The Epistle December 7th, 2012
Staff
Editor-in-chief
Danielle Williamson
Staff Reporters Hope Lemley Ellis Nobles Kourtney Wadkins John Williamson Kelsi Allman Lexi Long Chelsea Hubbard
Advisor
Leigh Terrell
From left to right: Katie Grant Harkness, Katie Steadman, Kennedy Studdard, and Daniela Salas huddle together for a picture before the Key and Interact Clubs met with their littles for the Landing of the Mayflower. “During Christmastime, Brazilians enjoy the folk play Los Pastores, or The Shepherds, in which a gypsy tries to kidnap baby Jesus.” Christmas Cultures, p.10
“Our two-party system divides our country into Us vs. Them, which makes for an unhealthy democracy; when no one works together and compromises, nothing can get done. Why America Needs a Third Wheel, p. 5
“St. Paul’s and UMS have the biggest tension between them because of their history.” Our Street, p. 18
“If I wrote an article about how great fruitcakes are and how much most people like them, I would be lying. ” The Infamous Fruitcake, p. 9 1
Letter from the Editor T’was the week before finals, when all through the school Saints started to study, guzzling coffee for fuel. Highlighters were laid out by notebooks with care In students’ quest to hast’ly prepare. They gazed ov’r the info, their hearts filled with dread As names and dates swirled round in their heads. And juniors in sweatpants, with hot cocoa nearby Were absolutely certain they were going to die! But Friday at school, there arose such a clatter, The students perked up to see what was the matter. They poured off the bus, each one in a jacket To investigate the source of that terrible racket. A flash of white, a glimmer of red And Saint Lester himself pulled up in his sled. He threw up his arms and proclaimed with glee “Exams are cancelled! You can all
thank me!” The students rejoiced, their hearts were singing Reindeer were flying and bells were ringing. Shredded answers and scantrons fell down like snow Blanketing the merry students below. Then alarms sounded, kids rolled over in bed It had all been a dream—the illusion was dead. T’was Friday ‘fore exams, and prospects were bleak They were separated from midterms by only a week They arrived at school with heads hung low As time oozed away, frustratingly slow The term, it seemed, would never end But when they crossed the horseshoe’s bend What, to their drooping eyes, should merr’ly appear? A copy of the Epistle, filled with Christmas cheer!
Reporters skipped down the street, with papers in hand Turning the school into a jolly ol’ land And you could hear them exclaim, ‘fore the bell rang them tardy “Merry Christmas to all, ‘specially dear St. Marty!”
Danielle Williamson
The highly sophisticated staff of The Epistle. Not pictured: Chelsea Hubbard, Lexi Long, and Kourtney Wadkins 2 | The Epistle | December 2012
By the numbers: Student statistics This month, The Epistle asked students what they were planning for their winter breaks.
Table of Contents
|4|Editorials |5|Editorials |6|Editorials |7|All Around Campus |8|Spread |9|Spread |10|Spread |11|Spread |12 |Features |13|Features |14|Features |15|Features |16|Features |17|Sports |18|Sports |19|Sports 3
Name that room by Chelsea Hubbard
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Rock ‘n’ Roll
4 | The Epistle | December 2012
by John Williamson
though a big part of rock is being washed away by the mainstream media. Anyone who watches MTV, Fuse, VH1, or any other popular music channel, realizes how rarely rock is acknowledged. Because CD sales are the lowest they’ve been in a decade and MP3 downloads are the highest they’ve ever been, the Top 20 list on iTunes is perhaps a better indicator these days than the Billboard Top 100. Of the top 10 downloaded songs on iTunes, not one is a rock song. There are still some great bands, large and small, well known and obscure, producing music that can be called “Rock ‘n Roll.” An example of this is Modest Mouse. Their punk-tinged sound is awkward, yet smooth. The band takes chances musically and has
consistently put out well written rock songs, and obtained commercial success doing it. Really, where has the majority of the rock genre gone? Younger musicians are turning more and more to electronica for their rebellion against hip/hop, and that makes sense. Electronica does not require a Fender amp or a drum set, just a computer, some pirated software and a bit of creativity. And maybe this is the next step for rock. There have been numerous changes in the style of Rock ‘n Roll: the fashion, the lyrics, and even the way the instruments are played. It is obvious that Rock ‘n Roll music has gone through an amazing evolution to end up where it is now. continued on p. 16
Answers: 1. Mr. Brigham 2. Library 3. Mr. Wilson 4. Mrs. Jones
Rap/hip-hop has taken over the pop-culture scene. Where does that leave rock bands trying to make a name for themselves today? As a high-school student, pop and rap/hip-hop are pretty much the only genres of music I hear at parties. Whenever I get in my car to head home from school, I am reminded of my generation’s preference in music; practically everyone who has their windows rolled down is blaring Lady Gaga, Flo Rida, or Ke$ha. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like rap and some hip-hop. In all honesty, though, the radio has become a big disappointment for me in the past few years. It seems like any station I listen to I’ve heard the song a million times, be it a hiphop/rap or rock station. It seems as
Why America needs a third-Wheel It’s no secret that the American political system is broken. Our country has become sharply divided between the Left and Right; compromise seems to be a dream of the past. Each party wants its way and will stop at nothing to get it. Sometimes, it seems like the parties’ only goal is to stay in power, not work for the good of the American people as a whole. But what caused this degeneration of the American political system’s integrity and efficiency? The main culprit is our twoparty system. By its very nature, it forces a diverse group of people into one of two main parties. This limits our choices and hurts our democracy. For example, what if someone was pro-choice but opposed universal healthcare? Or vice versa? Also, legislators are under a great deal of pressure to conform to their party’s platform, even if they do not completely agree with all of their party’s stances. Our two-party system divides our country into Us vs. Them, which makes for an unhealthy democracy; when no one works together and compromises, nothing can get done. There are a few alternatives, such as the United Kingdom’s multi-party parliamentary system. In the UK, if no one party gets the majority of the votes, then the party with the most votes makes a coalition with another party so that together, they have a majority. While this sounds good on paper, however, it isn’t working very well for the UK. A hung parliament— when two parties form a coalition to make a majority—can easily result in just as much inefficiency
by Hope Lemley
as our own system. Furthermore, the people don’t get to choose who makes coalitions with whom, which can cause widespread dissatisfaction. Although a multi-party parliamentary system gives people more of a choice and facilitates a diverse range of ideas, the end product might not be an improvement at all. Do not fear, though! There does appear to be a solution: a multi-party system with Instant Runoff Voting (otherwise known as Alternative Vote). In the Alternative Vote (AV) system, the voters rank the candidates in order of approval. If their first-choice candidate is eliminated, then their vote is automatically transferred to their second-choice candidate, and so on until one candidate has a majority. This means that people don’t have to worry about voting for a smaller, less influential party. Also, it produces a single winner, and it is more likely that the majority of the citizens will be satisfied with the result. This system solves two problems: it allows for a wellrounded multi-party system and doesn’t require a coalition. In the end, though, it is highly unlikely that our voting/party system will change so dramatically. It would take a huge culture shift, and Congress would fight back with all its strength. After all, their jobs and political futures would be on the line, and they would have to work much harder to compete in a new system. images courtesy wikipedia.com, zazzle. com, blogsport.com, justicepartyusa.net
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Santa is real So, I know there is a lot of controversy about whether or not Santa is real. But let me settle this here and now: SANTA IS REAL! I have proof and evidence that Santa is real and that the spirit of Christmas is very much alive today! First, you should believe Santa is real because he is the most accepted Christmas icon around the world. Almost every country around the world that celebrates Christmas believes in the traditions of Santa Clause. If Santa isn’t real, do you really think that so many people would waste their time playing the up the big guy? I don’t think so. Some people believe that Santa is just some fictional character made up by the Christmas card industry to spike sales. Let me reassure you that this cannot possibly be true. You see, the traditions of Santa Clause have been around for hundreds of years, before any of the big time greeting card companies even existed! Therefore, the card industries are merely benefitting from Santa’s preexisting popularity. All around the world, millions of children send countless letters to the North Pole for Santa Clause. None of the letters are returned. Therefore, someone must be receiving them—and who would 6 | The Epistle | December 2012
by Lexi Long
they be going to, if not Santa Claus? Some people believe that the mail industry simply throws out letters to Santa, or that postal workers read the letters. Well, this is simply not true. First, it is illegal to read mail that is not addressed to you. Second, no one is so heartless that
they would actually throw a child’s letter to Santa Claus away. For all of you “angry elves” who still refuse to accept the fact that Santa is real, here is the ultimate proof. Do you really believe that parents would waste their time getting up out of their warm beds in the middle of the night just to eat some cookies left on a plate, drink the milk, and assemble and lay out all of those wonderful gifts out just for you when they could still be sleeping in their warm beds? Please. Nobody’s parents love them
that much. It’s highly unlikely that parents would put that much time and energy into a big lie. More proof is that NORAD tracks Santa’s progress each year. Do you really believe that they would waste the time and money to track an imaginary sleigh as it flies around the world? Now that we are all on the same page, I’m sure we can all agree that Jolly Old St. Nick is very much real. Seeing isn’t believing— believing is seeing. You must believe in order to see the real magic of the Christmas spirit. The spirit of Christmas is all around this time of year, spreading joy for all to hear. It’s very much apparent that Santa is a big part of spreading this joy and magic. The Christmas spirit is fun and contagious. It’s impossible to avoid. From music, shopping, food, to stories the spirit of Santa is everywhere you turn. All of the signs point to the fact that Santa is real! So whenever you begin to have doubts, just remember that faith is believing that what you cannot see or touch is real. Keep the faith in Santa and keep the Christmas spirit alive. image courtesy turnbacktogod.com
All around campus Kourtney Wadkins
Anna Brabston: “I Wanna Hippopotamus for Christmas.”
Tre Williams: “Ghetto Christmas.”
Jack Rebarchak: “Silent Night.”
Caroline Scott: “White Chritmas.”
Monnie Slaton: “Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer.”
Mr. Wilson: “We Three Kings.”
Siobhan Johnson: “This Christmas, by Chris Brown.”
What is your favorite
Christmas song? Kaylee Wilks: “Blue Christmas.”
Sarah Grace Kirkendall: “Jingle Bell Rock.”
Zavier Carmichael: “What You Want for Christmas, by Quad City DJs.”
Claire Sanderson: “All I Want for Christmas is You, by Mariah Carey.”
Mrs. Stuart: “Feliz Navidad.”
Mackensie Moseley: “Santa Baby, by Madonna.”
Sam Hicks: “Jingle Bells.”
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Happy Holidays from the Epistle
8 | The Epistle | December 2012
The infamous fruitcake image courtesy whatscookingamerica.net
When it is time for the Christmas season, and everyone is sharing, caring, and baking -- fruitcake! Fruitcake is one of the most beloved holiday desserts that brings joy and pleasure to the hearts of all that receive one. Whenever someone gets a fruitcake they never want to give it away, right? Right. If I wrote an article about how great fruitcakes are and how much most people like them, I would be lying. So how did this infamous dish come to be associated with Christmas, the jolliest time of the year? Fruitcakes can be traced to the ancient Egyptians, who put fruitcakes in the tombs of their loved
by Chelsea Hubbard
ones (sounds appetizing, doesn’t it?). However, they did not become popular until they appeared in the Roman Empire, where they took the form of pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and barley mash mashed together to form a ring-shaped dessert. As they made their way through medieval Europe, elements such as honey, spices, and preserved fruit were added. Then, fruitcake was passed through the Crusaders and Europe. Colonists brought the delicacy to America. Some wish the colonists hadn’t. As Johnny Carson put it, “The worst gift is fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.” But no one truly knows why people don’t like fruitcakes. Some St. Paul’s students enjoy fruitcakes: “Fruitcakes aren’t that bad to be honest,” said everoptimistic junior Frank D’Alonzo. Senior Bryan Slater commented, “Yea, I
like fruitcakes, because they’re fruity!” Sophomore Ashten Stanford took a more ambivalent tone, saying “I don’t mind fruitcakes. I know that some people may dislike them, but I enjoy them on some occasions.” However, most St. Paul’s students don’t like fruitcakes (or don’t even know what they are). For example, freshmen Darria Inge said that “I personally don’t like fruit cakes because they’re too hard and don’t have the best taste.” But a few students hated fruitcakes as much as freshman Isibeal Owens, who said: “Fruitcake is just the compilation of crystallized ‘fruit’ chunks, toxic waste, and extreme anger released by the baker. It literally tastes like I’m eating an evergreen Christmas candle.” Whether you love them or hate them, it seems like fruitcakes aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
the origins of St. Nick Saint Nick is the real life Santa. He was born in present day coast of Turkey, where he was raised to be a devout Christian. He dedicated his life to assisting the needy. Saint Nick eventually became a bishop and became known for his selflessness, especially showing love to the children. Saint Nicholas eventually was exiled and imprisoned because of the change of religion under Emperor Diocletian. The day he died, December 6, is now remembered as St. Nicholas Day. St. Nicholas Day is still often observed in Europe. As always, traditions are formed on holidays and passed down and throughout society. On St. Nicholas day, in the
by Kelsi Allman
Netherlands, the Dutch children leave their shoes out by the door with a carrot for St. Nicholas’s horse, and in hope that St. Nicholas would leave small gifts in their shoes. This gift-giving tradition on St. Nicholas day spread around the world, to bring about new traditions. In America, Santa first formed from the idea of St. Nicholas day. The stories of Saint Nick were brought to America from the Dutch settlers in New York. Beginning in the twentieth century, Coke was credited for the first image of Saint Nick viewed as a jolly, redsuited, white-bearded plump man. Haddon Sundblom was the illus-
trator from Coca-Cola who created this new image of Santa. Even though Jesus is the most important figure on Christmas, we still celebrate the tradition of St. Nicholas’ generosity and love by giving and receiving gifts.
image courtesy of ayay.co.uk 9
Christmas cultures by Ellis Nobles
We all know the Christmas traditions in the U.S.—caroling, decorating the Christmas tree, exchanging gifts, spending time with family, and leaving milk and cookies for the jolly old man. But what about other countries? How do they celebrate the holiday season?
Ethiopia
Because they follow the ancient Julian calendar, Ethiopia Wat celebrates Christmas on January 7 every year. Their name for the celebration of Christ’s birth is Ganna. Ethiopians fast the day before Ganna, and on Ganna they all dress in traditional garb or white Western clothing and attend the early mass at four o’clock in the morning. One Ethiopian Christmas dish, called wat, consists of meat, vegetables, and sometimes eggs. They eat wat off of a flatbread “plate,” pieces of which are torn off to make an edible spoon.
Brazil
During Christmastime, Brazilians enjoy the folk play Los Pastores, or The Shepherds, in which a gypsy tries to kidnap baby Jesus. Their version of Santa Claus is a man who lives in Finland called Papai Noel (Father Noel). Another common tradition is the amigo secreto, meaning “secret friend” in Portuguese. Each participant in the game draws the name of another participant, for whom they prepare a special gift. On Christmas, 10 | The Epistle | December 2012
they reveal their amigo secreto and exchange gifts.
China
In China, families decorate Christmas trees with flowers, lanterns, and red paper chains, which stand for happiness. Fireworks and street entertainers celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season. On Christmas Eve, many people have parties, and children hang their stockings so that the “Christmas Old Man” can leave them presents. In Hong Kong, Christmas is one of the seventeen public holidays.
France
In France, Christmas is all about family. Children leave Buche de Noel their shoes out so that Father Christmas will leave sweets in them; they also leave a candle burning with food for the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus if they pass by. Families also set up nativity scenes, decorated with branches and moss, in the living room, and some have Christmas trees. They feast on Christmas Day and cut the buche de Noel, a cake that looks like a Yule log.
Japan
Christmas was first introduced to Japan by Christian missionaries from Europe. Their equivalent of Santa Claus is a priest named Hoteiosho, who is a kind old man who
carries a big pack and who has eyes in the back of his head to watch who is being good or naughty. In some places there are even community Christmas trees.
Russia
The Russian Orthodox Church follows the anKutya cient Julian calendar so they, like Ethiopia, celebrate Christmas on January 7 (though Russian Catholics may celebrate it on the 25th of December). On Christmas Eve, some Russians fast until the first stars appear in the night sky, at which point they then eat kutya, a porridge made from wheat or rice. Sometimes people eat the porridge from one shared bowl to symbolize unity. Russians used to throw some porridge up to the ceiling, and if it stuck, that meant good luck for that year!
Mexico
Mexicans begin their Christmas celebrations (las posadas) on December 16. The weather in Mexico during Christmastime is very mild. The sidewalks are adorned with farolitos, lanterns cut out of brown paper bags. On Christmas Day, Mexicans go to church and spend time with their families. Christmas dinners often consist of oxtail soup, hot chili, turkey, and salad.
images courtesy of en.wikipedia.org and nocookie.net,
Christmas commercialism Christmas just happens to be America’s favorite holiday. Every Thanksgiving we all stuff our faces, take naps, watch football, and then BAM! It’s like Santa whacked you in the face with a brightly colored baseball bat. Nat King Cole serenades you over the radio. Families set up giant trees decorated with vibrant shades of green and red. And department stores harass you until you finally have to buy the stupid inflatable snowman that is oddly comforting and terrifying at the same time. But we love it! Every year, Americans spend upwards of $228.4 billion on Christmas related items, an outrageous number that’s still growing. On average, each American person spends about $1000 on Christmas. While most
by Kourtney Wadkins
shopping occurs on Black Friday or at least before Christmas, many people have started to shop on the day after Christmas. 19% of American consumers planned on shopping December 26th, and 47% of people planned on shopping the week after Christmas, right before New Year’s. Is it really fair for Americans to shop this much? Are we getting away from what Christmas is really supposed to be? While the vast majority of retailers and restaurants
are closed on Christmas Day, many of them are open on Christmas Eve, the day after Christmas, and even on New Year’s. Is it wrong to make employees come to work on a family oriented holiday? Employers are essentially tearing them away from their families. Retailers have stopped focusing on their employees and started bowing to the demand of forgetful husbands and panicked family members who somehow forgot what day it was. Christmas is king of the shopping world. America, the land of fortune and excess, certainly lives up to its reputation if that reputation is based on this holiday.
image courtesy redmondpie.com
A very merry doomsday
“The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” I’m sure we are all familiar with this legendary line from the famous childhood folktale Chicken Little. In this fable, the main character, Chicken Little, is hit in the head by an acorn and consequently believes that the sky is falling and the world is coming to an end. Chicken Little then proceeds to run frantically throughout the town like a chicken with his head cut off (no pun intended) to inform his friends about the terrible news. Well, my friends, as December 21st (the day on which the world predicted to end) approaches us, there are many people acting just as Chicken Little does in the story. These people have been preparing for this day for years! They are known as “Doomsday Preppers,” and they don’t play around. They have gathered everything they need for the supposed apocalypse. Many of them have gone as far as building
by Lexi Long
underground shelters with enough non-perishable food to last for their families up to twenty years! One man from Arizona has even bought his two sons AK47s (assault rifles) and leads them in a “Doomsday dress rehearsal” once a week in the Arizona desert to practice their shooting. Other preppers are inventing new gadgets, such as underwear with built in guns, bullet proof beds, and an all in one cooking utensil, hair clipper, and writing tool. While St. Paul’s lacks any extreme preppers, plenty of students have already made plans for the 21st. Katie Steadman, a junior, says that she is “going to have an afterlife party with my amigos on December 22, 2012. We are going to celebrate life in the underworld. I mean, YOLO--oh wait-- the world is ending-- I guess YODO (you only die once!)” Katelanne Whitehead, a senior, has similar plans:“I am going to throw down!!! I am going have a huge party with lots of ice cream and
cake and coke!!!!” While these two girls and their friends will be acting like party animals, others of are going to watch movies and stay home. Will Pickard, a sophomore, has a particularly unusual way to spend the 21st:“4 minutes before the world is supposed to end, I am going to play Madonna’s song ‘4 Minutes’ and marvel in the irony.” Varshini Venkatesan, a senior, claims that the first thing she is going to do on December 22nd is run outside and yell “Yes I’m alive!” No matter what your plans are, it will be very fun and interesting to watch all the Facebook statuses, tweets, and Instagrams at midnight on 12/22/12, as well as the people who, just like Chicken Little, will run around in panic because they believe the world is ending. At the end of the folktale, Chicken Little discovers that it was only an acorn, and not the sky, that was falling. Will this story end the same? Happy “prepping”! 11
The forgotten disney movie by Ellis Nobles
On July 24, 1985, Disney re- ful Princess Eilonwy (who strongly leased its 25th full-length animated resembles Luna Lovegood in her feature film, The Black Cauldron. whimsical mannerisms), and the As a dear classic, everyone loves to elderly bard Fflewddur Fflam. Torewatch it from time to— gether, they set out to find the Black Wait, what’s that you say? Cauldron and stop the terrible You say you’ve never heard Horned King from taking over all of it? of Prydain. Actually, that’s not too sur The film was met with prising. This Disney movie has been terrifying small children since its release, straining its eighties version of the PG rating. One of Disney’s few non-musical Animated Classics, The Black Cauldron was based on the first two books of The Chronicles of Prydain by American author Lloyd Alexander. This fantasy series was inspired by Welsh A scene from Disney’s 1985 film, “The mythology, and the setting resem- Black Cauldron” bles medieval Wales. The Black Cauldron tells the mixed reviews. Some critics constory of Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper demned its dark presentation and to the wizard Dallben. Taran, storyline, and were disappointed probably around twelve years old that it did not match up to the (we’re never actually told, we’re just lighthearted fun and magic of its supposed to assume he’s around the predecessors; others praised it for ambiguous age of preteen), is tired its fantastic visual effects and aniof his boring life taking care of Hen mation. Lloyd Alexander himself, Wen, an oracular pig, and aspires to the author of the original series, become a great warrior. One day, responded to it positively, saying Hen Wen has a vision revealing that that it was nothing at all like the sethe dreaded Horned King is search- ries but enjoyable in itself. Slightly ing for her so he can use her powers more recent critics such as James to locate the Black Cauldron, an Berardinelli have stated that The indestructible instrument of terror. Black Cauldron, while not exactly Dallben sends Taran and Hen Wen a lost treasure, doesn’t deserve the away to a safer place, but the pig harsh criticism it received imgets away from Taran before they mediately after its release. Either arrive. On his journey to find and way, the film wasn’t exactly a big rescue her from the Horned King’s hit, making only about 21 million forces, he meets a sneaky, friendless dollars at the theaters and marking creature named Gurgi, the beautiitself as one of Walt Disney Anima12 | The Epistle | December 2012
tion Studios’ worst ever box office failures. Spunky Eilonwy is not considered a Disney Princess, even though she has as much or more personality than half of the current ones, and the company won’t make merchandise for the movie (it would never sell). In fact, the 25th Anniversary Edition release from 2010 seems somewhat half-hearted. It is a standard single-DVD release with some special features including a deleted scene and two games, but there is no Blu-ray disc or short documentary of the making of the movie. It doesn’t get treated nearly as well as re-releases of other Disney classics. It almost seems like they just wanted to get it over with—“Here, small fandom of this failure of a money-maker, some crumbs for you. Hope you enjoy them. Now move along and leave us alone.” Whether you think The Black Cauldron is good or bad, it stands out. It’s not a romance like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast or an action-packed drama like Mulan and Hercules. It’s a Tolkien-esque adventure story: a high fantasy with impressive art and a unusually dark presentation and plot. The next time you’re wandering through the aisles of the movies at the library, you might want to pick up The Black Cauldron and give it a chance, if for no reason other than to irritate Disney. image courtesy disney.wikia.com
The social election Twitter is one of the most popular social media websites around with over 500 million users and growing, while Facebook has over a billion users. Normally on these websites you’ll see “OMG, I love my best friend” or “I’m bored,” but what does this have to do with the election. During the election season any person could easily get on one of the social media websites and see “#Obama2012” or “#Romney2012.” Twitter especially heated up during the presidential debates, when people from different age groups, old and young, tweeted their personal opinions about the candidates or the debates. Social media had a huge effect on the 2012 presidential election. Social media gave the presidential candidates a new way to reach out to their supporters and the younger generation. Social media played a much larger part in this election than in any other election. Both the Romney and Obama campaign teams made efforts to trend their Twitter “hashtags,” to build interest in themselves and get their message out. Both candidates saw how huge an effect social media could have. Both invested billions of dollars into the campaign, both built up teams to constantly check Facebook and Twitter, and both fought to keep themselves relevant. This year’s election was dubbed “The Social Media Campaign” with over 51% of all social network users learning about the candidates in the 2012 election through social media. Although social media has played a huge role, it was up to people to actually go out and vote to determine if the candi-
by Chelsea Hubbard
image courtesy of business2community.com
date they preferred would win. In the end, the candidate that won the social media election was Barack Obama. Obama had 22.7 million followers and over 32.2 million Facebook likes compared to Romney’s 1.8 million 12. 1 million likes. Obama had 150,000 retweets while Romney had 8,000; Obama had 800,000 YouTube views while Romney only having 400,000. Social
media played a large part in influencing people’s votes and proved to be an influence in today’s political campaigns. Social media will probably also be a huge part in the 2016 election with more money and time going into the social media aspect of the presidential campaigns.
13
Objection! You’ve seen the signs. You’ve heard the announcements. I take that back. You probably haven’t heard the announcements, because 96% of St. Paul’s students carry a rare virus that renders them deaf whenever the intercom clicks on. Also, there’s a 30% chance that it’s already raining, and 79% of statistics are made up on the spot. However, if you’ve managed to thwart the great selective-hearing-ear-devourer, you’ve probably heard Bess’s chipper voice cheep, “Youth Judicial meeting at lunch today! Be there or be square!” more than once. This proclamation raises several questions: Can one actually become “square”? Is Bess guilty of threatening the St. Paul’s population with “square”ness? Isn’t it true that Bess has made square-ist remarks in her past? Should we sue Bess? Should we object during her testimony?
by Danielle Williamson
Most importantly, can we make Bess cry? Note: very few lawyers, amateur or professional, attempt to make the witness they’re crossing cry, as tears generally make everyone in the room feel uncomfortable. Slow down, you say? You don’t know what it means to cross a witness, give a closing statement, or object during a testimony? What’s that? You don’t know what Youth Judicial is? Then buckle on your life jacket, gulp down your motionsickness pills, and hop in your time machine, because you’re in the exact same boat I was in two months ago (excepting, of course, the italics bit). The journey begins in the cafeteria extension, with a multitude of eager recruits peppering the red-table-rafts. This is the buzz before the departure. Forms are passed out and tentative teams (three lawyers, three witness, and up to two alternates) are assembled. Sailing goes smoothly for the first three weeks or so, primarily because ships have yet to leave the harbor. A week later, the anchor is reeled in, and the ship takes off: straight into a coral reef. One of your team members jumps
Caroline Craft, Morgan Eiland, Slater Whiston, Lizzie Castillo, Ellie Grehan and Victoria Delmas sported homemade shirts to the “rave.”
14 | The Epistle | December 2012
Victoria Delmas practices during Mrs. Stuart’s speech class.
overboard to save the endangered fish/uphold a prior commitment they’ve just now remembered, and you and your remaining mates are left with a spinning, abandoned wheel. Okay. Time to rethink. You send out an SOS to vice admiral of the seas, Mr. Hester. He resolves the problem by placing a so called “drifter” (someone who had yet to join a team) on your crew. Like a beautiful piece of driftwood, drifters bring a sense of uniqueness and complexity to the team, leading to people forming social interactions that wouldn’t have been existent in normal circumstances. I’m sorry if that got too sappy for you. I’ll try to keep to icecold lawyer talk now. Fast forward to two weeks from the competition. If you’re a chronic procrastinator (if you have yet to decide if this term applies to you, then it probably does), this is when the waves of the competition begin to crash on your vessel. For witnesses, the two-week landmark means a frenzied scramble to memorize their statements
(one to two pages of information someone else’s trial, and— out and the results are announced: concerning the character the wit Wait. out of the Top 20 teams, two beness in question is portraying). For There’s around three hours longed to St. Paul’s: Kennedy lawyers, it means writing direct in between the conclusion of the Studdard, Allie Frederick, Sarah questions (questions you ask a wit- morning’s trials and the afternoon’s Grace Kirkendall, Millie Jordan, ness on your team to help prove “power” trials (in which you’re Layne Watts, and Erin Granger, your point), constructing cross matched with a team of approxialong with the ensemble of Josh examinations (when you question mately your caliber). The tedious Casher, John Shreve, Bess Nichols, the other team’s witness to destroy process of tallying up the scores Anna Brabston, Seth Polansky, and their point—this is where William Foster. These teams crying is most commonly juried the showdowns of the observed), and/or writing an Top 10 teams, a series of vicious opening (a list of the facts battles including the brilliance and witnesses your side will of Katelanne Whitehead, Tres attempt to prove, as said Bodet, Abby Castillo, Ashten before the court) or closing Stanford, Carter Albrecht, and statement (a general outline Rosie Latham. St. Paul’s teams of “take home” messages you who did not qualify for the Top want the jury to carry into 20 sat in on the trial, doubling their deliberation) over in laughter when Abby Sound complicated? sassed the defense’s lawyer, It is. Ashten announced he was “Doc But you don’t have From left to right: Ashten Stanford, Abby Castillo, Tres Bo- tor Blake Norman, M.D,” and time to worry about how det, Rosey Latham, Carter Albrecht, and Katelanne White- Carter proclaimed he was “Terry complicated it is, because Dillon, from Serbia.” now it’s the morning of November take the competition officials The conference begins to 9th, and you’re huddling with your some time, leaving plenty of room wind down after the Top 10 trials. team on a Continental bus bound for plenty of nervous pacing and Sunday night means dinner on your for Montgomery. Hasty preparabanter among teams. By this time, own and a stunningly awkward tion turns into a full-on scramble as everyone’s brain has been so soaked dance. (Many members of the St. people squeeze past one another to in the juices of judicial that most Paul’s delegation, inspired by Bess’s ask Mr. Hester and Mrs. Stuart final conversations are composed of legal enthusiasm, came dressed in rave questions, as lawyers put the finish- jargon (“This sandwich is really attire. It should be noted that these ing touches on their questions, and good.” “Objection, your honor! individuals were the only ones as witnesses practice their accents. Opinion! The witness is not entered dressed in rave clothing, and that It’s a happy chaos. as an expert on sandwiches, and all of the lights were on. Needless to By the end of the first day, thus cannot testify to the delicious- mention, there was not much ravevery team has sat on jury two ness of the lunch.”) Kids who paring going on.) times and has tried their case ticipate in Youth Judicial are really But it is awkward times such twice against different teams. This cool. as these that knot sailors together. means everyone has been exposed After the afternoon’s power On the bus ride home, St. Paul’s was to a wide variety of teams: from trials, there’s a thirty minute break no longer a fleet of boats; it was a the ones who cite line and verse while the captains attend a meeting. giant pirate ship full of scalawags, from the Youth Judicial handbook Though 30 minutes is significantly exchanging stories of legal treasure. (“According to rule 458, subsecshorter than 3 hours, this wait And not a single one of them are tion B…”) to those who don’t know seems indefinitely longer, because square. images courtesy Layne Watts, Morgan what a closing statement is. After the captains’ meeting determines Eiland, and Katelanne Whitehead. spending the night in the hotel, you the ranking of the teams. sally forth to your next trial, jury Finally, the captains come 15
Rock ‘n’ Roll, cont. from pg. 4
made in the past forty to fifty years to Rock ‘n Roll music. Rock bands today try to take what they have learned from their forefathers and add to it with different electronic styles, strong fashion statements, and powerful live performances. Many are doing everything they can to bring back the reputation that early rock started so long ago. The live shows of the new bands are filled with spectacles, such as pyrotechnics, amazing light shows, and great guest performers. Technology has given bands much more to work with when it comes to recording an album and performing on stage. Bands such as Metallica haveThe members of Metallica, a moderately successful rmodern-day rock band. From left to had huge success with their liveright: Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Robert Trujillo, and James Hetfield. shows and albums. Metallica was days. When interviewed by Rolling among the highest selling groups in Stone reporters, Carney exclaimed Money changes many things, too; the 80’s and 90’s. Their utilization of that “Rock & Roll is dying because it can turn a punk rock band into electronics has boosted their ticket people became OK with Nickel- just a rock band, and it can take a sales tremendously. back being the biggest band in the superstar like Flo Rida and turn him Patrick Carney, drummer world… So they became OK with into the biggest name in town. Good for the garage-rock-band, The the idea that the biggest rock band music shouldn’t have anything to do Black Keys, is pretty sure he knows in the world is always going to be with money; it should just be somewhat’s ailing his chosen genre these [horrible] — therefore you thing that makes us want to turn the should never try to be the volume up. This article isn’t to point biggest rock band in the fingers at anyone or tell you to lisworld. [What’s with] that! ten to only rock from now on; it’s to Rock & Roll is the music I show that rock used to be the essence feel the most passionately of musical culture. That essence isn’t about, and I don’t like to completely lost, but if it stays second see it [completely] ruined string behind rap and hip-hop, we and spoon-fed down our could be destroying the dreams of throats in this watered- many upcoming rock bands. There down, post-grunge [mess], may be differences in old rock and horrendous [stuff]. When new rock, but they are both still rock people start lumping us and roll and it will still continue to into that kind of [group], change in the future.
it’s like, ‘[I hate] you,’ honestly.” Luckily, rock isn’t Artists such as Ke$ha, who utilizes fast past lyrics and dead yet and maybe it’s not electronic beats, have gained significant popularity in even as big of an issue as I recent years over ba perceive it. 16 | The Epistle | December 2012
images courtesy of billboard.com and en.wikipedia.org
Extreme Ironing- yes, it’s a thing. Have you ever been ironing a shirt when you suddenly thought, “What could I do to make this a bit more extreme?” Phil Shaw, a British factory worker, sure did. One day in 1997, Phil Shaw—nicknamed Steam—came home from work only to be faced with a pile of clothes that needed ironing. Although he didn’t feel like ironing, he did feel like rock climbing. So, he took his ironing with him. Steam convinced his roommate Paul—called Spray—to try the new sport, and soon, Extreme Ironing spread from Leicester, England all the way to Wales and the Lake District. By 1998, Steam had set up the Extreme Ironing Bureau (EIB) to set the rules and organize competitions. Although it had a slow start, Extreme Ironing eventually spread to Germany, New Zealand,
by Hope Lemley
South Africa, and the United States. Extreme Ironing even has World Championships! Since its founding, participants have taken their ironing to countless A extreme ironing enthusiast hard at work. locations. that combines the thrills of an Some iron while skydiving, scuba extreme outdoor activity with the diving, mountain climbing, water satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt.” skiing, canoeing, and mountain boarding, just to name a few. Fans image courtesy of list25.com hail it as, “the latest danger sport
The big bad BCS The BCS (Bowl Championship Series) is one of the most hated systems in football. Without playoffs, many people thought that the system was unfair. But all of the whining stops now because it was recently announced that in 2014 a four-team playoff system will be introduced and the old system will essentially be thrown out. Until then we will all just have to deal with it. The BCS currently has five bowls up for grabs; the Fiesta Bowl, Citi Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl. The National Championship rotates from bowl to bowl every year. How you get into a bowl is determined by conference win-
by Kourney Wadkins
ners, schedules, and in the case of nonconference teams, who goes undefeated. This year the BCS Title game will be held in Miami. Notre Dame has locked up their position in the national title game by going undefeated for the first time since 1988. Alabama finished their regular season strong, but they need to win the SEC Championship to be in their second straight title game. Currently, it looks like Alabama or Georgia will play the Fighting Irish in the big game. In the Glendale, Arizona based Fiesta Bowl, Kansas State will most likely be playing the Oregon Ducks. Both had huge upsets to-
wards the end of their seasons, but if Kansas State wins the Big 12 they will probably lock up their place in this major BCS bowl. While the two biggest bowls are pretty much locked up between Alabama, Oregon, Notre Dame, and Kansas State, there are still three more bowls out there. No matter what the outcome, it’s sure to be a very exciting bowl season. image courtesy of sportsofboston.com
17
Our street “This is our street” is the most popular saying we Saints have at the end of football season (with the SPS and UMS football game). We share Old Shell road with a multitude of schools, but, as we like to claim, none of them can compete with St. Paul’s, especially UMSWright. St. Paul’s and UMS have the biggest tension between them because of their history. St. Paul’s and UMS were once in the same football division, so losing to them was highly costly. Some years, they knocked us off our path to state; some years, we knocked them off of theirs. The fight has remained over the years. Although UMS is not in our division anymore (they are 4A, while St. Paul’s is 5A,) we still keep the tradition rolling. This fight, that continues every year, consists of seniors making signs the night before and placing them all over Old Shell road. The winner of the “sign fight” is obvious the next morning while driving to school. This year, seniors such as Allyson DeMouy, Anna Brabston, and Mollie Moss stood out on Old Shell road holding signs that said “Honk if you love our
by Kelsi Allman
saints”! The sign conflict, however, was only the beginning of the fight. We then all came to school dressed up with the “Boot the Bulldog” theme. The students dressed up in western attire to support our football boys and display our traditional tense rivalry with the UMS bulldogs. Before this year’s UMS game, I decided to speak to Jared Holloway and Bradley Padgett about the rivalry game against UMS:
E: Did you think you were going to
The Epistle: What does the UMS
E: How do you feel about this be-
Bradley Padgett: Not much, I
JH: This is memorable, because
rivalry mean to you?
thought rivalries went back and forth. But it’s a one sided affair. Jared Holloway: Ultimate domination on every level of every sport
E: Do you know how many years we have consecutively won?
JH: We’ve beat them three years
in a row. This means a lot because there was a time where we rarely ever could beat UMS.
win?
JH: Yes. We’re dominant in size
and athletic ability. BP: Honestly, I just knew we were better. JH: True!
E: What was the final score? BP: 38- 8, Go Saints! ing your last UMS game?
ever since the third grade we have played UMS every year and they have been our rival. BP: It was a great way to end the season. SPS was again victorious this year, making it the third consecutive year that SPS has beat UMS. This only means that it will be more challenging to keep the winning streak going through the years and to keep SPS as the “big dog.”
One of the many “Beat UMS” signs posted along Old Shell Road by St. Paul’s students. 18 | The Epistle | December 2012
Cross country at state by Ellis Nobles
As you may have heard, both the girls’ and boys’ cross country teams left for state on November 9th and got back home the afternoon of the 10th. To go to state, a team had to place in the top three in the sectional meet at Municipal Park the Thursday before, and both of our teams placed first. At state, the boys placed eighth and girls placed fifth. Alana Babington, a senior, placed first in the girls’ category with an astonishing time of 19:08— twelve seconds ahead of second place. The state competition took place at the Indian Mounds Park & Museum in Oakville, Alabama. The team left school that Friday morning and set out on a six-hour drive to the northern portion of the state. The team was hopeful the week before the competition. Freshman Brett Erickson stated that he hoped to be in the top fifteen runners, and Matthew Matthew D’Alonzo and Brett Ericson warm up before a practice. D’Alonzo, a sophomore we don’t know much about the team did not place as high as they runner, hoped to break nineteen other schools competing, it’s hard would like, they were still better minutes in the 5,000 meter race. to say. Hopefully we’ll place some- than 147 other high school teams. For the 5k (3.1 miles), any time where between second and fifth.” Though there was some disbelow twenty minutes is something Coach Tate’s prediction appointment for the Saints at state, of which to be proud. about the girls was accurate—they the team still has plenty of time The Epistle asked cross placed fifth in the 5A competito mature past this year’s overallcountry coach Jim Tate how well tion—but his forecast about the impressive accomplishments. “We he thought the team would do. “I boys’ placement did not come true, have an extremely young team,” think the boys will probably be in unfortunately. The boys placed said Matthew, “but that means we the top five, hopefully better,” he eighth. However, there were 155 can only grow from here.” said. “I think the girls are also goteams competing, and even if the ing to be in the top five. But since 19
A very merry wordsearch
ANGEL BELIEVE BELLS JESUS BIRTHDAY BLITZEN CHIMNEY PRESENT CHRISTMAS DANCER DASHER NUTCRACKER DONNER ELVES GINGERBREAD ORNAMENT GREETINGS JINGLE MRSCLAUS PRANCER REINDEER ROOFTOP RUDOLPH SLED STOCKING TREE TURKEY courtesy of crossroadsinitiative.com
Coming up
December 10th....................... Chorus Concert December 14th....................... History Exam (8:00) Math Exam (12:00) December 17th....................... English Exam (8:00) Science Exam (12:00) December 18th....................... Language Exam (8:00) December 19th to January 3rd..... Freedom
20 | The Epistle | December 2012