May 2013 Issue

Seniors Perform Final Choir Concert p. 19

New SGA Leaders Elected p. 9

Volume XI Issue 8 Seniors Dress For Graduation p. 23

The year is coming to a close and the senior choir members are singing their final songs. The spring concert was held on May 16 and was followed with competition on May 17.

Recently, SGA officials were elected for the 2013-2014 calendar school year. Elected officials discuss reasonings behind their campaign, how they prepared and their new responsibilities.

Graduation is quickly approaching and seniors must prepare to be appropriately dressed.

Graduation will be held on Sat. June 8 at 9 AM.

Prince George H.S. - 7801 Laurel Spring Rd. Prince George, VA 23875 - www.trnwired.org - May 23, 2013

Senior Pursues Dream p. 7 theRoyalNews Visit trnwired.org to see the latest photo galleries and watch live broadcast events.

Khalil Sanders was recently accepted to New York University school of dance. Sanders plans to build a career as a professional dancer.

Photo contributed by Khalil Sanders.

2 | THE ROYAL NEWS | THURSDAY 5.23.13

op/ed

American Justice System Lacks Conviction

the RoyalNews

H

O

ur mission as the school newspaper for Prince George High School is to provide a form of media that represents all aspects of student life. The goal is to present factual accounts of newsworthy events in a timely manner. Our publication will be informative, entertaining and reflective of the student body’s opinions. It is the desire of the staff to reach every student and tell as many of their stories as possible.

We invite your commentary: The Royal News Opinion page is a forum for public discussion and shall be open to all students. The Royal News will print as many letters as space will allow. The Royal News reserves the right not to print a letter. The Royal News publishes a wide variety of opinions. Send letters to: Letters to the Editor, The Royal News, PGHS, 7801 Laurel Spring Road, Prince George, Virginia 23875, or bring them to room A4, or e-mail them to cwaugaman@pgs.k12.va.us We reserve the right to edit for clarity, brevity, accuracy, legality, spelling and grammar.

Please include your name, address and phone number. Anonymous letters will not be considered for publication. 500 word maximum.

Thank you for the support this year. Please continue to communicate on trnwired.org.

Section Editors

Illustration by Anthony Sudol.

Front page: Quetasia Faulcon-Op/Ed: Nathan Britt-News: Casey Overton-Features: Faven ButlerDouble Truck: Danielle Marshall-A&E : Deborah Gardner-Sports: Kristen Schwalm-Ampersand: Tiana Kelly-Photo Editor/Distribution and Events: Ridhi Patel-Business & Ad Editor: Chloe Alexander-Online Editor-in-Chief: Korrina Smith Online Sports Editor: Courtney Taylor-Social Media Manager: Christina Buckles

Hazing Presents Danger

W

Writers Debra Thomas-Genevieve Perez-Kolade OlanrewajuBlier Smith-Sarah Daniel-JoJo Taylor-Lindsay Pugh-Devan Fishburne-Angelica Martinez-Mallory Cox-Roxy Sherrick-John Shumar-Samantha Barton

Editor-in-Chief Amanda Majewski Chloe Alexander

Managing Editor Quetasia Faulcon

Adviser

Chris Waugaman

Professional affiliations & awards Columbia Scholastic Press Associations Gold Medalist 2008-2011 Columbia Scholastic Press Associations Silver Crown Winner 2011 Virginia High School Association Trophy Class 2006-2011 Col. Charles Savedge Award for Sustained Excellence 2010 SIPA All Southern 2008-2011 SIPA Scroggins Award for Online Media 2013

The Royal News, PGHS trnwired.org & trnsports.org

7801 Laurel Spring Road Prince George, Virginia 23875 804-733-2720 The Royal News is printed at The Progress-Index in Petersburg, Virginia

Editorial

Business Manager

hat would you do to be accepted into a group? How far would you go to be part of a community? Would you risk your life? On April 20, seven Virginia State University (VSU) students were being initiated into a non-sanctioned club called Men of Honor. Their challenge was to cross the Appomattox River. The river’s current swept them downriver and 2 students tragically died.

Marvell Edmonson and Jauwan Holmes, both 19 year old freshmen at VSU, were victims of hazing. Hazing, as defined by Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, is an initiation process involving harassment. Hazing can be found anywhere from high schools to colleges to military installations. The desire of a new member to be part of an exclusive organization keeps this dangerous and outdated ritual alive. It is very commonly used in initiations for fraternities and sororities.

Most universities and colleges do

not support hazing. Unfortunately, it still occurs. Hazing activities are generally considered to be physically abusive, hazardous, or sexually violating. Major forms of hazing are sleep deprivation, personal servitude, wearing humiliating outfits in public, binge drinking, and other alcohol related abuse.

Hazing is a complex problem that involves power and social status within a group. That is why it is so hard for new members to use their common sense. A website, hazingprevention.org, lists a few simple questions a person can ask themselves to help identify a situation as hazing for example. . .

If someone were injured would I feel comfortable being investigated by the insurance carrier?

Hazing is still prevalent in US colleges. It is something that everyone needs to be aware of and realize the consequences of. Before consenting to join a Greek organization, know their expectations and make smart decisions.

ow to gauge the severity of a crime and its subsequent punishment has been a topic of discussion for generations. The death penalty is always a second tier political discussion because of its controversial nature. All of the disagreement over the American justice system seems Nathan Britt to have resulted in a system that underpunishes some criminals and overpunishes others.

It looks as if we have developed the mindset that minors need to be shown tough punishment in order to “fix” them. We are ignoring the fact that if minors are treated like serious criminals, they will begin to act like serious criminals. Misdemeanors are still heavily in focus, despite other, more heinous crimes that should require more attention. Focusing more on public safety issues and less on civil litigation, drug possession, and juvenile law would solve many of the problems we have.

We are treating terrorists with a relatively soft hand. Our enemies scoff at our justice system because, in many cases, we treat them as equals of US citizens. The Boston Bomber is actually being tried as a US citizen and not as an enemy combatant. We have even had widespread political complaint about the treatment of prisoners of war at Guantonomo Bay. Americans need to understand that unless we adopt a more vigilant attitude about terrorism, jihadists will not be deterred from committing more atrocities on American soil. They need to be afraid of us.

The key to reconciling our punishments for different levels of crime is tied completely to our sociological attitudes. Political correctness is at the core of these problems. Too many are afraid of being labeled as racist. We need to put these notions aside in favor of an approach that befits the war crimes of terrorists.

THURSDAY 5.23.13 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 3

op/ED

Do SOLs accurately indicate performance?

The Virginia Board of Education has recently been discussing alternatives to the Standards of Learning and the tests that accompany them. What do you think?

I

n 1990, approximately one third of Virginia sixth graders failed the Literacy Passport Test, which measured basic literacy. This was not an isolated incident; in the following years, there was no marked improvement in students’ scores. It was widely agreed that educational reform was needed.

The answer came in the SOL tests, first implemented in 1998. At the time, 2% of Virginia schools had a high enough passing rate to become accredited. The standards at which teachers had been held to did not measure up to the standards set by the state. The SOLs brought immediate improvement. The following year, the accreditation rate rose to 6.5% and continued to climb. In 2011, 96% of the nearly two thousand schools in Virginia achieved accreditation.

A school’s accreditation relies on the scores of its students. There must be a 70% to 75% pass rate in every subject for a school to remain an accredited school. This ensures that the student, the teacher, and the school will take education seriously. Without SOLs, a school could deliberately soften their standards and pass students that are not qualified to avoid having to teach individually. The SOLs make this impossible.

The SOLs prepare students for testing they will experience when they take their PSATs and SATs as well as college exams. Before the SOLs were implemented, seniors only had to pass a sixth-grade level exam to graduate. As a result, nearly a quarter of college freshmen were forced to ask for remedial help to keep up with college-level curriculum.

The SOL also has marked advantages over written exams.

In the 2012-2013 year, all SOLs will be taken on computers, which will produce faster scores and more accurate data than hand-checked tests, running less risk of being marked inaccurately.

Despite arguments that the SOLs curb creativity, all standardized testing must follow an exact format for a test to be truly fair. If students prepare adequately, there is no question of the equality and effectiveness of the SOL tests.

T

PRO CON Lindsay Pugh

Korrina Smith

65%

believe that SOLs do not assess student learning

believe that SOLs assess (to some degree) student learning

35% Phi Delta Kappa poll

he Virginia Department of Education mandates that all students in Virginia Public Schools learn information based on the Standards of Learning. At the end of the year, students are required to take a SOL standardized test. It is believed that these tests provide information on each specific student’s level of achievement. According to the Virginia Department of Education, a SOL establishes minimum expectations for what students should know and be able to test on by the end of the year.

A five-year study done by the University of Maryland shows that teachers have been pressured to teach by the test, rather than thoroughly educating students outside of the confines of a set curriculum. This results in educators not teaching higher level thinking, because they only want students to regurgitate information needed for the SOL test. Another reason they teach strictly by the SOLs is because they want to increase their student’s scores because it will make them look like better teachers.

Another problem with SOL standardized tests is that the tests can only assess students on one aspect, and that is the information learned in the class. The late education researcher, Gerald W. Bracey, believes that the tests cannot measure aspects of human intelligence such as creativity, critical thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence, self-discipline, etc. These are the skills that students learn in schools and that are useful in their future.

Standardized tests such as the SOL tests can cause severe stress in younger students. Education researcher Gregory J. Cizek believes that these tests can cause unnecessary stress for young children that could be harmful to them.

As students become older, it is likely that they will not take these tests seriously. This is because the SOL test has no affect on the student’s grade in the class. Forcing students to take a pass/fail test with little reward and little punishment (with unlimited time, I might add), gives students absolutely no motivation to do well. It will not help. Nor will continually lowering standards. We need to find a new way to measure academic performance that is more comprehensive.

Making the Grade Making the Grade is the staff’s report card for student interest topics.

A+

The 2012-2013 school year is finally coming to a close, much to the delight of students and teachers.

A

AP Testing and SOLS are over, as are the stresses of studying for them.

B+

On Jun. 8th, the senior class will graduate, leaving the high school completely devoid of happiness.

D

Mother Nature not fully committing to the idea of warm weather.

4 | THE ROYAL NEWS | THURSDAY 5.23.13

THURSDAY 5.23.13 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 5

NEWS BRIEFS

Graduate in June >> Seniors Graduation will be held at the track on Saturday,

>>

Jun. 8. It will start at 9:00 AM. Seniors will have to undergo the rules and regulations of graduation in order to walk.

Night Takes Place >> Honors On May 20, the PTA Honors Night was held in the auditorium at 7:00 PM. Its purpose is to recognize those that are accepted into organizations and/or are honor roll students.

Briefly >>Mother’s Day On May 12, Mother’s Day was celebrated. The purpose of this holiday is to honor motherhood in the United States. It became an official holiday in 1914, by the work of Anna Jarvis. On this day, mothers typically receive cards, candy, and flowers.

>>

Students performed Dracula On May 2-4, the musical Dracula was performed by a student cast in the auditorium.

Final Exams Creep Up With the year winding down, final exams are on the way. Jun. 10-15 is the week that non-seniors have exams. Senior exams start May 31, the week before graduation.

>> Memorial Day This holiday, on May 27, is to honor those who have died in battle within the American military. Its origin is from the Civil War era but it did not become an official holiday until 1971. On this day, people around the United States honor deceased soldiers and may even hold family gatherings in celebration. For many, this day marks the beginning of summer.

>> Lost Women Found >> Armed Forces Day After a decade, Amanda Berry and other girls are finally found in Cleveland, Ohio. Their savior was the neighbor Charles Ramsey. Their captivator, Ariel Castro is being held in jail on an $8 million bond. The home was searched and barbed wire, chains, and toys for children were found on the grounds. Three of the girls are finally at home, while police officials are trying to find the fourth girl that’s presently still missing.

Armed Forces Day, under President Harry Truman, replaced the multiple holidays for the Army, Navy, Marine Corp, and Air Force. This changed was made on Aug. 31, 1949. This holiday represents the unity within the U.S. military. Armed Forces Day, on May 18, honored and gave thanks to soldiers that serve in the military for America’s safety.

6 | THE ROYAL NEWS | THURSDAY 5.23.13

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Congratulations to the 2013-2014 editorial staff!

Editor-in-Chief Courtney Taylor Managing Editor Danielle Marshall Photo Editor/ Photo Story Tiana Kelly Ad Editor Deborah Gardner Online Editor-in-Chief Lindsay Pugh Cartoonist Anthony Sudol

News Christina Buckles Features Mallory Cox A&E Debra Thomas Sports Devan Fishburne Doubletruck Sarah Daniels OP/ED Carolina Bae Front Page Danielle Marshall

THURSDAY 5.23.13 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 7

Features

Senior Pursues Dream Senior Khalil Sanders will attend school of performing arts to attain goal of becoming a professional dancer Mallory Cox trn writer

S

Senior Khalil Saunders stretches before he begins his performance. He has been dancing since his childhood and plans to be professional.

Photo contributed by Khalil Sanders.

Visit www.trnwried.org to listen to a podcast

enior Khalil Sanders takes a few deep breaths, attempting to calm himself as he stretches in preparation for the performance ahead. As he starts to dance, all his anxiety melts away, replaced with a happiness and peace that only dance can give him.

Dancing is a common pastime for many students, but only a handful of them plan to make a lifelong career out of it. Sanders is one of those few.

“I’ve been dancing since the age of seven,” Sanders said.

He began to dance after viewing a performance by a friend of the family.

“My mom had a friend who danced, and we went to a show and saw him dancing. That’s where I got my inspiration from,” Sanders said. “I also took gymnastics for three years, which also helped me get into dance.”

Sanders does not limit himself to one category of dance. In fact, he takes five different types.

“I take ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical, and tap at Genia Johnson Dance Company in Colonial Heights, where I’ve been dancing for a year or so,” Sanders said. “My favorite is lyrical. It lets me show more feeling.”

Dancing is something that Sanders has made a long-standing commitment to.

“I dance every day,” Sanders said. “I spend about two hours a day dancing, but I spend at least four hours dancing on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.”

Sanders’ also plans to center his future completely around dancing.

“I am attending MYU in the fall for dance,” Sanders said, “It’s going to be my main focus.”

Although he is looking forward to attending MYU, he does have some anxiety about the transition.

“I am a little nervous because the dance there is so intense. I actually have to leave early because we have to train beforehand. Also, I’m used to taking five

classes a week, but when I go to MYU, I’ll be taking twelve classes a week,” Sanders said. “It’ll definitely take some getting used to.”

One thing that Sanders is not so nervous about is performing in front of large groups of people.

“The most people I’ve performed in front of is somewhere between 100 and 200,” Sanders said. “It didn’t make me nervous because I had performed in front of big crowds so many times already that once I was on stage, it just came naturally to me.”

Sanders sees dancing not only as a pastime, but also as a way to get rid of stress.

“It’s a great way to express myself,” Sanders said, “Getting new moves down, preparing, stretching, doing my jumps, leaps, and turns...it just feels great. If I’m down on school, or having any other problems, I dance. It’s like a pain reliever.”

His goal is to dance as long as he can, including after his college years.

“I plan on being professional for ten to fifteen years, and afterwards I’d like to have my own dancing studio. That’s my long term goal. I’ll dance until I get older and can’t dance anymore, and then I’ll teach,” Sanders said.

As a student, Sanders has had no shortage of dancing opportunities; one of them being the recent production of the school play, House of Dracula.

“This year I choreographed the play,” Saunders said. “It was very different than other performances I’ve done. I’ve never choreographed for a group before, compared to how I usually choreograph just for myself. It was different than what I’m used to, but I liked it.”

Another opportunity came from Kings Dominion. “I’ll be performing at Kings Dominion from June 18th through the 21st,” Sanders said. ”I’m actually getting paid to do it.”

To Sanders, it does not matter where he goes; as long as he is dancing, he’s content.

“I just love it,” he said, “I can’t see myself not dancing.”

8 | THE ROYAL NEWS | THURSDAY 5.23.13

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THURSDAY 5.23.13 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 9

Features

Elected SGA Officers Prepare For New Year

Roxy Sherrick trn writer

Kenneth Kidd, President Q1. What made you want to run for your position?

“Ever since I have been little, I have wanted to president of the United States of America, and I thought this would be a good practice run for that.”

Q2. What did you do to help your campaign?

“I hung up a bunch of flyers, and also four really big posters. On the voting days, I handed out candy during the lunch blocks.”

Q3. What are some of your new responsibilities?

“Now I am in charge of the SGA. I lead every meeting, as well as lead the executive board meetings.”

Q4. Is there anything that makes you nervous?

“I have to run all of the meetings, and lead the direction they have to go in using the Parliamentary Procedure. I just have to get the ball rolling in each of the meetings, and I feel like that could be difficult.”

Q5. What are some of the advantages? Disadvantages?

“I get a special parking spot, and I get to speak at graduation. I have to dedicate a lot of time to the SGA, and sometimes it can take away from other school activities. But I’m ready!”

Cindy King, Vice President Q1. What made you want to run for your position?

“I tried for Vice President because I was on executive board last year, and I really wanted to be there again. I also love being a part of SGA!” Q2. What did you do to help your campaign?

“I put up flyers and talked to all my fellow students before voting took place.”

Q3. What are some of your new responsibilities?

“I am currently sophomore representative, which means I keep my fellow sophomores informed on what is going on with SGA.” Q4. Is there anything that makes you nervous?

“I am exceptionally nervous about having to run the meetings if the president is absent for one of them.”

Q5. What are some of the advantages? Disadvantages? “ One advantage of being vice president is getting to sit at the head table during the meetings. Another is really getting to become involved with everything the SGA does. I honestly cannot think of any disadvantages!”

Trey West, Treasurer & Secretary

Taylor Stevenson, Public Relations

Q1. What made you want to run for your position?

“I have been in SGA for several years, and I have not had a position until now.”

Q1. What made you want to run for your position?

“I saw Chelsea Saunders as the representative and I really liked what she was doing. I thought it would be a cool job to hold.”

Q2. What did you do to help your campaign?

“I did not do a lot of intense campaigning, but I spread it around by word of mouth. Many people had already heard that I was running.”

Q3. What are some of your new responsibilities?

“I am supposed to advise the president, take notes during the meetings, and be aware.”

Q4. Is there anything that makes you nervous?

“Just failing to do what I need to do; I want to try and make the school better, so that when I graduate, I am able to look back and see a better high school.

I would be disappointed to see that I had not made as much of an impact on anyone, or the high school itself, as I had wanted.”

Q5. What are some of the advantages? Disadvantages?

“The position I am in is a part of a smaller executive board which allows me to meet more frequently with the board. I cannot think of anything that could be a disadvantage.”

Q2. What did you do to help your campaign?

“Although I was running unopposed, I spread the word around to my classmates.

Q3. What are some of your new responsibilities?

“I plan to keep the student body more involved in the SGA’s plans, such as fundraisers or events. I want to make a closer relationship between the student body and the SGA.” Q4. Is there anything that makes you nervous?

“I have to help run the meetings, and I also have to live up to Chelsea Saunder’s great work as Public Relations Officer.”

Q5. What are some of the advantages? Disadvantages?

“It’s a higher office, and I get to plan and make the agenda for the SGA meetings.

Also, I get a reserved parking spot in front of F wing, and that is really nice. It is a lot of work; I’m responsible for more. It really is worth it, though.”

10 | THE ROYAL NEWS | THURSDAY 5.23.13

PhotoGallery

Showcase of Play Dracula

RIGHT: Characters Talbot and Isabel, played by Seniors Cody Hanshew and Katelyn Moody, argue during their first scene, introducing their rocky relationship to the audience.

BELOW: The Frankensteins’, Ygor, Frau Lurker, Talbot, Isabel, and Cabbage inquire as to why they have been invited to this cryptic place and who exactly invited them.

ABOVE: Junior Nicholas Alexander, who plays the character Ygor, cowers from a suspended spider operated by french teacher, Madame Edmundson.

LEFT: Senior Samantha Jennings plays the character Countess Dracula and expresses frustration about her character being constantly interrupted.

For more images scan this code and see them at trnwired.org. Photos by Faven Butler

THURSDAY 5.23.13 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 11

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Emergency Medical Services Week May 19-25, 2013 Prince George County is proud of our Emergency Medical Technicians, Fire Fighters, Communications Officers, and Police Officers for their dedication and professionalism in providing excellent emergency medical care to our citizens!

“EMS: One Mission - One Team”

12 | THE ROYAL NEWS | THURSDAY 5.23.13

Will & Testament

Congratulations Class of

A

s students are getting ready to leave high school they are leaving behind much more. The Royal News provides a senior section where the seniors share what they leave behind to their teachers and underclassmen.

I, Sierra Alexander, leave behind to my fellow underclassman good luck and a little advice… be prepared for everything coming your way. Make sure you hang out with the right people and for the love of all things holy DO NOT GET SUSPENDED. I also leave my gratitude and thanks to my teachers for helping me get this far and encouraging me to go farther.

I, Alexus Allen, leave my cheer life and experience to all my cheer girls, who have completed me. My love to Savanna, Alyssa, Starr, Amanda, Brooke, Kayla, and Alex. My laughs to Brian Fullman, Tiana Kelly, and Cariel Melton. Finally, my memories to all the wonderful people of Prince George. Farewell.

I, Joy Arakelian, leave my pain during workouts, all of the peanut butter sandwiches in the world, and my sweet frog punch card to Becky Shumar. My high fructose corn syrup and my hair to Tyneshia Griffin. My math skills and amazing sense of humor to Carolina Bae. My charming good looks to Evan Mitchell. My “JOY” to PGHS. I, Kathie Ayala, leave EJ Lawrence my softgrunge and rock salt.

I, Destiny Banks, leave my joy, my memories, and laughter to Re’Kaiyla McBride. I leave my passion, skill, and love for Color Guard to Jasmyn Coldwell. To the 2013 Marching Royals I leave my drive to succeed.

I, Tanner Barlow, leave Matt Burgess my spot as one of the wrestling captains and Karlie Nicol my love and friendship.

I, Dwayne Baucum, leave the track team and the football team my heart and a part of me. I also leave my homies and my squad the throne. ROADHOUSE. I, Valerie Belcher, leave Team Taylor our handshakes; Mandi, Courtney and Caitlyn the senior privileges on the soccer team; Chaelin, my advanced algebra skills; and I leave my cap and gown to the class of 2014.

2013

Good Luck!

I, Jeffrey Benson, leave my heart with Sarah Fitch and leave some good luck to the rest of my friends who are still going to be here.

I, Nathan Britt, leave Kenneth Kidd my bow ties and speeches, Trey West my position as secretary-treasurer, and Mandi Cummings VSCA Region One. Best wishes to the Class of 2014 and an expectation of great success.

I, Shawn Broughton, leave Prince George basketball team with high goals.

I, Bray’n Brown, leave the trumpet section to Jacqueline Thomas. My love, my joy, my passion for band to Kiasia Towns. My willingness to fight for what I want and my strength to Katherine Szozda. I also leave my love and passion to the 2013 Marching Royals.

I, Caitlynn Brown, leave Maribel Ramirez-Chance and Chevanne Teeters all of our loving memories. Love you guys. Everyone in 1 block choir, our memories and laughs, Mrs. Face, all of our jokes, Bristol Brown, all the stupid moments we have. I love you sis!

Lastly, Mrs.Roberst, all the classwork I never turned in.

I, Faven Butler, leave my gratitude to all my teachers and amazing guidance counselors, my ambition to the Beta Club, my hugs to Deborah Gardner, my sillyness to Tiana Kelly, the best of wishes to little Nicole Daly, and my love of journalism to Newspaper! And to the rest, enjoy every moment!

I, Samuel Butler, leave my teachers, some of my boys that represent the class of 2014, and the memories I made here for the past 3 years.

I, JonRyan Campbell, leave the varsity basketball manager position to my brother Logan, my band skills to Mr. Warnock, my volleyball skills to Riley, and my school spirit and dedication to the rising seniors.

I, Taylor Carpenter, leave Gimli my axe. To Josh and Adam, all the rock salt and silver. To the Marching Band I leave my blood, sweat, and tears. To Drumoine, what beat I have left. To Japanese Club, I leave all my love. To JT and Miranda, Bad Wolf. To Watson, this is my note.

I, Cody Casey, leave my laziness here so I won’t have it when I go to college.

I, Kathy Caudle, leave my art work to anyone to be inspired and motivated by it.

I, Kristine Cherry, leave behind my awkwardness. I need friends in college. No, but I wish luck to my sister. I know how much you loooove this school. And to my track girlies, well, simply good luck, haha I love you guys. Thanks to everyone for all the laughs and good times.

I, Tyaunna Cleveland, leave Renee Whitener, Madison Kirkland, Jasmine Copeland, and Kadeesha my love and smile. I love them like family and hope they have as much fun senior year as I did.

Malik Keaton, Mike Dickerson, La’kevin Moxey I leave my charm and love. I love yall and yall need all the charm y’all can get. I’m going to miss y’all.

I, Tyra Coleman, leave Vivian Lam and Chris Carrol some words of wisdoms: study hard and have fun, participate in everything you possibly can!

I, Kaneesha Collins, leave Dark Knight and Rufus all my jokes and playful name calling.

I, Hannah Conner, leave my craziness to Cindy King, my intelligence to Kaitlyn Roberts, my memories to Nathan Williams, my ditziness to Haley Eure, my sense of humor to Deisha Carter, and my happiness to Camille Holiday, and I’m leaving Mandy Almarode to protect the people of the George.w

Will & Testament I, Bradley Cooper, leave my heart to my beautiful and amazing girlfriend, Seran Triscari. My National Honor Society Presidency and my Model United Nations Club Vice Presidency to responsible and dedicated leaders, who will devote countless hours to assist Mrs. Rhodes and Mrs. Thornton next year. Bryant Marks, Dalton Blystone, and Mitchell Smith the best of luck next volleyball season.

I, Bryan Crespo, leave my aura of beauty and amazingness for all of you to bask in its glory.

I, Amber Cross, leave all the school drama to the class of 2014.

I, Alexandra Crowder, leave Antonio my back pain and all rights to complain about said back pain, and my 6th block programming class my meager age of empire skills in order to maybe bear Dr. Moore (but probably not). To the two people who recognized my Homesick sweatshirt, I leave all my luck- aaall of it.

I, Brooke Dancy, leave my driving skills and sarcasm to Blier Smith, my laughs and keekee to Madison Hagee, my love for singing country music in the car to Kyle Powroznick, my lack of feelings to Eric Wells and my hard work and my love for calculus to Mr. Darby.

I, Douglas K. Davis II, leave my shoes to Dillion Franz, my wisdom to Trent Jackson, Eric Wells, and Breyon Stith, my athleticism to Cedric Wright, my coolness to Starr Lespier and Taylor Stevenson, my school spirit to Chandler Shirer and Mandy Almarode, and my heart to Mandi Cummings.

I, Shelby Derrick, leave all my make-up, scarves, jewelry, and nail polish to Raven Ulrich. I also leave all my memories with my senior classmates. To Taylor Uronga I leave my awesome memories in 11th grade Ecology, don’t forget about those huge butterflies! To my childhood friend, Kayla Hill, I leave my love and forever friendship. And I leave PGHS with memories of me.

I, Ian Douglas, leave Dalton Blystone a year to get taller for college. Marina Stricklin nothing…at all. Mitchell Smith Rogaine for that bald spot. Kyle Powroznick my inability to get to school on time. I leave the A41 parking space to the first person to get it. And for the rest of you, good luck.

I, Michael Doukas, leave Dakota Martin my TNT biome (complete with “rah-vines”); Ryan Blumenschine my camera; Logan Paulson my “manoderant/sunscreen/bug spray”; Madison Rakes the best server of Windows ever; Henry Fisher my wolf named Dolphin; Mrs. Mahaffey my tickets; Mrs. Andersen something pragmatic; Mr. Darby my documentation of sasquatch; Mrs. Eliades my upside down cake; and everybody else my love for wolves.

I, Andrew Driskill, leave my stank to Josh Lundie and the entire rising sophomore class.

I, Josh Elpers, leave Ms. Hale to the class of 2014 as the best teacher of government.

I, Shelby Emerson, leave Vicki, Hope, Cody, and Steve my lunch table. Allison Dahon my breakfast table and the drama, Dale Moore my parking spot, and last but not least Mr. Havard the great memories and appreciation for the past 3 years.

I, Jordan Everett, leave to my many friends the hope to carry on, in spite of adversity. You may go through many ups and downs in life, but know you can and will make it through. Don’t give up. I also leave behind the love of laughter and the love of happiness.

I, Quetasia Faulcon, leave my best friend’s brother, Nate, my amazing Cher vocals, Danielle my delightful front page, Edishae the main office and Mr. Waugaman all the great and stressful memories of 5th period.

I, Kaitlyn Fazio, leave all our great memories in fourth block to Brianna McKay and Madison Martin, my parking pass to Deisha Carter, my “love” for accounting to Vivian Lam, all the lessons that I have learned throughout these three years to the new sophomores, juniors and seniors. And to the class of 2014, cherish every moment.

I, Anthony Fennick, leave my unused absences to Terrell Spady, cause he needs them. I leave my extra supplies to Mr. Witt, because he never has any. I leave my extra lunch money to Deborah Gardner. I also leave all my books to Mr. Owens because he reads a lot and all my good memories and laughs to Ms. Romig because she sure needs them.

I, Sydney Fernandez, leave love and peace to all new coming seniors.

I, Patricia Forehand, leave nothing but my old textbooks and seats in various classrooms to whomever may receive them after I graduate. I leave my atrocious habit of walking tremendously and ridiculously fast to whomever wishes to do so. I leave my seat on the school bus to whoever wants it, and that is all I wish to leave.

I, Katelynn Fowler, leave Mrs. Webb with the fun, loving memory of “The Webb” and Mr. Hettinger the luck with leading the basketball team to total domination next year.

I, Andrew Thomas Frazier, leave my dignity and honor to everyone who wants it. Good luck!!!! PGHS students #flyhigh…I love you Alayna.

I, Richard Gelina, leave all the fabulous memories I have had with my friends. I leave my love for English with Isaac Bland, my boredom in class to Will Inge, and my sleepiness in school to Anthony Green. I leave my senioritis to all juniors and I leave my little bit of sanity left to all the teachers here at Prince George High School.

I, Takaiya Geter, leave upcoming seniors the best and cherish it because it will go by fast.

I, De’Alva Glaspie, leave my happiness and strength to Jasmine Lackey. I leave my strength and power to love someone to Edishae. Finally, I leave the next senior class the strength to continue on and finish the last mile.

I, Nick Glasscock, leave my heart and soul to the Prince George basketball team! I will try my hardest to make it to every game possible in the years to come. You boys better not let me down. I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN. I, Darian Glover, leave my ID card to da school.

I, Kaleigh Engel, leave all our jokes to T.J. Pittman, my ability to annoy Mr. Warnock to Ryan Priggy in percussion class, and my comfortable desk in Mrs. Brown’s class to whoever may sleep there next.

I, Chanel Green, leave all my love to my little brother Malik. I hope you survive in this school and show them how the Greens work, and my little sister Jonique, I leave my attitude and

THURSDAY 5.23.13 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 13

smartness to you. Sydney Shippy and Brianna McKay, I’m leaving my crazy ways to you guys, and Cariel Melton I’m leaving my loudness to you. Love Always, Chanel Green.

I, Sidney Paige Greenwood, leave memories, good times, hard working skills, dreaming and pursuing dreams, help through tough times and my prayers to everyone’s future.

I, Calvin Grubbs, leave my sister Destiny Grubbs, all my love, and for the ladies that didn’t know me, too bad, if y’all had known me, you would have loved me.

I, Olivia Haase, leave Dillon all my love, with the hope that you visit me at college. I also leave him my terrible jokes, because that man is funny. I leave my favorite teacher, Mr. Pelter, all my sassiness--stay sassy Mr. P! I, Jodi Hackett, leave Maddy Martin my junk in the trunk and our friendship. I leave Trevor Myers our memories from beach week 2012. I leave Whitney Clements all of our childhood memories.. I leave Justice Webb our lazy days. I leave Alyssa, Savanna, and Meredith all my juicy gossip. And lastly I leave Dalton all my food.

I, Cody Hanshew, leave my loudness and “to the window dance” to Sade Ferguson, my love for leadership to Madame “Eddy,” my door displays to Mrs. AKA “mom” Eliades, the words “Dignified Event” to Mrs. Smallwood and lastly my passion for the theatre to Mr. Phillips and the Junior Class PG players, take care of the stage you guys, I love you all.

I, Corrine Harris, leave half of my ambition to my sister Danielle Harris my “guy talks” and wise advice to Alexandra Woods.

My high kicks to Madison Kirkland and my amazing rhythm to Renee Whitener. I also leave my fun and friendly spirit to PGHS. My passionate writing to Mrs. Britt. Summer reading to Mrs. Andersen. My heart to Mrs. Rhodes.

I, Danielle Harris, leave the many pens and pencils in which I have lost over the years. I also leave my knowledge of many things. That’s about it. Have a good day.

I, Markeisha Harris, leave my love to Bradley Murray, my loudness to Markeisha Johnson, and my cockiness to Treyon Patterson. I love you guys, good luck next year.

I, Michaela Harrison, leave the class of 2014 my luck! I promise your senior year will fly by. Don’t let anything get in the way of your dreams. XOXO I, Pamela Harsh, leave Whitney Hunter all of my uneaten snacks, Alex Kaufman my calculation, tea, and #2 spot, Hope Thomas my skills in writing and my shoes, Ben Thompson all of my monster tags, McKenna Kerrick my unused paper and pencils, Nick Alexander my textbooks, PGHS all of the good memories!

I, A’marah Hawkins, leave the passion and love I have for music to EJ Lawrence and Sade Ferguson, the soprano section to all the upcoming seniors “good luck!”, My skills in shot put and discus to the new girls. I thank all of my teachers, Mr. Jones and Mrs. Davis for inspiring me to be an educator. Lastly, my projects and independece to PG. I, Emily Heald, leave Vivian Lam my knowledge and acceptance to the fact that things aren’t always going to work out in your favor, but keep your head held high and get through your next year of high school. I love you, and I’ll miss you my little Asian. <3 I, Tiffany Heard, leave my hopes of getting a one to my

14 | THE ROYAL NEWS | THURSDAY 5.23.13

Class of 2013 Old Dominion University

Virginia Commonwealth The College of William and Mary Caleb Johsnon University Parth Patel Ridhi Patel Matthew Schneck Jasmine Ragland Kiana McCorkle Dallas Smith Angela Poreda Faven Butler Caitlin Poppell Demontrel Burse

Nathan Britt

Radford University JonRyan Campbell Melanie Muniz

Virginia College Lindsay Phillingane

James Madison University Quetasia Faulcon University of Virginia Morgan Parrish Rachel Pugh Kris Harrison Malik Vaughan

Amanda Majewski Sarah Beth Howard Jordan Thompson

Richard Bland College Shaneka King Patricia Forehand Sara Eggleston Kenneth Harris III Takaiya Geter Brian Johnson Taylor Carpenter Daniel Derr Sierra Alexander Tanner Barlow Danielle Harris

Bryan Crespo Steven Bradshaw Kaitlyn Gantner Ryan Drewery Valerie Belcher Kristen Rowsey Josh Woodacre Alysia Martin Tyler Thompson Kayla Hill Katelyn Moody

Christopher Newport University

Sarah Howard Hunter Geren Korrina Smith Chelsea Saunders Kristine Cherry Elizabeth Hopkins Ruche Patel Kristen Schwalm Alexus Allen Ellen Scudder Dominique Walker

Liberty University Brevard Williams Aleigh Engel Allison Crawford Maura Liveley

Leah Johnson Rebecca Soon

Larissa Roeleveld Kelsie Melson Hunter Cannon Olivia Willoughby Bragg Russell Andrew Frazier Kaitlyn Snover Sarah Horning

Drew Kennedy Timothy Tripp Tayla Smith Brooke Dancy Samantha Jennings Justice Evans Douglas Davis II Samuel Butler Michael Kanney Aaliyah Johnson Tyaunna Cleveland

Randolph-Macon College Melissa Tomlin

ECPI University Kierra Lanier Caitlynn Brown

South University (Virginia Campus) Caleigh Atkins

Norfolk State Luzard Henry Imani Urquhart Dwayne Baucum DaZhane’ Myler Jahmyah Garrett

North Carolina State University John Tyler Bradley Cooper Mars Hill College Community College J. Sargeant Reynolds Olivia Haase North Carolina Shelby Emerson Mercedes Weber Brittani McKinley Wesleyan College Brandon Pack Jennefer Woodlief Virginia State University Longwood University John Firment Jordan Johnson Kathie Ayala David Belvins Winston-Salem State University Shannon Vandevander Jacob Spain Joseph Paul Darian Glover Markeisha Harris Xavier Daniels Jeffery Ramsey

Kathy Cau dle Sam Marshall Ashley Shaver

GCPI Institute of Medical Technology

Ian Douglas Danielle Duncan Cody Hanshew Pamela Harsh Courtney Perkinson

Embry-Riddle Eastern Mennonite Kristal Rhoten Aeronautical University University Christopher Scott George Mason University Amanda Terry Abria Humphries Virginia Tech Joy Arakelian University of Richmond Bailey Williams Hailey Heylinger

Kelsey Koser Nicholas Taylor

Brooke Mcdermott Megan Johnson

Stratford University

L.C. Bird Technology School

Emily Heald

Jeffrey Benson

De’Alva Glaspie

University of North Carolina at Charlotte Kendra Wiliams

Chowan University Tyree Smith

North Carolina A&T State University A’Marah Hawkins

University of Texas DigiPen Institute of Technology

Marisela Zuloaga

Alexandra Crowder

Trade School Josh Elpers Joanna Mayes Zachary Relford Solomon Baskfield

Oaksterdam University Andrew Driskill

THURSDAY 5.23.13 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 15

Destinations

For an interactive map of the destinations scan this code.

Florida State University

Full Sail University

Shawn Broughton

Mark Roberts Dale Mullins

Raven Ulrich Shanreka Ligon Tyler Moore Kaitlyn Fazio Jerrod Reed Joseph Hamilton Ronald Parker

Genevieve PawlowskiPerez Andrew Stockellburg Hunter Hackett Trevor Hargrave Aziza Tilley

Motorcycle Mechanics Institute University of South Florida Nick Vaughan Skyler Bryant

Ebony Moss

ITT Technical Institute Zachary Matthews

Chastin Collier Martino Revell Jerrod Reed Anthony Fennick Richard Gelina

Bentley University Chloe Alexander

Universal Technical Institute Jacob Dickey Andrew Beechler

Howard University

Nestor Quinones Justus Akers Matthew Lucas Draikharn Tyler Brian Kreemer

Michaela Harrison

University of Connecticut Raiquan Clarke

United States Military New York University Academy John Shumar

Khalil Sanders

Christopher Trimarco Tiffany Heard Alexes Riggins

Savannah College of Spelman College Art and Design Jasmine O. Jones

Long Island University

Michael Doukas

Anthony Carter

Albany State University

Georgia Institute of Technology

Chelsey Wilson

Brent McDaniel Paul Mitchell Sydeny Fernandez Jack Semrau

University of Alabama Curtis Williams Rashawn Williams Trequan Roberts

Pennsylvania State University Sidney Greenwood Jhada Powers

Work Force Alissa Temple Thomas Winfield William Hipes

Ohio Valley University Kaci Anderson

South Carolina State University Michael Stakhouse

Woodrow Wilson University Shavon McDonald

Michigan State University Myron Davis III

16 | THE ROYAL NEWS | THURSDAY 5.23.13

Will & Testament

wonderful marching band. I know you guys can do it. And I leave any doubts, regrets, and failures behind me for others to overcome.

I’ve had my fair share, and I’m ready for my high school chapter to be closed, and my future success to begin.

I, Chris MorphinTime Henry, leave all my blood, sweat, and hard work to the PGHS football, and my party blessings to Sean Moran, Devin Rose, David Fisher and Brandon Fair. Party on bros, and Kristina Ingram and Kennisha Helms =). March 16th Follow @ kiddmorphintime.

I, Breon Herbert, leave my everything!

I, Kayla Hill, leave to my field hockey girls the strength and the will power to push through and beat Thomas Dale! Because WE ARE CHAMPIONS! And to my PG Players I leave my anxiety and the best of luck for VTA and VHSL. To EJ and Adam I leave the stage and total control over all aspects. I will miss you.

I, Brandon Hilliard, leave Darion Meeling my soccer skills and my steez.

I, William Hipe, leave all my knowledge and senior items to my girlfriend Katelyn Keyser. I leave everything I have to her.

I, Elizabeth Hopkins, leave all my strength and discipline along with my positive attitudes to my yearbookies. I leave my spelling errors to Ms. Heath to remember me forever.

I, Sarah Horning, leave all my love and hope to Eric Hersh, all my encouragement to the upcoming seniors, and lover for all Prince George sports teams. Good luck everyone!

I, Sarah Beth Howard, leave my love and knowledge of music to those who value it most. I ask for my dedication to the band and marching band and drum major duties to be passed on to the one most willing to work hard and succeed. I also leave Mr. Warnock and Ms. B a clean music library.

I, Abria Humphries, leave EJ Lawrence my patience for choir, Marina Stricklin strength to get through senior year, and Brian Fullman my smart water. I leave PGHS peace and happiness.

I, Jasmine Jefferson, leave the volleyball my height, the track team my speed. Rochelle, my courage.

I, Samantha Jennings, leave my love for the stage to Sarah, JT, Sader, and Nick, take care of it guys. I leave our long car ride talks, morning hallway walks, stressing over plays, and singing/jumping around to One Direction to Shark Bait. And our “moments in French” go to Rheannan and Kelly. Good luck 2014 (: I, Brian Johnson, leave all my love to the beautiful girls in the school, even if I don’t know you I still love you. If you didn’t get the chance to meet me, that’s too bad because I’m pretty awesome if I do say so myself.

I, Caleb Johnson, leave to Luke, my parking space. To the football team, high expectations. To Mr. Darby, a high-five. To the SGA, awesome class reports. Finally to all, a big smile and farewell.

I, Cynthia Johnson, leave my late night study sessions to the sophomore. . .there will be many more. I leave my knowledge to all the juniors in Mr. Warren’s class…you will need it. I leave my attitude to Ashley Perkins and all my love and support to all my juniors and sophomores to keep moving forward.

I, Megan Johnson, leave my love of performing to PG Players.

To Danielle Marshall, I leave mischievous/stalker adventures. And to my beautiful sister, Blair Johnson, I leave the best high school experience possible. I leave to you memories of car rides filled with tears of laughter and joy. I love you sis, can’t wait to see what you do!

I, Michael Kanney, leave the soccer team and 400 my style and grace. I love y’all boys. 4lifeee I, Drew Kennedy, leave my sense of humor to Joey Runion, my Crimson Tide and football talents to Kyle Powroznick, my tastes in fashion to Mandi Cummings, my appreciation in women to Mandy Almarode, and my rebellious attitude to the rising senior and junior classes.

I, Amanda Majewski, leave Mandi Cummings my #5 soccer jersey, Courtney Taylor my Editor-In-Chief position, and I leave you both my leadership skills. I also leave JoJo Taylor my competitiveness and will to win, and Erica Skiddle our senior lunch table. Love always!

I, Alysia Martin, leave the color guard in the hands of Jasmyn Caldwell as the new captain. I leave the clarinet I never played to Mr. Warnock. All of my snickers and Dr. Pepper to Mr. Carr. All of the lunch conversations go to Kassie Galvin. I leave all of my love to the members of the marching band.

I, JoAnna Mayes, leave my happiness to William Inge, my knowledge to Isaac Bland, and my inspiration for music to my choir class.

I, Kiana Catherine McCorkle, leave my sister Aleah McCorkle, my twin Jasmine King, my love, my wisdom, my care, my support on you guys. I believe you both can make a difference and can touch people’s hearts like you did mine. Make the best of your years here at PGHS!!! I love you both dearly.

I, Shavon McDonald, leave this for the students who will become seniors next year. Future seniors, never disrespect the teachers and the staff in Prince George High School because they are here to help you and the students that plan to attend here must be very committed to be seniors.

luck next year. I love y’all :) I, Brandon Pack, leave my love, hospitality and hope to my friends, Rachel Moore and Brooke Canterbury, as well as my cousins Jenna, Samantha, Sarah and Erica. Be prosperous and somewhat intelligent.

I, Ronald Parker (Moe), leave my memories to my B lunch table Ira, West, TJ, AJ, Brandon, and Devin. All the funny jokes y’all do at each other, all the laughter and the funniest memories. I thank you guys for a great year. Have a great summer.

I, Parth Patel, leave Tanner Thompson the commitment not to give up, Ryan Minar my swag lifestyles, Joey Reierson the positive outlook on life, Daniel Moore my running shoes, so he may get the body he always dreamed of, and to Mr. Newbold the power of a racehorse so he may continue guiding students in the right direction.

I, Ridhi Patel, leave Jasmine Lackey my best friend my love, friendship, and all the memories we shared for the last nine years, to Deborah Gardner the job of putting letters in Tiana’s locker, and Tiana Kelly my photo editor position and our joke from last year (P. lady). :p and to Danielle Marshall and Christina Buckles all the craziness of newspaper.

I, Genevieve Perez, leave Darriona, the joy of always being beautiful and full of laughter. SPITZERS, the bonds of family and love.

I, Courntey Perkinson, leave my captian spot on dance team to Sydney Lilly, all of my blonde and forgetful moments to Rheannan Traylor, the food in Mrs. Poe’s office to Courntey Taylor, the trust and love that Richard and I have to Kelly Harvey and Joseph, and I leave the dance team to Kelly, Sam, Renee, Madison, Sydney, and Deisha.

Once a Royalette always a Royalette!

I, Caitlin Poppell, leave the Kenneth and Caitlin corridor, my patience and sense of humor to Kenneth Kidd. I leave Ms. Heath with a calm feeling because someone understands her pain and great thanks and appreciation foe teaching me so much. I leave my best wishes to a great and successful senior year for the class of 2014.

I, Shondavia McPhail, leave peace, love, and happiness to all the little babies.

I, Rachel Pugh, leave Lindsay my sanity as she takes APUSH, Becky the pictures of my face that will always be set as John’s phone background, and the Royalettes Dance Team my poms, my tops and my love.

I, Kelsie Melson, leave to my loving brother, Jacob Melson, my parking space, my obnoxious tendencies and my loud mouth. To Jasmine King, my little sister, I leave the drive to be the best you can be and to make it through your senior year! To all of PGHS, good luck and to graduates, congratulations!

I, Jasmine Ragland, leave my style to Dominique Gray and my never ending friendship to De’Ja Lightfoot. May your senior year turn up just as much or even more than mine.

I, Katelyn Moody, leave my parking spot, my locker and hallway memories to my sister Madison Moody. Good luck! I leave my stage and passion for acting to Danielle Marshall and the PG Players, I leave my dedication to all my teachers, some more than others! And my love to Prince George High, because this is where I became a Royal!

I, Ebony Moss, leave all my short authority to Breyon Stith, all my government work and a dash of salt to Tri Brown, and lastly my freckles to my beloved junior Chanel Guidry!

I, DaZhane Myler, leave my passion and basketball skills to the Lady Royals basketball team, my shoe knowledge to Ariel Stephenson, and I also leave my sense of humor and all of my love to my babies Diamond Tyler, Cariel, JaQuon, Kadera, Dominique, Nate, Keanna, A.J. Cheeks, Cedric, Deja Tinch, etc. I wish you all the best of

I, Jeffery Ramsey, leave to Eric, Trent and Cedric I do, I does, I am 400 #4Lifeee. To the basketball team “Hard work beats talent” #ROYALPRIDE I, Alexes Riggins, leave my baby cousin, Robert O’Sean Cavitt my good looks popularity lol I’m going to miss Baby, can’t wait until you cross that stage. Be a good little Boy boy while I’m gone. And I love you Jaquon Moore, Malik Green, Jerron Ramsey, Karla, and everyone else. P.S.: Y’all hold the school down =) I, Mark Roberts, leave Libby Cherry my patience, my energy, my will to power through the day, and the knowledge I gained from the failures and obstacles I had to overcome so her senior year goes by smoothly. I may not be here physically, but I will be here to guide her as I’ve promised.

I, Bragg Russell, leave the ETW Ring to Connor Livesay and Joey

Will & Testament the failures and obstacles I had to overcome so her senior year goes by smoothly. I may not be here physically, but I will be here to guide her as I’ve promised.

I, Bragg Russell, leave the ETW Ring to Connor Livesay and Joey Runion.

I, Khalil Sanders, leave Eva Seidel my sassy attitude. Best friends for life. Danielle Marshall choreographer for theatre productions.

I, Matthew Schneck, leave the magnificent Student Government Assocation to Kenneth Kidd; my captains band to Mitchell Smith; my GPA to Taylor Stevenson; my weave to Mr. Darby; and most importantly, my heart to Mr. Nelson.

My footprints.

thanks for preparing me for success.

I, Jacob Spain, leave my setters spot to Dalton and my seat in Anotomy and Physiology to no one.

I, Dominique Walker, leave Malik Green my ignorance to annoy teachers and get out of homework and classwork. I leave Malik Keaton patience to deal with MB next year. I leave the teachers all the make up work I did not do.

I, Kahlil Spencer, leave my laziness to Chad Owens (because you can never be too lazy) I, Michael Stackhouse III, leave behind a tip, you should get Mrs. Webb as your teacher, she is awesome seniors, be smart, don’t make any dumb mistakes, go to prom. I love my 5th block, best class I have ever had, best friend ever, Aaliyah Johnson, I love you.

I, Andrew Stockellburg, leave its been a long run.

I, Kristen Schwalm, leave the soccer team all my hard work and dedication, Devan Fishburne Trnsports, Mr. Waugaman all those random ridiculous talks, Courtney our twinning moments, and to all students at PGHS I leave all the experiences and memories of high school and my best wishes for the future.

I, DeAndre Strickland, leave my skills in basketball to my twin brother Cedic Wright. Show out next year!!

I, Chris Scott, leave all of my success and will to win to Drill Team and Color Guard. The entertainment I bring to practice to Jazlyn Crawely and Dominique Gaines. My march and performance level to Justin Austin. Last but not least my perseverance goes to Raven Evans, Diana Jackson and Keasha Clairmont.

I, Amanda Terry, leave my loudness to Jessica Chaisson and Jessica Rogers for them to do with as they please. I also leave my outgoingness and leadership to my sister Mariah Terry. And may she use them to enjoy her high school career.

I, Ellen Scudder, leave my position as Drum Major to the next lucky soul. The back seat of the bus on band trips to Kasia Szozda. The lunch table to Ryan Minar and Chase Hewitt. And finally, my undying love for Garrett Holt!!

I, Ashley Shaver, leave my little brother, Nicholas Shaver my love, guidance, help advice and confidence for him as he will start to attend Prince George High School next year.

I, John Shumar, leave Becky Shumar my love, best wishes, motivation, and handshakes, Alex Smith my frisbee and water bottle, Lindsay Pugh my joy of books, Courtney Taylor my love to hate and mean looks, Mandi Cummings my sandwiches to punch and finally Jennifer all the quiet moments we had together.

I, Dallas Smith, leave JoJo my baby and Chinese stop light driver, Mandi my dancing TWERK SOME’ GIRL, Chandler my weird laughs and imagination. Mandy my soccer moves and basketball drills, Joey my hugs, Kyle all the baby tadpoles, the girls soccer team my love for high school soccer, Mckenna my closet and fun nights, and Courtney my workouts.

I, Korrina Smith, leave my love for PGTV to all of next year’s producers, trnwired to Lindsay Pugh-I know you will do great. Lastly, to Courtney Taylor I leave. . . Nothing.

I, Tayla Smith, leave all my great memories; laughs, smiles and tears on and off the court to each Lady Royal Basketball team member. I leave all my 4H Camp memories and daily lunch table meetings to Courtney Biggs and Deja Tinch. And I leave my constant smile and a little piece of my heart to Makayla Scott. Oh, and I leave my swag to Keanna Pender.

I, Kaitlyn Snover, leave my brother, Jacob, the expectations to do as well as, or better, than I did. And to Anthony, EJ, and Marina, I leave all of the useless knowledge I’ve gained throughout this year.

I, Rebecca Soon, leave a challenge for the Dance Team: Dance because you want to, not because you have to and always be as FIERCE as possible :) My love and encouragement to Brody Rotzoll.

My vote for Mandy Almarode as most school spirited! My hugs to Ryan Minar every time he PR’s!:) My laugh and my Asian accent to Kyle Powroznik. All of my ice in my freezer to Alexandria Woods.

THURSDAY 5.23.13| THE ROYAL NEWS | 17

I, Alissa Temple, leave my passion to learn to those who follow. My drive to graduate is left to the students with the same goal.

I, Jordan Thompson, leave my captainship of the Varsity Cheers team and lunch table to Erica Skiddle, my brand rep. position at Justice to Darcie Warren, my sleepovers, car rides, cheer practices, beach trips, and tennis skills to Jessie Honaker, my yearbook skills to the 2014 yearbook staff, and my producer position of PGTV to Jasmine Lackey. Best of luck everyone!

I, Aziza K. Tilley, leave my laughter to Erica H, my sassyness to Mr. Pelter, my jokes to Lindsay M, my great parties to Madison H, my morning frappes to Virginia C, my smile to Erica, attitude problems to Rachel, and my bullying to Jessie. Lastly, I want all of my love to go to “my future.”

I, Angela Todd, leave my laziness to Chad Owen (Not that you need any).

I, Melissa Tomlin, leave my cross country captain position to all the upcoming girl seniors, my great workout ideas to Alex Smith, my complaining skill to Evan Mitchell, all the long tennis games to Jasmine Lackey, my yearbookie love to the yearbook staff, and the best of luck to cross country and tennis team.

I, Tim Tripp, leave Alex Wiseman my math smart, Kyle Powroznick my good looking Jeep, and to the rest of the junior class the good luck to graduate.

I, Alex Turpin, leave Jeremiah Hardee my sense of humor and my vegetarian methods, also I leave all future basketball players my winning spirit. I leave my height to all the short students that wish they were taller.

I, Shannon Vandevander, leave love and many dances to Adam Casey and Gimli. To the Marching Royals, hard work, dedication and hope. To Frau, Mr. Warnock, Dr. Moore and Mr. Havard all my thanks.

I, Demetrious Vaughan, leave these five simple words: Never quit, Never be afraid. That’s all you need. Nothing more nothing less.

I, Malik Vaughn, leave my laziness to Chad Owen; My Battalion to the rising class of LET 4s; My grades to Dominque Gaines; My calmness to Justin Austin; To Jazlyne Crawley I leave my WGT (insider). To Corey Greenwood I leave my driving skills. To the cadets, I leave hope for future success and to my teachers I give

I, Zach Walsh, leave my awesome sleeping skills and random sayings.

I, Mercedes Weber, leave to my best friend Miles Kenney, I leave you my fun. I want you to have the best year of your life next year like I did during my senior year. You’ll always be my best friend Miles Lee Kenney. Love ya kid.

I, Ashley Wilkes, leave the token-ism to Sade Ferguson and EJ Lawrence. I leave our senior lunch table to Tri brown. I also leave my whining and the struggle to next years’ advance choir.

I, Bailey Williams, leave my frisbee to Alex Smith and Will Bonnell; and ice pack for Kyle Powroznik when I trucked him at football. . . twice; my speed to the football and track team, and an apple pie to Jay Sean Skrine.

I, Brevard Williams, leave my gratitude, my heart, my soul, my smile, my humor, my love, and my future goals of being successful. I love everyone of PGHS. Follow me @BigVard on twitter to be on my journey and instagram @brevard12.

I, Kendra Williams, leave my final high school memories to Prince George High School! I shared my love for music with the Marching Royals and I leave my clarinet section to Ariel Stephenson! Love y’all!

I, Olivia Willoughby, leave all of my love with the three people that I care about most in the world. I hope you all never give up on life! One more thing, I love you Burby and I hope that no matter what the future brings, we stay strong and committed.

I, Dorian K. Windley, leave my sense of humor to Diamond Tyler ‘cause she’s always telling jokes that aren’t funny. I want to leave my inside voice to Cariel Melton, because she’s always talking like we’re on a field. I would like to leave my style and looks to Jaquon Moore, Lord knows he needs it. To all my teachers who taught me so much, my love.

I, Thomas Winfield, leave all my text books to all my wonderful teachers.

I, Jennefer Woodlief, leave my annoyance with Chase Hewett, “broster” Ryan Gosling compliment to Ryan Minar, Cousinly love with Garrett Holt, Noobness with Will Bonnell, and my thanks to Brooke Ward.

I, Marisela Christian Zuloaga, leave my senioritis to Tamaka Pope. My student to student Vice President position to Autrelle Jones. My skip days to Isiah Byrd. My love to Dominique Gains. My fruit roll-ups to Chaz Jenkins. Our 4th block conversations to Sierra Stanley. My love and thanks to Ms. Simmons, Mr. Pelter and Mr. Havard. Good luck class of 2014, congrats 2013!

18 | THE ROYAL NEWS | THURSDAY 5.23.13

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THURSDAY 5.23.13 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 19

A&E

Choir Performs Spring Concert

Gatsby Grabs Teachers’ Attention

T

he Great Gatsby is a novel that is read by English classes across the nation and has once again been made into an extravagant, drama-filled cinematic production. The remake of this classic tale of desperation and obsession with love and money characterizes the 1920s with modern glitz and glam as well as a soundtrack that remixes today’s electronic sound with a cabaret style effect.

This remake of The Great Gatsby was extremely successful in conveying the strong emotions of the characters in this novel that really drags you into the fictional world of the East and West Eggs. By the end of the movie, one comes away with a better understanding of Jay Gatsby’s character and truly caring mind-set because of Leonardo DiCaprio’s flawless portrayal of him.

Through Tobey McGuire’s portrayal of Nick, movie-goers develop a more clear understanding of the contrastingly horrible superficiality of characters away from Gatsby, by his on-the-nose perception of the other characters, such as Daisy, Tom and Myrtle by how easily relationships are broken and their aloofness to the damage they create.

The Great Gatsby essentially tells a story that pushes the belief that two wrongs don’t make a right and that one minor lie can lead to a web that creates irrevocable damage which puts this novel at the top of English teachers’ must read lists.

Overall, the new movie was basically the same as the book and the 1974 version of the movie. There was nothing very different in this version except for the music. The new movie was more up to date and appealing to the eye but it did not bring anything new to the table. However, it was okay because it was such a great and enjoyable movie. I would definitely recommend seeing this movie.

Tasia Faulcon

Choir presents last performance of year Deborah Gardner trn editor

N

otes fill the auditorium for one last time as the choir sings the spring concert. Choir teacher Jessica Barkley has given the senior choir performers a special assignment this year, a piece to perform on their own.

The spring concert was on Thurs., May 16th at 7:00 pm, followed by their competition on Fri., May 17th.

The intermediate and beginning choir sung the songs “The Water is Wide” and “Gastranomical Fuge”. The advanced choir sung “Cantate Domino,” “You are the New Day,” “Acapella Overtures,” and other songs. Concert choirs sung the songs “Amanti Costanti,” “Tres Contos Nativos,” and “Dos Indios Krao”.

Before the performance, seniors explained how the last concert brings many emotions to it.

“I am excited, but at the same time as it gets closer to the concert it will start becoming bittersweet,” senior A’Marah Hawkins said.

The beginning featured an introduction to the seniors in dedication to them, followed

by them singing the song, “For Good” from the play Wicked. With the pressure of it just being the senior’s own song performance, there was a lot of preparations into making sure the nerves went away.

“To prepare, I listen to the song we will be singing, I get a lot of sleep the day before, and I try not to talk as much the day of,” senior Jamaal Gooden said.

There are also other things Gooden does to get in the mind-set of giving his best performance.

“You should go into a quiet room and meditate,” Gooden said.

At the beginning of the year, the class was without a teacher, leaving the students to have to teach themselves. Now that it is towards the end of the year, there is still an appreciation throughout the students that Barkley has taught so many things to all of her students.

“One of my favorite memories was having Ms. Barkley come in for the first time and knowing we finally had a teacher,” Hawkins said.

Other students had different memories from before this year that they will always remember.

“My spring sophomore year was my favorite choir memory. We fought a lot but even though we fought, you could not tell in our music that we argued a lot that year,” senior Jahmyah Garrett said.

Because of the fact that the seniors will be leaving behind many of their responsibilities to the underclassmen, there is a lot of ad-

Six seniors and two juniors from Barkley’s 5th block choir class practice one of the pieces performed at the concert on Thurs., May 16th..

Photo By Ridhi Patel. vice to be given to those underclassmen that will be rising juniors and seniors for the following years.

“My advice would be to have fun. Do not let choir stress you out or control your everyday attitudes. Do not let the drama of choir get to you,” Hawkins said.

Garrett also had a few words of encouragement to fellow classmates. ”Keep in mind that choir is supposed to be fun, and if you lose that feeling, it will take the joy out of the music,” Garrett said.

In addition to the fact that it was the last time these seniors performed at the school as students, it was also the last time that the seniors performed with Barkley.

“Everyday brings new and fun memories,” Barkley said. “I get a lot of laughs when it has to do with the students being goofy,” After choir had given their last performance, the festival had left the students exhausted.

“We were all very tired after festival and we got great comments from the judges,” Barkley said.

Barkley thought that the students gave their best performance to date.

“Best of luck in the future and keep on singing,” Barkley said.

20 | THE ROYAL NEWS | THURSDAY 5.23.13

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THURSDAY 5.23.13 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 21

Gamer's Corner Game Suggestions For Different Gamers

A&E

W

ith this year coming to an end and this being my last Gamer’s Corner article ever, I have decided to list my personal top five games in the hopes of maybe giving some inspiration or even just showing what I judge other games based on. So, without further ado, here are my top five favorite Alex Crowder games.

5.) Silent Hill 2 (Survival Horror) I’m going to put a disclaimer here and say that Silent Hill 3 is actually my favorite of the series. However, Silent Hill 2 is critically acclaimed and also stands alone, so if you’re going to play one it might as well be this one.

Unlike most horror games, Silent Hill has never boasted a lot of jump scares. It always feels as though the monsters are right next to you the entire game, rubbing up against you but never attacking until you least expect it. The true terror of any Silent Hill - the lonely, foggy atmosphere,and the fact that everyone in the town plus you have some serious mental scars - is extremely evident in this game.

An oldie but a goody, Silent Hill 2 is a legitimately frightening game that I can’t recommend to people who have weak stomachs. The combat is a bit clunky, and the voice acting ranges between hammy and not-trying-hard-enough (Angela has a strange warbling that is grating but sort of works), but it’s a really great game regardless. Avoid the HD Collection at all costs.

4.) Ace Attorney Series (Puzzle/Visual Novel) Perhaps the best thing about this game is the love and care that the localization team put into it. The dialogue is funny (if dated at times), the characters are sincere, the writing is fabulously translated from Japanese to English, and it handles tragic events beautifully. As hilarious as it can be, it can flop to tragedy quickly and harshly and it handles it very well where other games would struggle.

The cases might not make sense sometimes, but that hardly detracts from

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3.)The Walking Dead (Point-and-Click/ Horror) To be clear, this is referring to the Telltale version, not the newer Activision one. The Walking Dead is a series that will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you want to curl up in a ball and just sit there for a while.

The characters are extremely memorable, especially the main ones - history professor Lee and young , optimistic Clementine both feel genuine and you hate to see them get hurting any way. The rest of the cast is less memorable, but still manages to leave an impact. If you are looking for a zombie game with hardcore action and zombie killing fun, this really is not the game for you. It is slow-paced and focuses pretty strictly on narrative and the bonds between people during the apocalypse.

Still, there is a reason why it won Game of the Year, and you will be hooked onto every single moment of this amazing game up until the shocking ending.

2.) Portal Series (First-Person Puzzler) Honestly, the true beauty of Portal only comes through once you have played it. It is hilarious, dark, and extremely innovative. Admittedly the puzzles are not as hard as they are disorienting, but let’s be honest - you do not play Portal for the

Image courtesy of http://www.thewalkingdead.com/category/games/#popular puzzles, not really.

Pretty much everyone has heard of “the cake is a lie” and Cave Johnson’s “lemons” speech, but there is so much more in these games that it is surprising that more people have not played them.

Clever, intuitive, and easy to play (but not so easy to solve the puzzles, do not worry), the Portal series should be picked up and played by everyone.

1.) Mass Effect Trilogy (RPG/ThirdPerson Shooter/Strategy/Games You Play When You Want To Cry) Mass Effect boasts a massive, well developed universe (there are about nine novels worth of text in these games) with memorable characters who you may or may not like but are all well written and well-acted. You find yourself getting attached to these characters, and the games rip out your heart every time it takes them away for one reason or another.

With the final DLC out, it’s finally time to put Commander Shepard to rest. They’re working on a Mass Effect 4, but is it really worth it at this point? Mass Effect ended with Shepard for me, and it will always be a journey that I do not regret taking.

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Congratulations on Graduation Soccer Seniors!

Alex Crowder

Sarah Horning

Caleigh Atkins Dallas Smith

Kristen Schwalm

Angela Poreda

Amanda Majewski

Valerie Belcher

Contact Us:

Thursday 5.23.13 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 23

ampersand

Do’s and Don’ts for Graduation

The Do’s

Do be on timegraduates must be in the Clement’s gym by 8:00 am; graduation begins at 9:00 Do take care of all fines and feesif you do not, you will not be allowed to participate in graduation Do have on the right thingscap, gown, tassel, and hat Do come to Baccalaureatewear cap and gown Do take your exams if necessary Do get a parking pass Do attend both practicesMay 30 and June 6; both are mandatory Do attend Senior Bash- June 6 @ PGHS Do walk across the stage properly

The Don’ts Don’t be late to anything Don’t wear inappropriate clothing under your gown Don’t bring cell phones, noisemakers, silly string, etc.

Don’t let your friends, family, and yourself down at the last minute- don’t get in trouble, make the grades!

Important Senior Dates Senior exams start on May 31 & end on Jun. 4th.

Convocation will be held in the gym on Jun. 2 nd at 3 PM.

Graduation practice will be held at the football field on Jun. 6th at 8 AM

Senior Bash will take place in the commons on Jun. 6th from 7 to 11 PM.

Senior Trip to Busch Gardens is Jun. 7 th.

Graduation will be held at the football field on Jun. 8th at 9 A.M. Designed by Tiana Kelly

24 | THE ROYAL NEWS | THURSDAY 5.23.13

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THURSDAY 5.23.13 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 25

Springsports

New Conferences Set Stage Redistricting and Reclassification Committee alters current districts into conferences

John Shumar trn writer

W

ith a mighty roar, the Prince George football team rips through a banner prepared by the cheerleaders. The bleachers are packed with students and parents alike, ready to watch the defeat of the invaders on Homecoming weekend.

Across the gridiron, there is a sea of blue and white. It is 2015, and Prince George is about to face down L.C. Bird.

Every two years, redistricting meetings are held with all of the athletic directors in the Virginia High School League (VHSL) to address the constant changes in the various school populations and the athletic ability of the schools.

“Currently, VA is divided into four regions, with Prince George residing in the Central District,” Football Coach Bruce Carroll said. “Each region sent eight teams to the playoffs, except the Central Region only sent four.”

A Redistricting and Reclassification (R&R) Committee comprised of one representative from each region and the superintendent chairperson meets in odd-numbered school years to formulate the next two-year plan. This new plan will move to a conference format, and will replace the three-class system with a six-class system.

Illustration by Anthony Sudol.

“Now, there will not be districts, but conferences,” Carroll said. “Virginia will be split into two regions, the north and the south, and each will send sixteen teams to the playoffs.”

The new six-class system will put Prince George into the 5A-South in the 12th Conference, along with Matoaca, Meadowbrook, L.C. Bird, Clover Hill and Manchester.

“Each district had its own population standards for which class a school was put into,” Carroll said. “However, the Northwest might have the cut off for singe A at 300 students, while the Northern District’s cut off, due to larger population concentration, might be around 700. Pairing those two schools in the same class was not fair.”

With this in mind, VHSL has taken strides to even the playing field. Regional tournaments will be grouped based on an almost exact population. However, there is a flaw to this plan.

“The problem with this plan was that it only considered one sport; football,” Carroll said. “No other sports were considered.”

Carroll is not alone in seeing this detail.

“We argued as non-football sports to just reconfigure football, be done with it, and let all the other sports continue what they are doing,” said girls soccer coach Kendell Warren.

“Wrestling will not have districts, and our regional tournaments will be larger than our state tournament,” wrestling

coach David Thomas said.

Warren sees the new changes as an adjustment that all future coaches will have to make in terms of game preparation and player recognition.

“As a coach, I’ll have to adapt to new coaches in the conference,” Warren said.

“Another problem is the trouble of trying to pick a best player. They want us to pick the best player of our new conference, but this will be a lot harder as opposed to when I had to choose from our district, because I have not watched all of my conference player’s play.”

Another concern is the elimination of Prince George’s natural rivals.

“The players are going to play whoever is in front of them, but there might not be as much passion when playing L.C. Bird as there would be when playing Thomas Dale,” Warren said. “This is the same with the fans. There are fans who have been watching the Hopewell v. PG game for twenty-five years.”

This plan will not go into effect until the next two year cycle. Sport teams already have their district schedules planned, but will slowly begin to integrate the teams of their new conferences. Even then, Prince George will still play past Central District teams.

“Sometimes it just comes down to money; Mr. Russell is still going to want us to play Hopewell and Dale because the fans are willing to come down and watch the game,” Warren said.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT Bragg Russell Baseball

How long have you been playing baseball?

“I have been playing since I started playing T-ball. I was four years old.”

What position do you play?

“I play first base.”

What do you enjoy about the sport?

“I enjoy the spring weather and being able to play the game.”

What do you find the most challenging about the sport?

“It is challenging to just learn new things because the more you age the more you learn.”

How do you balance your school, baseball and social life?

“School and baseball are for the week and my social life is for the weekend.”

Do you get nervous before a game?

“No, I do not get nervous. I try to relax so that I will play better.”

What professional baseball player do you look up to?

Why? “Derek Jeter because I love the Yankees.”

26 | THE ROYAL NEWS | THURSDAY 5.23.13

Springsports

Athletes of the Year Dallas Smith

Brandon Hilliard

How long have you been playing soccer for the school?

“I have been playing for the school since eighth grade.”

How long have you been playing soccer for the school?

“I have been playing for the school for three years.”

What is your most memorable moment from this year?

“My most memorable moment was beating Thomas Dale. We have such a talented soccer team. I am so glad to be a part of this team. We finally accomplished what we deserved.”

What is your most memorable moment from this year?

“Even though it was just a scrimmage, the bicycle kick goal I scored against Clover Hill is probably my most memorable moment this season.”

What makes this year special for you?

“This year is really special because it is my senior year. The team has really earned our spots as district champs. We play as a team and win as a team. My senior year would not be the same without any of my teammates!”

What makes this year special for you?

“Being a captain and being in the district tournament and becoming super close with my teammates.”

What does it feel like to be athlete of the year?

“It feels good that my peers selected me as athlete of the year. There are so many good athletes here at PG and I am just blessed to have a great, talented team to play soccer with and support me.”

What are your plans for after high school?

“I will be attending VCU to play soccer for them.”

Kristen Schwalm sports editor

What does it feel like to be athlete of the year?

“I am very thankful and honored to be Prince George High School athlete of the year. It is a great feeling to know that my peers have chosen me as athlete of the year.”

What are your plans for after high school?

“I am going to attend Richard Bland College and then transfer to VCU. I believe this soccer season will be my final year of soccer.”

What are your plans for after high school?

“I will be attending VCU to play soccer for them.”

The trn staff interviewed all seniors in government classes to see who was voted top athlete of the year.

There was a total of 287 votes cast for Male Athlete of the Year. Male Runner-Up- Caleb Johnson.

There was a total of 283 votes cast for Female Athlete of the Year. Female Runner-Up: Dazhane’ Myler.

Photos by Ian Kelty.

THURSDAY 5.23.13 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 27

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Sports Spring review

Varsity boys baseball ended the season in a three way tie for first place in the district with Dinwiddie and Matoaca. On Mon., May 20, Matoaca defeated Prince George 4-0.

Varsity girls softball ended the season in a three way tie for first place in the district with Dinwiddie and Matoaca. On Thurs., May 16, Dinwiddie defeated Prince George 5-2.

Junior runner Alex Smith was fractions of a second away from breaking the school outdoor track mile record of four minutes and twenty-four seconds. Smith finished second place in the race.

Girls Teams Take Over District Devan Fishburne trn writer

W

hether sprinting for home plate, putting away a game winning volley, or attacking an opposing striker, this season the Royals varsity girls soccer, tennis, and softball teams showed their fight during the spring sports season to earn first place rankings.

The girls varsity soccer team scored a Central District title for the first time since 1993, and in doing so earned two upset victories over their slightly favored rival, Thomas Dale, for the first time since 1996. The key to the teams success on the soccer field has been staying focused during practice, which has become the most efficient way that they prepare for games.

“A lot of our players have a lot of skill and we don’t goof off during practice,” sophomore stopper Chaelin Magruder said. “We know when to have fun and when to be serious.”

According to Magruder the team has had to make some sacrifices with having some members of the team stepping into positions they wouldn’t normally play because its best for the team. Making sacrifices for the team is a big part of head varsity soccer coach, Kendell Warren’s, philosophy.

“We look at it as ‘if you want to help the team, you have to make sacrifices’,” Warren said.

The sacrifices are often out weighed by the constant motivation to be the best each girl has. “[What motivates me is] the want to be the best, Warren pushes us every day, and we want to win for each other,” junior outside mid Mandi Cummings said.

The girls soccer team’s record in the first half of the season was an impeccable unde-

feated record, but a mid-season loss to Thomas Dale looked to be a momentum stopper. The girls soccer team had to rebound in much the same way that the varsity softball team had to bounce back from heart breaking loses to Matoaca and Dinwiddie. After these loses the team’s experience came out and the girls began to set their sights on avenging the upsets they faced.

“We focused and picked up our intensity level no matter who we were playing,” sophomore pitcher Casey Abernathy said.

The softball team used both in district and out of district games to work on key skills that would help them achieve a comeback as well as an undefeated record in the district for the second half of the season.

“I feel like we deserved it because we worked really hard and started focusing on one goal,” Abernathy said.

They say its hard to win a title the first time, but the defense of that title is the hardest road an athlete has to face in his or her career. This lesson is something that the softball and girls’ tennis teams have learned in their triumphant attempts in defending the team titles they earned in 2012.

For the girls tennis team, 2013 meant defending the legacy set by the teams before them. The Prince George girls tennis team has over 20 team titles in the last 30 years to its name, and with experienced leaders and coaches hopes to continue the streak in 2014.

The team fought off tough opposition from the Dinwiddie Generals, including a tense latenight match that had to be postponed, but the Royals still snuck out a 5-4 victory to maintain an undefeated record that has lasted since 2011.

“I think it is an awesome feeling because it shows how all our hard work paid off,” senior number one and three time defending singles district champion Melissa Tomlin said.

As the time when conferences replace districts comes near, the Prince George girls soccer, tennis, and softball teams have firmly placed their names in the history books.

Senior Ginny Miller proceeds through her windup in an attempt to throw a strike in a home game. Miller has been playing at the varsity level for 4 years.

Photo by Ian Kelty.