Northridge High School 2901 Northridge Road Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35406
EST. 2003
THE MARCH 13, 2015
NORTH RI D GE
www.northridgereporter.wordpress.com
REPORTER
The student voice of Northridge High School
VOLUME 12 ISSUE 6
‘SWING LOW, SWEET CHARIOT’
Spiritual choir performs for Black History Month celebration
contained texts from spirituals, hymns and the Negro National Anthem. “If you are not aware of spirituals, you wouldn’t know that he was quoting texts n celebration of Black History Month, from songs that brought African-American the American Spiritual Ensemble, people through a difficult time in their a professional group that sings dynamic history all the way to inaugurating the renditions of classical spirituals and nation’s first African-American president,” Broadway numbers, performed in the McCorvey said. auditorium on Feb. 19. He said he organized the American Mary Harmon Moman, the Spiritual Ensemble because he felt that granddaughter of Paul “Bear” Bryant, was the American Negro spiritual and its the school’s connection for the American importance to our culture was being lost. Spiritual Ensemble. “These songs have a Dr. Everett McCorvey, very special meaning to These songs have a very the founder and director me, and I want to make of the American special meaning to me, and sure that the young Spiritual Ensemble, said I want to make sure that people celebrate these spirituals are the folk songs,” McCorvey said. the young people celebrate songs that slaves sang in He grew up in the fields. these songs. Montgomery, Alabama “[Slaves] created DR. EVERETT McCORVEY, where his father was rhythmic songs to help DIRECTOR, AMERICAN the deacon at a church get them through the SPIRITUAL ENSEMBLE where Ralph Abernathy, work day and to sooth a leader of the Civil the pain of beatings and Rights Movement, unbearable labor,” McCorvey said. was the pastor. Martin Luther King lived He said that in the Civil Rights “around the corner” from his house. Movement, the songs were sung because “We can learn a lot through slavery, they gave the people strength and hope. through the Civil Rights Movement and “Martin Luther King was a lover of even the celebration of the first black spirituals and his wife, Coretta Scott King, president,” McCorvey said. “Spirituals was a singer as well,” McCorvey said. played a part in all of these movements.” “Martin Luther King used the text from McCorvey said from spirituals grew spirituals in his sermons and speeches.” many musical genres. He said Rev. Joseph Lowery’s speech at “Jazz, blues, gospel, pop, and Broadway the end of the first Obama inauguration DESTINY HODGES NEWS EDITOR
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Photo by Ragan Ferguson
SING IT Fred Bates, junior, is invited onstage to conduct the American Spiritual Ensemble by its director, Dr. Everett McCorvey, during a performance at school on Feb. 19. all come from spirituals,” he said. “I want to make sure the [African-American students] can celebrate the fact that the music of their ancestors played such an important part in American musical theatre.” Junior Ebone Tucker said the American Spiritual Ensemble captured Black History month in a positive way. “Yeah, they told us about the hard times African-Americans went through, but they also told us how they got through it. How
they lifted each other up with spirituals,” Tucker said. Darren Spence, Dean of Students, said the American Spiritual Ensemble made him reflect. “I’m a little older, and I am very cognitive of the civil rights movement,” Spence said. “I grew up singing some of the [spirituals] in church.” Spence bought a copy of the documentary and of the American Spiritual Ensemble’s concert.
Rezoning considered for overcrowding problem N
orthridge has roughly 1,380 students, Bryant has roughly 855, and Central has roughly 650. Dr. Paul McKendrick, superintendent, said the school board has looked at how populated the schools are and how the schools can be made more efficient for more students. “We are going to try and make these numbers make more sense. If we were going to rezone for Northridge, we do NOT know who would be moved,” McKendrick said. McKendrick said that rezoning is not the only option. “There are multiple ways to fix overcrowding, including adding onto buildings, building new buildings, consolidating buildings, changing the grade levels at buildings and if needed rezoning,” McKendrick said.
AT A GLANCE
SPECIAL FEATURE
DRUGS pages 6-7
He said people have brought rumors to him, and none of them have been true. “The rumors of us doing anything right now are not true. We will not know what is going to happen until the demographic study is done in May,” he said. “If we are to rezone, I think we will allow students to stay where they are for one year, especially juniors,” McKendrick said. “You will not be able to stay at a school because of sports.” McKendrick said when doing this, one has to think of what will happen after. “If you think of this like a boat in a river, everything that the boat touches has a ripple effect. We don’t want to affect the river too much,” Dr. McKendrick said. McKendrick said the community is a big part of what is decided. “You don’t want to change the schools so much that you don’t have the support of the community,” he said.
SOCCER page 11
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Counselor Kenneth Smothers disagreed with the idea of rezoning. “If the schools are rezoned, you will be dealing with a racial imbalance,” he said. “We don’t need to rezone; we need to stop busing students in who live closer to Bryant or Central [High School].” The city school system is doing a demographic study during this school year. It will end in late April or early May. London Bailey, sophomore, said she would “hate” to move. “We are used to the way they teach here and would have to get used to the way they teach at different schools. We would also have to make new friends,” she said Deilo Richardson, freshman, said he would want to stay but would do whatever was decided upon. “I think the schools are perfectly fine and don’t need to be changed,” Delio said.
It was kind of a social experiment for me...They were like, ‘I’m on top of the world,’ and I’m like, ‘Okay, well, what is that feeling?’ ANONYMOUS SENIOR
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MAYCI HARTLEY STAFF WRITER
See story on PAGE 6
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OPINION
THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTER MARCH 13, 2015
OUR THOUGHTS Drug offenses merit real punishment
Athletes have grueling winter, merry March
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s someone who is not fond of cold the thirties, and I will admit it would have weather, starting my soccer season been pretty miserable to play that game in right in the middle of the winter is not such cold temperatures. fun. On Feb. 27, I played a Practices in thirty degree game in Vestavia at an utterly weather are frequent, hands freezing thirty degrees. I had are always numb or aching to wear three layers of clothes from frostbite so gloves are Alabama loves to just to keep from getting a necessity. To play a spring throw curveballs hypothermia, let alone stay sport one must be very warm. prepared to endure the cold, at spring athletes... As we move into March, wind chill included. temperatures are warmer, but I’m prepared to However, there is a more unpredictable. take on freezing promised land: March. During the first week of March is the most March, on Tuesday it was cold or scorching beautiful month of a spring seventy degrees, and on heat. athlete’s year because instead Thursday it was about forty. of it being forty by practice Alabama loves to throw time it’s now sixty. curveballs at spring athletes, During March the wind and as a player who has starts to disappear, the sun afterschool practice, I must breaks through the clouds and everyone check the weather every day to make sure can take off their gloves and toboggans and I’m prepared to take on either the freezing relax in a T-shirt and shorts. cold, or scorching heat. I have already had one game rescheduled It all depends on what Alabama weather because of cold weather. The high was in wants to throw on the table.
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JACOB MARTIN • COPY EDITOR
While students themselves are at fault for developing a habit of sacrificing sleep for other activities, an early school start exacerbates the problem.
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AGREE 13 ABSTAINED 2
JORDAN HUTCHINSON • SPORTS EDITOR
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he drug use among students poses a serious threat to the health, well-being and safety of the student body. It has been shown repeatedly that students who engage in regular drug use may experience significant mental or physical issues not just during their teenage years but throughout their lives. Drug use furthermore causes social estrangement from the majority who do not engage in this ‘risky behavior,’ as well as ever-increasing dependence on a mind- or body-altering substance. Although it is highly difficult, if not impossible, for the school to halt individual drug use, it is possible to place restrictions on students using drugs while in school. For instance, the drug testing program which has been discussed since September of 2013, and will hopefully be implemented this month, promises to guarantee a level of safety among students, as well as greater fairness in athletic and other extracurricular activities. Counselors, too, are available for students who are trapped in a spiral of dependency and addiction and desire to break out of it. Several rehabilitation centers, such as Bradford Health Services, are more than willing to help students overcome their self-destructive behaviors. However, not all students will be willing to remove themselves from drugs. They will cite enjoyment of using the drug, the rush of getting ‘high’ and the need to have an emotional boost, whether to complete a test or simply get through the day. This is why The Northridge Reporter believes that if drug paraphernalia is discovered on students at school, the student’s punishment should more adequately reflect the criminal offense that it is, rather than a Class III violation punishable by merely a hearing at the school board. If our school is to remain a ‘zero tolerance’ area for drugs and alcohol, every measure should be taken to ensure that such substances are kept off-campus, and students understand that possession of drugs and alcohol while on campus is not merely a code violation they can flaunt—it is a breach of the law with serious consequences, and with good reason.
Later start times imperative for student health and success R
ecent winter weather events have caused several two hour delays, allowing students to sleep in later. A later start time, however, has many more positive benefits than just extra sleep. As children age into adolescence, their circadian sleep rhythms (the 24 hour body clock) progress later into the day. Teenagers’ bodies release melatonin, the hormone that tells the body to sleep, from around 11:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Schools that start at 8:00 a.m. or earlier force students to wake up during their sleep cycle, which makes getting out of bed an extremely unpleasant experience instead of a natural awakening.
Sleep deprivation in high school becomes a habit for students, and it can be one that doesn’t go away as they age into adulthood. Sleep deprivation has horrible long term effects, such as heart disease, increased risk of mortality, and accelerated aging. While students themselves are at fault for developing a habit of sacrificing sleep for other activities, an early school start exacerbates the problem. The benefits of a later start are numerous. Students who sleep enough are less tired and more attentive during morning classes. They perform better academically. The rates of obesity, major depressive disorder
est. 2003
THE NORTH RI D G E REPORTER
and automobile crashes are all lower amongst students who go to schools that start at 8:30 a.m. or later. After-school activities are often cited as a reason to not delay the start times of school. If school started an hour later, students would have to start their activities later. However, this type of thinking disregards the purpose of school itself. If after-school activities are weighted above students’ learning, the education system has failed its purpose. An early start time is not the only reason for students’ lack of sleep. Electronic devices emit blue light, which mimics daylight
when it signals to the body that it is not time to sleep, and widespread consumption of caffeinated beverages leaves teenagers awake late into the night. It is possible to achieve the recommended amount of sleep with a start time of 8:00 a.m. (I sleep eight to nine hours most nights), but it is certainly harder or nearly impossible to attain it when one has to juggle academics, sports and other extracurricular activities, all while dealing with a later sleep cycle. If the school system wishes to improve students’ education and health, a later start time should be implemented.
Journalist of the Year 2013 • Bailey Thomson Award for Editorial Writing 2013 • Rick Bragg Feature Writing Award 2009 • Pacemaker Finalist 2014 • NSPA 6th Place Best of Show 2013 • 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 Gold Medalist 2005-2013 • SIPA All-Southern 2003, 2005–2012 • ASPA All-Alabama 2003–2013 • NSPA All-American 2004, 2008, 2011 • Best SIPA Newspaper in Alabama 2003–2007 • NSPA News Story of the Year 2005, 2014 • NSPA Cartoon of the Year 2014 • SIPA First Place News Story 2007• SIPA First Place Review 2009
The student voice of Northridge High School
Northridge High School • 2901 Northridge Road • Tuscaloosa, AL 35406 • (205) 759-3734 ext. 295 Editor-in-Chief *James Niiler Managing Editor *Rebecca Griesbach Feature Editor *Rebecca Griesbach News Editors *Destiny Hodges, *Mychi Tran
Opinion Editor *Bert McLelland Sports Editors *Camri Mason, *Jordan Hutchinson Asst. Sports Editor Nate Hester Entertainment Editor *Kathryn Versace
The opinions in The Northridge Reporter are those of the students and not of the faculty or administration of Northridge High School or the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education. It is the policy of The Northridge Reporter to publish all non-obscene, non-libelous, signed letters to the editor, regardless of the opinion expressed in them. Submit letters
Copy Editor *Jacob Martin Asst. Copy Editor Sujitha Peramsetty Infographics Editor *Kathryn Versace Business Manager Sujitha Peramsetty
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to Susan Newell in room 109 or email to snewell@tusc. Check out northridgereporter.wordpress.com Follow us on Twitter @NHSReporter k12.al.us. Follow us on Instagram @NorthridgeReporter Like us on Facebook! It is the official policy of the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, disability, sex, religion, national origin, Advertising and subscriptions: Contact The Northridge Reage or creed, be excluded for participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subject porter at (205) 759-3734 ext. 295 or snewell@tusc.k12.al.us to to discrimination under any program, activity or employment. advertise in or subscribe to our paper.
OPINION
THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTER MARCH 13, 2015
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Art by Jessica Ballard
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MYCHI TRAN • NEWS EDITOR
It’s unfortunate, but my center of gravity was never that great.
Crutches uncomfortable, very unappealing t’s ugly - made of metal and painted silver. It’s painful - digs into your underarm and creates blisters on your hands. But worst of all, it’s noticeable - drawing attention like an elephant in a room. It’s a pair of standard, hospital crutches, and I’m stuck using them for the foreseeable future. It begins a dumb mistake on my part. I didn’t look when I should have. I crossed the street when I shouldn’t have, and a car hit me that would not have if only I would have done what I was supposed to do. But I didn’t, and the next thing I knew, there were shouting, crying and sirens. The firefighters came first, though I have no clue why, considering there was no fire nor cat needing saving. Next were the police officers and, then, after a while, the paramedics. Questions were asked, my leg was wrapped, and I was taken away in an ambulance. At the hospital, after a lot of waiting (three hours’ worth of it), the bad news was given. My leg was fractured at the lower left tibia. A splint was needed until further examination from an orthopedic (in layman’s terms: bone doctor). They wrapped my leg in some type of cloth. They wet some clay like strips and put them along the sides and back of my injured leg. I asked what it was made of. They said they did not know. I would’ve questioned the integrity of the hospital if not for the burning sensation coming from the newly put on splint.
Stay off your feet, they said. Put an at the store. They were red and sort of puffy. icepack on your splint, they said. And if I persevered. Half way through shopping, you must walk, use your crutches, they said. my underarms started to hurt as well. My I’ve used crutches before. It was for a few one good leg started to hurt as well. I got more exercise from that one minutes in anatomy class for a project. I fell then, and I have no hope of not doing the shopping trip than I usually get in a month. same thing now. It’s unfortunate, but my Who knows, maybe I’ll actually have some muscle by the time this whole ordeal is center of gravity was never that great. At first, the crutches felt fine. I only over. Crutches are a horrible, horrible, tripped a few times (ten or eleven, but who’s counting). No one stared at me invention. They make you support your whole weight, along with (probably because I was in the cast, with every step. a hospital), and I thought it The rubber causes friction looked pretty cool (I think I burns and eventually, blisters need my eyes checked). I tried to ignore or rashes. And it takes ten It was the Sunday after the unfortunate events that the spectacle I was times the energy it usually takes to make your way I truly learned what I was in making of myself, across the room. for. Did I mention you can’t I go to the library every but who could hold anything with them? Sunday, and afterward, I go to the store. A broken leg really ignore that? You really can’t. Trust me, I’ve tried, and the result will not stop me, I had told was terribly painful (not to my mom. mention the poor food). So, I clumped into the Crutches should be more library. Everyone stared. They stared at my leg (the broken one), and comfortable if they (the person who makes they stared at my crutches. Slowly, because them) expect people to use them for a long there is no other way to walk with crutches, period of time. Crutches should be more I made my way to the DVDs aisle. With appealing, if not less noticeable. The cast every step, I emitted a clunking sound. Step, draws enough attention; we don’t need the crutches to draw even more. clunk, step, clunk. But the most horrible thing is I have I tried to ignore the spectacle I was making of myself, but who could really school. I’ll take a wheelchair any day, thank you. ignore that? My hands started to hurt when I arrived At least with that, I can carry stuff.
When would YOU like school to start and end?
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Photo by Mayci Hartley
FIGHTING THE PAIN News Editor Mychi Tran, sophomore, must endure crutches, after being struck by a car. Even in her hardship, she finds room for creativity: her toenails and her cast are a matching shade of purple. She has tied her purse to one of her crutches.
Information compiled by John Mark McClelland and Bert McLelland Infographic designed by Kathryn Versace 102 students polled
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NEWS
THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTER MARCH 13, 2014
in brief Field trip delayed five hours, bus late CARTER LOVE STAFF WRITER
Brenda Gibson’s career preparation class did not expect the long morning that was to come. After waking up at 4 a.m. to get to the school at 5:30 a.m., the students got to the classroom not expecting that their bus for their field trip was nowhere to be found. Tyler Salekin, freshman career prep student, said they had been sitting in the room since they arrived. “We’ve been sitting here, literally, since 5:30 [a.m.],” Salekin said. Kalayshia Spencer, freshman career prep student, said the bus was five hours late. “We were trying to get into contact with them, and they finally answered at like 8:30 [a.m.],” Spencer said. Emma Fisher, freshman career prep student, said she was starving because she had not had a big breakfast.
Prom dress sale held SUJITHA PERAMSETTY ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR
House of Prom, an annual sale of inexpensive prom dresses, was held on March 7 at Midtown Village Suite #106. Brenda Harris founded Tuscaloosa Prom Closet which is an organization that collects dresses for the sale. Harris said the sale went great. “We raised over $3200 in just four hours for Turning Point,” she said. “That was over 320 dresses at $10 per dress.” All proceeds went to Turning Point, an organization that helps victims of domestic violence and assault. Senior Nicoletta Versace attended the sale and found a dress. “We got there an hour early but still had to wait an hour,” she said. “It took forever, but it was worth it. It was organized by size and color, so it was easy to find.” Harris said they plan to have the sale again in 2016 about two weeks before Spring Break. “The date will not be decided until maybe early February 2016,” she said. “We will continually solicit dress donations throughout the year.”
Yoga class raises money for third world countries SUJITHA PERAMSETTY ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR
Girls Learn International, a club that raises awareness for girl’s education in third world countries, held its annual fundraiser at Yoga Bliss on Feb. 28. Emma Bradford, sophomore club member, said the club held two fundraisers: a cake raffle and a yoga class. “People could buy a [cake raffle] ticket for a dollar,” she said. “[For the yoga class fundraiser] several people …donated ten dollars or more to take the class.” Sophomore Katie Tindol, president, said the goal was to raise $500. “We raised $180 through the raffle sale. Right now, we’re at exactly $480. The donation box is at Yoga Bliss until Saturday, so we will have more,” she said. “The money goes towards expenses like tuition… and school supplies since girls schools are not provided with any types of government funding in countries such as Sierra Leone, Ghana, India, Afghanistan and so on.” Bradford said the club tries to educate people about gender equality problems.
Photo by Jacob Martin
TUG OF WAR Senior Lee Wicks moves the car placed in honor of Adam Johnson, son of math teacher Scott Johnson. Fred Mobley, senior, made arangements for the car to be brought to this spot. Wennetta Stallworth, security, said the car was a safety hazard. The car left on March 10.
Wrecked car moved one final time KATHRYN VERSACE INFOGRAPHICS EDITOR
The car placed near the marquee, in honor of Adam Johnson, son of math teacher Scott Johnson, had to be moved. Wennetta Stallworth, security, said, “I admit I was the one who asked for it to be moved.” Stallworth was leaving the parking lot while making a left turn when she noticed the wrecked automobile. “I was at the stop sign, and I was like ‘I can’t see past that red car.’ Somebody was gonna hit me,” Stallworth said. “I was concerned about the safety of others, also.” SGA member, Fred Mobley, was in charge of organizing the arrival of the car.
“We got it from Fred Robertson Towing. They have a program where you can call them, and they give you a car,” Mobley said. “Mrs. Stallworth had been talking to officer Darley, and it needed to be moved.” After getting word that the car was considered a safety hazard to students, SGA took it upon themselves to adjust the car’s current position. “It was hard to get Fred Robertson Towing here in the first place, so we decided we could just wench it over,” Mobley said. Jarrod Worley, SGA member, said, motioning to outside the fine arts hallway, “It was just moved 20 feet back. A kid in SGA had a hitch on his truck and moved it.”
“That kid” was senior Lee Wicks who with the help of Fred Mobley moved the car. Wicks said they moved the car themselves because a cop told them to. “The cop said it was blocking the line of sight. It only took about twenty minutes to move it,” Wicks said. After the car was moved, the marquee read: “THINK BEFORE MAKING A FATAL MISTAKE.” On March 10, the car was removed by Fred Robertson Towing. Mobley said the car was moved because Kyle Ferguson, principal, asked about it. Mobley said he thinks the car had an affect on the students. “I think it touched a lot of kids and made them realize what could happen,” he said.
FIGHTS DECREASE
Ferguson’s ‘3-30’ policy makes students think twice before getting into a fight CARTER LOVE STAFF WRITER
The “3-30” policy has taken a large toll on fights. The number of fights have decreased greatly. Principal Kyle Ferguson’s new rule seems to be working as expected, and students fear the dreaded three days of suspension and 30 days of In-School Isolation. Ferguson said he has seen a drastic decrease in fights this year. “Last school year, we had 200 incidents of violence, during the first semester; this year, we had four. They happen very
seldom,” Ferguson said. “We’ve maybe had three since we’ve been back from break.” Shane Ahscraft, English teacher, said it was not rare for him to break up two or so fights a week last year or the year before. This year, he has only had to get involved in one. “I think Mr. Ferguson’s stance on fighting as a whole has done a lot to decrease it,” Ashcraft said. “He’s not going to tolerate it.” Mustafa Khaleel, senior, sees the effects of the policy and the school’s new leadership. “He’s a lot more strict than our other principal; he did change a lot,” Khaleel said.
Illustration by Mychi Tran
NEWS
THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTER MARCH 13, 2014
GET IT TOGETHER
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Reality Check Program prepares students for life after high school
DESTINY HODGES NEWS EDITOR
“[Students] will see what the real world is about. They have to choose between what they want and what they need,” Clark said. In celebration of Career and Technical Publix Assistant Grocery Manager Terry Month, Career Preparedness teacher Greene conducted the Super-Market Brenda Gibson organized the Reality station. He helped participants shop for Check Program. groceries. Gibson said the Reality Check Program Greene said he wanted students to know was an opportunity for students to be how to live on less than you make. introduced to real world situations. “The cost of living is pretty high, and “The Reality Check Program is an you can only spend your money one time,” instructional activity for students to learn Greene said. “If you don’t have a plan for about financial literacy,” Gibson said. “It your money, you’re certain to fail. Give should cause students to start planning for every dollar a designation.” their financial goals and their educational Shamorrow Brown, assistant branch and career goals.” manager of Woodforest National Bank, The Program took place in the library. managed the Realville Bank station along Students who participated in the activity with her colleagues Charity Ellis, retail were given jobs with banker, and Jason Ritchey, monthly and yearly salaries, branch manager. a level of education, spouses Brown said they think and children. the Reality Check Program Stations such as is a good program to help education, realty, daycare, young kids know that insurance, taxes, automotive there is responsibility and and utilities were set up to repercussion. give the participants a real “To make a sound life experience. decision, you have to look Marie Harris, Alabama TERRY GREENE, PUBLIX at all aspects of the pros Cooperative Extension ASSISTANT GROCERY and cons,” Ritchey said. MANAGER agent of Consumer Science “You have to weigh the and Personal Financial options.” Management, introduced students to the Director of Secondary Education Robert activity and helped Gibson set up stations. Coates said he thinks the Reality Check In the activity, freshman Sarah Turner Program is an opportunity for kids to have was a registered nurse and a single mother a reality check. to a three year old girl. She had a yearly “Every day I deal with students who salary of $34,024 and a monthly salary of make good choices and students who make $2,835. bad choices. Some drop out, and they Turner said she decided to buy a realize there is nothing for drop outs to car instead of buying a bus pass at the drop into,” Coates said. “Life offers a lot of automotive station. choices, and you have to be responsible in “If I had a bus pass, the bus doesn’t run at the decisions that you make.” night, and I couldn’t take [my daughter] to Gibson said she thought the Reality the hospital at night if she got sick,” she said. Check Program would surprise students. Natashia Szulczewski, freshman, was an “I think sometimes students don’t realize, insurance agent, who made a yearly salary as far as finance, what their parents have to of $29,839 and a monthly salary of $1,966 do to take care of them,” she said. “This may after taxes were deducted. She was a single be a surprise to students that parents have mother of a six month old boy. to commit and make financial sacrifices to Szulczewski said at the realty station, she support their family.” rented an apartment. Freshman Tristan Collins said he learned “I needed a place to live, and I didn’t have that he needed to save money better. enough money for a house,” she said. “I was in debt $200,” Collins said. Lynette Clark, a commercial lender at Demoyene Jennings, freshman, said he First US Bank, managed the RC Daycare enjoyed the activity and feels prepared for station. She provided daycare services to the future. participants who had children. “It was hands on. It gave me an idea of Clark said the Reality Check Program how my parents are when they pay bills and was an actual reality check. complain a lot,” he said.
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Live on less than you make.
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Photos by Destiny Hodges
CHECK Brenda Gibson’s students participate in the Reality Check Program. From top to bottom: Freshmen Adante Johnson and Jakyla Cameron look for their next station. Daryl LeAnn Wilson, TCS career coach, helps students find the right car. Freshmen Natashia Szulczewski and Kendra Holifield pay for their utilities. Terry Greene, Publix Assistant Grocery Manager, talks to Brenda Gibson as he helps freshman Avery Hester and junior Anna Katherine Tucker with their groceries.
Seniors have nine weeks left of high school DESTINY HODGES NEWS EDITOR
For senior Mike Lee, second semester is a fresh start and a chance to improve. “I plan to enjoy and appreciate my last semester by showing school spirit,” he said. He said his only jitters are of the graduation ceremony. “I’m afraid of falling on stage,” Lee said. “Failure is not an option, and I can’t let my fears get in the way.” Zaahria Deboise, senior, said, she would describe second semester as long, boring and stressful. “I’m ready to graduate and be done with high school,” Deboise said. Kathleen Bradford, twelfth grade counselor, said she thinks seniors should be more concerned in second semester. “I believe students catch senioritis extremely bad in the spring,” Bradford said.
“They haven’t finished yet. They haven’t walked across that graduation stage, and by not caring they’re jeopardizing their chances of [graduating].” Senior Mary-Elisabeth Tucker said she would describe her second semester as fun, somewhat difficult and challenging. “It’s fun because I’m closer to graduating, and better things are happening for me,” Tucker said. “It’s difficult and challenging because the work gets harder, and there are more obstacles I have to face.” Principal Kyle Ferguson said he is impressed with this year’s seniors. “After coming back from the holidays, our seniors stayed focused on their priorities. They have their heads screwed on right,” Ferguson said. Ferguson said he wants seniors to know that their days are getting real short. “Everything [seniors] have prepared for up to this point is about to happen,” he said.
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FEATURE
THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTER MARCH 13, 2015
GATEWAY DRUG paves life of experim
REBECCA GRIESBACH MANAGING EDITOR
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fter consuming a cannabis confection concocted by his senior classmate, a junior and selfproclaimed “drug virgin” took his first steps into the hallucinogenic world of weed. “These were very very weak pot brownies,” the senior said coolly. “Typically, you have about three and a half grams per twelve brownies. I only put just under a gram.” Already knee deep into the dangerous waters of recreational drugs, the senior and two of his classmates said marijuana is where they started, too.
STUDENT MARIJUANA USAGE upon leaving middle school
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ALREADY KNEE-DEEP INTO THE DANGEROUS W AND TWO OF HIS CLASSMATES SAID MAR
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THE FIRST SENIOR, a relative newbie to the weed scene, said he just started smoking marijuana two months ago. “If anything, you could say it was peer pressure,” he said. “My friends were doing it. I wanted to try it. It was kind of a social experiment for me, ‘cause I wanted to get to that place where people said they were always at. They were like, ‘I’m on top of the world,” and I’m like, “Okay, well, what is that feeling?” It was marijuana, the senior said, that opened the door to another substance. “I was going to pick up weed, and when I was at – of course – a sketchy apartment with sketchy high schoolers... they said, ‘Hey, we’re going to Walmart to get some Air Duster. Do you want to try it?’’ he said. “... and I was like, ‘I.... do not know what that is... maybe.’” The senior did, in fact, go with these “sketchy high schoolers” to purchase the substance. He watched one of them lift up their shirts to their mouth, filter the substance through and deeply
inhale it “as if you were inhaling a balloon full of helium.” The senior reached for his phone and looked the substance up, searching for an answer as to what it could do to him if he were to try it, too. AP Psychology teacher Erin Baggett said that while they are legal and easily accessible, there are people who will buy aerosolbased products from “Office Depot” or “Walmart” just to huff them. “Huffing is very serious to the point where it could lead to damaging brain cells,” she said. “…The high is very temporary, so a lot of times, you see people have maybe thirty minutes to an hour on the high, and then they’ll go back down and have to do it again.” The only way the senior could describe the experience, he said, was “drowning, but painless.” “It will put you on your a**. You just sit there, and you’re loopy. Some people drool... I sit there, and I just smile,” he said, expressionless. “Is it good? No. Not at all. I don’t even know if I think weed is good or not yet...”
A SECOND SENIOR said her drug habits started when she was introduced to marijuana as a freshman. “I was in PE, and everyone was like, ‘We’re going to the tennis courts to smoke weed,’ so I was just like, ‘Okay, whatever, I guess that’s the cool thing to do now,’” she said. “So I went to the tennis court with those people, and then more people were smoking weed, so we just joined in with them. And then I went back to class.” “...That’s where I started screwing up. It’s where I thought things were cool in high school. Now I’m a senior, and there’s consequences...,” she said. She wasn’t experimenting with drugs alone. Upon forming a relationship with a third senior, the second senior said the couple began to dabble in a variety of drugs, moving from one substance to the other in order to avoid addiction. “We’re, like, really openminded, so we like try everything like once, but we’re not like addicts where we would do it more than once,” she said. With her own mental and physical scars to show, the second senior said that she would
FADED Information from the National Institute on Drug Abuse Infographic designed by Rebecca Griesbach
not advise anyone to begin using drugs in such a manner because it can lead to not only health problems, but psychological problems as well. “The minute you do it, you kinda, like, get this feeling of always wanting to feel better, or different,” she said. “Once you start feeling different, you’re not content with feeling sober all the time.” “Yeah, it’s like, ‘I just wanna get high,’” the third senior said. “... There’s other things out there that you can have fun with than just doing something that will ruin your life.” “Plus, it’s such a waste of money,” she said. “Like, you’ll buy a gram of weed for $20, and then you’ll smoke it, and then it’s gone.” However independent of these drugs they may claim to be, the seniors have a particular hunch for prescription drug abuse when it comes to daily intake. “I am on Adderall right now,” she said. “Right now, I’m on antidepressants,” he said. “...I was prescribed for them, but, I kind of... wanted to get on it, ‘cause I love the medicine and all that, ‘cause it feels good.” “But you need that,” she said to him. “Not really...” he said back. “I’ve been taking it when I... want to.”
HORROR STORIES: Synthetic marijuana more than just frightful There was this house, a teenager’s house for a teenager’s party. Inside there was this guy, a really innocent guy, who had never touched a drug before in his life. But tonight he was at this house, ‘cause he came with this other guy. “He probably wanted to fit in,” said a senior girl who was at that house. “He’d never smoked weed, never done drugs before. Then these guys were like ‘Try some of this.’” “Ok,” said that innocent guy. “First he sat down,” said the senior girl, “and he was like ‘I feel funny.’ Then all of a sudden he starts shaking his head back and forth uncontrollable, just freaking out, and he’s turning green.” “People start asking him ‘are you ok? Do you want some water?’ And he’s just sitting there freaking out, sweating and really pale.”
Instead of fetching water, another teen produces a pouch of marijuana, “because if you smoke weed after synthetic marijuana, it kind of makes the feeling go away, of the synthetic,” the senior girl said. “So they were like, ‘Take a hit of this,’ and then he got scared, ‘cause he thought they were offering him more spice, and he slapped the weed away.” “He became like an animal,” the senior girl said, “throwing tables, throwing chairs and shouting ‘LEAVE ME ALONE!’ Then all of a sudden he sits down like nothing happened.” “Everything in the room was destroyed, and he was like ‘What happened to this room?’” “You did it,” they told him. “He looked down,” the senior girl said, “and he said ‘I just came
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back from Hell.’” “Then he walks outside and lays down. He did not talk the rest of the night.” The drug that boy was given was synthetic marijuana. The National Institute on Drug Abuse website describes it as an umbrella group of chemical concoctions designed to produce “experiences similar to marijuana” that are “marketed as ‘safe’ legal alternatives to that drug.”
Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction compiled on spice in 2010.) Because spice is a very recent addition to the narcotics black market - according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, negative effects of spice have only been reported in America since 2009 - it is still widely sold over the counter in gas stations and online. Principal Kyle Ferguson recalls encountering spice in a convenience store when he was still a principal in Thomasville. “They used to be able to sell it legally, under the guise of incense,” Ferguson said, “marked Not for Human Consumption.” One day, Ferguson said, the clerk at a store directed his attention to a number of brightly colored packets, which Ferguson
IT’S NOT A GATEWAY DRUG, IT’S A DEAD END DRUG. KYLE FERGUSON, PRINCIPAL
Commonly called “spice,” synthetic marijuana is sold under a series of pseudonyms, like Gorrillaz, K2, Spice Silver, Spice Diamond, Spice Arctic Synergy and No More Mr. Nice Guy. (listed in a report by the European
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BERT McLELLAND OPINION EDITOR
described as looking “like candy.” “Hey,” the clerk said, “you need to try this stuff in the purple package.” “I just thought, ‘Wow,’” Ferguson said. The nature of the clerks offer was clear: “He was sellin’ it to smoke, not as incense.” Ferguson said he bought one pack of every kind of spice in the store, then took it to show his faculty. As a result of a law passed in 2012 which Ferguson said he proposed through former state senator Marc Keahey, synthetic marijuana is now illegal to purchase or sell in the state of Alabama. But the law, said Ferguson, is difficult to enforce. “They’ll outlaw a certain combination, and [dealers] will throw somethin’ else in it.” Erratic changes in the chemical composition of spice products make its effects extremely unpredictable.
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FEATURE
THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTER MARCH 13, 2015
mentation, substance abuse for THREE seniors
WATERS OF RECREATIONAL DRUGS, THE SENIOR RIJUANA IS WHERE THEY STARTED, TOO.
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His dependence on antidepressants, THE THIRD SENIOR said, is rooted in a volatile relationship with his father, who introduced him to marijuana before he even hit the third grade. “I was seven years old,” he said. “My dad was very deep into drugs, and he did drugs all his life, so I smoked weed with him. Then, when I was eleven, that happened...” He hung his head and fidgeted with his hands. “That had nothing to do with drugs,” the second senior said to him. “Yeah, it did...” he said back. “Alcohol?” she said. “I was on drugs, too…” he said. “I was crossfaded for the first time.” “It was with my best friend at the time,” he said. “...his dad and my dad were both drug dealers. One day [he] invites me over for drinks, and I was eleven, so I didn’t know what he meant by drinks; I thought he meant like sodas, orange juice and chocolate milk or something like that.” There were party favors, too. Just not the kind he thought there would be. After walking in to find a “big pack of Heineken” on the table, the boy and his friend welcomed
an older girl inside. Clasped in her hand was a bag of marijuana. “And I didn’t know crossfaded was the term for what... I was gonna go... into,” he said. “I was very dizzy. I felt like I was going to puke. I had this massive headache, because your mind is going like one way and the other. It’s like – it’s weird. And everything was like spinning for me.” The effects of mixing a “huge amount of alcohol with any kind of drug,” such as the experience described by the senior, can be deadly, Baggett said. “...Whether it’s Sudafed, Tylenol... birth control [or] anxiety medication, just the combination of how much alcohol you drink and how many pills you’ve taken on top of it... It could be a lethal combination, without [you] even realizing it,” she said. He sat on the couch, crossfaded. “My head hurts…” he said. “I want to puke, but I don’t want to puke…” He was eleven. His best friend was twelve. By the time he reached the girl’s age, he would be into much harder drugs. He was just fourteen when he “snorted a line of coke.” “That was the last time I did that...” he said. “Basically, molly is like taking five [Adderalls].
Cocaine is like ten.” Cocaine, Baggett said, is “right up there with meth” as far as the level of damage it can do to a user’s body. “The heart, breathing, lung capacity [can all be affected],” she said. “And it’s very addicting.” Although that was his first and last time with cocaine in particular, the senior said his recreational drug use did not simmer down until his dad was “out of the picture,” too. “It happened in 2013,” he said. “We owned [a restaurant]… He ran out of money, because he spent all his money on drugs,” he said. “...so he decided he was going to go to [the restaurant] and steal like a box of shipments, so he could sell it for 100 bucks. So he did that, and he got caught on camera, and that’s when we lost the restaurant.” The senior said his dad’s drug use did not cease after the incident. “He really... he needed drugs, cause he couldn’t... he was gonna suffer from withdrawals, and he didn’t want to do that,” he said. “So he eventually started selling all of our – all of my stuff.” “I decided to stay at [a friend’s] house,” he said. “And then, two days before Christmas, I came home... and I noticed that he was
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rincipal Kyle Ferguson, who has worked in public and inner-city schools all over the state, said that bringing these habits into a school environment is “not unique to Northridge.” “Kids do drugs,” he said. “It will kill you. It will destroy you. It will knock you off the tracks of life, no doubt about it.” Life’s too short to just learn from your own mistakes, Ferguson said. “You gotta learn from other people’s mistakes…” he said. “If you throw away your last two years of high school because you made some poor decisions, it’s hard to get that back.”
gone, and that my dad’s friend was there. He said, ‘Oh, your dad left for New York... this morning. He took the bus.’ He didn’t call me or tell me that he was leaving.” “...My mom comes back [from visiting relatives] and sees everything that has happened,” he said. “You know, this house that no one’s lived in, and the rent’s due. It was late. We had to pay for it still. Dad’s gone. We lost the restaurant and everything, and I’m not at the house anymore.” “My parents kinda ditched me, and I was forced to become... a young adult and all,” he said with a sigh. “I was f***ing sad about that whole thing; it gave me depression and all that.” The senior quietly chuckled, his fingers fidgeting with a MOST ABUSED toothpick, and then went silent. PRESCRIPTION DRUGS “I used to smoke weed a lot. IN THE U.S. I would do hard drugs...” he said. “I completely stopped that whole junior year, because of what I saw with my dad.” It wasn’t too hard for him to BELIEVED ADDERALL, XANAX, ADHD MEDS, stop, the senior said, because he OXYCODONE, CODINE “wasn’t addicted,” but he still ACTUAL managed to have some slip ups OPIOIDS-PRESCRIBED FOR PAIN RELIEF during his senior year. CNS DEPRESSANTSBARBITU“I did shrooms at the ATES AND BENZODIAZEPINES PREbeginning of the school year, SCRIBED FOR ANXIETY OR SLEEP PROBLEMS (OFTEN REFERRED TO and [in January], this person AS SEDATIVES OR TRANQUILIZERS and I, we snorted molly,” he STIMULANTS- PRESCRIBED FOR ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY said. DISORDER (ADHD), THE SLEEP DISORDER NARCOLEPSY, OR OBESITY
Information from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and John Mark McCleland Infographic designed by Kathryn Versace
experience, can cause irreversible damage “You might as well be smoking that garbage bag,” Ferguson said. While the sale of spice may be banned in Alabama, it can be purchased without the slightest difficulty online. One website not blocked on school computers offers the listed synthetic marijuana product Yucatan Fire, which it describes as an “aromatic potpourri herbal blend with natural fruity essences.” Though synthetic marijuana is designed to be a cannabis-like high, its effect on the body can be quite different from marijuana. An anonymous sophomore who admitted to smoking weed said synthetic marijuana was “real bad” by contrast. “That sh** can mess up your brain,” she said. The aforementioned senior girl described an awful experience she once had after smoking what she now believes was synthetic marijuana. “I would never touch synthetic
marijuana, ‘cause it has chemicals and stuff in it, [but] someone said it was weed.” “I started having these dreams,” the senior said, “like things were making me mad.” “I felt like I was in hell.” The senior said the spice caused her to “tear all of the skin off [her] lips,” and then made the conversation of the older boys who gave her the synthetic seem to “repeat” over and over again. When she asked to leave, the boys refused to let her. “I asked them to take me home, but they were like ‘just chill,’” she said. “I tried to call my mom, but they took my phone from me and kept it, so they wouldn’t get it trouble. I begged them to take me home, but they just laughed.” In the end, the senior said she persuaded her companions to drop her off at her father’s house, which was nearby. “When I got there,” the senior
said, “I was so uncomfortable I could barely walk.” Ferguson said he has had students in the past who suffered far more permanent harm after taking spice than the senior. “I’ve known of two students,” Ferguson said, “that suffered irreversible brain damage from smoking synthetics. It’s very tragic to have known those kids before they took the drugs and to see what they were reduced to.” Ferguson said he encountered one of the two former students in a McDonald’s on his last visit to Thomasville. “He talks to me like a five or six-year-old now,” Ferguson said. The cases of his two students, Ferguson said, demonstrate the irrefutable dangers of smoking synthetic marijuana. “Marijuana’s bad enough as a gateway drug,” Ferguson said. “This stuff is killin’ people, and quick. It’s not a gateway drug, it’s a dead end drug.”
AMPED ON ADDERALL
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So say you walk outside, you see a very sunny day, rainbows everywhere, and a second later, DARK CLOUDS COME OUT, it’s raining, it’s thunderstorming, you feel tired… You just lay back and contemplate about life. It’s not really happy, it’s just neutral and unhappy, in my opinion. YOU CAN’T REALLY BE HAPPY AND CRASH AT THE SAME TIME.
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Graphic designed by Kathryn Versace
Read James Niiler’s full article on the website www.northridgereporter.wordpress.com
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ENTERTAINMENT
THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTER MARCH 13, 2015
MOVIE REVIEW
WWII hero story nominated for Oscar
BERT McLELLAND OPINION EDITOR
In an intense epic of trial and discovery, The Imitation Game tells the story of WWII hero Alan Turing’s attempts to crack the unbreakable Nazi Enigma code and win the war. In a masterful portrayal fully deserving of its Oscar Nomination for Best Picture, Sherlock superstar Benedict Cumberbatch brings to life a fragile, ill-mannered but brilliant hero who exceeds all expectations to defeat the Nazis and change the course
of human history. By its sheer originality this film is proof positive that truth is stranger (and far more moving) than fiction ever could be. This film is an emotional roller-coaster ride as the viewer is intrigued by Turing’s fascinating character, enthralled by his struggle, elated at his success and then appalled by an ending more tragic than any writer could invent. Incessant wit, moving substance and masterful performance make The Imitation Game the must-see movie of the year.
Photo from MCT Campus
HELD BACK In his workshop, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) is constricted by British soldiers as they smash his computer with the Nazi Enigma code on it.
Music program has expanded and improved since the school’s founding
CAMRI MASON PHOTOGRAPHER
The school’s music program first started with band and choir, choral music teacher Beth McGuire said. Band teacher John Cain said band’s participation has gotten better every year. “The quality has increased,” Cain said. Cain said he started to see the work put in by band members paying off. “We are able to play higher [music] literature now,” he said. Band now has two concert groups, instead of one. Cain has been directing band for five years. “It has had its ups and downs over the past five years,” Cain said. “I’ve seen a larger percentage of students who care about being in band.” Science teacher Beth Allaway, who has been here since the school opened in 2003, said the band started out with 20
to 30 students when the Tuscaloosa City schools separated, most band members Schools separated into three different high were beginners at playing an instrument.” schools. “When Cain took over band, everything “They were changed,” Allaway beginner students, said. “He is a great and I don’t think musician, teacher and they marched at all,” organizer. When he Allaway said. took over, the band Allaway, who and sound changed; it was at Central was amazing.” High School before Allaway said coming here, said the band is well when the students established and has came from Central, really good marching they did not have a skills. chance to play with She said the the band because band has a lot of Photo by Kathryn Versace consistency now, and there were so many ONE-AND-A-TWO Band director John she knows what to students who tried Cain conducts a practice with his fourth period expect. out. class. The Middle School Honor Band held a McGuire has been “Only the best concert on Saturday, March 7 in the audito- the choral music could make the rium. “Some middle-schoolers from around the teacher since the band,” she said. area performed,” Cain said. “When the school opened.
MADE FRESH DAILY.
She said the biggest change for choir was going into a seven period day. “It allows my students to take choir throughout the entire year,” McGuire said. Roughly two or three years after the school opened, McGuire added Musical Theater because of her interest in it. “I’ve done [musical theater] for years,” McGuire said. She said she taught in New York. The strings program began ten years ago. Allaway said the strings program is incredible. Sophomore violin player Jack Powell, who is part of the strings program, joined the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra and the All-State Orchestra. “[ Joining those groups] helped me expand my techniques to play harder music and to take my skills I learned and use them in the school’s [orchestra],” he said. “If you go to the concert, it’s like going to a professional symphony,” Allaway said.
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ENTERTAINMENT
THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTER MARCH 13, 2015
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Rapper begins rapping about ‘Spongebob’ at eight With gold-plated teeth spitting rhymes inspired by his idols Tupac, Jeezy, Boosie and Biggie, sophomore Marcel Mays is on his way to pursue a future in the entertainment industry. “I can really do everything,” Mays said. “Rap, sing, act - I would want to make a career out of all of ‘em.” Mays’ U.S. History teacher John Edwards said that while typically soft spoken, Mays talks with him on a regular basis, discussing music and everything in between. “He says he’s got some pretty good lines,” Edwards said. “[He’s a] funny guy, a funny guy...” Marc Mays, Marcel’s dad, said his son “grew up around music his whole life.” “He would always blast the radio and bob his head like he knew what he was listening to,” Marc said. Mays said his musical path began “back in 1998,” when Marc got convicted for possession. “[Marc] started rapping in jail,” Mays said. “He started rapping about trying to become a better human being... about overcoming his problems.” After a year and a half, Marc was released from prison. It was then that he started to share his newfound interest with his son. “Every time I used to go up to his
house, he used to just spit freestyle,” Mays he will eventually, Mays said with a wink. said. “And I’d just be like, ‘Man, that was As for now, Mays “doesn’t really worry tight!’” about females.” Instead, he’s focused on The two continued to spend their visits “making it big.” rapping together, and at eight, Mays started “I like rappin’ about comin’ up, possibly to write his own raps. makin’ it rich,” Mays said. “I love money.” “Golly, I used to rap about crazy stuff, Through his father’s eyes, Mays’ dream man,” Mays said. “Like, I had a song called could indeed come true. ‘SpongeBob.’ Really! I was just writing to “I see him going far because I know that it, like all of the different episodes, and I anything is possible with him if he puts would just put stuff together.” his mind to it,” Marc said. “And of course, By the time he hit seventh grade, Mays nothing is possible without having faith in said the focus of his raps changed from God; that is something I truly believe in.” Rugrats to relationships. In October of last year, Mays said he “I started rapping about females, you met his producer Bama Flamez “through know?” Mays said. a homeboy.” This shift wasn’t sparked by any one girl, “We had talked and stuff and connected Mays said with a laugh, his shiny set of on so many levels,” Mays said. grills catching the While his son’s light. future in music Never forget where you come seems promising, “There was a lot of ‘em...” from. Always remember who did Marc said that he Mays said, still urges him to finish stuff for you and who didn’t. chuckling, reveling school and strive to in the thoughts “be independent.” of his middle school pursuits. “I don’t “I think he will make it into the industry discriminate.” simply because he’s very talented and, need One girl, though, stuck out to him, I say, very lyrical,” Marc said. “Marcel is a but not in a way Mays said he wants to good son with lots of ambition, and I love remember. him along with the rest of his siblings, with “… So I was chillin’ with my homies, all of my heart.” and she came to my house! She came over Although he said he’s closer to his mother there, and she was yappin’ off at the mouth. and sister, whom he has lived with all of his I was like, ‘I don’t want you over here,’ so I life, Mays said he shares something special just walked off. But then she got in her car with his dad, as he is “the only [son] that and zoomed onto the sidewalk, so I jumped does music.” in the yard. I nearly took off runnin’,” Mays “Never forget where you come from. said. “She like, ‘SCRRRRR!’ like, took off. Always remember who did stuff for you She tried to run me over with her car!” and who didn’t,” Mays said. “That’s the He hasn’t written a rap about her yet, but kinda thing I like to rap about.”
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REBECCA GRIESBACH MANAGING EDITOR
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SPORTS
THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTER MARCH 13,2015
Wright goes to state MAYCI HARTLEY STAFF WRITER
Photo by Beth Allaway
PINNED Senior Ben Wright pins down his opponent during the in-school wrestling match against Tuscaloosa County High. “I worked on making state for four years,” Wright said. “It was the culmination of all my hard work.”
Golfer overcomes adversity
Bobby Shelton, who was number one in the country at that time,” he said. Walker said he couldn’t play the way he Senior William Walker, who signed with wanted to during the summer. UAB to play golf on Nov. “I learned that I just need to 12, said he hopes the golf be patient, so I took time off, team will win state. so now I’m fine,” he said. “The season started out Golf coach David Akins pretty well, and it’s really has been Walker’s coach early,” Walker said. “We throughout high school. still have time to prepare “I met William before his for bigger tournaments like high school career began, and sectionals and state.” I knew that we were getting Photo by Camri Mason The team finished 5th in a a tremendous player,” Akins WALKER tournament in Fairhope on Feb said. 16 and 17. “William was bad at [overcoming] “I didn’t play too well because it was adversity in the beginning, but now he really windy,” Walker said. has gotten better at it and can overcome it The team placed 7th in the West well,” Akins said. Alabama Classic on March 2 and 3. In order to be a great player, “you have “The first day I shot a 70, and the second to be self-confident and have a will to day I shot a 76,” he said. “ I was happy with work hard, and [Walker] has all of those the scores because we played in the rain.” characteristics,” Akins said. Walker said he and his grandfather have “I was watching William shoot a 67 at a special bond because of golf. the Azalea City Classic in Mobile; it was “My grandfather gave me my first set of one of those days when you could tell he clubs when I was two years old,” he said. was having fun and relaxed. He was fun to “My grandfather is a really good golfer, and watch that day,” Akins said. I have always wanted to be like him.” Akins said Walker is a tireless worker, Walker said he has learned that one can a tremendous young man and Walker has succeed even against skilled opponents. enjoyed watching him become the golfer “My highest moment was when I beat he is today. MAYCI HARTLEY STAFF WRITER
“Renewable waste to energy”
Senior wrestler Ben Wright, who has been wrestling since freshman year, placed second at sectionals, qualifying him for state. “State has been a goal since freshman year. You’re among the best of the best at state, and because of placement, I might have a chance,” Wright said. “Don McNabb [the wrestling coach at the time] pulled me into wrestling freshman year because I was the smallest one [on the football team]. I wasn’t getting very much playing time, and he asked me if I wanted to wrestle,” he said. “He told me I would be wrestling people my size, and I was in.” Wright said he manages all of his extracurricular activities the best he can. “It can get overwhelming, but my friends and family keep me balanced,” he said. Wright said the wrestling practices involve lots of running. “We have some of the most grueling practices. We run as much as the soccer team, go work out, then we go and wrestle,” he said.
BASEBALL SCORES
Shane Ashcraft, current wrestling coach, has been coaching Wright for two years. Ashcraft said Wright is always improving. “He has gotten more focused and patient,” Ashcraft said. Wright is one of three students throughout the wresting program to go to state. “This shows that [Northridge] is consistent in taking people to state and how hard the team works,” Ashcraft said. Ashcraft said the wrestling season went well. “There were lots of matches and everyone got better every match,” Ashcraft said. Donna Wright, Ben’s mother, said she encourages Ben to never give up. “At state Ben was sick—[he had to go] to the doctor and get a shot—and still did well. I was very proud that he didn’t give up and represented the school well,” she said. She said most kids start young, “so for him to be able to go to state and compete against athletes who have been competing since middle school, I am exceptionally proud.”
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SPORTS
THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTER MARCH 13,2015
11
Photo by Camri Mason
OLE OLE Sophomore JV midfielder Ethan Armstrong gets ready to take a shot against Vestavia on Feb.9. “The game was diffuicult, but helped us realize what we need to work on,” Armstrong said. “We only lost 4-0 to the best team in state. We could fix those mistakes and practice more,” Owen Schreiber, sophomore defender, said.
IN IT TO WIN IT
Soccer season begins with wins, losses against tough opponents SUJITHA PERAMSETTY ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR
At the end of every weekday soccer practice a loud cry of ‘Jags!’ can be heard across campus. The five soccer teams huddle together, as pride and spirit come through, and they daydream about victory. As of March 9, the varsity boys record is (7-3-1), the varsity girls record is (6-4-1), and the JV boys record is (34). The JV girls record is (0-3). The freshman boys record is (1-2). The freshman, JV, and varsity boys started their season playing against Vestavia, the 6A State Champions. The JV and varsity girls started their season against Hoover. Coach Carter Hill said all five teams started the season with difficult games. “We are playing two of our toughest matches to see how good we are,” he said. Hill said having five different teams is “very, very good for the program,” and he is “very lucky to have good help.”
JV soccer player Owen Schreiber, sophomore, said they did “lots of running, sprinting and repetitions with the ball to prepare for the first game.” Terry Millsaps, sophomore JV soccer player, said the running “kills” her. “I’m so sore, but it does whip us into shape,” she said. Despite the varsity boys loss, varsity soccer player Mason Mitchell, junior, said they have a good team this season. “Physically, we got in shape,” he said. “Skill-wise, we worked on what we didn’t do well last year, so we can do well this year.” Schreiber said the JV game against Vestavia was a loss, but it was a good loss. “Only losing 4-0 to the best team in state by mistakes that are easily fixed is a good situation,” he said. The freshman boys also lost. Mitchell said it was a good start to the season though it was a loss. “We played hard against a good team. We need to work
on team chemistry and communication,” he said. The JV girls lost their game. Millsaps said the JV girls season is going well so far. “Our record isn’t great, but we’re improving quickly and doing well for a new team,” she said. “We definitely need to work together as a team more, but we’re doing really well figuring out our new positions.” Although the varsity girls lost their first game, they won against ACA, Bryant and Hillcrest. The varsity boys won against ACA, Bryant and Hillcrest. The JV boys won against Bryant, Hillcrest and Pelham. The varsity boys won the Tuscaloosa Metro Tournament Championship. The varsity girls lost to Holy Spirit, placing 2nd. Schreiber said he expects good things overall for the soccer season. “We have a lot of good players and good team chemistry,” he said. “I really hope to see lots of fans just like at the football games.”
SPORTS COLUMN
FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME
Soccer needs cheerleaders
Family’s love of soccer inspires senior
MAYCI HARTLEY STAFF WRITER
Senior varsity center midfielder soccer player Lee Almond has a family full of soccer players. Her family is where she gets her inspiration. “I started playing soccer because my grandfather was a soccer coach,” Almond said. “My older cousin is who I get my inspiration from because he has played all his life and is a former assistant coach at Newberry. “I tried out for a spot on a state team, but I didn’t make it. A few months later I tried out for a national team, [Birmingham United Soccer Club ECNL 97 (BUSA)] and made it,” Almond said She said she loves what professional soccer player Mia Hamm said about soccer. “Somewhere behind the athlete you have become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back. Play for her,” Hamm said. She said conditioning is for everyone but not everyone likes it. “My lowest moments are during fitness testing and conditioning,” she said. “I have learned that I don’t like running, that I like soccer.” Coach Hill has coached Almond all during high school. “My first thoughts of Lee were when I
met her at Shelton State nine years ago; she was great then, a really good kid and likable,” he said. He said that Almond has a leadership quality to her. “Even though Lee took on a leadership role when she was a freshmen, she has become a stronger and very good leader,” Hill said. He said Almond’s personality is what makes her such a great person. “Lee is likeable, personal, a hard worker and has an inner drive to do better in athletics and academics. It is personal drive,” Hill said. He said Almond is one of those people who will motivate you to do more than you have done. “I was training for a half marathon and would text Lee about how much I ran, and she would text back how much more she had ran; in the end, she beat me,” Hill said. Almond said she is not going to be playing soccer in college. “I don’t want to play in college. I want to be normal student and not play soccer. I will still love soccer though,” she said. Courtney Mobbs has played with Almond for two years. “I think Lee has lots of talent on the field and is a great player,” Mobbs said. Mobbs said that Almond helps keep them motivated. “Lee pushes us during practice and yells
JORDAN HUTCHINSON SPORTS EDITOR
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Photo by Mayci Hartley
INSPIRE ME Senior midfielder Lee Almond “fights for every ball and does not give up. She is really aggressive,” senior soccer player Isabella McVeagh said. She said she has helped this year by keeping everyone on the team positive. encouragingly, she makes the practices fun but keeps us concentrated,” Mobbs said Lee Almond’s father, Judge Brad Almond, is supporting Lee this year with being the team manager. “In years past, before high school her mom and I let her play in Birmingham on a league there. This allowed her to play with different teams and get her going,” he said. Almond’s father said that it is hard to make someone fall on their back. “Several years ago, playing on a boys team, 13 year old Lee made a boy fall on his back. All the parents were standing up cheering for her because a girl knocked a boy on his back,” he said.
art of the allure of football and basketball games is the cheerleaders. They pep up the team and the fans in a way that only a squad of high school girls can. If football and basketball can have a pep squad like that, what about soccer? If soccer were to have cheerleaders, it would bring in more fans of the male gender, in which our audience is lacking because of all the girls who love to watch the boys play. For the girls it would bring more guys that would acknowledge how good they look playing soccer. Having cheerleaders would also give the guys on the bench something to look at if they are not involved with the game. It would get rid of the complaints about playing time as all the guys in the bench would be entertained. The soccer team would also have a big advantage over anyone who came to Northridge because the other team would be distracted by our cheer squad, and we could score as much as we wanted. We would be guaranteed to win a state championship. The list of positives go on and on. The only downside to having cheerleaders would be that less people would actually watch the game. But as long as they pay admission, it doesn’t matter if they watch or not.
GLOW
earing neon shirts, crazy light-up sunglasses, wild hats with glowing tentacles and glimmering face paint, runners waited patiently at the starting line. They were ready to light up the night in the Glow Run which returned to Tuscaloosa on Feb. 21. Though the weather conditions were not ideal, Hollie Smith, operations manager for the run, said there was a good turnout. “It’s windy. It’s kind of cold, but we had 800 people still show up tonight to run,” she said. “I think that really says a lot about the Tuscaloosa community. I think that really shows the dedication of the people down here.” Smith said they tried to stay ahead of the weather. “Of course, everyone’s safety is our number one priority. We don’t want anyone who is running to feel as though they are in danger with any kind of weather. We’ve been working with the police department and the emergency medical services, and we’re doing our best to stay one step ahead of whatever would happen,” she said. Kendall McKone, freshman, said she still had a great time. “The Glow Run was still amazing even though the weather was nasty,” she said. Freshman Gabbi Fernandez said she did the run last year. “[Last year], a huge group of us - 30 friends - went,” she said. “We got all glow stuff and decked out. The concert and the DJ afterwards were fun.” McKone said she also did the run last year.
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SUJITHA PERAMSETTY ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR
“I didn’t realize what it was. I did it because all my friends were doing it,” she said. “The way you line up is the people who want to run are in the front and people who don’t are in the back. It was upbeat and happy.” Freshman Morgan Call said she joined the run because “it supports a good cause.” The Glow Run supports Tuscaloosa’s One Place, a family resource center. Jean Rykaczewski, marketing and job development coordinator at Tuscaloosa’s One Place, said the organization supports families in need in difficult times. “We provide classes, an after-school program, and do community outreach,” she said. “We work with children and their families.” Smith said it is important to have a charity partner at events. “When we come here, we want to give back locally because the local community has been giving so much to us through all of our registrations, through all of our volunteers,” she said. “The fact that Tuscaloosa’s One Place does so much for local families means a lot to
us, so we want to support them in every way we can.” Smith said a portion of the race registrations goes to the organization. “It’s a lot of fun for the both of us because we both work really hard to push those registrations,” she said. “The more people that we have run, the more we’re able to give back to them, which is really a wonderful feeling.” Fernandez said there is a reward for participants. “We all got this huge medal no matter how fast we ran,” she said, creating a circle the size of a grapefruit with her hands to convey the size of the medal. Fernandez, Call and McKone said they would do the run again next year. Smith said she certainly hopes to bring the run back next year. “It’s one of those things where there’s a lot of little details that go into hosting these runs, and everything has to go perfect in order to make it happen,” she said. “If everything goes according to plan, we would love to [bring back the run.]”
Photo by Sujitha Peramsetty
READY, SET, GLOW Participants in the 2015 Glow Run 5K gather at the starting line prior to the race. The Glow Run is a charity race for Tuscaloosa One Place, an organization which supports local families in need. This year’s run attracted 800 participants despite the less-than-ideal weather.
Students participate in Glow Run
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THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTER MARCH 13, 2015
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MARCH 13, 2015 VOLUME 12 ISSUE 6