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WEST HENDERSON HIGH SCHOOL
3600 Haywood Road, Hendersonville, N.C. 28791 • Volume XXVIII, Issue 2 • December 11, 2009
Women’s golf team captures school’s first individual, team titles
Senior Donny Heatherly performs with the marching band at halftime
•Marching band sweeps competition The Flying Falcon Marching Band competed at the Southeastern Band Classic competition at Newton-Conover High School on Nov. 7. The band received a superior rating and took first place overall. The band was one of two to receive a superior rating in 1A and 2A. The band earned first place in drumline, drum major, hornline and color guard. The 35-member marching band defeated several bands with more than 70 members. “I’m really proud of them. They worked really hard, and can now say that the hard work pays off with the trophies we have been rewarded and excellence at competitions,” band director Allen Klaes said. “Newton-Conover was a great feeling for the students. We hadn’t swept the class yet, so it was a nice way to end out the season.”
Ryan Duckett Senior Editor
and to keep them in a good mood,” Bryson said According to team members, the team stayed relaxed by having fun. Jackson said the added supt was the end of the first round of the women’s 1A/2A/3A port of the team members not participating in the state golf tournament, and senior Carly Jackson was feeltournament helped to take off some of the pressure. ing a tremendous amount of pressure. West trailed leader “We were pretty laid back anyways because we had Salisbury by eight strokes. Taylor and Olivia to keep us laughing,” Jackson said. In the first round, junior Kayla Sciupider had shot a 74, She also said the team’s uniforms helped the squad but Jackson had shot a 102. Jackson needed to lower her stand out. “We were in bright pink, and everyone was askscore for the team to have a chance at winning the state title. ing us about our shirts. Since it was breast cancer aware “My feeling going into it (the second day) was that it was ness month, the other teams thought we were wearing pink my fault that we were losing because I played so bad, so if we for that.” lost the next day, it was going to be my fault,” Jackson said. Jackson said that after beginning the second round of The next day was a much the tournament, everything better day for Jackson. She came together for her. carded an 88, 14 strokes better “The second day was than her previous day’s score. just a whole lot better (than The improvement was the first). I really clicked enough to clinch the champiwith the girl I played with onship for the Lady Falcons; the second day, so that Jackson’s teammates named helped as well,” she said. her “most valuable player” for “Anna and Kayla are the tournament. more consistent, so we Topping off the day was didn’t really expect them Sciupider’s individual chamto drastically change their pionship, a 149 to 152 vicgame because they did prettory over Ashbrook’s Megan ty well both days, but Carly, Burnham. The victories were I don’t know how she did it,” the first men’s or women’s golf Springer said. “But I think championships in West history, Taylor and I helped keep the at the team or individual level. Falcon Pride girls relaxed.” Holding their state championship trophy, members of the wom- “It was a pretty surreal The team said that the en’s golf team, junior Kayla Sciupider and seniors Carly Jackson, minutes leading up to the feeling knowing that we not Anna Padgett, Taylor Bryson and Olivia Springer, display their only won as a team, but that final scoring were the most win. The ladies won the tournament at Longleaf Golf Course in tense of the tournament. I also won as an individual,” Southern Pines with a score of 509. Sciupider said. “I didn’t even “We had our calculators know that either win was hisout, and we were trying to tory making.” figure out who was winning before we realized we were 14 Sciupider, Jackson and senior Anna Padgett combined strokes ahead,” Bryson said. “There was a lot of anticipation their scores to claim the 509-518 victory over Salisbury. because the officials were taking forever to put the scores Padgett transferred to West from the Raleigh area this year. up. As it turned out, we won by nine strokes.” “We knew what we all could do, and we knew it was pos According to Springer, the team learned about Sciusible, and just the fact that it was able to be done at state was pider’s individual championship after learning of the team awesome,” Padgett, who tied for 10th individually, said. victory. It was the first time the school’s women’s team had com “That was the last thing we learned because it was repeted at state as a team since 2004. The tournament was ally close with her and a couple of other girls. Kayla knows held at Longleaf Golf Course in Southern Pines. The team most of them because she plays in all these tournaments,” placed first at regionals as well; however, Sciupider placed Springer said. “It was really close and she actually thought second individually after a sudden death playoff round she lost so she started crying, and her dad thought she lost against Burnham. too, but he added the numbers up wrong. It was a mess be “We’re not rivals because we are good friends, and we cause she thought she won then she thought she lost.” play together a lot, so it was actually a weird feeling being in Only Sciupider will return to the team next year. a sudden-death playoff at regionals and then beating her at Padgett plans to golf at the college level. “I’m really sad state,” Sciupider said. about everyone leaving, but I’m optimistic about next year,” Only the top three golfers play for a team score. Seniors Sciupider said. “The two golfers from Rugby have a lot of Olivia Springer and Taylor Bryson, the other team members, potential, and next year should be a good season as well.” watched the matches as spectators. The team was coached by Sciupider’s father, Dave “Olivia and I, our purpose was to keep the players loose Sciupider. Photo by Chelsea Blanton
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Peregrine Poll Do you think the world will come to an end in 2012?
Yes 8%
No 92% (based on a survey of 387 students)
Heard Hall in the
“I love wild rumpuses!” Brenda Gorsuch, English teacher (discussing “Where the Wild Things Are”) “You too can look good naked in our clothing.” Amy Zalevskiy, science teacher (about Abercrombie & Fitch clothing) “Atkins died. Nice diet, dude.” David Kahn, math teacher (talking about the Atkins diet) “I asked for pink. It’s breast awareness month.” Drew Adams, senior (about his bandage after donating blood)
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Statewide ‘texting while driving’ ban in effect
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Michael Turlington Feature Writer
ast year on the day before Thanksgiving, senior Patrick Sims was driving with his girlfriend close to his home in Denver. He looked down at his phone to text a friend when he heard his girlfriend scream. When Sims looked up, he saw that he was in the bike lane and only inches away from a cyclist. Unable to swerve or stop, he hit and killed the 63-year-old. Sims accident might not have occurred if he had not been texting, and that is what the N.C. General Assembly had in mind when lawmakers passed the “No Texting While Driving” bill last summer. “I have seen people driving while texting who were driving worse than some drunk drivers. Sometimes people are texting and pull left of the center line and hit someone head on and kill them,” Officer Robert Grayson said. “Texting is one of the worst distractions that I have ever seen.” Beginning Dec. 1, law enforcement officers in North Carolina began issuing citations for texting while driving. A new state law says that anyone who is caught
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Students face intolerance
sending or reading a text message while pecially at night. You can see the glow of driving on public roads will be fined at someone’s cell phone on his or her face. least $100 and will have to pay for court People prop their phones on the steering costs as well. No insurance points will be wheel, especially the ones with the keycharged. boards,” Grayson said. “You can tell by just “Hopefully, this law will have some watching their eyes and head; if they are teeth to it,” Grayson said. looking down, you can “We want it to get people tell what they are doing. If to stop texting while they you are looking for it, you This law will save are driving because it is a can see it. I don’t think lives, and that is major distraction.” that it will be a problem Some students feel to catch people.” what we are all that it will be hard to en Lawmakers in North about. We want force this law. They say Carolina have taken sevthat it will be difficult for eral steps to try and get to keep people highway patrolmen to the news out about the from getting spot people who are texnew texting ban. hurt. ting in the car. “All the major newspa “I don’t think that law pers are receiving a press Robert Grayson enforcement officers will release that gives out speN.C. highway patrolman be able to catch texters,” cific information about senior Ryan Callahan the texting law,” Grayson said. “People can hide it very well, so offi- said. “A traffic safety officer has been ascers will not be able to see them text when signed to Asheville, and he is making the they are on patrol.” rounds around the county and getting the Many law enforcement officers have a word out to schools as well.” different opinion. They feel that texting is State leaders are hoping for a high obvious and can be easily spotted. level of compliance. They feel if most peo “It is very simple to catch people, es• See Texting on Page 2
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Looking Ahead Dec. 21 - Jan. 1 Jan. 1 Jan. 18 Jan. 21
Christmas Break New Year’s Day Martin Luther King Day End of 1st semester
Texting while driving? •Beginning Dec. 1, texting while driving is illegal •more than 90% of adults say texting while driving should be illegal
•66% of adults admit to reading texts while driving
•57% of adults say they send texts while driving
•64% of 18-34 year olds send texts while driving
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(www.usnews.com)
Winter sports seasons get under way