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Harrisonburg High School • 1001 Garbers Church Road • Harrisonburg, VA 22801 • 540.433.2651 • Volume XIC • Issue 7 • March 25, 2016
Red Sea promotes unity
PHOTO BY AUSTIN SWIFT
ROLLING AS ONE. The freshman and sophomore classes are led by spirit leaders in a roller coaster spirit activity during the pep rally on March 10.
Students receive free Red Sea shirts, come together for spirit week Irene Liu Feature Editor After academics, attendance, and other factors of school life started to look better, principal Cynthia Prieto scheduled a second pep rally. And with that event came yet another spirit week. HHS celebrated pajama day, twin day, international day, red-out day, and college day the week of March 7, and many students decided to get involved and show their school spirit.
On pajama day, freshman Elisavet Savides, who enjoys this day because she can be lazy and show it, decided to wear her footie pajamas to school. ”It was really cold when I got home yesterday, so I put my footie [pajamas] on. When I woke up this morning, I was too lazy to take them off,” Savides said. Tuesday saw many students dressed alike and hanging around one another more. Freshmen Heather Whetzel and Abbie Menard, who have been friends
since April of last year, decided to twin because of all the similar clothes they received on birthdays. ”My opinion on twin day is to show your appreciation for the people around you, and it’s basically showing your love for one another. Everybody’s alike in some way, and everybody should embrace being alike because we’re all different in many ways, but we’re all also alike, and we need to embrace both parts,” Whetzel said. “[Twin day] is the one opportunity that we take [to show our
friendship] since we’re best friends, so we might as well. We both had similar clothes and it’s twin day, so we took the opportunity,” Menard said. International day brought forth all the unique ethnicities and cultures here at HHS. Many different countries were represented, and students proudly sported their flags or traditional garments. Sophomore Thanh Pham voted for international day because she came
See SPIRIT WEEK page A11
VHSL to eliminate Special education class building life skills Ellie Plass conferences Online Editor-in-Chief
Faith Runnells Print Editor-in-Chief
The conference classification in sports was implemented two years ago by the Virginia High School League all over Virginia. Conferences were formed to be the new first round of playoffs, after it was determined that the former district classifications had too much variation in school population sizes. However, next school year, VHSL will abolish the conferences and therefore, eliminate the first round of post-season play. Athletic Director Darrell Wilson saw both the positives and negatives to conference play every day in his job, as he scheduled game times and opponents for each sport. “[Conference opponents] are further away from us, so that means longer trips. We’re going to look at that in terms of: ‘How does that affect our student athletes?’ Being out of class, getting back late, all those things. [We’re trying to] minimize that as much as possible,” Wilson said. As conferences were introduced, the former district classification and Valley District Championship title didn’t go away. But instead of having an additional tournament outside regular season play for the trophy, it was awarded based on team’s records in the regular season. The district organization is still the baseline of scheduling for most schools, including HHS. “There were lots of people who were
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Coming up Gun feature College coverage Spring sports updates Humans of HHS The Fitbit craze Book reviews Homeless students Student guest columns Spring arts showcase
“There’s nothing in this one,” the student said as he held up an empty carton of orange juice. “Well, throw it away then,” Walt Williamson said. Williamson is one of the teachers for the special education program. The class is in the middle of its “Vocational Education” block, something that they do during second period every day. Students participate in odd jobs around the school, including stacking things like juices and napkins in the cafeteria. This kind of interaction is one that Williamson strives for. “[This is how the students learn] problem solving, asking for help when they need it as opposed to just standing around waiting for me to come over there. Skills that [make] somebody a good worker,” Wil
See SPECIAL EDUCATION page A2
PHOTO BY BRIAN ALVARADO
LOAD EM’ UP. Junior Dustin Smith, freshman Andre Beeton-Torres and Elijah Cross pack juices into bags before they will be distributed at second breakfast.
Key Club holds fundraiser for Norment family Austin Swift Print Editor-in-Chief With a husband in the hospital, a newborn that came four months early and a stay-at-home mother keeping track of it all, the family of John Norment, twin brother to English teacher Peter Norment and second grade teacher at Keister Elementary School, has experienced increased medical costs. John Norment contracted a virus in
late January that unknowingly spread to his heart, which, in addition to a stroke he suffered soon after, has put him in the hospital awaiting surgery and a possible heart transplant. To offer monetary assistance, the Key Club held a bake sale from March 14-18 from which proceeds would go directly to the Norment family. “His wife stays at home, She has a one year old and a four year old, and she has to drive to UVA every day to try to be with her husband, so she has to pay a nanny to help with the kids,” Peter Norment said.
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“He’s a first-year teacher which means that he doesn’t have very many sick days, so there’s a loss of income there and just the medical bills alone, even with copays and stuff like that it’s going to be expensive.” Peter Norment believes the message the bake sale held is greater than the money that came out of it. “I think more than anything, [the fundraiser] shows how many people and how much this community supports and is con
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On the Web Robotics competition review More pep rally, spirit week coverage Extended coverage of print packages Advertising forms and information Breaking news from school and the community Girls soccer photo gallery Variety of reviews and blogs Featured photo of the day
March 25, 2016
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Spring play returns with twist on nursery rhymes Ava Reynolds HHS Media Coordinator Bradley Walton is directing his16th spring play and the 14th that he’s written, “The True Story of Hey Diddle Diddle”. It is a collection of short skits that each tell a different interpretation of what is going on in the nursery rhyme “Hey Diddle Diddle”. “It’s set within a framework of a group of actors doing a dramatic performance of the nursery rhyme and they figure out that their play is only 30 seconds long. They start to figure out ‘...what’s actually going on’,” Walton said. The actors start to question how they reach a situation where you have a cow jumping over the moon, a cat playing the fiddle, a laughing dog and two pieces of kitchen ware running away. They try to figure out how to connect these different stories. “The play is seven different interpretations of how that [scenario] could come about,” Walton
said. The biggest challenge for Walton was casting the play. After spending over eight hours working on it, he finally had a complete cast. There were potentially 42 different parts in the play that were set up to work with a cast of only eight to ten people. The seven different skits correspond to the nursery rhyme characters; there is a Cow’s Tale, a Cat’s Tale, a Little Dog’s tale and more. Walton tried to structure the the play so that there was a different person playing the lead role in each skit. “I didn’t want the same person to be the Cow in the Cow’s Tale, the Spoon in the Spoon’s Tale the Moon in the Moon’s Tale,” Walton said. He also tried to avoid casting the actors in similar roles in each skit. For example, in the Little Dog’s tale there is an alien cow fighting a mutated cat, which causes conflict. In another skit the President of the United States argues with the Speaker of Repre-
sentatives, again causing conflict. “I wound up with the same two actors and I didn’t want the same two actors conflicting with each other, but that [problem] I just had to work around because if I changed [that it would] set off this chain reaction of all of these other things I didn’t want with the cast, so I just wound up having to live with it,” Walton said. Even with 42 different roles in “The True Story of Hey Diddle Diddle”, the costumes will be very simple and suggestive things. “[The play is] built on this framework of a group of actors acting out different interpretations of what’s going on. The entire cast is onstage for the entire play so they’re just going to be grabbing cow ears and sticking them on their head or cat ears,” Walton said. Despite the fact that the actors will have to be acting out non-human characters such as dishware and a fiddle, Walton has written the script so everything has human qualities throughout. In the
Cat’s Tale for example, the fiddle-playing cat is a sensation on the internet. The cat sees a falling star one night and wishes that the fiddle can come to life so the cat can share the joy of success with the fiddle. The fiddle does come to life, but is suddenly extremely ticklish. “The cat can’t play the fiddle anymore without the fiddle laughing, and the cat needs to be able to play a concert to make more money because the fiddle is too ticklish. Essentially we have someone who is playing this ticklish fiddle, so it’s basically like a ticklish person who can’t have anyone who will touch his belly without bursting out laughing,” Walton said. For this show, Walton is trying a new method of giving stage directions to his actors that he hopes will improve the flow of communication and make rehearsals easier. “[In] the scripts that the cast is getting I put diagrams of the stage on the opposite page that
the text is so as I'm giving them their stage directions when we’re blocking out the play and I’m telling them where I want them to go on stage they can draw it on their diagrams and hopefully be able to follow it more than if they just write verbal notes in the margins,” Walton said. In order to promote the family friendly show, which opens on [i'm finding this out], there will be a coloring contest taking place in the elementary schools. “A lot of the humor in it is higher level humor. I think the kids will enjoy it, but the humor is such that the teenagers and adults will enjoy it as well. I try to strive for a Pixar level of humor that can be enjoyed across the board,” Walton said. Walton, who doesn’t know where the idea for “The True Story of Hey Diddle Diddle” came from, thinks that this script is “gloriously bonkers.” “I think we will have a good time with this,” Walton said.
School, community band together to help Norment family
PHOTO COURTESY OF NATE HISSONG
MIRROR IMAGE. Peter (left) and his brother John Norment on a hike at Elliot Knob in December. “I missed 12 days of school in February, so just by not being able to be here in the building because I needed to be [with my brother] has been a lot. We used to go skiing on Saturdays and now we go to UVA… It’s pretty much all we think about.”
FUNDRAISER from A1
cerned for one another,” Peter Norment said. He feels the message that comes with the fundraiser and donations is of more value than the money raised. “Even if it was $10 or $10,000, the money is great, but the most important thing is that it just shows that people care and want to try to do something, and I think that sends a strong message, not just to his wife, but to John at the hospital.” Key Club advisor Angela Knupp hopes the money raised can benefit the family in multiple ways. “We would like it to benefit the Norment family pretty much however they would like it to benefit them. I’m sure there are bills or costs or things they need, and we’d like to add a little monetary donation or help with that however they see fit… Whatever makes their life easier right now,” Knupp said. Unlike other fundraisers, the club did not set a monetary goal, as they believe any amount can benefit the family in some way. “Any amount would be great. I would say if raised $500 that would be awesome, but I would think in their situation $50 for a gas card or $50 at the grocery store [would be helpful donations], even simple amounts go a long way. Especially since [John Norment] is the primary breadwinner in
the family, and they’re all taking off work and money is tight and they’re spending lots of money that wouldn’t normally be spent,” Knupp said. “There is, I would assume, always a need; there may be an immediate need, there may be a need down the road or a need for the kids with child care. We want them to be able to use this however it best meets their needs.” Outside of the bake sale, other fundraisers have been set up to benefit the family, in addition to help with everyday jobs. “My sister started a PayPal account just for friends and family members who want to contribute a little something. Obviously [there have been people] making meals and things like that and bringing them to their house; I don’t think she’s had to do any shopping or making of meals just because friends have been covering all of that,” Peter Norment said. “It seems that we have a lot of people just wanting to do something, and there’s only so much that people can do. Money is the most accessible way of helping for some people.” There have been contributions within the school as well, with students and faculty both getting involved. “Streaks Serve the Burg gave a donation, a gift card to Walmart, to Mr. Norment and Mr. Cosner. I know
some staff who get together after school made over a $1000 donation to the Norments, and those were just personal donations,” Knupp said. “I’m not sure if anything that has been approved has been done through any other organization other than [Key Club]. Anybody who wants to join us and make a donation through this is more than welcome to do that.” The bake sale took food donations from students and teachers and enlisted other groups in the process. “The good thing about this project is that we made it a community project,” Knupp said. “Lisa Long and Walt Williamson’s [Special Education] class were our production assistants in that we provided the supplies and Walt and Lisa’s class made and bagged the product and then we sold them.” One of the easiest and most effective ways to help the family is by lending words of support to them. “Those little things have been more helpful than I thought they would’ve been. Like people texting me and saying ‘thinking of you’ or bringing me a letter or a note or something like that, that’s the biggest help I think, and that’s the thing that almost anybody can do,” Peter Norment said. “They don’t even have to know my brother or know my wife, but just to know that people are concerned and thinking is the most helpful thing anyone could do.”
Regular season change cuts down on travel, restores rivalries
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dedicated to the district model when the first classifications came out,” Wilson said. “So in order for the Virginia High School League to appease those people, they left the districts in place, but we don’t compete against anybody else in our district when it comes to the conference, the region or the state.” The desire for many schools to schedule games with teams in their conference that they would see in the post-season became a hassle for both the student athletes and schools as a whole. VHSL Assistant Director for Compliance Tom Dolan favors getting rid of the conferences because of the increased hardships with the scheduling process. “The conference element was never designed to be a scheduling mechanism. As that became more a part of the process, it eroded some of the district and local rival-
ries. It also [increased the] level of travel [and] that became an issue for some areas,” Dolan said. “Many people saw the conferences as a good opportunity to play, but the [negatives] outweighed the benefits.” Because the conferences will be completely eliminated, there will now only be two post-season rounds of playoffs: regional and state. Teams will qualify into the post-season based on the four regional classifications within the six state classifications. The specific logistics for qualifying into the region is still up in the air. “Our region could decide that every [team] is in the playoffs, or they could decide that the top eight teams from our region qualify for the regional tournament,” Wilson said. For the regular seasons of teams next year, district play will still be the top priority. Wilson plans to schedule some regional opponents, but not too many in order to
not overwhelm sports teams’ schedules. “We’ll look at the regional opponents to see if it starts to make sense to compete with some of them, because you want to play schools in the regular season sometimes that you are going to see in the post-season as well,” Wilson said. “Our first reaction isn’t to schedule all those [regional] teams and go play them in the regular season. We just can’t do that, so it means we’re going to have to get a little creative.” In terms of individual sports, the conference being eliminated does add a new element of uncertainty because these sports, such as track, swimming or wrestling, have a system of advancing that does not include the entire team. According to Wilson, qualifications to advance must not make the regional meet so big that it’s hard to manage, but also doesn’t make it so small that it doesn’t “adequately representing the talent of the athletes of the schools.”
As of now, no specific standards to qualify have been set, but the broad idea has been. “Individual sports... will see a system created within regions where qualifying standards as well as event entry limit requirements will establish the region field. For wrestling, a seeding system that allows all in regional participation will be possible but a seeding system regardless will set the field,” Dolan said. Wilson, along with many other involved in the behind-the-scenes of high school sports, agrees with the new decision made by VHSL. “I support not having conferences,” Wilson said. “I’m supportive of a system that’s like football for all team sports, where you qualify for the post-season and it’s a smaller tournament. I feel like you don’t have to play in the post-season just because you have a team.”
Williamson, Long prepare students for real-world experiences SPECIAL EDUCATION from A1 washers or servers to the residents. Williamson said. Instead of participating in a traditional core class, students involved in the special education class spend their day learning things like job skills, daily living skills and even woodworking. The classes are cotaught by Williamson and Lisa Long. “I think that my students need to learn work skills, they need to learn vocational skills. They need to be able to go to work on time, they need to be able to get along with their co-workers,” Long said. “They need to complete a job. We work on working for longer periods of time. [We] just [work on] building on all of those skills that a regular student might already have.” The younger students typically work within the school in the cafeteria. They restock items and fold cardboard boxes. “We aren’t teaching them to stack juices so they can go out and get a job stacking juices. It’s more the behaviors associated with working. Being on time, quality, quantity. We work on a variety of employability skills,” Williamson said. As students get older, they move on to different job opportunities. After the cafeteria, they are given the opportunity to work at Goodwill, then Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community (VMRC) as dish-
“They’re very proud to go to work and proud of themselves, because they have a uniform and they get to leave school,” Long said. Williamson and Long hope that this program will lead to a real employment opportunity after the students graduate. The goal of the entire program is to make the students employable citizens. Williamson hopes that one day the program can grow into an assured work program. “[The cafeteria] group is a little bit younger so we’re hoping that within the next year this group will be able to go out and have some part time employment opportunities,” Williamson said. “We can add that to the program, maybe down the road. We [would be] helping them find the jobs and helping them with the training and placing them before they even finish high school so they can walk right into a job.” The student reaction is generally positive. Freshman Andre Beeton is one of the students who works in the cafeteria, but he hopes to be able to move up through the program as his classmates have done. He enjoys the work in place of his other classes. “[I like it because] we don’t have to do math. It [has] helped me use my hands so I don’t have to make noise when I’m working,” Beeton said. “You have to be fast and
you have to do lots of counting. I learn by staying focused.” He hopes to one day become a police officer. “I want to take care of my city,” Beeton said. The program does its best to allow the older students to take jobs in the community during the school day, but with their current situation this isn’t possible. “The most frustrating thing is that we don’t have enough staff to get every [student] to work, which would be our ultimate goal. There are some kids who want to work, but we can’t get them out because we don’t have enough staff,” Long said. More staff would mean that more students would be ready for the workforce after high school. Currently only a select few are able to get the part-time employment that Long and Williamson hope all of their students can experience. Right now, not even all of the seniors are able to have jobs. “They would be more prepared for the world, for job opportunities. [If they are] juniors and seniors, their time is ticking [and] we need to hurry up and get them ready for the work force. It would be awesome if we had more help,” Long said. Since not all of the students are given the opportunity to get part-time employment during the school day, the class
works hard to give them work-like tasks within the school. The students go grocery shopping for teachers, make and sell stew and practice being consumers. “Today, we’re picking up some dry cleaning. We’ll go do that and then the students will pay for it, so it gives them a chance to learn how to pay for something. They’ll deliver it back to the teachers when they get here. That’s been successful. We don’t get paid for that, that’s just for practice to go into the community,” Long said. The students hope to go out to lunch at Wood Grill with the money that they earn from selling their stew or other odd jobs. Since the students only work at their jobs for about an hour, they aren’t paid for those. Instead, they have a system of “Blue Streak Bucks”, fake money that they can spend at the store they’ve set up. “Once a week they get to shop in the store we’ve set up, again the whole idea of [being a] consumer,” Williamson said. It isn’t always easy to teach these students job skills. “We have some kids who don’t want to work. Some days they are grumpy and they [just] don’t want to work,” Long said. The good days outweigh the bad, however. “We give them a goal and they feel good about that goal. For the most part they’re really proud of themselves,” Long said.
March 25, 2016
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Greenhouse contributes to school meals Yusuf Aboutabl Staff Reporter Science teacher Adam Goble runs the school greenhouse. He also teaches the horticulture class, which is involved with running and maintaining the greenhouse. To make school lunches healthier, they give the cafeteria some of the produce that they harvest. “The one thing that we did get completed successfully was the radishes. In the fall we planted a lot of radishes and we harvested those and provided them to the cafeteria. I think they were in [the salad line] for a week or two,” Goble said. He also plans on sending more produce next school year to the cafeteria. “We’re going to put in a large amount of sweet potatoes. They grow over the summer. They take three months [to] three and a half months to mature and at the beginning of next school year they’ll be the very first thing the horticulture class does,” Goble said. “We’ll send them to the cafeteria, then prep our soil and plant more radishes” The water and electricity that goes into the greenhouse comes from the school, so Goble doesn’t have to worry about running up the water bill when it’s time to wa-
ter his plants. “Maintaining the greenhouse costs us zero dollars,” Goble said. Goble’s horticulture class plays a big role in running the greenhouse. The extra hands on deck make operations run smoothly leaving Goble to teach the students valuable lessons. “The students have a huge role in it,” Goble said. “They learn how to maintain beds, start seeds, transplant, and other skills. We also cover units on farming, landscaping, turf managing, and hopefully floral design. I also hope the students gain a bigger appreciation for gardening.” Currently, Goble and his horticulture class are working on a plant cell where they’re planting large numbers of flowers. The ideal time to plant in this area is mid-May, but because of the warmer temperatures this time of year, they’re able to plant earlier. Goble’s class doesn’t plant vegetables just to give to the cafeteria. He has an end of the year sale of all his non-GMO produce. “We [will] sell our produce straight out of the greenhouse this year starting May 5,” Goble said. “It’s a fundraising project for the horticulture class. There’s a pretty significant cost in doing what we do. Seeds aren’t cheap.”
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CARA WALTON
RAD RADISHES. (above) Senior Bryan Luna carries radishes from the greenhouse. “The students have a huge role in [the greenhouse],” Goble said. “They learn how to maintain beds, start seeds, transplant, and other skills. We also cover units on farming, landscaping, turf managing, and hopefully floral design. I also hope the students gain a bigger appreciation for gardening.” POISED POINSETTIA. (right) The greenhouse grows a variety of plants including poinsettia flowers which they sell each winter.
Tiny Tots is stress reliever for performers Abby Hissong Print Managing Editor For one week in late March, the HHS auditorium was invaded with preschoolers and elementary schoolers for an hour a day to be indoctrinated with the love of music. Through the playing of classic children’s songs, the symphonic band has hosted this concert just for youngsters for eight years now. Tiny Tots was brought to HHS by director J.R. Snow, who had a similar program at the school he previously taught at. “I think it’s very important to reach out to younger students and get them excited about music,” Snow said. “We’re getting to the point now where this year’s freshmen have experienced the
Tiny Tots concert as an audience member, so I think they’re very excited to be the ones on stage. This concert is not only a lot of fun, but it also gives the kids a real life experience to relate to what they’re doing in music class.” The band plays selections from various Disney movies, from the Lion King to Cinderella as well as popular kid’s TV shows like Spongebob Squarepants. However, Tiny Tots offers more than show tunes – for many kids, it acquaints them with the band setting. “Giving students exposure to live music that they know and can sing along to at a young age only makes their passion for music grow stronger,” Snow said. “Personally, my favorite part of the concert
is seeing the band members interact with the kids. [The younger students] see the big kids performing as role models, so this event not only is a great experience for everyone involved, but a great recruitment tool for the band.” Prior to the performance, Symphonic members walk around in the audience dressed up as various characters, teaching curious youth the names of their instruments and what they sound like. Junior Cecily Lawton has been involved in Tiny Tots since her freshman year, and finds each performance rewarding. “I loved seeing the kid’s faces light up when we started playing their favorite song or dressed up as their favorite character. This concert provides a break to our usual
material, so it is always fun to switch up the style of things. Getting out of class to dress up as a princess doesn’t hurt either,” Lawton said. The band members use Tiny Tots as a break between the District Band Festival and the final concert of the year, since the Tiny Tots music is not as challenging as the regular Symphonic Band repertoire. The band only had about three weeks to prepare the music but still strived to create a fun atmosphere for all the kids. “The whole experience is a really chill process,” Lawton said. “In a time when everyone is really stressed about studying for AP tests and just school in general, Tiny Tots is a break that everyone definitely looks forward to.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF BOB ADAMEK
INCREDIBLES INFECTION. Senior Robert Heitsch performs in the Tiny Tots concert last year dressed as Mr. Incredible.
Snowacapella singers DECA members compete at states pressed for practice time Lucie Rutherford Sports Editor
Jackson Hook Sports Editor Snowcappella is a student a capella group run by Fine Arts Academy director J.R. Snow. This year the students of the a cappella group will perform various concerts throughout Harrisonburg including a performance at the James PHOTO BY JACKSON HOOK Madison University SINGING SWEETLY. Singers practice in Sing Out celebration rows as J.R. Snow (center) directs them. in the Forbes Center on March 19-20. The group contains many sing- enced we really are,” Heie said. The group sings primarily ers who have had experience in other a cappella and choir modern pop music as well as groups including senior Noah some other songs from a variety of genres. This year the Heie. “It is pretty heavily audition- group will be singing Let’s Get It based so not just anyone can Started by the Black Eyed Peas get in and everyone that gets in as well as Alone by Heart at the is really good. We always sound Sing Out event. Junior Seth Bontrager enjoys really, really dope, which is his first year with the group and fun,” Heie said. Snowcappella has sever- is impressed with what they al other performances in the have accomplished in only one spring in addition to the Sing meeting. “I thought our first pracOut. “We also perform at a cou- tice was awesome. I thought it ple of community events like sounded really good actually,” the soup kitchen night and then Bontrager said. Snowcappella only has four we perform at Spring Arts and at the end of the year we have practices until the first perforone more [event] as well,” Heie mance at the Forbes Center, so there is no time for the group said. Heie also looks forward to to slack off during practice. The the spring arts show held in group spends multiple hours the auditorium in May, where preparing for a six minute perall fine arts students showcase formance. “We only have three retheir skills to the school in varihearsals after we add the new ous performances. “We perform at the spring people and perform, so there is arts show as well. I really like no time to goof off. In Snowcapperforming there because I per- pella we only get one and a half form a ton of different groups hours each time we practice as well as Snowcappella. Every- so we only get four and a half one in our group has a variety hours total, and then we perof fine art type things that we form. There is not much time do so it just shows how experi- for messing around,” Heie said.
Each year, marketing teacher Mallory Cromer and a group of young business marketers make their way to Virginia Beach to compete in DECA states. DECA, the International Association of marketing students, is a co-curricular club that goes along with all the marketing and business classes offered at HHS. DECA helps young adults communicate their thoughts and ideas, organize presentations and teaches what businesses expect from employees. This year marked Cromer’s ninth year taking students to states, traveling to Virginia Beach the weekend of March 3 through March 6. “Our goal is to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs,” Cromer said. “This year we took 21 students total to states and they all competed in different events that ranged from individual series events to team decision making events and presentations.” Senior Donovan Smith has been a member of DECA for the past four years, though DECA districts back in November was his first time ever competing. “[Practice] was very vigorous,” Smith said. “Districts was pretty easy, but getting to states and practicing were probably the
most difficult parts over all. Other than that, it was a good competition.” With the help of Cromer and other judges, Smith, who competed in Sports and Entertainment Marketing, an individual event, was able to win a medal for top role play. “If you are in an individual event, [practice] is on your own time to work on the role plays and they only have 10 minutes to do it,” Cromer said. “So students stay after school and practice with me and other judges that I bring in from the outside. Usually, the judges are past students who have been in DECA and kind of understand the procedures.” Like other members of DECA, being a part of the association has taught Smith real-life lessons, and has helped him when thinking about life after high school. “It taught me to be more open-minded for my job, because I’m working at Lids right now, so it taught me to communicate with people,” Smith said. “It makes me want to go into marketing, own a business or something like that.” Though most members who earn a medal or a place at nationals are juniors or seniors, it is a goal for Cromer to give sophomores and freshmen the experience they need to succeed in following years. “Usually what I see happen is I try to encourage my freshmen
and my sophomores to participate at states merely for experience, and if they get on the stage for nationals, that’s amazing. However, you usually see the juniors and seniors are the ones who qualify for Nationals consistently,” Cromer said. For freshman Maddie Berkshire, her experience at states this year has sparked her interest to come back every year following. “It’s been fun,” Berkshire said following the final awards ceremony. “The anticipation for the competition and the competition was fun itself, and watching the awards ceremony.” Berkshire competed in the Principles of Hospitality and Tourism, though did not receive a medal. “[DECA] has helped me talk to people and learn how to say things the right way, and how to word them right,” Berkshire said. “I’ll definitely do it next year because it’s fun, it’s a good experience.” Cromer and her group of students left the annual Virginia DECA states competition with a total of seven medals in top role play or top test score, and three national qualifiers, seniors AK Koyee and Chase Berkshire and junior Duncan Rutherford. They will head to Nashville, Tennessee in April to compete.
PHOTO BY LUCIE RUTHERFORD
DECA DELIGHT. Senior Donovan Smith receives recognition along with other DECA members for best test score or role play.
March 25, 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. Signed editorials are accepted from people on the staff, but are subject to editing according to published guidelines and policies. Editorials may be edited for special reasons. Letters to the editor are encouraged and must be signed and a telephone number must be given. Names may be withheld if the editorial board feels there is a just cause. The Newsstreak reserves the right to edit and may refuse to publish ads or letters deemed inappropriate, libelous, or obscene. Please drop your letter by room 444 or give them to any staff member. Letters may also be sent to the high school. The Editors and Staff Editors-in-Chief: Print: 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, 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.
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Uber will not have large impact on life in Harrisonburg NEWSSTREAK STAFF EDITORIAL Uber has been talked about a lot recently, and not always positively. When the ride service jacked their prices over Thanksgiving, many customers felt cheated. Most recently, the service has been under scrutinization for the “Uber shootings” that occurred in Kalamazoo, Michigan. On the other side, the company is also known for its convenience and popularity in big cities where many of the residents don’t own cars. Uber’s website displays a video of its customers enjoying their rides with their drivers: laughing, talking, and just participating in merriment. We imagine that it’s an attempt to make the point that Uber is a more personal alternative to a cab, something that allows riders to truly get to know their driver. But in a world where self-checkout and online ordering are becoming more and more popular, there are just some things that people want to do without being interrupted or chatted up. Now that Uber is in Harrisonburg, the reality is that it won’t bring in much business. This is a pretty suburban area, so most of the permanent residents own cars. Of course, the target market was probably the large population of JMU students the town boasts. However, the bus is cheaper and more reliable for students than an Uber driver, and it turns out the cost of a cab is the exact
same in some areas. One of the benefits of Uber is its ability to ward off drunk driving, but JMU already has things in place to combat this. There are Safe Rides and “drunk buses” that make sure students get home safely- for free. There’s really no reason for people to turn towards the less reliable Uber driver when cabs can run on the exact dot. As high school students, the service seems even more pointless. Students get to and from the school on the bus, in their own cars, or in the cars of their parents. The same means of transportation are typically available for wherever else you want to go. Uber isn’t something that is going to appeal to students who have cars available. Another problem that comes with this being a small town is the number of drivers. There aren’t going to be that many people who are 100% available to give rides. In a big city, Uber drivers could potentially get enough business to make about the same amount of money as a cab driver, but here that will not be the case. The company sends drivers out in shifts, which do include the early morning. However, there just aren’t that many people out during
Cartoon by Maria Snell-Feikema
those hours in Harrison- a great one. It has a lot of wouldn’t get too excited burg. This means that a lot benefits. However, to us, about the service coming of the cars will likely only those benefits just don’t to the area. It’s just not be available during certain matter as much in a small going to make that big of a “off” hours, maybe not al- town like Harrisonburg. We change. ways when customers would be wanting to use the serThe unsigned staff editorial appears in each issue and reflects the majority opinion of the vices. Newsstreak Staff Editorial Board. The Editorial Board is comprised of all editors-in-chief, Uber is a page editors, advertising managers, photographers and selected freshman journalism stugood idea, dents. In no way does our opinion reflect that of the school system or the administration. maybe even
WHAT IS THE STAFF EDITORIAL?
Frank Ocean needs to release album Role models needed in our busy lives A second album from the R&B artist is eagerly awaited by many fans and should be released sooner rather than later Abby Hissong Managing Editor Once upon a time, in the year 2012, a rising star named Frank Ocean unleashed an album titled Channel Orange, becoming a soundtrack of the year for many. Soon, the R&B artist was performing live at the Grammy Awards, where his album received multiple nominations. To this day, Channel Orange is my favorite album of all time. The album is so unlike contemporary, popular music being dished out today- each song is so musically and lyrically unique, combining elements of the electronic/jazz/R&B genre with themes such as unrequited love, materialism, and addiction. Since then, Ocean has gone dormant. That was until this past March, when he teased an upcoming piece of work titled Boys Don’t Cry, set to come out in July. Needless to say, many fans (especially myself) were excited to see what the artist has been working on for over three years, but it is currently March of 2016 and I’m still here waiting. And this is why I’m practically losing years off my life in anticipation of the release of his new album. We still do not have a new Frank Ocean album. We don’t have a release date. We don’t even have a
Zachariah Benevento Guest Columnist
single! Ocean recently lent his vocal to Yeezy’s track “Wolves,” indicating that he’s still loiDear Abby 2.0 tering around the music industry. Furthermore, it is rumored that he shared some new music at a secret VIP listening party in NYC just a little under a week ago. So... could his album drop be approaching? Is there light at the end of this tunnel? Some have argued that Ocean is waiting for the right moment to drop his next album and surprise everyone. This resembles what Beyonce did with her new release a few years back, as well as Drake this past winter. However, Frank Ocean is not Beyonce or Drake (at least not yet--more albums are required). Ocean is an amazingly talented artist, and I don’t want to discount his new work by my own preconceived expectations. His previous album was a tough act to follow, and his new one may be entirely different, which I’m okay with. I don’t want a repeat after all, that would be pointless. So Frank, whenever you’re ready, I’m ready. Please hit me up with this new album sometime in this decade. I beg of you.
As our lives grow ever busier, our actions should reflect the future we want to see and not only a present we enjoy. We run around from one activity to the next often thinking only about what is right in front of us, and not about what our actions and decisions mean or who they affect. This is a disturbing trend, and I believe that as we teenagers transition into the hectic lifestyle of being an adult, it is important to have a clear role model in order to make important choices. It is important to be able to look up and clearly identify someone who we appreciate and want to model ourselves after. For example, my role model is a man named Bartolo, a community leader and activist that works for the parish of San Pedro in El Cercado, a small town in the Dominican Republic (D.R.) I first met Bartolo when I lived in the D.R. in 2006-2007. Over the past two summers, he became a role model to me as I volunteered with him for a total of three months building reforestation swales high in the deforested mountains of the Dominican Republic. A few years ago, Bartolo was of-
fered a well-paying job with the Dominican government. He turned it down because he said it wouldn’t have allowed him to be a role model to the people he is trying to help in the community. Bartolo is my role model because he leads through his life example and makes choices that I believe put in place the future I want to see. For our generation to look into the ever-busying future with a sense of ease and calm, I implore you to go take 15 minutes today and really consider who your role model is. Try to come up with someone who is really the kind of person with whom you want to have similar values. They don’t need to be in a far off country or in some crazy line of work. Your role model could be your mom, grandpa, teacher, coach or even the local 7- Eleven attendant. As long as this person leads the kind of life you want to live and makes the kind of decisions you want to make, they are the perfect candidate to help you turn the corner to the busy life of an adult. We as a generation need to make sure every decision we make is a step to the future we want to see, and having a clear role model helps us achieve that.
Early school start time affects students’ ability to learn Jackson Hook Guest Columnist Never in my life have I woken up before 7 a.m. on a Monday morning and told myself “Wow, this is going to be such a great day of learning” because no one wants to go sit in a biology classroom at 7 in the morning and learn what cellular respiration means. It is scientifically proven that the human brain is not fully awake and functional until 10 a.m., so why would we start a class almost two and a half hours before our brains are actually ready to learn? Two hour delays are like heaven for me. If we could just start an hour later than we do I would be happy. Waking up at 6 a.m. does not bode well for the rest of my day consisting of school, sports and homework. Being tired for an entire day of school and then coming home after two hours of baseball practice results in me starting homework at eight o’clock. With the procrastination that comes with all homework I will most likely be up until eleven or twelve that night. My 10-year-old brother natu-
rally wakes up at 6 a.m. every morning and has significantly less homework and I naturally wake up at roughly nine every morning when I get to sleep in, so why does my brother not have to go to school earlier than I do? And not only do the elementary school kids Earlier: “I already wake up early, so it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. We would also go to school earget out earlier if we go to school earlier.” -Freshman Ryan Caricofe ly, the kindergarteners get a Same time: “I don’t want to stay at school until 8 p.m.. I want to get home while it is nap time. I think still light.” -Sophomore Maxwell McDaniel I speak for the rest of the school Later: “As high schoolers, we have a lot of homework, so starting school later would when I say that a help to get more sleep in.” -Sophomore Dharakshan Shaikh nap time would INFOGRAPHIC BY KYLE BROWN be great. I have trouble keeping school, if I’m waking up at 6 a.m. I or three percent. If this is true, my eyes open towards the end of will still be just as tired. then we should at least be startthe day. I would much rather come Some studies have shown that ing school an hour later, or even into school later and leave a little students going to school an hour 30 minutes later. Grades would be later than come in early and leave later than what they usually do in- improved and the sleep would be earlier. It doesn’t matter if I go to creased their math scores by two good for the health of all students. sleep at 8 p.m. the night before
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March 25, 2016
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Op-Ed-A5
HOT or NOT Trump could win in November Joshua Byrd Advertising Manager
Super Tuesday Virginia took part in the largest day of the primary elections. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton won the state, while Marco Rubio and Bernie Sanders received the most votes in Harrisonburg. Shooting in Hesston Kansas A gunman in Kansas killed three people and injured 14 others during a shooting spree at a plant that makes lawn mower products. Gravitational waves discovered The detection of gravitational waves was recently proved, confirming Einstein’s general theory of relativity that he created 100 years ago. Zika virus appears in Virginia A traveler brought a case of the Zika virus into Virginia, but they pose no threat to the population because it’s not mosquito season. NASA astronaut Scott Kelly returns from a year in space Scott Kelly landed safely in Kazakhstan after spending 340 days in space. Kelly set the new U.S. record for time spent in space. The goal of his mission was to help provide data for future long-term space trips. The Oscars had one of the lowest ratings in history As a result of the protests from lack of diverse nominees, the 88th Academy Awards received the third-lowest viewership in history. FDA is upping regulations to prevent Zika transmission As the Zika virus continues to spread in southern countries, it’s becoming an increasingly present threat to the United States. This has pushed the FDA to establish strict Zika guidelines to prevent its transmission through human cell and tissue donations. Supreme court justice dies Justice Antonin Scalia died at 79, raising controversy on who should be his replacement. Leonardo DiCaprio wins his first Oscar After more than 20 years of acting, Leonardo DiCaprio received an Oscar for Best Actor. Blue Bell Listeria Scare Blue Bell ice cream recalls all of their products on the market after samples of their cookie dough ice cream tested positive for Listeria. Gene for gray hair possibly tracked down The gene responsible for causing gray hair may have finally been found. This furthers the support that the gray hair is caused by genetics. Black students escorted out of a Trump Rally in University of Georgia A large group of students were escorted out of a Donald Trump campaign rally at Valdosta State University. The students were reported to have done nothing wrong, even though they were kicked out. Spring sports Winter sports have come to a close and spring sports are now up and running.
UN warns of dangers involved with bee population declining The declining bee population caused the United Nations to make a statement encouraging the use of fewer pesticides and toxic chemicals in farming. If the bee population continues to decline, the world’s food supply will be at risk.
While I am not a Donald Trump supporter, I would be lying if I said he did not have a chance in the general election this fall. As each day goes by, it is becoming more likely that he will be the Republican nominee. Super Tuesday was a success for him, and his prospects in other states are only going up. Many Democrats are snickering in joy that Trump could possibly be the GOP nominee because they perceive him as easily beatable. This, however, may
not be the case. Minnesota, PennsylThere are mavania and Wisconsin. jor cracks in the Many of these workDemocrat’s political ers are realigning stronghold known as because of Trump’s the “Blue Wall.” message. The Blue Wall is a These states are total of 242 electoral Right-Winged all over 75 percent votes, 28 votes shy white, and 60 perByrd of an Electoral Colcent of the populalege win, that have tions in these states given Democrats a huge advan- lack college degrees. Many of tage in past presidential elec- these groups are extremely tions. Many states in the “Rust friendly to Trump, who has won Belt,” are becoming friendlier them in past primaries, accordto Republicans. They used to ing to exit polls. This is because have factories and good work- Trump’s message is resonating class jobs before The Great ing with them. Many of these Recession, states like Michigan, workers are worse off than they
were before 2008. The recovery has not been there for them. Some have been voting Democratic for the past 20 years and they have gotten nothing out of it. They are thinking it's time for a change. If the working class continues to ditch the Democrats, this could be a fatal blow come November. In 2012, Democrats only won 36 percent of the working class, who make up 36 percent of the electorate. If this trend continues, and Democrats win less than 20 percent of the working class, then a Republican could very easily win the general election.
Oculus should outsell Playstation VR Rachel Snyder Guest Columnist 2016 has been slated as “The Year of VR”, as the gaming community waits in anticipation for the release of a number of the biggest names in the industry. Among these is the Oculus Rift, arguably the most recognizable and popularly awaited Virtual Reality headset meant to hit shelves this very month. The name Oculus seems overused in the VR world, multiple popular Youtubers such as Pewdiepie, Jacksepticeye, and The Fine Bros., showing off the flagship product in front of millions of viewers online over the past two years. With competition from Sony, Microsoft, and even Valve and HTC, Oculus stands to end 2016 still clutching the crown for best VR. Oculus, now owned by Facebook, comfortably sits on a mountain of funding provided by its mother company. Thus it isn’t surprising that Oculus prides it-
self on releasStation VR ing the finest is expectproducts, and ed to cost is able to do so up to $100 ahead of the less than competition. the Rift, but Being such that price a splendordoesn’t inGuest ous piece of clude the Columnist t e c h n o l o g y, cost of the complete with console ita magnetometer and self, which is already external constellation $350. Not to mention tracking system that that the Rift will include Playstation VR- com- an immersive new conmonly known as Project troller, the Oculus Touch, Morpheus as well as as well as an Xbox One the Rift’s lead competi- controller. Oculus Vice tor- cannot offer, those President of Product, wishing to experience it Nate Mitchell, promisexpect to shell out a lot es that custom PCs fully of cash in return. stocked with Oculus Rift The greatest head- and necessary software ache for consumers is will be no more than the equipment Oculus $1000. confesses will be necA survey held at the essary to run VR, spe- GDC 2015 shows that cifically an expensive about 55% of the 250 high-end computer. This European software deshouldn’t be a surprise, velopers questioned though, as previously were interested in destated- those capable of veloping games for the purchasing one of these Oculus, compared to headsets anticipate a the 20% that would use heavy bill. For instance, Morpheus (Playstation take the HTC Vive, what VR) and 38% for Steamsome call a polished VR (Valve). This is only version of the Oculus, logical as another area which is estimated to of the survey, asking cost over $1000. Play- which platform the de-
velopers intend to make their next games on, showed that about 67% of developers wish to make games for PC. Compared to consoles, the clear victory by PC shows why Oculus is destined to sell better than the PlayStation VR, and will likely steal popularity from the HTC Vive which will come out much later. The Microsoft Hololens, a wireless VR headset meant to be fully integrated into Windows 10, has been mostly ignored by potential buyers because it isn’t advertised as a tool purely used for gaming. As for mobile gaming VR, there is a lot of potential. Seeing as in the survey held at the GDC, smartphones and tablets were the closest to PC for most popular gaming platform, can they hold up to the current market? Not in the slightest, really. A few well-known mobile headsets are still very experimental, such as the Google Cardboard which is free and completely open to third-party developers.
Although a mobile VR experience is an exciting change from the norm of headsets made for consoles and PCs, VR is not a perfected technology, therefore trying to use it too actively with your body often causes nausea and a bad taste for the product. “It was odd using Sony’s Project Morpheus on my feet,” says writer for Game Informer, Matt Futter. “Kneeling on the ground in the Mars demo wasn’t nearly as off-putting as walking around a room with a headset on, but I still felt off-balance.” Oculus wisely placed a dog in this fight, as it recently released the Samsung Gear VR for only $99. The Gear VR, despite not including the necessary Samsung phone, has led the mobile VR movement and is what inspired Google and LG to team up for their Cardboard project. Point being, Oculus has all its bases covered, and is the most financially and technologically sound headset to win the VR race.
Sanders routinely overpromising public Sarai Perez Camacho Guest Columnist According to CNN, Karla Jacinto was raped a total of 43,200 times before her rescue at age 16. Seduced by a Prince Charming 10 years her senior, her 12-year-old self never dreamed that four years of forced prostitution would be the result of this “fairy tale”. Everyone knows about these victims. There is not one person that hasn’t heard about the fictitious people of Craigslist, the “man in the van with free candy”, or the promises of a better life across the border. There are flyers at school. There are documentaries showcased downtown. Activists try to shout from within the vacuum of apathy. What people don’t always realize is the extent to
which they ignore criminal enterprise in it. the world. The averAround the age pimp makes about world, there are three times the salary 4.5 million victims of a doctor, solely from of sexual exploitathe prostitution of four tion. The only quespeople. This unbetion I have is why? lievable fact serves to Guest Is there a memo I bring others into the Columnist missed about the fold, in search of quick end of the Golden cash. Rule? Is there a reason crime pays Somewhere out there are more than hard work? The anpeople so obsessed with sex, swer is yes. The road of morality so focused on the chance to is the most difficult path to stay touch another person's body, on, simply because it requires that they would demand it in the most work and money given exchange for providing the ne- back to the world. cessities of life. Having the choice between a Somewhere out there are brimming bank account and sepeople who have had to give vere debt, the choice is obvious. up control of themselves in or- When it comes down to this, the der to survive. As if to add salt road of morality is suddenly full to the wound, trafficking for of potholes. One person trips, sexual exploitation also hap- and you might be taken down pens to be the fastest growing with them.
March Madness Crossword
All-State band auditions Out of 12 Harrisonburg High School students to audition for the all-state band, five were selected to be a part of it. Those who were accepted include: sophomore Katya Kirilyuk on violin, junior Joshua Jordan on percussion, senior Kieran McClay on percussion, senior Laura Ruple on oboe and senior Hollyn Slykhuis on trumpet.
When applied to sexual exploitation, money becomes everything. It is the reason behind the industry, and as long as the demand continues rising, so does the profit. In fact, 1 in every 5 victims of sexual exploitation returns, adding to the supply and giving money to the pimps taking advantage of reproductive evolution. The other day, I was told to not pay attention to events like this, because there was nothing I could do to change it. The truth is that I can’t change the fact that millions in the world are being forced to sell their bodies. What I can do is raise awareness. If you skipped this article without acknowledgment, then you are part of those who ignore the problem. How will things ever change then?
All of the answers to this crossword can be found within this issue of the Newsstreak.
Supreme Court Justice dies Justice Antonin Scalia died at 79, raising controversy on who should be his replacement. Spring Break Spring break will take place from Monday, March 28 to Friday, April 1. Popular spring break activities include spending time at the beach and catching up on sleep. High School Musical is returning with its fourth movie The Disney musical returns with a completely different cast than previous movies. No selfie zones created to prevent life-threatening selfies Mumbai, among other countries, recently established no selfie zones in order to prevent people from killing themselves for a picture. Anyone who enters the zone faces a fine of approximately $18.
ARIZONA BAYLOR CAL DUKE INDIANA IOWA STATE KANSAS KENTUCKY LOUISVILLE MARYLAND MIAMI MICHIGAN STATE
OKLAHOMA OREGON PURDUE TEXAS TEXAS A AND M UNC UTAH UVA VILLANOVA WEST VIRGINIA WISCONSIN XAVIER
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Drama is addictive Maria Snell Feikema Photographer Grey’s Anatomy is one of those shows that automatically entices a “Is that show still on?” when most people hear it mentioned nowadays. Now midway through its 12th season, the ensemble hospital drama has seen a multitude of cast turnovers, any number of medical oddities, but most importantly, numerous tragedies that befall its good-looking lead cast. Fires, floods, car crashes, truck crashes, plane crashes, bombs, mad shooters, cancer, plagues, loss of limbs: they have all attacked the Seattle Grace staff, to the point where the show’s viewers can’t help but watch as each horror ensues. Though this tends to be all that people know about Grey’s, there is so much more to this masterpiece of a show. The premise of the show centers around a very different, (but all very lost) group of five surgical interns who are brought together when they are all assigned to work under the same resident at
Seattle Grace Hospital. Meredith Grey, the main character, has just moved back to Seattle to help her mother, who has just been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, leaving her party girl days behind. Christina Yang, has just graduated top of her class at Stanford, and is an independent woman who doesn’t need anyone or anything but herself. Izzie Stevens, who has modeled to pay her way through med school, is extremely kind-hearted, yet often misguided in her decisions both in her personal and work life. Right off the bat, Alex Karev seems like your average jerk who overcompensates for his insecurities by making others feel bad, but is really a good guy underneath it all. Finally, George O’Malley is your typical boy-next-door, who is in love with the girl (Meredith) who will never see him as more than a friend. Eventually, these very different interns grow together through their friendships, romances, dysfunctional families
“I think it’s hard to tell what’s going on [in DC],” Abner Johnson said.
and medical conundrums in between rounds and medical emergencies in their careers. When they’re not hard at work, they often find time to swap snarky banter, hookup with coworkers (and sometimes patients), as well as ponder the meaning of life and love. Here’s the thing with this show- you can’t take it too seriously. This show is basically a watered down soap opera, not a
“I think some of the backhand tricks of getting people to vote [for bills] is real-ish,” Zach Benevento-Zahner said. “I think there is some power broking in D.C.,” Charles Blair said. “I think it sensationalizes things. There is a backroom activity to politics...What this show does is it takes that backroom aspect of it and brings it to the forefront.”
The Grey’s interns/residents/ attendings aren’t just learning how to operate on patients, they’re trying to figure out how to balance work and play, and how to seek happiness in a demanding profession. That’s a plot I think appeals to everyone. So, if you are in the need of a new Netflix show to binge watch, I highly recommend Grey’s Anatomy. But be warned- once you’re hooked, there is no going back.
Fourth season of Netflix original is best so far Joshua Byrd Advertising Manager
“I do, I think it is sensationalized,” Paige Vass said. “But I don’t think it is all outlandish and imaginary.”
realistic account of what actually goes down in the surgical wing of your local hospital. That said, I’d be lying if I said that Grey’s has never enticed me towards a medical career. There are certain aspects of the profession such as the adrenaline filled emergencies, the inseparable bonds with coworkers, and of course, saving people that do actually reflect what it is like to work in a hospital.
Warning: there are spoilers from season one through three (None from the fourth). House of Cards has just released its fourth season. The show is originally based on a British book series by Michael Dobbs. The Netflix original is Americanized from the British version. The series follows a power hungry South Carolina Democratic Congressman, Frank Underwood, who is originally the majority whip, and his wife, Claire, scheme to get more power throughout the seasons. The fourth season was the best one so far. It explores running for office, while
dealing with the responsibilities of the Presidency. The season’s story was well developed and executed. Each episode built on to the one before it. The fourth season did a good job at looking in the backstories of one of the main characters. It gave the audience a better understanding of why Claire has a cold and sometimes harsh temperament. The best part about the new season is the ever changing political climate in which Frank has to succeed in. After each defeat of a political rival, he has another one to deal with, as well as another U.S. policy issue. The ending of the season leaves you surprised and in suspense for what the next season holds for Claire.
Binge watching at its best
Breaking Bad is good time investment Daniel Dombrowski Staff Reporter
Friends best show of 90s Recent reunion of cast revives popularity Ellie Plass Online Editor-in-Chief Everyone knows that things from the 90’s are the best things. Think about it. Mom jeans, moon shoes, gel pens. It’s all semi-retro gold. However, undoubtedly the best thing to ever come out of the 90’s was Friends. The show lasted about a 100 years (okay, 10) and only got better over time. It was centered around a group of five friends living in New York City. Throughout the show, you watch them all grow up and survive life’s trials, laughing through it all. Usually I’m not a big fan of laugh-track shows. I find the forced feeling of it to be off-putting and just kind of desperate. Friends, as usual, is a different story. The laugh track not only adds to the humor the characters put off, but makes you feel like you’re laughing along with your real, ahem, friends. The storyline is one that has a reputation for being non-consecutive. People criticized the show for being too random, since new things and adventures would come up during each episode. This couldn’t be less true. The fact is, if you watch the show top to bottom like it was meant to be watched, the long-term storylines are the best part. Who can resist the time-honored romance of (spoiler alert- but come on, it’s been 12 years) Ross and Rachel, or Monica and Chandler? I essentially powered through the first three seasons just to see what happened with those characters alone. The best part of the show is definitely the characters. They were all modeled to be extremely relatable, even though they all have extreme quirks. For those of you who are living under a
rock and aren’t familiar with them, here’s a brief synopsis. Joey is the little brother of their group of five. He has a famously low intellect and regularly is the butt of all the jokes. Throughout the show he struggles to be an actor, and never really achieves much success. His brief romance with (spoiler again) Rachel was one of my favorite moments in the show. Chandler is the funny one. His sarcastic sense of humor keeps you interested and provides occasionally much-needed comic relief. He and Monica are a true example of what it means to fall in love with your best friend. Phoebe is usually labeled as the weird one. She’s incredibly quirky (she works as a freelance massage therapist). When I first started watching the show, I really disliked her character. I thought she was a little too weird to work within the other characters. As the show goes on, I definitely got used to her oddities and learned to love her for who she was. Monica is the mother of the group. Famously OCD, she keeps everyone in line. She and Ross are siblings, and have one of the best on-screen sibling relationships in history. Ross is the smart one, working as a professor at NYU. He and Rachel make the show truly worth it. His on-again, off-again romance with the pretty Rachel Green is not only exciting, but my absolute favorite TV romance. Now that you have the luxury of watching all the seasons consecutively, you don’t even have to worry about the killer cliffhangers at the end of every season. Making the decision to watch this show is also making a decision to fall in love with the characters. They are some of the most relatable to ever hit the small screen. After all, they’ll be there for you, even if the rain starts to pour.
Breaking Bad is by far the best series to invest your time in while you are on Netflix. The show aired from 2008 to 2013 and received a total of seven Golden Globe Nominations, finally winning two after the last season. Although the first season is a little slow, it quickly picks up and keeps you coming back for the next episodes. Walter White, the main character played by Bryan Cranston, is a high school chemistry teacher who gets diagnosed with lung cancer. He quickly realizes his financial problems will become too much to handle with doctor bills and a new child on the way. He resorts to selling meth with a former student Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul. Their unique relationship is interesting to watch unfold as the show progresses. Pinkman is my favorite character from the show, one of the funny parts to him is his creative and repeated uses of the word bitch. Pinkman and White slowly rise from noname drug dealers to the drug kingpins of the surrounding states. White’s brother in law, Hank Schrader, who is a DEA agent, quickly becomes one of
his biggest obstacles in his new profession. The show does a good job showing the struggles of being a drug dealer, especially when it comes to money laundering. Marketing teacher Mallory Cromer also enjoyed the show although she thought it was a little violent. “I definitely enjoyed the show, but I did think it was a little too violent for me. Some of the situations in the show are definitely real life examples,” Cromer said. I would definitely recommend the series to anyone. I have watched it two times and I will probably watch it again
in the future. The lawyer from Breaking Bad, Saul Goodman, played by Bob Odenkirk, is now the main character in another television series by AMC called “Better Call Saul”. This show takes place before “Breaking Bad” and highlights the rise of Goodman’s career. I quickly watched season one on Netflix and have been watching season two weekly on AMC. The show is just as good as Breaking Bad and features a few of the characters, I would recommend it to anyone, but I would watch Breaking Bad first.
March 25, 2016
The Newsstreak
Ads-A9
March 25, 2016
Experience-A10
The Newsstreak
Rules
The Newsstreak asked both students and teachers about three controversial rules in the school and at home: having phones in class, having a pass while in the hall and grounding. Students were asked their opinions of the rules, while teachers were asked how they implemented them.
OF SCHOOL, home:
HAVING PHONES OUT IN CLASS:
ACCORDING TO HHS 2015-2016 HANDBOOK: “Cell phones and personal electronic devices are to be turned off and not visible during instructional time, unless the teacher has given permission to use them. Students failing to comply with this policy will have their device confiscated by staff and given to the Administration for further disciplinary action.”
Students
“I think not using our cell phones in class is absurd and that it is something that we have to work on. I think that using our phones is helpful because some people are more concentrated when they are Junior Josue Lopez listening to music and using it to look up information instead of using a computer. However, we should limit it, too, because it distracts people during lessons. During the lesson it should be put away and then when the lesson is finished, you can use your phone.”
Sophomore Jahsiah Jackson
“The cell rule to me is pretty dumb because I feel like we should be able to use our cell phones whenever as long as it’s important. Don’t just whip it out. Only if it’s important. Pick the right time to use it. It doesn’t distract me as long as I’m actually using it for something like looking up a word that I don’t understand.”
Teachers
English Teacher Tracy Barr “I don’t think they should have their phones out in class. I’m talking and they’re looking at their phones and they don’t hear what I say, and so as a result they miss things and their grades are lower. It’s totally for me. It’s just that I want them to be able to focus on me and focus on the class. They can’t be looking back and forth between the people on their phone and what’s going on in class, it’s not possible. I just don’t think they’ll learn as much. I don’t think they’ll be able to concentrate as well.”
Spanish Teacher Henry Garcia “The rule that I have in my classroom is no cell phones. That is the rule. If they want to use it for something didactic (intended to teach) like finding out some kind of information, it’s acceptable, but only when I permit it. It seems to me that, a well used cell phone helps with education, however, what I’m finding is that students aren’t generally using them to find information. Instead, they are using it to have fun. So for those reasons, I do not part with the idea that they should not use their phones without permission from the teacher.“
English Teacher Julian Dean “My view on cell phones is pretty simple. Students have found a way to be distracted for hundreds of years now, the cell phone is the latest iteration of that and if they choose to be distracted, they choose to be distracted. I would like to think that my pedagogy (teaching) is dependent upon me to be more entertaining and engaging than whatever is happening on their phone. So instead of saying, “absolutely not, you can’t have your phone”, which is a battle I am not ever going to win, I would rather just be more engaging, more entertaining, and demonstrate more value to them thawwn whatever is happening on their phone. I try to make sure whatever I’m teaching has relevancy to their current and future lives.”
Spanish Teacher Constanza Rojas “I think that [cell phones] can be used with educational purposes. In my classes, I allow them to use them as a dictionary for Spanish, but not as a translator to translate sentences, only if they are unsure about a word. I use them when we are playing Kahoot. They can also use them when they are doing work... For other purposes, they are not allowed to use them. I don’t want to see them and they can’t be visible and if someone takes it out, I take their cell phone to the “temptation basket”... and we won’t have a cross of words and that’s it. Why? Because the cell phone interferes with the concentration of the kids. They can be beneficial, but they can also be the contrary.”
NEEDING A PASS IN THE HALLWAY: Students “[Requiring a hall pass] makes sense because they don’t want kids to skip class, but I think that they definitely can be overbearing about that, especially when they send you back to class. Like if Sophomore Jane Wyatt you are in HHS Media. I’m in Broadcasting, sometimes the hall monitors will send me back to class because I’m not carrying a pass, but part of the class is to interview people. So I think that part is kind of dumb, but I think the main idea of it is good, but I think they take it to a far extent.”
ACCORDING TO HHS 2015-2016 HANDBOOK: “Horseplay and running is prohibited. Students should not loiter and block stairways, doorways, doors, or hallways. Student Traffic Inside Building... [is an] infraction that will result in disciplinary actions.”
Junior Chris Estes Freshman Farah Regab “I think [the hall pass “I’ve never run into any trouble, I think it’s rule] is good because most fine. I don’t think it should students run around or skip change, and just know that classes. I think it would be if you’re going to be out of a good idea to get people class, you should have a back to class to be educated.” pass.” Sophomore Alexus Smith “I think it’s a very good rule because a lot of people just roam around for no reason during class.”
ART BY BRYAN LUNA
Teachers
Earth Science Teacher Brittany Wolchak “I like the [hall pass] rule and I enforce it. Most of the time, I either write a student a pass to go to the bathroom or where they are going, or I have them fill it out in their planners. I think it keeps students accountable and helps to get them back to class on time. I try to enforce it, even though my students tell me that I’m their only teacher that does it.”
Algebra Teacher Ali Dove
Counselor Emily Barnes “I think students need passes in order to leave the classroom. I think students really shouldn’t be leaving the classroom because there is plenty of time in between to use the restroom and things of that nature. They should only be leaving the classroom for serious issues or connecting with people in the building.” “I think students should be required to have a pass to show where they are going to and coming from. If [teachers] see a student in the hallway, we know exactly where they are supposed to be. If there are any issues or problems, we have that information.”
GROUNDING AT HOME:
Teachers
Students
Senior Isis Gutierrez
Freshman Juniel Rodriguez
Junior Winston Jeffries
Freshman Euyeniya Untilova
“I don’t think [grounding] is really beneficial. It doesn’t make me want to not do the thing that I did. It makes me want to do it more and sneak around more than before.”
“I used to not like it because we as kids think life is broad so we learn from mistakes. I feel like if we get punished for our mistakes, we don’t really learn from it. We learn that it’s bad, but we don’t express from it.”
“I’ve never personally experienced being grounded so I can’t say that I have a lot of [advice] in that area of life. I guess under some situations it can make sense if you are trying to punish your kids maybe because they did something stupid with friends, and you want them to learn from that mistake, then grounding would make sense because you are making it so that you can’t hang out with those friends again. If it is a different situation, like if they did something ridiculous on their own, it doesn’t make sense. It seems like it’s not a punishment that fits the crime, so under some circumstances it works, but others not so
“If you really did something wrong, then for a little bit [grounding] is okay. You can survive that.”
Sophomore Joel Clevenger “In the long run I think [grounding] helps, but in the short term not really. It just [makes you mad] and you have to wait till you aren’t mad to look back and reflect.”
Sophomore Danializ Chabrier “I don’t think grounding your kids helps. I think that if you ground your kid, it makes them want to do more bad things or go behind your back even more.”
English Teacher Nicholas Dashnaw “[Grounding] is only going to work if their children usually enjoy going outside or leaving the house, and if it is done with parent permission. If neither of those things are the case then it probably doesn’t matter as much.”
“I think whatever you do with regards to disciplining your children, you have to make the reasons very clear. First of all, kids need to know what the rules are up front and what the consequences are. I believe that grounding Assistant Principal Joe Glick is a good consequence, if it is something that the kid expects. I think when you ground a child, but the kid has never experienced that before and it is unclear, I think what that is going to cause is a lot of problems between the kid and the parent. As long as the kid knows upfront what the expectations are and what the punishments are, I think grounding is a legitimate consequence that parents can put on kids.”
Math Teacher Andrew Kamp “I think, obviously, it’s up to the parents’ decision, but it is definitely a good tool to teach a lesson for a parent if that is something they want to do. I know personally I was never grounded, but I had other punishments instead of that, but I’m not against it.”
World History Teacher Cara Walton “I think grounding is a good form of punishment and discipline. I think it is preferable to [other punishments] once kids reach an age where they are old enough to comprehend what is going on.”
What’s in our names?
March 25, 2016
Experience-A11
The Newsstreak
Parents choose names for newborns
Freshman Jialong Li “I was named after my great grandfather, it doesn’t really mean anything. Substitutes have a hard time getting my name right, so for their benefit I tell them to call me Jerome, it’s just easier for them,” Li said.
Freshman Precious Carper “Precious [An item of great worth] is a common name in the Philippines. My mom is from the Philippines,” Carper said.
Junior Aryan Namik “My dad named me. The Aryan people are from the Middle East; Iran, Kurdistan, Pakistan. My moms is named Masabad, that is a name from Kurdistan,” Namik said.
Junior Aries Ametsreiter “When I was born my mom didn’t know what to name me, [but] her star constellation is Aries. She then later decided that she wanted my name to be personal and for me to be a part of her,” Ametsreiter said.
Faith Runnells Print Editor-in-Chief The process of naming one’s child is something every parent has to go through. Before being able to sign the birth certificate, a name for the child must be chosen. Mothers who utilize the nursery at HHS have experienced this process as well. Senior Lorena Reyes says that the name for her child, Christopher, was mainly her friend’s idea. “At first I was thinking a name like Jason or Brian, or something like that, but one of my friends said, ‘You should call him Christopher,’ so I went with that name,” Reyes said. “His middle name is Josue. I was going to call him his dad’s name, Jose, but instead I made it Josue. He has his daddy’s last name and mine too, so his full name is Christopher Josue Mayen-Reyes.” Sophomore Ivette Castro says that the names for both of her children were inspired by people in her life. “Her full name is Andrea Naomi Castro. Last minute, about a week before I had her, I remembered my mom had a friend whose name was Andrea. I really liked it, so I decided to use it as her name. Her middle name is Neomi. I always wanted, if I ever had a kid, to name her Neomi, so I named her Andrea Neomi,” Castro said. “Once I signed the paper with what her name was going to be, though, I thought, ‘Dang, I should have named her Neomi Andrea,’ because I liked Neomi better afterwards,” For her daughter Angelina Nayte, it was a magazine that gave her the idea for her name. “I’ve always liked the name Nayte,” Castro said. “For the name Angelina, I was looking through a magazine while I was at the dentist, and I saw something about Angelina Jolie, and so I thought, ‘Let’s name her Angelina.’ My mom wanted me to name her Shannon, and I said, ‘Um, I don’t think so.’ And I always wanted a name that started with ‘A’ so it worked out well.” Junior Patricia Alvarez says that her son’s name, Aiden, was also inspired by pop culture. “His dad picked his name, Aiden,” Alvarez said. “We were watching ‘Kate plus 8’, and he liked the little
Most popular girl names at HHS
Sophomore Rafiullah Niaz “My name means noble something of god in Arabic,” Niaz said.
Senior Tewaldemednine Gebrejesus “My dad’s brother died, so he gave me his name. My last name is my dad’s last name. It’s from Eritrea and Ethiopia. Jesus is also in the name. My moms name is Azieb and my dad’s name is Berhene,” Gebrejesus said.
Sophomore Lord Hakeem Allah Sharief Jr. PHOTO BY MARIA SNELL-FEIKEMA
GOT YOUR NOSE! Lorena Reyes (right) and Christopher Josue (left) meet during fourth block on a B day. Lorena Reyes drops her son off in the morning and then goes to her regular classes until 4th block. boy named Aiden, so his dad picked it for our son’s name. His dad picked his first name and I picked his middle name, Sebastian. A couple days before he was born, a Mexican singer died, and I really liked him, so I made his name, Sebastian, Aidan’s middle name. My mom really wanted to name him Andres, but I didn’t like it.” For Art teacher Kelly Shradley-Horst, naming her daughter, Luella Mae, was a bit more complicated. “We wanted a unique name that wasn’t a name that she would have to explain the spelling of her whole entire life. And we were a little nerdy, because my husband’s name is Joel, and my name is Kelly, so we wanted our child’s name to either have an ‘I’ or
Most popular boy names at HHS
an ‘L’, so that we could put our names in alphabetical order,” Shradley-Horst said. “So we knew we wanted an ‘L’ name, so we were looking through ‘L’s’, and we had it narrowed down in the last couple of months to fiveish names. Then we started googling the names so that they weren’t bad things associated with them, and just to make sure that it wasn’t, again, super popular. So we had several different names. Luca was one, but we settled on Luella, we thought that was a professional sounding name, and it had some cute nicknames with it, like loo loo, which is what we call her. I always wanted to call her ella, but she doesn’t like that. So we don’t call her that.”
Most popular girl names in the U.S.
“[My name] was from my dad, when he was younger, he got in trouble so he decided to change his name. I’m not sure what the reason was [that he got in trouble for] but he decided to change his name,” Sharief Jr. said.
Junior Zeus Willis “My mom and dad wanted me to have a strong name, and the name I have is strong. It was either going to be Zeus or Titus,” Willis said.
Most popular boy names in the U.S.
Winter spirit week, pep rally increases student involvement
PHOTOS BY AUSTIN SWIFT AND IRENE LIU
ON YOUR FEET. (Clockwise) Robert Heitsch and Andy King in the senior section as the March 10 pep rally. Members of the band do the Wiggelo. Maia Mattson dresses up for international day and the sophomore class takes a selfie with assistant principal Eric Miller.
SPIRIT WEEK from A1
from a different country. “[I think it’s good HHS is celebrating International Day] because for the people that came from other countries, they can wear their traditional dress,” Pham said. Freshman Maia Mattson wore a traditional lavalava from Samoa, a country in Polynesia. “In Samoa it’s very hot, and near the equator, so cotton stuff is typically worn to keep cooler,” Mattson said. “My aunt lives there, so I feel that it’s only fitting that I wear something like that.” Mattson enjoys seeing others dressed up on this day. “You get to see all the diversity from all of the different ethnicities. There’s some styles of clothing that you couldn’t get here in the U.S.,” Mattson said. Sophomore Christian Ayala agrees that seeing people dressed up is one of the more important parts of international day. “I think it’s cool how there are different religions you can show in this school,” Ayala said. Thursday morning, every student received their free Red Sea t-shirts with the design they chose in a special election held during ELT. During the day, the school was bleeding red. At the pep rally you could only see red in the stands, and during the day, students proudly painted their faces red and white to go along with their new apparel and show their school spirit. Senior Cecilia Rafael was among the avid spirit-goers and believes school spirit is shown by how much someone participates in spirit week events. “I feel like I have 110% school spirit. [The rest of the school has] at least 150%. I feel like we do [need spirit weeks] to get us united. I hope that the whole spirit week unites the Red Sea and that more people join,” Rafael said. College day capped things off with a large number of students and happy teachers putting on their college apparel and supporting universities far and wide. Go online to find additional photo galleries, videos and more covering spirit week and the pep rally.
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March 25, 2016
WHEN TO VISIT THE CAFETERIA
Future annex will be temporary solution to growth Austin Swift Print Editor-in-Chief
First Breakfast 7:15 - 7:45 a.m. Students arriving at school can pick from a variety of bagged breakfasts.
Second Breakfast 9:20 - 9:27 a.m. Between first and second block, another breakfast is served with many options.
First Lunch 11:00 - 11:25 a.m. Students in CTE, English or Language classes go to lunch before third block.
Second Lunch 11:32 - 11:57 a.m. BSA, ESL, Math, MTC, PLATO and SPED classes attend lunch during a break in third block.
Third Lunch 12:35 - 1:00 p.m. After third block, students in Fine Arts, Social Studies, Science, and Health and P.E. classes eat lunch.
Snack
2:40 - 3:00 p.m. A free snack is available for students staying after for academics or sports.
Experience-A12
The Newsstreak
With a student body of 1600 in a building built for 1340, and a school system expanding just as quickly, Harrisonburg City Public Schools is beginning the process of accommodating that growth. Construction for newly-named Blue Stone Elementary School will have begun by May, while an early childhood center is still in the planning phase. To address the overpopulation issue at the high school, HCPS and Superintendent Dr. Scott Kizner recently decided to build an annex to relieve the cramped classrooms and hallways. “[For] the additional high school building, the school board put out what’s called a request for proposals. So we’re going to be asking architects to study the high school property to see if an additional building could be built to serve approximately 800 students,” Kizner said. The budget for the project will be decided once the architects have set a plan and can provide a number, after which the School Board and City Council will work together to decide on a final number.
The school is considering the possibility of putting the annex on a piece of property already used for other purposes, such as a practice field or parking lot, in which case new land would have to be allocated to fill that need. “The school board wants to look at what will be disrupted [if it’s built on this property]. If anything is disrupted, then the other part of the plan is that it will have to be replaced,” Kizner said. “So the school board will also be looking for land across the street from the high school. Where it will be located is still to be determined, but I think the objective is to minimize the disruption to the current site.” Another factor that will play into the building design is deciding who will be in the building, whether it be a department or grade level. Kizner wants the building to be accessible to all students. “Whichever architect group is selected, they will work with the faculty at Harrisonburg High School to make decisions [about who will occupy, and to figure out] what would be the best use of that building,” Kizner said. “My hope is that it will be a building that will have programs that ev-
ery student at Harrisonburg High School would have an opportunity to attend.” In addition to smaller class sizes and less traffic in the halls, the annex will also offer an opportunity to expand programs within the school. “The current high school is designed for 1340 students, and you won’t necessarily have less classrooms, but what you will have is hopefully less children in each class. Right now we’re kind of on pause to expand programs because we don’t have the space to do it,” Kizner said. “So for example, in the school budget next year you’ll see four new trailers on the high school property, so we don’t want to be a school division that will continue to put trailers on our property.” Depending on how far the annex is from the main building, other issues such as weather and student drop off could arise. “[Bad weather] issues will have to be addressed. My first reaction is that people would have to dress accordingly and that when it looks like it’s going to be rainy, then you have to have umbrellas and hoods. Once the location of the building has been decided we will know how much
weather will be an interference,” Kizner said. As the growth within the school system shows no signs of slowing, Kizner anticipates having to address the issue again. “Right now this school has about 1600 students, so [with the 800 students in the annex] that would be about 2400 students. If you add the trailers that we’re going to have, they will hopefully take away [from the amount of students in the school],” Kizner said. “To make the math simple, so about 2100 or 2200 students, I would say that it would not surprise me that in about 10 or 12 years this community is going to have to get back together and discuss [the situation].” However, Kizner feels the growth could just as easily subside. “[That growth is based off the] assumption that we will continue to grow, but the unknown assumption is how fast we will continue to grow,” Kizner said. “We don’t have a single grade right now that has above 500 students, so to reach 2000 at the high school we would have to have four grades of 500 each. So when I say 10 years, it’s really more like 13 to 15 years until we would start to see [that growth].”
JMU intern volunteers in cafeteria Theodore Yoder Sports Editor Although it seems as if lunch and breakfast magically appear for students every day, there are 13 ladies in the cafeteria who begin making food as early as 6 a.m. Managed by Tricia Newcomb, these nutritional food employees make two meals a day for nearly 1,600 students. Newcomb has worked at HHS for 16 years. “I like interacting with the students and making menus,” Newcomb said. Over the course of Newcomb’s career, there have been several cafeteria interns and volunteers. Recently, Megan Wine, a sophomore from James Madison University, has been volunteering twice a week. She mainly shadows various cafeteria workers for insight and experience in a high school cafeteria environment. “[Megan] was basing her work around her class schedule. Right now Tuesday mornings are working well for her as well as Friday afternoons. Everytime I go to meetings, I invite people to come and see what it is like [in a high school cafeteria] because you really don’t know unless you’ve been there and sometimes you can assume,” Newcomb said. Every day, the nutritional food employees prepare food for not only the current day, but for the next day as well. Because of the
PHOTO BY THEODORE YODER
PREPARING AND PROVIDING. Lunch lady Joyce Green prepares a lunch of pulled pork sandwiches. The lunch staff have arrived at school as early as 6 a.m. to ensure students have a meal to eat when lunch comes around. The sandwiches were made using a method called batch cooking, where several servings were made ahead of time so they wouldn’t run out. JMU sophomore Megan Wine comes twice a week to help our lunch staff. size of the school, they do not have time to make everything from scratch and serve it the same day. “I have workers come in earlier to start working on the food in order to get it made in time. We try to prepare anything we can the day before. This keeps the food fresher and we wouldn’t have time to cook everything for the whole school at one time,” Newcomb said. The method of cooking that Newcomb uses is called batch cooking. Her and her cafeteria workers try to prepare multiple
portions of several meals at once and then store them for future consumption. This allows them to prepare the breakfast and lunch every day for the entire school. “We do our best to not run out of food, but we know it happens sometimes and that sometimes the choices are not available. This is because we don’t have a lunch count and we don’t know what kids are going to pick. We can take educated guesses and that’s what we do every day. It’s a tough call to make sure we have food on
all the lines, but then make sure we don’t have too much food that we have to throw out as waste,” Newcomb said. The school food professionals work almost all day to prepare breakfast and lunch. A majority of the cooking is done the day before to prevent food not being made in time. Newcomb plans to manage and cook at HHS for the upcoming years as well as be a resource to any that have interest in school nutrition or nutrition in general.
March 25, 2016
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The Newsstreak
Downtown show kicks off Youth Art Month
PHOTO BY BRIAN ALVARADO
CREATE. Every year the Massunutten Regional Library hosts an art show in honor of National Youth Art month that showcases the work of all HCPS schools.
Hannah Miller Feature Editor
Every year, the city of Harrisonburg hosts a youth art show downtown in honor of National Youth Art Month. Located in Massanutten Regional Library, 200 pieces of art from students in art classes will be displayed for the
public to see. HHS art teacher Jauan Brooks chose which of her students would have their art exhibited at the library. “[The show provides] recognition. Some of the work that they’ve created we felt was really strong and really representative of the program that we have here,” Brooks said.
Sixty students were chosen from HHS, and the process for the chosen art depended on several factors. “As we go throughout the year and semesters, we just look for strong pieces that have come of the projects that we do. Then one of the only other caveats that we keep in mind is, ‘is there too
much of still life, or is there too much of one media’ or anything like that. We try and make sure there’s a wide variety,” Brooks said. Freshman Yadhiris CoriaSanchez created a piece that was displayed during the musical, and is now going to the youth art show as well. “You know Simba, the character, right? [My piece is a] zentangle of him,” Coria-Sanchez said. Inspiration comes in many forms, but it was just a different interpretation of the assignment. “The teacher told me something valuable, and I don’t have anything valuable, so I just picked any cute thing really that I thought would be adorable to draw,” Coria-Sanchez said. Coria-Sanchez started drawing when she was five, saying art pulled her in all on its own, without the influence of anyone in particular. “I just wanted to learn how to draw, I wanted to replicate [things] again,” Coria-Sanchez said. Junior Javier Rodriguez is another student in the show, whose aspirations for art come from a neighbor. “I just grew up around [art]. My neighbor did it. My mom did it. My neighbor [inspired me the
most] because she had other things. She looked like a professional artistshe wasn’t- but she looked like a professional artist,” Rodriguez said. Had his neighbor not given him the push, Rodriguez never would have become as invested in art as he is now. “She gave me a painting, and then she told me to do one almost like that, but to my own things on it,” Rodriguez said. Brooks got into art when she was younger, and it’s helped her express herself ever since. “It’s always been an outlet for me. I can’t say that it’s always been easy, probably in younger grades and stuff it was. It was something I did well, but in latter years in school it became a challenge and a challenge that I was always ready to work through,” Brooks said. “I always enjoyed it, all the way through school. I specifically remember things that my kindergarten art teacher taught me. I still think of those things and actually probably still say those things to some of my students now.” As students at HHS find ways to express themselves, Brooks enjoys guiding them along the way as their teacher. “Both of my parents
were teachers. They were science teachers, however, so I was always exposed to education in that realm, outside of just me being in classes,” Brooks said. “I always enjoyed the process of working through things, and I really loved being able to show students how to get to that end product, because often they [say], ‘this is what I want to do’ but have no idea how to get there. So not only teaching them techniques in getting there and the mental process in getting there and being able to express themselves visually.” The youth art show is a way to let the students in schools get recognition for their art. As all the students express themselves in different ways- drawing, painting, creating- the show shares it all with the community. “It’s a chance to take the arts and share them with the community, because that’s something that doesn’t always happen. Things happen inside of our schools and our classrooms, but we don’t get the opportunity to share that with others often,” Brooks said. “So yes, we have the school art show [at HHS], but this takes it out and shares with the Harrisonburg community what we’re doing in the schools.”
Do it yourself: Phone Projector How to make your own melted crayon art Crowding around your phone is uncomfortable when many people are trying to view the same screen. This phone projector provides an inexpensive solution, allowing the group to view the phone comfortably. Materials include a Smartphone, a shoebox, an X-acto knife or scissors, a paperclip, black tape and a magnifying glass lense.
Step 1: First, using a shoebox as the body of your projector, trace the removed magnifying glass lens on the outside of one of the short sides of the box.
Step 2: Cut out the previously traced circle with your exacto knife as precisely as possible. Be careful to make smooth lines, as jagged ones will ruin image quality.
Step 3: You can now place the lense over that hole and use your black tape and apply tape around the entire edge ensuring there is no gap. Now it is time to make the paper clip stand.
Step 4: Start by straightening the paper clip out, then bending it on each side, ending up with each end of the paper clip at a 90 degree angle for your phone to rest upright on.
Step 5: The phone’s image must be upside down for the image projected to be right side up. To do this, IPhone users can go to Settings>General>Accessibility>Turn on. Assistive Touch. For Android users, simply turn off screen rotation and place upside down.
Step 6: Adjust phone by moving it closer and further away from the lense in order for the image to come into focus. For the best result, turn on the auto brightness. INFOGRAPHIC BY CHRISTIAN RODRIGUEZ
Need to brighten up your room or study area? Have some free time on your hands? If so, we have the craft for you! The melted crayon jar can serve as a vase, pencil holder, and much more. Materials for the project include an assortment of crayons, a glass bottle of mason jar, duct tape or hot glue, newspaper, and a hair dryer.
Step 1: First, select the color crayons that you would like to use. Choose colors that are complimentary to eachother for the best looking results. Stray away from neutral colors such as brown and white.
Step 2: Once you’ve chosen the colors you are going to use, remove around an inch or inch and a half of the paper wrapping. Be careful not to rip off too much, as you don’t want the full crayon to melt.
Step 3: Get a jar or bottle and wrap duct tape around the container, so it makes a ring around the top. It can also work with hot glue. This is what you will use to attach the crayons to the jar or bottle.
Step 4: Attach the crayons on the line of tape or hot glue so that the uncovered part is just below the line. This will allow the path of the colors to be controlled when melting.
Step 5: Get a hair dryer and set it on a warm setting with low blast, and slowly go over the tips of the crayons so they melt. Make sure to have newspaper or plastic under the jar, as this can get messy.
Step 6: Rotate the jar while blow drying the crayons so that the jar gets fully covered. Do this until the wax layers up. Once cooled, remove the crayons and tape, and now you have a colorful container.
INFOGRAPHIC BY KYLE BROWN
Students enter ideas into Youth Art Month flag contest Garrett Cash
Online Managing Editor The Youth Art Month flag design contest provided a teaching opportunity for art teacher Jauan Brooks. “For graphics class, it’s getting them to think about how to design for a particular purpose,” Brooks said. Art students were given a sheet of paper to design a flag on. In order to qualify and become a winner, the flag needs to
feature a design related to the theme- the power of art. They also have the option to recognize the theme of Virginia, whether that be a cardinal or the state flower or anything else the student thinks of. Designs could also include the theme of art and art supplies and must include the logo. “Typically the designs that are really graphic and things that could be made out of fabric usually do well,” Brooks said. Brooks calls Youth Art Month, “a time to recognize student artists to draw attention to the importance of visual arts.” One of
the ways she took advantage of this month was to assign art classes an assignment in which they would create a flag design to send to the National Art Education Conference. “The winners are invited to a ceremony in D.C. and all of them are displayed there as well. The student that wins the design for the state gets a trip to D.C.,” Brooks said. To junior Andrew Ansah, the flag design was more of a fun activity than a competition. Instead of creating an overly-complex design, his goal was to make something
striking and simple, while junior Piper Sattva found inspiration in diversity. “I didn’t think about what the judges were going to think of the piece, I just wanted something that I was happy with,” Ansah said. Unlike other Youth Art Month activities, this one is not displayed at the Massanutten Regional Library. The design is sent to the organization and chosen based on how well it meets the requirements. The best flag is then created and hung in Washington D.C.
March 25, 2016
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The Newsstreak
A Whole New World Q&A with American Newcomers Junior Anthony Almendarez Q: Where did you live before here, what was life like before you came to America? A: I lived in Honduras, Catacamas Olancho. [Life] was pretty cool, I did the same thing I do here and it was pretty cool. Q: When and why did your family decide to move here? A: Both of my parents lived here so they brought me here. It was two years ago. Q: What was school like where you used to live? A: There was too much
violence. It had the same schedule as here. Q: What do you like/ don’t like about living here? A: I don’t like the snow.
Torres adjusts to English language
Ava Reynolds HHS Media Coordinator Some students can call Harrisonburg their lifelong home; however, for freshman newcomer student Anyi Torres, she is just getting adjusted to a new way of life in the Friendly City. Torres is originally from Honduras, where everything was different for her than her new home. She moved to Harrisonburg last Nov. with her mother because Honduras was too dangerous. “The way of living here [is different], and the school. And that I can’t be with my family here,” Torres said. When Torres made the transition to the United States, she had to leave behind the rest of her family in Honduras. As of right now, she is unsure when she will be able to see them again because they are not planning
on moving here. “Being away from the people I love and having to adapt to another way of living over here [is the hardest adjustment],” Torres said. Luckily for Torres, she has had help adjusting as a newcomer student at HHS who doesn’t speak English. She credits Mr. Arango as well as her new friends she has made for helping her get acquainted here. Adjusting to a new country and community is still challenging for Torres. “Everything. I just miss everything,” Torres said. Despite the fact that Torres doesn’t know when she will get to see her family next because she doesn’t know when she is going back to Honduras and they aren’t trying to move here, Torres is still positive about her new home. “I get a better future over here,
[and a] better education,” Torres said, “[I plan to] keep studying and get a good job to keep moving forward.” Torres is currently working on learning English. She has experienced that it helps to be around English speakers. “[The most challenging part is] how to say everything,” Torres said. The most exciting part for Torres about her move to a new country is learning to build friendships with other people and meet new people. She already feels well connected with some students at HHS. Although Torres speaks very little English and has just moved to the United States from Honduras, she still is a teenager who enjoys teenage things. “Listening to music is a passion [of mine]. [I] don’t play, but just listen. And [I] sing in the shower,” Torres said.
Q: Is there anything you miss about the country you came from? A: It’s too cold here.
Freshman Guillermo Antonio Lopez-Mejia Q: Where did you live before here, what was life like before you came to America? A: I lived in Honduras and I felt better living there because I was with my family and right now it’s difficult to adapt to a new society. Q: When and why did your family decide to move here? A: It was nine months ago. We were searching for better opportunities in life. Q: What were some hardships of living in Honduras? A: There was violence, poverty and unfair laws. The police officers were corrupt. Q: What was school like in Honduras and how was it different from America?
A: We got to school earlier in the morning and school ended around 3:00 p.m.. Here you can choose the level of difficulty, but it was different in Honduras. Q: How has life been different since you’ve come to America? A: [Coming to America] it’s been different because I felt like I was starting from zero again, with new friends and adapting. Q: What do you dislike about living in America? A: I dislike the fact that I miss my friends and family back in Honduras.
INFOGRAPHIC BY SAMANTHA LITTLE
Being in new country changes Gomez’s view David Gamboa Staff Reporter Senior Abdiel Gomez is a newcomer from Puerto Rico. His whole life turned around when he came to the United States six months ago. On his way to a bad future and no life, he came to the U.S. and found himself. “I like it a lot here. It’s really good here. I thank God and everyone who has helped me get here, my family and for being in a good place. In Puerto Rico, I was a bad person, without goals and on a bad path,” Gomez said. Gomez endured hardships in many aspects of life, from schooling to family. Bad influences surrounded him, and without structure, his life was taking a turn for the worse. “The life there is really difficult. For example, my life down there was very hard, I had problems at school and at home. I was involved in some things that made me come here for a new life because the one I had there was destroyed,” Gomez said. Schooling in Puerto Rico does not hold a major part
of adolescent life as it does in America. There Gomez would take classes, but they weren’t treated as important as they are here. “The schools there are very different. In the schools there, I’d take classes, but they wouldn’t have the same importance that they have here and you’d get motivated to take classes, but you had friends, some bad influences, that you’d stray into their path. I did some things I shouldn’t have and well, I came here to find a better life,” Gomez said. America is said to be the land of opportunity. Here, Gomez has plans to join the Army. He now holds himself to better values and lives with a better attitude towards life. In Puerto Rico he was told by his family he was going to be nothing, but now has a life with goals and a bright future. “Here, I have started to become a different person, a person with [a]better attitude and values. A person that has a future and goals in life. In Puerto Rico I was nobody, My own family would tell me I was going to be a nobody. Here I have a future,” Gomez said.
PHOTO BY ALEXIA MUNOZ
ADAPTING TO NEW LIFESTYLE. Freshman Anyi Torres works diligently on her notes during the activity period (left) and supports the school spirit by wearing her red sea t-shirt (right).
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANYI TORRES PHOTO COURTESY OF ANYI TORRES
Newcomer program helps Osorto feel comfortable in United States Maria Snell-Feikema Staff Photographer Sophomore Karol Osorto immigrated to the United States from Honduras two years ago. After staying in Texas for a month after her arrival, Osorto moved to Harrisonburg, where she became involved in the Newcomers Program. Though she’s made plenty of friends since then, she said moving to a foreign country was overwhelming at first. “At first when I came, I didn’t know anybody, just maybe one or two friends,” Osorto said. “It was hard because I didn’t speak English and I didn’t know anybody, but I didn’t come alone. The first day I went to school here I was with two other girls and one boy. They’re still in the Newcomer class, but we don’t talk much anymore.” Osorto says the Newcomer program has been of great help in learning English and feeling welcome in the United States. “In [the Newcomer program], you don’t have to be shy. You have to talk and talk. Even if you don’t like to talk, you have to. It’s the most important thing. And if you want to learn English, you have to pay attention,” Osorto said. “The program is good because all of the people here speak English really well, so if you come into a
classroom where nobody speaks Spanish and nobody knows you, everybody looks at you. But in the Newcomers classes, a lot of people speak Spanish, and they help you to better understand what’s happening.” Right away when she arrived from Honduras, Osorto was startled by the many differences in the United States. “Everything surprises me here. In my country, not everyone has a car, and you just don’t see a lot of cars there. Not all of the streets are concrete either, only the main ones. And it’s so pretty here,” Osorto said. One of the most apparent differences for Osorto, however, was the change in atmosphere. “In Honduras, you can’t just walk on the street because someone might take your phone or even kill you. It’s very dangerous there,” Osorto said, “Here you can walk on the street and no one will see you. No one pays attention to what you’re doing. It’s more calm here.” Despite this, Osorto misses Honduras. However, she is enjoying living in the United States. “I miss spending Christmas with my family because we would get together and eat a lot of food and maybe dance or go to the parada [parade]-- but I like the United
PHOTO BY MARIA SNELL-FEIKEMA
SHOWING PRIDE. Sophomore Karol Osorto wears her Red Sea t-shirt to the pep rally after receiving it for free during first period. States,” Osorto said. “The buildings and houses are so different. I love the climate. I love how you can distinguish the spring and summer and the winter, too. In Honduras, it’s just rain in the winter and fall, and then spring and summer are so hot.” Osorto aspires to go to college and become either an architect or a nurse.
PHOTO BY BRIAN ALVARADO
BEYOND SPANISH LANGUAGE. Newcomers work in pairs to finish their vocabulary assignment.
BUS STOPS HERE
March 25, 2016
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The Newsstreak
Francis shares experiences from driving HCPS bus every day Sarah Earle Staff Reporter For bus driver Vickie Francis, driving a bus full of kids requires a little more focus, responsibility and a lot more thinking. “[I’ve been bus driving] for about two years,” Francis said. “[I decided to bus drive] because I have children in the school system and it offered the ability to sync my schedule with theirs, and it had full time benefits. It gives me a break during the day. It’s unlike a full time job, a little bit more flexible.” Francis drives bus 34 for the HCPS. “I get up at 5:30 a.m., clock in at 6:30 a.m., and my first pickup is at 6:50 a.m.. I’m pretty low maintenance. I just throw on some jeans, boots, and go,” Francis said. “I’m not done until 10:15 a.m. and then I can do whatever. I have to clock back in the afternoon at 1:45 pm.. In my route, I get done at about 4:45 p.m. in the evening. I also sign up for field trips and sometimes do those. They
PHOTO BY BRIAN ALVARADO
THE WHEELS ON THE BUS GO ‘ROUND AND ‘ROUND. Students wait for the buses to depart after school to make their daily commute home. would be during the day, in the evenings or weekends.” Francis enjoys the attention the younger students give her, as they get on her bus. “[The thing I like most about bus driving is] the kids, especially the elementary [kids]. They’re so cute. They get on the bus and give me hugs. If they made
PHOTO BY SARAH EARLE
BEHIND THE WHEEL. Bus driver Vickie Francis poses while waiting for students to board the bus.
something silly at school, they’ll give it to me. Sometimes they give me stickers,” Francis said. “I think you need to be good with kids and patient [to become a bus driver]. I have 12 kids of my own, so I’m used to dealing with kids. It wasn’t a real hard leap for me.” Bus driving, for Francis, requires skills that are different from other jobs. “You have to be a lot more alert when you’re driving a bus. If you’re driving a car, people do it all the time and they tend to just do it by route, they don’t think about it. With the bus, you have to. You have to pay attention when the light is changing because it takes a lot longer to stop. You have to be alert to people that are not paying attention…” Francis said. “I’m exhausted when I get home. Even though I’m not doing a lot, my mind has been so active, trying to scan all of the cars and peo-
In the past, bus 39 for Harrisonburg City Public Schools has serviced the the community along Dogwood Avenue, stretching over to Hillandale Park, and the Westover recreation center. The bus has recently taken a new route into the Park Lawn housing. With the students that live along the additional routes and the students going to the rec center, there has been severe overcrowding. The recreational center is a city funded program that allows students from elementary to high school to come and participate in activities like basketball, volleyball, racquetball, pool and table tennis. There is also opportunities to do homework and catch up on school work. On all of the weekdays except Friday, the bus has extra seats with the expected amount of students. On some early release days, the number of students riding the bus has been known to have doubled. There are students who sit three to a seat and even have to sit on the floor. Freshman Nicholas Powell goes to the to Westover recreation center to play basketball after school. “[I have sat on the floor of the bus] maybe four or five times. It’s
time as a bus driver. “I had a small field trip and I drove a couple of handicapped children from one of the local schools to the RMH Wellness Center,” Francis said. “We were unloading one of the children in their wheelchair and I had parked in such a way that evidentally the guy behind me couldn’t get around me. So he tried to get around me, hit the curb, bounced off the curb and hit my bus. We were unloading this child in a wheelchair with a lift and the bus starts shaking. It was awful because that child could have really been hurt. It really scared me.” Outside of the bus, Francis balances taking classes and raising her children. “I just finished a two year degree at Blue Ridge for Business and Administration, and I’m finishing up the last classes I need to go into Eastern Mennonite University and that’ll get
me a 4-year degree,” Francis said. “I do school work for my college classes, pay my bills, take the dog to the vet, take my kids to doctors appointments, sometimes go grocery shopping, or sometimes take myself out to lunch [while school is going on in the day].” Francis likes bus driving because it gives her a feel for the Harrisonburg community. “Part of the reason I enjoy it [bus driving] is because I feel like I am part of the community, part of Harrisonburg. Harrisonburg has families, families have kids, kids need to be educated, I get them to school,” Francis said. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that big of a deal, it’s not like being a teacher. I like being involved with my community, so that’s why I chose to live in Harrisonburg. It’s a small town, but also it has a college, so it’s vibrant, with all the kids and youth.”
City transit provides transportation
After school bus deals with overcrowding Sam Heie Staff Reporter
ple, everything that’s going on, to prevent accidents,” Francis said. Francis favors driving a bus, rather than driving a car. “I mean, I like driving a car, but there’s something different. It’s different driving a bus. Random people wave at you when you’re driving a bus and a lot of times people are real nice and let me go if I’m trying to cross a busy place. Sometimes people are jerks, they run through my red lights. Most of the time, it’s kind of like a special job. It’s not like being a firefighter or police officer, but there is a little extra attention that comes with it. I’m kind of a motorhead and I like big cars and powerful engines, so I like the bus,” Francis said. “I get concerned about the children. Will the car stop before they run out in the road because they’re not paying attention?” Francis remembers a risky incident during her
the worst when there’s a lot of kids going to the rec, mostly on Friday’s, but especially early releases,” Nicholas Powell said. Jabari Powell is a sophomore at HHS. Jabari and Nicholas are brothers. Like his brother, he goes to the rec center to play basketball. “[The bus] is very crowded. There are too many people. Some people are sharing three in a seat, so I sat on the floor,” Jabari Powell said. “Some of the people in the front are caucasian, most of them don’t talk to us so there are Hispanics and blacks in the back together. [The white people] don’t sit on the floor,” Jabari Powell said. Samuel Fletcher is a freshman who attends the Westover recreation center and takes bus 39 on two to three of the school days. “I’ve never sat on the floor. I tend to get there before that, but I have seen people sit on the floor,” Fletcher said. The case of overcrowding on the bus has become problematic. Students sitting on the floor is looked down upon and often enforced by the bus drivers, but right now, there is no other bus servicing the rec center. “I think they should at least set aside another bus to go to the rec besides that one,” Nicholas Powell said.
Anna Rath Staff Reporter There are many reasons for students to stay after school: sports, musical practice, JROTC, and for academic reasons. So can these students still catch the bus to go home? No. By 2:45 p.m. all the regular school buses have already left. Students with access to cars can provide for themselves, but for the students who are unable to drive themselves or get a ride, the transit bus acts as their best option. Assistant principal Mike Eye also acts as the transportation liaison for HHS. “The transit system provides transportation for students outside of the normal school bus runs. It also supports the transportation needs of our ASEP (After School Education Program) students,” Eye said. “The transit buses are well used by our student body.” The first transit bus comes in the morning at approximately 7:10 a.m. and the last stop is at 6:10 p.m. The transit bus comes five minutes after each hour. Riding the transit bus is free of charge
PHOTO BY BRIAN ALVARADO
HELPING HAND. Various high schoolers use the transit bus as their way to get home after school. for city students until after their senior year. For students who ride the transit bus, they need a pass to ride from 6:10 a.m. up until 3:15 p.m. Junior Sarah Jackson rides the transit bus on most days from HHS to get to her to get to her mentorship. “I ride the transit Tuesday through Friday. My mentorship is at Thomas Harrison Middle School [with] the seventh grade special education teacher,” Jackson said. Jackson is yet to get her driver’s license, so she depends on the transit. “I’d rather be able to drive myself to my mentorship because it would be more efficient, but I had a concussion and was not able to drive
while concussed. Once I get my license, I plan to not have to ride the transit anymore,” Jackson said. Freshman Pierre Mbala frequently rides the transit bus after school. “I ride the transit bus to get home usually after I stay after school for academics or a sport, and since track is starting, I’ll have to stay after school every day, so I’ll ride it then,” Mbala said. Pierre Mbala also rode the bus when he attended Skyline Middle School last year. “I like riding the transit bus. It’s usually crowded, but it gets me home, so it’s good. I like when I get my own seat so I can sit down and enjoy the ride home,” Mbala said.
Parnell explains intricacies of daily bus driving process Yogesh Aradhey Staff Reporter When the school day is winding to a close, the parking lot next to the band fields is just warming up. Starting at around 2:30 p.m., empty busses start pulling in, waiting to take a majority of the students back home. Among others in this line is bus driver Debbie Parnell. “There are steps that you have to take before you can drive [a bus],” Parnell said. These are
applicant is competent, and can be trusted with the responsibility of driving a school bus. “There are three tests that you must pass,” Parnell said, “And you take them at different times through the process.” The department of transportation in Harrisonburg is responsible for giving these tests and also the classes. “It’s like driver’s [education],” Parnell said. In addition to learning about how to adapt to the new vehicle, the class also covers other aspects of bus driving. Ap-
plicants are taught about the parts of the bus engine as well as basic preventive maintenance. “Every time you want to get in the driver’s seat [of the bus] you have to do a few things first. [You must] walk around the bus to check for any leaking fuel, fluids, or anything else that could be a problem,” Parnell said. The department is particular about this procedure.
“Even if you just drove earlier that day, before you drive again, you have to do the check,” Parnell said. Just because driving a school bus only requires five hours of work per day, that does not mean that it is always easy. “On Fridays a lot of times kids don’t have after school activities so my bus is packed. It can get difficult to control 60 elementary school kids,” Parnell said, “My biggest safety concern is keeping the kids in their seats and facing
front. Because buses don’t have seat belts, it is really important that the seat ahead is there to stop you from flying down the aisle if I step in the brakes.” Parnell started driving as a way to ease into retirement. After working in management, she felt that the shorter hours helped make a good transition in that direction. Not only does she like a job that is more relaxing than what she did before, but she and all the other drivers play a role in the running of our school.
March 25, 2016
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March 25, 2016
Feature-B5
The Newsstreak
A Collector’s Paradise
Wilson collects rubber duckies from all over world Christa Cole News Editor She’s a swimmer, a governor’s school student, a volleyball player, and also a rubber duck collector. Junior Casey Wilson began her accumulation of the ducks back in elementary school. “We just went to our school carnival and one of the prizes that I had just gotten a lot of was a bunch of rubber ducks and so I just set them on a shelf and it kind of started from there,” Wilson said. Since then, Wilson has acquired over 100 rubber ducks. “Some of them are just gifts but some of them...if my dad would ever go on a business trip, he would look for something to bring back...and whenever we travel somewhere, I would usually try to look for one so they’re kind of like souvenirs,” Wilson said. “Sometimes my parents will get them for my birthday or Christmas. That will be one of the little things.” She does not have a desire for any specific duck,
though. “It’s not like there’s a specific duck day. It’s not like ‘Happy birthday! Ducks, now you get ducks’,” Wilson said. “It’s not like I seek out ducks, like ‘I’m going to get this duck’. There’s not like a duck collectible catalog, not like a porcelain duck.” Some of her ducks hold sentimental value, but some of Wilson’s ducks are random too. “I have a bunch of ducks on keychains that I got out of those things, you know, where you put the quarter in, twist the crank and it comes out. They’re not really the best looking ducks, so if I had to choose a least favorite duck...they’re really small, too,” Wilson said. Wilson collected her most recent ducks around Thanksgiving. “We went to my cousins… and we stayed in a hotel and when we got there they had left just completely randomly they had left ducks sitting in the bathroom so I got them,” Wilson said. Her favorite duck is white with multicolored snowflakes. She does not
PHOTO BY CHRISTA COLE
DUCKS OF ALL TYPES. Over the course of time, Junior Casey Wilson has collected a large number of rubber ducks.
favor this duck because of it’s pattern, though, it’s because of who it came from. The duck was a gift from a friend who was in kindergarten with Wilson in New York and they have tried to keep up their friendship despite Wilson moving to Harrisonburg the summer after first grade. “My friend from New
York, after we moved away, she’d come to visit and she’d see all the ducks I have in my room. She went on a trip somewhere and she found it and sent it back so it’s really special to me because it came from her,” Wilson said. “Recently we lost contact and I’ve been trying to figure out how to get her phone number. We
haven’t talked in a while.” Overall Wilson is neither enthused nor humiliated by her collection. “It’s not something that like I don’t take pride in, but...it’s not something I’m ashamed of,” Wilson said. “It’s one of those things like whenever you go to a camp they’re like, ‘Okay, we’re gonna tell each other our
names and one weird fact.’ That’s my one fact: I collect ducks. So it’s out there for the whole world, but it’s not like if someone were to come into my house it’s not like I’d be like ‘Look at my ducks!’”
Ansah twins collect comic books Faith Runnells Editor in Chief The Ansah twins, juniors Andrew Ansah and Cedric Ansah, began accumulating a comic book collection years ago, and it is now at over 140 volumes. This collection has also led to the brothers bonding, and one of their life-long aspirations. “We received a lot [of our first comics] as gifts. We enjoyed reading them and we thought the pictures were cool to look at. And we were like ‘Maybe we should collect more of these and see how everything continues’... It snowballed from there,” Cedric Ansah said. In the collection’s smaller days, the Ansahs could afford to have piles scattered around, but that method became too chaotic as the collection continued to grow. The Ansahs then had shelves built specifically to hold their collection. When those shelves filled up within one year, the Ansahs weren’t phased. “I guess I have to get more shelves,” Andrew Ansah said. The collection’s main interest has shifted from quicker comics in newspaper strips to bigger,
ongoing stories in graphic novels over the years. Cedric Ansah claims every piece in his collection is his favorite in a different way, because each has a unique reason why he likes it. “Some of the pieces I read in a series are very smart. Some are very fun. Some are just nice to look at… Some can be a bit philosophical. Others, you just need to turn your brain off and enjoy it,” Cedric Ansah said. These graphic novels appeal to the Ansahs not only because of the stories they tell, but also because of the detailed artwork on every page. “Seeing as how my brother and I like to draw every once in awhile, we appreciate that it takes a lot of time and dedication to make these images pop and look nice. From that perspective, we really enjoy [graphic novels],” Cedric Ansah said. Four years ago, these comics inspired Andrew Ansah to begin to create his own comics. He creates comics anytime he can in his free time, and it is now his dream to become a graphic novel designer. “Sometimes when I go back and look at that
first 40-page story I made [in the eighth grade], it’s so cringe-worthy… But that’s a good thing, because [it means] I’ve improved,” Andrew Ansah said. “Come to think of it, I actually drew those characters [in my first story again] last night. That’s crazy. They’re so much better [now].” Cedric Ansah shares this interest with his brother, although he does not plan to take it on as a career like Andrew Ansah. “I took after him [doing graphic novel design] as a hobby a few years ago. I still do it as a hobby… I was very impressed [with his work], and I was like ‘Oh, maybe I’ll get this good if I keep at it,’” Cedric Ansah said. “[But] It’s more of just a fun thing to do once in awhile.” On their free weekends and during the summer, the Ansahs spend time on their collection in the late night. “[When we are up late like that, my drawings] really come to life. That’s when I discovered this is my passion. I love doing these kind of things and I love making these and showing them to Cedric and the rest of my family and making them laugh,” Andrew Ansah said.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CEDRIC AND ANDREW ANSAH
COMICAL AMOUNT OF COMICS. Twin brothers, juniors Cedric and Andrew Ansah, have collected at least 140 comic books over their lifetime. Their appreciation for the art in their collections comes from their love for graphic novel design, as shown in the comic they drew (above left).
Barnes’ owl collection rooted in friendships Nyah Phengsitthy Staff Reporter For anyone who has ever walked into counselor Emily Barnes’ office, it is no question that she collects owls. Barnes’ collection started back in 2013 when she started working here at the school. “I believe my supervisors caught on to the fact that I owned some owl figurines, and they were kind enough to get me an owl wall hanging to put in my office when I started at HHS. From there, it seemed my collection started growing rapidly as people were kind enough to contribute to my collection,” Barnes said. Barnes’ love for owls started back in 2006 by buying keychains with her
best friend. “It kind of came about maybe when I was in college. My best friend and I were shopping one day, and we saw some key chains that we really liked and they had owls,” Barnes said. With most of her collection set in her office at school, many people quickly realized her love for the animal. “When I started working here, some people in the counseling department had noticed that I liked owls and they were so kind enough to give them as gifts,” Barnes said. Counselor Lisa Warren has been working with Barnes for a while now and has given her an owl as a gift before. “Ms. Barnes is not only a great counselor but an awe-
some friend. Ms.Barnes has been extremely supportive of my son Gabriel. Gabriel and I were out at a flea market and found an owl for her,” Warren said. Counselor Rachel Linden has given Barnes an owl as well. “I always think of Ms. Barnes when I see an owl. She is a very wise person, so I think it is very fitting that she collects them,” Linden said. Not only was the counseling department aware of this, but so were many students. “A lot of students have picked up that I enjoy owls, and I’ve been fortunate enough for them to give me some, which is really sweet,” Barnes said. Barnes received her most memorable owl back in the summer of 2014,
when she took a trip to the Bahamas. There, a gentleman doing woodwork had hand carved an owl out of a piece of wood, along with “E.B” carved at the bottom of the owl for her initials. “That kind of experience made that my most memorable experience. It’s not necessarily my favorite though, because I like all of my owls,” Barnes said. Most of the owls in her collection have been gifts from other people. While the bigger part of her collection is spread out all over her office at school, some owls decorate her home, too. “They’re just a really neat kind of animal, especially when people think of the wise owl. I just think it’s such a cool piece to have in such an educational building,” Barnes said.
PHOTO BY NYAH PHENGSITTHY
OWLS. Counselor Emily Barnes holds two owls from her collection. The one on the right was hand carved for her by a man in the Bahamas.
March 25, 2016
Sports-B6
The Newsstreak
Womens varsity rebuilding after losing five seniors David Gamboa-Pena Photography Editor After losing five starting seniors, the girls soccer team is still hoping to re-
peat last season’s record. Meredith Goss is a sophomore and a second year player on the girls varsity soccer team. As a striker or wing, she runs the whole
sideline or helps bring the ball up the field to shoot it. “I think we are going to do pretty well. We lost a lot last year, but we are gaining a lot, too, so that’ll
PHOTO BY DAVID GAMBOA-PENA
FOOTWORK. Freshman right back Abby Campillo brings the ball upfield at the girls varsity soccer team’s first game of the season against Millbrook on March 15. The girls went on to beat the Pioneers 3-0 with two goals from senior Faith Runnells and one from sophomore Alanna Macadam.
help. Five seniors that were all starting so we are trying to fill those slots, but [there are] girls that are filling them, we are going to do really well,” Goss said. Goss hopes for a more eventful and productive season. “Hopefully we do better than last season, and make it past where we did last year,” Goss said. Goss hopes to score more and help out the team, as well as improve on her own skills. After losing a center midfielder last year, Sophia Hartman has been tasked with filling that midfielder position. “It’s a lot of running, but basically you feed the ball to the forwards. You’re the connecting element from the defense to the offense,” Hartman said. The fifth year soccer player for the HHS program also played volleyball in the fall and uses similar skill sets. “I think you need to be athletic and I think you need to be quick. You need to be able think quickly and visualize the game. If you’re not in it, everyone needs to be involved,” Hartman said. Freshman Abby Campil-
lo is playing on the varsity team for the first time at right defender. “Usually not everyone gets to play the position they want to, but at the scrimmage [March 7] they put me at right defense. Basically you watch for the midfielders and forwards coming down the line and not let them get across,” Campillo said. Campillo is stepping into a role on the team that was once filled by a senior. She doesn’t feel pressure put on her by others, only by herself. “The seniors now are really good about directing all the freshman and the new players about where they need to be positioned, so that’s really helpful. I mean you always just want to do your best, but I don’t think anyone puts more pressure on me than myself,” Campillo said. Campillo hopes to build good teamwork and improve on her own skills during the season. “As a team we all try to communicate and work together. Individually I’d like to work on my touch and improve my footwork,” Campillo said. For Campillo, soccer season is opening doors to
new relationships that she hasn’t had before. “I’m looking forward to getting to know more people because I only know a small group of people well,” Campillo said. Like Goss, Hartman also shows interest over the change in team composition “Looking at the girls we have, we lost a lot of key players last year, so my expectations would be people being able to step into the positions that need to be filled and being able to execute what needs to be executed,” Hartman said. Hartman wants to make it far into the postseason, but expects it to be a rebuilding year because of the amount of players that have left and the younger players that have joined. “I think I would like the team to be able to connect with each other and have some sort of build where we can work together,” Hartman said. Hartman is playing at EMU next year and wants to improve in any way to increase her skill level. It will be her first time taking on an attacking midfielder and is most likely to play that next year and is looking to be able to prepare for that.
Yoder, Denton preparing for tough tennis season Joshua Lichti Staff Reporter
PHOTO BY THEODORE YODER
MATCH POINT. Freshman Tobias Yoder serves a ball during practice in preparation for upcoming matches.
Outdoor track looks to mirror indoor season Yogesh Aradhey Staff Reporter After an indoor track season that included a trip to states and a new school record, track coaches Jerry Hertzler and Tricia Comfort are preparing for the outdoor track season set to start on March 7. Assisted by the hall monitor Jamie Williams and Megan Mlinarchik, a teacher at Waterman Elementary School, the season will last the rest of the year and states will be held the weekend school ends. “This year, indoor track was different from past years because we did not have as many returning distance runners,” Comfort said. “The distance runners especially had a really small group.” Freshman Evan Wood, is among the new runners and will be experiencing outdoor track for the first time. “This is going to be my first high school outdoor season. I am just trying to improve, really, I want to get to my brother and sister. They both ran track and so I am kind of following in their footsteps,” Wood said. His brother Nathan
Wood, graduated last year after running an impressive 12 seasons in high school and over 200 races. His sister also ran track and cross country before graduating. “They really liked to get out there and run. I don’t remember their times really, though, because back then, I did not pay much attention to their running, their running to me was just getting dragged to meets to watch them,” Wood said. Now, Wood is compelled to live up to his family’s tradition of running and will focus on certain events to improve in. “I will be focusing on the 3200 and the 1600,” Wood said, but that is not the only thing that track is about for him. Aside from running and the family’s involvement, track has another meaning to Wood. “[I am most excited for] hanging out with the team, that is probably the best part. It is a way to bond with everybody, we are all there to run and when we have down time you can talk to people and get to know them,” Wood said, “The friends I make there are great people brought together by a great sport.”
The boys and girls tennis teams began practice in early March. Both teams practices were in preparation for the first match on March 15. This will be freshman Tobias Yoder’s second year of practices as he was on the team his eighth grade year as well. His first year was when he practiced with the team last year, as an eighth grader. “First, we run a couple laps around the tennis court and then we hit back to each other for a little while to warm-up. Then coach tells us to hit with different people or we have practice games or practice our serves,” Yoder said. Freshman Weston Hatfield is on the team with Yoder. He describes his experience in practices. “[There is] a lot of playing. We don’t take many breaks,” Hatfield said. Junior Jessica Denton is a member of the girls tennis team. She has been on the team all three years of her high school career. “I like it because it’s a very individualized sport, just you on the court with the other girl. It’s very strategic so there’s a lot of thinking involved when you get to the higher levels,” Denton said. Yoder’s family played a role in his interest in the sport as his father played and his brother, sophomore Theodore Yoder, also plays. “My dad had played in high school and he suggested it to me and we just started playing together,” Yoder said.
According to Yoder, the matches begin with the top six players on each team facing off in singles, and then three doubles sets. A set is decided by the first to eight games, and each set counts as one point for the team. The team that has the most of nine possible points wins the match. Denton explains the matches. “They’re intense depending on who we’re playing. If it’s a school that’s not that great, it’s a little more laid back, but if it’s a serious opponent then they’re definitely intense,” Denton said. Denton is also a member of the volleyball team and JROTC raider team. She thinks that tennis and volleyball are similar sports. “Volleyball and tennis coincide in a lot of ways,” Denton said. Yoder has been playing tennis since sixth grade, but one moment stands out for him as the best memory. “Last year, playing someone I thought I wouldn’t beat and I ended up beating them,” Yoder said. Denton has a high point in her tennis career as well. “Last year my doubles partner and I were conference champions,” Denton said. Her doubles partner is senior Lettie Rose. “I’ve known her for a few years before coming to this school. We were on the same travel volleyball team together and then we were on volleyball team at this school, so maybe there’s some compatibility there just because we knew each other for a while,” Denton said. Her goal for this year is simple. “Make it farther than last year,” Denton said.
Softball ribbons represent team unity Olivia Comer Online Managing Editor
PHOTO BY OLIVIA COMER
UNITY. Sophomore varsity catcher Constance Komara decorates her bag with every ribbon she has collected in her high school career with the team. Throughout freshman and sophomore year she has collected a total of 10 ribbons to represent her team. “It is really important because it shows that we are unified as a team,” Komara said.“ I think that is the best part about our team, we just have a lot of fun with anything that we do together.” Komara plans to continue the team tradition through the rest of her high school career.
Starting at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, March 6, the varsity softball team played their first, and only, home scrimmage. The team faced the Bulldogs of Luray High School as a practice round before moving up to play 4A teams just a week later in the regular season. Last year’s softball season, the team played a scrimmage against Luray towards the beginning of the season, leaving the team with a slight disadvantage as to what to expect when playing them in the current season. Nevertheless, the softball players went in with strong confidence this year. According to sophomore Constance Komara, the team is prepped and ready for games to come as far as their team dynamic goes. “We all get along and we’re all pretty good friends. We kind of hang out outside of softball, which is cool because we’re all pretty tight. I think it really helps the team come together as a whole when we play,” Komara said. Even though team bonding occurs off of the field, there are traditions that the team does as a whole every season to provide a look of unity when they step out to play. “Everyone on the team gives the seniors $5 and the seniors go out together and buy [ribbons] before every game,” Komara said. Every player gets the same type of ribbon and by the end of the season, their bag handle has an entire patch of colorful tassels that remain there throughout the rest of the season. Senior Nina Bradley participates in this tradition and feels that the ribbons help the players to feel more like a team. “It makes us feel more together because everyone has the same stuff on, even though we already have the same uniform on, we have the ribbons too so it’s just cooler,” Bradley said. The team’s record last year did not come out as the team wished, but even in light of their record, captains never ceased to deliver their pre-game pump up speeches. Komara hopes that their enthusiasm will lead them on a crusade to better scores right off the bat. “Before every game, we talk about our game strategy and how we’re going to do, but it’s not really game strategy it’s more like, we got this,” Komara said.
March 25, 2016
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The Newsstreak
Medley commits to play football at JMU Austin Swift Editor-in-Chief After four years of romping around the HHS football field, senior Devin Medley’s skills have become sought after at the college level. Scouted by James Madison University, Virginia Military Institute, University of Richmond and other smaller schools, Medley committed to JMU on national signing day on Feb. 3. “I was born here, so I’ve been here all my life and it’s nothing really that new. [I] just bleed purple,” Medley said. “Just in general, JMU has a nice campus. I want to be a business major and their business program is good. They have a good football team [too], I like that.” The scouting process didn’t fail to please Medley. “They treat you like a king. I went over [to schools] when I was visiting and they feed you so much, it’s ridiculous. They just try to make you feel at home,” Medley said. Making the decision required careful consideration and consultation from many people close to him. Ultimately the signing day deadline rushed Medley’s decision. “I talked from pretty much everybody in my family to my close friends, just everybody. I had to think about all the benefits I had from each school, so it was a long process,” Medley said. “I didn’t really even get [much time to think about what] to choose; I literally chose at the last second because I was forced to choose because the deadline was coming up.” Medley listened to multiple outside perspectives and opinions, as well as his own, before committing. “My mom and dad [were most influential], probably because they’re the ones I have to do it for,” Medley said. “Your friends will have a say and you’ll usual-
ly want to do what they say too, and that
only a certain amount of people can make PHOTO BY ELLIE PLASS
WORK PAYS OFF. Seniors Devin Medley and Luis Pinedo formally commit to their colleges they will be attending for the upcoming years. Medley will play at James Madison University and Pinedo at Emory and Henry College. ended up happening fortunately. And I had to do what I wanted to do.” JMU’s interest in Medley attests to his skill. “[JMU’s scouting] is really competitive,
it that far. I didn’t get recruited by them until one of the last couple weeks of the recruiting process, I was one of the very last ones. So it’s pretty crazy how competitive it is,” Medley said.
Medley’s mind for the game and athleticism is what attracted interest. “[JMU] recruited me for linebacker and VMI was recruiting me for running back,” Medley said. “A scout told me when he watched my film that I have a high motor, so usually when people would quit on plays, and by quit I mean they see that the play might be ending soon so they would start to jog a little bit, he said I never really give up, I always run to the ball, always sprinting around.” Now that he has committed, the next step for Medley is to work towards the fitness level required in college. “I just have to start training, working out a lot and [then] they want me. I’m going to be running track so that will help me,” Medley said. “From there, eating and preparing myself and getting accustomed to what I’ll be doing [at JMU].” Medley will have additional responsibilities with the school as he gets closer to joining their camp. “I haven’t practiced with them yet, but they said here in the summer they’re going to give me a workout for me to do. That’s all I really get until I go [to preseason], but I’m not sure when I’m going there yet,” Medley said. Medley is confident he will be able to keep up with and outperform other players there, but is otherwise unsure of what to expect. “I have no idea what’s going to happen. I’m just expecting there to be a lot of competition. I mean, everybody’s in the same boat as me, you get there and everybody’s at the same level as me, nobody’s better than anyone else, you just have to work for you position,” Medley said. “I believe I’ll be able to work harder than a lot of those guys, but I don’t know what will happen, that’s all the coach’s decision.”
Pinedo signs with Emory and Henry for football Noah Siderhurst Op/Ed Editor Rewarding. That’s the word that senior Luis Pinedo used to describe his time at HHS after recently being recruited to play football at Emory and Henry College in Southwest Virginia. “I’ve learned a lot of life lessons here. A lot of teachers have taught me a lot,” Pinedo said. Getting recruited to play college football is a once in a lifetime opportunity. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), only 6.5 percent of high school football players go on to play in college, and for that 6.5 percent, it is not an automatic process. For Pinedo, it involved choosing from several different schools, including Shenandoah University, Bridgewater College, and, of course, Emory and Henry. “I really liked Emory and Henry. I liked the campus. They stayed on top of me the most. They talked to me the most and they showed me the most interest. They gave me a good scholarship, too,” Pinedo said. Pinedo also thinks that college is a new opportunity to explore what he real-
ly likes. He is planning to study Pre-Med in college and eventually go to medical school after college. What he is really looking forward to the most is much simpler, however. “Really I’m looking forward to just going to college, being on my own, just out of my mom’s house. I’m looking forward to studying what I want my career to be,” Pinedo said. Pinedo sees HHS as very important to his life thus far, especially because of his impact as part of the football team. Over his past four years, his leadership and fun-loving nature have pushed the team to do better. Head varsity football coach Chris Thurman especially appreciated his love of football as a sport. “[He is] a hard worker, somebody who really enjoyed football. I mean he had a passion for playing and it was fun to coach him,” Thurman said. “I just think [that he is] somebody who really enjoys football and sometimes that’s infectious.” Not only has Pinedo grown as a player and helped the varsity football team reach new heights, but he has also improved off the field as a student. Assistant principal Michael Eye was one of the people who has helped Pinedo grow. Although there were ups and
downs, Eye thinks that Pinedo has improved a lot academically. “There have been bumps in the road, but he has not allowed those bumps to just drag him down, he has been willing to discuss, willing to resolve things to move forward,” Eye said. One of the bumps that Pinedo is still struggling with is procrastination. “I procrastinated a little bit in high school, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten a little better with it. That’s probably going to be the worst thing for me in college: procrastination,” Pinedo said. Both Eye and senior Pepe Gonzalez, a friend and teammate of Pinedo, think that his lack of focus is his biggest weakness. They also agree that football is a way for Pinedo to work on his focus and attaining his goals. “One of the things that football can help him with is it’s going to keep him focused in school as well as on the field,” Gonzalez said. Other than that, Gonzalez thinks that Pinedo is a strong and motivated leader. “He is always trying to motivate his teammates to do better not only on the field but in life as well,” Gonzalez said. Eye thinks that football also helps Pinedo to learn the importance of working
with others. “I think [football] helps develop that esprit de corps (a sense of unity and of common interests and responsibilities). In our world now it’s just not very often where you can be totally successful on your own, and being on the football team helps you to learn that you are stronger as a team than you are as an individual,” Eye said. Although football has been a large part of Pinedo’s life thus far and taught him many good skills, he does not see it as a career option for himself. After college he aspires to go to medical school to become a doctor. Thurman, Eye, and Gonzalez all think that Pinedo can make it to medical school based on his “stamina,” as Eye put it, and his talent as a leader. It is this talent along with his natural likeability that will be most missed. “That laugh, that smile, the ability of him to get everybody going. I’ll miss that,” Thurman said. Pinedo summed up high school time as gratifying and rewarding, but now he is looking towards what comes next. “It’s been a pleasure being at HHS, I enjoyed it. Now I’m looking forward to my future,” Pinedo said.
Hartman moving to next level of soccer at EMU Carrie Yoder Op/Ed Editor Senior Sophia Hartman is moving up on the field as well as in academics. The senior will be a part of the EMU Girls Soccer team next. “I have known the coach at EMU for several years and he recently became the new woman’s head coach. When he was recruiting me, I had originally not planned to play, but it’s a smaller commitment and I can still manage [soccer] at a smaller school with my school work and what I want to do,” Hartman said. Hartman is attending EMU because it runs in the family and it has her interests. Hartman plans on double majoring in psychology and peacebuilding. “I had five mennonite college [choices] in the states and EMU is the best, [in the sense of financial] scholarships wise, that has helped a lot, but it also has my interests,” Hartman said. “The peacebuilding aspect of it is not offered at many schools so I thought that was kind of neat to be able to incorporate that into what I want to do.” Hartman is a bit concerned, though mostly excited for the season. “I think I’m a little nervous [about] how to manage time because it’s a whole new adjustment in the first place, then incorporating soccer right off the bat while not being able to just ease into it like I usually do during the school year [will be hard], since it’s a fall season and not a spring season at EMU. That’ll be different, but I‘m really excited to be able to meet new people and make new connections and play at a higher level of competition,” Hartman said. Amy Cerelli has been Hartman’s coach since her freshman year.
“I think she will do great. She’s a talented player. She has a really great engine and everyone can improve, so there’s certainly room for any improvement, but she’s on the right path. She’s got a great attitude, and she’s a very good teammate,” Cerelli said. Hartman isn’t really sure what to expect when the fall soccer season comes around. “I’ve met some of the girls on the team, but I haven’t seen them play before so I’m hoping for good team comradery and just being able to rebuild the team and the organization that they have,” Hartman said. “But I can’t say I know what I’m expecting till the pre-season comes around and we go and start kicking around with the other girls.” Hannah Durden is an alum from HHS and previously played soccer with Hartman. “She’s intelligent and quick on the ball, which is necessary for college soccer,” Durden said. EMU’s soccer season is in the fall unlike most colleges and all athletes move in a week early for pre-season. “There is a lot of pre-season training so our coach will give us a workout packet of different things and if you want to be in good shape going into it, you have to do what you need to do when you’re supposed to do it. So hopefully we can get some of the local girls to work out together,” Hartman said. Hartman’s coach has enjoyed coaching Hartman throughout the years. “She’s been a pleasure to coach, a very good team member, always talking to the new girls on the team and helping them. She’s always picking us up when she’s on the field and she’s a natural leader,” Cerelli said. Durden has also enjoyed playing along-
PHOTO BY DAVID GAMBOA-PENA
GOOAAALLL!! Senior Sophia Hartman passes the ball during the varsity girls soccer match against Millbrook on Tuesday, March 15. Hartman led the Streaks to a 3-0 victory over the Pioneers. side Hartman. “She was a good teammate because she is calm when she needed to be and settled the team down in tight situations,” Durden said. Hartman started playing soccer in Kansas for an indoor soccer league when she
was younger. “I was five when we moved here [and] there was Shenandoah Valley United rec league and I started with that and as I kept playing we started getting involved in the academy and travel and that just kind of just made me love it,” Hartman said.
March 25, 2016
Sports-B8
The Newsstreak
Trio of newcomers join baseball team Owen Stewart Sports Editor Roster turnover and new players are big parts of the game of baseball, and the HHS baseball team is full of both this season. After losing seven seniors and one early graduating junior from last season’s team, both the JV and varsity rosters will be dramatically different for the upcoming season, and new players have joined the JV team to gain a year of experience to potentially find a new spot on the varsity team next season. One of those players is freshman infielder and pitcher Carlos Del Rio. As an eighth grader, Del Rio was unable to fit baseball into his schedule, but this spring, he is coming out full force. “[Last season] I was working, and I also wasn’t as passionate about the game as I am now. This season, I’m ready to work hard and be a part of the team,” Del Rio said. While it is Del Rio’s first season playing for the high school, it isn’t his first goaround as part of a competitively playing team. For three seasons, Del Rio was part of Harrisonburg Little League, and during his second season, he achieved an always-sought-after feat for baseball players. “[My best moment] was definitely hitting my first home run [when I was 12] against New Market,” Del Rio said. With the field growing in size after that season, Del Rio hasn’t yet replicated his first homer, but would like to work on getting to that point again throughout this season. “I’m all about [improving] my batting. I’d like to make a little bit more contact and gain a little bit more strength,” Del Rio said. Another ballplayer with previous experience outside of HHS is sophomore mid-
dle infielder Tim Fiske. Fiske last played baseball in sixth grade, but decided to come back to the game this season. “I haven’t played in a while, and I thought it would be fun to play again this year,” Fiske said. Like Del Rio, Fiske played Harrisonburg Little League, and was a part of the 9-10-year-old All-Star team during that time. He lists it as a highlight of his career. “[My best baseball moment] would be playing for the Harrisonburg All-Star team and beating Bridgewater,” Fiske said. Even with the time off, Fiske is hoping to hit the ground running this year, and keep on improving his game, especially offensively. “I’d like to get better overall and gain experience. I’d like to improve my hitting and just make better contact with the ball,” Fiske said. Fiske hopes that the experience he gains this season will help him in the future as well. “Hopefully I’ll have plans for baseball in the future. It’s really fun to play, because it’s laid back and cool at the same time,” Fiske said. Sophomore second baseman/outfielder Jeison Rodriguez is a third JV player in his first season in the HHS program. Coming from the Dominican Republic, Rodriguez passed up baseball in his freshman year to play AAU basketball, but tried out this season because of his passion for the game. “I decided to play this season mostly because I just love baseball,” Rodriguez said. As an infielder, Rodriguez hopes to hone his skills both in the field and at the plate this season. “I’d like to improve my overall batting, but also my skill at second base,” Rodriguez said. Del Rio, Fiske, and Rodriguez will all battle for playing time as the season gets underway. The team’s regular season began March 15 against Millbrook.
PHOTO BY OWEN STEWART
BACK AT IT. Sophomore Tim Fiske warms up his arm during a JV baseball practice. Fiske, Jeison Rodriguez and Carlos Del Rio are among the newcomers to the JV team this season, which features seven newcomers in total.
Andrawas becomes new goalie for girls soccer team Alissa Burnette Staff Reporter Sophomore Lene Andrawas is a new addition to the girls varsity soccer team, joining this year for her first season on the HHS team. “Last year I watched the JV play, and I was like ‘oh wow I really miss this sport and I want to
UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS BASEBALL JV
3/26- vs Amherst 1:00 3/29- vs TA 6:00 4/5- @ Fort Def. 5:30
Varsity
3/26- vs Amherst 3:30 3/29- @ TA 7:00 4/5- vs Fort Def. 6:00
SOFTBALL JV
3/26- vs Amherst 1:00 3/29- @ TA 5:30 4/5- @ Fort Def. 5:30
Varsity
3/26- vs Amherst 3:00 3/29- vs TA 5:30 4/5- vs Fort Def. 5:30
BOYS TENNIS
3/29- @ TA 4:30 4/5- vs Fort Def. 5:30 4/8- @ Broadway 4:30
GIRLS TENNIS
3/29- vs TA 4:30 4/5- @ Fort Def. 5:30 4/8- vs Broadway 4:30
BOYS SOCCER JV
3/29- @ TA 5:30 4/5- vs Fort Def. 5:30 4/8- @ Broadway 6:00
Varsity
3/29- @ TA 7:15 4/5- vs Fort Def. 7:15 4/8- @ Broadway 7:30
GIRLS SOCCER JV
3/29- vs TA 5:30 4/5- @ Fort Def. 5:30 4/8- vs Broadway 6:00
Varsity
3/29- vs TA 7:15 4/5- @ Fort Def. 7:15 4/8- vs Broadway 7:30
O U T D O O R TRACK District Mini Meet- 4/6 @ Waynesboro HS Varsity Invitational- 4/9 @ John Handley HS District Mini Meet- 4/13 @ Spotswood HS
come out and try it,” Andrawas said. This is Andrawas’ first time playing on a soccer team since third grade. “I was kind of nervous to try out last year, so I didn’t try out, but this year I had friends to help me practice and get ready for this season,” Andrawas said. With help and support from
friends, Andrawas successfully made it onto the varsity team. “My favorite part about being on the team is just getting to know my teammates better and playing with them,” Andrawas said. “My teammates are fun, energetic, and funny.” According to Andrawas, teammates working together are an essential part of a successful team.
“We need everybody on the team to be successful, it can’t be one person leading the team it has to be everybody,” Andrawas said. Andrawas enjoys the aspect of being involved in a school sport. “You get to be more involved after school and have something to do,” Andrawas said. “But, the hardest part about balancing soc-
cer and school is trying to find the time after practice to do the work and staying up late.” Nonetheless, Andrawas plans to continue playing soccer on the HHS team for her remaining years. “I just like being able to play as a goalie after seven years of not playing,” Andrawas said.
Passion for track pushes Comfort into coaching Angel Hendrix Feature Editor Track coach Tricia Comfort has been running ever since she was in middle school. She has been coaching for five years total, three at Thomas Harrison Middle School, and two at HHS. She saw how successful her sisters were in track and became inspired by them. “I just fell in love with it. I couldn’t stop. It feels so good [to cross the finish line], it's such an accomplished feeling to know that you’ve pushed your body to such extreme moments, so it’s just a really exciting feeling to know that you finished your race and did the best you could,” Comfort said. Her biggest accomplishment was being placed on the All-
Time HHS top five list for the two mile and thousand events, which still stand today. Even though running had become a big part of her life, going professional was never a goal for Comfort in high school. “As I continued my running career through high school I kind of started to get burnt out because I ran every season, every year so sometimes I wish I would’ve continued on and run in college, but at the time that wasn’t something that I wanted to do,” Comfort said. Running wasn’t always easy. There were times where she became discouraged and didn't want to continue because Comfort constantly had problems with her hip in high school which hindered her performance at times. These times were the
worst during her senior year. However she combatted the problem by visiting the trainer often and using the water pool. “They were so painful and it was like ‘why do I do this to myself?’, but I had really good coaches who helped me stick to it and helped me get better,” Comfort said. Comfort constantly motivates the runners she coaches when they become discouraged. “I just remind them that even though the workout or exercise we’re doing at the moment might hurt, it might not be very fun, [but] it’ll pay off and that when they’re racing I can really see their hard work paying off and I think they can see that as well, so I always encourage them to put their best into everything,” Comfort said.
PHOTO BY ANGEL HENDRIX
KEEP ON GOING. Track coach Tricia Comfort is in her fifth year coaching the sport. She ran in high school, but has transitioned to coaching.
Fornadel picks up tennis experience Athlete finds similarities between tennis and her fall love, volleyball Olivia Comer Online Managing Editor At the varsity tennis level, only those who are in high school are permitted a competing spot on the team, but this rule does not stop eighth graders from practicing to play in matches for next year’s season. Suzanne Fornadel is an eighth grader currently attending Thomas Harrison Middle School, but for the second season this year, she has decided to play a sport at the high school level. In the fall, Fornadel played as a setter for the junior varsity volleyball team, taking a bus from the middle school to practice every day. However, as a spring tennis athlete, Fornadel will only be participating this season to practice for the next, but her coach, Lawson Yoder, has hope for her next year. “She's just starting, so we’ve only been outside a few times but everything I’ve seen so far shows that she is a great athlete with a willing attitude and I’m glad to have her on the team,” Yoder said. Fornadel is neither a first generation volleyball player nor tennis player. Her older sister Victoria Fornadel was a setter for HHS when she played, and Fornadel’s mother was the inspirational tennis alumni that guided Fornadel to that sport. “I didn’t really have to be convinced to try out. My mom kind of advised me to; she thought it would be a good idea because she
played through high school. I’ve played at the country club some, but that’s about it,” Fornadel said. As for her volleyball career, Fornadel finds that the two sports tend to be complimentary. “I think I find that tennis and volleyball are kind of the same, especially the serve and up at the front when you hit it straight down. I find myself not swinging all the way through for tennis like I would for volleyball,” Fornadel said. Yoder has found that a decent amount of his players are also fall volleyball athletes. On the team now there are five, and three of those five are the highest ranking players on the team. “I think that volleyball and tennis are good complimentary sports because they have some of the same body movements. It’s not a surprise that some of our girls play volleyball, the sports lend themselves to each other,” Yoder said. Even though they can’t compete officially yet, coach Yoder still recommends that eighth grade athletes interested in tennis try out so that they can get established with the team and the sport before jumping right in. “It is excellent that they show an interest in tennis this year. Eighth graders can not participate in varsity matches like a suited position, but they can be with us in practices and home matches and such throughout the year so it’s great to have them,” Yoder said.
PHOTO BY OLIVIA COMER
TOSS IT UP. Eighth grader Suzanne Fornadel prepares to serve during a tennis practice. Being an eighth grader, Fornadel isn’t allowed to compete in matches, but is allowed to practice with the team. Fornadel also participates in volleyball at the high school.
March 25, 2016
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The Newsstreak
March 25, 2016
Sports-B10
Freshman snags spot on varsity soccer squad
Lucie Rutherford Sports Editor
In the history of Paul Rath’s coaching of the boys’ soccer team, this being his eighteenth year, he has only seen three freshman take a varsity spot during tryouts. This year marks a fourth. Out of 130 hopefuls, freshman Eric Ramirez worked his way through tryouts to become a part of the 22-member varsity squad. “I started when I was a little kid, like five years old,” Ramirez said. “I used to play in the program called [Shenandoah Valley United]. I used to always be the best player on the team and I wanted another challenge, so I kept playing for older leagues. I got better and better, and I came here.” Rath and the other coaches got their first glimpse of Ramirez when he was in eighth grade and hoped to see him back the next year, and what they got was a player with much more experience than their normal player. “Eric’s skill on the ball and actual speed with the ball sets him apart from everybody else. His footwork is phenomenal for his age level and we really wanted to see if he could keep up with his speed while playing with the varsity guys, and he can,” Rath said. “We saw a little bit of that last year during training sessions… so we thought that this year we would try him up. And it worked. He plays really well on the field and with a lot of the guys because they all play together outside of school.”
Practicing with the older players was a big influence on Ramirez’s varsity spot, both with skill and aggressiveness. “As a ninth grader, I started playing with a lot of varsity guys, so they just recommended me to tryout for varsity, so I did,” Ramirez said. “And I know how to play really well with them, so that’s another thing that gave me an advantage to make the soccer team.” On top of working with older players, participating in JROTC and going to the gym every day after school have helped him stand out physically. Though Ramirez is one of the smaller players on the team, he makes up for it through other skills, on and off the field. “His ability to play at speed is what sets him apart,” Rath said. “He doesn’t have big physical size so he needed to have speed, and that’s what he did. And he tries really hard. He has a great work ethic for conditioning, for tryouts, very good attitude and that’s also a lot of what we look at.” For Ramirez, it is a great achievement and honor to be a part of the varsity squad as a freshman. Though when it comes to game time, he understands what that means and what his goals are. “I really don’t care about playing time right now,” Ramirez said. “I actually want to [be a starter] sophomore year and this year I really want to get better and get more experience on varsity.” Even though there isn’t a starting position this year for Ramirez, Rath does not
PHOTO BY BRIAN ALVARADO
PLAYING UP. Freshman Eric Ramirez, one of the few freshmen to ever make the boys varsity soccer team, kicks the ball during indoor practice as fellow teammates look on. Tryouts were held from Feb. 22-26, and only one sixth of the athletes made varsity. put people on the team who won’t see playing time. “We looked at our lineups and right now he’s not going to be on the first team or starting right away, but what he will have is a first team off the bench role,” Rath said. “So he’ll be one of the first subs that goes on. If he wasn’t going to be one of the first subs, he wouldn’t have made the team.”
Position wise, Ramirez’s role on the field is still unsure. “We have him slotted for three different positions that we want to try him at during the scrimmages, then we’ll see where we can place him finally,” Rath said. Ramirez’s first opportunity to take the HHS varsity field was during the team’s first scrimmage on March 8 against Western Albemarle.
What motivates you to play soccer? Gonzalez reflects on past three years Roberto Gonzalez (11)
“My parents... Them watching me from the stands is what motivatess me to play my best every game. Also, my love for the sport and the hype I get as soon as I step on the field, it’s unexplainable.”
Kaywan Hameed (12)
“The feeling you get when you’re with your teammates and you know that you have a bond even greater than brothers because you are willing to sacrifice anything for them.”
What is the hardest conditioning you’ve had to do for soccer? Treyvon Medley-Green (12)
Alexia Munoz Staff Reporter
Senior Jose ‘Pepe’ Gonzalez has been scoring goals for the soccer team ever since he was a freshman. Being on the team for four years gave Gonzalez a chance to meet new people and become a stronger leader. “There are some benefits [from being on the team for so long],” Gonzalez said. “One of them is that you naturally become a leader because there are some things you know that younger guys don’t, so you can teach them and motivate them to do better.” For Gonzalez, continuously playing soccer isn’t just a physical benefit, but an academic benefit as well. Sports keep Gonzalez focused on his schoolwork in order to keep his grades high. “[I’ve stayed on the team for four years] because I always like to be doing a sport while I’m in school. It keeps me active and focused on my grades as well,” Gonzalez said. Gonzalez learned a lot of valuable tips from his two different coaches throughout the years. He advises younger students who are just as passionate about soccer as he is to work hard on the team. “I’ve learned that it’s not really about how good one single player is, but it’s
more about how good you can play as a team and communicate with your teammates,” Gonzalez said. “My advice to [younger athletes] is to work really hard and never skip practice.” One of Gonzalez’s most rewarding memories was when he scored the winning goal at a regional game. “[The game was] to pass to the next round and the score was 2-2 in overtime, and within about three minutes left in the clock, I scored the winning goal,” Gonzalez said. Despite never thinking about quitting the team, Gonzalez has also had to play some grueling matches in his high school career. “The hardest game I’ve played was against Charlottesville. We were tied the whole game and when there was about five minutes left, they scored and won the Conference Championship,” Gonzalez said. Because this is his final year, leaving his teammates and coaches after four years won’t be easy; they have become family. “I feel happy [about leaving], but a little sad at the same time,” Gonzalez said. “I’m glad that I got to play for the school because I learned a lot from my coaches and met guys that are like family now, but I’ll be a little sad as well because I’m not playing soccer anymore after I graduate.”
“Probably congressional workouts. We do a lot of hurdles, running and sprints for 30 minutes. Then we’ll do a cool down before we start our actual practice.”
Liam McGehee (10)
“One day, we sprinted for an hour and a half the whole practice because we were goofing around. Another time, we ran around a field non-stop doing hurdles for about an hour. That was pretty hard.” INFOGRAPHIC BY EMILY THURMAN
PHOTO BY BRIAN ALVARADO
GETTING READY. Senior starter Pepe Gonzalez works on his skills before the team’s first game against Western Albemarle. This will be Gonzalez’s fourth year playing soccer for HHS and he does not plan on continuing the sport after graduation. The team ended their first game with a 3-1 victory in overtime.
Students work beyond the field Doug Ritcher Staff Reporter
PHOTO BY BRIAN ALVARADO
STRETCH IT OUT. Junior goalie Toby Campbell (left) and senior left back Jesus Mercado warm up before practice on March 11, one of the first outdoor practices of the season. Because of the weather, many early-season practices were held indoors.
Off the soccer pitch, several students have jobs on the team. Junior Andrew Rath finds himself in the role of videographer. “I record all the game films and take pictures,” Andrew Rath said. Andrew is the son of coach Paul Rath and volunteered for the position last year, interested in the concept of videography. “I’m taking a mentorship this year at JMU for videography [with] Mike Miriello,” Andrew Rath said. From this mentorship, he has learned tips and tasks for better footage of the soccer team. “[You have to focus on] contrast, exposure and shutter speed. You don’t want [the camera] to be swinging back and forth a lot. You want it be steady. [You want] wide angles of the field so you can see how the team functions,” Andrew Rath said. When he’s not filming, Andrew still helps his father out during practices.
“I’ll answer [players’] questions and help set up the field,” Andrew Rath said. Junior Zoey Fox and Paul Rath’s daughter, freshman Anna Rath, have the job of keeping track of individual statistics. “[I’m the] scorekeeper,” Fox said. “I only go to the games and keep track of who scores goals, who assists, accuracy, how many shots on goal, yellow cards and red cards, and for goalies, I keep track of their saves. Fox was offered the job from Paul Rath after impressing him in class. “I was in [Paul] Rath’s class for P.E. Sometimes he needed me to put numbers in his computer or stuff like that [so] he asked me to be scorekeeper,” Fox said Though not on the field, Fox has since found an interest in soccer and has gotten to know the team. “I watched the world cup a few years ago and got into it. I don’t follow professional soccer, but it’s my favorite sport to watch,” Fox said. “I stay on the sidelines, but I get to learn what position everyone plays and memorize their number.”
March 25, 2016
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March 25, 2016
Humans of HHS-B12
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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
Senior Brian Baber
“I think inequality is upsetting...seeing that some people don’t have the same opportunities as others. I think it’s unfair... [We could fix it] by opening horizons, being more open-minded about things, trying to include people [and] giving other people the same opportunities that we have... I try to be open-minded as much as I can, as much as I guess an American can be.”
Senior Yordanos Tewolde
“What was your happiest moment?”
“Maybe when I first moved to America. I was seven. I had McDonald’s for the first time, and I fell in love with their food. It’s hard to remember all of it, but when I was leaving, I remember my family took us to the airport, and they were all crying. I don’t remember being in the plane, but we went to New York, and it was big and really dirty, so it was a really big culture shock. When we got to Virginia, we went to McDonald’s for the first time, and I really remember loving the food.”
Senior Kelly Rodriguez
“My happy place is when I go swimming. I really love swimming. When I swim, I can just think about swimming. When I go to the river, I just like to lay down in the water and just close my eyes and let go. I just like laying down and letting all of my problems go away, and I just think about floating.”
Junior Tyler Sutton
“I went dirt biking around two years ago and almost got killed. The neighbors and I heard a shot go past my head. I don’t think it was on purpose, but I almost died.”
Senior Brandon Murillo
“The happiest moment of my life was when I arrived in the United States, and I knew I was in a safer place than where I was before, in Honduras.”
Senior Diana Ramirez
“What makes me really mad is Trump. He wants to basically become president because he doesn’t like immigrants. I’m Hispanic, so I really don’t like that. I don’t agree with it. I think that we’re all equal; I see us all as equals, and he wants to basically get rid of us. I think that we help the United States a lot. There are a lot of workers that are immigrants, and they work hard, and all they want is to be here for their family and their future. I think it’s really unfair for him to take that away from us.”
Junior Emma Nouri Sophomore Pablo Cruz Al- “What advice would you give to your younger self?” varado
Senior Ranon Barber
“Not being in school makes me happy, because I strongly dislike school.”
Junior Rodrigo Vasquez
“One time when I was younger, I stole Pokemon cards from Walmart. Everybody did it, all my friends. I stole about 200 cards. I got caught and they took me into a room and made me write my name and info. They said that because I was a little kid, they were going to let me off with a warning. I’ll never steal again.”
“I like the United States because you get supported in everything you want to do. Also, the most important thing is the education you can get. It’s very different because in Honduras you don’t get much respect, but here you do. There is a lot of violence in Honduras.”
Junior Marvin Morales & Junior Anna Bishop
Bishop: “[This handshake] is really a symbol of our friendship, you know? It just connects us.” Morales: “Yeah, it’s friendship all the way. It’s our thing.”
Photos & Interviews by Maria Snell-Feikema, Brian Alvarado, David Gamboa & Faith Runnells
“To be on top of my schoolwork, to not procrastinate. I’ve procrastinated a lot this year, and I haven’t been on top of getting everything done. And also to do what makes me happy, because that’s what matters most for yourself, being happy, because it sucks to live and not be happy with everything.”
Freshmen Kathy Segovia & Valeria Moreno “How did you two meet?”
Segovia: “It was kindergarten when...” Moreno: “We had Ms. Leatherman at Spotswood Elementary School. She [Moreno] used to bully me. She picked on me.” Segovia: “I did not-- that’s a lie! I was smaller than you.” Moreno: “But you were still mean... I would want to play with her but she wouldn’t want to. It all changed in fifth grade, because I hadn’t seen her after two years, so we became friends.”
“What’s your favorite memory together?”
Segovia: “We rode the transit one day, and we went all over Harrisonburg in one transit together. Then we got off that transit and walked around a whole neighborhood in zig-zags. Then we got on another transit, and we stayed in the transit for one or two hours. So basically we were just riding transits around, having fun.”