the northridge

eSt. 2003

The student voice of Northridge High SchoolDECEMBER 12, 2014 VOLUME 12 ISSUE 4

reporter

AT A GLANCE

northridge high School2901 northridge roadtuscaloosa, Alabama 35406

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page 8 page 5 “

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Stress is a never-ending cycle.

See story on pAGE 7

jULIA CAIN, jUNIOR

jAMES NIILEREDITOR-IN-ChIEF

The annual SgA Thanksgiving canned food drive, in which fourth

period classes compete to collect as many items as possible for the West Alabama Food Bank in return for a pizza party, did not receive as much attention or participation as in past years. Scott Johnson, math teacher, said his Ap Statistics class collected only “a few dozen” cans. “We haven’t really done a whole lot with [the canned food drive] this year. teachers have so much to do now and don’t have time for anything fun. it’s all work and no play,” he said. Saying the drive “has not been a contest this year” with history teacher Mallie humber, with whom he traditionally competes, Johnson said he hoped the drive would be successful nevertheless. “i believe it’s a good project to do,” he said. humber said her U.S. history 11 class collected “zero” items, in contrast to her class last year which collected “between 800 and 1000” items. “in general, this class just isn’t as participatory as others,” she said. Like Johnson, humber said being occupied with other activities took precedence over participating in the drive. “i had the first yearbook deadline and club pictures,” she said. “people are trying to finish up content and do tests before Thanksgiving, and i think that contributes to it, probably.”

Kathleen oatts, SgA adviser, said the

school collected 681 items, of which 274 came from school partner Capstone Bank. Last year, 1,327 items were donated, she said.

“emails were sent through ptSA [this year]. other than that, we were pretty much doing the same stuff [to publicize],” oatts said.

oatts said she was unsure why donations were so low.

“i really don’t know, other than people donated less,” she said.

history teacher nancy reed’s honors economics class won this year’s drive, collecting 146 items, according to oatts. reed attributed her success to the use of

the group messaging service remind 101.“They had just pure motivation from

me,” reed said. “i sent my fourth period remind 101’s, and that pumped them up.”

honors economics student senior Kayla Lawson credited her class’ success with reed’s eagerness to win the competition.

“Maybe it was Mrs. reed’s enthusiasm about it,” she said. “She pushed us to bring more stuff.”

Lawson said she was overall happy about her class’ win.

“i’m kinda neutral about it, but it does feel great to win this because we get free stuff. But at the same time, we’re helping out for a cause,” she said.

pARTy TIME History teacher Nancy Reed’s fourth period Honors Economics class celebrates their win of the canned food drive with a pizza party Nov. 21.

Photo by James Niiler

reed’s class wins canned food drive, donations lower this year

SUjIThA pERAMSETTyASSISTANT COpy EDITOR

The after school tutoring program started last month by principal

Kyle Ferguson has sessions on tuesdays and Thursdays.

Ferguson said the goal of the program is to give additional help to students.

“A lot of students don’t have transportation, so we provided buses for them,” he said.

Ferguson said even though the focus is “on math and language arts because those are two areas of accountability,” students who need help “in other areas can stay as well.”

Lytrice Washington, math teacher who helps with after school tutoring, said the program is very beneficial.

After-school tutoring program benefits students“[Students] come in, and i ask them to

get out whatever they are working on in their class. Then, i go around the classroom and ask them what they need help in,” she said. “it gives a little extra help to students instead of [them] going home and trying to figure it out themselves.”

Caron pate, Spanish teacher who also tutors after school, said the bus is an important part of the program.

“We couldn’t do it without the bus,” she said. “every child that i’ve been tutoring needs a ride home.”

Senior Shameka tubbs said the first session went well.

“i learned a lot,” she said. “i understand a lot more.”

Ashley Ford, senior, said she loves tutoring.

“it’s the only thing that’s going to

help me graduate,” she said. “Math is my most struggle subject, the one i need the most help in. [Mrs. Washington] is very helping.”

pate said she already has “students whose grades have gone up after two sessions.”

She said a small group showed up for her tutoring session.

“We did one-on-one drilling. Students get a lot of one-on-one help and help in pronunciation,” pate said.

Washington said she thinks “as time goes on probably more [students] will show up.”

Ferguson said the program will continue until funds run out.

“We have $15,000 allocated for this program,” he said. “it costs $1500 a month.”

Ferguson made tutoring mandatory for failing students.

“if a student refuses to do their work in

class, we will assertively encourage them to come. if they don’t want to take advantage of this opportunity, they can in iSi. Failure is not an option,” he said.

pate said she thinks mandatory tutoring is a good idea.

“We have to show [students] we’re serious about it,” pate said. “At some point everyone needs to make a decision about school because it’s their decision. At this school, with all the things they offer, you can choose to be anything you want to be.”

tubbs said she thinks students “should come if they need extra help.”

Ford said she encourages tutoring.“everybody needs it,” Ford said. “You may

feel that someone is going to talk about you [because you’re going to tutoring], but no one is. tutoring should be for everybody.”

The canned food drive:

NOwVS.

ThEN

2013 2014

1,327ITEMS

Humber takes the 2013 victory with approximately 1000 items

Reed’s class wins for its first time, collecting 146 items

681ITEMS

Amount of student donations; 274 items came from Capstone

Bank

Information compiled by James NiilerInfographic designed by James Niiler

407

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AGREE 20 DISAGREE 0

See pAGE 1 for more about the tutoring program.

After-school tutoring helpful

FriendsMackenzie Johnson, Kristy Stephens, John Mark McCleland Distribution ManagerJohn Mark McCleland

2 ThE NORThRIDGE REpORTERDECEMBER 12, 2014opinion

Ferguson is the biggest mess about unarmed black teenagers since trayvon Martin.

The story of Martin is a story about a Floridian black teenager who was shot and killed while walking down the street, unarmed, minding his own business. george Zimmerman, the man responsible for his death, was found not guilty of the murder. he claimed he was threatened.

As a member of the Afri-can-American community, i was outraged. My community thought if it were a Caucasian boy, the ver-dict would be different.

everything had settled down after about a year or two of ac-ceptance about how the judicial system had screwed up.

Then another black teenager

was killed in Jacksonville, Flor-ida in 2012 because he was in a SUV with some other teenagers (also black) who did not want to turn their speakers down. Jordan davis, who was in the SUV at the time, was killed by Michael dunn, a white man who also claimed that he was threatened.

now Michael Brown, a black teenager, has been killed by a white police officer darren Wilson. The biggest issue with the Ferguson case is that Brown was killed by a white police officer who claimed Brown was a threat to him.

notice the pattern of the men who were not convicted of mur-der. They all claimed they were threatened. it seems that the way to get away with murder of black males is to claim that they were a threat to you. how can an un-armed teenager harm an armed

police officer? While Brown did hit the police officer, Brown ran and stopped down the street, ac-cording to Cnn, and turned around and stood there while Wilson shot him several more times, aiming to kill.

Was it necessary to kill him? prob-ably not. he was armed with pepper spray, according to USA Today. he could have obvi-ously used it to ar-rest Brown, but he decided to reach for his gun instead. if this was a black officer killing a white boy doing the same exact thing, would that officer be arrested for murder?

This is a truth that some people do not want to talk about race be-

Since principal Kyle Ferguson and the school’s administration have initiated an after-school tutoring program, dozens of students have received the benefits of educational assistance and more will doubtlessly take advantages

of this in the future. The administration and teachers have been very generous in allowing students to stay after school, gain the help they need in subjects they struggle with and even arrange transportation for students to go home the evenings tutoring occurs. english and math are two subjects vital to success in today’s world, and students who request help in these areas are wise to take their futures into account.

our school’s administration and teachers should be commended for their dedication to student success and willingness to volunteer time to be sure students receive the help they need for not only their schoolwork but their lives ahead. The tutoring program at our school promises to be of great benefit to all students who participate.

Art by Mychi Tran

cause it is “uncomfortable.” Think of how i as an Afri-

can-American felt when in school i learned about the enslavement and the mistreatment of my peo-ple.

Some things that are uncom-fortable to talk about need to be said to uncover the truth.

to the dismay of many, blacks and whites are not equal. Yes, we have the same rights, and black people can do everything that white people can do, but there are certain

social aspects that have still not changed.

i was walking with two of my friends who are also African American in a shopping center

when an older white lady walks out of a store. We were having a normal conversation and minding our own business, when the lady grabbed her purse and clutched it tightly as we walked by. She was genuinely afraid of us and thought we were going to rob her.

in certain states, going into a gas station store is irritating be-cause i will be stared down by the owner, as soon he suspects i will steal something based on my skin color.

racism is not gone. it is close to being gone, but it

isn’t, and everyone needs to realize that “yes, there are black criminals, but there are also white, hispanic, and Asian criminals as well.”

There is no reason that white men should be able to murder black teenagers just because they ‘felt threatened.’

jORDAN hUTChINSON • SpORTS EDITOR

Ferguson verdict just another reminder of racism’s survival

It seems that the way to get away with murder of black males is to claim that they

were a threat to you.

“

“Art by Mychi Tran

ThE NORThRIDGE REpORTERDECEMBER 12, 2014 3opinion

the decision of the grand jury on the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, should come as no surprise.

in a community torn by looting, police overreaction and racial strife, can justice honestly be administered? no one really knows what happened

that fateful afternoon of Aug. 9. The justifications for and against his shooting by officer darren Wilson will doubtless be argued for years to come.

Yet one thing is certain: a life was lost. not just any life—a young black man’s life; too many have been lost in this country.

Being white, i can’t even begin to imagine all the suffering black Americans have endured since 1619, when the first slave was brought to our shores. But i can at least sympathize and feel sorrow.

i feel sorrow for his family: his parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. i feel sorrow for his friends. i feel sorrow for the black community of Ferguson, many of whom for too long have been underprivileged and stuck in a cycle of poverty. i feel sorrow for officer Wilson, whose life has probably been ruined forever by a horrible act. i feel sorrow for all who have been divided by this tragedy, a community torn asunder.

Black against white, rich against poor: these terrible conflicts must stop. The looting and violence, born of a justified anger, is terribly destructive and must not be allowed to occur.

The cruel indifference many of my own race have felt towards this situation must cease. All of these acts, whether physical or not, are not only destructive to the wider

world but the individual. hatred and violence should not have place in anyone’s life.

“injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” declared Martin Luther King, Jr. in his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” “Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” how true these words are in the context of today, when according to the pew research Center, black men are incarcerated at many times the rate of their white peers, and neighborhoods and schools are still separated by race and class statuses. how distrustful we are of each other—should all not strive to be “an extremist in love,” as King put it, rather than an extremist in hate and fear?

The killing of Brown as well as other black males including trayvon Martin,

jAMES NIILER• EDITOR IN ChIEF

eric garner and tamir rice has brought deep issues to the fore of America’s consciousness that must be addressed, and these issues must be addressed soon.

Staff members of The Northridge Reporter hope to help break down barriers and give rise to understanding when it participates in the student exchange with Central and Bryant high Schools next semester.

Becoming friends of those who are different—is this not the perfect antidote to the flames, both literal and not, that have consumed Ferguson and our world at late?

“Let justice flow down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream,” quoted King from Amos 5:24. if it is impossible for justice to be administered in Ferguson, then let us at least show a little more righteousness towards each other.

the decision last month of a grand jury not to indict the Ferguson officer

who shot Michael Brown was a tragic mistake that can (and has) lead only to more violence and less understanding.

reactions to the decision have varied wildly from person to person, similar only in their almost universal levels of passion.

Many see Michael Brown as an innocent black youth, brutally gunned down while trying to surrender to an unfeeling white cop. others see a thuggish thief killed in his attack on an honest police officer.

The truth is that i, like most, am almost entirely ignorant of the character of these men or of the circumstances surrounding their altercation.

i have tried at length to discover the facts, reading article after article and report after report. What i have found is a quagmire of contradiction, in which every ‘fact’ belies another and every account is infused with opinion.

But this is no surprise. in the aftermath of the shooting, the Ferguson police department drew a veil around the entire issue, selectively releasing fragments of information while withholding the greater facts from view.

This may have been done out of a genuine concern for public order,

or it may not have been; either way its effect was to surround the investigation and the authorities with an air of suspicion from the get-go, an air that stinks of a centuries-old pattern of police corruption and unaccountability.

The first signs of malpractice were evident from the onset of the investigation, when, to give one absurd example, the St. Louis County medical examiner said he couldn’t take any pictures of the scene because the batteries in his camera had died.

But convenient little gaffes like these were just the start. The real blow came when the St. Louis district attorney, Bob McCulloch, was assigned to prosecute darren Wilson before the grand jury.

normally, when a district attorney is faced with the prosecution of one of his own policemen in a controversy he steps aside and requests an independent third party be invited to prosecute in his place. on this occasion, however, McCulloch is not compromised only by his police connections. As reported by the BBC and a score of other papers, McCulloch’s own father was a policeman, killed in the line of duty in 1964, by a black man.

Considering all this McCulloch cannot be considered a neutral party, so (as a petition of twenty six thousand signatures and numerous individuals requested),

he should have stepped aside. Such action would have done much to ease concerns of corruption.

Mr. McCulloch not only failed to withdraw but when asked flatly refused to do so. he then conducted what many (including nAACp litigation director Christina Swarns, professor Susan Mcgraw of the St. Louis University School of Law and Michael Brown’s mother) now feel was an extremely h a l f - h e a r t e d prosecution, in which he neglected to call several key witnesses, question the defendant’s testimony or even reference the fact that Brown was unarmed.

not only did McCulloch lack vigor, he explicitly requested that the grand jury consider all sides of all evidence available, instead of a brief overview of the evidence as presented by the prosecutor.

The purpose of a grand jury is to determine whether there is conceivable grounds for a prosecution, not whether the defendant is innocent or guilty.

They are actually supposed to be so favorable to the prosecution

that is it often said that one could ‘indict a ham sandwich’ without effort.

now McCulloch may very well believe that his officer was innocent, but it was his duty as prosecutor to build a case against him. if it went against

his conscience to do so, he should have stepped aside, and allowed one of the millions of attorneys unconnected with the case to take his place.

Just as the court must presume a defendant innocent, so the prosecution must believe him guilty, which prompts me to say that none of this makes Wilson guilty.

having read the witness testimony, i personally believe that Wilson used unnecessary force resulting in Brown’s unnecessary death. But after this slapdash investigation, i really don’t know.

For all i know, Wilson may have been in fear of his life, and Brown may have been an absolute thug. Wilson is innocent until proven guilty, but as yet no one has tried to prove him guilty.

This shadow trial has left confusion everywhere, and in confusion hatred has flourished. A real trial might have given that community some catharsis, but now they have none.

none of us here can solve this problem, but i believe we can make a difference, if only for one another. So in the interests of understanding, i would like to share a suggestion my preacher made to me.

if you are someone who thinks Michael Brown was brutally murdered by a callous police corps, i ask you to pray for darren Wilson every night for a week. pray for him and his family, and for every police family who now feel like outcasts. if you think this whole affair was just a moment seized by opportunists to loot and burn in the guise of protesters, i ask you to pray for Mrs. Brown, every night for a week. pray for her, and for that boy’s whole family, and for every African-American who now feels afraid to walk the open streets.

not all of you are religious, but for those of you who are surely you can believe that if we pray for our enemies we can heal ourselves, and maybe even discover we have more friends than we thought.

if you can’t believe that then at least pretend it, and for five minutes each night, in the presence of god, refuse to hate.

Ferguson grand jury investigation no substitute for a trial

racial tensions make justice impossible, columnist says

BERT MCLELLAND • OpINION EDITOR

“

“Should not all strive to be “an extremist in love,” as King put it, rather than an extremist in

hate and fear?

This shadow trial has left confusion everywhere, and

in confusion hatred has flourished. “

“

Refuse to hate.““

4 ThE NORThRIDGE REpORTERDECEMBER 12, 2014news

in brief

DESTINy hODGESNEwS EDITOR

Business marketing departments from Bryant, Central and northridge met at the tuscaloosa Career & technology Acad-emy (tCtA) on nov. 19, and traveled to Birmingham for The Joint Leadership de-velopment Conference.

Students from across the state in JrotC programs, the Jobs for Alabama’s gradu-ates programs and career technical orga-nizations (FBLA, FCCLA, FFA, hoSA etc.) attended the conference at the Bir-mingham-Jefferson Civic Complex.

More than 30 leadership workshops, in-teractive activities and professional speak-ers were there. A trade show with over 100 state and national industries was set up.

native Alabamians shared their stories and gave career advice, including Winston groom, author of the best-selling nov-el Forrest gump; Kent Julian, author and speaker, and tom Mcneal, human resource professional and national competitor in motorcycle and bicycle action sports.

patricia Fuller, FBLA advisor, said she was looking forward to taking new stu-dents to the conference.

“it gives them a sense of purpose for my class [Career preparedness],” Fuller said. “it gets them motivated to succeed in a career and see why high school is so important.”

Junior and treasurer Maria Barajas said speaker Kent Julian taught her how to change her outcomes in life.

“i learned e [events you can’t control] + r [your response] = o [outcomes],” Barajas

said. “When you put the “r” in it, it doesn’t have to be e=o. You can change [your out-comes].”

Barajas plans to attend the conference next year.

Kizzie Jackson, freshman, said the con-ference was “memorable.”

“i kinda want to become an engineer, and i think the conference pushed me in that direction. i learned how to weld parts together and see the process,” Jackson said.

Sophomore and parliamentarian nick Smith said the conference was “definite-ly fun” because you got to see careers that weren’t typical careers.

“The trade show was the most fun,” Smith said. “You got to walk around and see different jobs and what different people in Alabama do.”

FBLA students gather at conference

MyChI TRANNEwS EDITOR

reasons for schedule changes during the middle of the school year vary from stu-dent to student.

Assistant principal Jennifer Box said that some students request to move back a level in a certain class.

“We have some students who find the pace of high school different from that of middle school,” she said.

Box said another reason for schedule changes is when the classes are unbalanced.

“it’s to be fair to the teachers and stu-dents,” she said. “This allows students equal opportunity to learn.”

Kenneth Smothers, ninth grade counsel-or, said class changes are to help students graduate, pass core classes and be successful.

“You have to look at the big picture,” he said.

Smothers said when students change

classes, they have to make adjustments. “They have to acclimate to the new

teacher’s teaching method,” he said.twelfth grade counselor Kathleen Brad-

ford said changing classes right now is disad-vantageous to students.

“no teachers are on the same timeline,” she said.

Bradford said before they make a decision, they need to think things through.

“Students really need to think on the positive and negative of chang-ing classes before they make the decision of changing classes,” she said.

english teacher Lakesha tillman said she just has to accept schedule changes and doesn’t ask for the reasons behind them.

“it’s my responsibility to teach [the new students],” tillman said. “i make sure they have a smooth transition, so they don’t fall behind.”

Whitney Wilson, sophomore, said her schedule was changed.

“My new class moves easier and faster [than the previous],” she said.

raven hill, soph-omore, said schedule changes give people “the chance of getting out of a class [when] they’re not doing well.”

hill said she changed her schedule at the be-ginning of school.

“i was in a class i wasn’t supposed to be in,” she said. “now it’s better because i’m in a class i’m interested in.”

Schedule changes made for various reasons

SONIA BLUNT AND GOTTI SCOTT

jORDAN hUTChINSONSpORTS EDITOR

Field trips allow teachers to teach their students a lesson that is not possible on campus.

teachers must go through a long process to go on a field trip.

“First you have to give the roll to the nurse to check for medical issues, and if there are any you have to pay to have a nurse go with you. Then you have to get a form to order a bus, the principal and nurse sign the authorization form, Ms. Freeman then has to book the buses, etc.,” science teacher Beth Allaway said.

The central office has to be involved in planning.

“You have to send a lesson plan to the central office, they have to approve it, you must make a permission slip, have parents sign it and bring money to pay for the trip, and then you’re ready to go,” Allaway said.

Julie Jackson, junior, said field trips were hard to plan.

“We have not gone on many field trips this year because of how hard it is to organize a field trip,” she said.

Allaway said she likes to take her students on field trips.

“i usually like to start the planning procedure a month and a half before i want to go,” she said.

Field trips difficult to organize

BERT McLELLANDOpINION EDITOR

The Spanish honor Society and Spanish Club sold Central American bracelets to students between dec. 1 - 12.

The bracelets, called “pulseras,” are made by impoverished children and families in nicaragua, and then distributed to clubs like the Spanish honor Society for sale in the United States.

Spanish Club president Lainey hatfield said pulseras are a primary source of in-come for many families.

“if it weren’t for their selling these, [nic-araguans] would have to work for ten cents an hour and basically be used as slaves,” hatfield said.

Spanish honor Society vice president Anna dahlbäck said they sold a $100 worth of pulseras in the first week and hope to sell more in the second.

The bracelets cost $5 each, and all profits go directly to the nicaraguan makers.

Bracelets sold help nicaraguans

FOLLOw ThE LEADER FBLA students attend a leadership conference at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Complex (BJCC). Students heard speakers, authors and entrepenuers give advice on careers. Sophmore Nick Smith said he thinks the conference helped him advance in FBLA. “There was a lot of stuff about leadership and important life qualities to help with FBLA,” he said. Bryant and Central students also attended.

Photos by Patrica Fuller

MAyCI hARTLEySTAFF wRITER

The French and Spanish clubs held a winter clothing drive from dec. 5 – 10.

Kelilah Anders, French club sponsor, said the groups decided to do a clothes drive because they “thought it would be a good way to donate.”

Anders said the clubs will accept any-thing.

“it doesn’t matter if it has holes in it,” she said.

Anders said the clothes are not going to a donation center.

“We are looking for families in the com-munity who are in need,” she said.

Laney hatfield, Spanish Club president, said students and teachers came up with a clothing drive because it is winter.

Clothing drive held

Photo by Destiny Hodges

ThE NORThRIDGE REpORTERDECEMBER 12, 2014 5news

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jACOB MARTINCOpy EDITOR

Ways to prepare for a career and college are available to students, both inside and outside the classroom.

Brenda gibson, career prep teacher, said the career prep class covers “essential” knowledge.

“This course helps prepare students with the required knowledge for the workplace,” gibson said.

The class utilizes various forms of in-struction and has guest speakers.

“our different instruction strategies vary from group project, mocks, role playing and computer based activities,” gibson said.

daryl Wilson, career coach, spoke as one of the guest speakers to the career prep class.

“So far, this year we’ve done financial lit-eracy, workforce essentials, and we’ve also done a systematic approach for decision making,” Wilson said.

Wilson said career related knowledge is

“extremely important”“i really wish i had someone to do things

for me what i do for students now,” she said.

Wilson said there are ways to prepare for outside of school, such as job shadowing.

“Job shadowing is super important. [it] looks good on a resume,” she said. “Any type of extracurricular can build up your resume, and part time jobs always help.”

rebecca han, freshman, said she hasn’t done anything outside of school to prepare for college but thinks career prep is im-portant.

“i think it’s pretty important because you don’t learn that type of stuff in any other class, and it’s important for when you’re looking for jobs after high school,” han said.

han said that the topics covered in ca-reer prep class are relevant to her, even though she is going to attend college after high school.

“We looked at college tuition and creat-ing college resumes,” she said.

Class equips students for life

MyChI TRANNEwS EDITOR

Study hall will be a requirement for those who refuse to do their work in class.

principle Kyle Ferguson said this is man-datory for students who have been referred by their teachers.

“Sometimes you deal with students who are not motivated to succeed,” he said.

Ferguson said study hall allows students to make up what they fail to do in class.

“it’s an opportunity to recover zeros and failing grades,” he said.

Ferguson said that with iSi, you don’t have direct instructions from a teacher.

“Study hall is different,” he said, “You will have a teacher there to teach you.”

Lakesha tillman, english teacher, said it’s a great idea to hold the student ac-countable for their actions.

“it’s a consequence for their defiance in class but not as harsh being in iSi,” she said.

history teacher John Wiley edwards said it will provide the students extra op-portunity to get help in class.

“it will give students an incentive to do their work because if they don’t want to do their work during school, i’m sure they won’t want to stay after school to do it,” he said.

edwards said he doesn’t mind staying af-ter school an extra hour.

“i don’t believe it would be too trouble-some,” he said.

desmond Love, sophomore, said that he prefers study hall over iSi.

“i think it’s dumb because student should have done their work in class,” he said, “but study hall is only an hour compared to iSi which is the whole day.”

Ferguson said sometimes students are not motivated to succeed.

“our goal is to get everyone college or career ready,” he said.

Study hall required for referred students

pREppING Brenda Gibson’s Career Prepardness studetns par-ticipate in a leadership activity. Students set goals for entrepeneurs as Tommie Syx, member of the University of Alabama Center for Community-Based Partnerships Center for Buisness and Economic Research, gave a presentation on entrepeneurship. Gibson said her class preps students for the future. “It gets them college and career ready,” Gibson said.

CARTER LOVE phOTOGRAphER

Sophomore natalie Jacks won the talent show on dec. 4, and the prize was $100. There were fifteen acts consisting of fourteen vocalists and one comedy routine.

Jacks sang “This isn’t the end” by owl City.

“i feel happy and confused [about winning],” Jacks said, “i had a panic attack and nearly had a breakdown on stage.”

The single comedy act was performed by seniors Charles Lane and Billy Luu. The act was a scripted scene they wrote last year for an acting competition. Lane

said he felt great about being in the show because he doesn’t have any other comedy competition, only vocalists. Lane and Luu came up with the idea together.

“We sat down at a table and said, ‘Let’s write about astronauts and space’,” Lane said.

he said they practiced a lot last year and a little this year.

Vocalist Margaret Crowe, junior, said she feels good about her performance. She sang “o holy night.” Crowe has auditioned for American idol and competed in other talent shows for money.

“i’ve been performing since i was like three, so i’m not very nervous,” she said.

winner of talent showsings ‘This Isn’t the End’

SING IT Contestants perform in the an-nual Northridge High School Talent Show.Garret Nichols and Lorri Harrell sing “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum (up-per left). Jennifer Sudduth performs “Ar-abella” by Arctic Monkeys (upper right).Natalie Jacks sings “This Isn’t the End” by Owl City (left).

Photos by Camri Mason

Photo by Brenda Gibson

STUDy FOR SUCCESS

See pAGE 1 for a related story on tutoring.

6 ThE NORThRIDGE REpORTERDECEMBER 12, 2014feature

BRIANNA DUNN & REBECCA GRIESBAChSTAFF wRITER & MANAGING EDITOR

Through his hand-washing “campaign,” principal Kyle Ferguson promotes healthy habits of students and faculty during the cold and flu season.

“We’ve instructed the teachers to disin-fect surfaces and be aware of sicknesses and contagion,” Ferguson said.

it is typical for schools to experience some type of virus annually, but Ferguson said each school is different regarding the type of virus it houses.

“This year i’ve seen pink eye, and last year at Thomasville i saw pink eye. Some-

times we see it, and sometimes we don’t,” Ferguson said.

deda donaldson, nurse, said they have seen the “usual” cases: colds, pink eye, vom-iting and flu.

“All are handled differently; we follow school policy [to treat sick students],” nurse Lasiandra Bias said.

Bias said Ferguson’s campaign is benefi-cial to students’ health.

“Washing hands always helps,” Bias said. “it’s one of the biggest preventative mea-sures because you don’t pass it along that way.”

Ferguson said the campaign was sparked by science teacher Beth Allaway and her

bonus period class.“Allaway’s students were walking around

the school, and they spotted me in my work room actually washing my hands,” Ferguson said, rubbing his hands together. “That’s how i do it every time.”

Allaway and her students created a two minute video about cleanliness to share with the school during bonus periods.

“i looked around on the internet for something and saw that all the videos were boring, so i wanted us to make our own,” she said.

Allaway said that she wrote the raps and her students took care of things like film-ing and editing.

jACOB MARTINCOpy EDITOR

A lack of sleep is negatively affecting stu-dents’ academic and athletic performance.

Coach don Mcnabb, health teacher, described the mental effects of getting too little sleep.

“it takes a toll on your ability to stay awake; you have trouble staying awake at odd times,” he said. “it can lead to confu-sion and bad decision making, and it would definitely hurt focus. it changes your mood, and you can go through mood swings.”

Mcnabb said the physical effects can be harsh as well.

“When you don’t have enough sleep your body doesn’t have enough time to grow and repair which is crucial during the teenage years,” he said.

Mcnabb said students can “get by” on five to seven hours of sleep, but he rec-ommends seven to nine hours for athletes, since they need more sleep to allow their muscles to recover.

“[Muscles] don’t recover nearly as fast [when an athlete is deprived of sleep],” Mcnabb said.

Mcnabb said he doesn’t have a large problem with students sleeping in his class.

“You can tell when someone hasn’t had enough sleep,” he said. “When i see some-one sleeping i usually wake them up and ask about their sleep habits.”

Spanish teacher Jennifer Canterbury said she has “a few” students who sleep in class.

“Sometimes, it kinda depends on what day of the week, Mondays especially,” Can-terbury said.

She said she does not think the start time contributes to a lack of sleep, but that stu-dents have too many after school activities.

“The start time is right where it should be,” she said. “Kids just have too much stuff going on after school, whether it be work or sports. i think we need to manage our time better. Unfortunately, i think it starts very young, overextending ourselves.”

Mcnabb said he does not think the start

time is too early, but students have trouble managing time with all their extracurricu-lar activities.

principal Kyle Ferguson said he thinks the start time is fine as it is.

“i don’t want to start any later because i don’t want to keep kids here later,” Fergu-son said.

Junior Ke’darrion Smith said he averag-es “about four hours of sleep a night,” much lower than the recommended amount. he said he wakes up in the night and has trou-ble falling back asleep.

“i really don’t know [why i get so little sleep]. i go to bed at 10:00, but i end up waking up at 12:00 [a.m.],” Smith said.

he said his lack of sleep affects his aca-demics negatively.

“i can’t really concentrate in class, like in Spanish i fall asleep,” Smith said, adding that he drinks caffeinated sodas to keep him awake.

in regard to his athletic performance, Smith said his lack of sleep “does not real-ly” negatively affect him.

Smith said he is in favor of a later start time, as it would give him time to go back to sleep.

Cristian garcia, freshman, said he too would support a later start time, as he only gets five hours of sleep a night.

“it’s not enough [sleep],” garcia said. “i think school should start at a later hour, possibly 9:00 [a.m.].”

garcia said he doesn’t get enough sleep because he has “a lot of homework” and “too many thoughts about school” on his mind.

garcia said he falls asleep in history and bonus period “almost every day,” and when he is awake he is often “tired and in a bad mood.”

“i sleep through [history] notes,” he said.Mcnabb said the largest danger is posed

to students who drive without sleeping.“operating any kind of machine [is dan-

gerous without sleep],” he said. “i wouldn’t want to be riding in car with someone who only got two hours of sleep the last night.”

CATChING Z Z Z

‘SSleep deprivation harmful to student performance

“i think it came out well,” Allaway said.She said she heard people talking about

the video all over the school.The video has received 4,854 views on

The northridge reporter’s Facebook page.Junior Jessica Ballard thought the video

was silly but well intentioned.“Maybe they should place more hand

sanitizer around the school,” Ballard said. “hand sanitizer isn’t that expensive, and it’s much more effective than a video.”

As winter draws nearer, Ferguson said the threat of illness is eminent.

“i need to make another announcement again because more people are starting to get the flu,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson’s ‘campaign,’ viral video promote health consciousness in students, faculty

AcademicEpidemic

wASh yA hANDS

Do yOU get the recommended hOUR of exercise daily?

100 students polledInfographic designed by Kathryn VersaceInformation compiled by John Mark McCleland

What’s REALLy in our vending machines?

Infographic designed by Kathryn VersaceInformation compiled by Kathryn Versace

Photo illustration by Rebecca Griesbach

Numbers indicate caloric values

ThE NORThRIDGE REpORTERDECEMBER 12, 2014 7feature

taxing schedules negatively affect students’ healthREBECCA GRIESBAChMANAGING EDITOR

Combined stress from e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r s , responsibilities at home and the rigor of Advanced placement (Ap), honors

and college courses can be detrimental to a student’s physical and mental health.

“We talk about things like that all the time in class. tryouts, standardized tests and relationships can all be very stressful,” health teacher david Akins said.hEALTh RISkS

general Adaptation Syndrome (gAS), Akins said, is a term used to describe the way “your body changes in relation to stress.”

“one of the biggest things we see is that stress breaks down the immune system,” Akins said.

This happens during the third stage of gAS, the exhaus-tion stage. Unlike the first two stages -the alarm and resistant stages- which Akins said “happen on a regular basis and are very normal,” the exhaustion stage occurs “when things get serious.”

“Sometimes you have to have external involvement,” Akins said. “When body functions break down [during the exhaus-tion stage], it might involve admission to the hospital.”

extreme medical cases caused by stress are not especially common, but the buildup of minor everyday stressors can take a toll on students, junior Julia Cain said.

“Stress and anxiety is good to some extent because without it, there’s no push to get anything done. When it gets to be too much, however, it has negative effects on every aspect of your life - mental, emotional and physical,” Cain said.

Cain, a psychology student, studied “stress, coping, and well-being” in chapter 11 of her Access course this semester. She said background stressors, or “daily hassles,” can contribute to “increased hormonal activities, psychophysiological disorders such as “high blood pressure, headaches and backaches” as well as harmful behaviors like sleep and nutrition deprivation and increased drug use.

IN DAILy LIFE“everyday annoyances... may have long-

term effects, whereas stronger stressors (like tornadoes or terrorist attacks) may produce less stress in the long run,” Cain said as she flipped through her notes.

Along with taking Access, University of Alabama early College, Ap and honors classes, Cain also belongs to three instrumental groups: marching and concert band, tuscaloosa Youth orchestra and First Wesleyan Church’s orchestra. in conjunction with balancing her activities, Cain said she tends to get sick “halfway through the year,” around the time of band’s Music performance Assessment.

“i don’t take days off because of things i can’t miss,” Cain said. “...So when i get sick, the symptoms are amplified by stress.”

Cain recalled a week in which she had church and band-related duties

after school for five consecutive days, all while fighting back illness.

“i remember that week specifically,” Cain said. “i had a really bad cold where i could hardly breathe... but, you know, it happens. Stress is like a never-ending cycle. Being stressed out leads to getting sick, which leads to missing school, which leads to more stress of getting extra work done.”

Cain’s fellow band member, junior Authentic Sims, said that in addition to early College, honors classes and preparing for All State, he has responsibilities at home.

“i have to babysit my little brother every day after school,” Sims said. “i stopped taking Ap classes because it was too stressful and time-consuming. Stress makes me want to give up.”

Junior Shelby Castellanos, Ap student and soccer player, said her activities have negatively affected her health, according to her doctor at University Medical Center.

“Apparently, i developed acid reflux because of stress,” Castellanos said.

Castellano’s teammate, sophomore terry Millsaps, is an active member of four clubs and takes eight classes- two of which are UA early College and Access courses.

The chronic headaches she suffers from, Millsaps said, correlate with the increased workload.

“Sometimes, if it’s a really bad week, i’ll even get sick to my stomach,” she said.

during one of these “really bad weeks,” Millsaps said she sacrificed her health in order to get everything done.

“it was one of those weeks where i could not eat or sleep because i had to do so much,” Millsaps said. “i had a ton (about ten assignments per day) of [online] Spanish [homework and classwork], soccer tryouts and a project or test in every class. When i didn’t have soccer, i had meetings.”hOw TO DEAL

Millsaps said she tries to balance out the negative effects of her busy schedule with healthy coping mechanisms.

“i try to exercise every day, not procrastinate and spend time with friends,” she said.

Akins said he encourages “getting away from the stress;” students should try to relax or listen to music.

“teenagers need eight hours of sleep,” Akins said.

Cain said she combines two styles of coping with stress and anxiety that she learned about in class.

“emotion-based coping means changing the way you think about a situation. if you have a fight with your friend, you can change your attitude by looking on

the brighter side,” Cain said. “problem-based coping means changing how you physically react to a situation. For example, if you have

homework, you do it.”Cain said that her attitude towards a

stressor has a great deal of influence on her overall stress level.

“i used to go to a lot of concerts that my friends would stress for months about for my own enjoyment. The stress towards the concert came out more as excitement because i was doing it for fun,” Cain said. “even schoolwork in classes i enjoy doesn’t seem as stressful - even if there is a larger load - as work in classes i don’t like.”

procrastination is the worst way to deal with stress; Cain said she puts away her distractions and takes time to “figure out a plan.”

“i get at my work and slay it,” she said.

whEN I GET SICk, ThE SyMpTOMS ARE AMpLIFIED By STRESS.

“”jULIA CAIN, jUNIOR

...I COULD NOT EAT OR SLEEp BECAUSE I hAD TO DO SO MUCh.“

”TERRy MILLSApS, SOphOMORE

SICk OF STRESS

AcademicEpidemic

What’s REALLy in our vending machines?

Infographic designed by Kathryn VersaceInformation compiled by Kathryn Versace

Photo by Rebecca Griesbach

8 ThE NORThRIDGE REpORTERDECEMBER 12, 2014entertainment

LiFe is a series of ChoiCeS. You make choices eVerY dAY that impact your FUtUre. Choosing to attend CoLLege is an important choice, but getting ACCepted into college is the result of you making a series of good choices along the way. Let SYLVAn develop a perSonALiZed pLAn to help YoU MAKe YoUr pAth to college SUCCeSSFUL.

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Mockingjay movie true to book

HELLO TOMORROWthe pAth to CoLLege SUCCeSS StArtS here

Sylvan Learning of Tuscaloosa

tuscsylvan@aol.com

Graduation is sooner than you think. Start now.

205-345-7676

MOVIE REVIEw

Photo from MCT Campus

This is a well-

crafted film intelligently divided at the perfect moment.

“

”

kAThRyN VERSACE INFOGRAphICS EDITOR

The phenomenon of The Hunger Games continues to catch fire

worldwide with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1.

Katniss everdeen is found in district 13 after she destroys the games forever. Under the direction of president Coin and the reliance on her trusted friends and family, Katniss fights to save peeta and panem.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 is better than its forerunners. But, it would be hard for someone who hasn’t seen the previous films to understand. it drops the viewer into the story assuming the story and setup are already known. it makes sense though, since it’s unlikely that anyone who is interested in seeing Mockingjay - Part 1 isn’t already familiar with the story (like myself ).

Although i do feel that splitting the third book into two films is a harry potter-inspired money maker, this is not a two-hour trailer for Part 2. This is a well-crafted film intelligently divided at the perfect moment.

This movie continued to develop the darker elements of the books. it becomes the propaganda that the two fighting sides in the film are creating. The “propos” are done well, especially in the scene where Finnick exposes a number of president

Snow’s scandals. These are only spoken of (and they’re almost in the background), but i’m sure this enhances the impact by leaving it to our imaginations to fill in the gaps in his speech.

Also the film puts peeta on the sideline, giving Katniss room to grow as a character which i especially liked since i’ve been

team gale since day one.The story centers on promoting

the rebellion of the outlying districts against the cruelty of the Capitol. The film is less about the all too common freedom-fighter shtick than it is about the leaders of the opposing sides waging a propaganda war, using Katniss to represent the rebels and peeta to do the same for the Capitol. it builds personal tension between the two characters and leads to a cliffhanger ending.

There is one thing i would like addressed: the issue of how philip Seymour hoffman’s death will be dealt with in the final entry. Although i was aware of his passing, it pleasantly surprised me that they dedicated the film to him.

Mockingjay is rated pg-13 for intense violence and action and some disturbing images (that made the entire theatre and i gasp). There were multiple moments of concurrent chuckles and simultaneous silent suspense.

i highly recommend the movie to Hunger Games fans.

BURN Jennifer Lawerence stars as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1. She stands in front of a bombed hospital in District 8 as she addresses President Snow’s recent attack on hundreds of injured, innocent people. Just minutes before, Everdeen had visited the patients in the makeshift hospital and their deaths enraged her, provoking the powerful live footage of her reaction. “Fire is catching, and if we burn, you burn with us,” the Mockingjay screams at the cameras - and the Capitol.

‘ThEy’LL EIThER wANT TO kILL yOU, kISS yOU, OR BE yOU’

Which classic Christmas movie is yOUR favorite?

Information compiled by John Mark McClelandInfographic designed by Kathryn Versace

ThE NORThRIDGE REpORTERDECEMBER 12, 2014 entertainment

Mind-blowing blockbuster takes niiler out of this world

MOVIE REVIEw

9

Photo by MCT CampusIN ANOThER DIMENSION Anne Hathaway plays Amelia Brand and Matthew McCo-naughey plays Cooper in the hit move Interstellar.

jAMES NIILEREDITOR-IN-ChIEF

To go farther than anyone has gone before. to explore the vast depths

of space. to “rage against the dying of the light.” All of these themes are shown throughout Interstellar, one of the year’s best films from director Christopher nolan.

Interstellar follows the space-time adventure of pilot Cooper, his colleagues and his children. Set in the not-too-distant future, earth in Interstellar has been reduced to a huge dust Bowl, eerily reminiscent of the great plains in the 1930s. Most edible crops have been destroyed by blight and the only thing that grows is corn. even the survival of corn, and thereby humanity, appears to be unlikely.

When Cooper’s scientifically inclined daughter Murph claims a ‘ghost’ is trying to communicate with her, Cooper laughs her off, until a set of coordinates mysteriously appears on her bedroom floor, revealing the location of the remnants of nASA. There, Cooper is recruited with others by a dr. Brand to scout out a new planet for earth’s populace. to do so, they will have to enter another galaxy, via a wormhole near Saturn, to reach their destinations. Years before, it is revealed, a group of scientists led by a dr. Mann had supposedly found potential homes for humanity through this wormhole, and some have sent signals back to earth ever since. Cooper and his comrades must find if Mann and his colleagues are still alive and if any of the

discovered planets are viable for humanity, while having to deal with vast changes in time, space and separation from loved ones.

While the scientists fly through space at the speed of light, Murph and her brother suffer at home. Years pass, and Murph begins work with dr. Brand on how to solve the problem of gravity, in order to lift humanity off earth in huge centrifuges to save it from extinction, a project known as ‘plan A.’ (The other option for human survival developed by Brand, ‘plan B,’ is the planned propagation of frozen embryos in Cooper’s spacecraft.) All the while, Murph must live with the terrible separation from her father, conflicts with her brother and the increasingly hostile climate on earth.

This is the gist of the movie’s plot. So much more is to be found within its two hours and fifty minutes, including but not limited to black holes, the fifth dimension and disturbingly large ocean waves. Though the ending is a mind-bender, this does not detract from the film at all—it only adds. All the acting is superb and the characters deeply interesting (my favorite being the peculiarly shaped, sarcastically witty and obnoxious robot tArS). Character conflicts are expertly employed, alternating between ‘man vs. man,’ ‘man vs. nature’ and ‘man vs. self ’ in equal measure. The panned-out shots of deep space are incredibly beautiful and the musical score (featuring an organ) is truly magnificent.

“Love is the one thing that transcends time and space,” says Brand’s daughter on Cooper’s mission, and the scenes of

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love in this film are both beautiful and heartbreaking. not just love, but jealousy, deception, anger, betrayal, cowardice and self-sacrifice in Interstellar make it an emotional melting pot that gives one much food for thought.

Though Interstellar is far from scary, some moments in it are truly horrifying. Such an example is when Cooper and Brand’s daughter return to their spacecraft after exploring a planet for only three hours to find twenty-three years have passed for their fellow scientist on board. A curious theme of spirituality runs through the film, with references to the mysterious ‘they,’

which provide aid to the protagonists. Yet those who attempt to find a deeper meaning to this will ultimately be disappointed. nevertheless, the themes of love, sacrifice and human achievement should appeal to anyone’s personal ethics.

Interstellar is indirectly based off the sci-fi epic 2001: A Space odyssey, nolan’s favorite film. i have never seen 2001, but am told the similarities are striking despite both of the movies’ uniqueness.

This film is nolan’s triumph and should be seen by all who not only love science but also a mind-blowing story.

‘DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO ThAT GOOD NIGhT’

10 ThE NORThRIDGE REpORTERDECEMBER 12, 2014sports

“Renewable waste to energy”

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CAMRI MASONphOTOGRAphER

Three seniors signed on nov. 12 in the school’s library.

William Walker signed to University of Alabama at Birmingham to play golf for his future college.

“i committed in May,” Walker said. “i knew i was ready to sign,” he said.

Walker said his parents and golf coach david Akins encouraged him to sign to UAB.

“[University of Alabama at Birmingham] was a really good fit,” Walker said. “i know a lot of guys on the team from freshmen year.”

Kyle Stuart signed to Samford University to play baseball.

“it’s a really good school, and it’s not too far from home,” Stuart said.

Stuart said it would be an exciting opportunity to represent the school at Samford University.

“My parents were very supportive of me going to Samford,” Stuart said. “it’s a very academic school, and the coaches were supportive too.”

Jackson Seawell also committed to Samford University to play golf.

“i think it will be fun to go to college together because we grew up together since we were about five-years-old,” Seawell said.

Stuart said they did not necessarily make the same college decision together.

“We pushed each other to get there since we’ve been friends for so long,” Stuart said. “people said it was ‘cool’ for us to go there.”

Seawell said he chose Samford because it was close to home.

“it’s close to home, but it’s not in home,” Seawell said. “it’s also a smaller school, and i feel like i would fit in more at a smaller school.”

Sewell said he has some goals he wants to accomplish regarding school and golf.

“[i hope] to be on the starting five on the golf team and to maintain a 3.5 gpA or higher,” Seawell said.

during the halftime show on the dec. 4 basketball game, Stuart was granted the Scholar Athlete of the Year award.

“i feel very blessed, and it’s a blessing from

god,” Stuart said.Athletic director david Akins said that

Stuart receiving the award was a great honor.“When you’re being recognized by an

organization that recognizes students on academics as well as sports, it is a great honor,” Akins said. “i think it’s great for our students to be able to play at the college level.”

Senior trio signs to future college choices

Photos by Camri Mason

I feel very blessed,

and it’s a blessing

from God.

“

“

kyLE STUART, SENIOR

MOVING ON Up Seniors Jackson Seawell, Kyle Stuart and William Walker sign for their respective schools in the li-brary on Nov. 12. Seawell and Stuart will attend Samford University; Walker will attend the University of Alabama at Bir-mingham. Seawell and Walker will play golf for their schools; Stuart will play base-ball. “It feels good to know where I’m going; it lifts a lot of weight off of my shoulders. Being on campus for the first time will be an eye opener for me. It will be a big change not coming here every day. I won’t know anyone except for my teammates,” Walk-er said. Following the signing, Stuart was awarded the Scholar Athlete of the Year award by My68 WABM Friday Night Rivals on Dec. 4 which included a $5,000 scholarship check.

ThE NORThRIDGE REpORTERDECEMBER 12, 2014 11sports

SpORTS COLUMN

Varsity basketball starts season 6-3, recovers after tough yearCAN’T TOUCh ThIS Small forward Tommy Bryant (20), junior, drives forward during the Shelby County tournament in November. “It was a hard fought battle,” Bryant said. “We played better than last game, but we made a lot of mistakes.”

Photo by Camri Mason

jORDAN hUTChINSONSpORTS EDITOR

The boys varsity basketball team lost 48-57 tuesday, dec. 2 to Mountain Brook. This is the second time that they have lost to Mountain Brook this season.

Free throws were a problem as they missed 13 free throws.

Bob Brantley, basketball coach, said it was a tough fought game.

“We missed free throws and that lost us

the game,” Brantley said.graham Limbaugh, senior shooting

guard, said the team did not capitalize on Mountain Brook’s mistakes. The team’s next game was against Briarwood, who they beat in their season opener 70-43 on nov. 10.

“We are preparing as usual. There are no easy games,” Brantley said before the game with Briarwood.

The basketball team lost 51-50 to Briarwood Christian on dec. 4.

“We played a good Briarwood team but just came up short,” Brantley said.

The team lost as Briarwood scored in the final 2.5 seconds of the second half.

“They tried their hardest,” Brantley said.Junior center ross hardin said it felt

good to win in the season opener after a tough season last year.

After the Briarwood win, the varsity team equaled their win total from last season.

hardin scored eighteen points and got twelve rebounds.

hester loses football hair betNATE hESTER STAFF wRITER

i sat in Momma goldberg’s deli with my church small group the Sunday before the LSU-Alabama football game. Little did i know,

i was a handshake away from losing my thick mane of beautiful hair. Judge Brad Almond and i have a long history of placing wagers on the game every year, but this year, he raised the stakes. The winner gets to give the loser the haircut of his choice.

As tJ Yeldon fumbled in the red-zone with less than two minutes in the fourth quarter of a tie game, i was ecstatic. Sitting in my upper deck seat of tiger Stadium i began to contemplate just what haircut Judge Almond would be receiving when i returned to tuscaloosa. Then everything went awry…

After a controversial 50 second drive from Alabama, i looked on, more nervous

“They’ve worked their butts off, and we have some great fans,” Brantley said.

Brantley attributes some of the team’s success to the students that are part of the Jaguar nation [cheer squad].

“That’s the reason we do so well because people care,” Brantley said. “They are motivated, and they will come out ready to play,” Brantley said

The team pulled out a win in their next game which was against Sipsey Valley on dec. 9. The score was 73-42.

than i have ever been, at my favorite team going to overtime with an opponent you did not want to see any longer than you had to.

Alabama pulled out the win 20-13 over LSU, and i was not looking forward to what was ahead of me.

Brad Almond along with many other friends in my small group sent me annoying texts and obnoxious photos of hair clippers, taunting me.

Then Sunday came around. The day i was going to lose my beautiful hair. As i sat in church early that morning, i received a text from Brad. expecting it to be a text telling me what time to arrive at his

house, i opened the message only to be pleasantly surprised. Judge Almond had canceled the small group meeting. i had escaped the haircut.

For now, my hair remains on my head as we won’t have another small group meeting until next semester. So until then, i will have to make the most of it before it’s gone.

jV BOyS SCOREBOARDvs. Mountain Brook • w • 53-46

vs. Briarwood • w • 50-38

vs. hillcrest • w • 50-45 Information compiled by Kathryn VersaceInfographic designed by James Niiler

hESTERPhoto by Camri Mason

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teens m

ore susceptible to online predators.

teens are

finding it

easier to m

ake friends with complete

strangers using

the m

essaging application and its new add-ons.

These

add-ons allow

people to subm

it pictures of themselves

and have anyone from around the

world respond in just seconds.Freshm

an Lillian Jackson said there are both good and bad things about the app.

“it’s good for contacting people and keeping in touch, but there are a lot of dangerous and creepy

people,” she said.g

uidance counselor Kenneth

Smothers said it is s a good thing

we can connect with people, but that does not m

ean you know them

.“people can look just like you

and me and not be as friendly as

us. That’s the danger,” Sm

others said.Freshm

an Kearsten prince said

recently a male user m

essaged her and when she did not respond after

several hours,

the user

became enraged and continued to

send her several messages.

The user told her he would

use her picture to create a fake account and trick people into thinking it was her.

“My

first response

was to

laugh and tell my friends about

it. i didn’t feel like i was in any

danger,” prince said.Sm

others said he does not trust these things and is concerned.

“At such a young age, fem

ales especially, you’re exposed to a lot of dangers,” Sm

others said.prince said she has m

ade plenty of friends on the app. “Th

ey’re not all creeps,” she said.

Smothers said it takes a while

for him to consider som

eone a friend.

“Friends are made through tim

e and trust. Before calling som

eone your friend you should really get to know them

,” Smothers said.

Smothers said parents should

be very concerned about not only K

ik but all social media.

“They should be very cautious

and always pay close attention to who their kids are talking to online,” he said.

new m

essaging app causes safety concerns

CA

MR

I MA

SO

Np

hO

TOG

RA

ph

ER

photos

are now

becoming

temporary

with the trending app, Snapchat,

as people

share pictures with friends that only last for a few seconds.

When Snapchat first cam

e out, takera Sanders, junior, said she thought it was pointless.

“i didn’t know how to use [Snapchat],” she said.

Sanders said she now thinks that Snapchat is better than any other social m

edia.

“it’s different,” Sanders said. “Like you can’t start an argum

ent through

Snapchat, like

twitter and Facebook. it’s less dram

a,” she said.

dajah Benson, junior, said she

feels special when people view her photos.

“[it] makes you feel good about

yourself that people want to view your everyday life,” Benson said.

dem

ario plott, senior, said he thinks Snapchat is funny and interesting and a good way for friends to com

municate and keep

in touch. one of the funniest

things plott

said he

saw on

Snapchat was a photo of seniors treShawn Brown and Yara A

kl.“treShawn stitched his face

into a family picture with A

kl as his daughter saying ‘M

y beautiful fam

ily’,” plott said.A

lk said Brown likes to make

a lot of jokes and make people

laugh and one day started calling her his daughter.

“he went around telling people

that he found me in a Best Buy

box when i was one-years-old and adopted m

e as his own,” Alk

said.tastevisha W

illiams,

junior, said

she loves

checking other

112 students polledInform

ation compiled by John M

ark McCleland

Infographic designed by James N

iiler

Snapchat gives students fun with photo sharing

CO

NN

EC

TE

DW

hat social m

edia do you use m

ost often?

peoples’ stories while browsing through the social app.

“The only tim

e i don’t like checking them

is when i’m in the

house, and i don’t have nothing to do, and they are turning up,” W

illiams said.

London Bailey, junior, said she uses Snapchat to com

municate

with her friends that don’t live in tuscaloosa.

“i use it, so they can see me

now

instead of

later,” Bailey

said. “it’s like Facetime but w

ith pictures, and w

e can see each other all the tim

e. Snapchat is aw

esome.”

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