A Saint James School Tradition Since 1969

Happy 40th Birthday, Odyssey!

The Odyssey

INSIDE

How much do you really know? (pages 6-7)

Sports teams fight for suc-cess in both region and

state. (page 3)

Turn to page three to find out about the latest successes of the wrestlers and girl’s basketball

teams.

Is advisory slowly disap-pearing? (page 4)

Turn to page four to find out about Saint James’ newest en-dangered species – advisory.

A Fresh On Stage Perspective

If you missed Cabaret 2009 then you missed a musical experience of

a lifetime. The show started on February 5 and ran through February 7. “The Best Of… 10 Years of Excellence in the Arts” Cabaret is one not to be taken likely. With a song list of music from “The Lion King” all the way to “Grease” the action will do all but bore you. Because the theme is the best of the theatre program, the company is invit-ing some alumni back to per-form some memorable tunes. This special cast included stu-dents such as Parker Neill, Cath-rine Stineker, and Kate Morton.

This year is also noteworthy because of the vast number of people in both Middle School and High School companies. Combined, the numbers reach past 60. One cast member par-ticularly shines this year. Meet Jared Black. The direct blood

a killer singing voice. This is his third Cabaret at Saint James and he is more than happy to be a link in the theatre chain.

“I love the arts, singing and dancing in particular. It is so easy for me, I just be myself” Black said.

Since I am in the Cabaret Company I had ample time to fol-low Jared through his fantastic theatrical journey. Black says,

“The toughest thing about theatre is rehearsal. It’s so aggravating you know.”

This year rehearsals have been particularly excruciating,

“It’s like all you hear is ‘shut up!’ for three hours. No one lets any one lead and it all turns into a huge cat fight.”

However, just when all seems lost in the rehearsal process, it’s that big first night! Thursday February 5 was opening night and it could not have been better!

“The rush when you step on stage at the beginning of a show is great! I can’t wait to do the other two shows.” Black said,

A favorite of all the cast mem-relative of 2008 grad J a c o b B l a c k , J a r e d and his b r o t h e r are what scientists w o u l d call po-lar op-p o s i t e s . Jared is a stout y o u n g f r e s h -man with f l o w i n g b l o n d e c u r l s , s t e l l a r complex-ion, and

bers is the song “ H o n e y Bun” from the musi-cal “South Pacif ic .” J a r e d told me the basic layout of the song, and its pu rpose .

“ I t ’ s basically your clas-sic drag number,”

formation. Jared told me the guys wear grass skirts, coco-nut bras, flower leas, and wigs.

“The whole song is hysterica,” Black said.

After all said and done, Jared put on a more serious face. He told me that he plans on acting until he graduates, and he wants to stay active in the STJ theatre program.

Black said. “What is drag? Wow, uhh

it’s when guys dress as girls and…well you get the idea. So, it all started when Mr. Har-rison did the song a few years ago with a previous cast. So we brought it back,” Black said when asked about the concept of drag.

He also gave me some in-teresting male costume in-

By Perry BrasfieldPhotojournalist

We sit and listen (sometimes) all day long, but how many of these fun facts are a shock to you? See how smart your fellow students

really are!

(For answers to the questions asked see Photo Gallery)

2 The Odyssey February 13, 2008News

In an effort to show his im-mense gratitude to the pilot who landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg presented the pilot Chesley Sul-lenberger (and his crew) with keys to the city. Sullenberger was forced to make an emer-gency landing in the Hudson after a “flock of birds disabled the plane’s engines.” On board were a 155 people, all survived the emergency landing. “The ceremony at City Hall in Man-hattan followed a weekend of adulation.”

-quotes by Amy Westfeldt, Newsweek writer

Headlines around

the world

A Word from Your SGA Vice-PresidentI am very excited about all that the SGA is doing and all of the support that we have gotten from the students. As of now, we have raised close to

$700 for the American Cancer Society! I must thank all of the students and teachers for their willingness to participate in our various fundraisers. Our fundraiser that is currently going on is the Candies from Cupid—cute little valentine grams for your friends or for that someone special.

The biggest event that the SGA hosts is the Saint James Community Day. We have been putting in a lot of hard work so that this community day will be the best ever! Community Day has been a long standing tradition in Saint James history and it is really awesome to hear about how members of the community appreciate all of the hard work from the students. One particular example that comes to mind is a letter that we received from a lady whose mother was buried at Remount Cemetery. She stopped by and thanked the 10th grade class for their service. She went on, with tears in her eyes to say that the students did not know the amount of gratitude she had. I am definitely looking forward to many more stories like that. I must end with another thank you for all of the support that the SGA has received from the students, and a reminder that the SGA is here to serve you!

-Sylvia Kim

Hero Pilot Awarded Keys to New York City

Album of the Year: “Raising Sand” New Artist: AdeleRap Album: “Tha Carter III,” -Lil WayneRock Album: “Viva La Vida,”- ColdplayRock Song: “Girls in Their Sum-mer Clothes”- Bruce SpringsteenR&B Album: “Jennifer Hud-son”- Jennifer HudsonContemporary R&B Album: “Growing Pains”- Mary J. Blige Male Pop Vocal Performance: “Say”- John Mayer Pop Vocal Album: “Rockferry”- DuffySong of the Year: “Viva La Vida”- Coldplay Country Performance: “Stay”- Sugarland Metal Performance: “My Apoca-lypse”- Metallica Electric Dance Album: “Alive 2007”- Daft PunkTraditional Blues Album: “One Kind Favor”- B.B. KingContemporary Blues Album: “City That Care Forgot”- Dr. John and the Lower 911Jazz Vocal Album: “Loverly”- Cassandra Wilson

Will Ferrell... a Future Broadway

Star?

A Look Back at the 51st Grammy Awards

All moviegoers know Will Fer-rell from his numerous com-edy films. From Ron Burgandy the Anchorman to Ricky Bobby the Nascar driver in Talledega Nights, it is impossible to keep a straight face during his mov-ies. However Ferrell’s Broad-way show may prove to be a bit more controversial than portray-ing Nascar drivers. Ferrell’s 80 minute production, “You’re Wel-come America: A Final Night With George W. Bush”, tours the previous President’s time in office. No doubt that Ferrell is hilarious, one can only wonder what is in store during this play. The only thing that is certain is that Bush’s mistakes will not be overlooked during this play.

Boys Finish Strong Season with Heartbreaking Loss

THE TROJAN CREEDI am a Trojan, I am proud to be a Tro-jan. We are a family that can depend on each other. I will respect my school, my teammates, my coaches, and myself. This team is as solid as I am, and I will do everything I can to keep it that way. 1- 2- 3-

The Saint James var-sity boys’ basketball season has certainly

had its share of ups and downs. The team started the season winning seven out of the first nine games, including five wins at home in the recently crowned “Trojan Battle Dome.”

In the first game of the year on November 21st, the varsity boys were faced with an intense battle with cross town rival Ala-bama Christian. The Dome was a packed house and the Trojans were fired up. The Trojans came out firing as senior Chase Chris-tian hit a three on the opening possession to bring the crowd to its feet, which is where it would remain for most of the night. After that, the Trojans never looked back, not allowing Ala-bama Christian to ever take the lead. The final score indicated the game as closer than it really was as the Trojans had fell short on several free throw attempts near the end of the game but still won by double digits, 68-58.

The following day the Tro-jans found themselves fact to face with Catholic, led by ex-Saint James player and coach, Ken Klinger. The Trojans had revenge on their minds and they did just that, annihilating Cath-olic 60-33, not allowing a sin-gle point in the fourth quarter.

“It felt good to get some pay-back,” said junior Brandyn Bak-er, who had twenty points and twelve rebounds in t he game. “He kind of left on a bad note and didn’t tell everyone that he was leaving. It was also good to see what we could do with a bet-ter coach,” he said with a smile.

The next win of the stretch came against first time oppo-nent Booker T. Washington on December 5, with the Trojans dominating in every sense of the game, winning 69-19. This game was also a highlight reel for se-

nior Wade Norwood, who scored eleven points, even outscoring BTW at the half seven to six.

“It was awesome to out-score BTW at the half, espe-cially since I really contrib-uted scoring,” said Norwood.

After defeating area foe Opp, 47-32 on December 9, the Tro-jans faced archrival Trinity in the Dome. Yet again the bleachers were full and cheering madly for their beloved Trojans as they wit-nessed a shellacking, as the Tro-jans came out on top 65-41, the program’s first victory over Trin-ity in five years. The Trojans then defeated Trinity yet again, 53-47 on December 29, in the Capital City Conference Tournament.

Then the Trojans hit a skid. After a promising seven and two start, the Trojans proceeded to drop nine out of their next ten, defeating only Opp again, this time 64-33 on January 13.

With the playoffs only a week away, the Trojans badly needed to regain their swag-ger as well as some momentum heading into the area playoffs. Alabama Christian was just the team to do that, yet again.

Although Alabama Christian pulled out all the stops on their home court it would be the Tro-jans who would leave the cam-pus with a victory. Overcoming an abysmal night from the free throw line, going twelve of thir-ty as a team, and holdidng off a late Alabama Christian surge, in which they even gained the lead, the Trojans preserved their 74-72 nail biting victory on January 27.

The team then took part in a special event on January 31, playing for Coaches vs. Cancer. The team sold ribbons all week and all the money earned at the admission table to the game as well as that of the ribbons was donated to cancer research.

“It was something that I al-ways did in North Carolina at my last high school and at col-lege. It is definently a cause that

is worthy of donating to because all of our lives have been touched by cancer. Also, since the NBA coaches as well as the NCAA coaches partake in this event, I thought it would be a good idea. I really wanted to bring aware-ness to everyone, especially to young kids who are affected by cancer and don’t even realize it,” said head coach Vincent Royals.

Amidst all the fundraising, the Trojans also had a game to play. It was senior night, and the opponent was Highland Home. The Trojans won 61-49 and Chase Eley joined teammate Chase Christian in the thousand point club. (See below for more on the high scorers).

The Trojans finished the regu-lar season with a record of 10-13, improving last year’s 7-23. The team also defeated rivals Trinity and Catholic, a feat that they were unable to overcome last year.

The team then went into the area playoffs, as the fourth seed, and defeated Opp, again, in the quarterfinal match up on Febru-

ary 3, wining 67-33, without Chase Eley as Christian stepped up with thirty points, almost out-scoring the Bobcats by himself.

The Trojans were then matched up against top-seeded and area tournament host, Ash-ford. The Trojans played an in-credible game against the Yellow Jackets in the Dome on January 3, losing on a buzzer beater. The Trojans then played well again at Ashford leading by as many as twelve points before allow-ing Ashford to slip away with a 57-45 victory on January 23. In the semifinal matchup on February 6, the Trojans and Yellow Jackets battled neck and neck the entire game. With 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock, the game appeared to be headed to overtime. But Ash-ford inbounded the ball from the baseline and was able to tip the ball in to win 48-46 in an agonzing defeat for the Trojans and their seniors to end their season with an 11-14 record.

By Joseph ReevesContributing Writer

ff STJ Star Athletes It was senior night, and the

opponent was Highland Home. The fact that the Trojans won 61-49 was not the biggest story of the night, as senior Chase Eley joined fellow senior Chase Christian in the 1000 point club. These two are the first ever teammates in

Saint James history to accomplish the feat. They were honored with a signed basketball during the game. “It was a great accomplish-ment,” said Eley, “it felt really good to make it to 1000 points especially since I’ve been playing with Chase since we were kids.”

A few games before Eley ac-

complished his goal of reaching 1000, Christian accomplished his. However , Coach Royals chose to wait to honor Christian until Senior Night, coinciding per-fectly with Eley’s 1000th point. “It was great to accomplish 1,000 points with other great St. James players,” Christian said.

TROJAN PRIDE.

However Senior Night was not all happy, as seniors be-gan to realize the ending of their careers approaching.

“Senior night was bittersweet,” Eley said, “I was happy to score my 1,000th point, but at the same time the reality that I’d soon play my last game quickly sank in.”

The Odyssey February 13, 2008 3SportsLady Trojans Charge into

Playoffs

The 2008-2009 Lady Trojans basketball team’s primary focus

of this year’s season has been team unity. Correspondent to that theme is their secret new motto, “iNam,” whose meaning people can only speculate. The team is young, and includes one senior, Carrie Whitt and six juniors, Kelly Brasfield, Lea Epps, Lauren Henry, Hope Olzsewski, Tori Towle, and Susanne Treece. Sophomore Allison Lewis and freshman Hayden Barnes also add to the team to make a grand total of nine players.

The Lady Trojans started preparing for this season during the month of June, attending several play dates in Birmingham. The whole point of these play dates was to increase team bonding and cohesion during the regular season.

The team kicked off the regular season in November in the Tip-Off Tournament, actually held at St. James. The Trojans played against Marbury, and Jeff Davis and Prattville, two 6A teams in the area that accounted for two losses.

The Lady Trojans also

Susanne TreeceGeneral ReporterStephen van Arcken

Sports Editor

Top: Senior Carrie Whitt jumps over her opponents for a rebound.Bottom: Junior Lauren Henry dribbles down the court on a fast break.

Photos by Daniel Bye

In the past, Saint James wrestling has been a state contesting team for many

years. Each year, Saint James sends a number of wrestlers to the state tournament in hopes of bringing home the state cham-pionship medal. This tradition seemed to be heavy in the minds of the wrestling team this year as well, for on February 5, Saint James sent seven members to the state tournament in Huntsville.

Wrestling consist of many different weight classes in which a particular wrestler wrestles. In order to qualify for a posi-tion in the state tournament the wrestling team first had to par-ticipate in the Sectional Tour-nament. The seven wrestlers who beat out the competition and qualified for state were se-niors Chris Henry and Michael Bird, juniors Kevin Tanous and Chas Diebel, sophomores Matt Kwan and Karl Bell, and , seventh grader Stephen Kwan.

The team finished third in the 1A-4A Sectional 1 sectional Tournament, the seven wrestlers who qualified had to place in the top five spots in order to qualify for the state tournament. The seven placed in Sectionals as fol-lows: Chris Henry was the 114 weight class champion, Michael Bird was runner-up in 154 weight class, Kevin Tanous placed third

in 127 weight class, Chas Diebel also placed third in 137 weight class, Matt Kwan was runner-up in 121 weight class, Karl Bell was also runner-up in the 132 weight class, and Stephen Kwan placed fourth in the 105 weight class.

The wrestlers participated in state tournament which took place on February 6th and 7th. This year’s tournament took place in Huntsville, Alabama, consisting of schools from around the state. Out of the seven Saint James wrestlers who partici-pated in state five placed in the top five of their weight class.

This year, the team finished overall fifth in the State Tourna-ment. Senior Michael Bird placed third in the 154 weight class. Both sophomores who wrestled placed in the top five. Matt Kwan finished runner-up in the 121 weight class and Karl Bell fin-ished fourth in the 132 weight class. Saint James’s young-est competitor, Stephen Kwan, also finished fourth in his 105 weight class. Juniors Kevin Ta-nous and Chas Diebel both went 1-2 in the tournament but unfor-tunately did not earn a medal.

Chris Henry placed first in the 114 weight class this year and first in the 109 weight class last year. Henry, who has been wrestling at Saint James since 7th grade, has made Saint James history by be-ing the first Saint James wrestler to be a two time state champion.

But before the team left to go

Wrestling Pins Down a Strong Performance at State

traveled down to Florida for a Thanksgiving tournament, where they faced Pensacola, Bay High School, and Slocomb, earning two wins and coming in third overall.

The Trojans continued their season steadily, gaining a 10 game winning streak, which was ended with an upset against Montgomery Academy in the CCC Christmas Tournament, held at Trinity. The Trojans came in second at this tournament.

After the Christmas tournament the Lady Trojans began to kick into high gear and prepare for the most vital part of the season. Competition became increasingly more difficult and area games became more common, with the Trojans finally finishing second in the area beneath number three ranked Ashford.

The Trojans first played Bullock County in the area tournament and won, advancing them to the championship game against Ashford, who they lost to in a close game. The Trojans’ record at this point is 20-11, and they face off against ACA on February 11th to decide who will advance

to the subregional playoffs.

the state tournament, they had to prepare for it first. Throughout the season the team practiced ev-ery day after school from 3:45 to 6:00. Practice consisted of intense conditioning and pain staking drills honing the wrestlers’ skills for their matches. As most know, wrestling is a physically demand-ing sport; wrestlers are usually lean and fit and in the greatest of shape.

Saint James’s wrestling coach, Craig Duncan, expects noth-ing less than the best from these team members and pushes them to the limits of their ability. Dun-can was extremely proud of his team this year and looks foward to an exciting year to come.

Photos Courtesy Matt KwanPictured Above: Seniors Micheal Bird, left, and Chris Henry, right, pose for a picture at the state tournament.Pictured below: the five medalists and their coaches smile after being awarded their medals. Back Row: Craig Duncan, Micheal Bird, Karl Bell, Matt Kwan, Karl Smeltzer. Front: Chris Henry and Stephen Kwan

4 Opinions The Odyssey February 13, 2009

The Odyssey StaffEditors-in-Chief Jordan Chambless & Bo Ingram

Business Manager Mitchel Payne

Section EditorsNews Daniel Bye Sports Stephen van Arcken Opinions Bo IngramFeatures Jordan ChamblessEntertainment Zach Grate

General Reporters Mazie Bryant Susanne Treece Photographers Perry Brasfi eld Daniel Bye

Advisor Norma Jo Roberts

Member Alabama Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) and Journalism Education Association.Recipient of the ASPA All Alabama Award 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002

Recipient of the Troy School of Journalism Hallmark Award 2000, 2001, 2003

The Odyssey is published six times a year. The opinions in the Odyssey are the view expressed by individual staff mem-bers. This is not necessarily representative of the opinions of the faculty,

administration, parents, students, or advisor.

The Odyssey welcomes letters to the editor. The letters must be signed and the staff reserves the right to edit the letter before publication for length.

Saint James School 6010 Vaughn Road Montgomery, AL 36116 (334) 277-8033 ext. 116nroberts@stjweb.org

One of the highlights of the journey from middle school and

high school is the ability to pick your own classes. Every year, young middle schoolers foam at the mouth at the thought of being able to pick their own math, history, and science classes.

Upon closer inspection, however, their choices are truly limited. Four periods are devoted to the core classes—English, history, science, and math. With three periods remaining, students are left with a foreign language, the required computer and health course, and physical education. But what if you want to take chorus, band, or a study hall? In that case, one class must wait. Due to the school’s requirement of normal PE being given to all freshmen, students are forced to delay the fi rst year of foreign language or computer and health to fi t their scheduling desires. A more expensive alternative is to pay a thousand dollars to take computer and health in the summer, freeing up a period during the school year.

Beating the Drum for Band as a PE CreditAlthough Saint James is a

private school, paying extra money to take a class and get an extra period, thereby possibly increasing the GPA, seems to be an unfair advantage. An option we should consider is offering certain classes, such as marching band, to count towards a PE credit. Offering classes as PE credits is a standard practice across the nation. The Alabama Department of Education allows schools to offer a PE credit if “the school system has adequate certifi ed physical education teachers in Grades K-8.” While it is true that we do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education, this idea proposed is nevertheless a good one.

Some may ask, however, what qualifi es band as a P.E. substitute. If you fall into this group, then consider a week in my life as a percussionist. First, in the summer, students attend practices from nine o’clock to fi ve o’clock every day for three weeks. When school starts back, things start to get hectic. Just like any other

f o o t b a l l , basketball, or volleyball p l a y e r , we band m e m b e r s have practice until around fi ve every night, where we work on our halftime s h o w e n d l e s s l y.

Why do band are hopeless. In addition to running all over the fi eld with an instrument in our arms for ten minutes, most of us must continually inhale and exhale while doing it in order to play. Also, a large distance is covered during the show. In the fi rst song alone, most members move approximately seventy-fi ve yards. Some songs have more ground to cover, others have less, but it still serves as a workout for all.

If the above evidence does not convince you, then I ask you to do one thing. Take a step onto

the sideline while the band is performing. When they come off of the fi eld, look at them closely. Look at the sweat that is falling off their heads. Look at them as they breathe heavily, spent from a display of both energy and emotion. Look at them, tell them that what they are doing is not hard exercise, and hope they don’t laugh. Marching band, just like PE and competitive fi tness, gives a daily regimen of physical activity and should be allowed to count as a PE credit.

Advisory... A Thing of the Past?Advisory is a disap-

pearing thing at St. James School.

There was once a time when advisory met three times a week. We talked about the problems with the world, how to solve them, and just in gen-eral refl ect on life. Now we are down to one lonely day of advisory. The reason for this

we practice so much? We want to be perfect at everything we can control. In the band world, the greatest fears are things you cannot control. Whether it is a wet and slippery fi eld or cold air that makes our hands numb and our horns sound bad, we do not like it. The amount of practice time, therefore, is dedicated in achieving as close to perfection as we can get. But what exactly does this require? Strong core muscles are a must in order to have better balance and posture. Without lung capacity, the winds of the

is the new reforms weve seen in the last year at Saint James. Tragically, two out of the three days have been lost, quite pos-sibly never to be seen again.

The second day of advi-sory, Thursday, has been sac-rifi ced to what I like to term as the “Thursday Conven-tion”; the formal name is the open study-hall. It is termed

such because students can go other places to study but it has to be by appointment, or else they are doomed to the unpro-ductive and often interrupted study session in the PAB. The PAB can only be described as chaos during this time, an unruly mass of three hundred students crammed into small spaces around elusive sign in sheets. Even if one manages to fi nd a measure of concentra-tion, he/she will fi nd it broken by one of the many sporadic announcements, where people are forced to look up and lose track of what they are doing. Maybe some students can take advantage of the appointed study sessions but even then issues are still faced. Teach-ers who have multiple sub-jects or classes can be in a bind when multiple students from various classes try to show up for tutoring. What’s the problem with the already existing tutoring sessions that teachers are required to have?

Friday used to be a study hall which gave students a nice break during the last grueling day of the school week. They could do productive work and maybe take some of the stress off of a busy weekend, or re-lieve some Thursday night chaos. Now, all high school

students converge into the PAB for a talk with the princi-pal. Sometimes these talks can be very relevant to events hap-pening in school such as up-coming fundraisers or athletic events, nothing that is not al-ready mentioned in announce-ments. Other times they tend to go off into the realm of phi-losophy, such as the purpose of education or work ethic. While such philosophical topics can be entertaining and thought provoking for some, many stu-dents can be seen to mumble and lose concentration on such lofty topics, most of which worrying about that homework they can no longer fi nish be-cause their study hall is gone.

The substitution of talks and chaos into the lives of the Saint James student body has caused signifi cant stress and resentment of the administra-tion. Although some doubted the effectiveness advisory had on impacting students, it was enjoyed and appreci-ated as a quieter time out of the day that could be used productively and effectively if needed. Now, students are forced to try and discover the deeper meanings of life while battling the sorrows of red ink and zeros. Advisory is greatly missed by the student body!

The PAB can only be de-

scribed as chaos during this time, an unruly mass of three hun-dred students crammed into small spaces

around elusive sign in sheets

The Odyssey February 13, 2008 5FeaturesNeed Valentine’s Day Help?

There’s nothing like a holiday dedicated to love to warm the dead

months following Christmas and proceeding summer. But Val-entine’s Day is not all hugs and kisses, and can often end tragi-cally if not handled wisely. The Odyssey has therefore accumu-lated important facts one should be aware of when choosing dates or gifts for that special someone. Roses: if you consider your-self somewhat of a traditional-ist, you might give your sweet-heart roses for Valentine’s Day. But beware! Roses say a lot more than you might think… •Red roses are the traditional symbol for love and romanceand profess deep feelings.•Pink roses symbolize graceand elegance and can conveyadmiration as well as joyfulness.•Yellow roses evoke feelings ofwarmth and happiness and are of- ten associated with true friendship.•White roses represent innocenceand purity and associated with

marriages and new beginnings.White roses may also be present at funerals for rememberance.•Orange roses portray de-sire, enthusiasm, and excite-ment. They are often given at the beginning of a romance.•Lavender roses symbolize enchantment or fairytale-like feelings and traditionally as-sociated with love at first sight. It is also important to make sure all thorns are removed from the roses before you give them, as nothing quite ruins the moment as your sweetheart shouting in pain. Candy and sweets are an-other traditional Valentine’s Day alternative, whether in the form of a miscellaneous bas-ket, chocolate, or candy hearts.

If you decide to go with a box of chocolates, strive to purchase one on the more conventional side. While certain people may have the palette to appreciate or-ange meringue jelly surrounded by dark chocolate, most would prefer just the basic range of caramel, peanut butter, toffee, and nougat inside their chocolate.

Personalize It: If you don’t

want to get your date the typi-cal candy, a great idea is to have it personalized, though this will require some planning. The cre-ators of M&M’s and candy hearts both offer the capability of go-ing online and ordering specific words on the candy. You could ask someone out for a Valentine’s date via string of M&M’s, or tell a friend how much you appreciate them with a unique candy heart. Most important when consider-ing what to buy for your Valen-tine, however, is the amount of thought you put into it. The gift could be candy, flowers, a stuffed animal, or a really nice card and could be received like a diamond ring if it appears as though you really considered the recipient. Even if you do not have a signif-icant other to shared Valentine’s Day with, that does not mean the holiday has to be depress-ing for you. Hand out to your friends childlike Valentine cards found at the nearest gro-cery story as a great way to tell your friends in a lighthearted way how much you care about them.

By Susanne TreeceGeneral Reporter

Valentine’s Day Recipe for Red Velvet Cake Cookies

-Step 1: Mix the red velvet cake mix with 1/3 cup of oil and two eggs and mix until smooth.

-Step 2: Flour a working surface and roll the dough out. You can use cookie cutters to make these cookies into hearts or just into fun and unique shapes. -Step 3: Bake the Cookies at 350 for about 20 minutes or until they are done. Check them after about 15 minutes, since some oven temperatures vary.

-Step 4: While the cookies are baking, you can get started on the icing that makes red velvet cake so wonderful. Start by cooking 5 tbsp. of flour and 1 cup of milk over medium heat until thick. Then let the mixture cool completely by refrigerating for about one hour. You want it to be cold to move on to the next step.

-Step 5: Beat 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of butter or Crisco, and 1 tsp. of vanilla together in a mix-ing bowl. Add the cold flour mixture to it and continue beating until icing is smooth and with-out grittiness.

-Step 6: Spread on cookies and enjoy this won-derful treat.

Freshman Performs in Tournament of Roses Parade

Mrs. Richardson Named Head of School

One of the great New Years’ traditions is that of the Tourna-

ment of Roses Parade. Every year on the morning before the Rose Bowl, a college football game, a parade winds its way through Pasadena, California.

Dewey Davis, a freshman trombonist, had the opportu-nity to participate in the 120th edition of the parade. March-ing 5.5 miles, Dewey was one of three freshmen to participate and the only one from Alabama.

The band, made up of stu-dents across the nation, was or-ganized by Bands of America, a group that promotes musi-cal education in high school. They run band competitions across the nation, one of which St. James participated in this year, finishing 2nd in their class by one tenth of a point.

On the day after Christmas, while most students enjoy the gifts received the day before, Dewey and his family flew to Los Angeles, where they stayed in preparation for the

parade. Every day, the band-practiced from nine to five in preparation for the parade. Not all they did was hard work, however. The band also had time to enjoy the sights of the city, such as Walt Disney’s first theme park–Disneyland.

“The castle was a lot smaller then I imagined,” Dewey said.

Besides the parade, the band also performed at various loca-tions around California. On the day before the parade, the band performed at Cal State-Fuller-ton. As the band played, a near-by fraternity house attempted to out play them, blaring Step-penwolf’s “Born to be Wild” in attempt to drown out the band.

“They failed,” Dewey says of the fraternity’s bold, but ul-timately unsuccessful, attempt.

When the day of the Rose Bowl finally came, the band trekked through the streets of Pasadena on the five mile course. Performing such songs as John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” and “a re-ally cool Latin song,” the band performed for not only the people on the streets, but others watching all across the world.

After an extensive ca-reer in education and 25 years as a faculty

member, Melba Richardson has been selected as the Head of School of Saint James.

On January 23, Richardson was distinguished with a recep-tion honoring her dedication and service towards the school. Her career as an educator has extend-ed over a 30 year period, during which she has served as a teacher, principal, Academic Dean, As-sistant Headmaster, and Interim Headmaster. She is a member of the advisory board for the Col-lege of Education at the Univer-sity of Alabama and works with the National Middle School As-

By Bo IngramEditor-in-Chief

sociation. Since Rich-

ardson was named Head of School, she has imp lemen ted more school spirit among the student body, popularizing the phrase “We Are Saint James.”

“Mrs. Rich-ardson’s vast

knowledge about Saint James, de-veloped during her 25 years at the school, along with her organization and strong lead-ership qualities make her a terrific choice for head of school... I think there’s no ques-tion that she’ll lead the school forward, to even greater success in the classroom and stature in the com-munity,” Sandra Polizos, the direc-tor of public rela-tions, said.

By Mazie BryantGeneral Reporter

Photo and information Courtesy Sandra PolizosSaint James School honors Mrs. Melba Richardson’s dedica-tion and hard work as the new Head of School.

6 Double Truck The Odyssey February 13, 2009

wha

t do we k

Every year, before a new school year begins, students will inevitably hear, “You’re going to learn so much this year!” And that is true. Saint James students know all too well just how much teachers are capable of packing into a semester. But what of that massive volume of information is remembered at the end of the year, and what is simply learned for the test then forgotten? The Odyssey accepted the challenge and began investigating...

What is the difference between stalagmites and stalactites?

What is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature?

really no ?wWhat is the capitol of Vermont?

Ben Kachelhofer 11

Champlain?

Kaitlyn Gary12

Montpelier?

Matt Young 8

St. Petersburg?

Anna Epton12

I don’t even know a city in Vermont

Chase Christian 12

I have no idea.

Mrs. TimmermanOne goes down, one

goes up!

Allison Lewis10

Stalagmites are on the ground, stalctites are on

the ceiling

Meredith Dubberly12

Aren’t those in caves?

Kelly Brasfield10

Is that in Celsius or Farenheit?

Nick Ostrye10

Rutherfordium. Duh.

Matt Dean12

Mercury?

Crawford Steinberg10

Aluminum?

The Odyssey February 13, 2009 Double Truck 7

What is the name of Thomas

Jefferson’s house?

From what famous play does the speech about Queen Mab, the fairy’s midwife, come?

What are the eight states that border Tennessee?

Name the artist..

Richard Cobb 11

Cherrywood

Jenny Lewis11

Monticello

Mrs. CasimirFaculty

The White House

Taylor Robison12

Hamlet?

Emily Pipan 10

A Midsummer Night’s Dream?

Hannah Barnes 11

Romeo and Juliet?

Frank McGough 10

Julius Caesar?

Pasha Scott11

Mazie Bryant?

Jane Marie Hutcheson- 12

Van Gogh?

Pete Williams12

Picasso?

Chris Steele10

GA, MS, SC, AL, OR, IN, KY, AR

Mrs. ConnerFaculty

AL, GA, MS, AR, KY, NC, SC, VA

TN

ALMS GA

AR

KYVA

NCMO

Ian Armstrong9

AL, GA, KY, MO, VA, AR, NC, MS

The Odyssey February 13, 2008 8Features

Top Left: The sweeping graves of Arlington Cemetary strectch as far as the eye can see. The cemetary honors all of the sol-diers who have died fighting for the United States dating back to the Civil War.Top Right: A soldier paces in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during the changing of the guard ceremony. Close by an eternal flame burns in front of the graves of the Kennedy family.Middle: The capital in the wake of the Obama inaugration aftermath. Litter was strewn all over the mall as cleaning crews tried to contend with the waste of two million spectators.Bottom Left: The Lincoln Memorial honors the eternal memory of Abraham Lincoln, which now is in the spotlight with the election of the nation’s first African American president.Bottom right: The entrance to the WWII memorial commemorates all of the battles fought in the Atlantic during the course of the war. Four of the states memorials represented can be seen flanking the entrance.

9FeaturesThe Odyssey February 13, 2008

By Mazie BryantGeneral Reporter

After a history of ra-cial conflicts including pre- Civil War slavery

and severe animosity during the Civil Rights movement, the United States recently hit a land-mark: the election of the first Black president. Barack Obama endured the long process of po-litical debates and elections to finally gain the coveted position as President of the United States. The Inauguration of Obama was promised to have the biggest turn out of all past inaugura-tions, and Saint James School was invited to be a part of the millions of expected supporters. On January 18, twenty two students and faculty members left an Atlanta hotel bright and early and headed for the air-port, anticipating a life altering event. As the students arrived in Washington D.C., the bitter cold served as a wake-up call to the dramatic change in scenery. “It was so cold in Washington, D.C. I always thought that it was pretty cold in Montgomery, but I realized that it was definitely colder up there after being out-side for long amounts of times,” junior Bethany Dyess decided. The Saint James group was combined with a school from Texas along with one from Cali-fornia. Through the entire trip, these three schools travelled and experienced the atmosphere of the capital together. The first two days in Washington, D.C. served to introduce the students to the historical and cultural background of the district. Mu-seums such as the Smithsonian National Air and Space Muse-um, the Holocaust Museum, and the Smithsonian Natural History or American History Museum were visited throughout the trip. Also, the Franklin Delano Roos-evelt Memorial, Thomas Jeffer-son Memorial, Lincoln Memo-rial, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and Korean Memorial were all viewed by the groups. The groups toured these

museums and memorials so that they had a feel for the history and power that the capital has to offer. The second day was de-voted mainly towards ex-ploring two popular sites near Washington, D.C. The first of the two was the previous home of George Washington, the first Pres-ident of the United States, Mount Vernon. Some stu-dents were repelled by the long lines of visitors wait-ing to enter the famous house; however, a few determined students stayed in the cold and were lucky enough to see the inside of

Mount Vernon. The second loca-tion was the Arlington National Cemetery. Witnessing such points such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Kennedy Grave Site made the students realize how many people truly put their lives on the line to protect the country. Beginning very early, the third day involved the event that the groups had been awaiting since their parents agreed to the trip. The students forged their way through the blistering cold and chaotic crowds to find a location in the National Mall where the capital building was hardly even visible. Most people might consider these factors and decide that the trouble

was not even worth it; however, most of the witnesses in the groups would disagree. The event proved to be a once in a lifetime oppor-tunity for everyone who went. Although some might focus on the negative aspects of the trip: the cold weather, the long bus rides, and the sometimes skipped meals, all of the students feel that the experience really was worth it. Barack Obama, now the President of the United States, has blurred all the lines of racial prejudice. He has become a symbol of hope and determination to all previous-ly ostracized groups in America that they, too, can rise above the

social limits that might restrict them. This improvement in America’s society made the in-auguration even more powerful to the students who were privi-leged enough to go. The students witnessed an event in history that will never be forgotten. The event was the largest inaugura-tion that the country has ever held, and it symbolized a dra-matic change and hopeful pro-gression of America. Now that he has become President, Barack Obama has become a role model for many Americans, and nearly all Americans hope that he can rise up to the turmoil and prob-lems that America faces and help the country once again become a respected power in the world.

Students Witness Historic InagurationTop: The Ko-rean Memorial was only one of the many statues that the students toured. Middle: The students pose for a picture in front of the historic home of George Washington, Mount Ver-non.Bottom: The statue of Viet-nam soldiers just outside of the Vietnam Memo-rial served to make visitors remember the casualities.

Mr. G’sGreek & Italian Ristorante

“A Taste of the Mediterranean” 6268 Atlanta Highway, Mont-

gomery, Alabama 36117-2894Phone (334) 356-4662 Fax (334) 356-

4665www.mrgsmontgomery.com

Let Us Cater Your Next Affair……..Private Party Rooms Available Accepting Prom Reservations

10% Discount for St. James Studentswith this Ad & School ID

Reservations & Take-out Welcomed

10 The Odyssey February 13, 2008FeaturesSenior Spotlight:

Matthew Dean Baseball

How long have you played baseball? I started playing T-ball when i was five years old. But I’ve played varisty baseball for four years. What year did you win state? Freshman year (9th)What was the State Championship game like? We played a two game series against Deschler. We swept the series and it was very exciting.Where are you going to college and are you playing sports there? I’m going to Auburn and opting not to play sports there.What did it feel like once you realized you were a state champion? It was an azming feeling. I was playing in the outfield and after the last out everyone sprinted to a pile- up on the pitcher’s mound. Thankfully, I wasn’t on the bottom.

State Championsprove they can handle the pressure

How long have you been a wrestler? I’ve been wres-tling since seventh grade. What year did you win state? Junior year (11th) Senior year (12th)

What was the State Champion match like? I was nervous before the match be-cause a lot of people were watching.Where are you going to college and are you playing sports there? I’m going to Au-burn and not wres-tling in college.What did it feel like once you realized you were a state champion? It was very excit-ing and it made all the hard work worth it.

How long have you played tennis? I’ve been playing tennis for 11 years, since I was seven years old. What year did you win state? I won State in 9th and 10th grades. What was the State Champion match like? It was very nerve-racking because it was a close match and a lot of people were watching me play. Where are you going to college and are you playing sports there? I’m going to Alabama and plan on play-ing club tennis for fun.What did it feel like once you realized you were a state champion? I was so excited. I couldn’t believe that I’d won.

Charlotte North, right, poses for a picture after a match with friend, Mary Cam Carlson of Trinity.

Chris HenryWrestling

Charlotte NorthTennis

Laura OystryeSoftball

How long have you played softball? Since 1st grade; for 11 years What years did you win state? 2005, 2006, 2008 and runners-up in 2007What was the State Champion-ship game like? 2005: The only runs were scored in the 1st inning. One of their girls hit a solo homerun. We answered with an infield single that scored two of our girls. The rest of the game everyone either fielded out or struck out. Ev-eryone was on the edge of their seat the remainder of the game. 2006: We had to fight back and beat the opposing team twice, but we were able to get on a role and we never slowed down. We were able carry the momentum over from the first game into the sec-ond, and it only got stronger the longer we played. Our stands were packed with parents, students, friends, faculty, and supporters, and that had a huge impact on us. It was very encouraging to have all the support that is one thing I will remember about that state championship. There was a unique electricity in the air, we knew we had it before the games had fin-ished; we were starting to feel it. 2008: Much of this State

Tournament runs together, and is somewhat of a blur. In the cham-pionship game I remember I layed down three sacrifice bunts for my three at bats. The game was very exciting and it wasn’t too tense after we scored our first few runs. We were playing some of the best ball we had been playing all year. Probably around our 4th and 5th runs we knew that there was a slim chance they were going to come back and beat us. By the time the final inning and those last three outs rolled around, we knew we had won it, but we had to get the last three outs. I remember think-ing that I wished these three girls would just hurry up and strike out. I was so excited, knowing we had won, that I dropped the last pitch.Where are you going to college and are you playing sports there? I’m going to Auburn and just playing intramurals

What did it feel like once you realized you were a state cham-pion? The feeling you get when you know you have won, even if the game isn’t over yet, it is truly an indescribable. You feel like you are on top of the world and no one can touch you; you know you are the best. It’s an exhilarat-ing feeling that you never want to go away. I was very excited that we had taken back the title, but also that I was able to help the seniors go out on top. At the beginning of the season I knew that if I accomplished anything during my junior and senior year, I wanted the ’08 seniors to leave as state champions. It was a great feeling to show everyone in the state that we were the best. Very few people thought we even had a shot at winning state, and proving them wrong felt great.

2009 State Champion!

11 The Odyssey February 13, 2008 Entertainment

By Zach GrateEntertainment Editor

Taken by Taken

Mediocre Mimi’s

On New Year’s Eve this year my friends and I were look-

ing for a place to chow down. We contemplated our options, checked our assets, factored in time for fireworks, and settled for Mimi’s Café. Not know-ing what awaited us on the other side of the double doors; we ambled through them with our heads held high and our stomachs ready to be filled.

Mimi’s Café is a new south-ern-style restaurant in East Chase with the main location in Birmingham. With its great location right at the entrance of East Chase, Mimi’s is hard to miss. As one enters, old pictures and a rustic look give the feel-ing of classic southern hospital-ity. The seating is comfortable, and there is also a large porch area to sit outside and eat. The hostesses were very polite and quickly got my name and num-ber of people in my party. I was given a 10-15 minute wait time and we didn’t even wait half of that time to be seated. As the time slipped slowly away, I be-gan to wonder, “Where is the fast service from the door?” The prompt service we received at the door was great, but it was

brought down by the slow table service for both drinks and food.

On to the food and drinks. The sweet tea was not up to par. It was slightly warm, and way too sweet. A bit above average, Mimi’s is not all that the hype made it out to be. Although the menu is mas-sive, it is nothing that is out of the ordinary. They have sections for appetizers, entrées, three course meals, couple’s deals, and des-serts. Nothing on the menu really stands out until one sees the jamba-laya. Mimi’s puts a slight spin on this classic dish by putting it over penne pasta, and although it is not spicy, it satisfies. The portions are also much bigger than usual. If you come into this restaurant, be sure you have your appetite on hand. You won’t get your money’s worth if you have a small snack before.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not bashing Mimi or her Café, but I just don’t think it is the bee’s knees if you’re catching what I’m throw-ing. This restaurant has slightly above-average food and slow, crabby help, but an experienced culinary connoisseur looking for a homey feel to casual dining will find it more than satisfactory.

By Perry BrasfieldPhotojournalist

Rejection Not A Problem with “When the World Comes Down”

By Mitchel PayneBusiness Manager

O n December, 16 2008, The All-American

Rejects released a new CD, en-titled When the World Comes Down. This CD is the fol-low up to the bands two times Platinum CD Move Along which peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 200. When the World Comes Down is cur-rently sitting at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 200 and is still going up. There is even a possibility of it going higher up on the chart than the previous album and maybe even rising to the top of the chart some-time in the next few weeks.

The bands newest album in-cludes music that is typical to their old alternative rock sound as well as blending in a softer, more pop sound on some of their songs. The Rejects new sound has widely been ac-cepted by all people from kids to teens to adults of all ages. Also, the lyrics on the album are ones that most people can relate to very well. They make it seem like you are sitting at a

concert rocking out while listen-ing to their songs by getting you caught up in the soothing melody and the catchy tune of most of the songs. The nine-song album can be constantly heard across the ra-dio stations of the entire nation.

Many good songs are on When the World Comes Down includ-ing two tracks that were released as singles before the album came out and were treated with very popular demand. This highly an-ticipated album has currently sold over 112,000 copies. This CD is arguably the greatest album that came out in the year 2008. “Be-lieve” is one of the great songs on the album, with a great guitar duet hidden behind the vocals of Tyson Ritter. Another of the better songs on the album, “Fal-lin’ Apart,” uses a catch tune to get the listener attached to the song. The groove flows and is so catchy that one can’t help but get into the song. “Real World,” another song on the album, how-ever, goes away from their pop-ish influence to a slightly more rock styling with cool guitar rifts in the background. But however good all these songs are, their greatest song has already become a mainstream success, reaching

number 15 on the AT top 40 song list in a matter of weeks. The hit song has greatly influenced most all people that listen to it. Its lyr-ics can be heard across the nation as children and adults alike sing the words. The hit song has a catchy tune and vocals that one just can’t help but get attached to.

So The All-American Rejects have yet another smash hit on their hands and with only being in their early twenties, there will be many more in their future. This CD has the best of both the normal All-American Reject music that their fans remember and also add another chapter into their already great career. I give this CD four and a half out of five stars and say that this is by far their best album. I foresee many sold out stadiums where the All-American Rejects are rocking out in front of thou-sands of screaming fans as they play all of there hit song from When the World Comes Down.

out of

Taken, as the name would imply, centers around the kidnapping

of two teenage girls on a vacation in Paris. However unknown to the bad guys, one girl’s father is an ex-CIA “preventer”, in other words someone who can track down and kill pretty much anyone as they please.

The movie is very well directed and the suspense grips the audience throughout. The main actor, Liam Neeson, as seen in Star Wars and others does an excellent job of portraying his character. Unlike most suspense- thriller movies in theaters nowadays, Taken actually had a moral journey as well. The ex-CIA father had been divorced by

his wife, and had become estranged from his daughter. He gives up his job and life to move near where his ex-wife remarried a multi-millionaire. In order for his daughter to be able to go on this trip to Paris the father had to sign a release form saying she was allowed to leave the country. The only reason he did so was to attempt to bridge the gap between himself and his daughter. Ultimately, however this led to their kidnapping. Besides the normal guilt and grief that any father would feel in his position, he is actually on the phone with his daughter when she is taken. In order to preserve the suspense in the movie, I will go no further in the plot, except to say that of course he does get his daughter back in the end.

While the movie is very suspenseful and engaging, it raises some questions about the extent PG-13 covers in the ratings system. The

movie has intense situations of violence and the body count grows throughout the movie. Also the enitre concept of the prostitution ring that captured the girls might raise some questions. However more than the other two, the scene of torture is beyond what most would deem apporopriate for a PG-13 crowd.

Regardless of the rating system, the movie itself was excellent. The movie transcended the normal expectations of a suspense thriller, by brining in un-looked for emotional themes. The actors played their parts well, and the movie was very well directed. Overall, it was a very good movie, so Taken recieves four out of five stars.

out of

12 The Odyssey February 13, 2008Photos 12 Photos

(Top Left) Varsity basketball players Chase Christian (left) and Chase Eley (right) pose with coach Vincent Royals on Senior Night at the newly dubbed Trojan Battle Dome (fomerly, the gym). They were recognized for scoring over 1,000 career points, a first for teammates in Saint James history.

(Top Right) Perry and Sydney Brasfield take a quick snap shot with their grandmother Pearl Perry on Grandparents’ Day. This Grandparents’ Day was very special because the students showed their grandparents around the school, and the company of Cabaret also performed.

(Middle Left) Mr. Saavedra teaches his Spanish II class on his Smart Board. All teachers now have Smart Boards in use in their classrooms and are in use as part of a daily routine.

(Middle Right) Sophomore Chris Steele struts his stuff in drag during the 2009 Cabaret perfor-mance as the audience rocks with laughter.

(Bottom Left) The Saint James cheerleaders run their latest cheer routine in front of the crowd at the basketball pep rally. The show included an impressive dark light display never before seen at Saint James.

(Bottom Right) Grandparents and their student grandchildren sit and enjoy a meal in the PAB during the school’s first annual Grandparents’ Day.

Answers to “What Do We Really Know?” What is the capitol of Vermont? -MontpelierWhat is the difference between stalagmites and stalctites? -Stalagmites come up out of the ground, where stalactites hang from the roof of a cave.What is the name of Thomas Jefferson’s house? -MonticelloFrom what famous play does the speech about Queen Mab come? -Romeo and JulietWhat are the eight states that border Tennessee? -Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, ArkansasName the artist -Van Gogh