January Newsstreak Issue

A10: Art provides outlet for Proctor, others

The

A12: Students learn through reader’s theater

B6: Featured winter sports athletes

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where every person has a story

Harrisonburg High School • 1001 Garbers Church Road • Harrisonburg, VA 22801 • 540.433.2651 • Volume XIC • Issue 5 • January 29, 2016

Bodybuilding remains DelBiondo’s passion despite intensified routine Austin Swift Print Editor-in-Chief In February 2015, senior bodybuilder Giovanni DelBiondo was 245 pounds, at the gym for two hours a day, six days a week and following a diet that had him eating the same foods at the same times each day. Almost a year later, he is 252 pounds, committed to an even more intense routine and has another win on record.

“It’s just gotten harder. I’m adding more intensity and discipline to training, more diet. I’m getting ready to prep for another show, so I’m going to start bagging down and doing a lot of cardio, get off the fat,” DelBiondo said. “My calories are more restricted, more reps in the gym, I have higher repetitions, and there is less rest time.

The cardio has definitely increased a bunch as well.”

Previously, DelBiondo’s diet consisted of eggs, protein shakes, certain meats, vegetables and grains, but has since been cut down.

“I have zero sugar in the diet. It’s low carb, moderate fat, high protein,” DelBiondo said. “All I eat [is] oatmeal, sweet potatoes, ground turkey, grilled chicken, broccoli, water and black coffee and that’s it. That’s all I eat now-a-days.”

DelBiondo recorded a win in a show in

See DELBIONDO page A2

PHOTO BY FAITH RUNNELLS

THE PERFECT PHYSIQUE. Senior bodybuilder Giovanni DelBiondo during his two hour workout routine. “For a guy that’s trying to get buff, he goes to the gym and he’s trying to look big, he’s training arms and chest. A bodybuilder goes at it from all angles; they’re trying to make the perfect symmetrical physique. So your legs have to match your upper body and vise versa,” DelBiondo said.

Student bands play at First Night Irene Liu Feature Editor New Year’s Eve is a time for people around the world to send the old year out and celebrate the new year by hosting parties, drinking champagne and maybe even watching the ball drop in New York’s Times Square. In Harrisonburg, we commemorate the occasion with the annual First Night celebration, which is a variety of shows and activities one can participate in all over downtown Harrisonburg, ending with a fireworks display at the stroke of midnight.

The Muhlenberg Lutheran Church hosted three bands and a guitarist, where two of the bands were made up of HHS students.

The two student bands, Begging to Differ and This Side Up, were the last two bands to perform. Both bands are made up of HHS students and alumni and are managed

by Bob Adamek.

The first HHS band to perform was Begging to Differ, made up of senior lead singers Jaymie Inouye and Laura Ruple, freshman bass

player Jaden Graham, junior keyboardist Seth Bontrager, senior saxophone player Rachel Rohrer, senior guitarist Noah Heie, alumni drummer Dryden Labarge and junior saxophone player Lucy Moss who was playing in place of junior Cecily Lawton.

This year was Inouye’s third year performing at First Night, and she believes this performance was different from the ones before.

“Usually they have us play two or three sets. This year we only played one. There were a lot more bands this year, which was exciting - especially to see new variations of talent,” Inouye said.

Another change for the performance was location. Ruple has played for First Night for two years and performed at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church the years before.

“It’s a little different at this church because it’s just a flat plane and there isn’t a stage for us so we’re on the same level as the audience. It’s also a pretty big space, so we’re pretty loud,” Ruple said.

Second to perform was This Side

See BANDS page A2

Controversial comments spark debate petition Faith Runnells Print Editor-in-Chief

PHOTO COURTESY OF BOB ADAMEK

JAMMING OUT. Freshman Jaden Graham plays the bass during First Night with his band Begging to Differ. “The crowd [at First Night] was so amped up and it was awesome just feeling the energy from them,” Graham said.

After Liberty University’s President Jerry Falwell Jr. made anti-Muslim comments implying that the university’s students should be armed for their safety, the tradition of holding the annual VHSL State Debate Championship at Liberty University is now being questioned by many high schools, coaches and students.

“I always thought that if more good people had concealed-carry permits, then we could end those Muslims before they walk in and kill us,” Falwell Jr. said during the university’s weekly convocation on Friday, Dec. 4.

To boycott the tournament being held at Liberty, Venu Katta, a member of the William and Mary debate team and 2012 State AAA Runner-up in the VHSL tournament, composed an open letter to the VHSL requesting the tournament be moved to a different location. If the tournament is not

See DEBATE page A2

New hall monitor reduces traffic during class Ava Reynolds HHS Media Coordinator

PHOTO BY SAM HEIE

BOMB THREAT. Superintendent Dr. Scott Kizner addresses the media as Spotswood Elementary students arrive at HHS. The kids were evacuated to HHS when the school received a bomb threat which was eventually discovered to be a part of a robocall that multiple schools in some mid-Atlantic states also received. No bomb was discovered in the school.

Coming up Black History Month Musical coverage Finance feature Humans of HHS Islamophobia Election coverage JROTC Cadet Ball Columns and editorials Winter sports update

Student Safety Liaison Jamie Williams walked 16 miles during his very first day on the job.

The student safety liaison is a brand new position for HHS. Although that is Williams’ official title, most everyone refers to him as the hall monitor. Williams does keep the halls clear, making sure that students are moving along, but unlike his coined name suggests, Williams’ role entails more than that.

“Essentially it’s safety, making sure the environment is safe, that the halls are clear. It’s such a new position that there are

other things that will be added.

They had a job description that was very long and detailed, but there will be other things that they want me to do,” Williams said.

Williams also currently works as Mary Baldwin’s cross country coach. Because it’s part time, he was interested in this position.

“I've been there for a year and a half in that position. I was an assistant and [for] almost a year now I've been head coach.

It’s a part time job and I saw this position advertised and thought it might fit, although I'm not sure how it’s going to work once we’re in season. But right now it’s a good fit,” Williams said.

Williams’ background in a

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retail safety position helped set him up for his work as student safety liaison. He has also had experience in education through teaching. Although Williams didn’t complete his teacher’s certificate, his experience still applies to his new position.

“When I first graduated from college I worked in retail prevention which also includes safety, so it was essentially making sure the store was safe for customers and employees and catching shoplifters and internal theft,” Williams said, “then I went back to school to Emory and Henry College and worked on my teaching certificate. I taught so

See WILLIAMS page A2

On the Web Landon Turner Q&A Boys basketball photo gallery Extended coverage of print packages Advertising forms and information Breaking news from school and the community Live video footage of sports Variety of reviews and blogs Featured photo of the day

January 29, 2016

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The Newsstreak

Teen bands close out 2015 downtown BANDS from A1 Up, consisting of all seniors: lead singer Ellie Plass, keyboardist Douglas Ritcher, trombone player Valerio Aleman, trumpet player Hollyn Slykhuis, saxophone player Bianca Pierson, bass player Ava Reynolds, and drummer Kieran McClay.

Aleman has been playing with TSU for two years. He thinks First Night is like many other events the band has played. “[Playing at First Night is] pretty similar to most of the things we play.

Usually the sets that the bands play here are a little bit shorter than what we would play at other paid gigs. Other than that, it’s about the same,” Aleman said.

This year is Slykhuis’ first year playing at First Night, so the experience is

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BOB ADAMEK

SING IN THE NEW YEAR. (Above from left) Seniors Hollyn Slykhuis, Valerio Aleman and Bianca Pierson make up the This Side Up horn section. (Right) Senior lead singer Jaymie Inouye performs with Begging To Differ. a new one for her.

“Since the band has [performed at First Night] before and I haven’t been able to do it, I’m excited to join them this year,” Slykhuis said. “[It was fun to] just participate in First Night.

I hear about it every year when I get back.”

Bodybuilder preps for competition DELBIONDO from A1 which he felt ill-prepared for and at odds with his competition.

“I was competing against kids my age. There were five other competitors. The guy who was the head of the show contacted me and said ‘are you going to compete in a show?’ 10 weeks out [from it’s start], which is no time at all [to prepare], and I said ‘alright, I guess I will,’” DelBiondo said. “So I got ready for the show in only 10 weeks and I still beat everyone who was there, [and] they told me they had dieted for 30 weeks.”

Most of the year is considered to be offseason, while onseason is the few weeks of intensive training and dieting to get ready for a competition. Bodybuilders generally prepare for a show anywhere between 12 and 16 weeks in advance.

During these weeks, the goal is to decrease body fat.

“I started dieting, I’m going to do a show to qualify for teen nationals which is the biggest bodybuilding show a teen can do,” DelBiondo said. “I plan to win, but there’s going to be some serious competition, I have to go all the way to New York for it. So I’m going to do a show in the next three months to qualify for it and then the [teen nationals] show is in July, so that’s going to a be a pretty big deal.”

DelBiondo’s plans are centered

around bodybuilding, and it will remain an important part of his life and daily routine.

“I’d like to keep pursuing bodybuilding, but you have to make money so I’m going to college, too,” DelBiondo said. “I already know how to do it during school, so I don’t think much will change. If you have a goal then you do whatever you can to get there.”

Competition categories are based both on age and body weight.

Still competing among teens, DelBiondo is aware of the increased challenge he will encounter at the next level, but is also prepared for the challenges it may pose for him off the stage.

“When you turn 20, you’re competing in juniors and that’s 20 to 24 [year olds] and that’s more competition. They get real freaky then,” DelBiondo said. “[I hope to do professional bodybuilding], but bodybuilding today is not what it used to be. So when it becomes not fun to me anymore, then I don’t want to do it.”

In order to get to the next level, he wants to attract professional attention at his next shows.

“I was hoping with the show at teen nationals, [which I will compete for] both when I’m 18 and 19, that a big coach picks me up, and if I get picked up by a big coach then I can really [succeed],” DelBiondo said.

The band members finished off 2015 with cheering HHS students making up the majority of the crowd, along with parents, friends and community members. “[I had fun getting] another chance to play and make good music and bond with people,” Aleman said.

Hall monitor logging miles daily WILLIAMS from A1 don’t have to run.” cial studies for three years in North Carolina and in Florida.”

Williams saw the initial student reaction to him was mainly curiosity, but now they are starting to get to know him and are more used to his presence around school.

“I think initially [the student reaction] was ‘Who is this guy? What’s he doing?’, but as we’ve gotten into the second week some have gotten to know me and they know I’m here to help. It’s more than just telling a student to go to class. I’m here to help them be successful,” Williams said.

Although he spent the first day getting lost and trying to find his way around the school, Williams doesn’t have a routine for walking the halls. He doesn’t want to get caught in a pattern, so he tries to change it up. Williams has been averaging about 12 miles a day from walking the halls, and just after his first week he lost four pounds.

“I lose weight pretty easily, and I’m burning up a ton of calories because I think my first day I spent most of the day lost walking around the school so I had 38,000 steps and it was about 16 miles,” Williams said. “It’s dropped over the past five or six days, but I’m averaging right around 24,000 steps and the calories burned are in the 2,000s. You can get pretty fit from walking. You

Debate alumni petition VHSL DEBATE from A1

PHOTO BY FAITH RUNNELLS

PUMPING IRON. Senior Giovanni DelBiando works out in preparation for an upcoming bodybuilding competition. He has begun a rigorous diet regimen in order to reach his peak fitness level for the event.

Williams has had a good experience so far.

His favorite part has been interacting with the students.

“For the most part [my experience has] been positive. My favorite part is just meeting the students, talking to them. I like learning more about them, what their plans are for the future, working or college. Those are conversations I like to have,” Williams said.

moved, those who signed the letter plan to boycott the tournament altogether.

The letter currently has 57 signatures from high school alumni who have placed in the VHSL State Competition before, five of whom are from HHS: Benjamin Marks, Evan Dotas, Jack Adamek, Neil Mehta and Rafael Snell-Feikema.

Dotas debated Lincoln-Douglas, which is a one-on-one style, all four years in high school and went on to place as state runner-up his senior year in 2015.

“For me, I really disagreed with [President Falwell’s] comments… I saw this as an opportunity to make a change and fight back against them,” Dotas said.

“Debate is a pretty diverse extracurricular activity and it’s something that a lot of people do, and so there are Muslim debaters.

It’s important that when they go to these tournaments, they feel safe [and] are able to focus on the activity, not being possibly persecuted by the students or the president of that school.”

While the letter is still being advertised, VHSL has released a statement that although they respect the rights of people to boycott and “places the highest value on the safety and security

of its students”, there has been no significant move to change the location of the tournament this year.

“Right now, it’s still kind of a grassroots movement. We’ve had a few stories online from Huffington Post and The Washington Post and that’s great, but I’m not sure how influential that will be. So right now, we’re just trying to get the word spread and trying to get a bit more support so we can really make an advancement [for] this,” Dotas said.

English teacher and debate coach Aaron Cosner is affected

by Falwell’s comments not only because of his debaters’ safety, but also because he graduated from Liberty University in 2009.

“Like so many current students and former students, I am embarrassed by [Falwell’s] comments, and I think that most current students and former students would say that his statements in no way reflect the world view that Liberty claims to promote,” Cosner said.

Although the tournament still has a likelihood to be hosted at Liberty, HHS debaters do not plan to change their plans of participating.

“Our debaters have said that because they are debaters, they

don’t run from controversy and they also don’t believe that they would really be in any kind of danger if they walked on to Liberty’s campus,” Cosner said. “But as a coach, my main concern is for the safety of my students.”

Junior Ali Al-Shebani is one of these debaters who puts his responsibilities as a debater first.

“If we boycott [the tournament], even though I am Muslim and [will] go into it and [know] there is that hate, because you know [Falwell] is against Muslims, [if] you aren’t able to really debate about the topic, then you aren’t really seen as a debater,” Al-Shebani said. “I personally don’t want to go, but I can understand why I should go… We are made to debate about these things. We’re made to argue about everything that happens in certain scenarios and certain outcomes, and the social stigma about what’s right and what’s wrong.”

Regardless of the location in April, the debate team hope to advance to the state tournament and debate any topic that comes their way.

“I also think that our students will gladly walk into a controversial situation as long as their safety can be ensured,” Cosner said.

2016 HHS Musical Preview Night: Wed. Feb.17 All tickets $5 General Admission & Available at the Door Only Feb. 18-21 Shows are reserved tickets only available at hhsmusical.org

January 29, 2016

News-A3

The Newsstreak

Art teacher steps out of comfort zone Ava Reynolds HHS Media Coordinator Art teacher Jauan Brooks manages to achieve at something all teachers in fine arts find challenging: she maintains her role as an artist outside of her career.

This past fall Brooks was selected to have an art show at the Spitzer Art Center.

“I’m a member of Shenandoah Arts. That organization owns the Spitzer Art Center, and we have a members show every year where you can submit up to three pieces of work for those shows. In that show, three awards of merit are given for the show and I received one of them, so the [Spitzer Art Center] show that I was a part of was one of the perks,” Brooks said.

At first, the three artists giving the show debated about having a show with a cohesive theme, but eventually, as the dates kept coming closer, Brooks decided to just start making things. Her theme became Mend.

“It was important to have a theme. Mend came out of several places. Whenever I do a body of work, there’s always unresolved stuff and there’s always stuff that lingers, and you want to do other pieces and don’t necessarily know where they’re going to take you, so a lot of my last work had cheese cloths and stitching and attaching things in it,” Brooks said.

Brooks also worked with the idea of failure as a creative fuel, and taking mistakes and turning them into positive things. From that, repairing things became her theme. “[The theme] was mending friendships or relationships, mending literally by sewing things, mending brain repair after injuries,” Brooks said.

Throughout the process of creating her show, Brooks found that some pieces emerged as more surprising or favorable than others.

“One of the ones that kind of surprised me was the whole conADMIRING ARTWORK. Brooks pays homage to both her works and the works of her fellow artists while drinking punch. “I was just walking around and looking at things because there’s such a rush to get work finished for it and such a rush to get things hung up that you never get a chance to walk around in the show,” Brooks

cept of risk taking. I cut two holes in my canvas, so that was kind of scary. [There] was probably about three layers of work on it then to go in and cut something was a little fearful. Then burn it, I actually took a lighter to it, and then went back in and sewed it. Several people, that was the piece they liked more than anything, and it was one of those things where I liked it, but until it was hanging in the lights and the shadows happened. I did really like that piece in the end,” Brooks said.

This was not Brooks’ first show. She had a joint show at Larkin Arts, an art school, store, and studio downtown, when it ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF JAUAN BROOKS first opened in 2006. That MENDING ART. On the right, Brooks displays her painting “Mending” at Spitzer Arts Center. “This was the piece I show was on the concept of play, toys and games. was most unsure of…,” Brooks said. “After having spent some time painting the canvas then I actually punctured In 2008, she did a show at it and cut holes in it and burned it so I kind of didn’t know how I was going to sew and repair that. Then I just took 150 Franklin Street, which copper thread and started to rework that.” is closed now. In 2009, she was in high school, she alBrooks had a show at the WMRA/WXJM public radio sta- ways works better under prestion in town. That show consist- sure and tends to procrastinate.

“Just like in anything else, ed of 38 pieces and wrapped all work begets work, so same is the way around the building.

“Each time, there was this true with creativity. When I’m element of I didn’t finish some- creating I have more ideas to thing in this one - I didn’t finish create, when I’m not, I’m void,” something in this one. So really, Brooks said.

While preparing for her show, things were kind of hanging out since that show in 2009 that I Brooks worked extra hard. She needed to work through and re- not only has to balance her career and personal art, but her solve,” Brooks said.

Brooks only used one piece son Julian as well.

“It became getting up at 3 from a previous show in her a.m. to work and staying up as Spitzer Art Center show.

“It was a piece I had done for late as I possibly could, but then a teachers exhibit that we had at Julian has complicated a lot of Bridgewater College a year be- that, and just making sure that fore last. I did two pieces: a tiny there’s the time for him as well LET’S CONVERSE. Brooks’ painting “Kisses” features her son. “What’s one and a larger one. [I] liked and work. Sometimes the work actually cut off...There’s a tear in his pants and there’s a bandaid on his the larger one. It was solely ab- comes with me because I like for knees. It seems like for him, when he hurts himself, that kiss always my students to see that I’m an stract, but just didn’t speak to seems to mend things or fix things,” Brooks said. me for a long period of time, so active artist so that I’m not just I reworked on top of that one,” spouting off ‘Here, try this!’,” Brooks said.

Brooks said.

Although Brooks feels that Managing a teaching career time is the hardest thing to work and doing art on the side is a mawanted to pursue his football caaround when trying to maintain Jackson Hook jor challenge for Brooks. reer at JMU. Sports Editor “You stay up really late, and her personal artwork, she misses “I hated [WestPoint]. The miliit so much when she’s not creatget up really early,” Brooks said. tary school aspect of it [was someAfter coming off of an esteemed Brooks noted that, even while ing something.

87-7 record as both an assistant and thing] I didn’t do very well with. I head coach at Gretna High School had been offered [a scholarship] at and a 10-10 record at Virginia High JMU out of high school and I left School, Chris Thurman made the West Point after a year and a half,” decision to move to Harrisonburg Thurman said.

Thurman currently holds the reand coach the Blue Streaks in 2010. cord at JMU for most touchdowns But not many people know about scored by a lineman. In the two his career before coaching.

Thurman was a starting offen- years that Thurman played for the sive lineman at James Madison Dukes, the offense ran a trick play University in 1991 and 1992 where in which Thurman scored on every he set a record for touchdowns attempt, earning him the record he scored by a lineman. The division still holds today.

“When I was at JMU, we had one school had attempted to rean offensive coordinator who was cruit Thurman out of high school, but he declined to go to military named Bob Colbert. He ended up going to Bridgewater after [coachschool on behalf of his father.

“I went to the Army. Like a lot ing there]. Bob liked to run the of kids, my dad really wanted me fumblerooski, that was his play. He to go. Nobody in my family had liked to see my fat tail run it, so he’d ever been to college. My dad really call it and I ran it,” Thurman said.

After his football career at JMU, thought West Point was the place Thurman decided to translate his for me to go and I went for my dad, which in hindsight was the wrong knowledge of football by coaching at Gretna High School, Virginia reason,” Thurman said.

Thurman’s time at West Point High School and now for the Blue didn’t last long, he decided he Streaks.

Thurman played at JMU before coaching

Willingham makes sacrifices Olivia Comer Online Managing Editor Senior Monee Willingham has shortened her high school career down to three years, however this opportunity has it’s downfalls. “[In order to graduate early] I took a bunch of summer school classes. I [would have taken] summer school either way, then last year when I decided to graduate early, I went to Mrs. Warren and said ‘What do I need to do to graduate early?’ She wrote down what I needed and I took those classes and for this year’s schedule I have nine classes instead of eight. Next semester my second period would be Ecology BSA for 45 minutes and BSA U.S. History for 45 minutes, so you have to do different things than other people,” Willingham said.

In order for a student to graduate early, they have to be okay with the possibility of summer school. For Willingham, it was not as bad as it is made to seem.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA COMER

STUDYING HARD. Willingham reads her textbook during her spare time on the bus.

“Honestly everyone hates summer school and for me it wasn’t a big difference. I’m already used to getting up early, so I’m already up and I’m not going to do anything with my life for those three hours except probably eat and watch television. If I can get a class out of the way that I don’t have to be in for school in three hours, I mean that’s probably easier for me,” Willingham said.

On top of having to take extra classes, the early graduate has to claim a new class that they will now be graduating with instead. For Willingham, the idea of leaving the people that she has spent her entire school career with was hard to swallow.

“The biggest obstacle of graduating early is not even academic, it’s more or less the social part of it… I thought what I was doing was this grand old thing for myself by getting out of this school and out of the negativity and maybe helping my mom out by leaving early,” Willingham said. “But then you sit back and you’re like ‘Wow, I had all of these memories with these people who I don’t get to graduate with.’ Then looking at all of the stuff that I missed out on and didn’t get to do by graduating early, it ended up messing it up more than making it better.”

From college advice to emotional issues, the guidance office among other teachers has provided Willingham with all of the information necessary for her to achieve her goal.

“Ms. Bowman, Mr. Ward and Mrs. Warren and that’s probably it. I have teachers that always help, and are always nice, but those three I swear to you are like miracle workers of Harrisonburg High School,” Willingham said. “Mr. Ward takes on the mental, emotional stuff that goes with it and all of the crying. Ms. Bowman knows the college stuff and all that junk. Mrs. Warren knows how to save you some money and get you out of here. If you come crying, she’s right there, I’m telling you.”

Willingham plans on studying psychology at Blue Ridge Community College for two years and helping out with special education. After Blue Ridge, she plans to transfer to a four year college and finish her education there, and she will be doing all of this one year early.

Reading, writing SOLs required to graduate Angel Hendrix Review Editor Seniors who did not pass the reading or writing SOL in eleventh grade are now in a class focusing on earning an English twelve credit and reviewing for the SOL test. Those students are the only ones who have taken an SOL so far.

Terry Murray is the HHS testing coordinator. “[The senior class did] pretty good, especially considering in order to be trying it again you would have to have not passed before, so anyone we can [get] through is good. Especially when you look at reading and writing. Those are the only two SOLs you have to pass to get a diploma,” Murray said.

Senior, Zahraa Saleh recently took the reading and writing SOL tests.

“I felt okay with the reading because of course, I passed it, but I did not feel okay with the writing because even though my English has been good [over] the past six years I’ve been in America, I think it’s pointless as far as what I want to be,” Saleh said.

Saleh wants to work in the

medical engineering field. She is aware of the labs she will be required to write in order to do the job.

“I don’t think I have to be put in the position of [answering] a multiple choice [question] about grammar and have to choose which one is best and which one is not. And I think writing English is just a skill that we’re going to learn over time. For students whose language is [English as] their second language, I think that they take time to learn those skills and what they’re [telling us] is that it’s a requirement to graduate, which I think is also pointless because we need time to learn to get adapted to a skill.

Those who pass the SOLs with [a] perfect grade and [get] good grades are either born here or English is their first language,” Saleh said.

Saleh believes that she has improved a lot since the last year’s writing SOL. “I did better because I took an AP class where I was required to write a paper like every day. Even though it was a hard class, my writing skills have been improved because I had to write and write and write,” Saleh said.

January 29, 2016 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.

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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: Faith Runnells, Austin Swift Online: Ellie Plass Managing Editors: Abby Hissong (print), Garrett Cash (online) and Olivia Comer (online) HHS Media Coordinator: Ava Reynolds Advertising Manager: Joshua Byrd Photographers: Ava Reynolds, Maria Snell-Feikema, David Gamboa-Pena, Brian Alvarado Page Editors: Ava Reynolds, Faith Runnells, Austin Swift, Maria Snell-Feikema, Samantha Little, Hannah Miller, Audrey Knupp, Jackson Hook, Theo Yoder, Lucie Rutherford, Abigail Hissong, Sabrina Gerald, Christa Cole, Noah Siderhurst, Angel Hendrix, Sam Heie, Alexia Munoz-Moctezuma, Irene Liu, Owen Stewart Staff Reporters: Yusuf Aboutabl, Brian Alvarado, Yogesh Aradhey, Alissa Burnette, Kyle Brown, Joshua Byrd, Garrett Cash, Christa Cole, Olivia Comer, Danny Dombrowski, Sarah Earle, David Gamboa, Sabrina Gerald, Sako Haji, Sam Heie, Angel Hendrix, Abigail Hissong, Jackson Hook, Tazhan Jaf, Audrey Knupp, Joshua Lichti, Samantha Little, Irene Liu, Bryan Luna, Owen Marshall, Hannah Miller, Alexia Munoz, Richie Pannell, Nyah Phengsitthy, Ellie Plass, Anna Rath, Doug Ritcher, Keyla Rivera, Christian Rodriguez, Faith Runnells, Lucie Rutherford, Noah Siderhurst, Maria Snell-Feikema, Becky Staton, Owen Stewart, Austin Swift, Emily Thurman, Austin Vanfossen, Madison Varner, Theo Yoder, Carrie Yoder 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. hhsmedia.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 DO NOT want my son/daughter (place student’s name here) to have his or her name or image published on the new online version of the newspaper, www. hhsmedia.com.

Op-Ed-A4

The Newsstreak

Living in college town has advantages, disadvantages NEWSSTREAK STAFF EDITORIAL Being a college town is a blessing and a curse. When first stepping foot in Harrisonburg, James Madison University is overwhelming.

The college is everywhere you look and continues to consume the town.

In 2013, JMU recorded 20,181 students, contributing almost half of Harrisonburg’s 51,395 population.

When students are gone, that would make Harrisonburg a small town right around 30,000 residents.

The curse? Traffic seems to be the equivalent of New York City when students are in town. Places that took five minutes to get to now take double the time, not to mention triple the number of pedestrians.

The blessings? There are too many to count. The constant change of Harrisonburg is what makes living here so great. In the summer, you get the feel of

a peaceful, family-focused small town. Parents walking downtown with their kids. People meeting up at the local pool.

When the other three seasons roll around, this place called home turns into a booming college-focused machine. During the week there is a constant bustle of student life, while the weekends are full of the entertaining night life of young adults. Not only is there entertainment from the everyday lives of students, but all of the events that come with a college as well. From football games and showings at the planetarium, to school field trips of every subject, JMU is full of opportunities for everyone.

Yes, JMU brings excitement to the town, but it is also what makes Harrisonburg boom. With students being almost half of the population, they are also half the shoppers. Considering the stereotypical young adult, their spending

may add up to even more than half of the shoppers.

From groceries, to clothes, to simply buying gas, JMU students send a continuous flow of money into the local economy. Imagine a life without Jack Brown’s, Billy Jack’s, or O’Neill’s. All of these places are here because of college students.

Being in high school, the fact that shops revolve around college students means they revolve around high schoolers as well. With young adults being the target customers, local shops and restaurants can benefit all of us as well.

Not only is JMU a constant reminder of life after high school, but something like the light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes, high school can seem never-ending, so to have JMU only five minutes away makes the rigors of high school seem more worthwhile. It’s something to motivate us and realize that life isn’t just high school.

There’s so much more.

WHAT IS THE STAFF EDITORIAL? The unsigned staff editorial appears in each issue and reflects the majority opinion of the Newsstreak Staff Editorial Board. The Editorial Board is comprised of all editors-in-chief, page editors, advertising managers, photographers and selected freshman journalism students. In no way does our opinion reflect that of the school system or the administration.

Humanity better than you think Garrett Cash Online Managing Editor Whenever I turn the news on, there is always saddening news. It’s rare that I ever see anything uplifting. Stories of murder, theft and accidents appear every single time. With recent events such as the attacks in Paris, it’s hard to even have hope for humanity anymore. All the horrors we hear about make it so easy to give in to the mentality that we are becoming completely corrupt.

But don’t lose faith.

Ten thousand years ago, or a few billion, whichever you prefer, we were created. Regardless if you believe God put us here or we developed from bacteria, we are here, we are existing. We are living, breathing, thinking creatures.

We started with nothing but faith, and do you know what we’ve done? We’ve developed civilizations from dust. We’ve built monuments that reach the sky, and we’ve surpassed the atmosphere and glimpsed infinity. We’ve achieved more than could ever be written. Does this not awe you or inspire you?

More human achievements are reflected in our progressive understanding of each other. We’ve made huge leaps in how we treat each other, especially regarding racial issues. In ancient times, we tortured people of different races and treated them as if they were nothing. 200 years ago, we still had slavery. Our issues today are much smaller in comparison to what they previously were. We’re making progress, and the only way that could’ve happened is if we truly care about each other.

The care we have for each other is everywhere. Every day there are people out there helping and inspiring others. Don’t let yourself be consumed by the bad in the world.

Garrett Sure, when you turn on Shares It the news there’s some pretty horrible stuff, but pay close attention. In every story, there’s someone doing something good.

We’re only going through a dark time, that’s all. Be patient and make the world a better place through your own actions.

We need to understand that throughout the length of history, there have been ups and downs, and we always overcome them. This is the whole reason we have ups. We always become stronger than our faults, and with that, we have the power to change the world. If you’ve lost faith in humanity, don’t sit around and complain about it. Do something. We are not people of apathy, but the hope for humanity.

Do You Have Faith in Humanity?

YES 54% NO 46%

INFOGRAPHIC BY GARRETT CASH

Harrisonburg during the school year

Harrisonburg in the summer

Cartoon by Genevieve Kennedy

School shootings getting old dents sat in class all day, staring at their phone screens and the trending hashtags of #NAU and Every other day I feel #TSU, and condolence as though I get on twit- tweets. Not long after, ter or turn on my TV just everyone’s quiet horror to hear about another become rage-filled exclashooting somewhere in mations that we reserve North America. At this for the most deserving of point, it doesn’t have occasions. And every time nearly the impact on me this cycle starts up again— as before, and that’s ter- the horror itself, the porifying. Deaths lice arrival, the of innocent media explochildren, colsion, the eulolege students, gies for victims, professors, the praise of and parents heroes, the hesare all usually itation toward summed up perpetrators, Dear Abby 2.0 into a single, the president’s casual senstatement, contence. “There has been servatives’ response, libanother school shooting.” erals’ backlash.

How sad. The American It’s not so much the culture has taken the lives existence of shootings in of so many and made America that is so tragic. their tragic deaths into a It’s that it keeps happensentence that over time ing. And nothing changes. has come to mean so lit- In fact, it seems like it’s tle. getting worse, and here Yet we keep hearing is why. Children in Amerthat word, “another.” Col- ica are not stupid. Armed umbine, Virginia Tech and with the internet, they Sandy Hook all seemed have access to more inforlike horrible anomalies. mation than prior generaBut at a certain point, tions could ever imagine. they just became “anoth- We have created a society er.” There’s been another that is morally bankrupt, at MIT. There’s been an- and the victims are the other at U.C. Santa Barba- children who have lost ra. There’s been another faith in authority because mentally ill student who of our moral duplicity. By got his hands on a gun failing to engage today’s and shot up a school on youth in honest conversaa whim-- and of course tion about their world as there were no warning they see it, we aren’t dosigns. ing anything to break the By this point “there’s cycle. been another,” has beI’m not pretending by come a sadly familiar rou- any means that I have all tine. More media drama the answers. I’m just sayand sound bites and “it ing that I’m tired of it— could happen anywhere.” tired of watching this hapMore lives threatened pen over and over. How and lost. More hope in many times do we have humanity destroyed for- to hear “there’s been anever. By now, it seems other school shooting” to happen everywhere, before our country snaps with three within this out of it and starts workshort month of December ing together to protect its alone. On Dec. 7, there own people? were two in one day. Stu-

Abby Hissong Managing Editor

Sleep deprivation taking demanding toll on students Ryan Doerr Guest Columnist I have been stumbling through the American education system for 11 years now, and no one understands the mental, emotional, and physical strains it causes better than I. I have always managed to crawl out of school at the start of summer break with my 4.1 GPA intact, not expecting the following year to get much harder. I do well in school, and so I didn’t anticipate it becoming very difficult, despite upperclassmen always saying that junior year is the hardest to get through.

That is a gross understatement.

The vicious cycle of the eleventh grade year is one I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy.

See, in order to increase class rank and GPA, one must take AP courses. In order to take AP courses, one must spend more time doing homework. In order to spend more time doing homework, one must sacrifice sleep. With my schedule, this means I spend seven hours in school and (on some nights) seven hours doing homework, which turns a regular school day into a 14 hour one. But the cycle doesn’t end there.

In order to look good on college applications, one must do extracurriculars. In order to do extracurriculars, one must sacrifice homework time. In order to sacrifice homework time, one must sacrifice more sleep. My nightly average sophomore year was roughly 6.5 to

7 hours, as I tend to be a driven student and didn’t spend too much of my time procrastinating, so I completed my homework faster.

My nightly average this year has gone down to about 5 hours. This means that on any given night, I am most likely going to bed at 1:30 or 2 a.m. Many people may say, “But Ryan, you’re the one who chose to take four AP courses this year, of course you have this much homework! You should have only taken on what you could handle!” And this would be a valid argument.

But I’m not the only one.

I surround myself with academically ambitious people, and with a wide range of APs (from one class to five), we all have seen the same drop in sleep and overall well-being since the beginning of this year. Many of us are involved in out of class activities; I, personally, manage the one act play and am an active member of the varsity swim team and musical stage crew (sometimes at the same time). Balancing work and other responsibilities takes a great deal of time management, and that is something I completely understand--but it has become so time consuming that we are almost always sleep deprived and on the verge of breakdown.

This kind of lifestyle is incredibly unhealthy and detrimental to our well-being, but we are left with no choice, because in order to get into decent universities, these activities all become necessary. College has become a terrifying thought for many of us students (especially those of us with lower income families) and we only want to get

our money’s worth; with most prestigious colleges costing somewhere between $50,000 to almost $70,000 a year, doing so is getting increasingly challenging.

Students who set the bar high with their educational goals search for colleges that will cater to those needs, often ones that are harder to get into. The prices raise in correlation with the reputation of the school’s name, and to top it off, the requirements for admission (on the slim chance admission occurs) are much higher than those of many other schools. However, we, as future contributing members of society, want to attend a university that will make us seem employable.

That, too, is a window that seems to be closing.

Not only are high school students saddled with 30-pound bags, endless streams of work and responsibilities, and very short bursts of sleep, but we are also given the crippling fear that come graduation, none of it will have been for anything. We are struggling through a system that refuses to look at the needs of its students in the place of other, “bigger” issues, like standardized test scores.

We are working towards goals we aren’t even sure of yet, in a situation that feels almost completely hopeless.

And we are terrified.

INFOGRAPHIC BY OWEN STEWART

January 29, 2016

HOT or NOT Disney releases “Star Wars The Force Awakens”: This movie grossed more than any other movie released in North America.

Ben Carson’s new campaign chairman: He claims that women are not capable of doing things on the battlefield that men can and as for gays, he says that Obama should listen to the advice of his military advisors (who say gays should not be allowed to serve).

Bill Cosby finally charged: Bill Cosby has officially been prosecuted for aggravated indecent exposure.

Although dozens of accusations have been recently brought up, he is just now being prosecuted.

El Niño: The Hurricane El Niño brought high surf and mudslides to the coast of California.

It has added feet of snow in the Sierras.

Healthier school lunches are working: The guidelines for school lunches have been positively impacting the health of students. 7,200 students in Washington state were evaluated before and after the lunch changes. There were increases in Calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, fiber, Iron and Protein.

6.7 Earthquake hits Northwestern India: At least six people were killed with over 40 more injured. The earthquake caused damage to civilian and federal buildings in the city of Imphal and power facilities.

Obama takes executive action on gun control: The White House announced that background checks will be issued on people who purchase firearms from dealers even if they’re bought online or at a gun show. This is planned to reduce the chances of mass shootings.

ELT has been removed for three weeks: This has been done to give students more time with teachers to prepare for SOL’s.

Virginia lottery: The Virginia lottery is set to award eight teachers with money and classroom supplies. Teachers can be nominated to win online.

Trump releases first T.V. ad: His ad stands by his controversial position about building a wall on the southern border and banning muslims from entering the country until “he figures out what is going on”, as the ad states.

The new year: The beginning of the year is a time when people set goals and strive to be a better version of themselves.

Charlottesville social media star arrested: Bryan Silva was arrested after having a standoff with police and SWAT in Charlottesville. He has been charged with abduction and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

NFL playoffs starting: After a long 17-week season, twelve teams advance to the playoffs and will play for the most-watched sporting event in the United States.

First day of year was worst stock market day since ‘08: China started the New Year with a trading halt due to concerns about economic growth in the country. This has slammed Wall Street, with DOW dropping 274 points.

Harrisonburg hosts 5k for New Years: Many people dressed in glowing attire ran a 5k on New Year’s Eve in Harrisonburg. The money was raised for Generations Crossing.

Suicide blast in Istanbul: A suicide bomber killed nine people Monday, Jan. 10th in a popular tourist area. The bomber is thought to have Syrian ties.

Golden Globes: “The Martian” was a surprise winner, being nominated in the Musical/Comedy category. “The Revenant” won big, giving Leonardo DiCaprio his first win.

Dubai hotel fire: Hotel set to shoot fireworks for New Year’s celebration in Dubai burst into flames, injuring at least 14 people.

Job report: 2015 was the second best year for adding jobs since 1999, with 2.65 million new jobs.

The Newsstreak

Op-Ed-A5

Finding college roommate awkward, stressful Faith Runnells Print Editor In-Chief After finishing all of the tedious tasks required for applying to college, I wasn’t expecting any more obstacles after getting in. But now, I want to find a roommate.

I have followed over 50 people on Instagram and gained almost 70 friends on Facebook in the past month, and we all share two things in common: we don’t actually know each other, but we were all accepted to the same college last month.

I now spend my free time stalking the Instagrams and Facebooks of girls from Texas, California and Tennessee that

I’ve never even talked I’d be spending far to, trying to put a pertoo long in the car, sonality and lifestyle driving miles to awkto their digital face. I wardly small talk know all of their prowith someone as we file pictures and read consider living with all of their bios on each other later this the official Facebook year.

Have Faith group. At this point, The only problem with reason, I might be consid- with the social media stalking ered a stalker. method is this: I’m not a thirsty But what else am I sup- teenage boy - I’ve never slid into posed to do? I could wait and the DMs before. So even when I let my roommate be randomly do find somebody that looks like assigned, the way they did 20 a suitable sleeping buddy for years ago, but then my chanc- the next year, what do I do? Am es of being stuck with some- I supposed to cut right to the one like Leighton Meester in chase and message them “Hey, “The Roommate” skyrocket. I I’m Faith and I would like to live could plan to meet up with po- with you next year”? Or am I tential roomies, like we were supposed to make stiff converpart of eHarmony, but then sation first: “So, what’s it like in

Texas?” I mean, this person and I don’t know each other. And by this time, she definitely knows I have been stalking her, and I’m into her.

Even if I were to awkwardly reach out, what if she’s already taken? Or even worse, what if she just doesn’t feel the same way? Far too risky. I can honestly, shamefully say that I’ve even typed up a message, but it just never sounded quite right. Too awkward.

After seriously contemplating making a normal gesture to befriend a potential roomie, I think I will just continue to discreetly like Instagram photos and Facebook statuses. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be able to ask someone to live with me.

Republican establishment still entirely too divided Joshua Byrd Advertising Manager Where is the establishment?

This is the question many moderates have been asking me. It is even a question I have been asking myself. Where is the establishment of the Republican Party? Why have they allowed Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump to lead the polling going into Iowa and New Hampshire? Why are they not stopping the far-right, like they did in 2012 when they beat Rick Santorum, and made Mitt Romney the GOP nominee?

It is because of the many candidates in the race. The es-

tablishment is being bee, John Kasich, and divided. The estabCarly Fiorina, all of lishment of the parwhom are favored ty are fiscal conserby the establishment vatives and socially part of the party. moderates who beWhen and if these six lieve in low taxes and drop out, their supsmall government. Right-Winged port will go to Sen. There are six estabMarco Rubio, that Byrd lishment candidates last remaining estabwho control between lishment candidate. one and five percent in the poll. Rubio currently is at 11.5 perTogether, their polling numbers cent, and with the addition of equal 18.2 percent in the Real 18.2 percent, his polls numbers Clear Politics Average (RCP), would jump to 29.7 percent. which is the average of the main This would allow Rubio to surpolls like Quinnipiac, CNN, etc. pass Cruz and Carson, who are These candidates are Gov. at 19.2 percent and 10 percent Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, Sen. respectively. Rubio would be Rand Paul, Gov. Mike Hucka- second to Trump, who is at 34

percent.

For Rubio to win, he would have to win Carson’s supporters, and a majority of Ted Cruz’s to beat Trump. As the primary elections gets closer, and the nomination race heats up, all Republicans will start to look for the person who is best suited to beat the Democrat’s nominee.

The Democrat’s nominee will most likely be Hillary Clinton.

Rubio beats Clinton in a headto-head match up according to RCP. So don’t worry. Trump has not won yet, and even more conservative leaning Republicans want to win. They only one who wins is Rubio, therefore he will be the nominee.

College application fees borderline ridiculous Ellie Plass Online Editor-In-Chief $984. That’s how much I am spending on college applications. No, not college. College applications. Just the mere act of asking a college to consider accepting me costs about $75 a university. That is not nothing.

That’s 75 McDonald’s sweet teas.

Honestly, the big problem isn’t the fact that I’m missing out on 75 sweet teas. I am incredibly fortunate. I come from a family that has been saving up for these moments since the day I was born. My family was ready for these expenses, even if I wasn’t.

The problem is that not everybody is in that situation.

There are a lot of people in the U.S who don’t just happen to have $984 saved for college applications. The fact that universities are charging for just the simple act of consideration only expands the gap between the educated and the poor.

Colleges love to brag about the fact that they give anyone

who really needs it taking each test financial aid. While once or twice to see it’s true that a lot of which one you’re people get aid for better at. That monschools (according ey is not nothing and to College Board it’s it isn’t everything, about 66%), that but it’s definitely is only 66% of the something. And the The Plass people who applied. thing is, that price And the simple fact Perspective is if you only apply is that the applicato one school. That’s tion cost could be enough to only if you get the score you set someone’s family back a want on the SAT or ACT the very few weeks on rent or on food. first time you take them. There The college’s fee isn’t the is a huge risk involved with only only one. If you want to apply applying to one school or takto college you have to take the ing the SAT once (twice with a SAT. That costs $52.50. Once fee waiver). you take the test, you have to First of all, one-time-only opsend the score, which costs portunities add a huge amount $11.25. That means that the of stress. If you don’t have time cost of applying to a single to study or you don’t get into school is going to be about that single school you applied $138.75. to you are forced to kiss one Of course, there are fee huge opportunity goodbye. waivers. However, there is still Even being able to take a gap between qualifying for a each test once, like you would fee waiver and having $138.75 be able to do with a waiver is affect your family. If you do stressful. There’s no way to qualify for a waiver, you’re know which one you’ll be best able to take the SAT twice at. That’s something that isn’t or the ACT once and the SAT easy to sleep on. once.

According to College Board, Most people recommend you should be applying to be-

tween five and eight schools.

Just to be on the safe side. That is $386.50 minimum, if and only if you send your scores in time to qualify for the first four free. I realize that a lot of people apply to fewer than five schools, but that is the suggestion for a reason. That gives you the right amount of safety and reach schools to allow you to make a good, informed decision. It isn’t fair that people should have to compromise simply because their families can’t afford to pay the application fee.

The issue isn’t necessarily paying for college. That’s a different story. The problem is that even the minimum $138.75 is enough to deter some people from applying to college, just because of the consequences that would have on their home life.

Not everyone qualifies for fee waivers, and not everyone even is aware of that opportunity. There has to be a movement towards more education about the costs of application. $984 is too much for anyone to swallow.

There are no female troops, only troops Jessica Denton Guest Columnist Everyone knew it was coming. Now it’s finally happened.

Within the past month, Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Ashton Carter, made an executive decision in regards to opening all military roles to women, including combat.

In the past Military Occupational Specialties deemed as “combatant” such as Infantry, Field Artillery and Tanks were not options a female could choose. Now almost everything--with the exclusion of special forces--is on the table.

There is a lot of controversy involved in this decision. And I can understand why.

Feminists and equal-rights activists believe that all men and women are created equal and should be treated as such.

From an anatomical standpoint, however, it is nearly impossible to say that this is true. The fact of the matter is, as a majority, men are physically stronger than women.

That being said, active duty, very few this does not mean are positioned in that some boys arcombat roles mosten’t pansies and ly because this is a some girls aren’t new addition to the Schwarzeneggers. It policy. simply shows that The final controGuest in general, men are versy on this topic naturally built to lift involves those who Columnist a heavier physical believe women are load. more likely to beWhen asked about his de- come emotionally involved. cision, Carter responded with In the military, there is somesomething along the lines of, thing to be said about this as when our country is put in a it is more important to follow position as it is right now, we orders than it is to check how cannot afford to limit ourselves everyone is feeling. But this is from half the population. true for all positions, not just I completely agree! For those in combat. those women who are capable Women--just as men--have of keeping up with the guys, GO already been setting their FOR IT! God knows we could emotions aside since they were use some more feminine intu- called to serve in 1917 during ition in our armed forces. the first World War. And the In a demographic published women who are easily offendas of 2013, the male to female ed and fragile are typically not ratio of active duty troops in the ones seen in a recruiter’s all armed forces combined office anyway. was 85% to 15%. This does not For me personally, this eneven show the breakdown of tire change is a huge step in the more elite fighting forces the right direction. As I plan to such as the Marine Corps. And begin my service in the Marine even of those women who are Corps, I take my own preferenc-

es and interests into account when debating on an MOS. A lot of those include travel, action, and weapons.

Though I am still undecided on whether or not I will choose a role in combat, the fact I now have the option puts me a lot more at ease. This way, I don’t feel as though I’ve made a decision because my first choice is not available.

That being said, if I do pursue a more “manly” job, I do not expect it to be handed to me. Many conceive these ideas that women expect to be handed positions because they have a handicap. And unfortunately, this is true in some cases. But to the women who believe they shouldn’t have to meet the same physical standards as men, to them I say they should not have a job where someone else’s life depends on their ability to excel mentally and physically in stressful situations.

That’s just a fact. All in all, I believe our country has made some incredible progress and will benefit greatly from it.

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Reviews-A8

The Force Awakens underwhelming Yusuf Aboutabl Staff Reporter “The Force Awakens” has been dubbed the best movie of the decade by many, but I do not agree.

There was so much hype for the movie and the expectations were high. As someone who has been a fan of the series for a long time, I was let down by this movie. I saw the movie during winter break and it was underwhelming. Was it a good movie? Yes. Would I recommend it? Yes. Did it meet my expectations? No. One thing I did not like about the movie was the character Kylo Ren. His unstable and immature portrayal was inconsistent. At times, he was an epic, awe inspiring figure. He was reminiscent of the great Darth Vader from the original tril-

ogy, but when he took off his helmet (figuratively and literally), he turned into a boy who has not yet figured out who he is. This internal turmoil was appealing to many, making the character more relatable. However, someone in Ren’s position of power should not be so conflicted as to what side he’s on.

“The Force Awakens” did not contain many lightsaber fight scenes, and the ones that were in there were a disappointment. Rey, a scavenger who lived on the planet Jakku, discovered that she had the power of the force later on in the movie.

She had not been trained to use a lightsaber at all, so when she (spoiler) was able to defeat Kylo Ren in a duel, I was baffled. Although he had not yet completed his training, Ren was much more powerful with the

force than Rey. He should not have had any trouble dispatching her.

One main element that was consistent in the previous six Star Wars movies was the emotion and intensity in the lightsaber duels. Whether it was Luke and Darth Vader in “Return of the Jedi”, or Anakin Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi in “Revenge of the Sith”, all of them would bring you to the edge of your seat. Finn and Rey, who were both involved in a duel with Ren, had no idea what to do with a lightsaber. Their inexperience, although expected, lead to uninteresting fight scenes.

It was easy to be distracted by the fact that there’s a new Star Wars movie to not realize that the plot was eerily similar to “A New Hope”.

The Empire or the First Order built a giant planet-de-

stroying weapon that the rebels plan to destroy. Han Solo was being chased by smugglers who he owed money to. Rey, a young Jedi, recently discovered her power of the force and used it to defeat evil. It sounds very familiar. Those of us who have already seen the previous movies were expecting a breath of fresh air that still had that classic feel of Star Wars to it. We were greeted with almost a rerun of “A New Hope”, just with different characters.

No, I’m not a nostalgic fan who hates “The Force Awakens.” I’m not saying this is a bad movie. It’s already the top grossing movie in North America. Ever. I will definitely be buying the blu-ray copy when it comes out and plan on watching it again, but I will have to do so knowing that it wasn’t what I expected it to be.

Pick the best pic Spectre lives up to Bond hype The Martian

24 Mad Max

21 The

Revenant

19 Bridge of Spies

19 Spotlight 17

INFOGRAPHIC BY ANGEL HENDRIX

Sisters is influential Sako Haji Staff Reporter If you are interested in watching a sit back comedy that you may or may not be able to relate to, then you should go watch the new movie, “Sisters”, which was released on Dec. 18.

It stars the popular Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as the main characters of the film.

The movie, in a nutshell, is about two sisters who are nowhere near alike, but they reunite after they find out their parents are selling the house they both grew up in. They make some risky decisions once they get to their old house that they’re going to stay at for a week alone.

This movie is a great comedy, and it is relatable if you do have another sib-

ling, especially a sister.

My sister and I are also very different in everything we do, but just like the sisters in this movie, we still have a strong bond and relationship outside of our differences. It is interesting to see how these specific sisters in this movie work their way around their differences. In a way, it is quite influential.

During the entire movie, you feel anxious because you are always expecting something bad to occur because of the choices made during the entire movie.

Although you are waiting for something to happen, it is always something funny, either someone in pain, because something humorous happened, or an accident also because of a funny occurrence.

Sam Heie Staff Reporter

The opening scene in Mexico City during the Day of the Dead is just as fascinating as any other Bond movie’s kickoff action, but unfortunately for “Spectre”, the standard that is set by this scene is simply not met in the later movie.

My main problem with this movie was that it lacked so much plot that the Bond movies are supposed to meet. It was too simple and not explained well enough. It’s like, here is one bad guy. He has a ring that leads to another bad guy who is part of this organization. It seems like the plot was taken from any old cheesy Disney movie.

The reason that the main antagonist, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, is supposed to be intimidating is that he is somehow Bond’s step-brother, which doesn’t go into depth enough in the previous Bond movie, “Skyfall”. He is also very small and has no special characteristics like “Jaws” who had metal teeth and “Nick Nack” who was a very aggressive man with dwarfism.

All of the bad guys who killed all of Bond’s girlfriends are supposed to lead up to a character who has never been mentioned in previous movies. Not only does this ruin “Spectre”, it lets down the past three Bond mov-

ies, because it incorporates these movies that were good by themselves into a not-so-good movie.

Because of the lack of psychotic in the antagonist’s character, the very key torture scene that is presented in every bond movie was not cringe worthy in “Spectre”. A couple drills to the head and some mildly scary pleasure from Ernst Stavro Blofeld was all and then it was over.

I would have also liked to see a more unique action scene during the kidnapping shot. At this part of the movie, the woman, Dr. Madeleine Swann, who is supposed to lead James Bond to his evil half-brother, is

kidnapped by his evil-half brother’s personal assassin so that Bond can’t find him.

This scene was filmed in the Alps, but instead of making a scene unique to the Alps, guess what… They made it into an airplane and car chase scene. Come on. You are in the Alps and don’t show an intense skiing, snowboarding, sledding, snowmobiling scene? You can shoot an airplane scene in any other place or movie, but you chose this one. This especially bothers me because this is the turning point of the story when Bond seduces Dr. Swan and gets her to trust him.

Although it was lacking in plot, there were still some of the characteristics of a good old Bond movie. It still established a strong emotional connection between Bond and another woman - in this case, Dr. Swan. I would have liked to see more gadgets, but when they did have them in this movie, they were really unique. Q, the quirky tech genius also sprinkled a bit of healthy humor into the story which made it bearable for me. And finally, the action scenes. Beside the let down in the Alps, the action scenes were truly incredible.

Because of the lack of plot, I would not recommend seeing this movie for the current theatre price. Overall, I would rate it at a 6.5/10.

Creed resembles early “Rocky” movies Richard Pannell Staff Reporter “Creed” is a continuation of a great movie series that has been loved for years, the seventh film of the renowned “Rocky” series. It’s different from the earlier films, but also similar in many ways. It follows the story of Adonis Johnson, the son of Apollo Creed who had Adonis with a different woman than his wife. Apollo’s wife finally tracked down Adonis and took him in, which is when his life begins to turn around.

The movie starts off with a scene in which a few kids are being marched down the halls of a juvenile detention center. When an alarm sounds, the guards rush to the commons to break up a fight between young Adonis and another inmate.

This is a great opening that shows that Adonis has had to fight through everything he’s had happen to him and that he is a born fighter.

When Mary Anne Creed, Apollo’s wife, comes to talk to him she explains his situation, and when he asks who his father was, it cuts to the title screen which shows Creed in big letters and music which grows in intensity. The beginning of this movie shows how Adonis is a fighter and also has a hot temper. It shows their bond through Apollo as a father and a husband.

The first fight is similar to the first Rocky which was made in 1976 in which Adonis is in the middle of a somewhat professional fight, the fighters throw a few punches and the ring is surrounded by people shouting and drinking. This shows how the protagonist started small, but is really worth more.

When Adonis returns to where he lives, he goes to the gym his father trained in. He challenges the boxers there to beat him.

He beats the first guy with ease but then another steps up and knocks Adonis down. He wasn’t ready for the real world of fight-

ing and he learned the hard way. He hadn’t learned everything he could about boxing and so when he went up against the professionals, they took advantage of him.

When he returns to the Creed house, Mary Anne discovers his black eye and tells him about how many times she carried his father up his own stairs to bed after a fight. She explains the risks of the fighter’s life and what she went through because of Apollo’s career. Even though she told him all of this, it wouldn’t stop him from chasing his dream of becoming a professional boxer.

Adonis tells her of how he recently quit his job to become a full time fighter, showing his readiness to become a boxer. He moves to Philadelphia and tracks down the Italian stallion (Rocky). In their first meeting, Adonis tells Rocky that he is Apollo’s son. Rocky is somewhat shocked but after Adonis tells him about Mary Anne and also all the inside knowledge from Rocky and Apollo’s friendship, Rocky accepts the fact that Adonis is Apollo’s son.

Adonis also asks who won the third fight between Apollo and Rocky

as shown at the end of Rocky 3 so if you want to find out go see the movie. Adonis calls Rocky uncle because his father and Rocky were so close that they must be like family.

Rocky agrees to train Adonis because he never really got a chance to thank Apollo for all he’s done. Rocky teaches Adonis like his trainer/manager (Mickey) taught him. He made Adonis chase a chicken because they’re harder to catch than you would think.

Rocky gives him drills to complete on his own and words of advice including the reappearing phrase “one step at a time, one punch at a time, one round at a time.” This phrase represents Rocky’s life. He’s fought everything and sometimes gotten punched back. Also, that you should do everything to detail and you can do anything if you work hard at it.

Something does happen during training that will change how you think about Rocky as a character. It starts an argument between the two.

Both Adonis and Rocky agree to fight their own fights and they are tied together in this way. It shows how they care for each other and adds more to the story. It is a good way to begin the story of Adonis Creed and continue the story of Rocky Balboa.

The final fight scene between Adonis Creed and the world light heavyweight champ showed that it doesn’t matter if you are the underdog you can do things the pros can do if you try. Just like Apollo Creed and Rocky the underdog shut up the champ by knocking him down, something no one else could do.

In the end he earned the respect of a champion and the people who once loved the undefeated even though he didn’t win by the judges score. If you liked the Rocky movies than you should see this movie it has all the good elements of the Rockies and is even more heartwarming than the originals. The movie shows what it would be like if Apollo Creed were still around with Rocky.

January 29, 2016

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January 29, 2016

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Spotswood’s garden provides new learning environment Carrie Yoder Staff Reporter Spotswood Elementary School is currently planning to create a courtyard garden for students and teachers to enjoy during the school year. Spotswood was awarded an HEF Grant, and the school decided to create a garden.

Instructional Coach Katie Saunders finds the benefits to having a garden at the elementary school.

“A garden provides opportunities for students to interact with nature and allows them to take part in learning how the food they eat is grown and harvested. It also provides them with the opportunity to become more responsible and respectful of nature,” Saunders said.

Kindergarten teacher Lauren Caffrey is excited for what this garden will mean for the kids.

“We decided to create a garden to allow students the opportunity to develop an awareness and competence in regards to food sustainability, to connect with and develop a respect for nature, to develop and maintain a sense of communal responsibility and citizenship and to explore hands on experiences that encourage classroom learning to come to life in an applicable context,” Caffrey said. Although the garden is still in the planning phase, the students are excited for the garden process to start.

“The intent upon completion, however, is for classrooms to have an opportunity to visit or work within the garden at least on a weekly basis,” Caffrey said.

Caffrey hopes that students

will take what they learn in the school garden and apply that to their own backyards.

“We are also excited to see our students benefit from the opportunities to connect with and develop a respect for nature, develop and maintain a sense of communal responsibility and citizenship and to explore hands on experiences that encourage classroom learning to come to life in an applicable context,” Caffrey said. Additionally, they’re excited to use the garden as a classroom to allow teachers to take their lessons outdoor.

“The garden, however, will require more time and work from the school community. In planning for a school garden, it is important to ensure that there are committed memPHOTO COURTESY OF LAUREN CAFFREY bers to care for and maintain the space CLEAN UP, CLEAN UP, EVERYBODY CLEAN UP. Spotswood Elementary School families participate in “Courtyard throughout the Cleanup.” This took place after a day of work in the courtyard garden. year,” Caffrey said.

Saunders said. regards to planning, financing, regards to food sustainability, “The students will Since the garden is in the implementing and maintaining connecting with and developing care for the garden during the a respect for nature, developing school year with the help of their planning phase nothing is cur- the space,” Caffrey said.

She also talks about the bene- and maintaining a sense of comteachers. There is also a garden rently planted inside the garden. crew of four teachers and we will The goal is to plant a variety of fits to having a courtyard garden. munal responsibility and citizen“Other schools could see ship and a hands on experiences be responsible for some of the vegetables, flowers, grasses and some of the same benefits we that encourage classroom learnmaintenance. During summer fruiting bushes.

“Schools need to be aware of anticipate like developing an ing to come to life in an applicaschool, the hope is that it will be used by teachers and students,” all that the garden will entail in awareness and competence in ble context,” Caffrey said.

Clothes project helps community David Gamboa Photographer Spotswood Elementary has begun a Clothes Closet program where clothes and shoes are laid out in the hallways for families to take home for free.

Koren Dellinger, fourth grade teacher at Spotswood Elementary, serves on the home school relations committee and helps organize and execute the clothes closet.

“Part of our jobs is to reach the needs of the people in our school and the community members here and we just know that one of the needs for the people here is clothes,” Dellinger said.

During the 2014-2015 school year, Spotswood asked for faculty and staff to donate clothes that they have in order to open the clothes closet to the community the following year.

“Our committee made the decision to start this up and we actually started the collection of clothes last year,” Dellinger said.

During community events, families are asked to go and participate. Earlier this year, a sorority at JMU hosted a carnival for the kids outside and at the same time, clothes and shoes were laid out in the hallways inside for families to take home for free. Following the carnival, parent teacher conferences were held and clothes could also be picked up then. The next clothes closet is scheduled to be held on the next parent teacher conference day.

According to Dellinger, the first clothes closet was a success. They continue to take in clothes in order to have enough for the next one.

“We had over 1000 lbs of clothes and we probably gave away 3/4 of it and we are continuing to take cloths in and so we intend to do another clothes closet. We counted bags and so we know we gave away about 125 bags of clothes and so for the next one coming up in February we hope to be just as successful,” Dellinger said.

To Delinger and others at the school, clothes closet is not only part of the job description and a task on the long list, but a helping hand to the community and appreciated by both sides of the closet.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KELLY LINEWEAVER “Anytime we can meet GRAB AND GO. Students and parents line up in Spotswood Elementary School to receive free clothing the needs of any of the kids from the clothes closet project.

Volunteers include students and parents from HHS and teachers from or families at the school, it the elementary school. is a fulfilling feeling to any of us here. I know I speak for everyone on the committee and at the two clothes closets each year and collect- people are continuing to want to collect school, if there is ever a need that is need- ing the clothes continuously. They will ac- clothes probably not more than twice a ing be met, we are always willing to step cept and encourage everyone in the com- year. We don’t intend on making anything up to the plate to make sure it is met,” Del- munity, not just those at Spotswood to different other than what we are doing now, taking in clothes and giving it away,” donate clothes. linger said.

Dellinger said.

“As long as it is successful for us and The committee plans to continue doing

SES kids participate in service projects Josh Byrd Advertising Manager Spotswood Elementary kindergarten students participated in a variety of service projects before the holiday. These projects included making food kits for the SPCA, creating a care package for soldiers, creating Thanksgiving food kits for families in need and a variety of other projects.

While this was the first year that most classes participated in the projects, in Lauren Caffrey’s kindergarten class, these projects have been going on for years.

“Service projects have been embedded

PHOTO BY JOSH BYRD

SERVICE AT SPOTSWOOD. Students at Spotswood Elementary School participate in organizing a canned food drive.

Developing a sense of giving back has become an integral part of the curriculum.

in my classroom for a few years and will continue to be a part of my curriculum,” Caffrey said.

“The goal is to continuously reflect on the projects that exist and look to create new opportunities that align with the vision of including these throughout the year,” Caffrey said.

These projects have recently coincided with the winter holidays, but Caffrey’s class will continue participating in projects as they arise.

“Service projects begin early in the year and continue throughout within my classroom,” Caffrey said. “Some are established as routine, but we also look for service projects that arise organically.”

Although projects change based on the classroom, community service is always emphasized.

“The true purpose of the projects may vary for each classroom or teacher, but, on a general level, the goal was to help cultivate an experience in which our students were given the opportunity to participate in a project that encouraged them to positively contribute to their community,” Caffrey said.

For Caffrey, these projects are little more than just service.

“For me, the purpose of these projects is to cultivate a sense of social responsibility and service,” Caffrey said. “The aim in creating these opportunities is to help develop the idea that we give of ourselves, in a variety of ways, to ensure we are supporting our community.”

Family Fridays creates enhanced learning environment Noah Siderhurst Op/Ed Editor This year at Spotswood Elementary School, a new program has been implemented with aims to increase the connection between home and school.

The new program, dubbed “Family Fridays,” is a time each Friday when kindergarten student’s families are invited to come into the classroom to spend time doing activities with the students such as reading, playing board games and completing puzzles.

Spotswood teacher Lauren Caffrey, one of the teachers involved in this initiative, is happy with how the first year of the program is going. She thinks that students can take a great deal of valuable lessons from them.

“On a basic level, students are able to learn more about their classmates’ and their families when family members join us. It helps students put a face to some of the names we so often hear in stories shared in morning meetings and it also allows the students to extend their classroom community.

On a grander scale, students learn to develop appropriate social skills when meeting new people and establishing relationships,” Caffrey said.

The idea for this program originat-

ed with Spotswood Elementary’s understanding of the importance of good school - home relationships.

“Family Fridays offer our school the chance to establish, nurture and maintain school and family relationships.

As a school, we understand the importance of these relationships in ensuring that we can best meet the needs of each student in all aspects of his or her life. Creating opportunities where these relationships can occur, while also providing the opportunity for families to become more comfortable in the school setting, will allow us to further support our students as we strive towards fulfilling our vision and mission as a school,” Caffrey said.

From Caffrey’s point of view, Family Fridays are working well, and she intends to keep it that way with only one exception; she wants to expand the number of students who are able to participate in and enjoy them.

“The vision for Family Fridays is one in which parents and students eagerly anticipate the regularly scheduled Family Fridays as an opportunity to create, nurture, and maintain a community in which we all work together to help every member to learn, grow and feel comfortable and safe in an effort to support our larger community,” Caffrey said.

January 29, 2016

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Teachers have pushed Proctor to be who she is today Ellie Plass Online Editor-In-Chief Junior Natalie Proctor has loved art since she was a little girl. In the beginning, it was her sister who really encouraged her to get into it, but over time she has grown into someone who needs no other motivation than herself.

“I just, I really love art,” Proctor said. “[On the weekends] I hang out with with my friends and my boyfriend and then I draw.”

She first began taking art classes when she was in elementary school, with her teacher Valerie Smith. “[Smith] was my elementary school art teacher and middle school. She was with me for a really long time through my life, so I also think that she contributed to [my artistry]. She was always just there and made everything comfortable,” Proctor said. Smith now owns and teaches at Larkin Arts gallery, store and school downtown.

As she has come through the high school, she has taken up to Art 3 and is a member of the Fine Arts Academy. The Academy has had a big effect on how she works as an artist.

“It has pushed me and [the teachers] help me critique my own artwork as well as others a lot better,” Proctor said. “It’s like ‘Oh, well I should do this because there’s a lot of meaning behind this one mark [I’m making on the page].’”

Proctor doesn’t let her own perfectionism get in the way of enjoying art or of being proud of what she does.

“I’m definitely hard on myself, but then when I stop and leave whatever it is I’m doing and come back to it for a couple minutes I’m like, ‘Wow this is really great,’” Proctor said. “I know that [the teachers] are going to love it even though I’m like ‘Those eyelashes aren’t exactly the same’. It is a difficult thing to do.”

Over time Proctor’s style has changed. While she used to do more drawings of objects , she has now expanded her main

focus to be with portraits.

“I definitely love realism and making things look real. I used to be terrible at faces so I knew that I really wanted to grow at that,” Proctor said.

Proctor has expanded her talent from a hobby. She has done several commissioned portraits of teacher’s children and her mother’s friends. She has even done a portrait of a dog for Nathan Hissong, an Earth Science teacher. “[Chemistry teacher Suzanne Smith] found out that I was good at art and she was like ‘I wanted to ask you if you would draw something for me.’ I was like ‘Oh, you want a portrait of your kids,’ because I just thought [that was what she wanted] but she was like ‘Oh my gosh yeah, I just wanted you to do something for chemistry, but that’s cool, too,” Proctor said. “That led to other teachers in the school and students in the school and some of my mom’s friends.

I sold a lot of portraits.”

The portraits usually take Proctor about an hour per face, but they are by no means easy.

“Definitely the shadows [are the most difficult part]. When people give me pictures [to draw] they don’t understand how I need the picture to be so they’ll take a picture with really bad quality or just terrible lighting so it is really difficult to get everything looking the way it should,” Proctor said.

She usually gets the biggest reaction for the portraits she draws.

“People freak out over [the faces] because it’s such a difficult thing to draw,” Proctor said. More examples of her portrait work can be found on her Instagram page, @nataliepro_nyb.

Although she has a passion for art, Proctor has decided that she doesn’t want to go to college to major in art. Her sister also made this decision, despite originally majoring in art. “[My sister and I] both agreed that it’s more fun when we do it just as a free time kind of thing instead of a job,” Proctor said. “I’d rather go to college to become a pre-school teacher

ART BY NATALIE PROCTOR

SMILE. Natalie Proctor’s grandma recently passed away. In honor of her she drew a picture of her. (BELOW) Natalie reproduces portraits from photographs.

Showcase themes give artists opportunity to use imaginations Maria Snell-Feikema Feature Editor

because that has a lot of art in it, too, like setting up classrooms and creating little projects for kids.”

Despite this decision, Proctor isn’t planning on giving up her passion anytime soon.

“I definitely want to keep art in my life.”

Shifflett gets passion from grandma Sarah Earle Staff Reporter Starting from a young age, Autumn Shifflett and her art have developed over the years, leading her to desire to take her unique art to the next level in the future.

“I actually always had a passion for it [art]. My grandmother was into art, so it was kind of something that was just in my family and it was handed down [to me],” Shifflett said. Shifflett’s art talent eventually became evident to others.

“As a kid, I was strange,” Shifflett said. “I would take pieces of paper and ask my mom for a pen and just draw straight lines all across the paper. So it kind of just started from there.”

Shifflett’s skills have enhanced along the way, leading her to experiment with her talents.

“I think [people born with an artistic ability] can go either way,” Shifflett said. “For me, I didn’t really develop it. I did develop it along the way, but I was actually told by my mom that the doctor said I had, not a special talent, but [an ability].” Shifflett manages to fill in time every day to work on her art.

“I think what inspires me to put the time in for my art is my passion and my drive for it,” Shifflett said. “It’s just something I love doing. I think it’s great to have a way to express yourself, and so I think that’s what inspires me most.”

Shifflett does practices multiple forms of art.

“I paint, I draw, and I sketch every day,” Shifflett said. “I draw at least every day, just so I can keep my art style going.”

Shifflett’s artist inspiration has encouraged her art in many ways.

“I’m probably not going to go with Picasso or Van Gogh [as my most inspiring artist], but if I had to say an artist that actually inspires me the most, it would actually be a person I got to know throughout Facebook and their art style is just so amazing. It’s incredible to see how their art progresses, how they get better at it. They started at 10 and now they’re 25 and it’s just a huge inspiration for me to see that kind of change,” Shifflett said.

Her art style has a unique sense to it.

“My art is very cartoony,” Shifflett said. “I don’t like realistic things.

I like to make funny faces.

If I do put color on it, it’s usually digitalized. I like animation, so I look forward to that.” Shifflett’s goal is to get the audience to feel the way she makes her painting feel. “[I want my audience to feel] any feeling that I can give them,” Shifflett said.

“Whether it’s anger, happiness, sadness. I want to portray all of them.” With all of the art that she creates, Shifflett displays it on an app for other artists.

“I do a lot of online things. I’m really into digital arts, so there’s actually a great artist app called

Page World and it’s a way for smaller artists that don’t really have a way to put their art out there.

[Page World is a way] for them to be around other artists that feel the same way, so you can get it out there.” Shifflett said. “I do commissions and I do requests. I usually do them online, so I have a page you can go visit.”

As Shifflett displays her art online, she also has taught her younger siblings art.

“My sister actually really wanted to get into art for a while, so I did teach her the basics that I at least knew, which wasn’t really much at the time, but I try to teach my younger siblings.” Shifflett said. Even though Shifflett is instructing her younger siblings, she is still learning as well.

“I’m currently in Art 2 with Ms. Brooks,” Shifflett said “Outside of school, [there are] not really [art classes that I take]. I mean, my grandma used to be an art teacher so I kind of learn [art] from her.”

As for the future, Shifflett hopes to take her art to the next level and use it professionally.

“I hope to get into an art college and actually one day be an animator.”

Shifflett said. To Shifflett, art is a lot more than just a picture.

“I like that [art’s] a way that I can release feelings that I can’t really say or I can’t really show action for. It’s a way to vent and also capture memories that I can’t capture on a

write about, that not only speaks to me, but speaks to our audience as well.”

Alger says for her, being comfortable with exposure is necessary when showcasing one’s art. “[Art] comes from a place of vulnerability... Most of my art up until now that I’ve worked on for showcase comes from a place of celebration and happiness, not so much from some of the darker emotions,” Alger said. “The piece I’m creating for this showcase is definitely a more serious piece... I’m breaking out of my comfort zone, because people don’t tend to see me as a serious person, which I totally agree with. For me, art is a way of showing that that’s a part of me as well, and that can be different for everyone. That can be scary, but I know people love me, so I know it will be okay.”

For the next upcoming showcase, the FAA community has decided on the theme “anatomy”.

“It’s really broad and abstract, and we’re able to interpret it in a lot of different ways,” Labarge said. Alger says the showcases provide a microcosmic situation that reflects being an artist in the real world.

“We do put a lot of pressure on ourselves to improve and keep growing in our areas of strength, but also showcase is for a major grade, and it’s easy to forget that,” Alger said. “You have deadlines, and at the same time it has to

Two to three times a year, the Fine Arts Academy gets the chance to display their work in a showcase. The showcase holds a particular theme, having in the past themes such as “the mess” or “perspective”.

According to junior Eleanor Alger, who is a part of both the theatre and creative writing strands, showcases are incredibly important in receiving real world criticism and exposing oneself to the world, as an artist in the “real world” would do.

“You get a chance to share what you’ve been working on not only with the people who normally see your art, who you see every other day, but also with the parents and community members that come out. We tend to get a pretty big crowd with our showcases, we can get a lot of exposure from them,” Alger said. “It’s great because they can give us feedback while also just seeing what we’ve been working on, and it can also clear up what Fine Arts Academy is.

It’s really inspiring, I like it.”

Junior Megan Labarge, who is a part of the visual arts strand, says having showcases allows one to work on their ability to articulate what their art work means to them to a broader audience.

“When you only think about your art to yourself, you sort of have your own language that only you understand,” Labarge said, “In art, you have to sort of translate that so other people can understand it. When you’re showing it to a bunch of people who you don’t know, and you’re going to get so many opinions and aspects and viewpoints, it’s really important to recognize that fact if you want to continue doing your art.”

Whether they are performing or simply showcasing visual art, Alger says that being able to be vulnerable and willing to share one’s work is vital to succeeding in FAA. “Even if it’s just a small group of people, I am a firm PHOTO COURTESY OF ELEANOR ALGER believer that art is meant SING. Junior Eleanor Alger sings “Part Of Your to be shared, and that art World” from The Little Mermaid in the 2014 fall isn’t a selfish thing... The showcase. basic core of human nature is the need to create somebe top notch, because they will cut peothing beautiful, whether it be to create ple if they’re not up to standards. It’s a a painting, or a poem, or a song,” Alger very real world situation in that sense.” said. “Where words fail, art takes over.” Labarge says that though it can be chalWhen it comes to FAA, Alger thinks hav- lenging at times, it’s always worth it in ing the ability to leave one’s comfort the end. zone is greatly needed in producing “It’s definitely scary, but as we keep quality art. going it gets a little bit easier because “Showcases are really interesting we’re sort of figuring out our individual because you try to do something differ- styles,” Labarge said. “People start to ent each time. You don’t want to do the know what to expect, but at the same same thing, so have to push yourself to time they don’t, because we’re always take risks, which is actually part of what getting new ideas, and even new peowe’re graded on,” Alger said. “For this ple come to the showcases. I guess showcase I’m writing a piece, so I had to that’s part of the risk taking factor, and ask myself what I felt strongly enough to in the end that’s really rewarding.”

January 29, 2016

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Reader’s Theater uses drama to help kids understand content Nyah Phengsytthy Staff Reporter Stone Spring Elementary school has been partnering up with JMU to support their efforts towards art integration in their school.

The school looks for ways to meld arts objectives with content objectives in their classes. Each year, the school chooses a different arts topic to focus on. Their chosen focus this year is drama. To accomplish their focus, the school will be using a new idea called “reader’s theater.”

Reader’s theater starts out with students and teachers learning new content in class. For a way to help the students understand the content more, teachers will create a script on the objective for students to read aloud and act out. With reader’s theater having students reading and memorizing a script, it is a great way for students to understand more of a certain lesson or remember a topic. Teachers will usually find ways to join reader’s theater into many of their subjects.

Assistant principal Kathleen Taylor has seen reader’s theater being used in classes around the school.

“Third grade did a multiplication reader’s theater

PHOTO BY NYAH PHENGSYTTHY

ONCE UPON A TIME. Students at Stone Spring read from a script to help them understand the lesson better. The school teamed up with JMU as a way to use art and content objectives to help them memorize the information more easily. The class and the teacher worked together to write a script, then memorize and perform it in class. where they basically say multiplication is repeated addition. The class and the teacher wrote a script and then assigned parts. After that, they practiced the script and performed it. It’s just another instructional strategy to help kids learn and remember the content,” Taylor said.

Professor Leah Kirkpatrick teaches drama education at JMU and will be

working with teachers and students at the school in February.

“We will be going over to the school to work with teachers first to talk about strategies for using readers theater and related drama games to teach in core areas,” Kirkpatrick said.

Kirkpatrick will also have students from her class come in and work with teachers at the elementary

school on writing scripts for their students.

Reader’s theater is mainly designed for grades second through fourth.

While younger grades are introduced to the idea, they aren’t as involved as the higher grades.

Fourth grade teacher Courtney Abrams uses reader’s theater in many different ways to help her students.

Therapy dog is beneficial to students Abby Hissong Managing Editor

Stone Spring Elementary has a new student. She doesn’t like to do homework, and she doesn’t sit at a desk, but she is already making a positive impact on those around her.

An 11- year-old Australian Shepherd named Skye has begun to join students in their classrooms once a month to provide therapy to special needs children. Her owner, Johanna Beers, was inspired to get Skye officially certified as a therapy dog by a friend who suggested the program to her.

“I had just moved here from Richmond and I thought, well, that would be an interesting thing to do since [Skye] is such a calm dog. I love kids and I just thought to myself, ‘I know kids like dogs, and I wanted to do something that would have a positive impact.’ Skye has always loved children, so I knew she would be a perfect therapy dog,” Beers said.

Skye first began training to be a therapy dog in June through a course offered at Blue Ridge Community college. There, she learned basic skills and commands that would lead to being successful as a therapy dog in environments that could be overwhelming such as schools, libraries, and nursing homes.

“In the class, they

“I definitely think this helps students in a good way, especially for those who may be too shy or unsure of themselves to speak up,” Abrams said.

Second grade teacher Bethany Hart looks at reader’s theater as another way to engage with her students.

“It’s a great way to review skills taught in class and have the skills and vo-

ESL teachers help young kids grasp new language Theo Yoder Sports Editor

PHOTO BY ABBY HISSONG

JUST RELAX. Skye helps students in the classroom get a break from learning.

The therapy dog already made a positive impact on the students of Stone Spring Elementary. taught her how to sit and stay. Then they had her walk around with people using wheelchairs and walkers so she would be comfortable with them when she visited schools and nursing homes,” Beers said. “After that, she had to pass a test, and then she was certified to be a therapy dog. Skye is mostly just trained to sooth people and calm them down if they are anxious. Her presence is really the most important part.”

After Skye had graduated her training course, Beers was connected with Stone

Spring Elementary after a previous therapy dog to the school could no longer come. Once a month, Skye visits several classrooms as well as the school’s library.

There, students take a break from their lessons to interact with Skye by reading to her, petting her, or even just sitting with her.

Assistant Principal Kathleen Taylor usually accompanies Beers and Skye on their visits to classrooms.

“Skye began her visits to Stone Spring in October this year, and so far she has received a lot of positive feed-

PHOTO BY ABBY HISSONG

ROLL OVER. Assistant Principal Kathleen Taylor enjoys time with the dog as much as the students. “Having Skye here is just an amazing way for kids to connect,” Taylor said.

back from the students and teachers. At first, some of the students who weren’t familiar with dogs were scared of her, but as she has continued to visit, I’ve seen some of them start to warm up to her and interact more,” Taylor said.

As of now, Skye has primarily interacted with special needs classrooms in the school, but Taylor hopes that she can start going to the library more to visit students and have them sit and read to her. For many students, Skye is the only dog they know or have been around. Taylor is glad that students are able to experience positive interactions at a young age, as she has already seen many of them begin to enjoy and look forward to Skye’s visits.

“For a lot of our kids with special needs, they need that interaction that Skye gives them.

Even just touching her and being around her allows them to get that sensory stimulation, which is very important. Communication is often a skill that doesn’t come easily to them, so even just the fact that they can be around her can change their day for the better,” Taylor said. “Having Skye here is just an amazing way for kids to connect, especially those who have difficulty connecting with their peers.”

cabulary stick in a way that is engaging for students,” Hart said.

Stone Spring definitely plans to continue reader’s theater next year as well.

“We’ll add another arts piece next year, but we aren’t quite sure what the focus will be yet. The goal is for teachers to always incorporate previous strategies that we’ve used,” Taylor said.

At Stone Spring Elementary School, ESL teachers are teaching students as young as kindergarten English as a Second Language (ESL). Many of these students are as newcomers, kids who are new to the country and have little to no background involving the English language.

Having taught eight years at Stone Spring, Marcella Rogers is the current lead ESL teacher. Rogers works with first and second grade newcomers as well as third grade ESL students for math.

Rogers is joined by ESL teachers Lori King and Lauren Pichon, who teach kindergarten newcomers. King has worked at Stone Spring for seven years, while Pichon has worked there for only two weeks.

Rogers started as a fourth grade teacher and was introduced to ESL kids when her current school closed and joined together with other schools in the area, making what is now Mountain View Elementary. Rogers spent one year meeting with the single ESL teacher at Mountain View and was encouraged to receive her masters.

“I thought it was to help me as a classroom teacher, but then I just fell in love with [English language learners] and ESL, so now I am an ESL teacher after I finished my masters degree,” Rogers said.

“I find it very rewarding. You see the growth, because they come in as a newcomer and can’t speak any English and then you do this assessment and you can see what they can do now.”

King first taught at Keister Elementary School when they were first getting their influx of Spanish speakers.

“My entire class, may-

be minus four, were English language learners. I felt like I needed to learn to teach them in a different way. I needed more background, so I went to school to figure it out. I ended up moving back [to Harrisonburg] where it had exploded with [ELL] students,” King said. “I love the diversity. I think the diversity brings such an enriching community to our city, county and definitely to our school. I love getting to know the families and learning about their cultures.”

When teaching newcomers, ESL teachers start very simply with motions and pictures as well as smiling and gesturing.

“It depends on the kids, some of them come with a little bit of English, so we can use a few sentences and a few words and they will understand… sometimes there will be a kid we’ve had in a newcomer class and they can also translate for newer children. ” Rogers said.

In King’s kindergarten class, there is acting out and pictures as well as teacher talk in the beginning and then repeating.

“In [the kindergarten class,] I was the only one talking for about a month.

They were repeating, but they were very quiet, they weren’t taking a lot of risks. Now they are talking up a storm. There is a period of them having to do a lot of listening for a while,” King said.

Newcomers who are in kindergarten are introduced to English much earlier than older newcomers.

“It is easier the younger you are to start to learn a new language as well as to start learning things at a young age.

Kindergartners learn things that build on top of each other. So, if kids can start to learn the content in first grade it builds on the content in second grade, etc,” Rogers said.

January 29, 2016

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Loveless learns valuable skills in mentorship class Audrey Knupp Feature Editor The mentorship program connects current juniors and seniors with

mentors in the community in any career field the student is interested in. The class is year long, and meets every other day. During that time, students have the opportu-

nity to visit their mentor while they are at work to experience what the job is like first hand. Bethany Everidge acts as the mentorship coordinator, and works to support and

guide students in exploring their career interests.

“I specifically work towards finding students placements in careers, or as close as possible, of their interests. I also work with

JUMPING FOR JOY. Junior Jordan Loveless, along with physical education teachers Brittany Rapert and Matthew Schmoyer, guide a second grade gym class in jumping activities at Kiester Elementary School. Loveless participates in a mentorship class where he assists in teaching various gym classes by picking up cones, taking attendance, and coaching kids on how to improve their technique. After high school, Loveless plans to combine his love for sports and working with children to pursue a degree in physical education.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRITTANY RAPERT

720

Number of students who entered HHS from each elementary school 204

Elsewhere

Waterman

194

Spotswood

189

Kiester

students on workplace readiness skills. Things such as, resume building, interview skills, cyber etiquette, verbal and nonverbal communication, etc,” Everidge said.

While every student’s specific career interest varies, many students involved in the program are interested in teaching.

After college, junior Jordan Loveless hopes to combine his love for sports and working with children to become a physical education teacher at an elementary school. When the bell rings for A-day fourth block classes, Loveless leaves for his mentorship at Keister Elementary. There he helps out in physical education classes under the guidance of teachers Brittany Rapert and Matthew Schmoyer.

“My favorite thing about being at Keister is being able to connect with the kids.

Whether that be through playing a game with them, or simply having a conversation. The reaction I get when I come to the classes is always positive, and that makes me feel really good,” Loveless said.

The kids that Loveless helps to teach range from kindergarten to fourth

grade, and have a wide variety of abilities. One challenge that Loveless has had to overcome is getting their attention, and keeping them on task and focused.

“I help the teacher by coaching the kids on how to improve their technique, picking up cones, and taking attendance. I’ve learned that teaching little kids isn’t always easy because they have really short attention spans, and very curious minds that love to look around,” Loveless said.

So far, Loveless has enjoyed his time at the school, and still plans on getting a degree in physical education in college. Under the direction of Rapert and Schmoyer, Loveless has learned new skills on how to communicate with students, and help them to perfect a skill that they are having trouble with.

“If I’m having a bad day or am stressed about a class, I forget about all of it when I go to mentorship.

When you’re working with kids, it’s all about them. So everything that is going on with you doesn’t matter.

It’s not always easy, but the bonds you create with the kids make it all worth it,” Loveless said.

Transformation from kindergarten to now

Freshman Avery Masserella

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Smithland Stone Spring

Freshman Jenny Xanoubane

INFOGRAPHIC BY ANNA RATH

Embarrassing moments shape people Yogesh Aradhey Staff Reporter Between having recess, only one lunch choice, reading groups, and line leaders, there are many differences between high school and elementary school. Although for many students those days have become blurred, there are some embarrassing memories that will stick with them for life.

Looking back, junior Carlos Avila talks about a moment that he remembers very clearly from fourth grade recess at Stone Spring Elementary.

“One time a bunch of kids and I were playing kickball, and when it was my turn to kick the ball, I kicked it so hard that it was about to be a home run. I was running the bases when someone on the other team started yelling at me saying that I had skipped one and we started fighting. So we were yelling at each other, and I guess some harsh words were said. We calmed down after a minute and kept on playing, so I didn’t think anything of what had happened,” Avila said.

After recess, Avila and his classmates went back to their respective classrooms. His teacher, Ms. Cunningham, waited until all of the students had gotten back to class before asking Avila if she could talk to him in private. Wondering what he had done, he followed her out of the class and into the hallway.

“I was really nervous because I was never the kid who got in trouble, so I was shocked when [Ms. Cunningham] said ‘I heard you called another student a ‘beaner’ at recess, and you know that you are not allowed to say that.’ I told her that I never said that, but she ended up writing me up for it anyway,” Avila said.

Looking back on the moment, Avila finds the situation funny. However as the situation was actually happening, Avila felt uncomfortable and awkward.

“I remember in my mind thinking ‘Um, ma’am, that’s supposed to be the other way around. [As a Hispanic] I’m supposed to be offended if someone says that to me.’ I wish that I had had the courage to tell Ms. Cun-

ningham what that term meant, but I didn’t speak up and in the end got in trouble for something I didn’t even do,” Avila said.

While Avila’s experience didn’t end on a positive note, not all elementary school feuds end badly.

Junior Sara Penrod had a much different experience, where someone she used to dislike ended up becoming a close friend.

“One time in elementary school another girl and I were at the water fountain getting water and she splashed water all over my face and clothes. I don’t know why she did it, but I got mad and told on her to my teacher. She got in a lot of trouble, so I felt kind of bad. She ended up apologizing to me and we actually became good friends as a result,” Penrod said.

Now the two girls are in many classes together and often sit with each other.

“I’m glad that we experienced elementary school together because now it gives us something to laugh about,” Penrod said.

Sophomore Jabari Powell

Sophomore Aaliyah Jones

Freshman Elizabeth Salva

INFOGRAPHIC BY BECKY STATON

High schoolers write thank you notes to former teachers

INFOGRAPHIC BY MADISON VARNER

January 29, 2016

MAKING MONEY WORK FOR YOU Finance class necessary requirement for high school graduation in Virginia PHOTO BY DANNY DOMBROWSKI

SPREADING THE WORD. Junior Danny Dombrowski shows off a new pair of “Yeezys” for sale on his company’s popular Instagram page, @courtstyles.

Dombrowski’s shoe business sparks interest in community Christa Cole News Editor Junior entrepreneur Danny Dombrowski owns Courtstyles, a sneaker business, all on his own. Buying from retailers including Nike, Adidas, Foot Locker and Eastbay, Dombrowski was inspired by multiple sources to begin Courtstyles.

“I was in Virginia Beach and I met a guy working at the hotel that I was at and just throughout my stay there he talked about the demand for shoes and showed me pictures of his basement which had full out shoe displays on every wall.

He said every release he’d buy two [pairs of shoes], one to sell and what he sold it for would pay for his own pair,” Dombrowski said.

He started selling because of the benefits, but also because of his fascination with merchandising.

“I just started because I love shoes and I love money...I wanted to make extra money so I could buy shoes and whatever else I wanted, but I also wanted to have my own business...I’ve always loved business, especially watching the show ‘Shark Tank’,” Dombrowski said. “I just like that people can go on there and that their business might [make] a couple thousand [dollars] a month and they go there and it blows up because it [got them in the] national spotlight.”

Dombrowski has been selling shoes for three years and his official business is now two years old.

“I’ve sold pairs anywhere, from giving away shoes for free, [to selling them for

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around 100 dollars], anywhere up to 3,000,” Dombrowski said. “[Profit is] kind of always changing, it depends on what kind of shoes are coming out. On a Yeezy [Kanye West Designed Adidas Sneaker], you can make over two thousand on a pair, but other shoes you might only break even or make a couple bucks...I started selling on eBay, but eBay takes 10% of the sales and that kind of hurts and so I made my own website and started selling on my website for about a year and then went back to selling on eBay and my website. Recently, I haven’t had a website, so I started selling more locally.

I have a lot of customers at HHS and in the local middle schools and just people that live in Harrisonburg.”

Dombrowski is currently relying on customers spreading the word to increase his sales locally.

“Basically it’s by word of mouth, so as people hear about me, they will contact me to order upcoming releases,” Dombrowski said. “I hand deliver local orders which helps build a relationship with my customers. My customer base in Harrisonburg has slowly grown throughout the past few months. I recently sold a pair to Ron Curry on the JMU men’s basketball team.”

The majority of Dombrowski’s customers live in California and New York. Social media has been a great asset to Courtstyles because of the easy broadcast of his business. Famous Viners like Max Jr. and Jerry Purpdrank have helped him out along the way as well.

“Social media is huge be-

cause it’s free, but I do a lot of giveaways and I pay people to do advertisements on there, so a lot of the famous vine people, I’ll send them free shoes and then they’ll post stuff for me,” Dombrowski said. “I have like 12,000 followers on [Instagram]...I got on twitter not even a year ago and I love selling on there because people just see stuff instantly.”

He plans to continue in business, whether he is still selling shoes or not.

“I’d love to open up my own sneaker store sometime after high school,” Dombrowski said. “Even if the business I get involved with doesn’t deal with sneakers, I think as long as there’s a demand for shoes, I’m always going to be doing it because it’s easy way to make money on the side.

Not only is it easy money, but the whole process of buying shoes is fun.”

Launching Courtstyles has taught Dombrowski the power of connections in commerce. “[Business has] helped me meet a lot of new people because there’s a lot of people in Harrisonburg that have become customers that otherwise I would never have known,” Dombrowski said. “[There are also] a lot of people throughout the country that I’m cool with on social media, so I might not see them but just [knowing them is beneficial]...they might get shoes I don’t get and then I buy it from them so I guess networking is a big part and just learning how to run a business helps for what I want to do in the future.”

Alissa Burnette Staff Reporter One class of economics and personal finance is required for graduation with a standard or advanced studies diploma in the state of Virginia. Beginning in 2011, this class became mandatory for students entering ninth grade, and to this day the course is still obligatory. Sophomore Leo Lopez is currently taking the compulsory personal finance and economics class.

“I think it’s a smart decision [to make this class mandatory], because people nowadays just like to spend their money, and this class tells students the worries about doing that,”

Lopez said.

Students may earn this credit by successfully completing the course at any time during their high school career. Donald Burgess is one of the CTE teachers who teaches economics and personal finance to students ranging from freshman to seniors.

“The economics and personal finance class benefits all high school students because it helps them learn to spend and invest their money wisely, especially when they do not have a job and they’re relying on birthday or holiday money,” Burgess said. “High school students will have their own bank account, probably including a checking account and savings account, so it helps

prepare them to open up a bank account.”

Burgess graduated from HHS in 1990 when economics and personal finance class was not available or required.

“I love teaching this class because when I was a student, we didn’t have an economics and personal finance class,” Burgess said.

“I wish I especially had the personal finance part as a high school student, then I would’ve learned how to spend my money more wisely.”

As for Lopez, the class is indispensable if he plans on graduating.

“This class benefited me with knowledge about money and how I’m going to manage it,” Lopez said.

PHOTO BY ALISSA BURNETTE

LONG RUN LEARNING. Freshmen Ayam Ali (left) and Baraa Dawood (right) complete personal finance worksheet together as teacher Don Burgess explains instructions to the class.

Stock market teaches financial lesson Garrett Cash Online Editor

Some regular savings accounts, money market accounts,” Antonnicola said. “You want to spread your money out over several different things so that you’re diversified.”

By using a mutual fund, you spread your money out so that the risk of being in the stock market isn’t with just one company. Since it’s spread out over many companies, you won’t lose everything you invest if one stock drops.

“You reduce the risk because you are spreading the risk out over several companies. While some go up, others go down. It equalizes,” Antonnicola said.

With the variety of ways to invest the market, it’s possible to eliminate risk by learning how the money system works and which option is best suited for the time and person. Antonnicola recommends high schoolers and newcomers to the market to start out with the basics before moving on to full investments.

“I would strongly suggest they open a savings account. Learn about the basics of money there,” Antonnicola said. “From there, they could go to a money market account or a certificate of deposit.” With time and patience, both Rutherford and Antonnicola believe investments will pay off.

Although the stock market always has ups and down, economics teacher Maurizio Antonnicola believes time is on your side. He believes it’s best to invest at a young age so your money can compound over time.

“There’s nothing better than starting young,” Antonnicola said. “If you would start saving in a mutual fund now, and you would steadily increase the amount you put in through the years and stick with it and not cash it out, you’ll be a millionaire.”

When you invest, you’re taking part in a company and you receive a portion of the profits that they make, depending on how much you put into it.

“It’s like an exchange. A stock is part ownership in a company, and they use that money to expand and to grow.They pay you back with growth or dividends. If they go bad, they also take your money and you lose it,” Antonnicola said.

Junior Duncan Rutherford started investing in the market in eighth grade. He believes it’s a simple process and encourages others who want extra money to take part in it.

“All you [have to] do is just [make] a few clicks on the computer and you can see everything you want,” Rutherford said.

Rutherford believes the market has only as much risk as you give it and continues to directly invest his money.

“The one thing I do like about the stock market is you have 100 dollars and you put in 100 dollars, you can only lose 100 dollars in the stock market, but you can make thousands. You can only lose as much as you put in, but you can gain a lot more,” Rutherford said.

According to Antonnicola, a safer PHOTO BY GARRETT CASH way to enter the market is to spread GOING FOR THE GOLD. Junior Duncan Rutherford exyour money out through a variety of dif- plores the oil stock market online. “I mess in oil just beferent ways. cause it’s 33 dollars per barrel right now, but over time, “Bonds [are] a good idea, mutual it’s gonna go back up to like 108 dollars per barrel or funds [are] a good idea, things like that. more,” Rutherford said.

January 29, 2016

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Hissongs together since sophomore year of high school Samantha Little Feature Editor Nate and Regina Hissong first started dating during their sophomore year of high school and have since then gotten married and found their place in Harrisonburg, teaching in the schools and raising their two children.

Their story began when they first met in Spanish class. They were both on the school’s crew team and because of the extensive amount of time they spent together through team commitments, they became friends.

Even with different interests, they found their personalities to be complementary.

“He was a skater, at the top of our class academically and quietly reserved. I was highly involved with the school’s choir, an average student and outgoing,” Regina Hissong said. “He was, and still is, smart, sarcastic, and witty.

We laugh together every day and his personality is what has always drawn me to him.”

They graduated from high school in 1994 and found themselves at different colleges. They graduated, got married and moved to Harrisonburg in 1997.

They finished graduate school and have really enjoyed raising their son and daughter in this community.

“We’ve lived in Harrisonburg, raised our children and taught in the Valley ever since. Having our son so early was a surprise, but one that motivated us to stay on course and finish college so we could be together as a family,” Regina Hissong said. “We have never regretted our decision to have him at such a young age, as our children are the two best things that have ever happened to us.”

For Nate Hissong, working together with his wife in this school system has, in his opinion, bettered both of them at their jobs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF REGINA HISSONG

HERE COMES THE BRIDE. Regina and Nate Hissong walk down the aisle at their wedding in 1997.

“Working in the same system has probably increased our connection to our jobs in the schools because the situation applies

First date: Teacher edition “I was looking for furniture, and she was actually teaching so during the summer she spent a lot of time at her home, instead of her apartment here in Harrisonburg. I had talked to her at some point while she was here, about needing a new couch. Many people know that I am color blind, so I was worried about finding pieces of furniture that match, and she had offered to help me. So one of our first “Date Dates” was to find a new couch for my living room. I met her because we both went to bridgewater, and were both in the same group of friends. At the time I was in a relationship, but as soon as I wasn’t, it was like ‘hey’,” history teacher Kirk Moyers said.

to both of us. For example, we watch school board meetings on TV. We never would have done that before because it would have

only interested one person,” Nate Hissong said.

Working in the same field has also inadvertently brought their family closer together.

“Our family is on the exact same schedule so we can easily plan trips without conflicts, be home as a family during breaks and feel more connected... Fortunately one perk for city employees is that we can request our children come to school with us. Abigail came to the city with me in third grade, while my son remained in the county schools until he graduated in 2012. That same year we moved to the city, my husband transferred from Shenandoah County school to Harrisonburg and the family was finally together in one location,” Regina Hissong said. “One of my greatest hopes was that we could all be together in this great school system and it has been exciting to see it come to fruition over the past few years.”

Who is your celebrity crush?

“I was with my grandma, she was taking [my husband], Mike, and I to K-Mart. In the back of the store there was a little food counter, along with a balloon game. The objective of the game was to pop the balloon, and that was how much your banana split was. The prices varied from 25 to 99 cents. That was our first “official” date,” attendance secretary Cathy Grogg said.

PHOTOS BY BRIAN ALVARADO AND SAMANTHA LITTLE

MacAdam learns lesson on relationships Girls advise texting not correct way to engage dating interest a few rules come into place that weren’t there in middle school.

“In middle school, I was asked out over text so that’s rule number one, please don’t do that. Don’t ask a girl out over text. So that was really awkward and then in high school I was actually asked out in person. It was still super awkward because of the way he asked me out, but it was still better because you can see them and you know how they’re feeling when they ask,” MacAdam said.

The length of a middle school relationship could often be measured in dog years. It doesn’t last as long, but the wear and tear is like that of a lengthy relationship.

This was the case with MacAdam’s first relationship, but even so it was still her first dating experi-

ence and sometimes the excitement of that first relationship will carry on past breaking up. However, that statement does not stand true for MacAdam.

The transition from middle “Middle school relationships, school to high school is only the not even just mine but what I’ve difference of one year, but the seen in general, are usually really changes that occur in this time short and last a month or two if are exponential. Nowhere is this you’re lucky. I feel like high school change more profoundly exrelationships definitely tend to last pressed than in the context of longer I guess, but I mean it’s all dating between middle schoolers up in the air. You don’t really know compared to high schoolers. how long things will go on,” MacSophomore Alanna MacAdam Adam said. has taken part in both a short-lived Even though MacAdam’s midmiddle school relationship and dle school dating experience a current more thoughtful high wasn’t ideal, she was still able to school relationship. To MacAdam take away a few things that have every stage in a relationship varhelped her in her current relationies, yet they are each equally imship. portant.

“I learned that everything I did “In middle school, the in middle school, don’t do talking stage is a really big it again. It was just misdeal, like ‘Oh my gosh, take after mistake. [In high you have their number?’ school] talk, just talk. Don’t But in high school it’s like, spend all of your time tex‘Oh, cool, I can text him ting. If you don’t talk to now.’ Then you progress the person in person then from there in what you what’s the point? Do you talk about. It’s not just really want to be in the how was school, it’s hey relationship? [If someone how was your whole day. is thinking about dating in In middle school I feel like middle school] LOL don’t the talking stage is also a do it. Just don’t be stupid, lot longer and more awkin middle school people ward. My talking stage get over their heads. They [went on for] a year besay they’re in a relationPHOTO BY OLIVIA COMER ship but they don’t actufore he asked me out but he thought about it be- LOVE IS IN THE AIR. Sophomores Alanna Mac- ally know what that means Adam and her boyfriend Garrett Cash spend time yet,” MacAdam said. fore,” MacAdam said.

When high school hits, together during the school day.

Olivia Comer Online Managing Editor

INFOGRAPHIC BY SAMANTHA LITTLE AND KEYLA RIVERA

When was your first kiss?

Man-on-the-Street Q&A Elijah Baber, 9 “I was twelve. It was just in my neighborhood, around my house.

[I felt] like a dirty, dirty person.”

Marissa Plummer, 9 “It was the Halloween when I was in second grade. Me and the person went out trick-or-treating together. It was a big deal when it happened, but I was eight.”

Jojo Walker, 10 “[It was in] middle school, seventh or eighth grade, at Thomas Harrison middle school. [I felt] giddy, excited and with that feelings of butterflies in my stomach.”

Walter Barahona, 12 “I was six in Honduras at school. [I had] no feelings,”

Gloria Figueroa-Vargas, Spanish “It was eighth grade and it was at a birthday party. I was in the clouds; I felt awesome because it was a guy that I really, really liked.”

INFOGRAPHIC BY ALEXIA MUNOZ

January 29, 2016

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Gusler looks to have best swim season yet Christian Rodriguez Staff Reporter Senior Aaron Gusler carries the leadership role of team captain for the men’s varsity swim team for the Streaks. Gusler has made it to regionals in past years.

With new goals for the season, the motivated swimmer has high hopes of finishing up the season on a high note and serve as an epitome for young swimmers to come.

Although Gusler is self motivated, he had a substantial amount of influence to pursue the sport from his father.

“My dad swam in high school and coaches a ton, so I would say that definitely had a big influence on me growing up,” Gusler said.

The young novice had early beginnings as he was submerged at a young age.

“I first started swimming for a team when I was five or six,” Gusler said.

Throughout the experience Gusler has had ample support through his brotherhood no matter what team.

“Yeah for sure, basically all the guys on the high school team and the club team I’m on are my bros,” Gusler said.

Gusler shows dedication to the sport and strives to get better through his multiple sessions in the pool. “[I’m] pretty involved, I would

PHOTO BY BRIAN ALVERADO

STROKE. Senior Aaron Gusler swims the butterfly and other strokes during practice to increase his endurance for upcoming events. say. At one point, I was practicing three times on some days with two different teams for 8-10 hours a day, depending on the season,” Gusler said.

Gusler describes the uniqueness of his sport and why it appeals to him more than most.

“It’s a lot more technique based than other sports like run-

ning, and the limited amount of breathing adds a whole other level of difficulty. You’re getting a full body workout while having relatively low impact on your body,” While swimming all strokes, Gusler definitely has a favorite.

“I love swimming the 200 free, but I’m probably most com-

petitive in the 500 free,” Gusler said.

Gusler claims his limits were pushed last year, but he is hopeful to reach new heights this season.

“I definitely peaked last year so it’s harder to stay focused this year, but hopefully I’ll be able to accomplish my goals,” Gusler

said.

Goals are something Gusler can work towards to improve himself as a swimmer.

“I’d love to compete in the state meet, and maybe break the record for the 500,” Gusler said.

The sport has brought new shape to Gusler’s everyday life but he sees it as a positive experience.

“Waking up for morning practice sucks, but I have to do it, so in that way I would say it taught me discipline. It’s also allowed me to become a part of a tightknit community of athletes, which is pretty dope. It’s cool because I’ve been swimming with a lot of the same people since way back, so I’ve formed lots of friendships that have lasted through the years,” Gusler said.

For Gusler, swimming is not just a sport, but a passion.

“I love swimming, it’s a part of my everyday life” Gusler said.

Gusler has had to fill in an unfamiliar role this year and has enjoyed adjusting.

“It’s trippy to go from mentee to mentor, but it’s super fun to lead the team and help out the coach,” Gusler said.

Gusler is apprehensive about moving on from his Harrisonburg swimming family.

“Yeah, I’ll be leaving behind a lot of good friends, and I’ll definitely miss all the shenanigans among the guys,” Gusler said.

Eberly finds running motivation from family history Danny Dombrowski Staff Reporter Senior Lexi Eberly has been a three-sport athlete throughout her high school athletic career, competing in cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring.

“I ran cross country for my first three years, but decided not to this year. I have done indoor track every year and I plan to do my fourth season of track in the spring,” Eberly said.

Unlike indoor and outdoor track where you can choose events to run, cross country is the same for all.

“Cross country is more about endurance and it can be a more painful run because it lasts 24 minutes compared to a 28 second 200 meter,” Eberly said.

Eberly’s interest in running is simple: she just likes to run. However, her father’s high school career also played a role.

“It was just one sport I was

always successful in, but my dad did run in high school which kind of got me into the sport,” Eberly said.

Eberly also receives a lot of advice and support from her coach.

“Coach Bugg has so much experience, he really knows what he is talking about, so when he gives advice I make sure to listen.

He is funny and supportive and always looks on the bright side of things,” Eberly said.

She continues to run in high school because she likes the fun atmosphere on the team and she loves to win. Eberly competes in variety of events, including the 55m hurdles, 4x200 relay team and 4x400 relay team, high jump, long jump, and triple jump. She enjoys the hurdles the most.

“Hurdles is my favorite event, but I also like high jump,” Eberly said.

Last season she won the conference meet with her final jump in high jump.

“My best victory was last year

at the conference meet I cleared 4’10” on my last attempt and won that event,” Eberly said.

Eberly looks to build off some of her success in the past. As a freshman, her 4x200m relay team placed seventh at states and eighth her sophomore year.

She also went to states last year in hurdles, but didn’t place. She is looking to return to the state meet in her senior season.

“My goal is to go states for all my individual events,” Eberly said.

Eberly doesn’t just enjoy winning, but just being on the team with her friends.

“My favorite part is the track meets, in between events we have a lot of time to just hang out and do fun things,” Eberly said.

Being a veteran on the team, she tries to help out the younger kids on the team.

“I just try to give them advice that has helped me that I have learned from past years,” Eberly said.

Urbanski benefits from Minnesota wrestling camp banski said.

The regular season concludes on Jan. 30, and Urbanski is already looking Competing with 15 othahead to the postseason, er boys in his division, juwhich begins in early Febnior Jake Urbanski finished ruary. “[The season] has gone alright, I’ve taken a couple more losses than I would’ve liked to, but I’m getting ready for the postseason and that’s where it counts,” Urbanski said. “My goal is to make it to states this year. Last year I went down in regionals.”

Urbanski hopes to continue wrestling in college, where the skill of competitors will increase as well as the weight classes.

Urbanski competes in the 138 pound weight class in high school, which also includes 132 and 145 pound classes.

At the college level, there is more variation within classes, which split into 125, 133 and 141-pound groups. “[College] is a whole other level, way more competition. You’re getting the best of the best from high school, so it’ll be a lot tougher, but I think it’ll be fun to do,” Urbanski said.

Former Olympic PHOTO BY AUSTIN SWIFT wrestler Jay RobGRAPPLE. Junior Jake Urbanski practices his wrestling moves. inson founded the He attended the specialized J. Robinson 28-Day Wrestling Camp J. Robinson Intenin Minnesota last summer.

Austin Swift Editor-In-Chief

top of the pile at the home wrestling invitational on Dec. 11.

“It’s my first time winning the whole individual tournament and it felt good to do it at home,” Ur-

PHOTO BY FAITH RUNNELLS

STRETCH. Senior Lexi Eberly prepares for practice on Thursday, Jan. 21.

The team is preparing for the Conference Meet on Friday, Feb. 5, in which Eberly will run the hurdles along four other HHS girls.

sive Camps that host high school wrestlers from around the country where participants train and compete. Urbanski attended a camp in Minnesota over the summer where he further developed his physical and technical abilities.

“I went to the [J Robinson] 28-day Camp. It’s the toughest camp in the country, supposedly. You’re there for 28 days first of all, so it’s four workouts a day, almost every day and the experience you get [is like getting] a season better in a month,” Urbanski said.

He felt he benefited the most from the technical training.

“I got a lot more comfortable with the moves I was working with, how I stand, I just felt more solid all together on the mat,” Urbanski said.

The skill level of the people he was wrestling against proved beneficial as well. “[The competition] was good because I was wrestling with state qualifiers every day, multiple times a day,” Urbanski said.

Urbanski doesn’t intend to wrestle professionally, so his college search is based on what will provide good career options, while wrestling will be an added bonus.

“I’m just looking at college for careers right now, so it’s going to be based on where I want to go, and if I could walk on or if they’d be interested in [me, then I’d play],” Urbanski said.

“I’m not too worried. I’d like to wrestle, but if I can’t, oh well.”

Eberly’s Statistics: 55m hurdles - 9.37 seconds (state qualifying) High jump - cleared 4’10” (state qualifying) Long Jump - 15’7” (region qualifying) Triple Jump - 33’10” (region qualifying)

Gusler’s Statistics: 500 freestyle-5:35 (regionals) 200 freestyle- 2:00 (regionals) 200 individual medley- 1:18

Urbanski’s Statistics: Regionals tournament- 6th (10th grade) Season record- 16-4 HHS tournament - 1st

Upcoming events SWIM AND DIVE UPCOMING

2/6 vs. Millbrook, Sherando, Handley, James Wood, Woodgrove 2/13 Boys tournament @ Freedom Aquatic Center George Mason

WRESTLING UPCOMING

1/30 vs. Orange County @ Orange County HS - Orange, VA TBA

INDOOR TRACK UPCOMING

2/5 Invitational @ Liberty University

January 29, 2016

Sports-B7

The Newsstreak

Junior Olympic volleyball occurs during offseason Sabrina Gerald Op/Ed Editor The Junior Olympics volleyball team, or J.O., is a travel team that plays offseason, and allows players from middle school up to the senior year of high school to get more practice and experience before coming back to play at local schools in the fall.

Freshman Sarah Earle has been playing for three years and is on the J.O. Stonewall

Volleyball Club team. It was intimidating for her since she had not had previous experience with the sport.

“All of the girls that were in my age group had already been playing volleyball for a year or two and had more skill than I did because it was my first time ever playing,” Earle said.

However, as she stayed on the team, she learned more skills along the way.

“The year after [I played on the J.O. team,] I played JV for Harrisonburg. Now

PHOTO BY SABRINA GERALD

EYE ON THE PRIZE. Freshman Sarah Earle prepares to return the serve during a J.O. volleyball practice. All J.O. practices occur during the offseason.

I’m playing J.O.’s, so I’m really excited for that,” Earle said.

Earle found J.O. volleyball to be very helpful skill wise.

“When you do volleyball here at Harrisonburg, it’s not as informative. They don’t teach as many skills that you need to know and just play on the team. As for J.O.’s, they teach you a lot of necessary skills you need to know, and I’d say that I’ve learned a lot more in J.O.’s than I do school-wise,” Earle said.

Sophomore Olivia Comer noticed improvements over her four years of being on the Stonewall Volleyball Club team.

“We used to not win a single game.

Then, we extended our practices by adding another day to the week, and we progressively started getting better. Also, just talking and getting to know the team better helped a lot. We finished 16th out of 65 teams in our bracket,” Comer said.

Junior Grace Meiser credits new coach, HHS English teacher Hannah Bowman-Hrasky with some of the improvement.

“We got a different coach and she is harder on us. We do more simple passing to start off for warm ups, and it really helps us make sure that we have the right form,” Meiser said.

Bowman-Hrasky has been coaching for three years with J.O. Volleyball teams and believes that J.O.’s can enhance a girl’s game significantly.

“I’ve seen girls improve a lot by playing J.O. volleyball just because of speed of the game is faster than what we necessarily practice on a J.V. team in high school.

It’s really awesome for J.V. players to get a much faster pace volleyball game. I’ve seen girls come back from J.O.’s faster on the court, more aggressive, and have a better understanding of the game,” Bowman-Hrasky said.

One of the most difficult parts of the game for Earle is staying motivated throughout, even when mistakes are made.

“The most difficult part would be to keep yourself motivated after making a mistake because J.O’s is known for being

very competitive. When you make a mistake in the game, usually the girl will just be really down after that, and it affects the game,” Earle said.

J.O.’s helped to develop Earle’s skill more than anywhere else.

“The coaches are absolutely great and are skilled. They definitely train us to the best we can be, and they are great players.

It’s a good foundation, and it’s almost like a family. I think a lot of the girls consider this their team, their home team, not their school’s individual team,” Earle said.

Eighth grader Ellie Roach plays volleyball for the Montevideo Middle School team. She has been playing since her sixth grade year. “[J.O.] is more about practicing your skills and getting better as a player. For school, you’re focused on winning and don’t think about your skills as much. This is a better experience personally,” Roach said.

J.O. is different for Roach because she currently plays at a higher level, and works with freshman players. Roach favors her J.O. team over her school team because she gets to work with more people her skill level.

“We get along really well, as compared to my school team. I just really like this team and it’s exciting,” Roach said.

Roach is working on setting and passing. She likes to take time in practice to ask more about both of these shots that she is concerned have worn off because she has been switching positions.

“It’s more one-on-one with the coaches, and you have more time to improve. [The team] is more supportive and encouraging and that really helps me,” Roach said.

Bowman-Hrasky’s goal, as a coach, is to make sure that the players have more ball control and a better grasp on the technique, but she is still emphasizing the fun.

“That’s one of the things I love about teaching J.O. volleyball is that the girls are there because they love volleyball and are doing extra and I hope they have a fun experience getting to play,” Bowman-Hrasky said.

Sophomores spend winter playing futsal Perez joins SOCA

Jackson Hook Sports Editor

The Futsal, or indoor soccer, season has begun for some HHS students. Students who participate are looking for something to do during their free time on the weekends or to stay fit and ready for the outdoor season come February.

A match of indoor soccer is much different than that of an outdoor match. The biggest difference between the two is the field size. A traditional outdoor soccer field is 110 yards by 70 yards whereas an indoor field is 40 meters by 20 meters. Sophomore JV soccer player Rawand Ali believes that futsal is a way to stay prepared for the school season in the spring.

“I usually play indoor just to get warmed up for the outdoor season and keep me ready,” Ali said.

Although Ali’s team has less experience than other teams, they still play to keep their feet moving in the offseason.

“Our team isn’t as good as the others due to the outdoor skills we have. We have to learn to adjust to the indoor style of playing. We’re working our way up and learning the ways. Like I said before, I play to stay ready for outdoor. We have mostly defenders on our team so they’re not as great at passing the ball quickly,” Ali said.

The size of the field of play

and the size of the ball are not the only differences between the way Futsal is played and outdoor soccer. The indoor games are quicker and conclude with a higher score, sometimes reaching 10-12 goals unlike traditional outdoor soccer.

“Indoor is faster paced with more passing. You don’t have enough time to work the ball around like you do on a regular field. It’s more of a pass pass shoot combination. You have to have really good vision because you have to be looking around all the time looking for the easiest pass, the quickest pass,” Sophomore JV soccer player Liam McGehee views it as just another thing to do with friends when weather doesn’t allow outdoor play.

“I’ve been playing soccer since I came out of the womb and it’s my favorite sport, so I try to play a lot. I like [playing indoor] because I like to play soccer and indoor is a way that I can play when it’s bad conditions out or when it’s cold outside,” McGehee said.

McGehee uses the futsal league to stay in shape and condition himself for the school season.

“Yeah I think [playing indoor] keeps me ready for the regular season, just touching a ball and keeping in soccer shape. It helps to make sure my touches don’t get gross and all messed up,” McGehee said.

Kyle Brown Staff Reporter

PHOTO BY JACKSON HOOK

OLÉ! Sophomore Liam McGehee defends the ball during an indoor soccer match at the Simms Center. McGehee practices regularly throughout the offseason to enhance his ball control and overall skill.

Most soccer players around this area will most likely either play for the high school team or the local SVU travel club. Three to four times a week a small group of HHS students travel to Charlottesville, to practice on a soccer club called SOCA. Juan Perez is a junior at HHS, and while playing on the varsity soccer team, Perez also travels to Charlottesville three times a week to practice and play with the highly competitive SOCA team.

“The level of play is more competitive and better [than playing on the varsity team],” Perez said.

Perez strives to get better as a player on both the varsity team and the SOCA team, using both of them to fuel his effort to be a better player.

“SOCA helps a lot. I know I learn new things every time I play with the SOCA team [that will help me in high school soccer].”

Perez also uses SOCA to get to know college coaches in the area.

“There’s lots of college coaches scouting [HHS games]. I put in the time at SOCA because it’s worth it.

I’ve already had college coaches contacting me,” Perez said.

Perez is ready for the upcoming season, going in with the offseason training in Soca.

“Yeah I’m looking forward to high school soccer, it should be a great year, with our second year coach.”

Perez said. “I put in the time, because at the end of the day, I know it’s going to be worth it.” Perez said.

Gymnastics team practicing for upcoming district competition

Junior Priyanka Bhuta tests her balance on the beam during practice.

PHOTOS BY BRIAN ALVARADO

Shekena Holbert practices her hand spring for her floor routine that she will perform her next gymnastics meet.

Junior Kathryn Mestre receives assistance from coach Michael King on the parallel bars.

January 29, 2016

Sports-B8

The Newsstreak

Practice key to JV basketball’s improved start Owen Marshall Staff Reporter The JV boys basketball team has improved from the beginning of the season, bettering their record to 10-4 as of Jan. 13. The Streaks have maintained a winning record throughout the entire season.

Sophomore Edwin Gil-Feliz is a returning shooting guard. He believes the team has developed very well.

“We are progressing well, because we are executing and passing the ball good, better than last year.

I think this team is better than last year,” Gil-Feliz said.

The team practices every day they don’t have a game. Gil-Feliz believes the team’s success stems from training hard.

“We are just working hard in practice, practice is key basically. Practice is like a laboratory, you work hard and might miss, but you get better. [We need to keep] talking and [playing good] defense too, but we have

to win games in practice,” Gil-Feliz said.

Freshman small forward Marcus Robinson thinks the team works well together because of the bonds they have.

“Our team chemistry is good because everybody is just so close. We’re like brothers,” Robinson said.

Freshman power forward Alexander Hulleman believes that the team interaction blends together to help win games.

“I think it’s interesting to see our chemistry blend together because we’re an athletic team. That’s really where we win games,” Hulleman said. To win games, the Streaks try to play lockdown defense and run the offense well.

“Executing our offense is a big thing, when we lose we’re kind of stagnant and don’t really move the ball,” Hulleman said.

The most consistent starting lineup consists of freshman point guard Taz Lockhart, sophomore shooting guard Lord-Hakeem Sharief Jr., freshman small forward Robinson,

PHOTO BY OWEN STEWART

FRESH(MAN) START. Sophomore Lord-Hakeem Sharief (24) and freshman Marcus Robinson (20) sprint back on defense to defend a shot during a home game against James Wood. Robinson and Sharief both start for the JV team that has gotten off to a much better start than the 2014-15 team. freshman power forward Angel Pacheco and freshman center Joshua Lichti.

The players who get the most minutes off the the bench are sophomore

Gil-Feliz and eighth grader Austin White.

Robinson is the team’s top scorer, Pacheco leads the team in rebounds, and Coach Kevin Hargrove de-

fined Lichti as the team’s most consistent player.

Hargrove also noted Lockhart as the most unexpected player. Lockhart was not a starter at the beginning

of the year, but earned his spot throughout the season.

“We just go at it, we fight, because that’s what Streaks do, we fight,” Gil-Feliz said.

Polar bear track meets preparing athletes for bigger competitions Yogesh Aradhey Staff Reporter The sun sets early in the winter and the field lights flick on to compensate. The temperature drops with the loss of light and it will not rise back till noon the next day. A cold wind sweeps through the empty field goal at one end of the track, down the length of the field over the sand jump pits, over the track and out the metal fence that contains the Fort Defiance stadium, but it is far from empty.

A gunshot goes off and cheering erupts and sprinters spring off the start line and barrel down the track. Polar Bear meets. They are a kind of meet that serves as a practice for normal meets, but are run at an outdoor facility, and in the winter.

Junior Yusuf Aboutabl is the manager for the track team.

“They are relatively small meets, usually no more than six

or seven teams,” Aboutabl said, “As a manager, I go and work the jump pits and help people get their marks on the runway.

I pretty much do whatever the coaches need help with, but polar bear meets give me a good opportunity to work individually with athletes.”

“The average temperature is really cold.” Aboutabl said, “With the wind chill it is even worse.

But it is a good opportunity for athletes that don’t normally go to bigger meets to improve and compete.”

Coach Tricia Comfort explains how and why athletes compete there.

“Polar bear meets are about once a week, usually on Wednesdays, and they are held at Fort Defiance High School.”

Comfort said. “A lot of times we can only enter a few athletes for each event for bigger meets, so not everyone gets to go. I think it is good training for how bigger

meets work with not as much pressure.”

The structure of how things are run, though, are the same.

“It teaches you how to check in, how to warm up, how to warm up well, and just how meets work.” Comfort said. “It also makes you better and more accustomed to racing.”

Sophomore Natalie Pittington is a second year member of the track team and a frequent polar bear meet competitor.

“These meets are painful,” Pittington said, “It’s cold. You have to run in a ton of clothes, and it is always outside.”

But still, she believes that they are worth the time.

“I am the only female shot putter on the team and these meets help keep me competing and keep me strong,” Pittington said, “They might just be practice but they build up to the big meets and that is what’s important,” Pittington said.

Middle school swimmers gain experience Theo Yoder Sports Editor Because there is no JV swim and dive team, eighth graders from around the city join varsity swim and dive during practice.

This year, there are a total of seven eighth graders participating in high school level swim and dive practices.

The number of younger swimmers has grown as the years progress. The eighth graders must find their own transportation when they can as well as build around their own schedules if involved with various extracurricular activities.

The varsity swim and dive team has been coached by English teacher,Richard Morrell for six years. Morrell has allowed eighth graders to

practice with varsity since his second year of coaching.

“Many of the other schools also allowed [eighth graders to practice], then from there it has grown and each year we get more and more,” Morrell said. Morrell looks forward to the upcoming season given the performance of his eighth graders.

“This is the strongest group of eighth grade girls we’ve ever had practice with us… when I started coaching, it was a very small group of kids and they were all very good, but it makes it hard to compete against teams that have a large number of swimmers that swim year round. One of my goals is, and always, will be to get more and more people in the water and more people competing,” Morrell said. This year, the varsity

PHOTO BY FAITH RUNNELLS

PASS THE BATON. Freshman Micah Yutzy runs a sprint during indoor track practice in the downstairs hallway.

swim and dive team is largest team Morrell has ever coached.

“With that size, has come some pretty amazing talent. The youth of the team, our ninth and tenth-graders, are some of the strongest in the whole squad for the girls. Over the past several years, [we’ve had] a strong group of boys that are phasing out. Now, we have this group of ninthgrade boys that practiced with us in eighth grade that are going to become the new core for the boys,” Morrell said.

Because the eighth graders are only able to practice, Morrell tries to hold a eighth grade invitational which is a eighth grade only meet.

“We don’t want to cost [the eighth graders] any eligibility, that is why we keep them separate,” Morrell said.

PHOTO BY CHRISTA COLE

KICK ‘EM UP. Eighth grader Lily Gusler kicks 4 X 50s on a minute interval during warm ups at JMU Godwin Hall for VAST practice. Gusler has been practicing with the high school team to prepare for membership on the varsity squad next year.

Castillo takes up wrestling for first time David Gamboa Staff Reporter Not everyone can be a starter, and for the sport of wrestling, there is only one starter for each weight class.

On the day of the meet, wrestlers must be at or below a certain weight class in order to be eligible to compete, and only one wrestler can compete at each weight class for the varsity spot.

Oftentimes upperclassmen are seen at the varsity level and underclassmen develop at the junior varsity level. In some cases, a freshman or sophomore starts higher than a junior or senior. Being a starter in JV does not guarantee a spot as a starter in varsity.

Sophomore Gregorio Castillo is wrestling for the first time. Castillo is in the 120-pound weight class and because of his inexperience, is deep in the depth chart.

“I'm a 120 pounder.

There are a lot of difficult kids that are stronger than you and have more technique, [so it’s hard because] I just started this year,” Castillo said.

As a first time wrestler, the experience is new and there are bigger and stronger kids in front of him.

“Right not I'm just focusing on getting high-

er than them, getting better than them, more technique and more knowledge,” Castillo said Practice for a JV or non starter is the same as for a varsity starter. There isn’t a difference found in wrestling where it may be found in other sports. Not being a starter gives opportunity for hard work and progress, surrounded by coaches and athletes who can help out.

“We are all treated the same. If someone is a starter they will help a non starter or a JV and everybody gets treated the same,” Castillo said.

Among the other 120 pound wrestlers, Castillo hopes to get better over the year and reach the postseason. Being on varsity requires hard work and dedication and his desire to reach to next level provides the motivation.

“I want to go to regionals, I want to get better and be the best, I want to push myself. It’s my first year and I want to try everything possible,” Castillo said.

Wrestling as a backup can be discouraging, but Castillo remains positive.

“I have basketball, so I’m thinking about [playing either] basketball or wrestling, but I think I’ll go for wrestling next year [to] get more experience and get better,” Castillo said.

January 29, 2016

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January 29, 2016

Landon Turner

Sports-B10

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His road from HHS to UNC to the NFL

Ever since he was a young child, Turner has dreamed of putting on a NFL uniform. After years of hard work, grit and determination, his dreams are about to come true.

Owen Stewart Sports Editor

HIS HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE The last player from HHS to appear in a NFL game was Akeem Jordan with the Washington Redskins in 2014. However, another former Blue Streak is on the cusp of joining the professional ranks. Landon Turner played football here from 2008-2011 as an offensive lineman. In his senior season, the Streaks went undefeated and made a run to the state finals. It was a prominent moment in Turner’s high school career.

“It was a bittersweet moment because it was a great season. We were undefeated.

We ended up losing, but it was a cool experience as a Blue Streak,” Turner said. After that game, Turner had a decision to make.

He had college offers from all over the East Coast, but eventually decided to attend the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

“There was this overwhelming sense of family at UNC. It felt like home. I had developed relationships with guys already on the team. It was kind of just a big family atmosphere that I wanted to be a part of,” Turner said.

Coming out of high school, Turner was ranked in the top 100 by Scout.com, and the thirteenth ranked offensive guard in the nation by ESPN. Turner did say he felt a little bit of added pressure.

“No, well, maybe a little [extra pressure].

I expect big things from myself, I have high standards and I set big goals,” Turner said.

TOUGH COLLEGE COMPETITION He also ran into tough competition, as UNC featured a line of future pros in 2011.

“I expected to start that year, but I ended up redshirting. That offensive line my freshman year, all five of them at some point had a contract in the NFL,” Turner said.

The next year, Turner played in all 12 games for UNC, including four starts at the end of the season following an injury to a starter. North Carolina finished 8-4, but was ineligible for the postseason.

Early on in his college career, Turner found balancing his academics and athletics tough.

“It’s very difficult...There are a lot of ups and downs, and you’re tired a lot, so you learn to operate on less sleep. Before my academics started getting better, I would lift in the morning, then I’d have class all day and then have a couple hours off. Then

Harrisonburg High School:

we would meet for a couple hours, practice for a couple hours and by then it was 7 p.m. and I had an hour to eat dinner and then I had to be in study hall until 9,” PHOTO COUTESY OF LANDON TURNER Turner said.

YOU GOT THIS. UNC offensive lineman Landon Turner played his last game as a Tarheel in the Russell “So yeah, long days, it Athletic Bowl against Baylor University. Though the team lost 49-38, Turner still cites the experience as took some getting used to, one of the highlights of his collegiate career. Turner will be eligible for the NFL Draft in April. but once you get a handle need to. I’m not afraid to tell someone they cy we wanted to leave here, and we were all on it and have some experience, you sort of get a feel of how to need to pick it up, even if they’re my friends. tired of mediocre seasons. We put in work balance your time and still be successful,” Also, I make sure to reach out to everyone starting in January. We put in a lot of work, on the team. I mean, there’s 120 guys on a and it’s paying off,” Turner said.

Turner said. team, so it’s impossible to have a close reTurner also received individual recognilationship with everyone, but you can have tion for his campaign, as he was named first TOUGH DECISION TO MAKE AS A JUNIOR As Turner began to improve with his ac- genuine care, and that’s what I needed to team All-American, and the winner of the ademics and time management, his perfor- make sure they understood, is that I cared Jim Parker Award, given annually to the nation’s top offensive lineman. mance on the field also improved. Turner about everyone on the team,” Turner said.

Also, as a senior, Turner and his quarter“I’m very honored, very flattered. It’s averaged over 75 snaps per game, leading the team. During his junior season, Turn- back, fellow senior Marquise Williams, have definitely nice to be recognized, but it’s nicer suffered an injury, and missed a pair of built a close relationship and have worked er to graduate. I learned I was an All-Amergames, but came back to post a career-best to change the way they go about their busi- ican at the same time as graduation and I was like ‘Oh, cool,’ but I was really excited to 97 percent grade against arch-rival Duke. Af- ness.

“I think that everyone on the offense and graduate from UNC, it’s been five years. So ter the season, he was thought as a possible declaree for the NFL Draft. It was a tough defense have really gelled together. Offen- yeah, [All-American] was big, but it was defidecision for Turner, but in the end, he decid- sively we’ve had a lot of success because nitely overshadowed by my graduation,” guys really take it upon themselves to do Turner said. As for the Jim Parker award, it ed to stay for one more season.

“I really wanted to leave, I mean it’s been their jobs. We’ve been responsible and held isn’t as big as some of the other awards for my dream to play in the NFL since I was six each other accountable, and ‘Quise and I, a offensive lineman, but Turner still appreciyears old. It was right there. The story I tell lot of times last year we would struggle with ates the honor.

“I was excited about it. I was a little disis, we were at the Quick Lane Bowl in De- blaming others, and I think he and I both troit, and I was really torn between going or took it upon ourselves to make sure that ev- appointed I didn’t make the Outland finalstaying and I prayed about it and everything. eryone is taking responsibility for their own ists, but it was nice to be recognized, I didn’t I lead the Bible study, or I did, I’m graduat- actions, and we’ve built a lot of unity, which expect it, so I was definitely honored and ing now so I’m passing the torch, but a lot is something we’ve really grown on from humbled by it.. It’s something I’ll take with me for the rest of my life, and I just thank of people on the team came to Christ at the last year,” Turner said.

God for the opportunity,” Turner said.

Chapel during that bowl game and I just got this overwhelming sense that I wasn’t done HARD WORK PAYS OFF Despite being ranked as just the eighth NFL POSSIBILITIES ON HORIZON in Chapel Hill. I felt like that was God’s anAs his college career comes to a close swer, and it’s been paying off so far,” Turner best team in the ACC by AthlonSports.com in the preseason, UNC defied expectations, and he begins to prepare for the NFL, it’s said. winning 11 regular season games, including becoming real to Turner that his career in 10 straight and making a trip to the confer- college is over.

SENIOR SEASON WORTH STAYING FOR “It’s been a wild ride. It’s kind of surreal Coming into his senior season, Turner ence championship game against Clemson, became one of the leaders for a Tar Heels the top team in the nation at that time. It to think that it’s all over. It makes me feel team looking to improve on a 6-7 record was Turner’s first conference title game, and old, because it’s been almost 10 years since from the previous year. The leadership role it was a memorable experience for him and I started. It doesn’t feel like that, it kind of flew by,” Turner said. As for the upcoming is an important one and Turner said it took the rest of the Tar Heels.

“It was awesome. Even though we lost, NFL Draft, Turner has high expectations for some training.

“I always look at it as someone needed to I’ll never forget it. I’ll always be proud that his selection.

“I’d love to go first round, that’s the goal. do it, and it just happened to be me. When we played in that game. We played the #1 I was trying to lead these guys, I really just team in the country, it’s definitely the best I’ll start training for the combine almost imtried to set high standards...One thing I real- team I’ve played. But just to be out there, mediately after this bowl game, I’ll do the ly picked up from [leadership training], was I mean you get a cool ACC Championship combine, and we’ll see where the chips fall. one of them said to me, ‘The standard you patch on your jersey, and I got to be a cap- A dream situation would be anywhere on walk past is the standard you set,’ and I took tain, so I was out there for the coin toss. The the east coast, like Washington, Baltimore that to heart. I wanted to make sure that ev- atmosphere, too, I mean Bank of America or Carolina. That’s close to my family and erything I did, every example I set, I wanted is a pretty big stadium and it was sold out, friends, so it really comes down to being to make sure the team was accountable, to- the place was just rocking. It’s kind of hard close to people,” Turner said. However, no gether and unified. I would be the leader I because it was a sea of orange (Clemson matter what team selects Turner, he will needed to, and speak up to people when I colors) unfortunately, but there was a ton of put on an NFL jersey, and his journey beenergy in the stadium and it was really fun gins shortly, with the NFL Draft coming up to be a part of,” Turner said. in April.

Even though North Carolina couldn’t take Read an in-depth Q & A home the conference championship trophy, and more online about the unexpected rise of UNC was important MEDIA Turner’s recent engagement for the entire senior class. and the Jim Parker Award “[The good season] was huge for all of us Four-year starter for offensive linemen. seniors. We all really emphasized what lega-

University of North Carolina:

HHS NEWSSTREAK

Ranked No. 5 offensive guard, No. 91 overall prospect in the Nation by Scout.com Ranked No. 1 offensive guard and No. 6 overall prospect in Virginia by SuperPrep Named a U.S. Army All-American in 2010 Named All-State twice Helped HHS make it to the VHSL Division 4 state final Rated 80 out of 100 points

by ESPN Ranked No. 3 offensive guard and No. 106 overall prospect in the Nation by Rivals.com Second-team All American (CBS Sports, FWAA)

HHSMEDIA.COM

Senior Season Stats

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SEE MORE ON THE WEB

Four time ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week (only player to do so that season) Joe Moore Award semifinalist 704 total yards of offense in one game (third highest record in UNC history) Earned a 94 and a 95 percent game grade Average game grade of the season: 90 percent First-team All American (Associated Press) Second-team All American (CBS Sports, FWAA) First-team All-ACC

PHOTO COUTESY OF STEVEN SODIKOFF

DRIBBLE. Offensive lineman Landon Turner was a four-year starter for HHS. “As soon as you saw him on a practice field with anyone one on one it was very obvious that he was gifted,” Sarver (former HHS head football coach) said. “He’s just an incredibly big and fast man.” The football team made it to the state championship that year, but lost to Briar Woods High School.

January 29, 2016

2015-2016

HHS

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January 29, 2016

Humans of HHS-B12

The Newsstreak

HUMANS OF In keeping with our motto “Every person has a story,” the Newsstreak interviews students every month in the style of Humans of New York creator, Brandon Stanton. The idea is to tell the story of as many of our students as possible. Check out a similar project at www.hhsmedia.com.

HHS

Junior Keeshawn Perry

“What is a common misconception people have of you?”

“People think I’m a bad kid. [They’re] always thinking I’m doing drugs and stealing things. I’m smart and all I do is focus on school. Because I’m a black person, they automatically think that.”

“Do you think racism exists at this school?”

“Yes, definitely. People are constantly just calling me names. People call me [n-word] and all this stuff, and it offends me. People just don’t understand what the term means. To me, it means you’re dumb, and you don’t know what you’re doing.”

Senior Isis Gutierrez

“Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”

“I see myself making a middle class amount of money, living in a middle class house, with an attractive husband, like William Levy, with an average car. I also hope to be in nursing. I just like taking care of people.”

Freshman Abigail Showalter

“I like drawing pretty much anything, although I’m not very good at people. I like it because it’s a way of expression. I want to be an interior designer. I love designing rooms so I think that would be a cool job.”

Junior Timofey Marko

Junior Ben Hollenbeck

“What has been the happiest moment of your “It’s gotten to the point where I’ve just decided to go straight life?” edge and just work out those issues by myself. I don’t think “I’m actually about to have a very happy moment. My mom is about nine months pregnant and is going to bring home my baby sister in about two weeks. Actually it could be today or any day.”

about it as much as I used to, because now when I’m getting off task I’ll be like ‘oh there goes the old ADHD again’. I just look at it from the standpoint of like ‘oh it’s there, but I can just deal with it naturally’.”

Sophomore Marina Fermin “What’s the happiest moment of your life?”

“When I had my quinceañera and they were crowning me. I had it last year in the summer and I think that was a special moment because my mom did it and I had lots of fun.”

Senior AK Koyee

“What would you do with a million dollars?”

“First of all, I would build a house for my parents. Then, I would take that money and invest it in real estate and the stock market. With that money I would pay off college, buy a nice car, and buy a nice ring for my girl. Eventually, I would turn that million into 10 million.”

Sophomore Alice Perrine “I base my style a lot off of Japanese street fashion.

I was in Japan for about a month, and I spent a lot of time looking at their fashion magazines. I really liked Tokyo because they are so many people there and shopping is way more fun. They have these shop girls who come up to you and talk to you while you’re shopping. They’re kind of like a walking catalogue. They wear the store’s clothes and they’re at the store, so when you come in, they talk to you and help you. It’s kind of like in a make-up store where they tell you what matches your skin tone and everything, except for clothes.”

Senior Jose Angel Martinez

“What are you looking forward to most in your life?”

“Enlisting in the army, being able to lead from the front, and people looking up to me. Being a leader.”

Freshman Aerious and Junior Kubin Austin Allman “What’s a fond memory you have of each other?”

“We were good friends until my mom moved from one side of Harrisonburg to the other and basically screwed up the whole thing. I remember one time we stole two shopping carts and hooked it up and did shopping cart jousting with milk gallons.”

Freshman Sonny Gorta

“What has been the happiest moment of your life?”

“We went to this thing called hyperfest that happens every summer, and they give out free lamborghinis, so I got to ride in a lambo’ with a professional driver and hit 200 miles per hour.”

Photos & Interviews by Sophomore Corbin Royer Maria Snell-Feikema, Brian Alvarado & “My friends aren’t fake. They’re my friends because they want to be my friends. I don’t like gossip. PeoDavid Gamboa ple who gossip just don’t know what they’re doing.

They don’t know who they’re going to be hurting, and of course it might be true, but it might not be.”