Ravenscroft School 7409 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh, NC 27165 December 2014

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Brett HaenselStaff Writer

Tutorial in the middle of the day and a study hall built into every student’s schedule are just two of the new changes that are part of the 2015-2016 school year’s schedule.

Colleen Ramsden, Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs, and the Schedule Task Force held multiple meetings informing students who attended about the schedule changes that will take place next year.

Ramsden mentioned that the current schedule is outdated. It is nearly identical to the schedule of the 1919 school year. Educational styles have changed significantly over the last 100 years, so too should the schedule.

The Schedule Task Force com-bined feedback from Middle School and Upper School students with in-formation gained from reviewing over 50 different schedules received from other institutions to try com-posing the ideal schedule for Raven-scroft students.

The administration aims to reduce stress, allow more time for students to consolidate information, and to make the pace of the school day less frenetic. Peter Bogue, Head of Upper School, said the new sched-ule “will have an incredibly positive impact on bringing back balance to students’ lives.”

There will be several drastic changes, including the school day ending at 3:30. Tutorial time will be moved to the middle of the day along with community time where students will be able to bond with each other.

The schedule will now be on an 8-day cycle instead of a 5-day,

weekly schedule. As a result of this 8-day cycle, each class will not be the same period every day, and each class will only meet six times dur-ing each 8-day cycle. Five out of the six classes that meet on a given day will meet for 55 minutes, with one class being a 70 minute period.

“Slightly longer classes will allow for more depth of study which is critical to developing criti-cal thinkers who are prepared for the world that awaits them,” said Bogue. He also said that this modi-fied block schedule is closer to the schedule of a college student which might help students be more suc-cessful at the collegiate level.

The new school day is de-signed to maximize student choice, lessen the stress of students, allow time to promote and build com-munity, and encourage students to consolidate what they are learning.

“With an additional aca-demic period in the schedule, there will be fewer course conflicts, all students will have at least one study hall and not every class will meet every day. Students will have more time in school to do homework, and with fewer classes to prepare for each day, they will have less due each day,” said Bogue.

Students have expressed concern over the lengthening of the school day especially with its ef-fects on out-of-school sports games and practices. Additionally, Rams-den noted that teachers will have to redesign lesson plans to fit the new period times, but the adminis-tration feels that the changes will, overall, be positive for students and enhance academic excellence and reduce the stress of students.

2015-16 Ravenscroft Schedule Change

The 2015-2016 schedule will be an 8-day rotation with five 55 minute classes and one 70 minute class each day. In the picture above, each class is given a different color. Each class will meet at a different time

each day and will not meet all eight days of the rotation. Tutorial and Community Time/Lead From Here Activity Time, which can be seen in grey, will be incorporated into the middle of every student’s schedule

during the middle of the day. The school day will now end at 3:30.

Proposed 8-Day Rotational Schedule

“Slightly longer classes will allow for more depth of study which is critical to developing critical thinkers who are pre-

pared for the world that awaits them.”

- Peter Bogue, Head of Upper School

Schedule courtesy of Colleen Ramsden

Anna CollawnStaff Writer

About two weeks ago, students and faculty arrived on-campus to find freshly brewed coffee available in ‘Rhonda’s Cafe’ in the Up-per School for $1.50 a cup. Based on the fact that they often sell out of regular coffee in Upper School snack area, the new coffee seems to be a hit with the students and faculty.

The idea to offer coffee in the Upper School came from Karen Jones, Food Service Director of Aramark (the company that is under contract with Ravenscroft to provide food service).

“We originally introduced coffee in the Dining Hall - per request. Once Upper School students noticed this offering, they requested that we expand the offering to the Snack Bar (Rhonda’s Cafe), “ said Jones.

Occasionally, the containers are even refilled after the first two are consumed. She also noted that more students purchase coffee on days when the temperature is significantly low and predicts that in the upcoming winter months there will be a substantial increase in the amount of coffee sold due to the drop in temperature.

Jones also added that she thinks “it is a good idea based on the demand of the product and the good feedback from faculty and stu-dents.”

Along with the coffee, a container of hot water is also available for hot chocolate or tea.

On the first day, decaffeinated coffee was offered but no one bought any, so they stopped selling decaf and added an addition al “reg-ular coffee” in its place.

Coffee and hot beverages now offered in the Upper School

Caroline Hansen, ‘15, gets her coffee on a chilly morning in Decem-ber. She stated that she is glad it is available in the Upper School.

Photo by Helen Velk

The coffee is located in Rhonda’s Cafe near the silverware, towards Senior Parking Lot. There are two pots of regular coffee and one of hot water for hot chocolate or tea.

Photo by Helen Velk

Students can take a “full load” of 7 classes and still have study hall which should increase elective enrollment

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Local

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

Page 2Dean DutiesDelaney Roberts

Page 3Poetry out Loud Katherine Booth SparkNotesJonathan Marlowe

Page 4Jingling for a CauseEmi MyersToy DriveEmi Myers

Page 5No Easy DayEHaley Gardner

Page 6EbolaTiger Harris

Page 7EditorialEmi Myers, Haley Gardner, Austin Morin, Casey Harris, Sarah Lowery

Page 8 Mask Your FeelingsSydney Jordan

Page 9Did You Know?Axel Barth

Page 10John Wick Movie ReviewParker Mikesh

Page 11‘Croft-sticiousMJ MAloneDid You Know AnswersAxel Barth

Page 12Aschman SigningEmi MyersWinter Sports Up-dateBrett Haensel

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Delaney RobertsStaff Writer

Newly-appointed grade level deans explain their roles

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Toys for Troops Collection

Toys for Troops Collection

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Upper School Exams

Head of Upper School Peter Bogue made a new job position for teachers to get to know their students. Last year, interested teachers applied for the four dean positions with the grades they felt they fit with the best.

“There are 465 students in the high school,” said Bogue. “It became important to me to have people that would become experts in that one grade level rather than having Dr. Perry or myself oversee the whole program every year.”

The deans do a variety of different things. “I’m the liaison from the parent reps to Ravenscroft,” Senior Dean Kat Belk says. “I’ll help set-up work orders to set-up tables for snacks... that sort of thing.”

Deans also examine the grades and academic performance of the students in the grade level for which they are responsible. “I get all the academic concern notes and the good news notes. So, I’m looking for trends of seniors who are struggling in a course and seniors that need to be celebrated and congratulated,” said Belk.

Junior Dean Cy League describes the job as a “luxury” to students. He says the job provides “an extra somebody to make sure we don’t miss anything that’s messing with the kids.”

In order to make sure nothing important is missed, deans must know the nuances of their respective grades and Freshmen Dean Philip Kielty believes he already has an advantage in this regard.

Each dean had to choose apply for a specific grade. “I’ve been working with ninth graders at Ravenscroft since I arrived here in 2000 and feel like I have a pretty good rapport with both them and their parents,” said Kielty.

“It’s a lot of multitasking but I’m managing so far,” said Sophomore Dean Nicole Moore. “Some days I feel exhausted but I feel like I’ve got it.’”

31The Avett Brothers

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Greensboro Colosseum

Brief comments from new Upper School Deans

H i s t o r y teacher and Fresh-man Dean Philip Kielty feels that this new job is a good way to “dip his toes” into the leadership pool. “We’ve talked a

lot about leadership at school for the last 3 years and I thought it was time for me to personally try my hand at leadership,” said Kielty.

He’s not worried that the job will be an overwhelming commitment on top of his full teaching load.

“It was pretty hectic at the begin-ning of the school year,nbut I’ve found that as time goes on, as with anything, you get comfortable with the pace of things.”

English teacher and Sophomore Dean Nicole Moore likes her grade be-cause it’s a transitional year. “You’re taking AP courses or accelerated courses for the first time, so it’s an interest-ing time academically and socially,” said Moore.

She has unique grade level in that it does not have a “bonding trip.”

“Freshmen have the orientation and just sort of being freshmen, juniors, the Mountain Trip, seniors have everything senior. I think trying to get some sort of an activity, maybe off-campus would be good not only for bonding but also to relieve some stress,” Moore added.

She is currently working with SGA repre-sentatives on creating a class T-shirt for the sopho-more students.

English teach-er and Junior Dean Cy League knew that he really wanted to work with juniors.

“I’ve worked with juniors the most and it just felt like the right fit,” said League.

He likes the new position because “it’s sort of like ¼ administrative. It’s a foot in that area and it’s interesting to see how that side of things goes.”

As far as Powderpuff is concerned, he’s already preparing for how to handle the annual rivalry. “I had three sections of Honors English 3 last year. They were a beloved junior class for me, so it won’t be any weirder than that. I am the junior cheerleader, so I will cheer for the juniors.”

Kat Belk, senior dean and math instructor, felt that the seniors were her grade choice because they “have an “academic matu-rity” and are on their way to having a “social maturity” as well. Seniors are unique, she said, in that they “figure out

what makes them tick” as the maneuver their way through senior year.

“I’ve been an advisor for a while at Ravenscroft and in embracing a class and get-ting to know it well. There’s a ride that you take while working with them from freshman through senior year,” said Belk. “I just have to keep in mind that it’s a growing process and I’m going to have to get to know them just like I had to get to know these seniors.”

FR E SHMAN

DEAN

Philip Kielty

SOPHOMORE

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Nicole Moore

JUNIOR

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Cy League

SENIOR

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Kat Belk

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Exam Study Tips from College.usatoday.com

1. Review your notes daily. Set specific measurable goals for each study session to keep yourself on track.

2. Space your studying out, study small chunks over a long period of time.

3. Take short breaks. Your brain can process a limited amount of information and benefits from some rest.

A check mark indicates a tip that was approved by Dr. Susan Perry, Assistant Head of Upper School for Faculty Development and Student Guidance.

4.Stay healthy. Get some sleep and avoid excess caf-feine. Seriously – your brain with thank you.

5. Real aloud, when you speak the information you study, you learn by seeing and hearing.

6.Study with a group, reviewing with some friends may be very useful.

shyer students, it’s not a very fun experience, some students are better at it naturally, and I don’t think it is fair to grade students based on skill .¨

Mary Ellen Hunter ‘16 has a similar opinion, she is against the competition because she believes it can cause unnecessary anxiety in students who do not wish to participate.

This will be the first year since 2011, that the competition will not be required. Kevin Flinn, Upper School English Instructor, explained why the competition requirements changed this year. “The competition takes place the week after Thanksgiving, and during that time both students and teachers are usually pretty stressed as exams loom on the horizon. We thought that doing it this way would not only lighten a bit of the burden on students, but also give teachers back an educational day in early December.”

The competition was a vital assignment in raising awareness of poetry. As expressed on the Poetry Out Loud website , poetry recitation “helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.¨ For all these reasons, the school continued to value the competition, and hoped students would take advantage of the

News 3evarmoreN

Katherine Booth

Staff Writer

“I know not everyone likes Poetry Out Loud,

but I enjoy reciting poems, and I am very excited to have the op-purtunity to do out loud

speaking.”

- Claudia Bailey, ‘15

PoetryEasy as 1,2,3 !

Pick a poem from The Poetry Out

Loud website, and memorize it!

Understand your poem, and prac-tice appropriate dramatization.

Stay Cool, calm, and collected when

you recite your poem!

The school wide Poetry Out loud competition will be completely

optional this year. There will be no more classroom

competitions, t h o s e

interested w i l l

bypass the preliminary

level, and recite their poems along with students from all grades.

The competition will take place during common period in the library on December 4th, at 9:35 AM.

The Poetry Out Loud competition has been controversial among Upper School students on whether participation should be required or optional. For some, the competition provides an opportunity to demonstrate their aptitude for poetry, while others perceive the competition as a forced memorization that causes anxiety to inexperienced students.

Alexandra Zuckerman ‘15, said the competition ¨helps with public speaking, but for some of the

Ravens not required to participate in Poetry Out LoudFirst time since 2011 spoken poetry contest was not a graded assignment

competition and gain from their reciting experience.

Students will perform in front of a panel of judges in the hopes of winning and moving on to the regional Poetry Out Loud competition. For those who are still planning on participating this year, The Nevarmore got the inside scoop of how to succeed in the competition.

“A really strong performer enunciates clearly, makes good eye contact, and appears natural and at ease on stage,” said Flinn, a really good performance “is one where the student really knows the poem.”

Winning an official Poetry Out Loud competition, requires high scores in six different categories; physical presence,

voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, level of complexity, evidence of understanding, and overall performance. Students receive scores ranging from 1-6 in the first five categories, but can receive up to an 8 in the Overall Performance category.

Performance is an important part of reciting, but memorization also plays a large part. In addition to the performance panel, a supplemental judge will be evaluating contestants on their accuracy. This score will be out of 8, and this will be added to the overall score.

The poems that have been selected this year include couplets, free verse, alliteration, metaphor etc. Students who still wish to participate may select a poem to recite from more than 500 poem on the Poetry Out Loud website.

Jonathan MarloweStaff Writer

SparkNotes blocked to develop students’ skills for life

Many students don’t un-derstand why SparkNotes and other similar websites must be blocked on-campus at Ravenscroft since they can provide students with a quick sum-mary of important elements of the reading material required for English classes.

Some students that have as-signed like to use SparkNotes right before an English test or quiz as a “re-fresher;” especially if the material is difficult to understand as is often the case with works written by Shake-speare. In other words, websites such as SparkNotes can be used as a tool instead of a substitute for the book to guide students through difficult read-ing.

According to Upper School English Department Chair Marcia

Jones, “SparkNotes fails to strength-en the critical reading skills neces-sary for admission and success at the collegiate level. The English Depart-ment’s decision to block SparkNotes and similar websites on campus is an attempt to foster more thoughtful reading and analysis in order to devel-op academic independence required to succeed at the college level.”

A colleague of Jones in the English department, Kevin Flinn believes that “SparkNotes can be a very valuable resource because it pro-vides clarification for difficult texts. The issue that teachers have with SparkNotes is when students use it as a primary resource instead of a sec-ondary or tertiary source. When stu-dents substitute SparkNotes for a text, they miss the nuances of the author’s language and the inherent subtleties of the author’s tone because they’re reading a secondhand summary in-stead of the text itself.”

Many students agree with Flinn upon the intended use of this supplemental tool, but argue that is reasonable to unblock such websites.

“SparkNotes should not be blocked on-campus because it helps you understand your reading and when you read something as com-plicated as Shakespeare, you need something like Sparknotes to guide you along,” said Tiger Harris, ‘15.

As is the case with most Eng-lish teachers, Jones has high expecta-tions for her students and feels that substituting SparkNotes for reading, will not prepare them for college.

“I want them to be able to think for themselves on many issues, to be able to express their ideas effec-tively. Most people who are effective communicators have a strong back-ground in critical reading and writ-ing,” said Jones.

She went on to say that “tra-ditionally, students tend to complete

Marcia Jones, Head of English Depart-ment, holds the latest copy of “English

Journal,” a reference publication for teachers that she uses often for guid-

ance in planning her curriculum.Photo by Jonathan Marlowe

written homework assign-ments or worksheets be-fore the do their English homework becaus it is “just reading.” When push comes to shove, it often is left undone and this is where SparkNotes comes into play for this group of students.”

While Jones believes that quick summary and analysis websites are detri-mental in the long run, some students disagree.

Alexis Hunter, ‘16 said, “SparkNotes helps students understand the ma-terial better and SparkNotes gives you a different point of view on what you are reading. I use SparkNotes for clarification and also If I do not have time to read.”

Ravens Stay Tuned for Championship Competition

of the 1st Round

Shell TorresEnglish Instructor

Erin ColbyHistory Instructor

Nevarmore Online Lip Dub Challenge

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Twenty-nine Ravenscroft students led by Nina Bar-nett, ‘15, participated in the 5K Jingle Bell Run/Walk to ben-efit the Arthritis Foundation.

The Ravenscroft Team was recognized at the awards ceremony for raising $1300 this year and their ongoing com-mitment to the race and organization. In addition to the service award, Keeton Glenn, ‘15, and Bella Church, ‘18, won the race in their age group and Davy Babson, ‘15, won third place.

This year’s team was the largest group Ravenscroft has ever had and included parents as well as teachers.

The race took place on the morning of Saturday, De-cember 6 and was hosted by Saint Mary’s School. The route of the 5K began at the school and down the section of Hills-borough Street bordered by the NC State campus.

According to the race’s website, $103,530 was raised for the Arthritis Foundation whose mission statement is “to improve lives through leadership in the prevention, control and cure of arthritis and related diseases.”

Emi MyersEditor

Jingling for a cureRecord turnout team wins team and individual awards

The Ravenscroft Jingle Bell Walk/Run team poses for a group picture before the race. Image provided by Caroline Christman

New toys are being collected in the Upper School for children whose parents are deployed for military operations, an event organized by the Saving Our Soldiers club.

This toy drive is run by the United States Veterans Corp, a military support non-profit orga-nization based out of North Carolina. Club presidents Caroline Gainey, ‘15, and Clare Zaytoun, ‘16, originally heard about this non-profit from Middle School Geography Teacher, Gregory Anysz who was already heavily involved in the organization.

The toys collected in wrapped bins in the Upper School stairwells will be collected by the United States Veterans Corp and distributed to children of deployed soldiers who are not be able to afford gifts due to economic stresses.

“It’s important to note that the toys stay local in order to di-rectly give back to our communities. This is in contrast with Toys for Tots, where the toys get shipped all over the world,” said Gainey.

One of the goals of the Saving Our Soldiers group is to “di-rectly support the soldiers in our community. By having Ravenscroft collect toys, one community is helping a bigger one,” said Gainey.

Although the yield from this year’s toy drive is more than that of 2 years ago, it “still hasn’t reached the level we thought it would,” said Zaytoun.

The Saving Our Soldiers club also organized a military ap-preciation night on Tuesday, December 9 featuring a thank you card craft table to make cards to send to the club’s partner platoons. Also, a knockout game between Upper School students and two soldiers who recently returned from Afghanistan.

In the long run, Gainey hopes that the club will spread aware-ness and initiative so that “students can see how much the care pack-ages mean to the soldiers. We also hope that the students will take to heart how appreciative the soldiers are for our community’s support, and that the students will be inspired to keep giving back to our men and women in uniform.”

Saving Our Soldiers club collects toys for children in military families

Rachel Edwards, ‘16, Clare Zaytoun, ‘16, and Nina Bar-nett, ‘15 run down Hillsborough Street.

Image provided by Caroline Christman

Davy Babson, ‘15, and Keeton Glenn, ‘15, pose at the starting line.

Image provided by Caroline Christman

Senior participants Jordynne Magnuson-Capatosto, Hailey Stewart, Hattie Gale, Nina Barnett, Jessica Sullivan and Emi Myers are ready

to run for arthritis. Image provided by Caroline Christman

Emi MyersEditor

This collection box is ready full of toys and ready to be collected and deliv-ered in time for Christmas.

Photo by Emi Myers

Other collection boxes, which are located be-

neath the stairwells in the Upper School, have no toys deposited in them.

Photo by Emi Myers

Feature 5evarmoreN

A Navy SEAL veteran remains the subject of controversy after the publication of his novel No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden in 2012.

The author, Matt Bissonnette, also known by his pseudonym, Mark Owen, allegedly re-leased classified information in No Easy Day. Instead of following protocol, Bissonette published the autobiography based on advice from his attorneys without having the manuscript reviewed and approved by the Department of Defense. He says that now the government is forcing him to forfeit $4.5 million dollars of the book’s income to the goverment as a result of the mistake.

Bissonnette blamed his former attorneys, Kevin Podlaski and the Carson Boxberger LLP firm in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for the breach in military confidentiality. Bissonnette, who is suing them $8 million for malpractice, claims that they advised him to avoid seeking the Penta-gon’s permission.

The lawsuit said, according to Business Insider, Bissonnette “was devoted to not dis-closing anything he thought could be used by America’s enemies. To insure he complied with all his obligations of confidentiality, he sought out legal counsel to advise him.”

Furthermore, in a phone interview with the Washington Post, Bissonette said, “I never set out to not get it reviewed or do it the wrong way; I had the best of intentions.”

Despite his purpose, the publication of No Easy Day ostracized Bissonnette from the Special Operations community. A retired senior Navy officer familiar with the SEAL culture explained to the Washington Times that “the guys who run their mouths are typically not invited back” to Navy SEAL reunions or memorial events.

Bissonnette believes that along with his reputation, the sale of his recent novel, No Hero: The Evolution of A Navy SEAL, which, unlike No Easy Day, has been vetted by the Pentagon, will also suffer from the complicated ordeal.

H aley GardnerEditor

Lt. Col. Ed Durham, US Math Instructor, explained that during a deployment, “one of the key things that the enemy tries to do is to get information on your locations, what time your movements are, how big your organization is, what’s the status of your organization as far as health, equipment, ammunition.” Secrecy is crucial “so the enemy doesn’t gain an advantage by knowing your strengths and/or weaknesses,” said Durham.

Even after the mission has been completed, “the enemy could also look for patterns in the way that you do operations,” Durham added.

Whether or not American citizens have a right to know the whole story behind bin Laden’s as-sassination is a complicated matter.

Durham noted that “there’s a fine line in America with the freedom of speech where there’s things that people should know, and there’s also information that could compromise future operations. There’s really no black or white of what’s right and wrong.”

Durham commented that even though Bissonette violated that trust that he had in the Navy SEALS pro-gram, many civilians may argue that “he is simply using his freedom of speech as given by the Constitution.”

What secrets might have been revealed?

Bissonnette details specific way to place a door charge.

Glow sticks invisible to the naked eye were used in the Bin Laden raid to communicate.

The team sat on Bin Laden’s body on the way back to Afghanistan.

Each helicopter carried DNA sam-ples and the CIA gave Team 6 six sy-ringes to extract bin Laden’s bone mar-row for DNA testing.

No Easy Day Turns into No Easy Decade

Mark Owen, or Matt Bissonnette, answers questions in a disguise during a November 60 Minutes Interview. His novel, No Easy Day (top right corner),

has sold over one million copies. Image of Mark Owen courtesy of CBS News/60 Minutes. Image of book cover is published through fair use by creative commons. The book is

available on Amazon.com.

Photo from MCT Campus.

The Team 6 members used $65,000, never-before-seen, specialized night vision goggles. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Officials decided the operation would have Native American themed code words.

6.

The king of night vision goggles (NVG) Mark Owen wore the night Navy SEALS killed Osama bin Laden. They were distinctive because

of the sophisticated four tubes. Photograph courtesy of Owen.

“The American people were very aware that the military was searching for bin Laden and they were informed of the mission’s outcome and that is fine. However, in the interest of national security, the safety of our troops, and success of future missions, the strategies and technologies used to

achieve the mission should remain classified.”

- Staff Sgt. Susann Heckman, US Science Instructor(Photo on right: Satff Sgt. Susann Heckman provided by Susann Heckman)

“Me in HMMWV (Highly mobile military wheeled vehicle) ‘Hummer,’ ‘HUMVEE.” Image and caption courtesy of Durham.

“Edward in Korea Aug. 1991.” Image and caption courtesy of Durham.

Opinion6 evarmoreN

There is no reason to fear this disease because Ebola is sim-ply another media monster. Ebola is the new hot topic that CNN, BBC, Fox News and others are covering around the clock to take up our time and to distract us from the real prob-lems. The real problems lie hidden in facts that aren’t shoved in our face - in the places that we don’t want to see. Ebola is our distraction so we don’t ask why 82 people were shot in Chicago on July 4th weekend, or why about 610,042 Americans are homeless on any given night, 9 %, or 57,849, of those being veterans.

“It” caused 53,826 people death in 2010, in 1918 “it” killed more people than the first great world war, and in 2010, 60.8 mil-

lion cases were diagnosed with “it.” What if I told you that disease wasn’t Ebola, it was the common flu?

The common flu may not seem very scary, but you have more cause to be scared of catching it than Ebola. For those of you who have lived under a rock for the past six months Ebola is a contagious virus that has supposedly “ravaged” the world the past couple months, domi-nated news headlines and been the focus of many heated discussions. Google even has a donation but-ton at the top of their search engine claiming “for every dollar you give, google will give two”. What a nice offer, but let’s back up here and talk about Ebola.

Ebola’s first symptoms are the sudden onset of fever fatigue, mus-cle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diar-rhea, rash, symptoms of impaired

kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and exter-nal bleeding from the gums and in stools. Dying of this would be ter-rible but your chances of dying are slim. I sat down with Mrs. Martha Janes, our school nurse to ask her if we should be worried about con-tracting Ebola. Her overall answer was simply “no, it (Ebola) has to be transmitted through direct contact with someone who has symptoms. So seeing how the United States as of November 11th is Ebola free our chances of catching the disease are slim to none.”

Mrs.Janes speaks for what we all should think when she says this. Ebola is not highly contagious and

STAFF WRITER

tiger Harris

Ebola:

- PredidentFranklin D. Roosevelt

even if we were at risk, one would have to come in extreme contact with someone who is showing symptoms of the disease. That means you’re pretty safe, unless you like rolling around in random peoples throw up, or playing in some one’s toilet, I don’t want to judge, to each his own.

Some people blame the scare of Ebola on its “high mortality rate,” but that too is a common miscon-ception. Ebola’s current outbreak in western Africa has 13,241 diagnosed cases but only 4,950 deaths. If you do the math, that’s a 37% mortality rate. A big letdown compared to most people’s beliefs. The Dengue Fever which is endemic in parts of South America, Mexico, Africa and

Asia, claims approximately 22,000 lives every year, according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control). Worldwide, the flu causes aproxi-mately 250,000 to 500,000 deaths every year, 3,000 to 49,000 in the United States annually again com-ing from the CDC. The flu is a virus that is considered almost harmless and contracted by many of us almost annually but receives nowhere near the attention Ebola has gotten since March.

We cannot continue to be mindlessly believe whatever shows up on our television screen. People need to be more immune to media fear tactics and do a bit of research. Stay calm and carry on.

1. YOU CAN’T GET EBOLA THROUGH AIR.

2. YOU CAN’T GET EBOLA THROUGH WATER

3. YOU CAN’T GET EBOLA THROUGH FOOD IN THE U.S.

EBOLA CAN ONLY SPREAD FROM CONTACT

WITH THE BLOOD OR BODY FLUIDS OF A PER-SON OR ANIMAL WHO IS SICK WITH OR HAS DIED

FROM EBOLA

AMERICA HAS THE BEST DOC-TORS AND PUBLIC HEALTH INFRA-STRUCTURE IN THE WORLD AND WE ARE PREPARED TO RESPOND

Editorial 7evarmoreN

Editorial Content:1) The students on The Nevarmore staff

will print articles which have been researched to the best of their

ability to obtain the most complete information.

2) The information will be presented in an objective, truthful

and fair manner.3) When personal commentary is given

it will be in good taste on issues that have been researched, analyzed and

where expert opinion has been sought, and then presented to the best ability

of the writer.4) No material which is obscene, libel

or anything that will cause a “material and substantial disruption” of the school day, according to accepted

legal definitions, will be printed.

This paper serves as a communication link within Ravenscroft School and between the

school and the local community. The Nevarmore staff strives to

produce a professional-quality publication that follows the Code of Ethics of the Society of

Professional Journalists. Our overall objective

is to print the news for and about our students and other members of our school and community in

a fair and objective way with the utmost regard for integrity.

Editorial Team: Emi Myers, Editor-In-Chief Haley Gardner, Casey Harris, Sarah Lowery, Austin Morin,

Associate Editors

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More class time, rotating days, and a midday tutorial are a few features of the new schedule giving students an overall more positive, and relaxed environment however, it comes at a price.

These scheduling improve-ments are paid for by a shorter lunch period, longer school days, unclear advisory, “community time,” and Lead From Here lesson period as-signments, and elective participation.

Longer class periods can give students, especially in Advanced Placement courses with exams in May instead of June, additional in-struction and time to master material.

Shorter, 45 minute classes, fragment learning, waste more time at the beginning and end of classes, and results in a near constant frenetic dash between classes. In fact, Ad-vanced Placement science classes al-ready require a double period, a total of an hour and a half of class time to accommodate classes and labs.

Rotating class periods will minimize the possibility that athletes miss the same classes for games for which they need to leave school early

while giving interesting variety that is missing in the current layout.

However, a 40 minute lunch period is 5 minutes less than the current schedule.

Although 40 minutes is plenty of time to go to Rhonda’s or the cafe-teria but off campus lunch for seniors and second semester juniors can be restricted and made more difficult by the reduced time. As consequences for returning to class late can result in grade-wide suspension from off cam-pus privileges, this slightly shortened period could result in an undesirable outcome for many.

As of now, the “community building,” advisory, and Lead From Here time in the schedule is not final. Exactly how frequently the CCL or Lead From Here Lessons will be in-serted into the schedule are currently unknown.

It is also unclear how often ad-visories will meet in an 8 day period. If the schedule is carried out how the current draft is set, advisory classes will meet twice in 8 days, Lead From Here lessons will occur once in 8 days for 30 minutes. Keep in mind

Block schedule removes obstructions to learning at a cost

that this is not final.The optional tutorial in the

middle of the school day is a factor that lengthens the school day by 20 minutes but will in turn give students the opportunity to receive additional instruction on concepts they struggle with without worrying about miss-ing afternoon activities, especially on Fridays when more compelling social interests often draw students away from the classroom.

For some students, however, the longer schedule will mean con-flicts with after-school activities and sports games or practices.

As an 8 day rotation of classes will provide variety in the schedule minimizing the possibility of repeat-edly missing one particular class if leaving school early for a sporting game or doctors appointment, it will also give students at most five classes worth of homework each night in-stead of the current seven.

The positive and negative af-fects of the schedule change on the lives of students can mostly be seen as positive. Reducing stress is a great product of one mandatory study hall

in each student’s schedule but elec-tive programs could be hurt in return.

Students worried about the strength of their transcript might elect to take a sixth or seventh academic class instead of trying out drama or journalism.

Students should keep in mind that colleges see only the transcript containing the classes a student is en-rolled in, not study halls so keeping up an elective is very beneficial.

When taking into account the

fact that the current schedule has remained virtually unchanged since 1919, it is clear that something must be done. The initiative shown by the administration in creating the Sched-ule Task Force and building a sched-ule to reflect student needs is admi-rable and deserves to be lauded.

While the changes come at a high cost, they are worth the dimin-ished stress and more relaxed school day.

Mandatory Study HallMidday TutorialLonger Classes

Shorter LunchCCL/Advisory/Community?Less Elective Participation

Wire ServiceThe Nevarmore subscribes to MCT Campus, which provides photographs, national news & entertain-

ment services to high school newspapers.Faculty Advisor: Helen Velk

The unsigned editorials in this issue are a reflection of the combined opinions of the editorial team. Responses in the form of a letter are

welcomed and will be considered for publication.

Agree? Disagree?Send a letter to the editor at emyers@ravenscroft.org to be considered for possible

publication in an upcoming issue of the Nevarmore.

Feature8 evarmoreN

Many believe that when a person wears a costume, for example on Halloween, this disguise

can take a hold of their normal personality and morals. Dressing completely differently than normal

may also change your vision of your own image while temporarily changing your behaviors as well.

By women dressing more provocatively, they may be dressing as their alter-ego or something they aspire to be. The same can be true for men and

children who dress to impress for a woman or for children around the same age on Halloween.

It’s all more or less an act for one night but depending on the person and how strongly they feel about the costume, new personalities can definitely

emerge before the lock strikes midnight turning their carriage back into the comfortable pumpkin that they

are used to riding in.

What does your choice of Halloween costumes say, if anything, about your personality?Mask your feelings or set them free

Sydney Jordan

Staff Writer

“As a child you dress up as your hero, but as you get older, you dress up as your personality, or what you want your personality to be. Masks help people do things they might not

usually do without them on. Also, being in a group of people with the same costume or outfit or morals for that night can dictate your

own leniency as to what your morals are and what you plan to do as well.”

- Janet Smith, AP Psychology Instructor

‘Croft Costumes

The Top 15 Most-Searched Costume Themes of 2014, in

order:(seven are movie themes)

1. Frozen - 1,192,0002. Zombie - 863,000 3. Ninja - 863,000 4. Pirate - 796,000 5. Clown - 659,0006. Witch - 588,0007. Vampire - 565,000 8. Teenage Mu-tant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) - 536,000

9. Book of Life -308,00010. Flapper - 277,00011. Batman - 251,00012. Despicable Me - 233,00013. Maleficent – 227,00014. Monster High - 206,00015. Star Wars - 148,000

Emi Myers,

‘15“Flower child.”

Axel Barth, ‘15“Hippie.”

Anna Collawn,

‘16“Fireman.”

GraceBerg-

strom, ‘18“Peter Pan”

Evan Long, ‘17

“David Beckham”

Samantha Cohen,

‘15 “Pig in a blanket”

Courtney Price,

‘15 “Pig in a blanket”

Parker Carnahan,

‘16 “Little

Mermaid”

Corey McQueen,

‘15 “Yellow”

(because of green)

Mclean Voelkel, ‘15

Mitchell Stumpo, ‘15 “Sexy

1980’s roller-blader

- ya know - just wanted to show off...”

Jack Van Lockren, ‘15 “Sexy profes-

sional ripsticker - it’s a sweet costume. I got to use handlebars as a mustache and I got to show off my sweet legs and defined

arms - oh - and pale body.”

Senior “Sexy” Rollerbladders

Liam King, ‘15 “2 Chainz - because I find the lyrical stylings of Tauheed Epps to be both

uplifting and inspiring.”

Ravenscroft Starter PacksAP US History Jack Van Lokeren ‘15 Senior Year

6Exams College Counselling Michael Gong ‘16

Feature 9evarmoreN

Did you know...Can you match your fellow Ravens with their respective activity?

A.

Sydney Jordan

B.

CharlotteSpence

C.

JackTorborg

D.

HaleyGardner

E.

DelaneyRoberts

F.

AllyBonavita

G.

RobinKikuchi

Answers on

Page 11

1. Peace Frog 3. Fear of fer-rets & whales

4. Karate Kid

2. Goes to “Rocky Horror” show every

other Friday

5. Sang and played the piano in a

family band

6. Used to fence

7. Girl Scout

Review10 evarmoreN

Parker MikeshStaff Writer

The newly released movie, John Wick, is a fresh reboot for actor Keanu Reeve’s career and the assassin movie genre as a whole. The movie provides ample ac-tion for any movie goer who is looking to be amped up and stunned at the same time. Directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski use a darker scheme all across the board for the visuals and the actual plot which emphasis the themes throughout. The movie follows a retired as-sassin named John Wick who has been in reclusion since the passing of his wife whom he loved dearly. John’s love for his wife and anger towards those responsible for a home invasion which results in the loss of the very thing that John connects to his wife with the most.

Keanu Reeves portrays a most capable and will-ing assassin who is considered amongst his colleagues to be one of the best in the business. Keanu’s history with The Matrix Trilogy clearly helped him with this role as his character is more than sufficient with hand-to-hand combat and a newer style of cinematic combat named “gun-fu.” Any movie goer who decides to see John Wick will be impressed with the cinematics involved in the firefights in this movie. The camera work is fantastic at creating the scene necessary to match Wick’s intensity

Keanu Reeves the Audience Satisfied and Wanting More

Keanu Reeve’s at the 2014 Oscars red carpet event

(Photo by Kirk McKoy of the Los Angeles Times)

John Wick’s Box Office

Placement Amongst the

other Films for

Opening Week

(Domestic)

and level of danger surrounding him. The movie does not tread lightly with the R rating

and that is evident in a scene that is about two minutes long but brutally difficult to watch for any animal lover or any decent human being. Whether dog or not, it is incredibly uncomfortable and upsetting to some degree. While the animal’s end is swift, the aftermath is grisly and sincerely depressing. But without this scene, one must ask him or herself if they would still feel the same real despise and anger towards the men responsible.

The cinematics in this movie provide some seri-ous eye candy for the viewer and the metaphors which give a nod towards Keanu’s return to the big screen are to die for. The “I’m guessing I’m back” line is so ex-citing to hear both John and Keanu say. For any fan of his to get to witness his return to making movies as smoothly and coolly as this movie does is quite a treat and the ending leaves sequel opportunities open and de-sired by many.

While this movie may not be for the faint of heart, those who enjoy quality action will agree that this is a quality movie. Keanu Reeves did 90% of his stunts in the movie as well which really makes the movie even more exciting. He is committed to the role and followed through expertly with convincing acting, and an incred-ible story line thanks to the talented writers of the movie and top notch screenplay.

Ouija Universal - $20.0M

John Wick Lionsgate - $14.2M

Fury Sony - $13.0M

Gone Girl 20th Century Fox - $11.1M

Book Of Life20th Century Fox - $9.8M

12345

67

89

10

St. Vincent Weinstein Company - $8.1M

Alexander And The ...DayDisney - $7.0M

Best Of Me, Relativity Media - $4.7M

The JudgeWarner Bros. - $4.3M

Dracula Untold Universal - $4.3M

Sports 11evarmoreN‘Croft-Stitious

Ravens share their pre-game superstitions and how they translates to success

Many professional athletes have a unique pre-game ritual in their respective sport. Some appear to be more odd than others such as the former New York Mets pitcher Turk Wendell who, according to Men’s Health Magazine, would eat four pieces of black licorice before walking to the dugout, subsequently brushing his teeth and entering the game. Along with this, he would wear a neck-lace displaying animal teeth and claws, as a reminder to batters that he meant business.

We asked members of the Ravenscroft community what their athletic superstitions were and discovered a few noteworthy stories.

Ryen Frazier, NC State track commit, commented, “I always tie my left shoe first.” She continued her pre-game ritual by giving a bit of advice to other track partici-pants, “Never drink milk on the day of a race.” Although her methods seem ordinary, Ryen proves successful in the world of track, setting records and looks to continue her success at the collegiate level.

Courtney Price, who plays the #1 spot on the tennis team, possesses a more lackadaisical approach to the court. “I like to goof around with my friends before a match, be-cause it calms me down.” Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of an escape from the pressure that sports entail. Her method is crucial in putting into perspective that sports are not all about competition, but more based around fun.

Many students seem to have superstitions in order to enter their comfort zone in sports. There are many teachers within the Upper School community who also have expe-rienced the lime light of sports.

Head coach of the Varsity basketball team, Kevin Billerman remarked that “I wore the same outfit as we won games in 2012, but it got tough after we won 21 in a row.” The ravens went on to win the 3A NC State Championship that season, as Billerman’s lucky outfit played a great deal of importance.

All athletes have a unique method to prepare for competition in the atmosphere that is sports. Some more unusual than others, some more simple, but at the end of the day, these superstitions are what make us human and further characterize our passion for sports.

STAFF WRITER

MJ Malone

Ravens in Sports

.With a mile time of 4:44.20 on Novem-ber 25th at JDL November All-Comers meet in Winston-Salem, she certainly

doesn’t run like she has 2 left feet!Photo by Allie Wilson

Off the COURTney, girls just wanna have fun...

Photo by Haley Gardner ‘15

Ryen Frazier ‘15 signing with NC State for track next year.

Photo by Allie Wilson

Coach Billerman hoists the 2012 State Championship Trophy in daper attire.

Photo by Allie Wilson

The 2012 Ravens Basketball team cel-ebrates their State title.

Photo by Allie Wilson

Rocky Horror Robin Kikuchi, ‘15

Robin Kikuchi goes to the “Rocky Horror Show” often.

“There is a running joke among regular “Rocky” goers whenever anyone mentions watching the

movie, they exclaim, ‘Wait! There’s a movie?’ I know a guy who has

gone around 70 times and never once watched the full movie.”

Kikuchi was introduced to the Rocky Horror Show by a group of theater kids from another high school

in the summer of 2013.

Sydney Jordan, ‘15, Family Band Singer

Sydney Jordan was in a band with her brothers, when she was 11-years-old. Her brothers were

about 10 and 8. Their band would play at bars and coffee shops. Sydney played the piano and sang. They mostly played old rock

songs. These songs included “Smoke on the Water” and “Yellow Submarine”.

Charlotte Spence is extremely scared of ferrets and whales.

She learned she was scared of whales in Middle School after she watched a documentary

about whales. She learned she was scared of ferrets after

reading an article about a guy who ordered poodles online

and when he got the poodles, it turned out they were steroid induced poodles. Sadly, she

occasionally has nightmares of ferrets now. Peace Frogs is a club at Brassfield

Elementary School where kids get together to prevent

bullying, and to spread kindness and love. Within the club, students made posters in order to make others aware of bullying.

Gardner joined peace frogs because she wanted to promote acceptance of all people and she believes everyone should be treated fairly and equally. To this day, if she sees someone talking badly about someone else, she will often

step-in and stand up for the other person.

Jack Torborg, ‘15, FencerJack recalls deciding to fence after going to a few of his sister’s fenching practices when he was in preschool. Watching her really interest-ed him, so, when he got older he decided to try

it. He fenced between the ages of 9 and 12. “I learned that you get out what you put into a hobby. Fencing required a lot of outside practice in order to excel

and really taught me how to put effort into all of my work.” Torborg no longer fences because the only gym is at UNC-Cha-

pel Hill and it was too long of a drive.

Karate KidAlly Bonavita, ‘15Ally Bonavita participated in

karate in the third grade.The high-est rank she achieved in her karate career was the green belt. She no

longer performs karate, but it has taught her self defense. Delaney Roberts decided to

participate in Girl Scouts because it seemed like a cool way to spend

time, and help local charities includ-ing “Feed Your Starving Children.” Her friends Girl Scouts as well. She

credtis Girls Scout for teaching her the importance of helping

others and adds that this appreciation allows her to understand and enjoy the commu-

nity service required by the school.

Know... Answers

Photo by Axel Barth illustration with clipart in PhotoShop

Did

You

Hoppy Haley Gardner, ‘15, the Peace Frog

Charlotte Spence, ‘15 Strange Fears

Delaney Roberts, 16 Girl Scout

Sports12 evarmoreNW

inter

Spo

rts U

pdate Varsity Wrestling

5 - 2

Varsity Girls Swimming

2 - 0

In the spring of 2010, Olivia Aschman, ‘15, joined the Middle School la-crosse team, marking her debut in the sport. The then seventh grader decided to give lacrosse a try when competitive club soccer had Aschman driving directly from school to practice often. Ever since then, she has been playing year round to hone her athletic skill and keep up fitness.

This past November, Aschman signed a national letter of intent to attend University of Colorado Boulder to play lacrosse. In college athletics, Aschman is looking forward to “competing at a higher level and learning/being coached by a coaching staff that has accumulated over 13 national championships at North-western,” she said.

“Also, the equipment and swag we will get is pretty awesome.”While being a top tier high school athlete can be fun, it is also demanding.

Practices are near constant and can make it difficult to balance the rigor on the field and in the classroom, however, Aschman has managed to maintain the high standards in both that will be needed to succeed at the next level.

Being only one of three students to receive the AP Scholar with Distinction award for earning an average of at least 3.5 on all tests completed and scored of 3 or higher on at least 5 AP exams, a Junior Marshall, among other honors and awards, Aschman clearly has proven both her intellectual and athletic skill.

Her athletic skill is not limited to the lacrosse field. Aschman has also played soccer, volleyball, basketball, ran cross country (an all-conference and all-state runner at that), and swam - or - “aka drowning” as she calls it.

Aschman’s contributions to the Ravenscroft Varsity lacrosse team have been numerous. Last year’s varsity team lost in the state championship game with a final record of 16-3 but won the championship in 2012. Perhaps some of this success came from Aschman’s superstitions of eating peanut butter on game days or trying to wear the same hair tie for an entire season.

On the field, her skills and commitment are apparent to teammates and coaches alike.

“She’s a really consistent player who has a ton of skill,” said Anna Collawn, ‘16, a lacrosse teammate of Aschman’s for 4 years.

“She’s good at anything she puts her mind to,” something Collawn knows from sharing a field, court, and pool with Aschman for a combined 6 seasons. Not to mention an additional 3 years in the future because Collawn has also verbally committed to Colorado University Boulder for lacrosse.

For anyone who wants to pursue athletics at the collegiate level, Ashcman said, “Work hard and don’t sell yourself short. And keep your recruiting informa-tion between you, your parents, and your coach.”

Work hard play hardScholar athlete Olivia Aschman signs to UC Boulder

Varsity Boys Basketball

3 - 1

Varsity Girls Basketball

3 - 0

Olivia Aschman, ‘15, signs her National Letter of Intent to play lacrosse next year at the Uni-versity of Colorado Boulder in the Hall of Fame Room.

Photo by Allie Wilson

Emi MyersEditor

Cailin Dorsey, ‘15, scopes out the court for an open Raven to make

the play.Photo by Sarah Lowery

Ian Dubose, ‘‘17, slams one with authority.

Photo by Sarah LoweryBlake Sanders, ‘16, on the attack at a recent wrestling match.

Photo by Sarah Lowery

Varsity Boys Swimming

2 - 0On right: Sam Stump,

‘15, butterflying his way down the lane.

Photo by Allie Wilson

On right: Tenley Ziperski, ‘18, motors through the water.Photo by Allie Wilson