SIDNEY LANIER HIGH SCHOOL’S
The Blue & White
May 15, 2018 Special Edition
Jeremy’s Choice: An Artist at Work
Inside this issue: Is there favoritism toward athletes?
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Prom rules prompt students to question if it’s paradise or prison ?
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Teachers, students, staffs look at safe school
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School leaders put stock in ACT Boot Camp
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He built his foundation by creating art for family and friends, therefore Everywhere you turn is a signed foot- getting him known around the school ball player or a college-level scholar. for his amazing designs. The small But even in those special circumbusiness he pursued is named Galacstances, the 1 in 900 cases that exudes tic Designs, name triggering from extreme talent in unorthodox ways people who sees life in a creative that one wouldn’t expect. aspect. Even though he’s busy with his freelance work he’s trying to land a job with Royalty Inc, a company that compiles the work of freelance artists.
By Andre Lamonte and Kamryn
Life after high school is something many students are worried about. For Jeremy this is not the case. Jeremy has already narrowed his choices to two art schools. One being the Art Academy located in California and the Art Institute of Atlanta.
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Silent bells, 8-period school days
Don’t Forget!
May 11: Prom Night
May 17-22: Exam Week
May 20: Graduation
May 24: Last Day of School
One of these rare cases is Jeremy Taylor, a 12th-grade graphic designer who has been rapidly improving in skill and cache. It is almost like a cautionary tale rather than an inspirational success story. Jeremy is in no way in a bad position and is still supported by his friends and some of his family but probably did not work to his fullest potential.
“The world is constantly changing, and it’s my job to capture it.” Jeremy feels immense passion for what he does as he believes it is the reason he was put here. This shows in how much he has pushed school to the side. Jeremy, in his senior year, has placed most of his priorities in his business and has sadly put school on a permanent back burner.
“The last time I saw Jeremy was the He is not graduating with his senior week we came back from Christmas class but has made it a point and sebreak, that Wednesday and Friday. cured his spot with the Art Institute in After that, never again.’ says California regardless. TaShunta White, anatomy teacher. Jeremy’s business is doing more numbers than ever now as well. Silently, Jeremy has built a small business under the nose of many Lanier students and staff where he makes graphically altered photos of students and landscapes.
This is in no way endorsed by The Castle, but he is considered a special case. Jeremy was a source of untapped talent who did not get recognized and was not satisfied with his surroundings because of it. Jeremy’s stomping grounds is behind
Adobe Photoshop eyes glued to the screen. He similar to the movie character who struggles to care about school and other life responsibilities because they get no recognition and have personal troubles. Jeremy has struggled heavily this year because of problems at home. In an effort not to expose too much of his personal and private information, Jeremy shared that these problems stemmed from not being able to see his father because of conflicts with his mother. “I felt it necessary that I see him and be in contact with him, and my mom didn’t,” he explains. “That’s why I was absent for a while, going to see him in Selma.” This led to Jeremy moving out from his mother’s house and into his grandfather’s. Sadly, though, this did not make Jeremy take his studies more seriously as he has still been consistently absent. Jeremy could have continued his hustle outside of school while splitting his focus to finish his senior year on time, but he probably would not be as well paid and skilled as he is now. There are two roads that Jeremy could have taken, he went left.
Does the Castle Favor Its Athletes? By Emko Pash
If you get in trouble at Sidney Lanier High School, you’ll get sent to the office or to a grade-level administrator and get some sort of punishment closely related to suspension.
From student standpoints, younger teachers tend to be more visually lenient towards the athletes while veteran teachers do more what they call “under the table” interactions.
On the other hand, many believe if you’re a student athlete you may just get a “stern talking to.” This is many students call “favoritism towards athletes” and that basically describes privileges athletes get that a regular student couldn’t dream of receiving.
LeKirkland ‘Kirk’ Davis, president of the Student Council, says “Teachers feel as though ‘Oh I still gotta help them graduate because they gotta play on the field or because they’re going to college to play ball’.” The “field” has been brought up many times while doing this investigation because on multiple occasions football players are the culprit of said special treatment. Basketball players, bowlers, volleyball players, soccer, etc. don’t seem to experience any favoritism. As far as classroom behavior, everyone knows majority athletes aren’t well behaved in a classroom setting.
What privileges? Many students notice these certain liberties given to athletes, who: - Never work for their grades - Can freely roam the campus and halls and leave school - Can cause disruptions - May completely disregard the dress code and much, much more. “You have to be a star athlete to really reap the benefits.” said Mashonda Strong, a history teacher at Lanier.
“Me as a student, I shouldn't have to tell a teacher’s classroom to get quiet and the teacher should not allow a student to have to get them get them under control,” Mr. Davis said. “That's their job.” To start with, most athletes are never in class, many students have observed. Also, they note student-athletes tend to take easier classes and get lower grades than nonathletes.
“You gotta be a star athlete to really reap the benefits” ~ Ms. Mashonda Strong
Prom: Paradise Or Prison? By Denise Ringo and Ashley Caldwell
Prom, for a high school student, is a rite of passage. Excitement runs through their veins at the very word. Prom promises a certain freedom, a night of fun and celebration with your closest friends and special someone (if you’re lucky enough to get a date).
When trying to find out the cause of these rules, a student says that it’s because Prom isn’t supposed to feel like a school event, though on last year, the the occasion that it does, it limits the fun a student is sup- dresses feposed to have, on one of the supposed best nights of their male students wore were too young life. revealing. At Sidney Lanier High School, there are certain regulaAnother stutions that come with this year’s prom. Students are redent said that quired to give a permission slip to their parents, which students were they must sign, like they're five years old. off and on the They must have their student ID to clarify that they are a wall, with student that attends Sidney Lanier High School, and girls people twerking on the are not allowed to wear form fitting dresses. walls and making a Meaning that if they got it, they can’t flaunt it. mess. ApparMany students, even the head of the prom committee, feel ently this misbehavior was that these rules are too strict and unnecessary. too much for Dr. Williams to handle. Dr. Williams is a business before pleasure type of guy. But when it comes to prom, students should have a fair level of freedom, including wearing what they want, as long as it’s not too revealing, and dancing wherever and however they want to dance. When rules like these are put in place, it makes prom unappealing. Prom is a major source of income for the school, considering that they charge between $40 to $65 a ticket. Students with no tickets were admitted for $100 on the night of the prom. Teachers should look back onto their own proms, and the freedom and fun they experienced on that night, and realize that they have no right to steal it from students.
Teachers Take A Shot At School Shootings By Ashley Caldwell and Shakasa Oliver
School shootings have made a negative impact on today’s society, starting April 12, 1891 in Newburgh New York, and now leading on to year 2018. Florida’s shooting is said to be the worst case of school violence over the past years.
building. Fire, tornado, and earthquake drills are practiced at all schools, but how come there are no shooting drills that exist for students and staff to practice.
“We need to come up with a safety place that we could go to just in case something like this ever happens so Shootings happen almost everyday, but that everyone in our school is protectrecently school shootings has made a ed,” suggests Kayla Suttles, a 12th comeback. Florida’s mass shooting grader. being the deadliest one yet, taking the lives of 17 people. Southwestern High School in Indiana is considered as the safest school in “The school shooting of course was America that has a shooting drill. They very tragic, and I feel bad for the have panic buttons and bulletproof school as a whole and their families, doors to keep not only the students but but I feel more could have been done,” the classroom safe as well. said Senitha Barnett, a Career Tech instructor. In too many instances, students are afraid to come to school because they’re fearful for their lives, and parents are afraid to send their children to school because of the devastating massacre that happened. “Parents send their children to school with the intentions of them being safe, and we want them to go home the same way they came,” says Lovell Seals, assistant principal.
had a gun and it went off injuring a student,” says Aliyanna Perdue, as senior. Ms. Perdue adds, “Students should report any suspicious behavior that a fellow classmate is doing. Take action. Don’t just ignore it.” Ms. Suttles also disagrees with the idea as well. “What if it gets into the hands of a potentially dangerous student or one day a teacher might not be thinking right and loses control? Then the school gets in trouble.” Dr. Antonio Williams, principal, adds: “We as a whole should come together to make sure that all of MPD Schools are protected. As the principal, it is my duty to keep my students and my colleagues safe.”
All schools should be required to have panic buttons instead of giving teach- Everything seems to start on social ers guns which could cause even more media. If someone you know posts something inappropriate that could harm to others if not used properly. pose as a threat to your school or if Carrying any weapon is unsafe even if you overhear conversations about a you’re using it for protection because plan to do something that could harm others, speak up and tell someone and “Sometimes it’s hard to prevent certain what if you don’t know how to use it warn others. If you don’t, you could and it goes off and hurts someone incidents from happening especially put yourself and the school in danger. nearby, what would you do? when you are unaware, which is why we try to keep the main entrance As we roamed around the school, we locked and have people to buzz in when they need to enter the building,” asked students if they agree or disagree with the idea of teachers carrying a says Officer Willie Frank. gun around school for safety. New drills should be created because there are too many high risk that could “I think it’s just unsafe. There have take place especially inside of a school already been incidents where a teacher School safety depends on the principal, officers, teachers, and staff members to make sure that hallways are cleared at all times, but what if a shootout happened that couldn’t be controlled, How would you react?
Select Juniors Endure ACT Bootcamp By Tatiana Campbell
Many juniors at Sidney Lanier High were given the opportunity to get a jumpstart with intensive tutoring and tips for the ACT college entrance exam. Students were handpicked by Yolanda Huntley, librarian, and Dr. Antonio Williams, principal, based on their potential to score the highest on the ACT. In the Boot Camp, they took a series of ACT practice admission decision. tests. They took notes. A strong standardized test score is a key This program can lead to college scholar- part of a college application. There are ships and can be listed as an accomplishalso a lot of students who are required to ment on the resume. take the ACT by their high school. A numThe ACT is a standardized test designed to ber of states use the ACT as a state-wide assessment test, so every junior at a public show colleges how prepared students are for higher education by measuring reading school takes the ACT. comprehension, knowledge of writing con- Dr. Antonio Williams and staff looked at ventions, and computational skills and the 11th grade scores and pulled the stuthen comparing them with the rest of the dents and asked them if they would be high schoolers who take it. interested in attending the program. It essentially serves as a nationwide college admission test, though it's far from the only factor schools consider. Most four-year schools require applicants to submit either ACT or SAT scores (they don't distinguish between the two), which can then make up as much as 50% of the
There were limited seats so it wasn’t enough room for the whole 11th grade. They looked at the students. data and just picked students who did well on ACT Aspire, the exam administered to 10th graders.
Bootcampers were given test taking skills and strategies and ACT Practice Test to help them score higher on the actual ACT. They were introduced to what the ACT was, what subjects they would be doing and given tips on what to do before taking the ACT. They learned the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep and eating breakfast as well as practicing different strategies they were taught to do well on the test. Ms. Huntley says that she hopes all of the 11th graders can expose be exposed to the ACT Boot Camp so everyone can have a chance to prepare. In the meantime, school leaders want all teachers to give students practice timed test. The goal is to turn out better results by helping students prepare for the ACT next year because it was new to them this year. The Bootcamp was to get students ready for the ACT with students and build their confidence and keep them focused.
“S.H.E” By Ebony Allen
She had just turned 8 when she lost a trust in someone who was ‘posed to have her back and trust her words A innocence that she had was taken from her Her mental state had become what some would say “Messed up” She didn’t find this to be true ‘til she took a look in the mirror and realized it had always been there Tears came pouring Her heart was feeling like it could give up at any given moment No shoulder was there to catch her cry She was crying to herself “What am I gonna do?” “Why do I feel this way?” “How will I get through this thing that has put an Influence on most of my life?”
No drug could rid her of this Sleep couldn’t do either She felt alone so she had locked herself in her room She had her phone but no one to call No one to listen To understand That after being misunderstood for her actions They finally understood her reason for wanting to go away To get away from a place that she never felt like home to her
Catharsis By Jamarious Fulks
Her fingers moved over the keys nimbly. Sasha was consumed by the song in her soul. The very core of her was singing with a melody the likes of which no one had ever heard. The music swept her into a realm entirely different. She felt emotions that had no name. And then the song died down. She was spent. Her all was poured into the song that yet had no name. There was clapping. Sasha was startled. She jumped so hard that she fell off the piano bench. She quickly stood up and whipped around to face her intruder. “I’m sorry for startling you. I heard this wonderful music and something told me to see who was capable of making such wondrous melodies.” He was a boy close to seventeen. He had hair the color of copper, and he had heterochromia. While one of his eyes was a shimmering emerald in color, the other was a deep cobalt blue. Sasha, still a little mad, glared at the stranger. “You weren’t supposed to be here.” The boy, taken aback by her response, tried to reason with her. “I know and I’m sorry, but I-” “Save it. Just leave.” Sasha wanted no part of anything he had to say. She even left a sign on the door. “Like I said, I’m really sorry, but what you just played, it was amazing. And you were even more amazing. The way you moved, it was like the song was apart of you.” Sasha’s cheeks burned. She hadn’t thought anyone would think she was anything special. Her fiery red mane was unruly and hard to tame. Her blue eyes weren’t much to look at. She had a bunch of freckles across the bridge of her nose. She knew that she wasn’t the picture of beauty. “It….It was a song I made myself. I haven’t had the nerve to let anyone hear it.” Sasha had no idea why she was suddenly so shy around this boy. He was friendly. Sasha could use a friend. The boy walked over and extended his hand. “I’m Ben.” “Sasha…” The girl hesitantly took his hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” Ben said cheerfully. “Likewise.” There was an awkward silence that hung in the air for a minute. Sasha sat back at the piano and started to play. The song was a somber one. It was full of long notes and lilting tones. Sasha made sure the deep sorrow she had felt when her father passed was reflected in the song. “Did you write this one too?” Ben asked. He seemed genuinely curious. “Every song I play is my own. Except for my father’s song. No one is allowed to hear it.” Sasha was deeply hurt when her father died. He cared for her. Her mother did too, but she was a daddy’s girl. She would always follow him around as a baby. Her first steps were to follow her father. “Why can’t anyone hear your dad’s song?” Ben was hesitant to ask. “He’s dead.” The answer hung in the air. Sasha turned away from the boy who wanted to be her friend. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Her father’s memories are bittersweet. Sasha ran out of the room so that a semi-stranger wouldn’t see her moment of weakness. When she came back, Ben was gone. She sat down, made sure the door was locked, and proceeded to play. This song was a light song. One with whimsical dreams and tales of adventure. She played until she couldn’t play anymore. Her father’s song This release of emotion was the thing she needed. This was her Catharsis.
Students Object Loudly to ‘Silent Bell’ By Ashley Caldwell
You may have heard of the movie A Quiet Place, but have you ever heard of A Quiet School, well Sidney Lanier is starting a new wave of dismissing their students, starting with mysterious silent bells.
self, well based on the statistics of school shootings, this new idea could possibly help make a big change in the world to prevent gun violence from happening in schools and worldwide.
For the past few weeks there hasn’t been any bell sounds except for when school starts,and ends. A lot of people say that it’s causing to much confusion, others say that it’s a “The silent bells are confusing. The great idea and they see nothing wrong with it. teachers often forget the time and we are late to class a lot,” says Terrell “It’s a good idea, but it’s confusing because we don’t know Williams, and senior here at The when to leave, and when we’re dismissed from class and Castle. it’s time to go home the bell is always late”. Kirkland Davis says. Why have we been moving in silence you may ask your-
Lanier Adopts Eight Periods Next Year By Jeremiah Howard and Emko Pash
Lanier may be facing some new changes next year as the plans to take on eight classes are contemplated. This schedule will be called a “4x4” schedule, and it is intended to give the student more flexibility with their schedule. Students could possibly use that period for extra classes to catch up in a subject or extra classes to get ahead in a subject. Students can also take on a study hall class using this schedule in case they are struggling or need any help in a particular class. Students, however think that this schedule is not a good idea, when asked how do they feel about this schedule they replied “It’s simply not a good idea, seven classes are more than enough”. The principal on the other hand thinks it’s a great idea stating that it gives the students “versatility”. According to the ASCD, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the 4x4 schedule “provides teachers a more manageable schedule”. They would be able to devote at least 25% of their day to planning. Students on the other hand, may be able to graduate at a sooner time seeing they would be able to get eight credits
a year. “Initially, increasing the number of credits required for graduation seemed the best way to ensure that students used the additional time rather than graduate in three years,” the ASCD reports. This will be giving the students twice the opportunity to make enough credits if they have failed a course.
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