the nevarmore, october 2014
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Ravenscroft School's student newspaperTRANSCRIPT
Ravenscroft School 7409 Falls of Neuse Road October 2014
Ravenscroft SchoolevarmoreN
Andrew Vande Berg, ‘15, leader of Disc Club and Pokemon Club gains a new recruit at the second annual Club Bazaar. Photo by Emi Myers
Austin MorinEditor
The second annual Club Bazaar was held on the Ra-venscroft Quad in early September during lunch. Leaders from Upper School clubs presented their activities, causes, and interests to the student body, allowing students to sign up directly at the booth.
“People could sign up for a wide variety of clubs,” said Brett Haensel, ‘17, leader of Running Club. He believes that the excitement from club leaders assisted students in learning about and deciding upon which clubs to get involved with this year.
On the other hand, the ability to sign up for many clubs was possibly one of the Bizarre’s downfalls because “some people didn’t take it seriously, and signed up for too many clubs halfheartedly,” Haensel added.
Space was an issue for Mel Broughton, ‘15. He shared that there was so much excitement in the air that “it was a bit loud and noisy” so he had a hard time explaining what Poke-mon club was all about. Broughton suggested spacing out the tables a bit more next year.
Three years ago, the administration dedicated a 9:35 Common Period to a club assembly in the Jones Theatre. Each club would send a member to the stage to explain the purpose their organization. Many students found this ap-proach boring and strung out.
John Landers, ‘15, believed that the old approach did a poor job of attracting new members to clubs. Although “the leaders would do a great job presenting their clubs, practi-cally no one would pay any attention because it was so long,” said Landers.
Peter Bogue, Head of Upper School, introduced the idea of a Club Bazaar from his experiences at his previous job at a school in California. He shared the idea with Helen Velk, Upper School Journalism Instructor/Student Activities, and Kevin Billerman, Assistant Head of Upper School for Student Leadership, who helped him put the idea in motion.
Velk, organizer of both the 2013 and 2014 Club Ba-zaars, believes the new approach to be better than “listening to endless students blabber on and on.”
Club Bazaar attracts Upper School students to new groups
Emi MyersEditor
Administration stresses collaboration with students for substance abuse prevention education effort to be implemented this year
The Community Health Team policy, in the Student Hand-book for the last 3 years, will be en-acted for the first time in the 2014-2015 school year, said Peter Bogue, Head of Upper School.
This team is a program de-signed to be a non-disciplinary re-source for students to raise concerns about their peers in regard to alcohol and drug use, said Susan Perry, As-sistant Head of Upper School for Faculty Development and Student Guidance. Three to five faculty mem-bers will be elected by students in the coming months to choose trust-
worthy representatives whom they would feel comfortable talking to about sensitive issues concerning the wellbeing of their peers.
The exact responsibilities and particulars of the team have not been decided however the adminis-tration is more inclined toward in-stituting a non-anonymous system.
In this proposed system, a concerned student would sit down with a member of the Community Health Team and raise concerns about the health of a peer. Depend-ing on the severity of the report, actions taken by the Community Health Team can range from a meeting with both the team and their parents to no action at all. In most cases, however, students’ par-ents will not be involved unless a
second report is received according to an outline from the Freedom from Chemical Dependence organization provided by Perry.
Meetings with the Community Health team will not have legal con-fidentiality protec-tion like a profes-sional counsellor and will not serve to help students manage depen-dency issues but rather refer them to other professionals who are qualified to help.
The team will be advised by Perry who has instituted similar pro-grams at two other schools.
“Deep down, if I was a drug-gie I would want one of my friends to go straight to me,” said Drew Da-vis, ‘16. If he remained stubborn or unchanged by his friends’ expressed
concerns, Davis said he would want his friends to seek additional help.
As a student and friend, it is difficult to make a decision as to how to help peers ex-plained Will Red-din.
“You don’t want to get your friends in trouble but at the same time you want them to be healthy,” said Reddin.
The program is slated to be
fully operational by January.Faculty who have volunteered
for positions on the team were trained by Freedom from Chemical Depen-dency, a non-profit dedicated to work-ing “with schools and other organi-zations across the United States and around the world to provide students with the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to make intel-ligent, healthy choices about alcohol and other drug use,” according to their website mission statement.
“This is not a narcing policy,” said Bogue. “Our job is not to par-ent you. Our job is to support you as people.”
Bogue stressed the importance of a “team, not adversarial” relation-ship between students and the faculty and administration.
O“Our job is not to parent you. Our job is to support you as people.”
- Peter BogueHead of Upper School
Local
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SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
Page 2Visiting Artist, SGA, CalendarAustin Morin & Delaney Roberts
Page 324 Hour PlayKatherine Booth & Jonathan Marlowe
Page 4Ravens Apply To Colleges AbroadParker Mikesh
Page 5Faculty Fantasy FootballMJ Malone
Page 6Homecoming QueenCasey Harris
Page 7EditorialEmi Myers, Haley Gardner, Austin Morin, Casey Harris, Sarah Lowery, Stephanie Wiehe
Page 8 ‘Croft Halloween TraditionsDelaney Roberts
Page 9Summer TravelsAxel Barth
Page 10State Fair RecapHaley Gardner
Page 11Raven Athletes Taking Talents to Next LevelAnna Collawn & Brett Haensel
Page 12Football Team Welcomes New MembersTiger Harris & Sydney Jordan
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News2 evarmoreN
“ D o n ’ t follow other people because it’s popular,” said Wes Stroud, ‘15, on the first day of school.
Last year students voted a new SGA President to replace 2013 graduate Rosie Waring. Stroud, this year’s president has several goals he wants to attain.
Stroud wants to make a legacy for JT Taylor, ‘14, after his death in June 2014. To accomplish this, the SGA allowed students to vote on their favorite of the five charities mentioned in Taylor’s obituary. The student body chose the American Cancer Society.
Stroud also wants to work on improving existing SGA sponsored events, like celebration days, kickball badminton tournaments, and dances.
Stroud says that SGA is currently working on a website.
“It’s to keep people updated
Delaney RobertsStaff Writer
@RAVENSCROFTSGA
@RAVENSCROFTSGA
Stroud sets new tone for Student Government Association
on SGA things,” Stroud said. The SGA is working to
increase student retention, especially in the transitions between schools.
“We want to make sure that we can keep people in Ravenscroft from Middle to Upper School,” he says.
Goals and planning aside, Stroud is probably not only known as President of the SGA but also for his
use of quotes. He ended his election speech with Dr. Seuss’s, “Fun is good.”
He also talked earlier this year about leadership at a school event. His leadership quotes, he said, were found on some Sun Maid’s raisin boxes.
“I was trying to think of something inspirational,” he recalled of the raisin inspired quote from his
speech, “and I was eating raisins. I chose some of my favorite quotes off the boxes and took it from there.”
A “screen shot” of the Ravenscroft Student Government Association’s Instagram account.
favorite things in the world; the pos-sibilities of color and color combina-tions excites her.
In her studio, there is a wall of baskets filled to the brim with miles of colorful yarn displaying every imaginable hue. Remnants of the 100 pounds of yarn she received as a gift can still be found there.
Following the lunchtime open-ing of her show in the Fine Arts lob-by, Heyden visited the art classes and taught a lesson on color theory. Color theory explains relationships between color placement.
In the many years Heyden has walked this earth, her colors have
failed to fade with age.Joyce Fillip, Head of the Up-
per School Arts Program, discovered Silvia Heyden at her art show Togeth-er Again held at Durham Arts Center.
Fillip was fascinated by Heyden and arranged for a group of students to visit her studio to explore the dying art of tapestry with the as-sistance of the Morton Committee for the Endowment of the Arts. The stu-dents were on the mission to purchase one of her tapestries.
She returned to the school to officially open her show in the Fine Arts building at the start of the 2014-2015 school year.
Austin MorinEditor
In 87 years, Silvia Heyden has lived an extraordinary life. She saw the construction of the Berlin Wall, sensed the looming danger of staying in East Germany, and was among the last vehicles to leave com-munist East Germany for the demo-cratic West side.
Once out of college, she want-ed to be a luthier, one who builds violins. The male exclusive industry did not accept female apprentices so Heyden abandoned her luthier aspi-rations and explored other art forms.
Her early artistic interest was in fabric printing and hooked rugs. She only happened upon tapes-try weaving in the early 1960s when she studied in the Bauhaus tradition under Johannes Itten and Elsi Giau-que at the School of Arts in Zürich. She was introduced to tapestry by her professor and she bought her first loom in 1964. Heyden has been weaving ever since.
One of Heyden’s favorite pres-ents was 100 pounds of yarn given to her by her husband before moving to the United States.
Yarn remains one of Heyden’s
Swedish tapestry artist visits Ravenscroft
Silvia Heyden speaks with Alanksha Sharma, ‘17, during her art show in the lobby of the Jones Theatre in September.
Photo by Allie Wilson
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Ravenscroft Swim-A-Thon
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Veteran’s Day
Thanksgiving Break
Canned Food Drive for Wake Relief
Canned Food Drive
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Philip Phillips
Students explore color theory with yarn with Silvia Heyden.Photo by Allie Wilson
Q1 Celebration Day
News 3evarmoreNRavenscroft 24 hour play premiere
After 24 hours of being stuck in the Young People’s Black Box theater, eleven
students spent Saturday September 13 practicing, and performing self-written plays.
Being locked in the black-box theatre may not be the typical idea of a good time, but all participants were energetic and
enthusiastic.The three plays opened at 7 p.m. on Saturday, featuring memorized
lines, props, and even costumes.When the students first arrived in the Black Box on Friday night, they learned the
rules of 24 hour theater. Three groups of participants chose one piece of paper from three cups. The cups contained conflicts, relationships, and miscellaneous including props and funny lines which had to be incorporated into each group’s play. During the writing process the participants were allowed other picks from the cups. The only stipulation was any additional element a group picked needed to be incorporated into the performance.
“After two hours of writing their plays, the students tried some improv to get a sense of their plot”, said Jason Sharp, Ravenscroft drama instructor.
After a food break, the participants continued to write their scripts until 2 a.m. scripts were finalized by noon, rehearsals took place in the afternoon, and performances took place in front of an audience that evening.
Gwen Shope, ‘15, most enjoyed “when we all came back together as a group, to eat meals and to take breaks, where we all got to tell each other what we had been working on”.
Katherine Booth
Staff Writer
Grace Berry’16, Darrion Underwood ‘16, Louis Mallison ‘15, Briana DeStaffan ‘17, Alexis Murphy ‘18, Ethan Fisk ‘18, Sage Battle ‘18, Matt Sheaffer ‘18, Haley Murdoch
‘16, Gwen Shoppe ‘15, and Sophie Raymer ‘15 pose for a cast picture.Photo by Katherine Booth
Eat, sleep, play, repeatRavenscroft students spent 24 hours in the Young People’s Theatre
The tragic story of
Norman Grimm’s life,
and his determination to destroy his
assistant’s happiness.
Alexis Murphy ‘18, Louis Mallison ‘15, and Matt Sheaffer ‘18 discuss
the betrayal.Photo by Katherine Booth
The Grimm Life of Norman Grimm
Dottie’s Mountain Adventure
Follow Dottie’s hunt to find and take
down her husband’s
mistress while on a
yoga retreat.Haley Murdoch ‘16, and Grace Berry ‘16 look on while Gwen Shoppe ‘15
laments.Photo by Katherine Booth
Briana DeStaffan ‘17, Sage Battle ‘18, Ethan Fisk ‘18, and Darrion Under-
wood ‘16 take an elevator selfie.Photo by Katherine Booth
A silent play about 4 very
different people and the
struggles they face while trapped in
an elevator.
Silent Elevator
On Saturday night, if you were on a date with your boyfriend/girlfriend or at home on Netflix, you missed a night full of laughter and probably missed three very good plays.
All three plays stood out in their own ways, which made the night so spectacular. Drama club is made up of marvellous actors and actresses that may have a bright future in the acting business. Hard work and preparation was put into these plays, and it showed when in the performances!
The Grimm Life of Norman Grimm was, by far, the funniest as it included joy, laughter and romance. Even though this play was filled with laughter, it also had a strong theme. From my interpretation, the moral of this play was that your best friend or anybody can turn their back on you in an instant, and it is in your best interest to trust few people.
If you saw this play, you would have felt as if you were watching The Titanic because of the drama that one man had to overcome to get his true love back after she had been stolen.
This play was by far the funniest, just because they used a lot of stagecraft and incorporated lines from famous movies like the The Titanic which made the play standout. Actors that were particularly notable were Matt Sherraff, ‘18, Alex Murphy and Louis Malliison, ‘15. The best part was when the two male actors; Murphy and Sherraff began to run in slow motion toward a boat where the true love awaited them, a scene very similar to the end of The Titanic.
In Dottie’s Mountain Adventure, the main character was Rae Thistlebrush played by Haley Murdoch, ‘15 . She played a very comedic role that was based upon her character’s innocent, naive personality, which made the crowd laugh constantly.
This play took place on a yoga retreat where three young girls were on vacation and met each other during a yoga session and became quick friends.
Gwen Shope,‘15, who played Dottie Pimbleton and, Grace Berry, ‘16, who played Juniper Greenleaf were the supporting roles and worked well with Murdoch’s character. The conflict was the best part of the play because it had a twist that made Dottie’s Mountain Adventure stand out from the others.
Dottie Pimbleton (Shope 15’) goes to a yoga retreat trying to catch her boyfriend in the act of cheating on her with Thistlebrush, her best friend.
Jonathan Marlowe
Staff Writer
Review
Having just a few vague clues to help her find her beau’s mistress,Pimbleton jumps to conclusions and falsely accuses Greenleaf of ruining her relationship when in reality it was her friend Thistlebrush all along.
Besides the conflict, Shope really stood out in my eyes. She is a great actress and has a bright future if she continues to act.
Murdoch 15’ added humor with her “nature quotes” and her passive personality.
In Silent Elevator the plot of the play was four random strangers trapped in an elevator. Besides, the comedy, this play was very confusing at times because it was silent. At some point in the play I felt as if they were losing the crowd’s attention but Ethan Fisk, ‘18, changed my opinion with his great comedic acting.
The one thing that I will give them credit for, is being different from the other’s plays. It contained the most unusual theme of the evening but was also the most confusing, the fact that it was a “silent” didn’t help.
Ethan Fisk is a great actor reason because he was very dramatic, and hilarious to watch.
The best scene was when they shared a pair of headphones, and each song displayed what they were thinking at the moment, which was creative. The funniest part was when the song “Hot boy” by Bobby Shmurda came on and the actor Darrion Underwood, ‘16, started doing the “Shmurda” dance.
The entire student body should have come out, and they would have had a great time. This crew of overnight actors, writers, producers, and costumers set a very high level of expectation for the next play to come.
If you missed these great performances...Don’t forget to put the dates for
the Addams Family on your calendar
Feb. 6 & 7 2015
News/Review4 evarmoreN
The college application process is made up of some of the toughest decisions that the student has made in their scholastic career, and even their life. Where to apply is affected by many factors and can be difficult to decide on, and where to go once accepted can be even more challenging. The United States is filled with colleges that are all perfect for somebody, but the reality of finding that perfect match can be quite difficult. Sometimes the school is just right for the student, but it happens to be in another state, or sometimes, even another country.
Distance is a major player for many students in how they view their college process and experience. A prime example of how dis-tance is relevant to one’s process is Raven, Austin Morin class of ‘15. Morin has been looking into schools across the Atlantic like St. An-drews, University of Edinburgh, and University of Glasgow.
Morin gave some helpful insight into why and how he is going about reaching his far away schools.
“My parents don’t really want me to go out of state, but I have been trying to persuade them for a long time that this is what I really want to do. And I will end up paying for my own college education so they are letting me know in advance that I may be digging my way into some student loans”, said Morin.
Morin understands the responsibilities and decisions that he has to deal with to pursue his abroad colleges, but he said “in a perfect world where money was no object I would go as far away as I can get. I think that in such a crucial part of growing up that throwing myself way out of my comfort zone will make me stronger as an individual on my own. But because money is a factor, I may have to stay in state.”
For someone to commit to such a far away school, they must have the right mind-set, for it is just as important as going through the motions of completing the process, and Austin Morin not only has the right idea, but the right attitude as well.
“I think a student can be independent only miles from home. To me it is a matter of the experience they pursue and what they do with it, not the distance. Especially with modern social media, I think you can still be very dependent even if you are far away” said Bill Pruden, College Counselor.
Independence will spawn for any Raven upon reaching college, the process alone promotes independence because of all of the responsi-bility that comes along with it.
Many schools close to home remain popular for Ra-vens each year. Pruden com-mented on the popularity of certain schools and said, “I would not say a regular group, but there are certainly schools--UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State, South Carolina, App State and others that year in and year out get a large number of applications.” These schools are examples of close colleges that promote independence from within the state and are popular amongst Ravenscroft students when application time rolls around senior year.
Ravens and College Counselors prepare for the takeoff of a lifetimeThough not the norm, several seniors apply abroad
College Counselor Bill Pruden will make a final application boarding call for all students to submit their applications and Austin Morin, ‘15, is already on board to take off with this process.
Photo by: Parker Mikesh
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
STAFF WRITER
Parker Mikesh
College pamplets and sign ups can be found outside the Col-lege Counseling office on the
2nd floor of Murphy Hall.Photo by Parker Mikesh
The Nevarmore Asks...Why did you apply to a college outside the United States?
“I am originally
from Canada, and
I want to go home.”
University of Toronto,
Canada
Taylor Fleck’13
Only four Ravens have gone outside of the US in the past five years
-Alexandra Zuckerman, ‘15-Katherine Booth, ‘15 -Emi Myers, ‘15
“I have always en-
joyed travel-ing and expe-riencing other
cultures.”
“I used to live abroad and
want to experience that
again.”
University of St. Andrews,
Scotland
Tyler Fergusson,’12
Gent University
Carole Verdru, ‘12
University of Lincoln, UK
Devon Williamson’13
Seniors, don’t forget:
College applications must be submitted 1 week before the official due date!
Feature 5evarmoreN
“Team Ambush” caught members of the faculty Fantasy Football League off-guard with the unprecedented leadership of the youngest coach in Ravenscroft’s history of the league. By young, we’re talking ten-years-old.
Headed by Bill Pruden, Director of Civic Engagement, “Team Ambush” tops the standings after two solid performances in the opening weeks of the Fantasy Football competition. He admits that the key factor to his team’s suc-cess lies in the hands of his son, Jack, the mastermind behind the Ambush’s triumph over the past few weeks.
“I am just the face of the team,” Pruden confessed, “we’ve gotten lucky as far as the draft.” Pruden divulged, however, that Jack worries a great deal over Fantasy Football. “He agonizes [over] what the starting lineup should be everyday until the Thursday Night Football game.”
As the weeks of the season are well in the books, the Ravenscroft Fan-tasy Football competition continues to heat up. At this point in the game, even the most obsessive owner of a team can end up in the losing column. Injuries, bad luck, and poor performance are all factors Fantasy Football owners must recognize as possible threats to their teams’ success.
As a result of these looming complications, many members are super-stitious when drafting their teams. Elise Thrash, Ravenscroft librarian and
Florida State University grad-uate, primarily drafts former FSU players, hence her team name “the Seminoles.” How-ever, she also includes a few players which considers to be “must haves.”
Among her “ must haves” is the Green Bay Packers’ quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, who strongly started the season, averaging 17.8 points per game, and coming off a major 300+ yards outing versus the New York Jets. So, it is no surprise that Thrash’s method of drafting has proven successful.
“My biggest triumph was coming in 3rd place last season, which was a pretty big deal considering it was my first year participating,” Thrash added. Currently she sits at
Faculty Fantasy Football, Child’s Play?
Faculty Fantasy Football league’s current leader, Team Ambush, technically led by Bill Pruden, with the help of an adolescent. A real rookie.
Members of the Faculty League: Dr. Jonathan Avery, Latin Instructor, Kevin Flinn, English Instructor, Kerry Norman, PE Instructor, Shon Hardy, PE Instructor, Elise Thrash, Upper
School Librarian, and Bill Pruden, Director of Civic Engage-ment pose for a fierce group picture.
Photo by Cross Carpenter
11th in the standings of 20 members, and she hopes to bounce back in the coming weeks.
When asked to name the most competitive owner in the league, Amy Lamond, Upper School Ad-ministration Assistant and owner of the 16th place “Pirates,” responded, “Mr. Durham, because he constantly is driven to win and be number one.”
STAFF WRITER
MJ Malone
New comer Jack Pruden is taking the league by storm, as he seeks his first
championship title.Photo by Helen Velk
Bill Chissoe looks to defend his title from all competitors.
Photo by MJ Malone
1.
Bill Pruden
2. Peter Bogue
3.
John Karny
4.
Phil Higginson
Bill Chissoe
5.6.
Meghan Winter
7.
Mark Laskowski
8.
David Monaco
9.
Shon Hardy
10.
Rick Cameron
11.
Kerry Norman12.
Kevin Flinn
13.
Amy Lamond
14.Scott Rigenbach15.
Tim Savage16.
Ed Durham
17.Michael Ronco
18.Elise Thrash
19. Russell Vacanti
20.
Jonathan Avery
Name That Owner: Below are the names of each faculty member’s team name. Can you match the name of each team to their rightful owner?
Ed Durham, founder of the infamous “Ravensrule,” currently places comfortably in the 4th place spot after two weeks of play. Al-though Durham challenges all oppo-nents who stand in his way, Lamond is quite confident that her team can rebound after an 0-2 start. “I feel more experienced, and less hesitant to switch or substitute players when
Answer to quiz on Page 8
Opinion6 evarmoreN
This year Ravenscroft continued the annual tradi-tion of electing a homecoming court, but added a twist. Prior to elections, Head of Upper School, Peter Bogue, sent out an email with parameters list-ing characteristics of “an ideal court member.”
The statement created by SGA stressed that Homecom-ing Court should be based not on personality, but on active participation in Upper School clubs, community service con-tributions, and positive effects on the Ravenscroft community as a whole. Students were re-minded to keep this in mind while voting.
These guidelines for Homecoming Court elections parallel Ravenscroft’s contin-ued effort to involve the Cen-ter For Creative Leadership principles in school-sponsored events. While Ravenscroft ap-peared to be moving towards a reform of the stereotypical popularity contest, there are still several issues surrounding the process as a whole.
In many other schools, the Homecoming Court con-sists of both young women and young men, electing a
Casey HarrisEditor
Homecoming Queen and King. Ravenscroft continues to promote a single-sex court, only offering the names of the female students for consider-ation.
When asked about fu-ture plans surrounding a co-ed court, Bogue said that the deci-sion will be left to the student body, tending to agree with those in favor of the change. The addition of an elected group of male students to the court would foster the kind of inclusivity that Ravenscroft would like its students to por-tray.
Another typical aspect of a Homecoming Court is the requirement of its members to participate in various activities leading up to the Homecom-ing game, usually involving a form of community service.
While the ladies on the court attend the Homecom-ing dinner, there are no other opportunities for them to dis-play the characteristics that the SGA’s statement promotes.
Creating several events to give the court an opportu-nity to contribute to the Ra-venscroft Community could help give meaning to the tra-dition. Members could spon-sor a charity event, run a bake sale, or support a featured club
in the week leading up to the Homecoming game.
When dealing with elec-tions of teenagers by their peers, there will always be a certain degree of social con-sideration.
Ravenscroft is taking steps to enhance the tradi-tion of having a Homecoming Court, and despite a contro-versial Queen ballot that con-tained no description of the accomplishments of the candi-dates, it seems to be moving in the right direction.
Homecoming Court 2015 will only change if SGA and interested students take an active leadership position and promote their ideas for change to administrators.
The Homecoming Court stands in the gym before Emily Sikkel, ‘15, was announced 2014 Homecoming Queen. From left to right stands Eva Simmons, ‘15, and her father, Luke Simmons, Charlotte Spence, ‘15, and her father, Eric Spence, Emily Sikkel, ‘15, and her father, Pieter Sikkel, Jen Funsten, ‘15, and her father,
Landon Funsten, Nina Barnett, ‘15, and her father, Hall Barnett, Olivia Aschman, ‘15, and her father, Carl Aschman.Photo by Allie Wilson
Homecoming election reforms set in place this year are works in progress
Above: Emily Sikkel, ‘16, poses with her dad after being crowned Queen.
Below: Emily Sikkel, ‘16, receives a hug from 2013 Queen, Mary Grady Bell, ‘14.
Photos by Allie Wilson
Students campaign for candidate and rocked the vote
Without information on the activities, community service hours, and campus involvement of each contestant, it is impossible for the general population to make an informed and accurate vote.
Editor’s Note:
Katherine Booth,‘15, was one of several students that cam-paigned for candidate Emily
Sikkel, ‘15.Photo by Helen Velk
children whereas the Community Health Team is an on-campus, non-disciplinary resource for students to use. Any illicit activity occurring off of school grounds should be the right and responsibility of parents to seek and deal with as they see fit.
Randomly drug testing stu-dents fails to diminish use of illegal substances. According to a study by Sharon R. Sznitman, a lecturer at the University of Haifa in Israel, students who were subjected to drug and alco-hol testing increased their contraband use after 1 year.
Similarly, a study in the Jour-nalism of Adolescent Health in 2006 found that 93% of adolescent medicine providers disagree or strongly disagree with policies requiring students to be drug tested in school.
As the community con-tinues to find ways to avoid otherwise pre-ventable deaths, Ravenscroft should promote open dialogue and a trusting environ-ment instead of insti-tuting drug and alcohol testing which would result in an unstable and stressful environment. The choices that lead to fatal ac-cidents come down to the in-dividual student and so the goal of the school should be to enable students to make informed decisions about their lives.
Wire ServiceThe Nevarmore subscribes to MCT Campus, which provides photographs, national news & entertain-
ment services to high school newspapers.Faculty Advisor: Helen Velk
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 7evarmoreN
Following the loss Jonathan Tay-lor, ‘14, in June, 2014, investigators
suspect that v e h i c l e
speeding and alcohol caused
the accident, ac-cording to WRAL.
In light of this event, there were rumors that
parents and adminis-trators might look to
drug and alcohol testing to prevent this kind of accident in the future.
Rest assured; random drug and alcohol screening is not going to be implemented at Ravenscroft, accord-ing to Peter Bogue, Head of Upper School, though this policy is used at a few private high schools across the nation.
St. Viator High School in Il-linois tests students for alcohol and drug use by cutting and analyzing hair samples from students’ heads. This decision is a part of the school’s commitment “to providing and main-taining a school environment that is drug free,” according to the Saint Vi-ator High School Student Handbook.
Psychemedics Corp. is the company contracted to conduct the drug and alcohols tests in their lab in Massachusetts. The Psychemedics Corp. website requires a hair sample with the diameter of pencil lead.
The school tests every student within the first six weeks of school. In each subsequent week, 15 students
are selected per week by a random generator to be tested. The test is able to detect consumption as far as three months prior to sample collection.
Although private schools are exempt from legislation protect-ing privacy, they should not be able to run a police state. Instituting random drug and alcohol tests establishes the notion of guilty until proved innocent instead of vice versa.
Such an idea fosters distrust between teenagers and adults. This is especially true when tests are ad-ministered at random because it im-plies that students cannot be trusted
at any time. When students are con-stantly being pitted against teachers, administrators, and parents, they will not talk to them about issues that can catalyze substance abuse.
The Community Health Team could be a more constructive way to deal with substance abuse in a school community because it encourages discussion about student’s peer’s ac-tivities, if used, rather than attempts to cover up possibly dangerous hab-its.
Illegal substance screening policies extend the power of the school too far over that of parents who should be able to discipline their
Drug and alcohol screening at schools fail to help students
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93%of adolescent medicine providers disagree or strongly disagree with policies requiring students to be drug tested in school.
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HIGHlight Testing...
...could leave you stranded!Editorial Cartoon by Austin Morin
Editorial Team: Emi Myers, Editor-In-Chief Haley Gardner Casey Harris, Sarah Lowery, Austin Morin,
Stephanie Wiehe Associate Editors
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.
evarmoreN
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now we go to every house.”
Sometimes, she stays home to hand out candy. One time, a kid dressed up as Elvis came to her door, and upon getting candy, he said “Thank you, thank you very much.”
Most students stay home and watch horror movies on Halloween night. Many students responded that didn’t know why they don’t dress up. For those that do dress up, it’s often not a big deal.
“I don’t go all out,” said Cross Carpenter, ‘16. It would be hard for many Crofters like Carpenter to dress up anyway in 2014: there will be a football game against Harrells Academy on the spookiest night of the year and Carpenter is on the football team.
The trick or treating days of old are long gone for most, but a few Ravenscroft students and faculty keep themselves busy with block parties, horror movies and dressing up .
Katherine Booth, ‘15, volunteers at her neighborhood’s Halloween party. “I hand out my baby sitting cards and hang out with all the kids,” she said, “It’s a good way to drum up business.”
Amy Lamond, Upper School Administrative Assistant, goes trick-or-treating with her son Zander, ‘28, but it’s more like going to a block party than trick-or-treating.
“We go all the way around the neighborhood,” said Lamond, “The people at the end of the block have a grill and make hot dogs.”
She said Halloween night is longer now that Zander is older and has more energy. “We used to be able to cruise only half of the houses….
Students and teachers celebrate Halloween in styleDelaney Roberts
staff Writer
Spanish teacher Steve Swaim participated in a Theater in the Park haunted house “tour” near North Carolina State University, where he transformed himself into Dracula as pictured above. “At the appropriate point in the guide’s spiel, I scratched at the coffin and then I came out and showed my teeth,” Swaim said. “One time, a couple that was already scared came into my room, and I made it look like I came out of my coffin. They sprinted away.” Swaim isn’t sure what he is going to dress up as this year. “I have a monk’s robe...and I have a medieval scholar’s outfit. I am not a good
hat person but I look good in that floppy velvet hat.”
Thank you, Señior Steve Swaim, for COFFIN up the above photo for The Nevarmore!
Seniors Justin Pederson, Jack Van Lokeren, McLean Voekel, Cole Cutter,
David Reynolds, Wes Stroud, and Sean Mahoney pose for a picture in their
lumberjack costumes in 2013.Photo provided by Sean Mahoney
Feature8 evarmoreN
Sydney Ritenour ‘17 Those who do go all out find Halloween the most exciting
holiday of the year. “I’m that one teenager who goes around scaring people,”
Sydney Ritenour, ‘17, said.“I’ll sit at my doorstep and jump out of the bushes when they ring the doorbell. I usually take my mask off and give [them] a hug after it though.”
“Halloween is my specialty,” she said. “It’s the one day that you can be weird and nerdy and no one will judge you. My friends will all come over and we’ll watch old cheesy horror movies and play Dungeons and Dragons.”
A few, like Ritenour, even make their Halloween looks themselves. “I have a stash of FX makeup that I don’t use until Halloween.”
Ritenour’s costuming handiwork is not exclusive to Halloween. For the Beaufort Pirate Invasion, an event where people dress up and act like pirates, in August 2014, Ritenour wore a pirate costume of her own design.
Sydney Ritenour, ‘ 17, poses with her Grandfather at the Beaufort
Pirate Invasion. Photo provided by Sydney Ritenour. ARG MATEE!
Señior Swaim ‘17
Steve Swaim dressed up as Dracula for a haunted house. Photo provided by Steve Swaim.
Answers To Faculty Fantasy Football Name That Owner
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Feature 9evarmoreN
When Dempster, was leader of the day, he decided to cut over a
mountain instead of going around. Going up the
mountain was harder than going around recollected Demp-
ster. He regretted his decision halfway up, but upon arrival at the top, the view made the hike
worth it.
Frederick went to New York City for a fashion program, Wrightsville Beach
with friends, and Ecuador. Her favorite memory was a 3-year-old girl
named Julie picking up puppies on the road, and giving them rope leashes.
Hansen worked as a hostess on Bald Head Island at a restaurant called
“Mojos” on the Harbor that mainly serves seafood. She decided to work there so
she could live at the beach for the summer. On her days off, she went to the beach.
Dr. Perry, was setting up her lunch within her kayak
and a sea lion popped up out of the water right next to her kayak, and then an
entire pod of sea lions were swimming around her.
Students travel far, and near for summer plans
National Outdoor Leadership School, also known as NOLS, focuses on teaching young adults wilderness education. “NOLS takes students of all ages on remote wilderness expeditions and teaches them technical outdoor skills, leadership, and
environmental ethics,” according to the NOLS website.
There were two days of really hard hiking through
an overgrown forest, and at the end of each day they had a dinner of
macaroni and cheese. Despite the difficult terrain, the
group maintained high morale and a positive attitude.
Theresa Fredrick, ‘15, hugs Julie, an Ecuadorian girl who made a rope leash for a stray puppy.
Photo by: Axel Barth Photo provided by Talia Wahl
What did you do this summer?
Jack Dempster, ‘15 Dr. Susan Perry Assistant Head of Upper School
Austin Morin, ‘15Favorite NOLS Memories
“One of my favorite memories was shopping at all the leather markets in Florence,
and I was able to bargain with a lot of the market people. The other favorite memory I have is when I was able to sketch and draw in the narrow alley ways of Spoleto. My biggest
favorite memory was being able to experience it with my best friend, Melanie Moravec”.
Ecuador Study Abroad
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d
Caroline Hansen, ‘15
Theresa Frederick, ‘15
Talia Wahl, ‘15Caroline Hansen, ‘15, poses with a
co-woker for a goofy picture at Mojos on the Harbor, Hansen’s employer.
Photo provided by: Caroline Hansen.
Photo by Jack Dempster
Feature10 evarmoreN
The North Carolina State Fair, appropriately themed “October Original,” started on Thursday, Octo-ber 16th and ended on Sunday, Oc-tober 26th. The State Fair recorded 929,748 fairgoers who took advan-tage of its many new festivities.
Fairgoers had the opportu-nity to taste test many unusual con-cessions including deep fried mini
cupcakes, Twinx (Twix candy bars stuffed into Twinkies, wrapped in ba-con, and then deep fried), and deep fried bananas foster served with ice cream.
Musical guests such as Vanilla Ice, Parmalee, Love and Theft, and Trace Atkins performed at Dorton Arena for under $15 a concert.
The new World War I exhibit, held at Dorton Arena, included a re-constructed trench section built by the U.S. National Guard, and his-
torians in uniform were on hand to answer questions and describe the conditions North Carolina doughboys experienced in the trenches.
At the Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. Horse Complex, the N.C. Horse Council Celebrated the Year of the Horse with activities such as five minute horse-riding lessons, parades of breeds, and headline shows featur-ing Guy McLean and his Australian stock horses and Mary Miller Jordan and her wild mustangs.
“Ye old” NC State Fair
Teenagers ride the Freak Out at the North Carolina State Fair in October, 2011. Photo by MCT Campus
“I was on the Zipper with my sister, and we didn’t know that the Zipper does flips. On the second go round, my sister Ashley
yelled, ‘Stop the ride, get me out!’ and the whole ride stopped because of her.”
-Jonathan Marlowe, ‘16
“I jumped out of the cart [in a scary-themed ride], and one of the zombies told me I had to get back in, so I cried.” -Sydney Jordan,
‘15
The man behind the crazy cotton candy concoctions, Oscar William, shared the
secret behind his tasty creations. “Our
son (Kyree) is the mastermind behind introducing unique
flavors to the public. We wanted to be a new spin on the sweet treat...Our most popular flavor is lem-
onade, [and] we are excited about intro-ducing our bread pudding flavor for the
Thanksgiving holiday.” Make sure to look out for Oscar William Cotton Candy at the North Carolina State Fair in future years
to try some of his uniquely flavored cotton candy .
1853 – State Agricultural Society held the first State Fair; it was four days long. The largest at-tendance day had 4,000 fairgoers. 1861-1868 – Fair was not held due to Civil War and Reconstruction period. 1884 – Electricity was used at the fairgrounds for the first time.1891 – The first Midway ride, the Switchback Railway, were constructed on the fairgrounds. 1900 – First food booths popped up on the fair-grounds.1905 – President Theodore Roosevelt spoke to fairgoers.1916 – Cary United Methodist Church served its first ham biscuit.1942 – Fair closed due to World War II, reopened in 1946.1950 – Village of Yesteryear opened. 1952 – State Fair Livestock Pavilion was com-pleted.1960 – Adult admission was $.75 and child ad-mission was $.35.1976 – President Gerald Ford spoke to fairgoers.1978 – N.C. State Food Science Club served its first ice cream cone.
About Oscar William:
“This guy was like, ‘Hey you, do you want to try some chili pepper cotton candy?’ I said no, but my dad decided to try
it. He was the first person ever to sample chili pepper cotton candy, [and he] said it was actually good... but very
spicy.” -Katherine Booth, ‘15
Image by Oscar William Cotton Candy.
Haley GardnerEditor
Photo by Haley Gardner.
Photo by Haley Gardner.
Fair Weather for Fun
“David [David Reyn-olds, ‘15], Tommy Buck-ets [Tommy Corchiani,
‘16], and I were about a hundred yards away
from the Vortex when the people were catapulted off of it last year. We saw a group of about 15 police officers running toward the ride, so we ran with them, think-
ing something big had happened” -McLean Voekel, ‘15
Police stand around the Vortex the night of the accident. Photo by MCT Campus.
RAVENS, what is your most memorable fair experience?
Timeline information according to ncstatefair.org
Feature 11evarmoreN
Afterputtingyearsofhardworkintotheirrespectivesports,Ravenscroftstudent-athleteshavevaryingopinionsand
optionsofcompetingatthenextlevelWeinterviewedseveralofthetopstudent-athletesinthehighschoolaboutwhyorwhynottheywanttoplay
asportincollege.
Ravens taking talents to the next level
Sydney Jordan: Volleyball
David Reynolds:Basketball
Justin Bednar: Baseball
Q. Why do you not want to play volleyball in college?
A.“It’s too much of a commitment and I don’t love it enough to play it in college”
Q. Have you thought about playing Division three rather than Division one because it would be less of a commitment?
A. “I would only be able to play Division three or Division two any ways, and that is already too much of a commitment”
Q. Would you consider playing club volleyball in college rather than varsity?
A. “Yes”
Q. Have you been contacted by coaches?
A. “Yes, they were all Division three schools”
Q. Have you made highlight videos and why?
A. “Yes, this was back when I still wanted play in college, so I made them to send to coaches.”
Q. What position do you play?
A. “I play small forward for my AAU team and here at Ravenscroft.”
Q. Why do you play the sport?
A. “I love the game and it is a great way for myself to get into a college I couldn’t get into from academics alone.”
Q. What do you do in the off season?
A. “There is a limited off season because of summer ball and high school, but I lift and shoot every day of the week in the mornings and afternoon.”
Q. What is your special talent or ability that adds to your team?
A. “I feel like I am a good scorer and rebounder. I can also add intangibles like leadership and hustle plays that can drive our team to success.”
Q. Do you want to play at the next level?
A. “Yes, for sure. I want to play basketball as long as possible.”
Q. Have you gotten any interest from schools?
A. “Yes, from schools in the ACC, PAC-12, Ivy, Patriot, A-10, Big South and Big East leagues.”
Q. What’s the most improved aspect of your play?
A. “Definitely defense and strength. Coach Billerman got on my back during the off season and I took it upon myself to get quicker and stronger through strength training.”
Q. Why do you play the sport?
A. “I play baseball because I’m good at it, I like competition and challenging myself to the best of my ability. Whenever I step onto the field I feel comfort-able and as if I belong there.”
Q. What is your special talent or ability that adds to your team?
A. “I guess my special ability is the fact that I’m left handed, which is not nearly as common as right-handers in baseball, my experience I have to offer, and my IQ.”
Q. Have you gotten any interest from schools?
A. “I’ve gotten interest from Gordon College and Catholic University, but I am not planning on going to either of those colleges.”
Q. What’s the greatest advice that a coach ever gave you?
A. “The greatest advice a coach ever gave me was to create a routine before every game. All of the great-est athletes have a set routine they do before every game, such as Derek Jeter. #RE2PECT.”
Q. What position do you play?
A. “I pitch and play first base.”
Q. What’s the most improved aspect of your play?
A. “The most improved aspect of my game has prob-ably been my pitching, more specifically my velocity on my fastball and my break on my curve ball.”
Q. Even if you don’t make it to the next level, what skill/trait/lesson do you think you’ll take with you for the rest of your life?
A. “Even if I don’t make it to the next level, I have learned the importance of having a good work ethic and being prepared; preparation leads to success.”
Q. Pre-Game rituals or superstitions?
A. “Before every game, I eat something, listen to the same play list, and do the same stretches before every game. I have a couple superstitions- the bats inside the dugout cannot be crossed or else we will not hit well, rally caps work late in the game when we need runs, and only spit seeds on defense and chew gum on offense.”
Q. Favorite memory from a past team or sea-son?
A. “My favorite memory is my freshman year on varsity against NRCA when I hit a walk-off triple to win 6-5. “
Q and A with some student athletes about their ability to play a sport in college
David Reynolds, ‘15, eludes a defender.
Photo by Allie Wilson
Justin Bednar, ‘15, on the mound ready to pitch.
Photo by Allie Wilson
Sydney Jordan, ‘15, serving the ball to her opponents.
Photo by Allie Wilson
Chloe Mikles:Swimming
Q. How long have you been play-ing the sport?
A. “I have been swimming since I was 2, but have swam year round for 7 years now.”
Q. Favorite memory from a past team or season?
A. “My 100 free a few years ago. I out-touched the UNC Swimming head coach’s daughter by one-one hundredth of a second.”
Q. What is your special talent or ability that adds to your team?
A. “I always have great finishes, I have been known to out-touch other swimmers by one-one hundredth of a second, so I always anchor relays. My coach will refer to me as “OTF,” (Olympic Trial Finish) because I stop breathing 15 meters out from the wall and usually pass several people in those last few yards.”
Q. Do you want to play at the next level?
A. “Yes definitely. I do not know what I would do without swimming. It is won-derful having the team, as well as something competitive and fun, separate from school.”
Q..Have you gotten any interest from schools?
A. “Yes, I have been emailing back and forth with several college coaches. I can verbally commit this time next year.”
Anna Collawn & Brett HaenselStaff Writers
Chloe Mikles ‘16 finishes a race.Photo by Allie Wilson
Editor’s Note:Coaches of all
Fall Sports were contacted and an email
was sent to all Upper School students to invite any athlete to
volunteer to be featured in this issue of
The Nevarmore.
This page represents a few of the responses.
Sports12 evarmoreN
Ravenscroft is home to four new transfer students to sports at the varsity level this season. Cross Carpenter, ‘16, a quarterback, first became interested after attending Coach Ned Gonet’s summer
football camp. Devon Perry, ‘17, a defensive back, decided to come because of family ties. He is a cousin of Ravenscroft alumni and former football player (Shaq Mckeithan ‘13). Also, Ravenscroft
welcomes Troy Jones, ‘ 16, and Tyler Williams, ‘18, whose move here shows great potential.
New to the nestRavens football team welcomes two new players
How does your old school compare to this school? “It’s a lot more crowded and loud at my old school and there
are not as many fights here.”
Is it easy to make new friends? “Yeah, usually. The people here are nice.”
What do you do in your spare time?
“Homework.”
How do you feel about Rhonda’s Cafe, what’s your favorite food that is available there?
“It is convenient, and cereal cups are awesome!”
Would you rather brush your teeth and then drink orange juice, or drink orange juice then brush your teeth?
“Drink orange juice, then brush my teeth.”
Do you think you could beat senior McLean
Voelkel in a race? “Maybe.”
Would you say you have “flow”? “All day every day!”
Most embarrassing football story: “When I was in middle school on 4th down, I heard someone
from the sidelines yell to me to spike the ball. So, I hurried everyone to the line and I spiked the ball
causing a turnover on downs.”
Is there anything you would change about
Ravenscroft? “Not really.”
Could you give junior Tommy Corchiani a
smooth bucket? “Of course!”
How does your old school compare to this school? “The amount of students , Ravenscroft is a lot smaller.”
What do you do in your spare
time? “Homework.”
Is it easy to make new friends? “No. I miss my old friends....Just kidding!”
Is there anything you would change about Ravenscroft “Nothing.”
Could you beat McClean in a
race“On Sundays.”
What is wrong with senior John Bailey? “He plays with fire-
crackers a lot.”
Most embarrassing football story: “I’m pretty much perfect on the field so…I got decked on the
first week of practice by Tiger [Harris, ‘15].”
Troy Jones
Cross Carpenter
Cross Carpenter, ‘16, reels back to throw a pass. Photo by Collin Thrash, ‘16
Troy Jones, ‘16, picks up a block from Jaedon Williams, ‘18, as he motors down the field.
Photo by Steve Murphy
Tiger Harris & Sydney JordanStaff Writers
Photo by Steve Murphy