only is Northington a brilliant singer, she is a remarkable actress as well. Senior Casey Miller was, despite being the villain of the story, enjoyable to see onstage. Some-

times people look forward to seeing the bad guys in a story just as much as the heroes, and Honk! Jr. was no exception. Miller, playing the cat intent on having Ugly for a meal, and First’s performance of the song “Play With your Food” were definite highlights of the play. Junior James Urban’s solo in the song “The Blizzard” was enchanting, and the audience was completely captured by it. Senior Colt Wrobel as Ida’s goofy husband, Drake, was also a great addition to the show, adding humor where humor was needed and depicting the carefree, clueless husband perfectly.

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It is very likely that the audience found themselves smiling at the sheer volume of adorableness that made up Honk! Jr. Possibly some of the cutest characters were Ida’s ducklings and Ugly’s sisters Beaky, Bluff, Billie and Downy. A classic example of how cruel siblings can be, the ducklings (played by Caroline First, Maggie Butler, Lane Russell and Marissa Hayes) were responsible for a great deal of the laughs that took place during the show. They snickered and sneered at Ugly as a hatchling, picking on him mercilessly. Despite this, they still possessed the charm that

is unique to young children. Honk! Jr. was a great musical, brimming with amazing voices, cute characters and all sorts of talent. Though it is intended for children, the musical was appealing to everyone. People of all ages found themselves sympathizing with the characters. From identifying with Northington’s Ida to pitying Ugly to laughing at the antics of the goofy frogs, everyone in the audience was invested in the play at some point. With a main character people could really root for and an array of delightful supporting characters, Honk! Jr. was a truly great play.

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Feature

The Northridge Reporter April 23, 1013

Do you use slang words in formal writing?

The Slang Dictionary cray (adj.) A way of saying something is crazy, or deviant from the norm. ermahgherd An obnoxious way to say “Oh, My God” with strong emphasis on the ‘R’ sound. fresh (adj.) Used to refer to anything highly approved by someone. legit (adj.) Short for legitimate. Real, not false. ROFL An acronym for “Rolling on the floor laughing.” shawty (n.) Used as a term of endearment to others or just a way of addressing someone. smh An acronym for “Shake my head.” swag (n.) appearance, style, or the way one presents themselves. swerve (v.) To dismiss or to say no to a request. troll (n.) A member of an internet forum who continually harangues and harasses others. turn up (v.) Getting wild or excessively crazy. Typically used in the context of a party. YOLO An acronym for “You Only Live Once.”

= 3 students

Yes:

No: 30 students polled. Information compiled by Renu Pandit. Designed by Renu Pandit.

Information compiled by Renu Pandit from urbandictionary. com

Photos by Jared Lotfi

Charlie Gross, senior, said, “My favorite slang words are ‘ratchet’ and ‘hot mess,” while acting like a gangster in the hallway.

Carol Bale, senior, said, “I like anything that ends with ‘tho’ and includes greater than or less than signs multiple times.”

Jameson Hubbard, senior, said he “likes the idea of Jameson ‘janking’ someone.”

Krysilen Smith, junior, said “I love the word ‘turnup.’ It’s my favorite slang word.”

Nick Motz, senior, said “When my dad was in school, if something was cool they’d say ‘That’s so wizard.’ Old terms are the most important ones.

Feature

The Northridge Reporter April 23, 2013

Srsly?

Text talk in formal writing, speech spikes frustration Renu Pandit Feature Editor The technological world is the place for shorthand, but when in English class, do not go with YOLO. Mary Moore, English teacher, said she “does not like shorthand at all.” “There’s a place for that kind of writing, and it’s not in a formal English paper,” Moore said. She said not many students use it in their papers, “but

there’s always a handful that does.” “I think it’s mainly due to the increase of technology in the new generation,” Moore said. “They’re so used to writing like that. I mean, it’s good at times when it helps you be efficient, but in some areas it’s just not appropriate.” Marla Parks, junior, said using shorthand was acceptable back in the day when there was limited text space, “but now people can text and send as much as they want.” “To me, whenever I see someone typing out something like ‘gr8,’ I feel like they’re just some mom trying to act cool,” Parks said. “And honestly, to me it seems like more work to go over to the number screen, find the 8 and click on it than to just type out an ‘–eat’.” Parks said when she hears people using text talk in conversation, she gets especially annoyed “by the tone people say

it in rather than what they’re actually saying.” “When people say ‘omg’ or ‘yolo’ out loud they have this nasally tone, and it’s really irritating,” Parks said. She said that besides rarely saving time, “text talk has no benefits.” “Using it makes people worse in spelling to the point where they use the shortcuts subconsciously in essays. I guess it can be good for note-taking, but teens just do it too often in formal writing,” Parks said. “I think this is foreshadowing a future where language will evolve to the point that we communicate with beeps,” she said. Julie Potts, junior, said using text talk in formal writing and conversation “is just pure laziness.” “We’re losing our communication skills,” Potts said. “I suppose it’s alright for when you need

to send a message quickly, but I see no need for it to be incorporated into verbal conversation,” she said. Potts admitted to saying “whatevs” at times, and said she “hates the habit.” “Whenever people say things like that in conversation, they always say it really nasally,” she said. “I think it’s the tone that bothers me more than the stuff coming out of their mouth,” Potts said. Rebecca Perkins, junior, said that text talk can be funny “when people say it sarcastically.” “But if they don’t stop after a point, it gets annoying,” Perkins said. She said she uses it sometimes to be funny. “Now instead of just giving people a creepy smile, I can throw in a few ‘lol’s,” Perkins said.

Swaggie

‘Swag’ popular trait in student body

with your dress. “‘Swag’ is dressing in a bunch of nice clothes to make you look good,” Hill said. Freshman Nate Hester said swag is “how fresh “Swag” can mean that someone is cool or has nice clothes. Having “swag” can also mean that a you are.” “Being fresh means that you have new style evperson has self-confidence and is better than all the ery day,” Hester said. rest. Senior James Cox said he believes swag has a Eric Izzaguire, junior, said he believes he knows much deeper meanthe true meaning of ing. swag. “Swag is the abil“‘Swag’ is your ity to be different in style and how you Swag is the ability to be different your own way but go about doing in your own way but still be cool. still be cool,” Cox things,” Izsaid. zaguire said. James Cox, senior Cox said his swag He said is his attitude, not his students are style. wearing T“I feel like I can conquer anything,” Cox said. shirts with the word “swag” on them. “Some have more elaborate designs. “My swag on the football field is being positive to One shirt had the word “swag” four times my teammates. If they mess up, you can get onto in a row. If someone were to draw a diago- them, but you can’t get mad at them.” Senior Montell Dent said swag is really about nal line across it, it would spell out ‘swag’,” respect. Izzaguire said. “If you wear clean clothes and look fresh, people Freshman Jesus Garcia said that to have swag is will respect you,” Dent said. “If you treat people “to be cool.” correctly, they will respect you.” “I was born with ‘swag,’” Garcia said. Dent said he believes these principles also trans“Swag” is also a familiar term to teachers like late to the field of athletics. Scott Johnson, math teacher. “You have to make sure you are nice on the field “I think ‘swag’ is confidence and cockiness,” because you never know who is watching,” Dent Johnson said. Carter Hill, English teacher, said, swag has to do said. Jordan Hutchinson Staff Writer

U mad bro?

Slang terminology offends listeners depending on context, deemed unnecessary be ‘what up’ meaning ‘hey, hi, how are you,’ etc.,” Jones said. Jackson Bowers, freshman, said people use slang to quickly describe something. When words such as “ongah” and “buckin” are in a “Lots of the slang that’s used is terms from songs. Peostudent’s vocabulary, questions arise over whether or not ple use these words to describe slang is offensive. something without thinking about Traci Watson, English teacher, what the true meaning is,” Bowsaid she frequently hears students use slang and texting terminology in Slang is used to express yourself ers said. Gailbriel Moorer, junior, said her classroom and even in the papers —there’s no alternative. she uses the slang words “breh,” she grades. “whack” and “word.” Gailbriel Moorer, junior “I just don’t understand it,” Wat“When I say ‘bruh’ I mean ‘a son said. “I hear students say ‘oncompanion or another person.’ gah’ and ‘shawty.’” When I say ‘word’ it’s like ‘yeah Watson said she thinks students or okay,’” Moorer said. use slang because it’s convenient. Jones said she does not think slang is offensive. “Texting is so engrained in our society that people find “I have been addressed using a slang word, and I wasn’t it easier to use abbreviations and ‘cooler words’ to replace offended. I don’t see slang as offensive. People address the English language,” Watson said. their friends in certain ways using slang,” Jones said. Kiaira Jones, sophomore, said she uses slang words such In the case of someone being offended by slang, Jones as “my bad” and “gangsta.” said she thinks it is safest to have an alternative to slang. “I think the most common slang phrase would have to Morgan DeWitt Beat Editor

“I think people could just as easily say ‘hi’ instead of saying ‘what up,’” Jones said. Bowers said he thinks slang is unnecessary. “Some students use racial terms at other students. These things need to be stopped,” Bowers said. Moorer said using slang should be specific to the situation. “It all comes down to what context it’s in,” Moorer said. “I would never use slang when talking to an authority or adult figure, or especially not at a formal event.” Moorer said she does not think slang is offensive and sees no reason to find an alternative to it. “Slang is used to express yourself – there’s no alternative,” Moorer said. Watson said she finds slang very offensive from many standpoints, including religion. “I especially don’t like the derogatory slang that refers to women,” Watson said. “Women have fought for equal rights for years. It’s sad that today’s young women allow themselves to be spoken to and put down in this way.”

News

The Northridge Reporter April 23, 2013

(((

Prom, please? Renu Pandit Feature Editor

he silence and darkness of the auditorium is broken as the curtains pull apart and a spotlight shines down to reveal Charlie Gross, senior, seated anxiously at a piano. He is about to ask his best friend to prom. “I wanted to ask Anna Catherine Scogin because we’ve been best friends for six years,” Gross said. “Throughout our friendship, she’s always wanted me to learn how to play Claire de Lune on the piano, and I’ve always said no.” Gross said he wanted to play the song for her before he asked her to prom because he “wanted to go out with a bang.” “I asked the office to call Anna Catherine out of library assistant, and then had Caris Deschner lead her to the auditorium, which was completely dark,” Gross said. “I had her sit in the front row, and then the curtains rolled back and the spotlight came on, and I began playing Claire de Lune.” Gross said that once he finished playing, he pulled Scogin up on the stage and asked her to prom. “Then my entire AP Comp class jumped out from behind the curtain and surprised her,” Gross said. “I couldn’t have done it without the help of Mrs. [Donna] Wright, Nick Motz and Colin Hammond.” Mary Moore, English teacher, said Gross asked her if he could involve the class for the last 15 minutes of the period to help him ask his date to prom. “He’s such a cheeseball,” Moore said while laughing. “I thought it was very, very sweet of him to go through all that trouble. I also admired his piano skills and bravery.” Moore said it was “a very typical Charlie thing to do.” “No other guy could have pulled that off,” Moore said. Kathleen Kennedy, junior, said she was asked by Cooper Bunch, senior, via a Harlem Shake video over BCN. “After I saw it, I literally just said ‘Lol,’

W I R E L E S S

WOES

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Board answers Wi-Fi questions

or so I’ve been told, to fix the bugs,” she said. “This will probably be an ongoing problem until the end In a corner of the main of the year.” office, tucked away from She said that because the sight, there is a plain door old Wi-Fi system is paired that reads “59.” with the “archaic” technolThis is the school’s old ogy, such as ten-year-old server room. computers, it causes further Inside, a myriad of blinkproblems for ing lights, wheezing testing students air conditioning, drapand daily work. ing wires and scattered “The Wi-Fi computer parts greets The Wi-Fi is a day-to-day, is a day-to-day, visitors; it is a portal to the Internet and a minute-to-minute, hit-or-miss. minute-to-minute, hit-or-miss,” glimpse of the current Irvin said. Wi-Fi situation. -Marcie Irvin, librarian Teresa MeissChris Jenks, Coordiner, BTA teachnator of Instructional According to Jenks, ten er, said the changes have Technology, said the city school system is currently people in one room with been a necessary inconveundergoing “four major three devices each could nience. “I am sure that we will technology infrastructure overwhelm the nearest acall survive these growing upgrades” that consist of re- cess point. This multi-million dollar pains and will enjoy the wiring the school networks, installing new equipment, upgrade is set to continue better performance that the upgrading the Wi-Fi and development until better new equipment provides,” deploying a system de- Wi-Fi quality and availabil- Meissner said. ity is attained. Parker Evans, junior and signed for wider security. “We are continually frequent Wi-Fi user, said in “[We] first invested in large-scale wireless de- working to improve the re- this day and age Wi-Fi is a ployment in 2007-2008,” sources we provide to meet “God-given right.” your needs,” Jenks said. “On the occasional situhe said. “Wi-Fi will remain a key ation where I need to look “At that time, no one ansomething up for a class – ticipated the explosion of part of our resources.” Marcie Irvin, librarian, a date, name, definition – I Wi-Fi devices faculty and staff would come to expect said Northridge is strug- can’t right now because the Wi-Fi is down,” he said. as part of their educational gling technology-wise. “It’s an ongoing process, See editorial on Page 2 experience,” he said. Kelly Burnham Sports Editor

Photo by: Raiha Bajwa

Say yes: Senior Charlie Gross is unveiled and begins to play Claire de Lune for senior Anna Catherine Scogin in the auditorium as a prom request. and he was like ‘Wait, is that a yes or a no?’” Kennedy said. “It was obviously a yes.” Kennedy said she loved the video, and thought it was “hilarious.” “It started out with Cooper dancing on a desk and ended with a bunch of people in costumes dancing around and pointing to Cooper who was holding a sign that said ‘Kathleen, prom?’” Kennedy said. Casey Medlock, Spanish teacher, said she asked her dates to prom for both of the years she went. “My date didn’t go to my school, so I had to ask,” Medlock said. “Also, people didn’t do cute things back then so my method of asking was over AOL Instant Messenger, which is this thing from way back in the day.” Nick Fairbairn, junior, asked Brittany Johnson, junior, to prom by putting the question in a fortune cookie. “I gave it to her while she was in the library,” Fairbairn said. “She said yes.” Fairbairn said he had multiple ideas, but eventually settled on the fortune cookie idea because he “wanted it to be special.” “I had a lot of help from my friends Martha Kate Mulins and Raiha Bajwa,” Fairbairn said. “I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Jenks said the same infrastructure has tried to support all of the devices brought to school, but it has demanded much effort from “some really old and sub-standard equipment.” Each Wi-Fi access point can support a maximum of 30 devices.

Step team reunites again at library’s book fair KanJalla Dancer Art Editor The step team performed Saturday, April 20 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Barnes and Noble Book Fair. Their last performance

was last year’s Black History Program. Since then, students have been waiting for their return to the stage. Lorenzo Walcott, senior and captain, said before they performed that the

team will perform at the book fair because of Librarian Neilann Thomas’ constant support. “We are going to take it back to the original step team days, but add a little ‘flava’,” Walcott said.

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Sports

The Northridge Reporter April 23, 2013

Tae Kwon Do teaches valuable skills Kayla Pate Staff Writer

ae Kwon Do: 80% mental and 20% physical. Devon Collins, junior, has done Tae Kwon Do since July 2012. He said he is a “level three green belt.” Collins said he will stay with Tae Kwon Do until he reaches a black belt. “I’ve always been interested in martial arts but only got started recently. Doing Tae Kwon Do keeps me in shape because we

are constantly doing core and bag workouts,” Collins said. He said he has learned discipline, patience and self-control since taking martial arts, skills that help him in his everyday life. “I find myself more in control in what I do. My reflexes are better too. I’m more conscious of the world around me,” he said. Sophomore Andrea Jaimes has taken Tae Kwon Do lessons for five years. She acquired a second degree black belt with [Grand Master] Bailey’s

Tae Kwon Do. “I started taking Tae Kwon Do because my father wanted me to learn self-defense. Over time I started to go for myself because it taught me a lot. I learned things like how to respect myself and others and how to kick butt,” she said. Jaimes said Tae Kwon Do has given her confidence that lets her know she can protect herself in any situation. She said she has become more alert to her surroundings.

Boys Baseball Scores “[The highlight of the baseball season] was beating Hillcrest and County High School.” - Kyle Stuart, sophomore Haleyville: (W) 8, 2 Haleyville: (W) 7, 4 Walker: (W) 10, 0 Smiths Station: (L) 8, 11 Brookwood: (W) 5, 4 Brookwood: (L) 1, 3 Thompson: (L) 2, 9 Thompson: (L) 6, 7 Winfield: (W) 9, 6 Sipsey Valley: (W) 4, 1 Sipsey Valley: (L) 1, 4

Bob Jones (L): 3, 13 Sparkman (W): 8, 5 Hoover (L): 4, 8 Cullman High (L): 2, 3 County High (L): 3, 9 County High (W): 2, 1 County High (L): 3, 4 Hillcrest (L): 2, 6 Hillcrest (W): 3, 2 Hillcrest (L): 1, 4

Girls Soccer Scores “Beating County High School and winning the Tuscaloosa Metro Tournament was the highlight of [the girls] soccer season.” - Annika Struthwolf, freshman

Students versus teachers, basketball-style Katie Poore Staff Writer

Students with good behavior and grades were rewarded on March 22. They were allowed to attend the school’s student-faculty basketball game. The students won the game, though the final score is unknown. Johnny Washington, sophomore, said the game was “boring” during the first half. “The score started to get really close during the second half, so then it got more exciting,” Washington said. Mary Margaret Murdock, sophomore, said she played on the student team.

“It was fun,” Murdock said. “I liked it.” She said she is “glad the teachers lost.” Science teacher Beth Allaway, who played in the game, said she “liked that it was a positive behavior thing, so good kids got to do something extra.” “It was fun, and it wasn’t too aggressive,” Allaway said. “Some people knew how to play and some didn’t on both teams, so it made it kind of fun.” “It wasn’t a big deal if you missed a shot or anything,” she said. Allaway said she participated in the game because she “always participates in those things, plus I played basketball years ago.”

Tournament challenging for softball team

Jordan Hutchinson Staff Writer

The softball teams had to step up to the plate at the Northside tournament on March 1 and 2.

Both softball teams placed in the top three with varsity getting second place and junior varsity first. Kerri Irvin, sophomore pitcher and infielder, said, Cordova was the hardest

team we faced. Junior Madison Frazer, who plays center field, said we did not bat well against Cordova. “We could not hit against [their pitcher],” Irvin said.

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Haleyville: (W) 8, 2 Haleyville: (W) 7, 4 Walker: (W) 10, 0 Smiths Station: (L) 8, 11 Brookwood: (W) 5, 4 Brookwood: (L) 1, 3 Thompson: (L) 2, 9 Thompson: (L) 6, 7 Winfield: (W) 9, 6 Sipsey Valley: (W) 4, 1 Sipsey Valley: (L) 1, 4

Photos by: Blake Benson

Girls soccer season begins with tournament Katie Poore Staff Writer The girls soccer season began on Feb. 14 at the Tuscaloosa Metro Tournament with the team playing Hillcrest at Northridge and defeating them 10-0. The team then played Holy Spirit at 7:30 p.m., where they won 9-0. On Friday, Feb. 15, the girls played Tuscaloosa County High School and tied 1-1. The team was still first seed in Tuscaloosa after the game, and County High came in as second seed. On Feb. 16, the team played Hillcrest again at Holy Spirit and won 6-0. The final game of the tournament was once again against the team’s biggest rival: Tuscaloosa County High. The girls’ decisive

victory against TCHS, a score of 6-0, sealed the team’s spot as number one in Tuscaloosa. Lainey Hatfield, sophomore, said she looked forward to playing Tuscaloosa County High School the most. “We had a really strong rivalry last year, and they [County High] beat us, and it made us really mad,” Hatfield said. “When we beat County High, I almost started crying I was so happy. I was jumping around.” Hatfield said the team prepared for the tournament by practicing every day. “Even if it rains, we run inside the building,” she said. Carter Hill, head coach of the girls soccer team, said he is pleased with the team’s performance at the tournament.

“The girls played very well, especially against the championship match against TCHS,” Hill said. Hill said the team’s greatest strength is that “they play hard and very physical.” “If there is any weakness at all, it is the same weakness for all teams in high school athletics. You have fifteen-, sixteen-, seventeen-year-olds playing and practicing every day, and sometimes the players do not focus on the match or task at hand.” “Just because you beat a team once, doesn’t mean it will be easy the second time,” Hill said. The soccer team will be hosting the play-offs on Saturday, April 27, for the first time in ten years. They will be playing Thompson High School.

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The Northridge Reporter April 23, 2013

ASSASSINS

YoungLife and gives up a lot of her time during each spring to make YoungLife Assassins possible. In order to play, one must text Rumanek and sign up. She assigns their target shortly. “Just a drop of water will knock them out, but creativity is respected by assassins everywhere,” Rumanek said. Every time a player “kills” another one, the assassin texts Rumanek and she assigns them a new target. Players are always on the lookout though because they never know who is coming after them. Katrina Struthwolf, junior and a third year assassin’s vet-

your eyes on is the prize, but I’ll be back next year harder, better, faster and stronger than ever.” Lee Wicks, sophomore, was defeated by sophomore Abby Livingston about a week after the game started. “Abby Livingston swore on her mom’s grave that she wouldn’t take my life as long as Ashley didn’t create a time limit to hurry things up,” Wicks said. “If she was to come after me, she said she would tell me so it would be fair game. But unfortunately she fell weak to the peer pressure and ended my Assassins 2013 campaign.”

Gotcha: (Above left) Sophomore Andrea Jaimes laughs as sophomore Heather Benjamin pours water on her head, assassinating her. (Above right) Senior Charlie Horton closes his trunk as junior Mallory Steiner runs towards him. (Left) Senior Charlie Gross attempts to escape while senior Mary Caitlyn Wilhite, chases him with a full water bottle.

Photos by: Abby Allen

Beat

eran stayed active in the game until she got in the top 23, when she was defeated. Struthwolf got the chance to kill two of her targets: North Patterson, sophomore, and Price Wicks, senior. After three failed attempts to kill on a Friday night, Struthwolf waited for Patterson outside of class the next Monday and killed him. First target down. Struthwolf’s got her second target, Price, when he was on the way to his truck after school. “It was epic,” Struthwolf said. “It’s hard to go on now that I’m out, especially knowing the only thing you can set

Fourth-annual YoungLife game puts thrill in kill Abby Allen Staff Writer Ready, aim, fire-errr water! YoungLife, a Christian based organization that focuses on high school teens, is back again with its fourth annual game of Assassins. The rules of the game are simple: players get assigned a target whom they have to get wet with water. Then their target is out of the game. Assassins started Feb. 6 with 144 participants, and as of April 9 there are only 22 left standing. Ashley Rumanek, YoungLife leader, is very involved in

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April 23, 2013 Volume 10 Issue 7