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WEST HENDERSON HIGH SCHOOL
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3600 Haywood Road, Hendersonville, N.C. 28791 • Volume XXVIII, Issue 2 • December 16, 2010
Golf team secures second individual and state titles
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arents, fans and almost 80 other participating golfers stood by at the Long Leaf Golf Club in Southern Pines on Tuesday Nov. 2, closely watching the defending state champions. They soon witnessed a second straight state championship win as the Lady Falcon golf team, anchored by defending state champion Kayla Sciupider, a senior, earned their 24th straight tournament victory. “My favorite moment was after I hit my second shot on the 18th hole the final day when my dad, who is also my coach, came up to me and told me I had won,” Sciupider said, “but the fact that it was my last high school state tournament was definitely my least favorite moment.” West took two titles at the 1A/2A/3A state championship golf match this year. For the second year straight Sciupider, West’s first ever individual state golf champion, won the individual title and West golf team members took the team title. Freshman Chandler Danielson, freshman Payton Culler and Sciupider contributed to the team’s win. “Last year we weren’t expected to win; we were kind of the underdogs. But this year we had higher expectations, which I think made it harder to win,” Sciupider said. “I loved the course though. I felt like I knew it well and I was confident I could score well on it. I actually have the lowest total score for state since Blair Lamb.” After the first day of the tournament, West led second place Salisbury by 10 strokes. Danielson, tied for 26th place with a score of 85, trailed right behind Culler who was tied for 21st place with a score of 84 at the conclusion of the first day. “I was feeling pretty good, but I knew I could have gotten some scores better,” Danielson said. “For the team, 10 strokes isn’t much, so I knew that the second day we would have to play just as good if not better.” Mallory Warrick of Wilson Fike led the championship the first day, staying
The Vietnam War Memorial in front of the school honors the four West graduates who were killed in the 1960s. Warriner is the first West graduate to die in combat since then.
•West remembers former student The flags in front of the school were lowered to half-staff when administrators heard about the tragic loss of recent West graduate Christian Kade Warriner, a member of the Class of 2009. He and four other soldiers were killed Nov. 14 in an ambush in Afghanistan. Warriner, 19, is the first West graduate to die in combat since four graduates were killed in the Vietnam War during the late 1960s. Warriner was a member of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program and went on to join the Army after he graduated. “The students have a sense of loss. I’m not sure it has completely impacted them yet,” Chief Petty Officer Paul Weeks said. “They haven’t talked a lot about it yet. They are suffering the loss just like the rest of us.”
Peregrine Poll Yes 51%
No (based on a survey of 335 students)
Heard Hall in the
“How big is this 8-inch sub?” Josh Wentzel, senior (discussing lunch options) “I drive at about 8 past 12.” Anna Decker, junior (discussing her hand position while driving) “The best kind of grandma is a fat one. They have to be soft and squishy.” Rebekah Farmer, Spanish teacher (discussing Spanish adjectives) “You don’t have a brain in 3D.” Kerry Ravan, math teacher (on imagining 3D figures)
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Kayla Sciupider 1A/2A/3A State Golf Champion
Last year we weren’t expected to win; we were kind of the underdogs. But this year we had higher expectations, which I think made it harder to win.
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on par with a 71. With eight birdie opportunities, Sciupider, one shot behind, was in second place. “I was extremely nervous from the start. The first day I had a bad front nine (39), but I managed to follow it up with a two under par (33) on the back nine,” Sciupider said. “My swing wasn’t good that day, but I made the most of what I could and was glad to only be one shot back. The second day I was a little less nervous. I figured I had to shoot under par in order to win it, and my swing felt a lot better.” The second day of the golf tournament, the Lady Falcons did not disappoint. Although wind was a factor, Culler and Danielson both shot 27’s to place 19th and 20th respectively. Sciupider shot a 71 to win the championship by five strokes. “Because of the wind the second day, I had to hit an extra club on every shot, sometimes two. One hole I had 135 yards to the pin, and I would normally have to hit a seven iron. I hit my hybrid (four iron) on that shot to six feet from the hole,” Sciupider said. The final team score for West (486) placed the team in first place, 12 strokes better than second place Salisbury. Next fall Sciupider is headed to Rollins College in Florida, but West golfers expect to have more success. “We are all going to work really hard this winter and this summer and hopefully get down to our goal of individually placing top 10 next year,” Danielson said. “Hopefully, everyone will get there and we will have another shot at the state title.” West went into this year’s state championship match with the lowest team score in the state. Along with the regional team title, Culler placed 11th with a score of 89, Danielson placed 7th with a score of 86 and Sciupider placed first with a score of 73. Teammate Amber Doyle, a senior, missed qualifying as an individual for the State meet by four strokes.
Repeat Performance
Do you plan to travel over the winter holidays?
49%
Kiersten Ellsworth Senior Editor
New exam schedule to be implemented this semester
ter or in new second semester classes. “We’ve got two thoughts there. One would be to go Editor-in-Chief back to your existing classes, have some closure, make ime was running out for students across campus as sure your books are turned in, get back work, etc. The they frantically attempted to fill in the final bubbles other is maybe a preview of the upcoming schedule. We on their end-of-course tests in order to finish in haven’t really decided,” Jones said. “There are certainly some pros and cons with both of those. Collectively, as a time to catch the bus home. After a three-hour morning exam, an hour-long faculty we would decide that a little closer.” The benefits of the new testing schedlunch break and a three-hour second ule not only allow for extra review time, exam, many students felt tired. Last year’s exam schedule included four exams in It’s gotten to the but for extra testing time as well. One major concern with the two-day schedule is two days. point where so that students do not have enough time to In order to make the exam process finish because of the lunch schedule or a go more smoothly this semester, a new many students lack of transportation. schedule will be implemented, according were not able “Everyone has a four-hour window. to Principal Dean Jones. It will involve What happens if you test from 12 to 3 creating four separate exam days, one for to finish their when if a student doesn’t have transporeach class period. tests within the tation and has to ride the bus and they “It’s gotten to the point where so have to stop taking the test, then they many students were not able to finish three-hour time have to retest because it becomes a test their tests within the three-hour time limit that we’re misadministration or they just give up,” limit that we’re looking at,” Jones said. looking at. Jones said. “With all of the requirements that go on The final schedule will depend on with the test coordinator, we’re looking at Dean Jones extending that to one test each day. We’re Principal any inclement weather that may take place before or during exams. looking at a test in the morning, then “Other schools have already had lunch and then a review session for the some variations; they’ve done some 1-2-1 days, a threenext day’s test.” With the new schedule in place, students will have day testing window,” Jones said. “We’ve actually done that the opportunity to review for each exam the preceding because of weather a couple of years ago. The four-day day. The first four hours of each day will be when exams idea is all good, but if we have bad weather days, it could are scheduled while the remainder of the day will be de- turn into a three-day window, or it could even turn into a voted to lunch and a review session for the next day’s two-day window again, just depending on bad weather exam. On the final day of exams, the second part of the that week and what the calendar would look like after day will either be spent in each class from the first semes- central office made a decision.”
Katie King
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Fall Semester Potential Exam Schedule Day 1 • Third period exam Second period review Day 2 • Second period exam First period review Day 3 • First period exam Fourth period review Day 4 • Fourth period exam Return to first or second semester schedule The new exam schedule does create some problems. Teachers with EOC classes will not be able to review with their other classes once they have given the EOC because of state testing regulations. This means a different teacher would either have to administer the test or do the review. “We’re going to have to logistically find a way that once a teacher administers that test, they’re not involved in review,” Jones said.
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Winter sports kick off new season