October 2016 CARPE DIEM

CONTENTS

COVER 28

Senior feels at home at aquarium

OCTOBER 2016 NATIONAL AND STATE AFFILIATIONS

CREW LEADERS:

Somer Benton, Jack Brock, Ellie Butterfield, Ella Burge, Alia Carlton, Khari Davis, John Ellis, Emilia Fuentes, Benson Gathany, Niki Gajjar, Sam Jones, Forrest Kirkendall, Jose Koluder-Ramirez, Lindsay Martin, Jake Miller, Emmie PothNebel, Jonathan Paden, Ellie Ritter, Taylor Stephenson, Claire Torak, Julia Verre, Derek Walker, Kaylan Ware, Molly Weston, Carter White, Chaney Wynne

CREW:

Isis Amusa, Sophia DeLuca, Lorin Dent, Graham Cattanch, Kate Cobb, Emilia Couture, Aiden Gibbs, Claire Goldman, Fardosa Hassan, Ellington McDaniles, Katie Meyer, Christopher Rosselot, Kheyal Roy-Meighoo, Mary Shewan, John Griffin Stanford, Olivia Stephenson, Max Tirouvanziam, Isabel Wiltse

THANK YOU

SUPPORTERS

Stephen Kay, Trish Bricker, Debra Ledoux, Lisa Persons, Michele and Aaron Hillegass, Judy Knight, Paul and Meera Garcia, Laura Fehrs, Normarene Merrit, Cathy Brim, Devon Weston, Cynthia Curry, Medgar Benton, Jerry Krajnak, Gerry Nebel and Kurt Baumgardener, Jane Nebel and Lu Armstrong, Terry Poth, Charles Nebel, Quvada Moreland, Paul Duda, Pamela King, Susan Bennett, Frank G. Goldman, Ken Manford and Jeffrey Roach, Shelley Parnes, Cameron McWhirter, George Wiley, Gloria and Don Stahle, Candace and Elia Dimitri, Marina Woodruffe, Shannon Putman, Beth Kostka

BENEFACTORS

Readers are encouraged to respond to the content of this magazine by emailing the individual staff members and editors. All correspondence must include a name and contact information. Letters may be edited.

All general emails should be sent to: carpediem@csdecatur.net

Pam Burge Dawn Smith Frank White Merry Sebelick Denise de LaRue Nick DeLuca Jennifer Cobb Carroll Knabe Jeff Vaughan Susan and Dean Morley Monica Crubezy

The Board of Education of the City of Decatur does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity in its employment practices, programs, activities or student placement.

Bonus content available now!

ADVISER Jon Reese Carpe Diem is a student magazine produced by the Decatur High School convergence media crew published four times a year and distributed to students, faculty, staff and community subscribers. The statements and opinions in this magazine are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the entire staff or of Decatur High School, its students, faculty, staff or administration.

2 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

PATRONS

Freddy Bailey Nancy Beasley Chris and Julia Sullivan Dr. and Mrs. H. Warner Webb Al Orange Cleaning Service Mr. and Mrs. M. A. Carlton We appreciate all of your generosity and ongoing support of our program!

Photo by Jonathen Paden

Photo courtesy of Luke Jackson

FEATURES 4 Reviews

26Talking Points 54 Seniors Speak 55 The Voice 56 Love it or leave it

6 The Bulldog Update

24 Photo by Ben Greco

8 Sports opinion

Photo by Molly Weston

Sports

18

18 Athlete’s passion drives her game

PEOPLE

34 Student travels to North Africa

14

47 Photo courtesy of Ayston Scully

24 Decatur alumni take on new adventure

41 Senior pursues film career 47 Impacts of addiction

CULTURE

14 Drone use takes flight in Decatur 20 Local housefire sparks community response

34 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

3

REVIEWS Crowder returns with new album showcasing his roots

O

Photos courtesy of Creative Commons, labeled for reuse with modification

MUSIC

n Sept. 23, Texas-grown artist David Crowder, known in the music world as “Crowder,” released his second solo album, “American Prodigal.”

Crowder decided to derive the new album from his roots. He sat on his porch in Atlanta’s Cabbagetown, looking toward the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mill where country music was reportedly born.

Mix that history with Texas, and you’ll get a folky, banjo-inclusive, deep gospel sound. Add in Crowder’s 80’s background and you end up with “Folktronica,” as he describes it.

“American Prodigal,” aptly named after Crowder’s American heritage and the parable of the Prodigal Son, has a sound so vast, it’s irresistable.

The first track off the album, “American Intro,” is stripped-down and simple.

It’s four lines with the repetition of “come on, hallelujah” sung slowly and deeply atop a piano–and only a piano. It’s a

4 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

mesmerizing song that’ll give you chills right off the bat.

Next up is “Run Devil Run.” It’s a catchy, upbeat track composed of guitar riffs and distorted vocals. I can almost imagine NEEDTOBREATHE’s Bear Rinehart performing this song right along with those off his album “H A R D L O V E.” A more subdued version of Crowder’s hit “My Victory,” originally recorded with Passion City Church’s band on their album “Salvation’s Tide is Rising,” is featured on the album as well. The track is less computerized than the original, featuring raw instruments and vocals.

“A cross meant to kill is my victory,” Crowder sings and it’s truly beautiful.

Atlanta’s gospel roots are seamlessly added to the album with “All My Hope.” The song still features Crowder’s southern-rugged voice along with a clas-

sic gospel sound. The same gospel gold is married with Irish folk on “Keep Me.” Crowder’s Texan roots are not forgotten, though. “Shepherd” is banjo driven as Crowder sings his rendition of Psalm 23.

The “tronica” in “Folktronica,” makes its appearance in “Great Rejoicing.” The intro, repeated throughout, is reminiscent of M83 and rounds out Crowder’s roots well.

The variety of music found on Crowder’s soon-to-be chart topper, “American Prodigal,” is an intimate look into Crowder’s roots, his background, and his faith.

– Ella Burge

Travis Scott soars above expectations with newest album

T

ravis Scott’s second studio album, “Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight,” is sounding like his sixth.

Scott has perfected his sound and painted a masterpiece with his new album.

The musical direction of the album is the ideal canvas for Scott to express his originality and unique vibe.

Besides Scott’s renowned melodious and autotuned hooks, he proves he really can rap. In the song “Way Back,” Scott spits, “UFC I’m tapping into my old ways.” These clever lines pop up in the variety of features on the album.

Many of R&B and hip-hop’s most prominent artists, including Kanye West,

Andre 3000, Bryson Tiller and Kendrick Lamar, collaborated with Scott to create magic on the track. The fast-paced beat in “Goosebumps” is the perfect alley-oop for Kendrick’s agile. Hip-hop legend Andre 3000 offers a rare verse in “The Ends.” Collaborations and verses are just a fraction of what makes the album amazing.

The production, lyrical content and– most importantly–the back-to-back hot tracks on this whole album make “Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight” a classic.

– Khari Davis

Long lines, familiar faces and that lemon cream sauce

“Stranger Things” resurrects 80’s

I

t’ll happen slowly for most, but before you know it, “Stranger Things” will pull you into the 1980’s and send you wading through Hawkins, Indiana.

The enigmatic disappearance of 12-year old Will Byers divides the plot into four beautifully woven paths for the audience to follow, allowing viewers to explore all the series has to offer. Natural talent and intentional directing meld with thoughtful casting to provide an escape into a world that truly captivates. Whether tagging along with Mike Wheeler and the gang or watching the world doubt what Joyce Byers knows she’s seen, viewers will want to stay in Hawkins after the first five minutes. How many episodes does it take to resurrect 80’s science fiction? The Netflix-exclusive drama did it in eight, and we can’t wait for more.

– John Ellis

A

t this point, what else could it be? Taqueria del Sol, Decatur’s goldmine for date nights, girls’ night out or family dinners continues to be an iconic eatery.

Not only is the food to die for (I mean, just drive by on a Friday or Saturday and look at the massive line that wraps around the parking lot), but eating at “Taq” has become a rite of passage for Decatur teens, too.

Pull up on any night of the week and you’ll be greeted by the familiar faces of neighbors, friends and acquaintances.

But Taq is more than a commonplace for community eats. After all, there’s a reason it’s so popular. Maybe it’s the low prices and open-air atmosphere, or maybe it’s Photo courtesy of Torey Brierly simply just the food.

With a menu stocked full of mouth watering tacos, enchiladas covered in a variety of Mexican-inspired sauces and delicious sides that get your stomach grumbling, Taqueria del Sol has all of the essentials.

– Molly Weston

FOOD

TV

A disastrous crash and an even worse film

W

FILM

hen I walked into AMC theatres on Sept. 24, I saw something I didn’t expect.

The story of Captain Sullenberger (Sully) and Jeffrey Skiles is incredible, but I don’t think it was the best it could be in Clint Eastwood’s “Sully.” The miracle landing took a short 24 minutes, and it was clear Eastwood didn’t have enough content to make a thrilling movie. I needed more.

The movie fluctuated between the past and the present and wasn’t told in the natural sequence of events. This was an interesting decision, but I would have come away less underwhelmed if it had been filmed sequentially. Eastwood showed too many scenes of Sully talking on the phone with his wife and too little of the action on the plane, which probably totaled only 20-30 minutes in all. I would have preferred if the movie had

extended the flight itself and the landing instead of focusing on life after the flight.

The subplot of how the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) believed Sully had not made the right decision to emergency land eventually took over the main plot of the movie and became the movie itself.

While the filming was excellent, I felt the story was more a documentary than a thriller, which was what I was expecting.

Despite the subpar storytelling, the acting was phenomenal. Tom Hanks proved the perfect actor for Sully. He always excels in the real life everyday hero role, as he did in the movie “Captain Phillips.”

I preferred that movie to Sully because I was constantly on the edge of my seat.

Both movies had the potential to do this, but Captain Phillips did the better job.

Unless you’re looking for a movie capturing the details of Sully’s life after the emergency landing instead of the miracle itself, this movie isn’t for you. I never got the feeling I was there on the flight going through everything they did.

That’s what the audience – Ben Greco

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

5

Bulldog

Phot courtesy of Nicole Williams-Cooper

Update

Volleyball of returning varsity players. The team only brought in four new players. Each player wants to conribute to Rumsey enjoys the team’s initiative to play up to their potential everyday.

“I’m proud of the amount of team leaders we have on the team,” Rumsey said. “Everyone on the team is very responsible and willing to step up when we take the court, regardless of grade or position.”

Outside hitter Elizabeth Swank agrees that the team’s dynamic contributes to their success.

“The team is really developing and learning how to work together,” she said.

– Khari Davis

Photo courtesy of Mary Souther

The Lady Bulldogs have been killing it.

Going into the postseason, the team is 27-10.

They are the second seed in the region.

Defensive specialist Isabel Rumsey credits the team’s winning ways to the team’s “scrappy” defense.

“Our defense is our strongest point,” she said. “We shape our game play around it.

On the offensive side the team has a handful of strong hitters. Outside hitter Sapphire Simpson is a consistent presence for the Lady Bulldogs and leads the team in kills.

“Sapphire is a great all-around player,” Rumsey said. “She’s very smart with the ball and is a strong hitter.”

Veteran experience is shown in the plethora

Freshman Carly Herman-Gallow (left) works with sophomores Martha Leach (middle) and Erin Iverson (right) to move up in the pack at the Darlington Cross Country Festival on Oct. 1. The team fininshed fifth out of 21 teams.

6 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

Senior Isabelle Drooker plays libero, an exclusively defensive position. The Bulldogs hosted the region playoffs where they ranked number two after a loss to Riverwood on Oct. 8.

Cross Country After two months of running, Decatur’s cross-country team is heading into its only home meet of the season with high hopes. At their last meet, an Oct. 1 showdown in Rome, the girls’ varsity team took sixth place and the boys’ finished tenth, setting both teams on course for the state championships in Carrollton on Nov. 5.

Head coach Mary Souther takes pride in her team after every race.

“Running a cross country race is hard,” she said. “I appreciate everyone who crosses that finish line, no matter what their time is.”

Senior Sam Ellis and freshman Haley Rose have consistently outpaced the pack. At the Kosh Classic on Aug. 20, Ellis finished first and Rose second in their respective varsity races. Rose’s achievement is all the more impressive when considering that this is her first time running cross-country.

“I didn’t really know what to expect when I began [running],” she said. “I’d heard that there were a ton of really fast girls from all different schools, so I wasn’t really sure how I’d do.”

JVarsity captain Anna Mahany, a seven-year veteran of the program, knows a winning group of runners when she sees one.

“Both teams have run really well this year,” she said. “I’m pretty confident that we’ll go far at state.”

– Jake Miller

After a season without seniors, first baseman Olivia Brozek was “excited by the team’s potential” this season.

Sophomore Haley Russell is “an amazing clutch hitter and always helps the team when she goes up to bat,” Brozek said.

She also believes that junior Katie Cassidy’s pitching assists in the team’s success.

Since the team did not lose any seniors between last season and this season, no major changes had to be made.

“We were able to simply continue what we were doing last year,” senior Claire Smith said.

This season the Lady Bulldogs are undefeated in their region for the first time.

“As a senior, it has been amazing to have such a strong last season,” Smith said. “I’m ready for post season and what it will bring.”

To host state playoffs the Bulldogs had to keep their spot as the number one seed during the region tournament. On Oct. 5, the bulldogs played and won their third game against North Springs 11-10, sending them to compete for the region championship against Riverwood. They won 10-2.

Since the beginning of summer, the team has “seen each other everyday.” This has allowed the players to bond and “really lets

Football Entering a brand new region, 5A, and classification this year, the football team began the season with high hopes for success. With the abrupt transfer of star player Grant Walker, head coach Scott Jackson was disappointed about the way the situation was handled.

“Grant caught me by surprise because he didn’t tell me anything,” Jackson said. “I’m a little bit upset with him about the way he handled it.”

On the other hand, the loss of 12 seniors gave opportunities for other Bulldogs to step up and take over new roles. Sophomore running back Antonio Kilgore is one of the many players who has had an “influential role on the team” thus far.

“I’m looking forward to [the future of the team],” Kilgore said. “I can see them building their character. They like to listen. They’re coachable, so I can see them building on with the rest of the team making us better.”

According to Kilgore, freshmen Luke Clark and Doneiko Slaughter, as well as sophomores Temesgen Yohannes and Marcus Hood have stepped up.

Photo courtesy of Rick Brozek

Softball

LEADER BOARD 19:02 Haley Rose’s 5K time at the Wingfoot XC Classic on Sept. 24

Senior first baseman Olivia Brozek fields a grounder against Dunwoody on Aug. 22. She leads the team with 61 RBIs.

[them] trust each other during the games,” Smith said.

This trust has proven to be valuable as the Lady Bulldogs advance to the state playoffs as region champs.

– Kaylan Ware

In their second region match-up of the season, the Bulldogs faced a 47-0 halftime deficit against Grady. Jackson and star senior receiver Terrill Hall told the team to put the first half out of memory. Jackson told them to remember the three parts of a game: the event, response and outcome. At this point in the game the response mattered the most.

“We listened to him and came out and tried to go as hard as we possibly could,” Kilgore said. “That second half of that game was the best effort we’ve given all season.”

Despite the stronger second half performance against Grady, the Bulldogs have struggled to finish games all season.

“Everybody we have played has more numbers, and they usually have more depth on both sides of the ball,” Jackson said.

As the season continues, Jackson suggests that the team can still finish off the second half of the season strong.

“We just got to continue to work, keep fighting and keep playing,” Jackson said.

“Hopefully we will be able to finish a game off.”

– Jonathan Paden & Christopher Rosselot

15:40 Sam Ellis’s 5K time

at the Asics Invitational on Oct. 8

#1 Softball region rank

after winning the region championship game against Riverwood on Oct. 6

72 Number of volleyball kills over the regular season

by Annalisa Mendoza

75 yards Length of Terrill Hall’s

touchdown reception in a loss to North Springs on Sep. 16

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

7

A

s an Eagles fan and an avid hater of the Dallas Cowboys, it pains me to say this: the ‘Boys selection of Ezekiel Elliott out of Ohio State gave them a player ready for NFL stardom.

Zeke’s going into a franchise with a rich history at the position – think Tony Dorsett, Emmitt Smith, even UGA great Herschel Walker. But after letting go of Demarco Murray in 2015, Dallas was left searching for a new lead back. They ended up finding a short-term option in veteran Darren McFadden, but this was overshadowed by their 4-12 season and the disappointment of finishing last in the NFC East. Head coach Jason Garrett needed to make a bold move that could pay off in the long run with a franchise player.

The Heisman discussion during the past two seasons always featured Elliott, setting marks of over 1,800 yards on the ground and consistently earned Big Ten and player of the week honors. But more importantly, he is a proven winner. On Jan. 12, 2015, with the whole nation watching, Elliott put the team on his shoulders, piling on 246 yards and 4 touchdowns (fantasy geeks: that’s 48 points) to lead Ohio State to the first ever College Football Playoff title.

Zeke is an explosive runner who’s not afraid to take hits. Some criticize his willingness to take on defenders, but this is a sign that he’s tough enough for the hard-impact collisions of the NFL. As a Buckeye, Elliott put his elite vision and decision-making on display by going through gaps and bouncing outside into the open field. Once it’s off to the races, he’s pretty much a lock: his 40yard dash time at the Combine of 4 . 4 7 seconds ranked sixth among RBs, according to NFL.com.

And if he’s caught, his toughness ensures that he’ll grind out some extra yards. This technique helped him turn countless doomed run draws into big yardage gains.

Elliott received considerable heat after having two fumbles in Week 2 against the Redskins, one of which was lost. However, his exceptional production outweighs these rookie mistakes: through four weeks, he leads the league in rushing with 412 yards.

In short, he fits right into the Cowboys offensive plans this season as the clear lead back in front of Alfred Morris. Behind a stellar offensive line, which has been the focus of the Cowboys’ development strategy for years, Elliott is sure to continue to find his role and grow into a major, reliable producer for “America’s Team” (sike).

– Max Tirouvanziam

8

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

SPORTS OPINION

Which NFL rookie will succeed in the league?

Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles

T

he Cowboys suck.

That might be the only thing we agree on, so I’ll get it out now. While I agree they addressed a major need at running back, I don’t think Elliott’s the next Emmitt Smith. The Philadelphia Eagles, on the other hand, used their second pick on Carson Wentz, who’s shaping up to be an elite quarterback in the near future.

The Eagles haven’t had a serviceable quarterback since Donovan McNabb in 2009, save for that crazy season with Nick Foles. They caught Mike Vick at the end of his prime and went downhill from there, at one point starting Mark Sanchez for eight games. Wentz displays the kind of upside that earns big money in the league.

Clearly, the Eagles were justified in letting Sam Bradford go. Wentz threw for 769 yards and five touchdowns through three games, and of his 102 passes, none have been intercepted. His quarterback rating is sixth-best in the NFL. His Week 3 performance may be a sign of things to come: 301 yards, two touchdowns and a 34-3 win over the Steelers, who were the then second-ranked team in the NFL, according to ESPN. Wentz’s stats at North Dakota State University (NDSU) were no different.

During his college career, Wentz threw only 14 interceptions. He was responsible for 58 touchdowns, including 13 rushing, and his Bison teams lost only four games in four years. Known for his arm strength, the man NFL Network has said is “every bit as athletic as Andrew Luck or Cam Newton” has brought his running abilities to the league as well.

NDSU is an FCS school, the second tier of Division I, meaning the team can’t qualify for a big bowl game. The competition isn’t as stout as in the FBS, the first tier; the Bison are scheduled to play Illinois State and Missouri State in their next two games.

That didn’t stop Wentz’s teams from winning three straight against FBS opponents, including a 20-point win over Iowa State in 2014. This winning mentality has carried over this season, putting the Eagles at 3-0 and atop the NFC East standings.

If this blazing start continues, Wentz will join an elite company of quarterbacks drafted from the FCS in the first round, a list that includes Steve McNair, Doug Williams, Joe Flacco and Phil Simms, all of which have been to Super Bowls. With the Eagles’ offensive line and secondary improving, it’s only a matter of time before Wentz, too, makes his pilgrimage to the big game.

-Jake Miller Graphics courtesy of Creative Commons, labeled for reuse with modification.

MARKETPLACE CARPE DIEM • October 2016

9

MARKETPLACE 10 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

MARKETPLACE CARPE DIEM • October 2016

11

? what’s happening on

what’s happening on

?what’s happening on

? what’s happening on

? what’s happenin

What’s Happening on Atlanta poet promts national reaction

R

oyce Mann, a freshman at Paideia, sparked a national discussion when a video of his

slam poem on race relations from the end

of the 2015-2016 school year went viral and now has

over 980,000 views on YouTube. – Christopher Rosselot

Decatur Book Festival full of surprises

O

ver Labor Day weekend, Decatur Book

Festival attendees got treats of all sorts–

from ice cream to photo ops with favorite

authors. This year’s festival attracted an estimated 75

thousand people and hundreds of presenters, according to its website. Find some of the festival’s highlights in the gallery below.

The ring of fire still burns

W

ho would’ve thought that J.R Cash

from Kingsland, Ark. would assemble some forty five national awards in

those husky seventy one years. That near-century

echoed sorrow, moral struggle and his ultimate re-

demption into his music career sixty years later is still heard around the world.

12 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

– John Ellis

– Claire Goldman

ng on

? what’s happening on

?what’s happening on

? what’s happening on

? what’s happening on

?

Rocket FIzz opens in Decatur

A

fter much construction and renovation on the

empty space, Decatur’s newest candy store, Rocket Fizz, moved in and opened on Friday,

Aug 26. Store manage Mary Eadon Robinson hopes the attraction will bring Clairemont to life.

– Isis Amusa

Black Lives Matter holds group rally

A

diverse group of almost 150 people convened

at the bandstand on Decatur’s square on Sat, Aug. 27, to remember recent victims of po-

lice shootings and discuss paths toward racial equality.

– Max Tirouvanziam

Dragon Con Parade celebrates successful year

T

he Dragon Con Parade took a walk down

Peachtree Road in September, and fans of

different genres showed up to cheer it on.

Attendees came from all over the country, and the air thrummed with excitement.

– Mary Shewan

Click on

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

13

FLYING HIGH

Local drone use soars

BY BEN GRECO

In 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) passed a law permitting users to fly drones under 55 pounds. This opened up the sky for recreational users, including both children and adults who now fly drones as a hobby.

14 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

R

buying a quality drone and purchased a DJI Phantom 3 for $470 that shoots in 4,000 pixel wide video footage.

To Redfield, the difference is noticeable.

“When I started reading the reviews and tech specs, I instantly knew I had made a great decision,” he said.

With a top speed of 35 miles per hour, it’s “one of the top drones on the market,” according to Redfield.

His Phantom boasts up to a 25 minute battery life, 12 megapixel video and vision positioning technology, making it almost impossible to hit an obstacle. Other leading drones available, such as the DJI Inspire 1, typically have an 18 minute battery life.

“It’s just incredible,” he said.

The drone came with an owners’ manual that listed rules that he didn’t know.

“When I was scanning the manual, I saw that I had to get the drone registered,” he said. “I had no idea what that meant.”

In 2015, the FAA passed a law that required drones weighing more than 55 pounds to be registered.

“When I learned I had to register the Phantom, I was honestly disappointed,” he said. “I knew it’d take forever until I could legally fly the drone anywhere besides my backyard.”

After researching the process, his mindset changed.

All he had to do was provide his name, email and home address. Then, he received a certificate of registration with an identification number for his drone, and “boom!

I was done.”

Redfield could legally fly the drone, but with restictions. Many countries ban using a drone, and they’re difficult to get through customs, according to Redfield.

Ben Kroll, chief operating officer and chief pilot for Atlanta Drone Consulting, has seen this first hand.

“I know someone who got permission to film a Photo by Ben Greco

enfroe student Joseph Gable has been experimenting with drones for more than three years and working on his latest drone for two. He added a GPS and a gimbal, which stabilizes the GoPro attached to it.

“I even put my iPhone on it,” he said. “It can hold almost anything.”

Gable attends Decatur Makers, a club where he’s been a member for just over a year. There, he repairs and flies his drone. Decatur Makers typically charges as little as $25 a month for individuals, but Gable is “very lucky” to attend on scholarship, he said.

Gable usually spends his time there customizing a drone he built that weighs in at over a half pound.

Because of the drone’s weight, he had to register it with the FAA. “If I want to fly anywhere that’s not my backyard, I have to bring my permit,” he said. “I’ll be fined if I forget.”

Decatur resident Edward Redfield also picked up Gable’s hobby and started out flying small helicopters and other remote control (R/C) vehicles. Soon after, he started searching for a drone to purchase.

“I didn’t have the money to invest in a drone at the time,” he said. “I didn’t want a subaverage drone. If I was going to spend the money, I wanted to do it right.”

Many of Redfield’s cheap R/C cars and helicopters broke after a few weeks.

“I immediately regretted buying some of those,” he said. “I didn’t want that to happen with a drone.”

At first, Redfield was hesitant to shell out hundreds of dollars on a drone.

“I’ve never liked spending money,” he said. “It’s always been hard for me to make big purchases.”

Redfield began saving his money in hopes of one day

Located next to Fire Station One, Atlanta Drone Consultants often test a drone’s ability to drop small objects. Ben Kroll (left) often attends media conventions where he demonstrates this.

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

15

movie in Cuba, and he tried to bring a drone to shoot some footage,” Kroll said. “They didn’t allow it through customs because they don’t know enough about the technology.”

Even if he had managed to get it through customs, he wouldn’t have been allowed to use in Cuba.

“The only person that’s allowed to fly it is a Cuban national,” Kroll said.

According to Kroll, drone laws simply depend on the country.

“Some developing countries have a lot of rules and some have none. It all depends.”

Originally, Kroll started out as a commercial pilot and flight instructor, but he started flying drones about a year and a half ago.

“One of my students wanted to start a drone company,” he said. “We really hit it off.”

Kroll’s student’s company inspired him, and he was ready to try something new.

“It sounded like the next thing for me,” he said. “I could take all my background knowledge and apply it to flying drones.”

His company, Atlanta Drone Consulting, offers filming services including shooting movies, TV shows and commercials. They provide the drone, the operator and the filming.

When the company offers services for businesses, they fly commercially, resulting in more restrictions. Filming commercially simply means flying for an established business or company, not just for personal use.

“When filming commercially, we have a maximum altitude of 400 feet, and we are only allowed to fly during the day hours,” he said. “In addition, you’re required to have a drone operator’s license.”

The restrictions may sound limiting, but Kroll can get around them.

“We are able to fly at night because we got a warrant to from the FAA,” he said. “You just have to fill out the paperwork and go through the process.”

Kroll has flown drones for a variety of companies.

“We’ve shot for construction and engineering companies and used special mapping techniques to build a 3D model,” he said. “We even worked with the Weather Channel and followed them around in Hurricane Hermine that recently hit Florida. We captured live footage of it with a drone.”

Kroll’s favorite shot he’s gotten with a drone came inside the Hyatt Regency hotel in Downtown Atlanta.

“The Hyatt has an amazing atrium,” he said. “We flew from the ground to the very top of the building and it was the coolest shot ever.”

Redfield flies in Atlanta often, but he was ready for more.

He got the opportunity when Redfield and his family traveled to Europe. He originally planned to bring the drone before learning that Italy and France would not permit flying it.

“The video potential was infinite,” Redfield said. “There were so many times when I was thinking ‘this would be the perfect place to fly the drone,’ so it was kind of disappointing.”

Regardless, Redfield understands the laws.

“Drones are scary things,” he said. “When most people think of a drone, drones used in the military and what they can do to people comes to mind. Footage from drone strikes give a bad first impression of drones to most.”

16 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

Joseph Gable has been working on his current drone for two years. Over time, he has bought parts to customize the drone at the Decatur Maker space.

Redfield believes that fear is what results in strict rules.

“When developing countries such as Cuba have less knowledge of the new technology, they usually are frightened by them and therefore stricter rules are enforced,” Redfield said. “If you don’t understand technology, it can be terrifying.”

Other developed countries have similarly established rules like the United States, and some countries don’t.

Kroll believes you should always do your research about a foreign country’s drone laws before attempting to bring a drone into that country.

Whether in the U.S. or abroad, junior Fin Jones isn’t a supporter of recreational drone flying.

“I don’t think any ordinary person should be able to have that much power in their hands,” he said. “Drones should be harder to get for the average user. You don’t even have to get a license.”

Some drones have proven to be dangerous. A report from the FAA shows 583 drone incidents from August 2015 to January 2016. Though Jones doesn’t support the easy registration process of drones, he does realize how progressive the technology is, and how when in the right hands, drones are nothing to be afraid of.

“I think the technology is super cool, and pictures and videos from some flights are amazing,” Jones said.

“A lot of my friends have drones. It’s just important that people stay safe when using them. They’re not something to mess around with.”

Redfield belives the reward outweighs the risk.

“Drone technology is incredibly innovative,” he said.

“They’re making everyday activities easier, and they’re changing the way we film. They’re the future.” n

Frank G. Goldman, P.C. www.fggpc.com

Strategic ♦ Legal ♦ Guidance Frank G. Goldman Attorney and Mediator

Admitted in GA & MD

Decatur Coworks Bldg.

708 Church St. Decatur, GA 30030 (678) 705-8483 fax: (866) 763-2799 fgoldman@fggpc.com

A neighborhood makerspace for everyone!

Classes Offered for Children & Adults in:

Ballet

Modern

Jazz

Tap

Performance Opportunities Available!

Build.

Share.

Explore.

Contact us at info@dancefoundry.com 2977 E. Ponce de Leon Ave. * Decatur, GA 30030 www.dancefoundry.com

www.decaturmakers.org

MARKETPLACE

Party Food | Meals To Go Canton Mart Square • 1491 Canton Mart Rd. • Jackson, MS 93211 601.957.1166 • cookinupastorm.kitchen CARPE DIEM • October 2016

17

Gianna Richardson stands on the sideline as the team practices their plays. Richardson is the only girl in the Gwinnett Football League to ever play football.

Playing ball with the boys

BY JONATHAN PADEN

T

he referee blows the whistle as the kicker kicks the ball off. The air blows her hair wildly around her as she sprints down the field. When she collides with the ball carrier, nine-year-old Gianna Richardson has just accomplished something that most girls never get the opportunity to do.

All the way in the Gwinnett Football League’s Mountain Park, near Parkview High School, Richardson made headlines when she became the first girl in the park’s history to play football.

The head coach of the team, Marcel Baker, enjoys the attention having a girl on the team brings.

“Since a lot of people in this area know about [Richardson] or have at least heard of her, people want to come and see her play,” Baker said. “It makes for a great experience for us and the kids.”

At one point in Gresham Park, Baker coached two sisters at the same time.

“Their names were Tiffany and Tanisha,” Baker said. “They do resemble Gianna a little bit because all three of them have a strong love of the game, and they are willing to work hard each and every day.”

18 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

The team practices three days a week. Richardson shows up to every practice “ready to play,” Baker said.

Richardson’s mother, Beth Richardson, was as surprised by Gianna’s aspiration to play football as the rest of the family.

A three-time varsity soccer letter winner, Beth hoped that her daughter would have an inclination towards the same sport.

“I never thought Gianna was ever really that big on football,” she said, “but after we went to a football game a few years back, Gianna just begged for me to let her play, and I let her.”

For Gianna, taking part in the game has already helped her enjoy it more than she ever thought it would.

“I didn’t think I would like it this much,” Gianna said.

“The season has been really fun so far, and I’m not ready for it to end.”

Gianna hasn’t just created a buzz around the city for playing. She also reignited the controversy surrounding girls and football.

Athletic director Carter Wilson said girls are allowed and should not be denied the opportunity.

“Girls may participate on boys’ teams when there is no girls’ team offered in that sport by the school,” he said.

Photos by Jonathan Paden

“It’s more about how they’re accepted into the sport by their teammates, the coaches and the parents.”

– Carror Wright, GHSA associate director

Gianna’s teammate, Kiondre Campbell, agrees.

“For our team [Gianna] is just another player, so I don’t see how it wouldn’t be the same for other teams,” Campbell said. “If she can do it, I think older girls can do it, too.”

Decatur head coach Scott Jackson believes that girls should have the opportunity to play a male sport, albeit with reservations.

“If girls can make a team, I think that they should be able to do a pretty good job,” Jackson said. “I wouldn’t want a flood of girls, you know. Just from my experiences, it’s a little too physical sometimes for them.”

The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Associate Director, Carror Wright, thinks that the question extends beyond whether or not girls should be allowed to play.

“I don’t think it’s about whether they can play or not,” Wright said. “It’s more about how they’re accepted into the sport by their teammates, the coaches and the parents.”

In 2013, twelve-year-old Maddie Baxter played for the Strong Rock Christian School football team. She quit after the community encouraged her withdrawal from the team.

“Frankly, I don’t think Georgia as a whole does a good job with handling a negative situation when it comes to girls playing on a boys team,” Wright said.

Despite the controversy, Gianna wants to return for a second year.

“I’m having fun playing the game that I like,” she said, “so I think that as long I keep liking it, I will be back for next season.”

Beth Richardson has a slightly different opinion. She suspects that most people are just missing the point.

“It’s not about whether or not girls are allowed to play,” Richardson said. “It’s about giving them the opportunity to have fun playing the game that they love and no one should ever be able to take that away from you, boy or girl.” n

Add your opinion: should girls get to play football?

Gianna’s team had two games on the weekend of September 30, where they played a league game on Saturday and a scrimmage in the Georgia Dome on Sunday. Her team played during halftime and at the end of the Falcons game.

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

19

Jessie Duroe-Hadley, Craig Hadley and their sons stand to the far right, gathered with friends on a path by their burned S. McDonough home.

HOPE HEALS

Community rallies after house fire

J

essie and Craig Hadley expected their summer vacation to be relaxing and enjoyable, but the call they received on July 14 was just the opposite. Their house was on fire.

The fire destroyed the Hadley’s home in Oakhurst, but an astounding community response emerged.

The first of many who helped was thirteen-year old Myles Baker and his father when they drove by around 4 p.m. They immediately alerted the house sitters to the smoke coming from the roof.

The Decatur Fire Department was next, rushing to the Hadley’s home on S. McDonough St. and putting out the fire as neighbors and friends gathered around. Kate Swett and Lesley Cortright, close friends of the Hadleys, saw how the community supported

20 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

one another.

“I think people just needed to be there,” Swett said.

The people there comforted one another and were “bearing witness together,” Swett said. They hugged and cried and did their best to support the firefighters by bringing gatorade to them.

Many waited for the okay from the fire department to see if any of the family’s possessions could be salvaged.

Jessie Duroe-Hadley was amazed by the kindness of people like Swett and Cortright.

“I don’t think the fire was out before people started telling us that we could stay at their house,” Jessie DuroeHadley said.

With the community supporting one another, Cortright saw the sense of unity that developed.

“With Decatur growing, it felt really small that night,” she said.

Less than 24 hours after the fire, Swett, Cortright and other community members began fundraising to help the family recover.

Friends and Revolution Doughnuts set up a bake sale.

Photos by Sophia DeLuca

BY SOPHIA DELUCA

Above: the Hadley’s oldest son. For Duroe-Hadley one of the best things about the response was kids reaching out to her sons.

1

2

3

1. Donations of replacement toys and books were organized through the Signup Genius website. 2. Even children in the neighborhood helped the Hadleys by selling lemonade. 3. Firefighters worked over seven hours to suppress the fire and secure the Hadley’s home. Photos 1, 2 courtesy of Joanna Duke.

This wasn’t an ordinary bake sale.

Customers donated up to $50 and took just one doughnut. The bake sale became more of a “show up and give,” making over $850 on the first day, Cortright said.

The bake sale was just the beginning.

Swett, Cortright and others organized other events and programs, such as a Signup Genius for donations, more bake sales, lemonade stands and a GoFundMe website which quickly raised enough money to help the family get back on their feet.

Not only did friends and neighbors raise money to support the family, they donated clothes, food, toys and other necessities.

Swett and others unpacked all of the donations so that the Hadleys could come to their rental house and have it feel like a home. Even floss and razors were carefully placed in drawers.

This extra effort didn’t go unappreciated.

“I open up the drawers and I’m like ‘awww, someone put this here for me,’” Duroe-Hadley said.

The donations also helped the Hadley’s young children adjust. On the first night in the new rental house, the distraction of the new toys made it a little easier for Duroe-Hadley’s

youngest son.

“He wasn’t thinking about all the things he lost, it was just joy that he got new toys,” Duroe-Hadley said.

People close to the Hadleys played an important part in the response, but they weren’t the only ones who helped out.

Local businesses like Pace 23 and the Oakhurst Cooperative Preschool set up clothing drives and meal trains for the family, shortening their to-do list. “[The] last thing they needed to think about was having to feed the kids,” Swett said.

While the Hadleys were trying to put their lives back – Lesley t o g e t h e r, they took a moment to try and help others. The family offered to use money from their GoFundMe page to pay for their house sitter’s lost computers.

“Even in your tragedy, you’re thinking of someone else,” Cortright said to Duroe-Hadley.

For the Hadley family, it wasn’t about the donations. Just thinking about those in need makes a difference,

Duroe-Hadley said.

“I think about the ‘thank you’s’ I need to write all the time,” DuroeHadley said.

With the fire behind them, the Hadleys can see that the support offsets the hardship they endured.

Duroe-Hadley shed just as many tears about the help as about the fire.

“If people wouldn’t have reached out to us like they did, this could have been a very different experience,” DuroeHadley said.

Cortright summed up Decatur’s healing atmosphere.

2

“That’s how Decatur works.

It’s that consistent pay it forward.

Strangers are not strangers.”

Cortright, friend of the Hadleys “That’s how Decatur works,” she said. “It’s that consistent pay it forward...Strangers are not strangers.” n

See a neighbor’s video footage of the Hadley’s house on fire.

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

21

MARKETPLACE 22 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

MARKETPLACE CARPE DIEM • October 2016

23

The longest journey

Decatur alumni hike from Mexico to Canada

Photo courtesy of Will Wynne

Jackson (right) and Will (left) on Forester Pass in the High Sierras. “The High Sierras were physically the hardest part,” Will said. “There was just so much snow.”

BY CLAIRE GOLDMAN

M

ount Whitney stands 14,505 feet tall, reaching higher than any other peak in the 48 connecting states. The mountian is icy and bitterly cold year-round. On June 3, Decatur alumni Luke Jackson and Will Wynne sat huddled in a hut at the peak.

“It was really sketchy since there was so much snow,” Luke said. “We didn’t have any of the right equipment. Neither of us could sleep, but it was really cool to think we were at a higher elevation than anyone else in the continental U.S.” Luke and Will had reached the end of day 25 of their hike up the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), which stretches 2,650 miles from the Mexican to Canadian borders. Mount Whitney marks mile 767.

The trail, second longest in the U.S., cuts through California, Oregon and Washington.

The two have hiked together in the past, spending up to a week hiking the Appalachian Trail. On those hikes the idea of hiking the PCT formed.They had introduced the idea more than a year in advance, Will’s father, Frank Wynne, said.

“We met some really cool thru-hikers, and they told us about the PCT,” Will said.

24 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

“I talked to Luke, and the time just seemed right.”

Most thru-hikers, people who hike the trail end-to-end, spend about five months on the trail, but Luke and Will only had 100 days before school started in the fall.

Only 2 percent of hikers complete the trek in the time the pair had allotted, according to the Friends of the PCT website, so they only planned to hike as far as they could.

“When they brought it up, I didn’t think they’d make it,” Frank said. “I thought they’d get through the desert, get into the mountains, and call and say, ‘we’re tired, we’re behind schedule, come pick us up.’”

The pair knew they would face not only physical challenges but mental difficulties as well. As they began to hike from the Mexican border, they realized the idea of walking across a continent was not as scary as actually doing it.

“Staying mentally focused [was the hardest part], knowing 2,500 miles are ahead of you,” Luke said. “It’s hard to wake up, hike all day and do it again.”

The first week pushed the two mentally.

After putting miles behind them, they acclimated to trail life and trail culture.

“All thru-hikers are pretty interesting,”

Luke said. “Maybe they’re a little weird, but you get to hear their backstories, and you feel like you’ve known them forever.”

The pair would hear the stories of the other thru-hikers, but not always names. After hiking long enough, most hikers take “trail names,” Luke said.

The name sticks, whether they’re hiking the PCT or another trail.

Luke became “Vulture” because of his habit of scavenging through hiker boxes, posts where hikers leave gifts for each other along the trail.

After reaching a town in Southern California, Will was dubbed “Melonhead.” The two were craving watermelon, so they bought one and ate it in a single sitting. After finishing, Will made a bet.

“I don’t remember what the odds were,” Luke said. “Maybe one in five or one in ten.

But he lost, and he had to walk around town with half a watermelon on his head like a hat.”

The pair worked their way north, reaching the halfway point in Northern California after 49 days. It was there they decided to pick up the pace and try to finish within their goal time.

“We thought it would be a letdown if we didn’t finish,” Luke said. “There were a lot of,

Photos courtesy of Luke Jackson

Above: Jackson and Wynne sit atop Eagle Rock near San Diego on May 14. Right: Wynne sits beneath Tunnel Falls in northern Oregon, just short of the Washington border. Below: The view from Mount Whitney’s peak, the highest point in the lower 48 states. The hut where Jackson and Wynne spent the night is visible in the background.

you could call them haters I guess, who said we couldn’t finish. We wanted to disprove them.”

They began to increase speed, averaging 30 miles a day, sometimes pushing past 40.

Though the trip became increasingly difficult, they knew others had it worse.

“Hiking alone gets lonely,” Will said. “This way, you have someone to share the experience with.”

On day 60, they crossed from California into Oregon, and on day 73, into Washington.

As they walked, Luke and Will both recorded their adventure; Luke keeping an Instagram account and Will writing a blog.

“We knew we’d be seeing things we’d never seen before,” Luke said. “The Appalachian [Trail] looks the same most of the way, but the PCT is way more beautiful, and there are so many different landscapes.”

One particular view stayed with Luke.

“In Goat Rocks, Washington, you were up on a ridge, and you could look down, and in the valley there was a herd of maybe eight or nine goats playing together,” he said.

Then, on the rainy afternoon of day 89, the two reached the Canadian border.

“It was really anticlimactic,” Will said. “It was cold. We were just like, ‘wow, we actually did it,’ and then turned around and set up camp.”

Both Luke and Will said their experience “was about the journey, not the destination.”

“It changed my values,” Will said. “After being out in nature that long, a lot of stuff doesn’t seem so important. You stop caring about what people think of you. You stop caring about classes or stress.”

Luke agrees that since he’s been back, he cares less about all of the little things.

“The trail teaches you what you need and don’t need,” Luke said. “You learn what you are capable of.”

Both are back in college, and they share the same complaint: they’re tired of sitting still.

Everyday life makes them too claustrophobic, and they have too much energy for

sitting in class. Both say they have become “increasingly fidgety.”

According to Robert Moor, author of “On Trails,” these complaints are common among hikers. For a long time after they finish, thruhikers will feel restless. Often, these hikers return to the trails again and again.

Luke already wants to go back.

“It’d be cool to be a triple crowner, to have hiked the PCT, the Appalachian and the Continental Divide Trails,” he said.

It seems the PCT is calling the duo to lace up their hiking boots again. n

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

25

Talking points

By Max Tirouvanziam and Emmie Poth-Nebel

Pivotal politics: 2016 brings voter changes to nation and state

F

or the first time in decades, major news outlets and polling centers are considering Georgia a swing state in the presidential election.

Georgia voted for 20 consecutive Democratic candidates in a period spanning from reconstruction to the beginnings of the civil rights movement. After Democratic president Lyndon B. Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, though, many voters across the South registered as Democrats but still supported the ideals of segregation and redefined themselves as “Southern Democrats.” These voters defined the politics of states like Georgia for a generation by voting for Republican presidential nominees but choosing Democrats at all other positions.

Since the switch, Georgia has only voted blue in the general election three times: first when homegrown Jimmy Carter ran in 1976 and again in ‘80, and then in ‘92 for Bill Clinton’s first term, when third-party candidate Ross Perot took many conservative votes away from incumbent George H. W. Bush.

This year, a Democratic candidate for President has a legitimate shot at carrying the state, and this time, no confounding factors are present.

Professor Charles Bullock, a chair of the Political Science department at UGA, points to two wide-ranging demographic changes to explain Georgia’s shift from solid red to purple.

One is the tendency among new generations of Georgians, including 30 to 40 year olds, to vote Democratic in presidential elections.

“Younger voters are going away from the Republican party,” he said, “and millennials are firmly Democratic.”

This shift among newer voters – who often come from conservative families and backgrounds – stems from the new inability of state GOP leadership to energize voters from

26 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

their base. In 2004, Georgia Republicans energized conservative voters by including an amendment to the state constitution banning gay marriages on the ballot, Bullock said.

But when it comes to once-polarizing issues like this, the younger generation of Southern conservatives, as Bullock puts it, just “doesn’t give a damn either way.”

The other demographic shift presents itself in counties around the metro Atlanta area. As these once predominantly white areas become increasingly racially diverse, Republicans are losing ground. Bullock cites the increasing Hispanic population of Rockdale and Gwinnett counties as well as the statewide registration of Black voters at the same rate as Whites.

“If you talk to Republican strategists around the country,” he said, “they are well aware of the demographic time bomb they are sitting on.”

Bullock predicts that if Republicans continue to fare badly with Black, Hispanic and other minority voters, they will be forced to somewhat realign on policies and issues, modernizing as Democrats did in the late 1980’s and early 90’s. He says that this will play out on local and national levels as Republicans “get tired of losing.”

As counties and districts continue to flip from red to blue in Georgia, especially around metro Atlanta, Democrats will make gains in state legislature positions first, Bullock sa This in turn will further increase competitiveness in statewide elections. But for this cycle, there’s not much worth watching here.

“None of our Congressional districts are even remotely contested,” Bullock said.

Despite these trends, which seem to point to Democratic gains this year, along with poll numbers that showed Clinton in front of Trump in Georgia in early August, Bullock doubts that the post-convention bump will result in Clinton carrying Georgia. Trends in more recent polls, which show Trump leading by around five points, reaffirm this notion.

“White Republicans who aren’t terribly enthusiastic about Trump will end up voting for their party,” he said.

This phenomenon, combined with greater turnout of older voters when compared to

millenials, suggests that no concrete effects of Georgia’s increased competitiveness will be felt this election cycle, but changes in Georgia on a broader scale point toward increasingly competitive contests in the near future.

While 2016 marks a shift in voting tendencies in Georgia, national voter turnouts hit an all time low as well.

As reported by The New York Times, approximately 40 percent of eligible adults in the United States do not vote. Minorities and low-income people make up the majority of this group, meaning their voices are left out.

As Amy Walter, political analyst for The Cook Political Report, said in her interview with CNN’s Party People, “What we have are two candidates who are so desperately disliked, you have a good chunk of voters who are Democrat or Republican … who are parked right now and undecided, who are deciding between the lesser of two evils.” Not only must Hillary and Trump supporters ponder the question “To support, or not to support?” but undecided voters must too.

Despite the severing of DemocraticRepublican relations in the past year, Pew Research Center finds American voters come to a consensus on two things: neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump will make a “good” president, and it’s easier to vote for who they’re “less against.” In response to the question “Would you say your choice is more a vote for ____ or against ____?”, 53 percent of Republican voters said their vote was against Clinton, whereas 44 percent based their vote on their support for Trump. The results show an 18 percent increase in the “against” column in comparison to the 2008 Obama/McCain campaign. The Democratic poll shows similar results. n Photos labeled for noncommercial resuse under Creative Commons licensing.

404-377-1867 atlanta-decatur.certapro.com WE SUPPORT LOCAL NON-PROFIT READING IS ESSENTIAL FOR ALL PEOPLE. LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED.

We Do Painting. You Do Life.™ Interior | Exterior | Residential | Commercial Each CertaPro Painters® business is independently owned and operated.

(404) 373-8167

145 Sycamore Street

MARKETPLACE CARPE DIEM • October 2016

27

28 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

Photo by Lorin Dent

Internship points senior in right direction

Cannon fits in at Georgia Aquarium A

30 minute MARTA ride turns senior Samantha Cannon’s dream into a reality, working at the Georgia Aquarium.

Cannon began volunteering at the aquarium in the summer of 2016, years after having first gone.

“I have loved the Georgia Aquarium ever since it opened,” Cannon said. “I first went with my Grandma, and it was so cool that I kept going. Eventually, people started asking me if I worked there because I went so often, so I figured why not?”

After a two month-long application process, Cannon was accepted into the volunteer guest program. As a volunteer, Cannon participates in a program called Weekend Warriors, where volunteers work weekend shifts up to six hours long.

Her first shift was especially memorable.

“It just went from zero to 100 real quick,” Cannon said.

“One of the small rays in the touch tanks came up, went vertical, and it just flapped three gallons of water onto my leg. It was hilarious.”

Although Cannon mostly works at touch tanks, she also shadows employees and leads gallery walks. New volunteers typically don’t teach classes, so it was a surprise when Cannon’s boss unexpectedly asked her to teach a sea otter class.

“I was a little overwhelmed because I had to use a microphone and teach a bunch of people about sea otters,” Cannon said. “This one Saturday there were like 14 thousand people there, so it can get intense.”

Cannon enjoys teaching anyone about marine life, no matter their previous knowledge. The more people, the better.

“There are people that barely speak English and that are just like ‘oh and ah’ when they see things, and they don’t care to learn anything else,” Cannon said. “There are also people that want to know exactly what kind of shark that is and exactly why they have so many gills, and I love that I can share that with them.”

Cannon is especially proud of her sea lion encounter. After four months of volunteering, Cannon met two rescue sea lion pups, Neptune and Diego.

“There wasn’t a moment I didn’t enjoy,” Cannon said. “I went in without any expectations at all, so I was surprised by every little thing. It was truly amazing.”

Cannon will continue volunteering as a guide at the sea lion gallery and hopes to work with Neptune and Diego on a regular basis.

Samantha’s initiative in pursuing an opportunity to work at the aquarium impressed her mom, Beth Cannon.

“It was pretty awesome watching my own kid take control of their own destiny and talent,” Beth said. “That sounds kind of goofy, but it really was awesome seeing her go after it.”

Beth recognizes that the 2015 movie “Raising Extinction” opened Samantha’s eyes and clarified what she really wanted to pursue. Samantha’s father Terry Cannon, however, recognizes their trip to Jekyll Island as a defining moment for Samantha.

Although the Cannons take family trips two to three times a year, Samantha surprised Terry when she asked to clean

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

29

It was pretty awesome watching my own kid take control of their own destiny and talent

– Beth Cannon, Samantha’s mother

Samantha enjoys working with whale sharks most, especially when she can see them from the top of the Ocean Voyager tank. “Ocean Voyager is the biggest tank at the aquarium and it’s so cool,” Samantha said. “You can go to the top of it and you can see the whole pool.” Photo by Emilia Fuentes

Jekyll Island for her birthday present.

“She was the youngest person there and had probably traveled that farthest to be there,” Terry said. “That’s when I went ‘wow she’s really into this,’ and it was really cool.”

Samantha is interested in pursuing a career in marine biology, and while she is still uncertain about the specifics, she is currently fascinated in “being a field biologist to tag and track sharks”.

While Terry can see Samantha conducting research, he also anticipates a career in education.

“I think she will be doing marine education or even working at the aquarium as an employee and giving back and teaching people what she knows,” Terry said.

Laura Griesser, Manager of Volunteer Programs at the Georgia Aquarium, has worked with Samantha since she began volunteering in July. Griesser feels that each volunteer possesses characteristics that make them incredible: excellent guest service, flexibility and a passion for aquatic life and the environment.

“Without them, we would not be able to accomplish all that we do,” Griesser said.

30 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

Samantha feels fortunate to be volunteering at the Ga. Aquarium because of the opportunities she now has.

“I am so, so lucky to be volunteering at the aquarium,” Samantha said. “It’s opened so many doors that I didn’t even know existed.”

Beth is “extremely proud” of Samantha for not only knowing what she wants to do but also for going after it.

“It’s awesome,” Beth said. “It’s one of those things that I think a parent hopes for, that their kiddo finds their passion and gets to pursue that. She’s a good girl, and she cares about what she’s doing. We should all be so lucky.” n

MARKETPLACE CARPE DIEM • October 2016

31

MARKETPLACE 32 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

Architecture PlAnning lAndscAPe interiors

LORD AECK SARGENT 1175 Peachtree St. NE Ste. 2400 Atlanta, GA 30361 877-929-1400 www.lordaecksargent.com

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

33

MARKETPLACE

responsive design

A world away,

not wor JUNIOR DISCOVERS SIMILARITIES DURING JOURNEY TO AFRICA

BY JULIA VERRE

34 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

rlds apart CARPE DIEM • October 2016

35

I

Photo courtesy of Cynthia Young

celebrities, and the event was aired on the local television network. ’m so lucky to be born not only in America, but into a well-off She didn't realize how much of an impact Americans had on the family in America,” junior Ayston Scully said. “How humbling is village until the following day when a Burkinabey man recognized her that?” in the marketplace.

Tired of the same old summer routine and family vacations, Ayston “You were at the Fourth of July party,” the man said. “I saw you on TV.” got her shots, filled her malaria prescription and bought a plane ticket “I thought it was crazy that the people of Ouagadougou could recto Burkina Faso in hopes of having an independent adventure. Expectaognize me from TV,” she said. “It's such an honor to be invited to the tions aside, she experienced three weeks of a humbling African culture. party, and they all knew who I was.”

Ayston looked into study abroad programs in Thailand and Ghana, It was then that Ayston's eyes were truly opened. She had no idea but her mother, Amy Scully, thought that would be too expensive. how idolized Americans were by the Burkinabey, she said.

“If you're interested in West African culture, do not go somewhere “There, America is a symbol for democracy and freedom,” she said. where it'll cost $10,000,” Amy said.

“For us, Washington, D.C. is the capital, but for third world countries, Because of Amy’s opinion, Ayston decided she would go stay with forget that, New York City is like the promised land.” her aunt and uncle, Cynthia and David Young, in Burkina Faso. Once Ayston traveled to the state department to give the Burkinabey an she received her parents’ permission, the trip was arranged in under opportunity to improve their English. Ayston sat with the people in two weeks. the group, who were mostly Ayston's first international male, as they talked about traveling experience did not start their aspirations and what off as she hoped when she got lost they wanted to do with their in Hartsfield-Jackson Airport as lives. Some attended the soon as she left her mom.

University of Ouagadougou.

“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what She compared the school to am I doing?’” she said. “‘How can the worst college you could I already be lost when I've been go to in America. to this airport so many times?’”

“They can't choose their After a full 24 hours of travelmajor; it’s assigned,” she said. ing, Ayston made it to her aunt “The teachers do not know and uncle’s house in Ouagadouthe subjects they are teaching, gou, the capital of Burkina Faso, there are no requirements to which is in northwestern Africa become a teacher, and all the just below the Sahara Desert.

Africans did was complain David Young, Ayston’s uncle, about how terrible and bad is the Deputy Chief of Mission it was.”

(DCM) at the U.S. Embassy in Being included in this Ouagadougou whose responsiexperience was extremely bilities are similar to those of a impactful for Ayston. She chief operating officer in a U.S. realized that her life, while company. normal to her, is what many Cynthia Young, Ayston’s aunt people in third world counand the DCM’s wife, noted the tries strive to have. importance of the U.S. Embassy “Whenever you say, ‘I'm in Burkina Faso.

American,’ they all say, ‘Oh “Diplomacy with Burkina Faso my gosh, I want to go to includes millions of dollars of America one day.’” aid, including programs such as Ayston and her aunt travfarming and food, roads, infraeled to the local park to hike structure, good governance and trails, which is where she promoting democracy, national experienced similarities besecurity, health care…and so tween the two cultures. much more,” she said.

She recalled seeing teens Because of her uncle’s status, Ayston had the privilege to stay Mama Apiou, a friend of the Young’s, speaks at her home in Ouagadougou. Her outfit gathered in the park having is an example of the traditonal outfit worn by a Burkinabey woman. picnics and listening to music. in an upscale gated home.

This was a space where boys “I didn’t live like a local,” Ayston and girls could mingle together because that is not allowed in the streets. said. “I had a cook, and a maid and a pool and a gardener and there was “I saw these young couples and they were so similar to the couples a military official outside the gates of the house 24/7.” here,” she said. “We’re just so similar. Here, we don’t have to deal with Many locals, also known as Burkinabey, live without electricity and getting water and putting food on the table, but when it all comes down other utilities. Ayston’s family’s compound was luxurious in comparison. to it, we are the same.”

Two days after she arrived, the embassadors hosted a huge Fourth However, when it came to street culture in Ouagadougou, the beof July party at the American embassy. Ambassadors invited regional

36 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

Photo courtesy of Ayston Scully

“I was at a local Marché [market] and a little boy came up to us and kept saying bonjour and put out his hand for us to shake,” Ayston said.

haviors of the Burkinabey couldn’t be more different than the streets in the United States.

As she took in the local scene of the village, Ayston noted this sense of fear American children are raised with compared to the Burkinabey.

The idea of stranger danger is quite prominent in her everyday life in America, but in Ouagadougou, this preconception does not exist.

“You could go up to a child and shake hands with them,” she said. “Or they would bow down to show respect. Women do it to men, children do it to adults. It’s sanitary. Here [in America], if you wave on the street, they hide behind their mom and dad.”

Ayston expected the children to act differently because of the more crime-ridden environment they live in.

“Crime, prostitution, and human trafficking are so high, it should be different, but the children are just so open to strangers, whereas [in America] there is this culture of fear where you’re taught at an extremely young age don’t talk to strangers and everyone you don't know is a bad person,” she said.

Unlike many places in the world, Cynthia said, the religion people choose to practice is not that big of a deal.

“Islam is the most prominent, with about 60 percent of the population being Muslim, but there is still complete religious freedom within the country.”

“Many families have people in them of different religions,” Cynthia said. “Muslims marry Christians, and no one seems to mind.”

After the French colonized the country, the national language became

French, but over 60 different local languages still exist. In the more rural areas, it is unlikely that the people all speak the same language.

Ayston picked up enough French to get by but still cannot comfortably speak the language. For Young, the language barrier is an adventure of sorts.

“It is fun and challenging to live in a country where no one speaks English,” she said.

The trip was not all culture, parties and sightseeing. In Ouagadougou, Ayston passed out mosquito nets with a Peace Corp volunteer who lives in America. The volunteer traveled to Ouagadougou to work on health in the country. Ayston highlighted her positive attitude throughout the whole experience.

The volunteer took Ayston to a place where the women of Burkina Faso give birth, and she went on about the lack of sanitation. In the same building where the women were in labor, Burkinabey women were being treated for malaria.

Ayston recalls how “sad” the room was. “[The woman] was hooked up to a machine and she was really frail,” she said. “I took my malaria meds after I saw her.”

Despite the fading memories and stamped passport, the lessons Ayston learned will forever resonate in her head. “[The people] are living each day wishing they had my life,” she said. “It makes me appreciate what I have and makes me realize how luck I am. n

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

37

MARKETPLACE 38 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

T

he construction took everything away from us,” an unamed source said in trailer #18491. “The noises don’t stop. Every day I worry that I’ll be trapped inside a new classroom.”

Expecting a surge of nearly 300,000 new students, the once-quaint town of Decatur has buckled under the collective weight of young- scholars.

Hallways have been condemned, bathrooms set on fire and gangs ran rampant throughout the critically overburdened school.

Parent volunteers roam the halls in a desperate attempt to control the sprawling campus.

“It’s great volunteering here,” said a chill mom. “It gives me an opportunity to guilt my son into the IB Diploma program for an extra eight hours each day.”

Despite the issues, administrators insist that Decatur hasn’t lost its “small town feel.”

However, with a freshman class size of nearly 400,000 and the halffinished Decatur High skyscraper looming above, experts are wondering if administrators may be wrong.

“The taxpayers can’t keep going on like this,” a Decatur financial advisor said. “With each new building, taxes go up. Families have descended into poverty with every new building the school needs financed.”

The superintendent could not be reached for comment. Reporters who tried were unable to cross the moat.

What once started as a new cafeteria, classrooms and a four-phase plan has become a 12-phase initiative to confuse as many people as possible. No one is quite sure what is being added, but everyone is ready to make wild guesses.

“I’m pretty sure they’re gonna get rid of the trailers. I mean, what’s the point? There has to be room in the 30 new buildings,” a concerned junior said.

Despite the obvious choice, the school board decided to invest in a room full of increasingly complex smart boards that require recalibration over 10 times per minute. A room full of broken vending machines is rumored to be on the way.

The surrounding area continues to cause problems for students.

Teachers and parents blame the rapid influx of new living spaces for the increase in overall student population.

“I don’t even know where the school is anymore. I can’t see it through the new block of apartments,” a parent said.

Last year only three parking spaces were reserved for seniors. Administrators instructed the graduating class to share the three spaces fairly.

“I just don’t get it,” a current senior said. “Why do they build parking lots just to fill them with buildings? They even mark the spaces for parking. Are they taunting us?”

Students have approached the school about the issue. Many have complained that they are forced to walk over 100 feet from their parents’ cars to the front of the building.

According to students, most administrators smile before launching into a 10-minute lecture about adjusting to the reality of construction.

As the school morphs into a metropolis and student life changes, a faint light still glows in the bleak dust of construction: students are still allowed to use headphones during lunch. n Illustration by: John Ellis

BY SAM JONES

School wrestles with 300,000 students

atur High Scho Dec ol

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

39

Photo by Lorin Dent

Filmic aspirations

One student’s journey in the pursuit of filmmaking

Much of the equipment used on Giovanni Tortorici’s production for “Painted Blue” was borrowed from the DeKalb School of the Arts media arts department.

Cinematic aspirations

DeKalb School of the Arts senior pursues film career

BY LORIN DENT

T

wo daisies sit in a simple yellow vase against a gray wall. They split the center of the frame in an artistically composed manner. The muted colors are emitted from the camera, through which the frame was captured, set the tone of the opening shot of a 10 minute short film.

Behind the camera, a blonde teenager with glasses studies the shot to ensure that it adds to the story.

This is the crew of the short film “Painted Blue,” written and directed

by Dekalb School of the Arts (DSA) senior and former Renfroe student Giovanni Tortorici.

Filmmaking has fascinated Tortorici his entire life, ever since he was six.

“He’s always had an eye for visual composition,” Autemn Conway, Tortorici’s mother, said.

Tortorici took to performing arts early on in his life. At two years old, Tortorici practiced putting on shows with puppetry and plays for his family. By the time he was five, he was writing scripts for short skits.

Conway noticed Tortorici’s attraction to film early on when she took him to the movies, and he would “break down [the movies] and see how they could do it better.”

The power behind the medium attracted Tortorici – the ability to create worlds from nothing and tap into alternate points of view. He

40 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

believes film’s ability to “entertain and make people feel,” could be used as a tool to inform people about foreign cultures, challenging ignorance.

“Film gives you the ability to enter a whole different perception of reality and makes it possible for anybody to experience what someone else is going through,” Tortorici said. “At this state in the world, I think we really need that way to empathize with other people.”

Driven by his passion for storytelling, Tortorici made short films before and during his middle school career. It wasn’t until his sophomore year of high school that he made his first narrative short film, “Painted Blue.”

A full year before the crew of high schoolers began rolling, Tortorici started developing the script.

The script follows a young man named Charlie and his imaginary friend Summer. In the film Charlie, played by Roberto Mendez, must let go of Summer, played by Alice Garriga, in order to grow up.

While writing Painted Blue’s script, Tortorici was influenced by the work of Vincent Van Gogh and the trials he overcame to accomplish his art. Tortorici used the legend, be it true or not, that Van Gogh ate yellow paint in order to make himself feel happy as a storytelling device in his film.

The film cuts from the opening shot of the vase to a shot of Summer holding a book called “Van Gogh and the Misplaced Ear.” Van Gogh did not only act as a major storytelling tool in the actual

Photos by Lorin Dent

Photo courtesy of Giovanni Tortorici

2

1

3

1. Giovanni Tortorici working with his actors on his new short film, “Aliens Without A Planet.” 2. Roberto Mendez continues to act and audition for roles in commercials and even medium budget movies. 3. Autemn Conway standing on her back porch in her home in Atlanta, Ga. where she said she supports Tortorici’s productions by providing food and allowing this house to be used as a film set.

dialogue of the short film, but his artwork also influenced how Tortorici and cinematographer Henry Howell designed the film’s aesthetic.

Tortorici uses the colors yellow and blue to equate Van Gogh’s alleged use of paint to make himself happy with Charlie’s reliability on Summer as a source of happiness.

“I wanted the color schemes to represent Charlie as blue and Summer as yellow because Summer is Charlie’s yellow paint,” Tortorici said.

Tortorici’s personal inspiration strengthened his connection to his script and his characters, specifically Charlie. On the morning of Aug. 28, 2012, Tortorici’s father and best friend, Vince Tortorici, passed away suddenly due to heart complications.

“I’ve always kind of had to deal with letting go and getting over things,” Tortorici said. “The whole theme of having to let go of this imaginary friend brought up for me having to come to terms with the fact that my dad wasn’t here.”

Tortorici’s uses his personal experience with grief to define the human characteristics of Charlie and his sense of loss. His mother believes a traumatic experience can teach that “everyday matters.”

“For Giovanni, that is something that he realized, that nobody’s guaranteed tomorrow so you better make it happen now,” Conway said.

As Tortorici approached the final script revisions, he coordinated with fellow students at DSA to take on his artistic endeavor.

He recruited classmate Henry Howell to be the film’s cinematographer. Because of Tortorici’s past involvement with Howell, Tortorici knew the quality of Howell’s work and used this connection Together, Tortorici and Howell planned the look and style of the film. “[Tortorici] came to me with the script and said he wanted to make it happen,” Howell said.

Howell and Tortorici began discussing how each scene would be filmed. Tortorici told Howell what he wanted from each scene, and

Howell began drawing out shots on storyboards. Tortorici would then decided which he liked and which he did not.

“Giovanni came and asked us if we would want to be in a movie he was working on and we, of course, happily said yes,” Mendez said.

Immediately, Mendez saw Tortorici’s talent. “[Working with Tortorici] was amazing. This kid is going places,” Mendez said. “He knew what he wanted yet he allowed us to explore our character. ” When the day came to put all the planning and rehearsing to action, it took place at the house of the key grip, the person in charge of camera support and light rigging. The second location was a neighborhood playground. Shooting took two days. Despite the work and stress, Tortorici still finds it to be the most fulfilling aspect of the process.

“Everyone’s there submitting their ideas and, everything, all the work you did in the months and months of pre-production, comes to life all in one actual room,” Tortorici said.

The hard work payed off. After letting the film sit dormant for about a year, Tortorici decided to submit the film to the All American High School Film Festival.

“It didn’t take that long. I submitted it, completely forgot that I had submitted it, and then I got an email saying that I had been accepted,” Tortorici said.

500 films are screened at the festival with students from all over the U.S. and Tortorici’s film was one of them. The festival was held in New York City from Oct. 7 to Oct. 9, 2016.

Tortorici has found his passion in the cinematic medium. He plans to pursue directing and writng in the film industry as a career and continue to develop his storytelling abilities. n

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

41

MARKETPLACE 42 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

MARKETPLACE CARPE DIEM • October 2016

43

netherworldhauntedhouse

MARKETPLACE

WWW .FEARWORLD. COM

44 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

MARKETPLACE CARPE DIEM • October 2016

45

MARKETPLACE 46 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

THE FACES OF

ADDICTION STORY AND PHOTOS BY MOLLY WESTON THE SKY TURNS BLACK and the wind begins to howl, blasting a warning of what is to come. Dust twirls with the wind as it becomes caught in a funnel of destruction. Clouds swirl around the landscape, sucking up everything in their path.

Seeing is impossible. Breathing is impossible.

Debris litters the now ruined pavement, reminding the survivors of a life before the tornado. Homes are decimated to their bare foundations and ripped out of the ground. Ruin and despair reek from every corner as the damage is assessed.

What’s done is done.

For some, tornado season is brief, only a few weeks of their otherwise tranquil lives. But for others, the screeching wind and swirling clouds never end. The suffocation is constant, relentless and unceasing.

Their storm is unlike any of the rest, all-consuming and exhausting.They live their lives with the constant pounding of unstopping rains and dark clouds. Everyday, the temptations consume their every being, taking over all aspects of their lives.

Isolated, their tornado continues growing. Their defining attribute is branded on them, reminding society of their difference, of the cause of their storm – addiction.

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

47

A

cigarette dangles from her hand as she exhales, breathing the smoke out methodically. Her jeans are ripped, the gray color matching her shirt and beat-up Converse.

On the outside, Alex Huey seems okay. It isn’t until her eyes become distant and glossy, tears threatening to ruin the black eyeliner painting her eyes, that one realizes the true pain she feels. Years of needles, shattered relationships, failed rehabs and relapses have left her empty and hurting. For Huey, the scars of heroin run deep.

It all began in middle school. As cliques and groups formed within the halls of Woodward Academy, Huey was left alone, unable to relate to the preppy culture and private school lifestyle.

“All of the schools I went to, I never really felt a part of,” Huey said.

“As I transitioned through grades, I came to the realization that I’m not like these people, but I had been pretending that I was. So I found my crowd, and my crowd happened to like to get f––.”

When she was 13, Huey got drunk for the first time. From there, she started drinking more frequently. One year, at the Woodward talent show, Huey showed up wasted and threw up all over the parking lot.

It wasn’t until high school that Huey met the tornado of addiction head-on. Woodward, she said, had a major drug problem. The students “had a lot of money, and that’s what they spent it on.” She remembers the prevalence of Xanax, cocaine, and Adderall.

“I was 15, and it was my freshman year of high school,” she said. “I was kind of figuring out who was who, who I was, and in the process, I pretty much lost myself.”

Losing herself came in the form of a familiar face. An older student on campus approached Huey, prompting her to hang out with him.

That was when Huey met her dealer. It was there, at a house in College Park, that Huey tried heroin for the first time.

“I didn’t even think twice when I was offered it,” she said. “When free drugs were put in front of me, I always said yes. No matter what it was.”

Just like that, she was hooked. Unable to stop, Huey sank deeper and deeper into the well of addiction.

“A lot of people will tell you it’s a necessity — it’s like being hungry or thirsty — and you can never satisfy it,” she said.

Huey’s life became a consistent blur. She’d wake up early, the nausea of withdrawal already setting in. At school, she’d be unable to make it through the first half of the day. Around second or third period, she’d go into the bathroom to “shoot dope”. Huey would leave school after lunch and continue using until she went to sleep that night.

Heroin immediately became a part of her unlike anything before.

The affair between her and the drug mimicked aspects of her life that were now ruined.

“My relationship with addiction has been very romantic,” Huey said. “I loved heroin before I loved anything else. I put that before any aspect of my life once I figured what it did for me.”

The relationships that Huey made through heroin were empty. She could tell that the people she called friends were just mere shells of who they once were.

“There was a circle of us that shot dope, and no one really knew about it,” Huey said. “One of my closest friends was a lot heavier into it than I was. I hadn’t progressed that far. I knew when I met him, he didn’t have a lot of life left in him. And that’s a weird feeling, to look at someone and be like ‘you’re not gonna go far.’ It’s awful.”

Huey was right — his life didn’t have much time left. The tornado’s destruction claimed another victim.

“He overdosed in his sleep,” said Huey. “What was really life-alter-

48 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

ing about that was that I had seen him the night before, and everytime he would pass out at our dealer’s house, I would put a blanket over him or put some water beside the couch. I did that, and the next day — it was really f–– sad.”

Bruised arms, bad decisions and the sharp pains of loss weren’t the only brutal side effects of heroin. Huey became a person she had never thought she would be.

“I would take advantage of you every chance that I got,” she said.

“We would call each other friends, but the day you figured out I was using you for every amount you’re worth, we weren’t friends anymore.”

It took an incident in the school bathroom to open Huey’s eyes to how severe her situation was. Every day, Huey would go to snort cocaine in the bathroom, followed by her friend. But one day, as she was getting high, her friend put her foot down and told Huey the truth that was long overdue– she was killing herself, and her friend couldn’t stand by her anymore.

“Instead of disappearing like all of the other ones, she had enough heart and enough courage to be like ‘what you’re doing is f***ing up your life,’” Huey said. “‘And as long as you’re doing it, I’m along for the ride.’”

When she was 15, after two long years of constant drug abuse, Huey ‘s parents admitted her to rehab against her will. Fighting the process, she refused to stay clean.

“I didn’t want to be sober,” she said. “On the surface, yeah, I could talk a good game in meeting, and yeah, I could share some profound s––, but I didn’t believe it. Not one bit.”

After years of failed sobriety attempts, Huey finally decided to try and get clean. For her, heroin was no longer fun. She found herself no longer viewing the drug as an escape, but a chore she had to hide.

“I had always hoped it would get back to being fun,” she said. “It never did.”

Huey spent years struggling to stay clean. Every time she would get a few months under her belt, she would relapse. Unable to maintain her sobriety, she would return to heroin.

“I have a hard time remembering how bad it really was,” she said.

“That gets real skewed for me. I have a selective memory, and I like to remember the great parts about it. I always forget the bad.”

The chronic relapses, though random in occurrence, are rooted in an aspect of the 12 Step Program, Huey said, which is the leading program for overcoming addiction.

The ninth step, making amends, “makes me real resentful,” she said, “and I tend to relapse over that.”

“For me, what happens is I get real comfortable,” Huey said. “I’m going about my day, not drinking, not using. Usually it’s not a big event that will cause me to use- it’s me not practicing what I’m preaching. It’s me being like ‘That still sounds like a good option.’”

Today, Huey has been sober for four months. Successfully completing the ninth step, she’s beginning to look past the dark destruction of the past and focusing on the clear future.

“I’m loving myself more, which is new,” Huey said. “I have a certain confidence now that I didn’t have before, which makes me feel like I’m doing something right. I have hope for myself.” >>>

T

he clock flashes 2 a.m. Yelling fills the hallway, waking her up. Upstairs, furniture crashes to the floor and a mom sobs, indistinguishable pleas piercing the once quiet night. She pulls the blanket over her head, hiding from it all. The yelling comes closer, and the voices grow louder.

Silent tears spill onto the sheets as she listens. She clenches the blanket tighter, and cries for her brother.

Behind the slammed door, he tears his room apart like a rabid animal, searching for what he can’t live without. She thinks to what she’ll find in the morning – stolen wallets, broken lamps, and an empty bed. Her heart aches for him and the person he was before the drugs.

For junior Lia Bodine, nights like this were frequent. Over the course of five years, she watched her brother wither away, slowly killing himself. Then one day, she was given the earth shattering news that her brother was gone – forever. Joe Bodine died on May 25, 2016, from a heroin overdose. He was 18 years old.

When she was 13, Lia witnessed a moment that would prove to be unforgettable and scarring. She walked in on her brother, passed out on the bathroom floor, needle in hand and a shoelace cutting off the circulation in his arm, high on heroin. From relapses to rehab, Lia bore witness to it all.

It started for him in ninth grade. Self-medicating for depression, Joe began the irreversible path of addiction.

“He didn’t want to be an addict,” Lia said. “He just got into this tornado, and once you get into it, no matter the reason, you just can’t stop.”

As Joe progressed from prescription pills to ecstasy, cocaine and eventually meth and heroin, Lia watched him change from the selfless, compassionate person he was into an aggressive addict.

“Joe was the most loving person you ever knew if you met him off of drugs,” Lia said. “Drugs turned Joe from the most loving person that told me he loved me for no reason, into someone that would go to violence because my mom found his drugs and flushed them down the toilet.”

Caught between a constant state of being high and trying to get high, Joe fell deeper and deeper into his sickness.

“For two years, I didn’t see the actual Joe,” Lia said. “Heroin made him really selfish. I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn’t him doing these awful things, that it was the drug. It wasn’t like he was intentionally making things as hard as they were.”

Watching her brother go through the never ending cycle of addiction was too painful for Lia. Subconsciously, she began to try to forget.

“I don’t remember most of when Joe was really bad,” she said. “I have some distinct memories of things that I can’t forget. But who he was as a person, what happened, and what my family went through, I don’t remember.”

Just like that, an addiction that wasn’t her own swallowed two whole years of Lia’s life.

“I don’t remember those years,” she said. “Barely anything, because it’s blocked out. I guess things were just so bad, my mind was like, ‘if you don’t want to remember all of the bad, you can’t remember anything.’”

As Joe’s addiction became more severe, Lia found herself fighting another aftershock. Forgotten were Joe’s accomplishments or the person he was before the drugs.

“Everyone just thought that he was a bad influence because that’s the connotation that follows drugs,” Lia said. “He became someone that people told their kids to stay away from.

“But he was the best person I’ve ever met. He was my big brother.”

Joe bounced from rehab to rehab, unable to find a successful program. Unwilling to cooperate and get better, Joe’s life became completely consumed by his addiction.

“It just seemed like every time he would go away, he would come

50 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

back and get worse,” Lia said.

After three attempts, the Bodines decided to send Joe to his fourth and final rehab, a 12 Step Program in the Montana wilderness. Angered and upset by his family’s concrete decision, Joe rebelled.

The week before he left, Joe stole hundreds of dollars worth products and sold it. With the money, he bought massive amounts of meth and heroin and binged.

“I remember him telling me that he didn’t care if he died,” Lia said.

“Isn’t that crazy, that he would rather die being as high as he had ever been then go away and get better?”

At the new program, Joe began to climb on board. With a huge emphasis on finding a higher power, Joe was able to accept that he wasn’t to blame for everything bad that had happened, Lia said.

After 10 months, Lia visited her brother in rehab. As painful as it was, she, too, had to wrestle her inner demons.

“When I went to visit him, I really became aware of how bad things were,” she said. “I had all of these memories that I blocked out. I just didn’t process what was going on, and then I was told things that brought these memories back up.”

Despite the painful memories and brutal honesty of the past, Lia was able to see a side of Joe that she thought she had lost forever.

“Something in him changed,” she said. “He was very apologetic, and he seemed very ashamed of himself.”

A twinkle in his eye showed Lia that she hadn’t lost her brother forever.

“I knew my Joe [that] I knew was back when I saw him and his eyes lit up and he was genuinely excited to see me,” Lia said. “Before, I think he didn’t like to see me when he was using because he knew how much he was hurting me, and he knew he wasn’t going to stop.”

Joe was released from treatment two months later, once again entering a world of temptations.

Then, out of the blue, after months of sobriety, the Bodines received the news that they had been dreading for five years. Joe was dead. No one needed an autopsy to know the cause of death: a heroin overdose.

On that Wednesday, Lia experienced the most intense pain that she had ever known.

“My big brother’s gone, and it’s a drug that did it.”

For Lia, the immediate shock was too great. Unable to process her feelings, she began to shut herself off. It’s only now that she can begin to pick up the pieces.

“For the first two months, I was just numb,” she said. “I didn’t have any real feelings. I was never happy. I was never sad. But now, reality is setting in. I’m realizing that I’ll never be able to hug Joe again or tell him that I love him.”

From the time she wakes up to when she tosses restlessly at night, Lia’s thoughts are with her brother.

“It’s the little things that are the tip of the iceberg,” Lia said. “Sometimes I’ll think of something and be like, ‘oh, I’m going to call Joe’.

But then I’ll be calling and it goes to voicemail, and I’ll realize I can’t call him.”

“His death is never going to change,” she said. “But a big thing for me that has helped is finding silver linings. Him dying has made me realize how loved he was, and I wish he would’ve known that.” >>>

E

mpty bottles cover the table, throwing distorted reflections across the filthy room. He sits in a chair, yesterday’s clothes sticking to him with perspiration. A squeak escapes the dusty chair as he leans back, a smile spreading from his cracked lips. This is it – the moment he’s chased.

Gone are the compulsive thoughts and the self-loathing. No longer is he haunted by his past and the unknown future. All that matters is the bottle clenched in his right hand. Willing his resistant body, he swallows the last of it. The room spins, the bottles and the table swirling into a tornado. For a split second, it all stops. Then – darkness.

When he was 9 years old, Francis Kreiner was offered a glass of wine at a family dinner. This sparked something deep inside him – he had gotten drunk, and it was a feeling he didn’t want to live without.

As middle school came around, Kreiner started drinking with friends. From there, his addiction grew into an unstoppable whirlwind.

“Around December of 2015, I started doing ridiculous things to get drugs and alcohol,” Kreiner said. “I was stealing and manipulating. The drugs began to take priority over everything else.”

From that moment, drugs quickly took precedent over all aspects of Kreiner’s life.

“I lived in a life full of confusion, misery,” he said, “and in a constant pursuit of something, someone, anything to make me feel better. “ Only when he had to face the consequences of his addiction was he able to realize his problem.

“When I got my DUI, that was the first time that I said to myself, this is serious, this is bad,” Kreiner said.

Despite all of the repercussions and legal issues he faced, Kreiner felt no desire to get better.

“There was no possible external circumstance that could have convinced me to stop,” he said. “There had to be an internal change, and I had to hit my bottom first.”

Once Kreiner found the drive within himself to change, he began to put his old habits of addiction behind him and work toward a new sober life. He joined a treatment program and started reassessing his life and what he needed to fix.

“There’s a saying that ‘the only thing that has to change is everything,’” he said. “There’s been a lot of working on myself. For me, recovering has been centered around spirituality, the people around me, and my connection to the spirit of the universe.”

Finding comfort in a higher power, Kreiner learned ways to combat his need for drugs.

“Alcohol gave me a sense of peace, a sense of confidence, and a sense of tranquility,” he said. “And now, my spiritual connection gives me that exact same thing. So in a way, I’m basically drunk all the time.”

Now, almost six months sober, he attributes his success in recovery to his newly found devotion to something bigger than himself.

“The thing with my spiritual connection is that it goes with me wherever I go,” he said. “It isn’t dependent on anybody else. It’s something that I can access and use freely whenever I need it.”

Treatment did more than combat Kreiner’s obvious addiction.

While in recovery, Kreiner uncovered memories from the deepest trenches of his subconscious. He found that no amount of drinking

52 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

could erase his scarring past.

For Kreiner, many of his struggles with addiction and sobriety can be traced back to his childhood. Abuse, confusion and neglect left him feeling lonely and empty, he said. Alcohol proved to be the perfect catalyst for forgetting and filling in the holes left by his past.

“I grew up in a lot of poverty,” Kreiner said. “It left me uncared for, comfort seeking and without all of the things you should have as a kid.”

The abandonment and deep sorrow only intensified when Kreiner entered middle school. After years of struggling at home with his parents, Kreiner’s tornado reached a point at which his world came crashing down.

“Then, when I was 12, I was raped by my babysitter,” he said. “That left a lasting impact on me, and left me wondering ‘who am I,’ and ‘why is all of this stuff happening to me.’”

These past experiences caused Kreiner so much pain, the only way he could free himself of the horrific memories was by getting drunk or high.

“Those things left me lost,” he said. “And then, when I found drugs, I felt found and as if everything was okay.”

Addiction, treatment and now, recovery. Through the unbearable pain of remembering, the acceptance of a higher power and the strength to change, Kreiner is now sober.

“I learned that using wasn’t a solution,” he said, “and that all it did was stack problems on top of each other. It took me finding an actual solution to be able to fill that hole that was left when I was a kid.”

Though the past may be a path torn apart by a tornado of destruction, for Kreiner, the future has never looked brighter.

A

fter the dust settles and the damage is assessed, the survivors begin to rebuild their now decimated lives.

The storm is within them, a constant reminder of the harrowing past and destruction. They are forever changed, their lives now shaped and molded by the tornado that turned their worlds upside down.

For the sister, the son and the daughter, addiction was their storm.

It’s only now, after the pain and the suffering, that they are able to begin to move on. The road ahead is long, but the path behind them is nowhere they will return. n

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

53

Seniors

Photo by Ella Burge

speak

Embracing my silence

BY CHANEY WYNNE

I

have been quiet since I was three. My parents tell me that in my pre-K class, I went months without talking at school. Halfway through the school year, my parents recieved a call from my teacher, who was excited to report that I finally talked in class by responding to a question with “yes.” Since then, I haven’t gotten much louder.

Throughout middle school, I always avoided answering questions in class and didn’t make friends quickly. I got by – but reluctantly.

Class presentations terrified me. When a teacher called my name, my heart pounded, and my face turned red. It’s not that I didn’t have anything to say. I did.

An avid artist and writer throughout middle school, I loved expressing myself other ways, but I just never felt confident expressing myself verbally.

Growing up, I always envied the outgoing extroverts in the class. I wanted to be the students who exuded charisma and confidence, who answered questions without even raising their hands. They seemed to make friends effortlessly and were easy to talk to. I fantasized about growing out of my shyness and being able to speak my mind without hesitation.

When I entered high school, though my introverted

54 CARPE DIEM • October 2016

tendencies didn’t change, I learned to work with them. I learned the value in group discussions and collaborating with others. I pushed myself to contribute in class discussions and have meaningful conversations with other students. By participating in clubs and sports, I formed lasting friendships. As I grew as a student, I also came to realize that introversion isn’t a phase.

I still prefer the efficiency and control over individual work. During discussions, I prefer to put thought and planning into what I say before I open my mouth. Large groups of people still intimidate me, and socializing for long periods of time can be exhausting. But I’ve also learned that being an introvert isn’t inherently bad.

Introverts are often focused and great listeners. While we may take longer to warm up to people, our friendships and relationships tend to be deep and meaningful once formed. Introverts also provide invaluable thought and insight to group settings, even if they aren’t initially the most vocal members. While extroverts may be louder and more talkative during discussions, groups benefit greatly from having a balanced number of introverts and extroverts.

Throughout my life, I’ve viewed being shy as a flaw of mine, but I’ve come to realize that it’s a crucial part of who I am. n

the

voice

As journalism fails us, WikiLeaks fills in gaps

BY SAM JONES FOR THE STAFF

I

t’s a bleak time for hard-hitting news from traditional outlets. The Huffington Post, CNN, and Buzzfeed repeatedly publish clickbait articles while ignoring key issues. However, a bright beacon of digital hope still exists.

In 2006, the groundbreaking website WikiLeaks paved the way to a more informed, less misguided public audience.

Founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, bravely exposed the atrocities of the Iraq and Afghan wars during the 2010 Cablegate leak. For over 10 years his website has published what American media will not. News outlets like CNN choose to focus on Assange’s personal life rather than the hard hitting news his website publishes.

Stories are consistently produced discrediting WikiLeaks and placing the website into the realm of conspiracy theory, distracting attention away from the real mission of exposing injustice.

Now more than ever, WikiLeaks should be acknowledged, filling in the gaps where journalism has failed to expose government corruption and shady business deals.

The national media completely failed in Flint, MI, to report the dangerous lead-ridden water until a state of emergency was declared. A lack of proactive reporting allowed an already disastrous situation to reach critical levels of emergency. Even on a national level, American journalists are failing to unmask injustice.

WikiLeaks stands at the forefront of exposing transgressions. In August, WikiLeaks leaked over 20,000 emails of prominent Democratic National Committee members, one of which was Amy Dacey, the ex-CEO of the committee. The emails contained evidence of the DNC actively attempting to undermine Bernie Sanders, a clear breach of ethics.

The media should have spent news cycles examining the documents that were released, but instead they feigned ignorance of the majors issues while shaming WikiLeaks. By not promoting stories of corruption,

media outlets are actively promoting ignorance. Combined with CNN’s active dismissal of WikiLeaks as an untrustworthy source, Americans are being dangerously under-informed.

The Washington Times reports an all-time low in Americans’ faith in mass media with only 32 percent admitting a “great or fair trust in the media.” Even with media taking a backseat to real issues WikiLeaks is still mistakenly villainized as untrustworthy.

Where journalism ignores larger stories, intentionally or not, WikiLeaks steps in and tells the real story.

Wikileaks does what the mass media is supposed to.

The US government is not the only entity that attempts to discredit WikiLeaks. Big businesses stifle the organization. In 2010, Paypal wouldn’t allow members to donate money to the site, even though the site has never officially been charged with a crime.

America is strongly outspoken in calling out WikiLeaks for supposed crimes. The FBI has an open investigation against Assange, and the Swedish government is attempting to extradite the website’s founder.

The witch hunt has implications far within the government, with the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee deeming WikiLeaks a “foreign terrorist organisation.”

WikiLeaks has faced severe backlash from high ranking officials, like those within the DNC, who allege that the WikiLeaks site is full of malware as well as Hillary Clinton who has pushed for the prosecution of those who produce the site.

Public figure’s have an obvious conflict of interest with WikiLeaks. It is time for a stronger rallying cry around the “radical transparency” that WikiLeaks publicizes.

Normal, everyday people should look to WikiLeaks as a source of clarity in an avalanche of poor journalistic practices and insufficient online sources. WikiLeaks needs more respect and more representation among larger news sources. n

CARPE DIEM • October 2016

55

OR CURRENT RESIDENT

CARPE DIEM Decatur High School 310 N. McDonough St. Decatur, GA 30030 carpediem@csdecatur.net

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

LABEL

Decatur GA 30030 PERMIT 680

Log on to 3ten.org

for exclusive print, audio, photo, and video stories!

Facebook: Like 3TEN Convergence Twitter: Follow @decaturmedia Instagram: Follow 3ten Snapchat: Add dhsconvergence

OUR TAKE LOVE IT

dog costumes

The only thing better than seeing a dog out and about is seeing a dog trick-or-treating in full costume. According to PetMD, dressing your dog up can help this furry creature express his/her personality, and bringing a pup along with you to trick-or-treat can be a bonding experience. Consider dressing any of your pets as a raptor from “Jurassic World,” Eleven from “Stranger Things,” or even themselves for some pup-ception this Halloween.

A decade has passed since High School Musical came out, and we are still crushing on Troy Bolton. Where is he now? Try as he will to move on from his role as Troy Bolton, Zac Efron will forever remain the boy who broke free from the stereotype of basketball MVP. So next time you see Efron star in “Neighbors” or “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates,” we know your heart will really be soaring and flying at the sight of Troy Bolton.

Troy Bolton

YOUR TURN

The crew’s opinion on the latest hot topics

BY ELLIE BUTTERFIELD & EMILIA FUENTES

LEAVE IT “Finsta” revolution The “finsta” or fake Instagram account revolution has provided a loophole in cyber safety for Instagram users everywhere. Posting constant complaints, picturse of public drug use and weekly updates on popular music offers way too much information, even for the mere 38 people that follow you.

Season two of “Scream Queens” has moved on from sorority serial killings to a hospital where incurable patients are miraculously healed - that is, until they’re slaughtered by yet another monster. The worst part is the audience gets to know these optimistic, soulful characters before they’re brutally murdered before their eyes. If you want to see your new favorite character killed off before you can say “Is that John Stamos?” Scream Queens” is the show for you.

“Scream Queens”

Credits: Photo courtesy of Don Hankins. License: CC BY 2.0; Photo courtesy of Liam Mendez, Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0; Photo by Ellie Butterfield; Photo courtesy of Creative Commons, labeled for reuse with modification

Tell us how you weigh in, and let us know what you’re loving and leaving this fall by tweeting with the hashtag #loveitorleaveit2016