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Harrisonburg High School • 1001 Garbers Church Road • Harrisonburg, VA 22801 • 540.433.2651 • Volume XC • Issue 4• December 20, 2013

Debaters compete at JMU tournament Mia Karr Editor-in-Chief Tongues were flexed, arguments ready, and game faces prepared as the debate team voyaged to JMU for an exhausting two day tournament. On Dec. 6 and 7, more than 20 HHS debaters competed against students from the surrounding area, some traveling from as far as West Virginia and Maryland. Senior policy debater Neil Mehta was no stranger to the event, having attended since his freshman year.

“I really like the variety of competition because it’s a large tournament and you get different types of people from different areas with different debate preferences,” Mehta said.

Competitors in policy, Lincoln-Douglas and public forum debate competed in a minimum of three rounds on Friday and

See DEBATE on Page A2

Waligora named UVA Jefferson scholar nominee Luke Gibson Online Editor-in-Chief The Jefferson Scholars Foundation’s self-stated mission is “to attract to the University the most promising leaders, scholars, and citizens in the world and to give them sufficient financial support so that they are free to develop their talents and to use them for the good of the University community.” It is, therefore, of little surprise that the Foundation seeks yearly for promising senior that exhibits all three of these characteristics.

“My goal has never been to be great, it has always been to inspire greatness in others,” said Senior Michelle Waligora, this years’ nominee from HHS for the Scholarship.

“I guess I was chosen because I fit the scholarship so well. I must have exemplified the citizenship, scholarship and leadership. Showing these qualities was really about going above and beyond,” Waligora said.

The program currently supports 117 Jefferson Scholars who reside at the University of Virginia. The fundamental goal of the scholarship is to cover the entire cost of attendance for four years at the University, including tuition, fees, books, supplies, room, board, and personal expenses while simultaneously fostering citizenship, scholarship and leadership. The average SAT score of a 2017 Jefferson scholar is 2271, with 97% having ranked in the top 10% of their graduating classes.

The first step in choosing the HHS Jefferson Scholar nominee was for all prospective candidates to submit an application and a typed resume. From this, five students were chosen to be interviewed about their contribution to the community.

“I had never been interviewed before but I was myself and answered the questions as honestly as I could. None of the questions were really difficult because I had been asking myself those same questions all year long. As a senior I’ve been pretty reflective about my time here at HHS so when the panel asked me things about how I contributed to my community and why I deserved the scholarship, I was ready with answers,” Waligora said.

In her senior year, Waligora is a cocaptain of the debate team and president of Mu Alpha Theta.

“Being captain of debate was more than just nagging my teammates to finish

See UVA on A2

PHOTO BY FERNANO GAMBOA PENA

NOTHING BUT FOCUS. Senior policy debators Neil Mehta and Rafael Snell-Feikema listen to their coach Peter Norment during a meeting before the JMU debate tournament. Mehta and his partner, senior Aubtin Heydari, placed first at the tournament.

Musical cast lists kicks off months of rehearsal Sydney Little Online Editor-in-Chief

After weeks of auditions and callbacks, the cast list for the winter musical Oklahoma! was posted online on Nov. 22 at 6 p.m. Out of the many people that first auditioned in November, only 68 people will actually be in the production. Among the many roles cast, their are five primary roles and two supporting roles. The primary roles of Curly Mclain, Laurey Williams, Jud Frey, Ado Annie Carnes, and Will Parker will be played by Abe Nouri, Jaymie Inouye, Evan Yoder, Caroline Shenk, and Garrett Thompson. Returning seniors Nouri and Thompson are not experi-

encing anything new with the parts they were given, as they have been cast as leads for multiple past performances. Unlike their fellow cast members senior Yoder, sophomore Inouye and junior Shenk were given their first leads and are new to this experience.

“I think that Swartz might have chosen me for this role because... well first of all Laurey's songs are in a pretty good range for me and I can sound pretty good on them. Also during the callback process I really felt like I understood her character when we were doing the cold readings and I guess that paid off,” Inouye said.

See MUSICAL on A2

PHOTO BY AVA REYNOLDS

SING YOUR HEART OUT. Freshman Zach Benevento-Zahner and other male cast members learn music for Oklahoma!

Virginia College Application Week huge success Brenna Cowardin Managing Editor

PHOTO BY BRENNA COWARDIN

A ROYAL LUNCH. JMU’s mascot, Duke Dog, paid a visit to the cafeteria during Virginia College Application Week.

On the Web Updated sports scores and schedules for all seasonal sports Feature package stories and extended coverage of print packages Advertising forms and information Breaking news from school and the community Video footage of sports Variety of reviews and blogs Up-to-date gas prices in the area

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Senior Cindy Villatoro will be the first person in her family to graduate from high school, and if it wasn’t for Virginia College Application Week and the influence of guidance counselor Lisa Warren, she wouldn’t be applying to colleges for next year.

“Ms. Warren [influenced me to apply] because she and I have similar backgrounds and I felt like if she could do it, I could do it also,” Villatoro said. “We’ve been talking about [college opportunities] since last year. I’m the first to graduate in my family, so it’s a big deal for me.”

So far, Villatoro has applied to Eastern Mennonite University and Blue Ridge Community College.

“What I like about Blue Ridge is that they have a psychology program, and what I like about EMU is that everybody there on campus is very kind, and it’s just so nice to know

that you can go to a school where people won’t judge you or look at you weird,” Villatoro said.

Villatoro was very happy to have the opportunity to apply to schools during the school day. “[College Application Week] is amazing. It helps out almost everybody, especially people who don’t have access to computers at home or can’t stay after school,” Villatoro said. “It gives them a big boost to actually have help at school and get it done.”

Guidance counselor Rachel Linden was in and out of the library computer lab throughout the week of Nov. 18 to 22 helping students complete and submit their college applications.

She did this because HHS was one of the 32 schools in Virginia chosen to host Virginia College Application Week.

“The goal of [Virginia College Application Week] is to help seniors complete

See COLLEGE on A2

Coming Up Musical coverage Winter sports coverage Club news Comparison of local foods Extended learning time update Second semester kicks off Scholastic bowl competition Columns and editorials Every person has a story feature

December 20, 2013

The

News Briefs Winter Holiday Break Winter Holiday Break starts Dec. 23 and runs through Jan. 5.

Report Cards Report cards will be distributed on Jan. 23.

SAT Administered SAT’s will be administered on Jan. 25.

End of First Semester The end of the first semester is on Jan.16. Semester classes end and full year classes will have midterm exams.

Winter Band Concert District band concert will be held at HHS on Jan. 31.

VHSL Theatre Competition On Jan. 11, the band will be performing at the Forbes Center at James Madison University.

Burger King Scholars Program Information is available in guidancefor high school seniors with at least a 2.5 GPA who plan to enroll full-time at an accredited two or four year college or university who are interested in applying.

Newsstreak

NEWS- A2

One Act places third in state competition Ariel Vogel Feature editor Harrisonburg High School’s One Act travelled to Monticello High School on Dec. 3 to compete in the VHSL 4A State Theater Competition. This is the third year in a row the One Act has made it to the state level.

In 2011 the One Act received second place and in 2012 they took home the title of state champion. The pressure was on this year for another outstanding performance.

One Act director Stan Swartz explained that in order for the kids to perform their best, he ran the risk of a letdown in the case of failure.

“Preparation is always difficult because you’re trying to encourage the kids to do their best with the danger of really caring [about winning], but also trying to prepare the kids for disappointment because in the theater world, that’s something they’ll have to get used to,” Swartz said.

In order to prepare for the performance, freshman Noelle Warne spent time getting into character.

“I thought about the emotions [of my character] and what [she] was going through and how she’d react to the situations,” Warne said.

Senior Deb Halpern explained that she also got into character, but other than that, there wasn’t much else she could do to prepare.

“To some extent, there’s not a lot you can do. Once you’re onstage performing a part, you don’t have a lot of control. You just have to hope everything goes well,” Halpern said.

The cast did group warm-ups, physical and vocal, in order to get ready to perform their show. Junior Eddie Mestre also mentioned a talk he enjoyed with the cast before their performance.

“We had a good long talk about the last three months [we spent] preparing [for this] and we cried and we laughed,” Mestre said. He felt that all the preparation led to his best performance.

“I think my performance was better than it usually is. I enunciated my words and spoke clearly and added other things [the director] had asked me to do,” Mestre said. At the competition, Swartz felt good about the performance.

“I thought we did one of the best shows we’ve done and I was delighted to go out on a strong note,” Swartz said.

The verdict, however, put HHS in third place out of the four schools present at the competition.

“I was happy [with the results], but everyone worked hard and there’s always someone who deserves better than they got because there’s so much competition,” Warne said.

The judges had differing opinions about the performance; The four rankings were

two second place ratings and two fourth place ratings. Warne was frustrated about the conflicting opinions.

“I appreciated what they said, but sometimes...they’d contradict each other and themselves, but everyone has their own opinion.” Warne said. Halpern agreed, describing how some people really liked the show and others really didn’t.

“At Regionals, we got two first place rankings and two sixth places. That just goes to show how subjective our show is, because some people love it and some people hate it. At States we got a group of people who didn’t like it and that’s just the luck of the draw, which sucks, but that’s the way it is,” Halpern said.

Mestre, however, didn’t appreciate most of the notes.

“I understand a lot of the things they said and I don’t understand some. I’m fine with third place, but I think the reasons given by the judges [for our ranking] were bad. The whole idea that we’re too young to play these roles because we don’t have experience is [ridiculous].” Mestre said.

Despite disappointment among some, the one act cast is generally satisfied with its self-written show’s ranking as third in the state in the 4A Division of VHSL. “Getting third in the state is fabulous and we noticed that in the last three years we’ve been second, first and third,” Swartz said.

Samuel R. Bowman II Scholarship Eligible students must be Hispanic and plan to enfroll in Fall 2014 at James Madison University or Blue Ridge Community College.

Virginia DAR Scholarship Applicants must be a senior at a Virginia high school planning to continue their education at a Virginia college or university. Applications can be found online at www.vadar.org.

All parts must be turned into Rachel Linden in the guidance office.

New and familiar faces fill lead roles in this year’s show MUSICAL from A1

Inouye is looking forward to being able to portray her character in the best way that she can.

“I am most excited for the process of putting the whole thing together! It’ll be great to develop Laurey’s character and her relationships with the other characters in the play, and I can’t wait to work with the other principals and the rest of the cast to just work together and make the show the best it can be,” Inouye said.

The supporting roles of Aunt Eller and Ali Hakim, will be played by freshman Noelle Warne and senior Aubtin Heydari.

“It is still unreal to me that I got the part I did in the musical. I’m just honored that Mr. Swartz has the faith in me that a freshman can pull off such a big and elder role,” Warne said.

Although this will be a big change for Warne, she is looking forward to the challenge.

“I’m most excited to grow in my acting ability and just to enjoy this new experience. I’ve never played an older character before, so that will be a great skill to learn,” Warne said.

Since the cast list was posted certain members of the cast have been meeting after school to work on the vocals of the production. This will continue until winter break, and when they return the acting practices will begin until their awaited performances Feb. 12-16.

PHOTOS BY BOB ADAMEK

35 MINUTES OF TENSION. The one act cast was required to deal with delicate subject matter and play serious roles very different from themselves. Above, senior Aubtin Heydari (center left) plays the abusive husband of junior Caroline Shank (far left), while senior Deb Halpern (far right) and junior Ariel Vogel (center right) portray the characters of two prostitutes.

HHS chosen as host site for state-wide event COLLEGE from A1

college applications with the assistance of guidance counselors and volunteers;” Linden said “It’s also to increase awareness for ninth through eleventh graders of what their college options are, what the college process is about.”

Linden worked with the other guidance counselors, career coach Cheryl Logan, James Madison University faculty-in-residence Dr. Bill O’Meara and JMU student volunteers to help execute College Application Week.

This is the second year of the College Application Week’s existence in Virginia, but the program’s roots are in North Carolina. Governor McDonnell then scooped up the idea to try to get more young people interested in college.

“Basically, the governor started this initiative to increase the number of students applying to college because applying to college is the first step of going to college,” Linden said.

HHS was chosen as a host site because

of our diverse student body.

“We were selected because of our demographic makeup, because of the diversity that we have, because of the socioeconomic makeup of our school,” Linden said.

“The goal is to get more underrepresented students to apply [for college].”

Linden and guidance counselor Lauren Kershner had to go through training to be eligible to host the program.

“The Virginia Department of education contacted us and invited us to participate,” Linden said. “Ms. Kershner and I had to go through some trainings and meetings to be a part of it.”

Faculty and staff have been very supportive of College Application Week. From door decorating contests, to wearing college apparel, to taking students to the computer lab to apply for college during instructional time.

“The faculty have really helped support the efforts that we’re trying to make, particularly the english 12 teachers. They’ve brought their classes down to the lab dur-

ing class time,” Linden said.

As a bonus, many colleges are waiving application fees during this week. Another low-stress option for students is onsite admissions.

“We’ve had a couple of schools do onsite admissions, which is where the rep looks at the application, the transcript and everything and makes a decision on the spot about the student’s admission,” Linden said. Three out of the five schools that visited during the week offered this opportunity.

Linden feels that the program was successful.

“We’ve had a lot of students come through, a lot of students complete applications and even more that are working on them.”

One hundred and twenty two seniors out of a class of 393 completed applications throughout the week. Another 74 had already applied to the schools they want to attend, and overall 217 seniors worked on applications throughout the week.

Waligora captains debate, heads Mu Alpha Theta UVA from A1 of other seniors. The program is aimed at

their speeches, it became about inspiring them to love public speaking and better themselves through it. As President of Mu Alpha Theta I decided to revive the club and start some new programs through it, such as a student-run tutoring program for math students,” Waligora is also working on starting up the AVID mentorship program with a group

providing support for underclassmen in core classes, while giving seniors such as the Waligora the chance to exhibit leadership and earn service hours.

From this point, Waligora will now apply to be a regional nominee with the hopes of getting another interview.

“It’s extremely competitive and the process is rigorous. I just finished my final

application and I’m waiting to hear news, but even if I don’t advance any farther the interview and application process through the school was a valuable experience and I’m proud to have been chosen,” Waligora said.

UVA is one of Waligora’s top instate choices, however she also plans to apply to Virginia Tech, William and Mary, Yale, Cornell, and Notre Dame

Debaters place first in three contest categories DEBATE from A1

three rounds on Saturday. From there, exceptional debaters moved on to quarterfinal and final rounds.

In the case of policy, each round was decided by a judge who voted for one of the two competing teams. Teams were also awarded speaker points, on a scale of 1-30, which were used to break ties. Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas judges were mainly parents or teachers, while policy judges came mostly from JMU debaters, who hosted the event. HHS has other ties with the JMU debate team.

“We have a JMU debater helping us out throughout the year...She helps us prepare arguments, and give lectures,” Mehta said.

With a typical policy round lasting be-

other debaters had little down time and a struggle to keep their energy up.

“You get really tired,” Mehta said. However, debate has helped him deal with exhaustion. “It’s like debate kind of gives you an adrenaline rush and drives you to prepare your speeches instead of sleeping. It’s just something about it.”

As a senior member of the team, Mehta helps out the lesser-experienced debaters.

One of these rookies is sophomore Peter Kim. This was Kim’s first JMU debate tournament. “[My favorite part about debate] is learning more stuff and being more confident about what you’re doing,” Kim said.

Overall, the tournament was a success.

Seniors Michelle Waligora and Chris MacAdam placed first in public forum, seniors

Aubtin Heydari and Neil Mehta placed first in policy, senior Daniel Roth placed second in Lincoln-Douglas, and senior Jack Adamek and sophomore Ellie Plass both advanced to semifinals in Lincoln-Douglas.

In speaker points, Waligora placed first in public forum, Adamek placed first in Lincoln-Douglas, senior Jon Marks placed fourth in Lincoln-Douglas, Roth placed fifth in Lincoln-Douglas, and Heydari placed fifth in policy.

However, debate isn’t all about the final results.

“I like the people you meet. You meet people of all walks of life from different schools. You have this mutual relationship of debate. All debaters are pretty friendly.

We probably have similar interests it’s like a clique,” Mehta said.

December 20, 2013

The

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NEWS A3

Journalism students run program for middle schoolers Sarah Scribano News editor The Newsstreak is now offering a new opportunity to middle schoolers, allowing them to spark an interest in journalism.

Every Monday, students from Thomas Harrison Middle School and Skyline Middle School come to the high school to learn more about how to write in a journalistic style. This extracurricular activity allows the middle schoolers to create their own stories, do personal interviews, take pictures, and learn about the different types of stories featured in a newspaper.

This is junior Mia Karr’s second year helping with the program, and she has come to really enjoy it. She feels that it is beneficial to have this opportunity for the middle schoolers to learn about journal-

ism and for the high schoolers to be able to teach them.

“It’s important to start to get kids interested in journalism so they can start working on the paper when they get to high school,” Karr said.

Karr enjoys working with kids especially when it comes to teaching them about journalism. She loves the new relationships that are made with the students because it is more casual than a typical student to teacher relationship. If the program continues, Karr would like to return to be a part of it.

Senior Celia Ehrenpreis has just begun helping out with this program. She was originally a little nervous since there are 20 to 30 students at one time, however, Ehrenpreis found it to be a lot of fun. “[The students] are eager to answer

questions and are really engaged. It’s different than high schoolers who just sit in the back and don’t really say anything,” Ehrenpreis said.

Ehrenpreis really likes talking to the kids about their notes and assignments. Typically the students will be asked to interview a person and then the Newsstreak staff will help them write a story. There are also many other activities that the staff plans to help the children learn. In one lesson, the students tried four different types of pizza and then described each one to expend their descriptive vocabulary before writing a piece on their Thanksgiving dinner.

Ehrenpreis loves that they get so excited about sharing the information the collected. She feels that the program is definitely beneficial because it gives the students a whole new experience outside

of English class.

“They get to learn about a whole new type of English and journalism, outside of the traditional setting,” Ehrenpreis said.

Fifth grader Stella Alexiou has just joined this program and is enjoying all the new things she is learning about journalism. She has been taught how to interview a person and how to write in detail.

“It’s fun. There are lots of opportunities to learn. My favorite is the writing, photography, and the snacks,” Alexiou said.

Fifth grader, Mia Constantin, is also in her first year of this program and plans to continue until she can be on the Newsstreak. She has also learned how to interview a person correctly and to find very useful information.

“I enjoy journalism and detective work,” Constantin said.

PHOTO BY MIA KARR

FUN WITH FOOD. Junior Opinion Editor Julexus Cappell passes out pizza squares to middle schoolers attending the Newsstreak’s afterschool intro to journalism program. The students ate pizza samples from four eateries and described their cheese, sause, flavor, texture, and greasiness.

PHOTO BY MIA KARR

TYPING TIP. Junior Sports Editor Ella Marian helps a student type up a story during the afterschool workshop.

Master classes help band members sharpen skills Faith Runnells Sports editor During new band master classes offered at HHS, an experienced college professor or artist comes into the school and creates somewhat of a personal lesson for a student based upon their specific instrument. Senior Mariah Flick has designed and created band master classes for interested band members to take after school. On their own time, they can improve and excel their band and specific instrument skills in these classes. The classes are for members of the HHS band who would like to specifically improve on their skills as a player.

The classes have helped the already award winning HHS band by offering another aspect and option to improve on their skills. This new way of learning and cooperating with other musicians brings another level of playing to the band members.

Flick has been contacting JMU professors and students who are interested in band and helping out with these classes throughout the summer and fall via email.

“I basically just tell them them what we are planning to do and I ask if they’d be interested in volunteering their time to come out, which is really cool because they’re volunteering and they’re not getting paid at all to be here, and that’s kind of a big deal because JMU professors are really busy,” Flick said

The classes benefit the band members in many ways; the instructors help them with audition pieces for events such as district and all city county band which they must audition for.

“A lot of times people [in our band] have audition pieces that they play for the professors beforehand to get a professional critique on it and then they can apply that to later on when they audition.

It helps the individual grow by knowing specifically what they’re doing wrong and what they’re doing right so that they can focus on those and improve through that,” Flick said.

Sophomore Hollyn Slykhuis is one of the many band members who have attended one of these classes. “[The classes are] really helpful because you are able to get to hear really good musicians play and then get one-on-one feedback from them. Although it can be nerve-racking to play in front of peers and get critiqued in front of everyone, it is good because you know it’s helping not only you but everyone,” Slykhuis said.

There are many students in the band who are involved with these new band master classes, and it has even benefitted the band as a whole.

“As a band, it’s nice for people to come and watch, and you see how other instrumentalists think and how their instruments are different and also how they’re very much the same. You learn more musicality,” Flick said.

PHOTO BY DIANA FLICK

TROMBONE TIME. Sophomore Valerio Aleman plays the trombone at an afterschool master class

Key Club raises money for Philippine relief fund Ellie Plass Style editor Ten thousand houses, ten thousand pets, ten thousand bicycles, ten thousand lives, all gone. That’s how many people were killed in the Philippines disaster; ten thousand.

HHS’ Key Club is working to help some of the people who survived, because even though they survived the typhoon, they

don’t have very much to go back to. The storm left ten million people stranded and without a home, and with very few possessions.

“We’re trying to help them reconstruct their life back to the way it was before, by providing money for food and supplies,” said Key Club vice president, Salar Haji. The money raised in their fundraiser will go straight to the survivors of the disaster.

Key Club has placed milk jugs in every class, to encourage individual donations,

as well as walked around asking faculty and staff for anything they could give to help out.

“We also rang bells for Salvation Army, and some of the proceeds from that went towards our fundraiser,” Haji said.

The club makes sure that the relief fund is at the top of their priority at every meeting. They talk about it at the club events, and put the focus onto it to stress it’s importance. They also advertise it to the rest of the student body through the an-

nouncements.

“I know we’ve raised over 500 dollars,” said Haji. Mr. Antonnicola, the club’s supervisor, predicts it will be more than three thousand dollars before the fundraiser is over.

Even the smallest donation can help somebody put their life back together. Ten thousand is no small number, and it’s a tall order to fill, but Key Club has big plans for doing their part for the Philippines.

Broadcasting class struggles with outdated equipment Josh Byrd Op/Ed editor This year Broadcasting has been running into problems with technology failing and breaking down. The equipment was bought eight years ago when the school was originally built.

This year the broadcasting class has a new advisor, Adam Benson.

“The biggest problem [this year] has been the outdated technology that we have been

using,” Benson said. “We have had some breakdowns and it nothing that was student’s fault or the school’s fault, it is just older equipment.”

A solution is coming.

“We are going to replace a lot of [the equipment] for next school year… We received some funding from the school district for some new equipment,” Benson said.

The new equipment is expected to be all HD and digital.

“We are going all HD, getting rid of the tapes... We are doing

just all digital files,” Benson said.

Benson has high hopes for the broadcasting and new equipment. The funding to pay for the equipment is coming from the school district.

“We should be to definitely take the show to a new level with new equipment,” Benson said. Also other students have high hopes with this new equipment.

“The new equipment will help with making [the broadcast] better,” sophomore Douglas Carcamo-Martinez said.

PHOTO BY PABLO PACHECO

CAMERA CREW. Senior Chris Hyser sets up a camera.

December 20, 2013

The

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December 2013 August 21,20, 2012

The Harrisonburg High School Newsstreak The Policy The Newsstreak is published by the students of Harrisonburg High School every month. Reproduction of any material from the newspaper is prohibited without the written permission from the editorial board. Advertising rates are available upon request.

It is the policy of the Harrisonburg City Public School Board to comply with all applicable state and federal laws regarding non-discrimination in employment and educational programs and services.

The Harrisonburg High School City Public Schools will not discriminate illegally on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, disability or age as to employment or educational programs and activities.

Editorials appearing without a byline represent the majority opinion of the staff, but not necessarily the opinion of the adviser, school administration, or the school system.

Signed editorials are accepted from people on the staff, but are subject to editing according to published guidelines and policies. Editorials may be edited for special reasons.

Letters to the editor are encouraged and must be signed and a telephone number must be given.

Names may be withheld if the editorial board feels there is a just cause.

The Newsstreak reserves the right to edit and may refuse to publish ads or letters deemed inappropriate, libelous, or obscene. Please drop your letter by room 444 or give them to any staff member.

Letters may also be sent to the high school.

The Editors and Staff Editors-in-Chief: Print: Celia Ehrenpreis, Mia Karr Online: Luke Gibson, Sydney Little, Rafael Snell-Feikema, Fernando Gamboa Managing Editors: Brenna Cowardin (print) and Isabelle Burden (online) Advertising Managers: Austin Coffey and Joshua Byrd Photographers: Ava Reynolds, Luke Gibson Videographers: Jake McDaniel and Aubtin Heydari Staff Reporters: John Earle, Julexus Cappell, Victoria Giron, Joshua Byrd, Austin Swift, Ellie Plass, Brenna Cowardin, Luke Gibson, Alexis Dickerson, Nishat Jamil, Faith Runnells, Maria Delgado, Pablo Pacheco, Sarah Scribano, Ali Baapir, Danny Dombowski, Hunter Manzano, Jacob McDaniel, Cathryn Hall, Claudio Hernandez, Bulberto TorresCruz, Austin Engle, Aubtin Heydari, Ella Marian, Ben Willis, Ariel Vogel, Garrett Thompson, Jessica Nguyen and Ava Reynolds.

Professional Affiliations The Newsstreak participates as a member of several journalistic evaluation services including the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA-2010 Gold Evaluation and 2005 & 2009 Silver Crown Winner), Quill&Scroll Journalism Honor Society (2012 Gallup Award), National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) All-American, the Virginia High School League, Inc. Trophy Class Award, and the Southern Interscholastic Press Association All Southern Ranking and 2010 Scroggins Award winner. newsstreak.com opt out notice: If you do NOT want to allow your student’s full name or image to appear on the school newspaper site, please send an email to vkibler@harrisonburg. k12.va.us stating: I understand that the school newspaper, newsstreak. com, now has an online version of the publication. I DO NOT want my son/daughter (place student’s name here) to have his or her name or image published on this online venue.

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Newsstreak’s Top Ten of 2013 bombings: Two bombs has been well received by the pubNEWSSTREAK STAFF EDITORIAL Boston exploded on April 15, at the end of lic thanks to his tolerant practices.

Philippines: The island nation was rocked by typhoon Haiydan throughout the month of November. Almost 6,000 are dead and 15 million were affected by the storm.

To donate text RELIEF to 864233 to contribute $10.

Death of Nelson Mandela: The former president of South Africa passed away on December 5, at age 95. The anti-apartheid advocate was know for reconciling South Africa after years of separation between blacks and whites.

the famous Boston marathon. Killing three people and injuring an estimated 264 others. Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev were caught as the perpetrators.

Government Shutdown: The 16 day hiatus back in October cause quite the stir across the nation.

The slow moving legislation in Congress finally ended with President Obama signing the bill that would prevent the nation from hitting the debt ceiling.

Pope Francis: The 266th Pope was elected to preside over the Catholic church in March of this year. He

Top 10 News Stories 1. Jodi Arias’ Trial 2. Obamacare’s trials and tribulations 3. Boston marathon bombing 4. Royal Baby Birth 5. George Zimmerman Trial 6. Syrian Civil War 7. North Korean Missile Threats 8. Papal transition 9. Paula Deen lawsuit 10. Aaron Hernandez arrest

Top 10 YouTube Videos 1. What Does the Fox Say? 2. Harlem Shake 3. How Animals Eat Their Food 4. Wrecking Ball (Chatroulette Version) 5. Baby & Me / The New Evian Film 6. The Epic Split 7. YOLO - The Lonely Island 8. Telekinetic Coffee Shop Surprise 9. The NFL: A Bad Lip Reading 10. Mozart vs Skrillex. Epic Rap Battles of History Season 2

2013 Political Scandals 1) IRS targeting: The IRS was caught in what seems to be the targeting of conservative groups before, during, and after the 2012 presidential election.

2)Mayor Rob Ford: Canadian Toronto mayor caught on video smoking crack at a crack house.

Mayoral power has been

given to the vice mayor 3) NSA spieing on foreign leaders: Chancellor of Germany accused the U.S. of spying on her phone calls 4) NSA phonetapping the AP: The Associated Press accused the NSA of phone tapping them.

Obamacare: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, had a shaky start in October but since then has gotten back up on it’s feet after changes to the website were made. The website has almost 2 million people registered on the website.

George Zimmerman: After shooting Trayvon Martin back in 2012, Zimmerman was acquitted by a judge of second degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges in July of this year.

Corey Monteith: The popular Glee star died after a drug and alcohol

overdose in July of this year. He died at age 31.

Resurgence of Justin Timberlake: Fans went wild when singer songwriter Justin Timberlake started to make music again at the beginning of this year. His single “Suit and Tie” has almost 3 million downloads.

Miley Cyrus Scandal: Teen pop star Miley Cyrus caused quite the stir with her X-rated performance at this year’s Video Music Awards with singer Robin Thicke. More media coverage of her transition from teen singer to provocative socialite continued late into fall.

Student Opinions of News Stories “NSA scandal isn’t on the list?

That’s really sketchy,” junior Aarash Heydari said.

“The NSA trillion dollar thingy that went really weird was obviously more important,” senior Michael Walton said.

“I’d say NSA, but I can’t give you a quote. They’re listening,” senior Miles Donahue said.

“We’re supposed to be the world’s greatest superpower and someone goes in and blows up a

marathon,” senior Amber Ness said.

“The Syrian Civil war should outrank anything else. Whether we realize it or not, it affected more people than anything else. It’s a matter of perspective. No one in your country faced chemical gassings, murders, or bombings,” senior Jack Adamek said.

“The government was going against the very people of their country and so many died,” freshman Abdullah Abdullah said.

Student Opinions of YouTube Videos “Who doesn’t know what a fox says? Why write a song about an animal whose sound everyone knows? It just bothers me. Foxes are literally everywhere, so even Norwegians should know that they yip,” senior Michelle Waligora.

“That’s not what foxes say. They yip loudly. I’ve heard them.

They’re annoying,” senior Daniel Roth.

“I chose Mozart over Skrillex,” senior Rachel Kerley.

“I like educational youtube videos. People should spend more time watching Vlogbrothers, MinutePhysics, Sixty Symbols, and Numerphile and less time on this sort of thing,” junior Morgan Heckman.

“When I saw [“Wrecking Ball (Chatroulette Version)”], I cried tears of joy. Rainbows flew across the sky. Glittering fairies touched down upon my computer and flowers burst forth from the USB ports. Literally,” senior Tabatha LaFreniere.

Five Things That Have Changed at HHS 1)10 point grading scale: Now a 90% is an A. 2)Shoulders covered rule: Make sure you’ve got something on your shoulders!

3)Extended Learning Time: ELT gives students chance to catch up on homwork

and class work during school.

4)Price of lunch increased: Lunch is now $1.95 5)College application week: HHS hosted the state wide program. Seniors were able to take time out of the school day to apply for college.

Top Senior Moments

Top Junior Moments

“I bought my first car,” Ny’Asia Brooks said.

“The marching band trip to Chicago,” Selena Lovo said.

“I saw Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift both in concert like a month apart,” Katie Wampler said.

“Varsity basketball,” Jalen Williams said.

Top Sophomore Moments “I went to Busch gardens in the second week of August,” Karan Chalishajar said.

“In AP Euro I fell asleep, and could not be woken up. Mr Healy shook me and everyone in the class threw things at me - someone threw a tennis ball,” Robert Heitsch said. “[A snow fort] almost collapsed and crushed Karan Chalishajar,” sophomore Harrison Chicas said.

“Getting second place at states for our girls 4x100 relay team,” Mariah King said.

“HHS one act going to states for the third year in a row,” Caroline Shank said.

Top Freshman Moments “Over the summer I went to the Mickey Matthews camp. It was fun; it was three days long and it prepared me for the football season,” Andy Osorio said.

“Well, I liked getting into afterschool activites, such as debate. I started late, but I’m getting the hang of it,” David Gamboa said.

“Marching band was really cool, all the competitions. They were really awesome,” Zach Benevento said.

Everyone has an opinion.

Share yours Write a letter to the editor or go to www.newsstreak.com

December 20, 2013

HOT PS4 Giveaway

To expand our influence on social media, the Newsstreak is giving away a PS4 in the month of December

One Act places third The HHS Stage Streaks advanced to states this year, and finished third in the state.

Extra ELT time At the beginning of December, ELT expanded from once a week to twice a week. For choice students, this extra time is invaluable.

Beyonce’s Album Beyonce dropped an album unexpectedly, featuring 17 music videos

Newsstreak

TOPS OF 2013 The

OP/ED A6

Our highlights from the year Highest grossing movies

Favorite movies of students

1. Iron Man 3 (Robert Downey Jr.) 2. Despicable Me 2 (Steve Carrell) 3. Man of Steel (Amy Adams) 4. Monsters University (Billy Crystal) 5. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Jennifer Lawrence) 6. Gravity (Sandra Bullock) 7. Fast & Furious 6 (Vin Diesel) 8. Oz the Great and Powerful (Mila Kunis) 9. Star Trek into Darkness (James Kirk) 10.World War Z (Channing Tatum)

1. Catching Fire- 30 votes 2. Fast and Furious 6 - 22 votes 3. Despicable Me 2 - 14 votes 4. World War Z - 14 votes 5. Man of Steel - 5 votes 6. Ironman 3 - 4 votes 7. Oz the Great and Powerful - 4 votes 8. Gravity- 3 votes 9. Monsters University - 3 votes 10. Star Trek Into Darkness - 3 votes (poll of 102 people by Mia Karr)

Early decison results College applications come to an early finish for some seniors who were accepted into their dream schools.

Snow Days December bought in a few snowy days, causing school to be canceled to the delight of students.

The Hobbit For Middle Earth fans, part 2 of the trilogy hit theaters this month.

Amazon Prime Air In the next few years, your packages could be delivered to you by an unmanned drone, Amazon announced

1. Allegiant by Veronica 6. Entwined with You by Roth Sylvia Day 2. Inferno by Dan Brown 7. Walking Disaster by 3. And the Mountains James McGuire Echoed by Khaled Hous8. The Cuckoo’s Calling by seini Robert Galbraith 4. The Ocean at the 9. Life After Life by Kate End of the Lane by Neil Atkinson Gaiman 10. Requiem by Lauren 5. Clockwork Princess by Oliver Cassandra Clare (according to www.goodreads.com)

UK same sex marriage From March next year, same sex couples will be able to get married in the United Kingdom.

NOT Death of Nelson Mandela South Africa’s famous antiapartheid icon unfortunately passed away at age 95.

1. Henry Cavill

2. Selena Gomez

2. Robert Pattinson

3. Rhianna

3. Liam Hemsworth

4. Mila Kunis

4. Tom Hiddleston

5. Jennifer Lawrence

5. Benedict Cumberbatch

6. Jennifer Love Hewitt

6. Harry Styles

7. Ashley Tisdale

7. Chris Hemsworth

8. Kate Upton

8. Idris Elba

9. Vanessa Hudgens

9. Jamie Campbell Bower

10. Elisha Cuthbert

Stabbing of Creigh Deeds Virginia State Senator Creigh Deeds was stabbed in his home by his son. His son then committed suicide by shooting himself.

College applications due As the January Regular decision deadline approaches for most colleges, seniors are feeling the pressure.

Toronto Mayoral Scandal Toronto mayor Rob Ford was caught smoking crack in a crack house and has been relieved of his official duties.

Mandela Funeral Interpreter The sign language translator at Nelson Mandela’s funeral was critized for his supbar job and has even been questioned as a fake.

(according to www.maxim.com)

10. Justin Bieber

(according to www.glamourmagazine.uk.co)

Top slang vocabulary words defined lowkey: to do something or feel something slightly. example- I lowkey want a sandwich from Mr. J’s.

flex: to show off. example- Quit flexing, you know you only scored 4 points.

clutch: coming in at the perfect or most convenient moment. example- My mom came in clutch by bringing me a milkshake.

dawg: a companion. example- I’m down for all my real dawgs.

finna: about to. example- I’m finna go to school after 1st block.

Midterm exams The semester may nearly be over, but with it comes the dreaded midterm exams that are required for many classes.

Everly Tatum- actress Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan-Tatum (May 31) Lincoln Bell Shepard- actress Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard (March 28) Sebastian Taylor Tomaz- rapper Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose (February 21) Felix Chang- actor Hugh Grant and Tinglan Hong (February 14) Elijah Joseph Daniel FurnishJohn- Singer Elton John and David Furnish (January 11)

Top 10 hottest men

1. Miley Cyrus

Death of Paul Walker The fast and furious star was killed unexpectedly in a car accident on his way to a fundraiser for the Philipphines.

Axl Jack Duhamel- singer Fergie and actor Josh Duhamel (August 29) Carmen Gabriela Baldwin- actor Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin (August 23) Prince George Alexander LouisPrince William and Kate Middleton (July 22) Luna Bardem- actress Penelope Cruz and actor Javier Bardem (July 22) North West- reality star Kim Kardashian and singer Kanye West (June 15)

Top 10 hottest women

New Years As 2013 comes to a close, we remember this year’s best moments before 2014.

Celebrity children born in 2013

Top books

legit: the real deal. example- We didn’t have any homework in AP it was so legit!

bruh: formerly known as “bro”, then evolved to this. Typically addressing a young male, but has also been used to address anybody. example: Bruh, you need to chill. swag: a person’s style or demeanor. example- He ain’t that cute, but he’s got swag.

Top dance moves 1. Twerking: a type of dancing in which the dancer, usually a woman, shakes her hips in an up-and-down bouncing motion, causing the dancer’s buttocks to shake, “wobble” and “jiggle.”

4. Harlem Shake: a large group of people (typically) who all ‘freestyle’ dance for 30-45 seconds tops. This is usually complemented by silly outfits and/ or costumes.

2. Wop: A dance that includes claps to the sides and gyrating parts of the body below the waist.

5. Gangnam Style: a dance where you extend your arms out and hop. Looks very similar to riding a horse.

3. Wobble: an organized dance similar to the 2007 hit the “cupid shuffle” and electric slide.

Top Apps

#DoItForTheVine #OnInstagramStraightFlexin’ @ me on Twitter!

Snapchat me!

Find me on Path!

Scraping the car Icy mornings are nobody’s friend, especially for students who are driving to school, and car doors are forzen shut.

iPhone vs Android @ HHS

Most used social media @ HHS

Anniversary of JFK’s death

45 prefer iPhone

1 Myspace

Fifty years ago this Nov. 22 JFK was shot by a sniper while riding in a parade in Dallas, TX. Multiple events commemorated the anniversary.

33 prefer Android

1 Linkedin

1 prefer Windows

5 Snapchat

7 prefer other

20 Facebook 14 Instagram

ELT passes

17 Twitter

It’s just way too difficult to constantly be going to teachers to ask for another pass for ELT time. We need a solution.

5 Vine 4 Tumbler

Cold and Flu Season It’s that time of year when coughers and sneezers are wreaking havoc on us all.

8 Don’t use/ Don’t have

(poll of 87 HHS students by Joshua Byrd)

(poll of 79 HHS students by Joshua Byrd)

December 20, 2013

The

Newsstreak

STYLE A7

FROSTED FLICKS

How the Grinch Stole Christmas sure season favorite for all ages Danny Dombrowski Staff reporter It’s that time of year again, pull out all the Christmas movies and watch them just for the sake of it. One of those classics is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The film was based off of Dr. Seuss’ children’s book and stars Jim Carrey as the Grinch.

In Whoville everyone is ecstatic for the upcoming holiday except one person, the Grinch.

An eight year old girl, Cindy Lou catches the Grinch messing around in the post of-

fice one day, she begins to take an interest in him. She finds out that he had a very tormented childhood after being adopted by two sisters as a baby. All his anger builds up and one day he goes off on his class at school and runs to live inside Mount Crumpit. Cindy decides to ask him to come to the city celebration but he repeatedly declines. Finally after much deliberation he decides to go try it out. The Grinch enjoys himself till the mayor gives him an electric shaver as a mean joke. This sends the grinch into an insane rage and he ruins the party and destroys the town's christmas tree.

The rage makes him feel better about

himself until he sees that the people are still happy, so he decides to steal all the presents when they are asleep. The movie has a happy ending though, with the Grinch returning the presents and getting accepted by Whoville.

Sophomore Lettie Rose enjoys the movie.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a classic movie that i like to watch every year with my family,” Rose said. The movie is a classic holiday favorite, and is sure to provoke thoughts about the reason for the season.

ABC Family’s Countdown to Christmas is hit with viewers Josh Byrd Op-Ed Editor Every year during the holiday season many TV stations have holiday and Christmas specials, but there is only one station that has over 25 days of Christmas. In 2007 ABC Family extended the Christmas special to include the Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas that starts on Nov. 20 to Nov. 30. ABC Family, ever since 2003, has done the 25 days of Chirstmas special during the month of December.

ABC Family makes and premieres its own christmas specials.

Last year they had two specials,

The Mistle-Tones and Home Alone: “The Holiday Heist”. This years specials were “The Christmas Bounty” and “Holidaze”.

During the Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas, ABC Family showed movies like Richie Rich and other classic 90’s kid movies.

They also premiered for the first time on television Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part two as well as the rest of the movies from the series.

They began this year’s 25 Days to Christmas with the Dr Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (Jim Carrey’s version). That movie, as a child, used to scare me to

A Miracle on 34th Street brings holiday nostalgia Garrett Thompson Style Editor Charming, tasteful, simple in nature. Everything one would expect from a Christmas classic. It’s no wonder “A Miracle on 34th Street” has become a staple of every home theater’s Christmas playlist. The plot, focused on a little girl’s struggle to believe in Santa Claus is a universal theme of hope and inspiration.

Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins, and Dylan McDermott star in this holiday classic.

The catchy title of the film says it all. With a name like that you can feel the holiday season.

The movie takes us back into our childhood. Taking us back to a time when we still believed in Santa Claus. The youthful

innocence that kept us so fascinated by all of the stories we were told is marvelously captured in Les Mayfield’s 1994 adaptation.

While trying to convince the world that Saint Nick exists to free the real Kris Kringle, an unlikely couple finds love and a little girl, (Mara Wilson), finds new faith in childhood’s most enduring character, Santa Claus.

A Miracle on 34th street really captures what Christmas has come to represent.

When everyone realized he was Santa at the end of the movie almost made me believe again that there really is a jolly old Saint Nick checking to see if we are being naughty or nice. I definitely recommend this movie if you’re looking to snuggle up with the fam on Christmas Eve and enjoy what the holiday season really has to offer.

Old black and white movies usually take a lot out of me. They have old humor and references that I don’t understand, so I usually tune out and turn them off when I get bored. “It’s a Wonderful Life” however, is not the average old film. It has a very well written plot and is a Christmas classic.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” tells the life story of George Bailey, a dedicated husband, brother, father, and neighbor. George used to dream of being an adventurer and getting out of his hometown. Instead, he

gets married and becomes a friend of the town’s working class, but he still is miserable. He gets so upset that he almost jumps off a bridge to commit suicide, but he is saved by his wingless guardian angel Clarence, who wants to help George so he can get his angel wings. George wishes that he had never been born and Clarence grants him his wish. They go around town and see that everything is terrible because George was never there to help everyone out and George wishes for everything to go back to normal. George goes to his family on Christmas Eve to find the rest of the town there to help George out with his financial

problems. Clarence receives his wings and George and his family and friends celebrate a great Christmas.

My favorite scenes were George Bailey’s childhood scenes, because they were really cute and helped me get sucked into the plot. The ending was really cheesy, but it was expected and I don’t think the director could’ve ended it any other way.

Even if you haven’t seen the film, you’ve probably seen it being referenced in other movies like, “17 Again” or T.V. shows like “The Simpsons”. I definitely recommend seeing it because it’s such a good classic.

Frosty the Snowman original stands true among sequels Austin Coffey Advertising Manager It started out as a Little Golden childrens book in 1950, and then became a thirty-minute program in 1969. It inspired songs, and allowed the classic “building a snowman” to take on a new light. Frosty the Snowman quickly became one of those classics that inspired the young hearts of children and lightened the burdened hearts of adults in need of a little Christmas

cheer. Based off of the song Frosty the Snowman, this story quickly moves the spotlight from children playing in the first good snow of the year to a struggling magicians hat which brings their snowman to life. However, as the temperature begins to rise these children realize that their newly created friend, Frosty, needs to find a colder place to live. Soon Frosty as well as a schoolgirl named Karen venture off to find the north pole, but have no idea that the owner of the magical hat is chasing

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is great family pick Hunter Manzano Staff Reporter

It’s a Wonderful Life still classic after many years Victoria Giron Feature Editor

death. The grinch was just a scary person. ABC Family is awesome for showing the 25 days of Christmas.

It gives an opportunity to all generations to see the older christmas movie like the claymation “Rudolph: the Red-Nosed Reindeer” the tv special, and other newer movies.

When watching the 25 days of Christmas, it makes you feel like you are a kid again. This is because it shows Christmas movie from your childhood. Also, Christmas movies make you feel jolly and cheerful. Cheerfulness is something that Christmas makes a lot of people feel.

them to take the hat back.

Since the original Frosty the Snowman was released in 1969, three sequels have been produced including Frosty’s Winter Wonderland, Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July, and The Legend of Frosty Returns. Though all of these are continuations of the first story, I still have always enjoyed the original Frosty. It is through this classic that the story of true friendship, and the magic of Christmas is portrayed to individuals of all ages.

Christmas is almost here, which can only mean that you’re whipping out the old family classics.

Make sure to blow the dust off of this 1989 favorite: “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”. These fun-filled, family movies star Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo. They are a great time for the whole family, incorporating everyone’s individual likes. For couples, Clark is always trying to stay faithful to his wife, but when there are beautiful women, Clark becomes powerless.

For the children who think nothing of those things, they seem to love watch Mr. Griswald injure himself in attempt to give his family a great Christmas. The movie blends together romance, sexual references, and immature jokes to make it a classic holiday favorite.

“I think it’s a great movie. It’s a funny, classic Christmas comedy and it’s definitely a favorite of mine,” remarked freshman CJ Cruise.

These movies seem to share a common characteristic that wins over the audience every time. Clark Griswald (Chevy Chase) always goes overboard with anything and everything that he does. Whether it’s taking his family across the country or picking out the family christmas tree, it always ends in disaster due to his high expectations for good family memories.

I personally love all of these movies, and it’s become a tradition for my family and I to get them out to watch.

Top 10 Christmas Movies 1944 Meet Me in St. Louis

1947 Miracle on 34th Street

1946 It’s a Wonderful Life

1965 A Charlie Brown Christmas

1964 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

1990 Home Alone

1983 A Christmas Story

2000 How the Grinch Stole Christmas

1993 The Nightmare Before Christmas

2003 Elf Source: www.timerime.com

December 20, 2013

The

Newsstreak

FEATURE- A8

Carolers share gift Sarah Scribano News Editor

PHOTO BY JESSICA NGUYEN

WE WISH YOU... “I have a lot of fun [caroling],” said senior Heidi Warner.

As the Christmas season approaches and the lights begin to illuminate the neighborhoods, voices of church choirs may be heard. Many churches from around Harrisonburg will be heading out to different areas of the town to spread the Christmas cheer with their caroling.

At Grace Covenant, a group of the church members will be heading to the neighborhood behind their church. Every year a Christmas party is held at the church and afterwards the church members pack up to go Christmas caroling. They typically sing around five to seven traditional Christmas songs.

Senior Heidi Warner is planning on participating in this event. She has been a part of this event for a few years and really enjoys it. She loves being able to see the reactions of their audiences to their singing.

“I have a lot of fun [caroling]. Old people seem to like it the most and sometimes they give us cookies,” said Warner.

The First Russian Baptist Church also goes Christmas caroling every Christmas Eve. After their Christmas Eve service, the youth bundle up and travel out to different neighborhoods on two groups of about twenty five or more. Since they sing Rus-

sian Christmas songs, they travel to different houses of the people at their church.

They begin with the elderly and eventually make their way to the younger generations.

Senior Vika Shindyapin always participates in this annual event and loves to see the faces of the older people when the youth sing to them. She also really enjoys getting candy after they sing a Christmas piece, which is the traditional way of Russian Christmas caroling. Shindyapin loves the Russian Christmas songs and enjoys them more than the American ones.

Senior Dennis Shulgan also really enjoys this event. He also loves singing in Russian because it flows better and it is easier for everyone to sing, since they are used to it.

“I enjoy the singing part, being with friends, and snowball fights in between the houses,” said Shulgan.

There is a tradition after every Christmas caroling trip that the two groups of the First Russian Baptist Church meet back together for a Christmas party. They normally don’t get back until around three in the morning and stay up all night so they can celebrate Christmas together. The party consists of games, cookies, tea, singing, and trying your hardest not to fall asleep.

“This is everyone’s favorite part of the event, since it is full of laughter, fun and the Christmas spirit,” said Shindyapin.

PHOTO BY ELLA MARIAN

...A MERRY CHRISTMAS! “No offense to you all, but I like ours better because I know them better and they are prettier,” said senior Vika Shindyapin.

Athletes work with community Toys for Tots Victoria Giron Feature Editor Streaks Serve The ‘Burg (SSB) is volunteering for the Salvation Army’s Toys for Tots on December 20th just in time for the holiday season.

Junior Abby Strickler has participated in this event for the past three years.

“The Salvation Army collects toys for families who can’t afford to buy their kids presents and they also give out turkeys and potatoes so that these families that can’t afford a christmas meal, can have one,” said Strickler.

The Toys For Tots event needs a lot of volunteers to help distribute all the gifts and food.

“We’ve been doing it for the past few years, and now we are the only high school that does it and so we get to bring twenty of our club members, which is nice,” said senior Lucy Rose.

Toys For Tots takes place at the fairgrounds and helps out a lot of needy families in the area.

“We go over to the fairgrounds and help handout all these gifts to the families.

There’s normally 300 families that receive help, so it’s a lot of work.” said Strickler.

HOW DO YOU GIVE BACK DURING THE HOLIDAYS? Volunteer with a soup kitchen: 25 Give gifts to friends: 57 Bell ringing with the Salvation Army: 18

SSB is rewarded by the cheer they receive from families in need.

“We help the families carry their stuff back to their cars and it’s really great to be able to have that face to face conversation with them and be able to wish them a ‘Merry Christmas’. It’s just good to be able to make their day a little better,” said Strickler.

SSB is also volunteering their time bell ringing for the Salvation Army at Walmart.

“It’s really fun, we get to sing christmas carols while we’re doing it and get into the christmas spirit and ask people to donate to the Salvation army to do things like the

toy drive,” said Strickler.

SSB will be helping out with the Brent Barry food drive .They also are going to go Christmas caroling, which is something the club has never done before.

“We’re helping out with christmas caroling because the city is hosting tours downtown and they need people to sing and be festive so that’s what we’re doing,” Rose said.

“It’s the first time we’ve done it, but everyone’s really excited to go christmas caroling, because who doesn’t love that,” said Strickler.

“We can brighten people’s day!”

Students volunteer as ringers Alexis Dickerson News Editor Senior Will Bleckley has attended the Salvation Army Church for four years when his family lost his home in 2009. The Salvation Army Church is a Christian church that provides charity shops, shelters for the homeless, and provides disaster relief and humanitarian aid to developing countries.

“We were going from shelter to shelter and we just found out about the Salvation Army,” Bleckley said.

Bleckley has helped with the bell ringing for the Salvation Army for two years. Bleckley plays the acoustic guitar in the church band with two other students who both play in the brass band.

People sing along while Bleckley plays a variety of old and new songs such as “O’ Victory”, and his favorite song to play in the band, “O’ Boundless Salvation”.

Junior Ali Price has done the bell ringing for Key Club every year since ninth grade. Key Club, lead

by Maurizio Antonnicola, helps with volunteering activities such as bell ringing, school and food distributions, and visiting the nursing home.

“I do it because a bunch of us always get together to do it so it’s like hanging out for a good cause,” said Price.

Since she was four years old, Senior Taisha Reyes has attended the Salvation

Army Church. “[My favorite part is] singing to get people’s attention,” said Reyes.

Reyes mostly bell rings around Christmas time, but also when the Salvation Army needs more help.

“I love being able to help others and give back to the community any way possible,” Reyes said.

Youth Advisory Board sponsors local family Brenna Cowardin Style Editor This year the Youth Advisory Board, a program for teens at the Children’s Museum, will sponsor Christmas for a family who wouldn’t have had it otherwise. A girl of 12 and her two younger brothers will be opening presents on Christmas because of the YAB. Junior Phoebe Copeland, a member of the YAB, is happy to make this possible for the family.

“We like this because it’s so tangible.

You can think of this one family who’s all going to be together on Christmas, being able to open these presents,” Copeland said.

The idea behind the YAB is to have a closer connection through teens to the younger children as well as get teenagers involved with what was primarily a younger child’s environment.

“It’s easier for younger kids to look at a high school student and say, ‘oh okay, I want to be like them when I grow up,’” Copeland said.

The family lives at First Step, an organization who helps homeless or struggling families so they can eventually become self-sufficient. Copeland and the 14 other members of the YAB will buy the presents, they have already gotten a wishlist and sizes, and wrap them as a group to be delivered to the family.

“You can kind of imagine what it’s like

on Christmas to have Christmas presents versus not having them. It’s very close to home,” Copeland said.

Every year, the YAB likes to do something like this. Whether it’s getting presents for a family at First Step, like this year or doing a food drive, every Holiday season they like to reach out.

“Christmas is a time when need is especially felt. We’re so used to it being a family affair. You think about people who don’t have those families and how Christmas can often be a harder time of year because there’s so much social pressure,” Copeland said. “It’s also the Christmas spirit of giving.

It’s a good way for the Children’s Museum to be active in the community.”

The YAB also has other plans for the

Holiday Season. They are able to host First Night Free through saved funds, make cookies for a Christmas party at First Step and Copeland’s particular favorite, breakfast with Santa Claus. “[The Santa’s Breakfast is] a lot of fun, watching the kids interact with Santa,” Copeland said.

Copeland likes the way the holiday season lends itself to more outreach at the children’s museum.

“As a non-profit organization, a lot of our work is about the museum itself so it’s really nice to be able to reach out into the community and have a bigger persona [than just the Children’s Museum],” Copeland said.

Have a fun and safe holiday season!

December 20, 2013

The

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December 20, 2013

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STYLE - A10

H liday spirit all ver the w rld How to say Merry Christmas across the globe French: Joyeux Noel

German: Fröhliche Weihnachten Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun Hebrew: Mo’adim Lesimkha. Chena tova Kurdish: Serî sallî nwê pîroz Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha

Spanish: Feliz Navidad

Vietnamese: Chuc Mung Giang Sinh

Arabic: Milad Majid

Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah INFOGRAPHIC BY BRENNA COWARDIN AND CELIA EHRENPREIS

Students celebrate cultural holidays Jessica Nguyen Feature editor According to ask.com, out of 255 countries in the world, 168 celebrate Christmasthat is close to 2 billion people. Countries that don’t have different cultures and therefore have different holidays are similar to Christmas.

Junior Ron Somchay doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, let alone Christmas, because it isn’t a part of his family’s culture.

“Chinese New Year is the time of giving, like Christmas,” said Somchay.

Chinese New Year occurs in February, and is celebrated for fifteen days. At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes and decorate with poems on red paper.

Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. Lighting firecrackers are also part of the tradition, as it is believed that the sound scares away evil spirits.

It is common for red envelopes to be given from elder to younger.

“The red envelope signifies luck, and in it is money,” said Somchay. In addition to the envelopes, parents give children small

gifts such as sweets or toys.

“Chinese New Year is my Christmas,” said Somchay.

Junior Amna Khan never knew what Christmas was.

“When I was little, I lived in Pakistan and they don’t do Christmas,” said Khan, who celebrates Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday celebrated in August that marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. Ramadan is intended to increase selfcontrol in all areas and teach a Muslim to stay away from worldly desires.

The festival of Eid al-Fitr is an occasion to show gratitude to God, and for enter-

tainment.

Muslims celebrate by gathering with friends and family, preparing sweet delicacies, wearing new clothes, and putting up lights and other decorations in their homes.

“The adults give the children eidi for doing all the fasts,” said Khan. Eidi are simple gifts such as candy, flowers, or money, are similar to Christmas presents.

What Christians call Christmas is celebrated different ways around the world, by different religions under different names, but the message is still the same: it is the time for giving.

Christmas lights are holiday tradition Austin Swift Staff reporter

What’s your favorite Christmas food?

Turkey: 21 Ham: 17 Canday Canes: 15 Gingerbread cookies: 15 Sugar cookies: 12 Eggnog: 8 Pecan Pie: 7 Cranberry sauce: 5 POLL BY REMIEL MARRERO

What’s your favorite Christmas song?

It’s not Christmas without tons of shiny lights and inflatable Santa’s. In almost every neighborhood you go to, there will most likely be rows of houses with lights strung up and, if you’re lucky, some glowing reindeer or even a snowman.

Sophomore Hollyn Slykuis puts up Christmas lights with her family every year.

“My dad really likes Christmas lights, so he makes us put them up every year and it’s this big production that takes the whole day and we’ve been putting them up since I can remember,” Slykhuis said.

The one place other than outside a house where lights could be found would be around the Christmas tree, although the Slykhuis family took it one step further.

“We’ve added some to the inside of our house, because our dad isn’t content with putting them outside, so now we have lights inside too,” Slykhuis said.

When one little light goes out, it creates a big problem. Long strands of Christmas lights are notorious for being a pain in the butt when a light goes out, as that generally causes several, if not all, of the lights on the cord to go out.

“There are some that are starting to be broken, but they’re multicolored and we haven’t been able to find them anywhere else, so we’re just trying to fix them,” Slykuis said.

Slykuis prefers the multicolored lights to regular white ones, and like the colored ones the white lights need some repair work.

“We have these lights that are really boring and are white that my dad puts on the outside of our house, and now there’s this big strip in the middle that doesn’t work and we can’t figure out how to fix it, so I think we should replace them, but they’re still up,so it looks kind of weird.”

Slykhuis said.

Harrisonburg resident Ann Weber has a blow-up Santa Claus she puts in her yard every year.

“I really love our Santa, because my dog, Lillie, barks and tries to attack him when he’s in the yard, so he’s a good source of entertainment for our family.” Weber said.

Another Harrisonburg resident Mary Whetzel has a yard full of Christmas decorations.

“My daughter wanted the house to look like the Christmas Vacation house, and we

PHOTO BY AUSTIN SWIFT JOLLY OL’ SAINT NICK. Weber’s Santa Claus is a good source of entertainment.

just had a little bit, but when my second husband and I got together we’d just add one more, and one more and now we’re out of room,” Whetzel said.

Not all of the decorations are just bought for the sake of decorating in Holiday spirit. Many of Whetzel’s adornments hold precious memories.

“The star on our Christmas tree is the one that my dad gave my mom in 1947, and the Winnie The Poo in our yard was actually stolen, he rode on the back of a bike and they scratched him all up, but my Husband found another one at a yard sale so we got a new Winnie The Poo,” Whetzel said.

Many stores have sales on decorations shortly after the holiday passes.

“We started collecting about fifteen years ago and, at that time, you’d go the day after Christmas to the store and they’d put everything fifty percent off. We’d say ‘oh, there’s Micky Mouse’ okay, fifty dollars instead of one hundred,” Whetzel said.

With many lights in the yard, electricity inside the house suffers. Whetzel came up with a solution- now the yard ornaments have their own breaker box.

“We were blowing fuses when our girls were here, I couldn’t use the microwave or the computer, so we had to be done with all that by six o’clock. We had an electrician come in and he put three little outlets outside and it’s got its own breaker box, so now I can make corn muffins and the lights can be on.” Whetzel said.

Senior Irvin Reyes: “Feliz Navidad”

Sophomore Karina Baustia: “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”

Senior Maria Amaya: “Jingle Bells” INFOGRAPHIC BY PABLO PACHECO

PHOTO BY AUSTIN SWIFT HOLIDAY CHEER. Whetzel’s yard is full of Christmas characters from all ages. She’s been collecting for about 15 years, and her yard holds many fond memories.

December 20, 2013

The

Newsstreak

STYLE - B1

Winter Style Guide

Scarves add personality to any outfit Ellie Plass Style Editor While warm weather is always nice to have, nobody can deny that the seasons are changing. T-shirts and shorts no longer make up the uniform clothes, and it’s time to branch out with things that cover up a little more skin. Just a plain shirt and jeans can get old fast, until you add something to it.

Senior Ellen Upton has about fifteen scarves. One from Disney World, one with music notes, and her favorite; a reversible scarf she bought in Williamsburg.

“They give you options! You can wear the same outfits with different scarves, and they become different outfits,” Upton said. Scarves are an easy, foolproof way to add color.

“I usually wear them with a

plain shirt, jeans, and boots,” said Upton. When she needs to be a little more dressy, she says that adding a scarf to a skirt and white shirt is always good to show personality.

Something that has recently become more popular is the practice of tying scarves into fancy or new knots. The website scarves.net, provides fifty ways to tie a scarf. They include simple

things like “Wrap and Tie” and windsor knots, all the way to more complicated confections like the “Half-Bow Epaulette”.

Whether you’re the kind of person that learns the fanciest nots, or the one who slings it over their shoulder out the door, a scarf adds personality and color to every outfit that’s perfect for the colder months.

The Layered Look:

Sweaters make comeback

The Shawl

The Cardigan

The Crew

The V-Neck

Julexus Cappell Op/Ed Editor

Sweaters are a huge part of the winter season. There are oversized sweaters, cashmere sweaters, the itchy kind your grandma gets you and some adorned with Christmas designs and decor. Most wear sweaters solely to stay warm, but senior Lillian Poirot explains there are more reasons to rock a sweater. “[Sweaters] comfy and can also be cute. You can wear them with almost everything,” Poirot said.

There are also plenty of

ways to spice up an average sweater with accessories that go with the winter season.

“My favorite accessories to wear with sweaters are pearls and leggings,” Poirot said.

Poirot explained that sweaters are so easily available to get, which is one of the reasons why she loves them.

“A lot of the stores in the area sell [sweaters].

They’re in style,” Poirot said.

If you’re going for the layered look, when in doubt rock a sweater. They are not only functional but are the perfect way to dress for the cold weather.

Hats: No longer your mother’s favorite accessory Ava Reynolds Staff Editor The item that used to be the nuisance your mother made you wear so you didn’t catch the common cold, has been seen as the newest fashion statement this winter. Having the vague definition of head covering, the hat has many purposes. Among the

many types are hard hats, baseball caps, snap backs, religious coverings, and helmets. In the winter, the beanie, stocking cap, toboggan, knit hat, ski cap; however it is referred to as, plays a vital, and now stylish role in this season’s classic wardrobe.

Freshman Lucy Moss is an avid hat wearer.

“I wear hats for comfort, also for bad hair

days. Hats are a way to express yourself,” Moss said.

Not only are hats fashionable warmth, they also often have stories behind them.

“My brother gave me this one cap, and it says Dean’s Guitars on it and has their logo. Whenever I wear it, I think of my brother,” Moss said.

Freshman Zack Benevento-Zahner wears his

favorite grey beanie often.

“Hats are fashionable! I also like how they make my hair feel really soft,” Benevento-Zahner said.

Hats are often an afterthought to a person’s winter wardrobe, but during these cold blustery months, think beyond the beanie, and try on a hat for fashion.

Keep your feet comfortable, stylish this season Ella Marian Sports Editor The best price for boots, in Harrisonburg, can be found at Kohls on 2 0 3 5 E a s t

“I like BoHo influences. I would definitely say my style has a lot of earthy vibes going on.”

Jaymie Inouye, 10

“My style depends on how I feel that day.

It’s a mixture of preppy and indy.”

Noelle Warne, 9

Market Street Harrisonburg.

Their lowest price for boots is $19.99 (without tax) and the brands range from Chaps to Unionbay. Many girls own multiple pairs of boots, Senior Megan Miller owns 7 pairs of boots. “[What I like about boots] is how cute they are and I can wear them with anything like jeans, a dress, or leggings,” Miller said.

Many girls find that they can wear their boots with almost everything. Miller wears her cowboy boots in the summ e r and her rid-

“I like to think of my style as a classy hipster vibe.”

Emily Bocook, 11

ing boots in the fall.

Junior Nala Barber owns 4 pairs of boots and shares why she loves them.

“If your pants are high waters, they cover them up so you won’t have high waters anymore,” Barber said. Barber likes wearing her combat boots, which are her favorite, in the summer and her other boots occasionally in the fall.

Most girls own a pair of cowboy boots, combat boots, and/ or riding boots. Riding boots are usually worn in the fall and early winter. Most girls also own a pair of Uggs, or a boot similar to Uggs, and they are usually worn in the late fall and throughout winter.

Cowboy boots and combat boots

“I wear what is comfortable but is still socially acceptable.”

Ellen Upton, 12

are usually everyone’s favorite and often worn year round.

In women’s fashion, boots have become more popular over the years, especially in the fall and winter seasons. They have been found to be very comfortable, can be worn with almost anything, and can even complete an outfit. Uggs, for example, have been to fit all the criteria. Along with their soft fuzzy inside, they are found (by most people) to be both stylish and make a person’s outfit cutter. Cowboy boots have also become more popular over the years and (by most people) to fit all the criteria of being comfortable, worn with almost anything, and completing an outfit.

December 20, 2013

The

Newsstreak

FEATURE - B2

PHOTO BY ARIEL VOGEL

LEARN FROM THE BEST. Through the mentorship program, senior Jasmine Arrington has been working with yearbook teacher Mary Strickler throughout this school year. She is considering a career in teaching yearbook, so she’s working with HHS’s yearbook form behind the scenes, working with the teacher rather than as a student.

Arrington pursues yearbook career Ava Reynolds Staff Photographer Some students spend their fourth period glancing at the clock, waiting anxiously for the bell to ring so they can get out of the class they could honestly care less about.

Not senior Jasmine Arrington, however, who spends her fourth block learning the ropes of what being a yearbook teacher entails.

Arrington has been participating in the mentorship program offered to seniors with Mary Strickler, the yearbook teacher.

A typical day of mentorship for Arrington includes making copies and helping Strickler with basically anything she needs done.

Luckily for Arrington, her mentorship class will definitely help her in the future with deciding where to go to college and what to study.

“I am considering VCU because they have a great journalism department. I am thinking about becoming a yearbook or English teacher,” Arrington said.

While most people only see what is done in a yearbook class through a student’s point of view, Arrington has a different experience. Through her mentorship class, Arrington has learned what it is like to be apart of a yearbook staff, but from a teacher’s standpoint.

“I go behind the scenes with Strickler and see what she does. There is so much that yearbook teachers do that no one realizes. She has shown me the ropes of what I want to probably do,” Arrington said.

Through her mentorship class with Strickler, Arrington has had glimpse of what leading a yearbook staff is like. This will help her in the future if she decides to pursue a career in yearbook.

Yearbook Memories

Q&A with Jasmine Arrington Q: What is your favorite page that you have Q: What is the best tip Strickler has ever given you? designed for Yearbook?

A: My favorite page is a page I am work- A: Strickler emphasized the fact that we ing on right now, the senior superlative make a book of memories for people, page. It involves lots of cut outs and I can that they pay for, it’s not just for you. use my creative inputs.

Q: What is the worst page you’ve designed? Q: What is your favorite part of yearbook?

A: My worst page was my color guard page I did my sophomore year. I wasn’t as creative as I am now, and I only had a little bit of space.

A: I love making Christmas cards. The advanced staff creates a card to send out and we all do different poses...It’s really fun.

Raab,Rose study bedbug resistance through internship at JMU Rafael Snell-Feikema Online Editor-in-Chief Bedbugs are an irritation to many, mainly while traveling and staying in low-budget hotels. But for some, they are a dangerous health hazard and an unfortunate aspect of daily life. Bedbugs are common in low income housing facilities, and the conditions that they create can be horrifying.

A consensus is present throughout the general population: bedbugs are not fun.

Contrarily, however, Seniors Julie Raab and Lucy Rose have been voluntarily working for over a year in a biology lab at James Madison University on the very same unsightly and unpleasant creatures.

“We currently are finishing up working on a large project with bedbugs,” Raab said.

The pair’s work centers around a dis-

turbing new development: bedbugs with newly developed pesticide resistant genes, making them even more virulent and allowing them to survive many traditional extermination methods.

“Pesticides have become less and less effective. It’s become necessary for most people to use heat treatments to solve bedbug infestations, but these can cost thousands of dollars, and it’s not affordable for many of the people who bedbugs affect most: people who are barely off the street, people in low income housing, and so on,” Rose said.

To analyze the new developments, and hopefully to gain knowledge into possible solutions, the pair spent last year venturing out to these infestations and catching samples of the adapted insects.

“We actually went out and collected some bedbugs from a low income resi-

dence housing facility and we determined if they were pesticide resistant. We [extract] their DNA and [perform] PCR, polymerase chain reaction, and gel electrophoresis [to analyze the presence of these genes],” Raab said.

Aside from quelling scientific curiosity, the lab work also gives valuable experience for both post-secondary education and possible future careers.

“It helps me gain lab experience [which is important] because I want to continue that in college. It prepares you for real lab work; I’ve definitely learned how to do some stuff in the lab, like PCR,” Raab said.

The experience, of course, also includes the inevitable reality of research: setbacks and delays.

“It’s the nature of research, but failing so much...is probably the worst part. You think something will work out on the first

try and then it doesn’t. That can be incredibly frustrating,” Rose said.

The pair completes their work with the help of Raab’s father, a JMU Professor of the same name, although Raab started work on the project in her sophomore year with her father’s work colleague Dr. Stockwell. JMU’s work on the subject is almost completed, and the group hopes to publish a paper soon.

“We did most of last year and we’re just finishing up some stuff to get it published in a paper. [We’re trying] to show the extent to which pesticide resistance in bedbugs is becoming a problem,” Raab said.

For all the bedbugs and setbacks, the pair says it is definitely worth it.

“The best part is knowing that what I’m doing has real life applications. Our research could actually help improve these people’s lives,” Rose said.

Mehta gives back Jessica Nguyen Feature editor Besides filling out college applications, senior Neil Mehta has put some time aside to work with the Life Enrichment staff at the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, a local retirement facility.

“I usually volunteer a couple of times a week,” said Mehta.”I help them at events held to enrich the lives of the residents.”

Since August, Mehta has helped out with bible studies, ice cream socials, birthdays, anniversary celebrations, and more.

Mehta has steps he follows to assist the residents of VMRC. Mehta first asks the residents if they want to attend the event and if they do, he escorts them there.

“When everyone that wants to be there is gathered, I participate and assist residents if needed,” said Mehta.

When the event is done, Mehta helps the staff back to their rooms. “[My favorite event] was when I was paired up with a resident to take them around the Rockingham County Fair for about 2 hours,” said Mehta.

“We listened to live music, petted goats, and looked at a variety of flowers/ vegetables.”

Out of the many options for senior services, Mehta chose to volunteer at the VMRC for a particular reason.

“I like to volunteer there because I want to give back to the community that made Harrisonburg a great place,” Mehta said.

PHOTOS BY BRENNA COWARDIN

VOLUNTEER! Neil Mehta has been volunteering at VMRC, the local retirement community, in order to give back to Harrisonburg.

Koo feels respected by RMH volunteer coordinators Mia Karr Editor-in-Chief For senior Dean Koo, volunteering in a hospital has one definite perk- access to unlimited coffee and soda. However it’s not just the complementary beverages that keep Koo coming back to his gig at Rockingham Memorial Hospital. This isn’t the first time he’s volunteered in hospital, either.

“I have a history of volunteering at hospitals, so I thought when I moved here I should check out the local hospital and see if they have a volunteering position,” Koo said. Koo has volunteered at hospitals in Korea, among others. This interest stems from Koo having multiple family members who are doctors or in medical fields.

“It was the thing for me to work in a hospital because that’s what everyone in

my family does,” Koo said.

To gain his current position, Koo went through a rigorous application process that included an interview. He began volunteering the summer of his sophomore year.

Currently he goes in after school and on Sunday nights, with a typical shift lasting three hours.

After stocking up on coffee and soda, Koo heads to the front desk of the hospital.

“I have access their programs and all the patients room numbers and I have the knowledge of where everything in the building is,” Koo said. His job is to help visitors to the hospital by giving them room numbers and directions.

“The hardest part is sometimes there are patients with weird questions that you don’t really know the answer to...stuff that you weren’t trained for. It makes you

feel really lost.” Koo said. “There are some weird patients out there- patients or visitors.”

Koo usually works by himself at the desk, although he does occasionally interact with other volunteers.

“There are other volunteers who talk to me from time to time. It’s interesting to hear their life stories,” Koo said.

Over the course of his volunteer work, Koo estimates he has racked up a total of 300 to 400 hours. He plans to consider volunteering at a different hospital in college, and encourages others to get involved.

“Volunteering in general is a good things to do,” Koo said. “[RMH] actually needs more volunteers so whoever wants to volunteer should go sign up because RMH treats their volunteers with a lot of respect and I think that’s really good.”

Newsstreak

SOME LIKE IT hot

December 20, 2013

The

FEATURE- B3

Shank’s Bakery offers drinks, humor, fun Ariel Vogel Feature Editor

PHOTO BY AUSTIN COFFEY

DRINKS ON THE GO. Starbucks has 20,891 stores worldwide, including four stores in Harrisonburg. Started in Seattle, Washington, Starbucks has grown to be a major chain among coffee sellers. They are famous for selling coffee, but also sell a variety of hot and cold drinks and pastries. They are famous for their specialy made drinks, such as the Frappuccino and Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Starbucks has sweet atmosphere Austin Coffey Advertising Manager Somehow the holidays manage to encompass the craziness of last minute shopping and running around town, but also the joys of family and relaxation all in just a few weeks of time. With this many of us are looking for that one place in town that will give us the feeling of reading a book in front of a wood fire, without spend-

ing a bucket load of money at a resort to do so. Establishing its first store in 1971 in the middle of Seattle Washington, Starbucks has rapidly grown into one of the largest coffee companies in the world.

Upon walking into the store, the warm colors welcome you into the store with a dim lighting that is relaxing yet workable, and music that is enjoyable while not disruptive. The smell of coffee and the many other sweets Star-

bucks offers permeate the building. All this is leading up to your order, where employees greet you by name and take your order with a swift yet joyful tone. Within the next few minutes your name is called, and the beverage of your choice is handed to you.

This is simply the experience, it isn’t until you take your first sip of the Starbucks hot chocolate homemade recipe that you are truly able to understand the joy that comes

with being in this store. The beverage is sweet and mellow whether you are beginning the day or even when you are planning to finish it out.

Though personally I believe that this drink is worth every penny, others would disagree as this beverage typically costs around $2.75$3.50. However, there are sometimes that prices have to be sacrificed for a premium quality drink during the holiday season.

Every time I’ve gone into Shank’s Bakery, I’ve been greeted with delicious food but also by moody women with handkerchiefs in their hair. Thus, I was a little skeptical walking in on a snow day this December.

The bell on the door dinged as the warm air rushed over me. I marched up to the counter, ready to give my order of hot chocolate quickly in order to avoid dealing with the perpetually angry cashiers. Instead, I was met with smiling faces, jokes and overall friendliness from the obviously different staff. They were also newly-hired, if their disorganization was anything to go by, but the self-deprecating humor throughout the entire ordeal kept me laughing.

After a very complicated debacle in which three people ordered and paid and then I almost walked off without paying when I finally got my drink, I handed over the surprisingly small sum of two dollars and settled down.

The thing I love most

about Shank’s is staring at people as they walk past the ceiling-to-floor windows.

Little two person tables are set up along the glass, which is almost impossible to see in from the outside, providing the opportune people-watching situation. Clothing judgements can be made, people can be checked out and blatant staring for no particular reason can occur without the victim of these creeping crimes being aware.

The drink, however, completely overshadowed the staring perk of Shank’s. There was a thick layer of creamy foam before I got to the chocolate, but it was worth the wait. The chocolate drink was thick (2% milk does the trick!) and sweet, warm but not too hot and the best start to a cold, gloomy day that I could imagine. I nursed the drink for as long as I could before finally downing that cup of heaven.

My experience at Shank’s was by far the best I’ve had ever, and the hot chocolate was impeccable. I’d recommend it to any chocolate lover out there as a cheap drink worth far more than the cost.

Mexican hot chocolate has sweet, unique taste Victoria Giron Feature Editor

PHOTO BY VICTORIA GIRON

HOMEMADE HOT COCOA. Mexican hot chocolate is best served with “pan dulce” or sweet bread. Abuelita hot chocolate can be purchased in most grocery stores and is easily made.

When I want hot chocolate, I typicallly stay home and make it myself. I know how sweet I wnat it and at what temperature too.

Whenever I make hot chocolate, I use Abuelita hot chocolate.

Abuelita is a Mexican hot chocolate and is different from American hot chocolate in how it’s made.

Abuelita hot chocolate comes in little chocolate squares, instead of powder that you melt in hot milk.

Abuelita is a Mexican hot chocolate and has a unique taste that isn’t common in

American hot chocolate. It is very sweet and creamier tha normal hot chocolate.

If you really want some authentic hot chocolate, you can add cinnamon to give it some spiciness. The only downside to Abuelita hot chocolate is that it really can’ t be made with hot water, because then it tastes gross and more like sugar water than creamy, delicious hot chocolate.

Mexican hot chocolate is also perfect with Mexican pastries like churros and pan dulce. If you want a unique hot chocolate experience, I definitely reccomend having Mexican hot chocolate.

A brief history of hot chocolate Cocoa Beans were used in Ancient Meso-America as a currency and also as a highly prized drink.

Chocolate was a popular drink among monks and priests and came to be considered a Catholic drink while coffee was viewed as Protestant.

Chocolate was brought back to Spain in the 17th century and quickly spread thoughout Europe, becoming a drink of luxury.

Hot chocolate has been served during many wars including the American Revolution and WWI and WWII.

Because of its hot and rejuvenating qualities, cocoa has been a staple in the North and South pole expeditions.

Where do you like to get your hot chocolate?

Hot Chocolate came to be viewed as a holiday drink reserved for wintertime

Source: www.artofmanliness.com

Comparing hot chocolate prices

Homemade - 56 students Starbucks - 25 students Greenberry’s - 8 students Court Square Coffee 4 students

Small - $2.90 Medium - $ 3.25 Large - $3.55 Small - $2.30 Medium - $2.55 Large - $2.80 Small - $2.70 Medium - $3.15 Large - $3.60

PHOTO BY BRENNA COWARDIN

COFFEE HOUSE HOT CHOCOLATE. Court Square Coffee opened in January of 2012 and is located dowtown in front of the courthouse. They sell coffee and hot and cold drinks.

Court Square Coffee has creamy hot chocolate Brenna Cowardin Managing Editor That was literally the best hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted. Props to Court Square Coffee for completely blowing me away.

I mean granted, when I walked in I felt like I entered a construction zone, so I wasn’t expecting much.

But that three dollar, twelve ounce cup surpassed anything else I’ve had in my entire life that called itself hot chocolate.

When I opened the top of my cup to blow on the hot chocolate, I was pleasantly surprised by foamy whipped cream melting on the liquid’s surface. I took a tentative sip. I’ve always been really terrified of burning my tongue, but the temperature was absolutely perfect. The rich, creamy, chocolatey taste was exactly what I want for the perfect cup of hot chocolate.

About the construction zone. It’s my opinion that the interior was very unfinished. Actually, that’s not just my opinion. I’m pretty sure the strange furniture awkwardly placed through-

out the room is not actually part of Court Square Coffee. I’m pretty sure Court Square Coffee is just the little corner with tiny kitchen area and counter and the rest of the building is an entirely different display all together. From the looks of it, some modern furniture maker with creativity better placed elsewhere. However, that being said, I still wasn’t expecting and not very fond of the construction zone feel that I got from the place.

In the end, it didn’t matter. World’s nicest owner chatted with me while serving up pure genius, and I found myself asking another customer about his feelings on the snow falling outside. (He seemed to enjoy the question, I found out later that he was kind of a “weather geek,” to put it in his words.)

Sure the weird emptiness could be a drawback, but once you meet the owner, you know you’re gonna like the place, and then you taste their beverages, and there is no going back. You will never be happy with anything else ever again.

Mr. J’s - 3 students

Bitter hot chocolate leaves Cappell unimpressed Julexus Cappell Op/Ed Editor Greenberry’s is a coffee shop on South High Street across from the original Harrisonburg High School. To the natives of the ‘Burg, it’s known for its coffee and special desserts. Most overlook their hot chocolate.

I went in to try their warm hot cocoa among plenty of others who came in from the cold. When you walk in, you are bound to see JMU students

huddled in corners on their laptops.

Greenberry’s is small, yet cozy. Surprisingly they have a drive-thru, which I would not have expected because of their size. One thing that was pretty interesting was that the staff can control the temperatures of their hot beverages. I found this out because of my concern that it would burn my tongue, so it was nice to hear that. I didn’t have to wait long for my drink, which was also a plus. They also give you the option of whipped cream for

your cocoa. Thumbs up so far.

It was the right temperature for me, but the taste just wasn’t what I’d prefer. The hot chocolate was bitter, so I had to add more flavoring to it.

The price wasn’t too bad, but it also wasn’t great for how it tasted. Three dollars for a small, in case anyone was wondering. Overall, it was good service by the staff but the cocoa was a no-no for me, it just wasn’t sweet enough. I give it a 6 out of 10.

PHOTO BY JULEXUS CAPPELL

BITTER NOT SWEET. Greenberry’s first opened in Charlottesville in 1992 and has expanded to many other locations in Virginia, including Harrisonburg. They sell mostly coffee and tea.

December 20, 2013

The

Newsstreak

Dance & Company

We offer serious classical and contemporary training from youth to adult in a positive and progressive program of study. Performance opportunities are provided through annual spring concert performances, informal showings and student participation in the dance center's repertory youth performance companies. Classes are offered year-round in ballet, modern, tap, jazz, musical stage, hip-hop, and Irish step dance.

ADS - B4

Hey Blue Streaks, visit us!

We bet you’ll be surprised at what you find!

For information and guidance in class selection please call: 810-3631 or 433-7127 or 234-8317 115 South Main St. Harrisonburg VA 22801

www.jmu.edu/bluestreaks

December 20, 2013

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ADS - B5

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- Peter Norment Harrisonburg High School English Teacher

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December 20, 2013

The

Newsstreak

SPORTS B6

‘Tis the season for skiing, snowboarding Cold winter forecast exciting for sports enthusiasts Austin Swift Staff Reporter

PHOTO BY FAITH RUNNELLS

PULLING A 540. Sophomore Abner Johnson completes a 540 degree jump on his snowboard during a snow day on Dec. 10.

Your survival guide for area slopes Aubtin Heydari Staff reporter Massanutten is a magical place for Rockingham and Harrisonburg residents. Only a 15 minute drive from the city itself, it offers everyone great opportunities for all sorts of activities. During the winter time, the mountain is packed with skiers and snowboarders who have been patiently waiting throughout the summer months to carve down some fresh powder. With all of its lovely features, however, it is easy for a newcomer to miss out on the litany of opportunities available and numerous shortcuts and cost-saving mechanisms.

First and foremost, dining hall food is a no go for those on a budget. If you have a couple bucks to burn on the soup, burgers and drinks, by all means, indulge. Most students on the other hand cannot afford two bucks for a nonrefillable 16 oz. drink. Prices easily stack up for anyone who wants a filling meal here, which is why the best meal deals are at the general store.

Located behind the ticket booth and rental shack, this mini mart offers three freezers packed with an assortment of microwaveable goodies that can be heated up at the microwaves behind the soda machines.

Do not underestimate the taste factor of these meals; one $1.60 pack of mini tacos will provide you a significantly more satisfying meal for a third of the price.

Aside from frozen

foods, the general store has Campbell’s soup, ramen, and easy mac for an even more frugal meal. In the snacks department, the single dollar pickle proves to be a filling and scrumptious option. Sodas here can be bought in a greater variety and a more reasonable price.

The most cost-effective deal, however, is the 2-liter, which are sometimes priced lower than the 16 oz. bottles and can go as low as one dollar. Finding a commonly appreciated flavor with some friends can make this an optimal deal.

In terms of shortcuts, there are two vital slopes to be aware of. NuttenTo-It connects the top of classic Geronimo and the bottom of Lower MAKAttack (formally Rebel Yell).

This is the fastest route for those who want to ride on Rebel Yell and Mid-station because it circumvents having to go up the slow and busy Southern Comfort lift and halfway down the almost flat slope.

The other quality shortcut is Mass Transit, which connects the top of Rebel Yell to the bottom of lift 6, the base of the two major black diamonds. By hugging the left side of the mountain, halfway down Mass Transit is the tiny connecting slope Yee Ha, which brings you right at the foot of the mountain.

The last shortcut isn’t an actual slope, but a small ditch connecting the top of the Terrain Park to the bottom of Geronimo.

Otherwise, people done shredding at the park would have to walk up the teaching area.

As fall transitions to winter, and as the outdoor waterparks close and all the pool goers go into hibernation, the ski slopes will open and tons of puffy coats and snow boots will be brought out of storage. As opposed to snowboarding, skiing has the general image of a family activity, which there will be plenty of this season.

“My parents really like skiing, so they took me to a ski class. The class was awful, but I liked skiing, so I stuck with it,” sophomore Malcolm McGehee said.

There are many things McGehee enjoys about it, but it has its negatives as well.

“The feeling of going down a hill at 40 miles an hour is great, but then there’s also the cost and the fact that you can only do it in the winter,” McGehee said.

Although the Massanutten ski resort may be the closest and most well known skiing destination in Harrisonburg, there are also multiple other resorts that are relatively close, such as Wintergreen and Bryce Resorts and The Homestead, all located in Virginia with Snowshoe Mountain and Canaan Valley slopes in West Virginia.

“I usually go to Massanutten, unfortunately, because it’s the closest, but it’s not very good. I’ve been to Snowshoe, skied all the slopes there, Black Diamond and everything. It’s a lot more fun when the slopes are a bit more challenging. I’ll ski as much as I can, which is about 10 times a season, which isn’t as much as I’d want, I wish I could go every Monday,” McGehee said.

Many resorts have multiple courses made for certain skill levels, such as Massanutten Ski Resort, which has 14 total trails with 4 beginner and advanced trails and 6 intermediate trails.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HANNAH DURDEN

stop and went flying down the slopes, straight down the slope all the way to the bottom and fell into a pile of snow and then I couldn’t find the class, so I pretty much did whatever I wanted for the rest of the day,” sophomore Noah Heie said.

Winter Sports INDOOR TRACK

The junior varsity and varsity indoor track team started their season a month later than most other schools in the district in conference to provide a well-needed break for fall athletes and coaches. The team will compete on their first indoor meet on Thursday, Dec. 12th at Eastern Mennonite University’s track. The seconds meet of the year will be during winter break, on January 4th at the track of Liberty University. The girls are planning to continue their five season long district winning streak and the boys are planning to start theirs.

VARSITY GYMNASTICS

The girl’s varsity gymnastics team began their season in November.

The girls on the team will begin their competitions also on Dec. 12th. The second meet for the girls will also be during winter break, on January 4th.

The girls compete in seven competitions throughout the season and will compete in districts, conference, regionals and states in the spring of 2014. Sophomores Brooke Cobb and Aspen Hoak compete in both indoor track and gymnastics.

“It’s going to be fun to do both, although gymnastics is probably my priority,” Cobb said.

Massanutten resort gets early start Skiers, snowboarders head for mountains every chance they get Danny Dombrowski Staff reporter This year’s snowboarding season at Massanutten kicked off early for the only the fourth time in 41 years.

The resort began making snow on the 23rd of November. Massanutten was expecting to open on or around December 6, but ended up opening up for the Thanksgiving weekend. Sophomore Abner Johnson, sophomore Parker Strickland, sophomore Devin Medley, sophomore Brady Crosby and senior Jarek Arellano took to slopes together during their break. Medley has been snowboarding for two years now.

“The feeling of snowboarding is like you have so much power. Going down the slopes you feel like you can do pretty much anything,” Medley said.

Johnson has been snowboarding for many years now, and plans to continue his snowboarding for many years to come.

“This winter break I’m going to Colorado to visit my friend who lives there now and we are planning to go snowboarding a lot there. Colorado is known for good slopes, so I’m pretty excited for that,” Johnson said.

Strickland is going into his sixth year of snowboarding.

“It’s fun going with my friends. We all go up there together and that’s

what makes it probably the best,” Strickland said.

Arellano is in his second year of snowboarding as well, and goes up to Massanutten with the rest of them.

If you are interested in grabbing a season pass there are a few options available. An adult full season pass is $450 and a student full season pass is $375. A cheaper option would be the special value pass for $219, but it excludes Saturdays and holidays. You can also just not buy any season pass, if you are not planning on going regularly throughout this winter, and just purchase a one day or one night ticket each time you go to the resort. The season is expected to end sometime in late March.

PHOTO BY PARKER STRICKLAND

GOING UP THE SLOPES. Sophomore Abner Johnson, senior Jarek Arellano, and sophomore Devin Medley ride up the ski lift to a diamond slope at Massanutten.

Durden enjoys working at local resort Ella Marian Sports Editor

ON THE SLOPES. Junior Hannah Durden stands atop her favorite slopes, Diamond Jim and Paradise at Massanutten Resort.

“I like more intense, fast trails, they’re just more interesting for me.

Friends are more fun to ski with, but with family, because they all know how to ski, I can do more challenging stuff, go away from the pack, sort of lone-wolf it,” McGehee said.

Some resorts also offer skiing classes for different ages, and will let you rent out equipment, or use your own.

“For beginners, I’d say just go to classes if you need to, but just stick with it, it’s worth it. And you’ll need skis, boots, poles and wear a helmet, make sure you wear a helmet. They have insulated skiing helmets you can use, so you don’t smash your head on the ice,” McGehee said.

Generally, most skiers would jump at the opportunity to venture beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains and on to bigger and more challenging slopes.

“I’d love to go to either the Rockies or the Alps, somewhere where its all powder [snow] and not actual slopes, the kind where you get dropped from a helicopter, that’d be so fun,” McGehee said.

As first time skiers take to the slopes, veteran and experienced ones, such as McGehee, do as well, all aiming to better themselves.

“This year my goal is to land a three-sixty jump, which I’ve been practicing for a while, but haven’t gotten down.” McGehee said.

“It’s kind of funny, I was five and in one of those beginner ski classes and they were like “oh Noah, lets teach you how to ski sunny.” And I didn’t know anything about skiing and they told me to go down the hill a little and then turn to a stop, so I went down but didn’t know how to

A high school student doesn’t always have to find a part time job at a fast food restaurant. Junior Hannah Durden works at the Massanutten Resort, teaching children how to ski.

This is Durden’s third year as an instructor at the resort.

“It’s fun, and I like the people who work there,” Durden said. Both her mom and brother have worked there in the past and they told her it would be a good idea to apply.

Durden’s job at Massanutten Resort is to teach Slip Sliders, which is a class that teaches kids ages four to twelve, how to ski. The classes are separated into different levels that run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with two breaks. During the two breaks the

children eat and talk to one another.

Durden, and her coworkers, will often take this time to get to know the children. They ask them things like what sports they play and about where they live. If there is a student that starts to struggle, or gets upset it is Durden’s job to cheer them up, and remind them that it is fun.

Durden also receives discounts from working at the Massanutten Resort. She gets a discount at the store and at the Water Park. Durden really enjoys working at the resort. “[My favorite thing about working there is that] I get a season pass for free. There is also a place where I get to store all of my equipment, and I really like the people there, they’re awesome,” Durden said.

The only problems that Durden has with her job are that it is time

consuming and when she finishes the day she doesn’t feel like skiing or snowboarding anymore because she is tired. It also takes up a lot of gas money because she must get to Massanutten daily.

In order to actually get her job, Durden had to go through an application process. She had to apply online, then she had to go in and try out. In order to work at the resort she had to know how to ski down one of the easiest slopes since that was where she would be working.

“They run you through what a day would be like and then at the end they told us who got in,” Durden said.

Durden recommends students, who are looking for jobs, apply at the Massanutten Resort. She feels that most would really enjoy working there.

December 20, 2013

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Sports Briefs GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL DEFEATS CHARLOTTESVILLE

The girls have had three games so far. They won their game against Charlottesville on Dec. 2 by a score of 40-34. They lost their games against Wilson Memorial (55-61) on Dec. 4 and Louisa County (45-50) on Dec. 6. They play Spotswood on Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. and Amherst on Dec. 28 against at 5:30 p.m.

BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL LOSES TO WILSON

The boys lost their game against Wilson Memorial on Dec. 4 with a score of 43-49. They also lost their invitational on Dec. 7 against Western Albemarle with a score of 62-65. They play next on Dec. 20 against Spotswood at 7:30 p.m. and their next invitational is on Dec. 27 against Charlottesville at 4:30 p.m.

BOYS VARSITY SWIM TEAM PLACES 19th

The boys placed 19 out of 39 teams at their invitational against Pulaski County on Dec. 7. The boys swim next on Dec. 21 against Milbrook at 9:30 a.m. in Winchester Parks & Recreation Department Pool and on Jan. 1 against John Handley at 10 a.m. at the Jim Barrett Park War Memorial Building.

GIRLS VARSITY SWIM TEAM PLACES 18th

The girls placed 18 out of 39 teams at their invitational against Pulaski County on Dec. 7. Their next meet is on Dec. 21 against Milbrook at 9:30 a.m. at the Winchester Parks & Recreation Department Pool and on Jan. 1 against John Handley at 10 a.m. in Jim Barrett Park War Memorial Building.

GIRLS JV BASKETBALL TEAM BEATS CHARLOTTESVILLE The girls won their game against Charlottesville with a score of 50-9 on Dec. 2. They lost their games against Wilson Memorial (33-36) on Dec. 4 and against Louisa County (30-31) on Dec. 6. They play again on Dec. 28 against Amherst County at 4 p.m. and on Jan. 2 against Turner Ashby at 7:30 p.m.

BOYS JV BASKETBALL TEAM LOSES TO WILSON

The boys lost their game against Wilson Memorial with a score of 37-38 on Dec. 4. Their next invitational is on Dec. 30 against Broadway at 5 p.m. and their next games are on Jan. 2 against Turner Ashby at 6 p.m. and on Jan. 7 against Waynesboro at 6 p.m.

WRESTLERS WIN

The wrestling team had their first district meet on Dec. 11 against Broadway, R.E. Lee, Spotswood, T.A. and Waynesboro. They finished 2-1.

Returning track athletes ready for indoor meets Austin Engle Staff Reporter Indoor track every year has to rebuild after losing seniors the previous year.

However, this year they have strong returning runners and throwers. Senior John Weiss Rebekah Good is one of these who is returning.

Good is coming back with a win at states last year in the shotput.

“My personal goal is to get 45 feet and break the Rebekah Good school record,” Good said.

She has a chance to break the school record if she keeps up constant training.

Another returning seChris Hyser nior is John Weiss and this is his second year of running indoor track. Weiss runs the 100, the 200 and does the high jump. He had surgery last year on his hernia, so after walking around painfully for three weeks, then he could finally start training.

“I was slowed down and had to work hard to get back,” Weiss said. His goal is to reach six feet in height for the high jump, and to get faster in the 100, and the 200.

Chris Hyser is also a returning senior.

He recently injured his knee running Cross Country, making it the second year of his four years that he is starting with an injured knee.

“I see indoor [track] as a training ground for outdoor [track],” Hyser said. Even with his knee injury Hyser still hopes to run the 1000 in two minutes and 30 seconds and hopes to win states in the 4x800.

Overall with these two returners and all the other returning athletes the indoor track team will be strong.

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Scanlan will pursue radiology Ella Marian Sports Editor Senior Chloe Scanlan has been balancing on a beam and cart wheeling across the gym since she was six years old. She started at Skyline and has been on the HHS team since she was a freshmen. Scanlan’s goals this year are to get an aerial (a cartwheel without hands) on beam and to make the most out of her senior year.

In one word, Scanlan would describe gymnastics as challenging.

“It’s physically and mentally challenging because not only do you have to have the strength to do it, but you have to get over the fear of possibly falling or anything that could go wrong and having the faith that you can actually do it,” Scanlan said. Scanlan has had two concussions and has recently dislocated her elbow. Her first concussion was from a shushunova (a gymnastic trick where the gymnast first goes into a toe touch and lands into a pushup position) and her second one was from re-injury, from being back in practice too soon. Due

to the impact of landing, moves with speed and turns, and tricks on the bars; Scanlan’s concussion came back. Scanlan dislocated her elbow by trying to catch herself when she was falling. “[My favorite memory] is growing up with the people that I competed with as a freshmen and getting to know the new people,” Scanlan said.

Scanlan does not plan on continuing gymnastics during college. Even though she is not continuing in college, Scanlan still feels that gymnastics is a big part of her life because she has been involved in it for so long and she has met so many wonderful people.

In place of gymnastics, Scanlan will be filling it in with radiology. She has been having mentorship in the mornings at RMH. She observes, helps out in the radiology department, and spends time in the floor.

Scanlan has considered radiology technology as a career after she has been helping out for a while.

“I thinks it is really cool to be able to see into the body and see how it works without having to perform invasive

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHLOE SCANLAN

BACK-TO-BACK TUMBLING. Scanlan is performing her beam routine during a competition in her junior year. procedures,” Scanlan said.

Scanlan first thought about becoming a nurse but the department was filled up.

She was recommended to go into the radiology department and has now grown to love it.

“It also plays an important role in the other fields so you get to learn a little bit about everything else,” Scanlan said.

Senior basketball players set goals Faith Runnells Sports Editor Seniors Ryan Phillips and Jalen Williams have both been playing basketball for almost their whole life, and have been playing for HHS since their freshman year. This upcoming basketball season will be both of their final seasons with the high school, and they are both looking forward to what the season will bring them.

The seniors will have to step up and help lead their team to their goals for the season.

“Last year we had some seniors who didn’t lead as well.

So I can learn from them, to lead and how to lead. It feels

good [to lead the team],” Williams said.

The team’s goal of the season Ryan Phillips are based upon their long rivalry with Spotswood.

“Beating Spotswood [is our main goal].

Sara Shenk It would feel reMoreno ally good to beat them and then just see their faces when we come out. Also, to go far in the district and regional tournaments [are also some of our goals],” Williams said.

Williams plans to continue his basketball playing at either

a D3 or D2 school.

Seniors Sara Shenk Moreno and Simara AlJalen Williams len are also both looking forward to their senior year with the HHS girls varSimara Allen sity basketball squad.

Allen began playing basketball when she was only five years old, and has been playing with HHS for all four years she’s been attending.

“I’m excited for this year. It’s fun to lead the team because the younger girls make it easy,”

Allen said.

Shenk Moreno started out her basketball career in 7th grade, playing middle school basketball. Her freshman year she made the varsity squad here at HHS, and has been playing with the varsity team ever since.

Neither Allen nor Shenk Moreno plan to play basketball competitively after high school, but plan to put in their best for their last year at a competitive level.

“I’m pretty excited for the season. It’s my senior year, and I enjoy all the girls on the team so it’s nice to lead us. I’m hoping for a winning season,” Shenk Moreno said.

Wrestlers working hard during practice, meets Alexis Dickerson News Editor As of this year, senior Artem Makayed has been wrestling for seven years, and started in sixth grade. Last year, Makayed wrestled in the 160 weight class where he won districts.

Makayed will be wrestling in the 182 weight class for this season. Artem’s favorite memory was when he won districts last year.

Donald Cash is the head wrestling coach. He continues to work the wrestlers hard in practice to ready them for their tournament coming up.

Wrestlers are told by Cash in practice to ‘be a good partner.’

“Being a good partner is being hard on the other person. If you are taking it easy you are hurting the other guy’s development,” Cash said.

“It means a lot [to be a good partner] because if you and your partner work hard you’ll

know more what it’s like on the real mat,” Makayed said.

Makayed’s partner, senior Trevor Jackson, describes him as a good partner. “He’s chiseled out of marble,” Jackson said.

“They are actually the same weight class at the moment. So it works out that they would be partners. They are both sort of quiet, Trevor more so. Artem is pretty funny if you can get him talking,” Cash said.

Jackson will be wrestling in the 195 weight class this year.

Jackson has been wrestling for 9 years, his success, including winning districts last year, can be attributed to a piece of his advice. “Never give up even when you are getting worked on the mat, keep fighting,” Jackson said.

Jackson’s favorite wrestling move is the lat-drop.

A tradition for wrestling is having the freshmen wash mats.

“I am excited. They are both

big strong kids who know how to wrestle a little bit. I haven’t seen them in competition very much. We scrimmaged Waynesboro who has ranked guys at their weights and they held their own,” Cash said.

“They both seem like good kids who want to be better wrestlers. I think a lot of it with them is going to be mental development. I don’t think either one of them really knows how much they are capable of or believes in themselves 100% right now. We are going to work on that,” Cash said.

Mike Dickerson, who was the wrestling coach for the past couple years, including when they won districts last year, retired from being the wrestling coach but also had the privilege to work with Jackson and Makayed.

“Artem is all business when it comes to wrestling. He comes into the room every day ready to work and work hard. He puts a lot of time and effort into

strength training and building his stamina and is well respected in the wrestling room,” Dickerson said.

“Artem’s strength is strength. He’s not the guy who is going to go in the weight room and bench 300 pounds, but when he puts his hands on you, he can move you. He has functional strength,” Cash said.

Dickerson worked with Jackson for at least five years, being able to watch him grow into the senior he is now.

“Trevor has technical wrestling in his blood. He probably has the most moves in his arsenal on the entire team. He has been associated with the sport for a long time so he naturally learned a tremendous amount,” Dickerson said.

“Trevor is going to be wrestling 195. He moves like a lightweight, most guys that big can’t move and don’t know much wrestling. He is going to have to utilize his speed and footwork to be successful,” Cash said.

Come out and support the HHS athletic teams during winter break

December 20, 2013

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Wrestling coach Donald Cash revamps this year’s team Celia Ehrenpreis Editor-in-chief

Head wrestling coach, Donald Cash got exactly what he wanted this fall; big numbers and a lot of beginners for the wrestling team. Cash moved from Florida this year to teach English at HHS, as well as coach wrestling.

“I wanted a place which had both [an open English position, and a head coaching one],” Cash said. With roots in Virginia, the move up North was logical for Cash.

“I grew up outside of Lynchburg, where I wrestled during middle and high school.

I started to reff when I was out of college to get some extra money,” Cash said. He worked as an assistant coach at a couple of different jobs before landing the one at HHS. “As assistant coach I was mainly in charge of training the boys, but now [as head coach] there is a lot more clerical stuff. I have to organize meets, and take

care of the logistics,” Cash said. Cash hopes to get the program rolling, by upping the intensity, and adding more structure to practices. The team does a set of drill every day that practices a number of key wrestling moves. They also spend a great deal of time in the weight room and warming up.

“I would rather have them know a couple of moves really well, over knowing a lot of them, but not mastering them. Simpler is better,” Cash said. The goal for the team is not uniform, Cash has different goals for each individual wrestler.

“Our starting line-up has about six or seven freshmen, and it’s hard to know what to expect from such a young team.

My goal overall is to catch the freshmen up, and get the seniors to the state tournament, and up on that podium,” Cash said.

Senior Trevor Jackson is in his third year of wrestling for the high school and has optimistic ideas about the season.

“I think we are going to have a good

season, we’re young, but the beginners are picking up moves really fast,” Jackson said.

“The goal is always to go to states and win it.”

Jackson enjoys the friendships forged on the wrestling team. “[Wrestling] is a closer knit group than say the football team because we’re a smaller group of guys,” Jackson said.

Cash’s favorite part of coaching is seeing the advancement in the wrestlers. The team does aerobics to warm up their bodies before practice.

“I like seeing kids who two weeks ago swore they couldn’t do a cartwheel, do one perfectly. The progression is great,” Cash said.

The team has a varying schedule so every practice is different, but a typical practice is run something like this; The team has study hall for about a half hour before working out in the weight room. They then break into pairs where they practice some standard wrestling moves. Cash calls out

about 10-12 different moves while the boys execute them on their partner. After one wrestler practices on his partner for about five minutes they switch. Assistant coaches, Adam Goble, Loren Phillips, and Erik Simmons walk around critiquing the pairs. The majority of the practice is spent drilling in this way. The week is a cycle, with wrestling meets typically on the weekends, the beginning of the week is harder, and the end, easier. This allows the team to be fresh for their matches.

“Wrestling has taught me a lot, but the biggest lesson is that hard work trumps talent any day of the week. You get what you deserve, you have to earn it. You can’t hide behind anyone in wrestling, if you haven’t been putting in the time, we’re going to see it on the mat,” Cash said.

The team’s first meet was Saturday Dec. 7, at Orange County. The team went 1-4, with senior Artem Makayed and junior Noel Jimenez-Rivera undefeated.

High School Wrestling Weight Class Divisions Division 1: 106 Ib

Division 2: 113 lb

Division 3: 120 lb

Division 4: 126 lb

Division 5: 132 lb

Division 6: 138 lb

Division 7: 145 lb

Division 8: 152 lb

Division 9: 160 lb

Division 10: 170 lb

Division 11: 182 lb

HOLD ‘EM. Coach Donald Cash demonstrates a move on senior Artem Makayed for the rest of the team.

HOLD IT TOGETHER. Junior Yad Kababachy holds senior Anthony Duong for coach Cash at practice.

Division 12: 195 lb Division 13: 220 lb

Division 14: Up to 285 pounds According to the National Federation of State High School Associations

PICK UP THE PACE. Sophomore Jesus Cacamo runs around the multipurpose room during practice on Dec. 12.

STEADY NOW. Senior Phillip Shumeyko (right) drills with his partner during practice.

GEAR UP.

Here’s the typical price range for the necessary wrestling gear.

Mouthguard: $10-$20

Wrestling shoes: $50-$100 Singlet: $45-$60

Price range from Dicks Sporting Goods

KEEP IT IN LOCK. Sophomore Jason Strother practices a set of daily drills with his partner.