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Thursday, April 20, 2017, Issue 7

6 Years Later

Student remembers fear of tornado outbreak Saylor Cuzzort

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Reporter

n April 27, 2011, the 200 mph winds did not compare to the speed that Madison County lives were changed after multiple rounds of tornadoes ripped through Northern Alabama.

Tornadoes are no stranger to those who have lived within the Harvest and Monrovia community from anywhere to 1974 through this date in time. In 2011 however, a major tornado outbreak struck the Harvest area destroying neighborhoods, stores and lives lying in its path.

“April 27 will likely be a once in a lifetime event hands. for me. It takes a perfect combination of ingredi“He ents for tornadoes and we usually get one or two,” n e v WAFF meteorologist Lauren Jones said. “We had er takes every single ingredient widespread enough to cause cover,” Eppling two rounds of multiple tornadoes.” said. “The fact The morning of April 27 was a day like any oththat he stayed er for junior Alyssa Eppling. A fifth grader at the with us scared time, woke up and went to school that Wednesday me more than focused on the four weeks left of her elementary anything beschool career. Tornadoes were warned throughout cause I knew the area but were not expected to hit until afternoon he wouldn’t if it hours. wasn’t bad.”

“As the sirens began to wail we made our way Rain, thunder out into the hallway to prepare for the storms” Epand wind, that’s pling said. all Eppling and her Crouched down with her hands over her head, family could hear in bethe waiting began in the hallway of Madison Cross tween the minutes life as Roads Elementary School. As thunder cracked and they know it would change. lightning lit the muggy sky, Eppling and her brothStill waiting and still only er left school in hopes to be safer with their family imagine the horror that waited footsteps in their home. outside the crawlspace “We rushed home and took cover in the crawl“They get so close and so loud that it begins to space beneath our house where we sat for hours on hurt your head and distort into a beastly sound only end,” Epa monster could make,” pling said.

Eppling said. “There is no “We played sound like it.” games and Once the noise stopped talked to and everything was safe, pass time, the family emerged out but time of the crawlspace with a continued blessing and relief their to move house still stood on the slowly.” foundation that they had Eppling, lived on most of their lives. her brothWith no power or knowler and her edge that a tornado had mother, just ripped by, they got in waited in their car and drove to the the small lower part of the now despace bestroyed neighborhood. neath their “We barely got down house trythe road before we drove ing to avoid April 27, 2011. A family walks through the remains of the upon a large tree blockwhat might Lockhart Community on Tuesday, May 10, thirteen days after the ing our way,” Eppling be happencommunity was devastated by an EF-5 tornado. Six years later, the area is still in the building process. Photo by Tori Caudill said. “We waited patienting outly for our neighbors to cut side while through the tree, but beher father gan to see battered people walking up the hill away watched upstairs. When the storms drew near, from their destroyed homes.” her father made his way quickThrough debris and memories Eppling trotted ly downstairs to the rest barefoot, face-to-face with the reality and destrucof the family with large tion her neighborhood had just become. Gracely chunks of hail lying in his

spared but still devastated, tears began to leak d o w n her face as she made her way through shattered homes, pictures and valuables that once belonged to a neighbor of her own.

“Sometimes I still think about the wreckage. Written on a piece of wood were the words “God saved 6 here behind these walls,“ Eppling said.

“I will never forget those words or how hard I cried when I first say them.”

This month the community will look back on this day only six short years ago and remember the lives lost and look upon a community still healing. The houses rebuilt and the debris swept away yet a scar is still weighing on the hearts of those that witnessed the sky turning black just moments before everything they had vanished before their eyes.

“As horrible as April 27 was, it was a wakeup call for many of us,” Jones said. “Even when a tornado threat is low or isolated, people now take that threat seriously.”

Since the events on that fateful day, Eppling and her family have purchased a storm shelter in case they are in harm’s way from another storm. They have all installed weather apps on their phones to be weather alert and have boxes full of supplies on hand.

“Ever since that day, I’ve had nightmares of my house getting blown away,” Eppling said. “Though I’m not too scared of the storms on the outside, on the inside is where most of that fear resides.”

It only takes one tornado to be a person’s or a neighborhoods version of April 27. Today with more resources and opportunities, even programs like Facebook Live are being used as a precaution to potentially bad weather.

“After every severe weather event, big or small, our team at WAFF reviews our coverage and discusses what we did right and need to do again and what we need to improve on,” Jones said.

“The goal is for our jobs to save lives; that’s why we’re on air, breaking into programming, to get the life saving information out.”

Because of April 27, the community is still cautious. Whenever tornadoes or severe weather is mentioned everyone begins to prepare. Whether it is heading to a local shelter, canceling school, or downloading an app. Those that lived through the devastation now know how get to a safe place and take cover.

“This devastation and tragedy brought us all together. Conversing with people we had never met before but had experienced the same thing created a friendship that still lasts today,” Eppling said. “It showed us something good can come out of even the worst situations. Even as bad as April 27 was.”

Comparing April 27, 2011- April 3-4 1974 86 Deaths

1,078 homes destroyed

7 EF-4 and 3 EF-5 tornadoes $50 million in damages Statistics from Al.com

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A Look Inside

News pg. 2-3 Opinion pg. 4-6 Lifestyles pg. 7-9 Sports pg. 10-11 Spread pg. 13-15 A&E pg. 12, 16

Student’s score qualifies for Merit Finalist Daniella Cardo Reporter

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Understanding it all. Sophomore Jonathan Gubert, senior Aliyah Thompson and junior Griffin Gonterman sit down with Vietnam veterans to record their story. The stories were placed on a website the class titled Voices of Service which will go active next month. . Photos by Erin Coggins.

Student gets story of double-amputee during sit down with Vietnam veteran Griffin Gonterman Sports Editor

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n April 4 over 25 veterans visited the school to interact and be interviewed by students. The event was coordinated by history teacher Erin Coggins who wants the students to help tell the unique stories each veteran experienced as historians.

One of the featured interviewees was Robert Anderson who is a double amputee due to Agent Orange conditions involved in the Vietnam War. Anderson was born in Jefferson County, Alabama in 1941 and volunteered in the Army straight after leaving Westfield High School during his senior year in 1959. Times weren't always good for Anderson living in Birmingham at times where racial prejudice was high, but his parents made sure he would not find into trouble in the city.

“I was actually tired of school and I knew my parents would not let me run the streets, so i decided to get away” Anderson said. “That way I felt I could at least have a job and a decent place to live. Although the money was not that great, it was living. I left home in 1959 in Bir-

mingham and went to Montgomery. I stayed there for three days processing and then we left there and went to a Boot Camp in South Carolina. When I finished I was assigned to Fort Benning, Georgia to a truck company called Triple 6 Transportation Co.” Military life was hard in the early days of Anderson’s enlistment, but it quickly became easier and better for him. He grasped to the Army lifestyle in no time and it completely changed his life forever.

“Well, when I first went in, everything was new and strange, but I eventually worked my way into the system and at the end i enjoyed my military life.” Anderson said. “It was routine. The military gave me my training and assigned my job. It was like everyday life. You did what you had to do.

When you were finished you got off. I spent 22 years and seven months in service, and like i said it completely re-molded my life and probably kept me out of trouble.”

He traveled to many different countries and states while in the Army, but thankfully never saw combat in Vietnam thanks to one of his Majors, even

though he was stationed there.

“When i left Fort Benning I went to South Korea.” Anderson said.

“From South Korea to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, then Germany for two years. Then Fort Lester in Arkansas, then to Vietnam, and Redstone Arsenal. Finally I went back to Vietnam in Long Binh. I was assigned a unit in Vietnam, but I never went to that unit. When I got in the replacement company in Long Binh this Major pulled me out of formation and he wanted to keep me there. So that is here I spent part of my time. When i left there, I went to an air base, and I stayed there till my departure back to the states.

Even though Anderson did not fight on the front lines, he was in a support unit that helped other units. He experienced the worst parts of war, and reminisces camaraderies he had formed with other soldiers that he wishes he could have kept.

“In Vietnam I experienced some things that I would have liked to have not seen” Anderson said. “There were situations in moving around the country doing my job I ran into situations where there

were bodies stacked up all on the road in bags.

These are some things i would wish not to remember. When working it depended on whatever scenario came up. We supported people in the field. We went behind the lines. In the military, your job is to do what they ask you to do. You have no control over that. You just do the best you can and do what they ask you to do.

Over a period of years i met a lot of guys. While in close quarters, you begin to feel like they are your brothers and you become attached to them. I wish I had gotten addresses and i could contact them now. That is water under the bridge, nothing i can do about it now.”

Anderson was in Vietnam when the Paris Peace Accords of 1973 that ended the Vietnam War were signed. He was not immediately evacuated but eventually flew back to the states. Where a whole new post-war society awaited him along with his own retirement.

“The last time i came home, I had to really adjust to what was going on and I just went my own way and got back in the rhythm and up until now I have been enjoying that.” Ander-

son said. “Both of my kids have gotten married and moved on just like that. Though i am fortunate enough that they live in the Huntsville area with me. I should say I am a happy go lucky type of person, and i just took life as what it was worth. I’m very much enjoying my retirement. Some people think being retired is chill with nothing lined up, but it is busier than being in the military because everything is on your shoulders. I love to fish on my free time but I haven’t been fishing very much in the last 15 years due to medical problems. I’m a bilateral amputee, but I won't let that stop me. I don't really feel like sitting over in the corner waiting for someone to do something for me, if there is a way i can get something done I'm going to do it myself.”

Anderson was diagnosed with diabetes which is linked to Agent Orange from exposure during the Vietnam war. Around 2.4 million veterans were exposed to the chemicals during their service.

“My medical conditions are partially a result of Agent Orange” Anderson said. “I have diabetes which was connected to it. About

15 years ago I was diagnosed with poor blood circulation in the lower part of my left leg. They took the front cap off of my foot which did not do any good. They didn’t know what else to do so they took the lower part of my leg off.

When chemicals were used you can’t really control mother nature so it got me somehow.

It is another thing you have to adjust to. You don’t really think about that in America but over there it is just another day at the office. I was exposed to it but it was something i had no control over.”

Even through all of the hardships Anderson has been through in his life, he has stayed optimistic, and not lived one moment down. He continues to live out his retirement happily.

“The only thing I can say is that I am glad to have served my country.” Anderson said. “I really can truthfully say I’m glad to be an American because some of this stuff that people have to do with their day to day living is unreal. If I had to do it again, and in good physical shape, I would gladly serve my country again.”

Tipping can be major issue for servers, teens especially during prom season Emily Baucum Editor-in-Chief

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oney guru Dave Ramsey once said, “Your tip is more of a reflection on you than anything else; when in doubt, tip well.”

Recently the school has received a letter from the Concerned Servers of North Alabama addressing the travesty that creeps up along with prom season. The general audience for this lesson is teenagers. Coincidentally, they are also the main culprit.

When waiters happen upon the crime scene of barren tables and empty pockets, teenagers are usually the one to blame. This is not an opinion; it is a fact.

Now not all are at stake, but most play the role.

“This letter is sent in the sincere hopes of educating your students on a harsh reality of which too many of your students involve themselves during events such as prom. We’ve decided to reach out to all of you because for the past few years students in our area have become notorious for their ignorance, deliberate or otherwise, to the American system

Hourly wages are typically significantly less in the service industry, because tips are considered part of the servers income.

Your server is likely being taxed 8% to 10% of your bill whether you tip them or not.

Your server has to tip, too. It is very common for a waiter or waitress to have to tip out their supporting staff.

Servers do a lot of work that they are not tipped on. www.collegecentral.com of full service gratuity, commonly known as tipping,” CSNA said.

Most restaurant workers are in this position while transitioning out of college or graduate school. Others are adult professionals who enjoy their work immensely and found it to be their niche. Along with them, the restaurant industry is also the employer of millions of single moms, who have to work as best as they can to provide for their children. Often times, meaning they have to give up precious time with their children to work Friday and Saturday night shifts.

“While we as restaurant servers truly enjoy our work and the people we get to serve, meet and interact with

on a daily basis, we do not do such work as a hobby, or to entertain ourselves,” CSNA said. “We do this work for money, many of us highly trained and know that the key to providing for ourselves and our livelihood [is to] provide superb customer service to every guest we encounter, regardless of mood, injury or otherwise.”

The service staff at a full service restaurant that high schoolers might go to for prom, or a nice evening out, are paid by their guests.

This does not make sense? Well, they do not have minimum wage as their cushion to fall back on. Sparkman Alumni Matthew Hawkins, who currently holds a position as a server at

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The Crimson Crier

If your meal is... you should tip: $70.60 = $10.60

$25.60 = $3.84 $52.00 = $7.80

$40.87 = $6.13

$92.43 = $13.86 $64.85 = $9.73 $140.05 = $21.00

Texas De Brazil, experiences this first hand every time his shift comes around.

“It doesn't play a vital role in my income, it is my income. What most people don't understand is that as a server, I get paid $2.13/ hr, just enough to cover taxes on my employment. Without tipping, I go home empty handed,” Hawkins said. “To further that even more, I only receive 45 percent of the tip. The other 50 percent goes to the meat carvers, and another 5 percent to the bartender.”

A majority of the time, however, there are cases where people entirely stiff Hawkins on a tip. The cause for him is usually because many foreign countries

$177.37 = $26.61 tip systems are a lot different and they do not know any better and a lot of people think it is included in the total, which it is absolutely not.

“There are plenty of cheapskate adults who find it humorous to tip in change, positive comments. Etc. We sincerely hope you don’t turn into these people. Finally, given the state of the American economy post collegiate employment, more than likely a good many of you will be doing this type of work in the next decade. Please keep in mind “what goes around, comes around,” CSNA said.

Tipping is usually deciphered by the judgment of the server. If they perform well, then people leave gracious

tips. If they perform poorly, then the tip is somewhat disappointing. Depending on the behavior of the server, as a customer be sure to consider the fact that they are human too and may just be having a rough day.

“Bring cash for the tip, your server will greatly appreciate it.

Tip at a rate of 15 percent, that's the go to average, but if you feel your server deserves better/worse based on the job they did then tip appropriately,” Hawkins said. “More than anything though, just be kind and patient, it goes a long way when it comes to the service you receive.”

enior Kyra Wharton is one of several students who took the PSAT as a junior in October, and that is something ordinary; however, Wharton stands out in the sea of test scores as a National Merit finalist.

“I was completely blown away and so proud of her that she [made National Merit finalist],” Close f r i e n d s e n i o r Makenna Nichols said.

“We found out through the Sparkman Facebook page, to be honest. She didn’t tell us about it at all.”

In order to have qualified to be a National Merit semifinalist, Wharton had to obtain a score of around 35.8 in three of the four topics of math, reading, language and writing. This can be calculated through the average cutoffs of Alabama students by dividing a number between the cutoff range by two and then divide by three, which represents the three sections.

“I was pretty confident about most of my

“I guess [people try to suggest career opportunities to me because] I'm smart and do pretty well in most things,” Wharton said. “I was going to be a veterinarian, but my plans have changed [since] watching [a veterinarian] draw blood from my cat. I passed out and nearly gave myself a conI like being praised, at the same cussion, time I don’t want to seem like I’m [so] I'm not going showing off. I don’t like that kind to be a of attention [because] I’m kind of doctor.”

Whatintroverted. I wasn’t expecting e v e r anything to come of the [PSAT].

Wharton senior Krya Wharton chooses to do with her life, she will forever be flanked by her of attention [because] “A lot of people in scores of achievement on I’m kind of introvert- this school are a little too the ACT and as a Nationed. I wasn’t expecting [influenced] by the mold anything to come of the of society,” Nichols said. al Merit finalist. Wharton [PSAT].”

“Like girls have to have will also have opportuniHowever, this is not the perfect hair, [for ex- ties given to her for eduthe only amazing ac- ample]. Kyra's not afraid cation and career pathademic achievement to break that mold. She's ways wherever she may achieved by this senior a bookworm and she go.

“I plan on going to student. Last year, Whar- likes video games.”

Berkeley [College] in ton scored a 34 on her Having chosen to atBoston, but [I don't think ACT and decided to keep tend the University of anything can break up it as her permanent score Alabama in Huntsville, our] group of close-knit that colleges can view.

Wharton aims to confriends,” Nichols said. “[Wharton has] al- figure a path for herself.

“We've found each othways been the smartest With so many people teller over the years; we're person in my group of ing her that she should friends,” Nichols said. enter a number of differ- practically family, al“Kyra’s always been re- ent professions, Wharton most. [Wharton] needs all ally shy and she always feels that the UAH stu- the support she can get [has] her nose in a book. dent body and professors and she does have it. We I really think that Kyra's will assist her in staying have her back. [And] she has ours.” ‘wired’ more towards the true to herself. answers,” Wharton said. “[They all were] questions from various subjects, like all the main ones [such as math, reading, science and English]. [But although] I like being praised, at the same time I don’t want to seem like I’m showing off. I don’t like that kind

[hard] core classes.”

Most colleges are not interested in academic success alone. These colleges are only interested in high school graduates who have something that sets them apart from the common high PSAT and ACT scores — personality.

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Facts about the National Merit Scholarship Program:

News

Senator News Briefs Any student planning to bring a non-SHS student to prom needs to see Mrs. Staggs for a date approval form. These forms are due no later than April 28.

Basketball Cheer Team Tryout Mini-Clinic will be held April 26. with tryouts April 24-27 from 3:30 to 5:00pm.

Boys junior varsity and varsity basketball tyouts will be April 24, 26 and 27 from 4:00 to 5:30 in Gym 1. See Coach Coggins for more information.

Congratulations Congrats to varsity boys and junior varsity golf on their wins over Hazel Green at RTJ Hampton Cove.

Congratulations to the JROTC Rifle Team for being the 2017 NARL Championship 3x20 second place varsity team.

Congrats to Camille Herren for being named the 2017 Alabama representative for the Al Neuharth Journalism Free Spirit scholarship.

Must score above between a 201-222 There are 2,500 finalists nationwide on the PSAT to qualify as a Semi-Finalist There are 1.6 million entrants a year nationwide

Principal discusses school safety policies regarding school intruders Aliyah Thompson Reporter

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onsidering the recent school shooting at San Bernardino Elementary School in California, the potential threat to the safety of children is undoubtedly present on our minds, however, it is not only parents who have to be cognizant of the potential threats to their children’s lives and safety.

For an administrator like Principal Chris Shaw, student safety is a concern that never fails to cross his mind.

There are multiple precautions set in place and utilized on a daily basis to keep students as safe as possible. Some precautionary measures in

place include the school doors being locked on the outside and a system that requires visitors to be buzzed in to gain open access to the school.

“One of the main reasons we’ve got to do that is because we’ve got to know who’s in our building.

That’s one of the reasons we have our laminated pass system, because anybody can write a pass. That’s why we ask students to [sign out] when they leave the cafeteria,” Shaw said. “I know it’s kind of an inconvenience, but it’s really for safety because the last thing we

want is to have people in our building [who]

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expected to stand outside of their classrooms

in off the street [who] has a weapon, they only have to get it right o n e time.”

The b e s t thing both s t u dents a n d teachers can do to p r e vent or stop the threat of a school shooting in its tracks is to alert an administrator or school resource officer. If a student notices anything that seems out of place or if someone is acting in a way that is out of the

I know it’s kind of an inconvenience, but it’s really for safety because the last thing we want is to have people in our building [who] don’t need to be here.

Principal Chris Shaw

don’t need to be here.”

An upgraded camera system with additional cameras to cover a larger part of the school that also includes mobile access capabilities was recently implemented.

In addition, teachers are

in the hallway between classes in order to aid in spotting and removing an intruder, should there be such a person.

“As a staff, [we have to be] right 100 percent of the time,” Shaw said.

“A person who comes

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The Crimson Crier

ordinary, they should inform an administrator or SRO immediately.

Furthermore, there are ways that students can prevent potential school shootings socially.

“Students, for number one, can quit trying to bully each other and cause problems between one another to cause somebody to feel like an outcast,” deputy Ryan Koch said. “When somebody notices that one of their peers or one of the students isn’t acting right, or they’re doing things that may be suspicious, then they [need to] come and notify the administration and come notify the SROs so that they can look into it.”

Senior represents Alabama, receives award for students of excellence and diversity Quentin Hanson Reporter

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he word “hero” means different things to different people. Some people believe that heroes are born; others believe that heroes are molded through hardships in life. English teacher Renee Quaife believes senior Kya Qvale is a hero.

Quaife nominated Qvale for the Alabama Public Television’s Young Hero Award, a process which requires an in-depth essay on why the student qualifies as a hero.

"I believe that despite everything she's

been through in her life she still perseveres and remains optimistic," Quaife said.

The APT Young Hero award is presented to high school seniors in the state of Alabama who have excelled in academics, given of themselves through public service, overcome adversity and inspired others through their deeds and strength of character. Qvale is one of five that won the award.

"I don't feel like I did anything. I feel like I didn't go out and save anyone's life, so I'm not a hero in that aspect,"Qvale said. The

winners receive a trophy, a tablet and a college scholarship in the amount of $5,000. Qvale and Quaife traveled to Montgomery to receive the award last weekend.

“For a really long time I was really concerned about how I’d pay for college because student debt rates are really high these days, but these scholarships and money offers have really helped me out,” Qvale said.

Quaife expounded on Qvale’s disability and how she does not allow it to bother her.

She went on to discuss how Qvale has had to take care of her younger

brothers, cooking them dinner and putting them to bed on a nightly basis.

“In class, someone asked Kya what is one thing she would change in the world. Her reply—she wished people would stop being so negative. She calls herself a “forever optimist” and wishes that people would stop looking at the negative and focus on the positive,” Quaife said. “That is why Kya is my hero. Even though she is young, she is wise and insightful and working to improve the world around her.”

Senior Kya Qvale accepts the AFT Young Hero award with her best friend Abi Kunkle and english teacher Renee Quaife in Montgomery. Photo courtesy of Renee Quaife

T C C Opinion Bentley’s scandals reveal corruption in Alabama politics

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Lucas Hicks Reporter

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labama really knows how to pick them. In a state with a history of all manners of deplorable politicians ranging from stringent racists to chewing on young women’s ears, it is clear we have a glowing political lifespan.

One could think: If anyone can scrub on their friend's income for a girl, then why not the glowing example of leadership, the governor? Especially the political executive of a state leading in infidelity polls.

It is clear that our justice system does not care when people in power exercise such blatantly illegal and disgusting actions. Bentley was given the “very stringent” punishment of two months, some fines and community service in exchange for his crime of taking your, the people’s, money and performing great leadership examples on the desk, beach houses and ears within Alabama.

In this great conservative state of traditional morals and working man’s justice, it is clear that everyone, including the rich and powerful, get their true justice at the hand of the law. It is a testament of the purity and lawfulness within our political system that all men are treated equally regardless of race or status.

In this state of an underwhelming education

rimson

Apr. 20, 2017

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Illustration by Daniella Cardo

budget and deteriorating infrastructure, it must be heartwarming to your hard working sensibilities that your elected officials hide your hard-earned tax dollars under veils and using expensive jets paid for by you to get their wallets.

Imagine the intense need of you having to drive back home for your wallet or simply doing without?

Can you imagine the horror of such an experience?

Why should our rich and powerful Mr. Bentley suffer when he has you to help him with his inconvenience?

A man as “delicious" as Bentley should not be subjected to the daunting everyday problems of fidelity or forgetting something. He has you, his best friend to fix all his problems. Old and disgusting?

Do not worry Alabama’s pitiful tax dollars will help get you a new love. She does not like your capital mansion? Do not worry. Taxpayer bought beach houses will be there for all your nasty old man deeds. Our politicians clearly deserve it, especially when their own wives love them enough to leak all of their dirty laundry.

Raisins dry in the sun, but in the case of Bentley, money makes that worth dealing with. It is a true testament that no matter how bleak it gets, you can always find love.

Or something close.

Apr. 20, 2017

Our Our Waiters deserve proper View : tips even on prom night

“The Art of the Deal”

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The American Health Care Act

HealthCare Edition “We’re going to have insurance for everybody,” President Donald Trump said to the Washington Post.

We’re [going to] come up with a new plan that’s going to be better health care for more people at a lesser cost,” President Donald Trump said to ABC’s David Muir.

Wow! Why would this plan not receive enough support and be pulled before it could be voted on?

This plan does not reflect what Trump claimed it would. It is worse than Obamacare with higher costs and less coverage especially for older patients.

It proposes dropping the requirement that insurance companies cover: maternity, drugs, substance abuse and mental health.

It would enable insurance companies to charge more for those who are older.

24 million people are estimated to lose coverage by 2026.

Does this answer the question?

Meanwhile in the world of reality...

Sources: CNN The Washington Post CNBC Fox News

Trump blames the Democrats for this failure. “Look we got no Democratic votes. We got none, zero,” President Donald Trump said in a phone interview with The New York Times.

Republicans dominate the establishment.

They could pass healthcare reform without Democratic support if they wanted to. Trump and Ryan’s embarrassing results are due to their failure to gain the approval of moderate and conservative republicans alike.

Looks like The Donald embarrassed himself. If only the proclaimed artist of the deal could actually close the deal.

in hand with more coverage and better healthcare, right? Wrong. Deductibles—the amount you have to pay before the health insurance provider takes the rest of the bill—have risen by almost 20 percent as well, so people are paying more for less coverage.

So, Trump is right to want to repeal ObamaCare.

However, the Republican alternative to ObamaCare is basically ObamaCare. Trump allowed House Speaker Paul Ryan to craft an Obamacare replacement bill. Ryan, knowing how delicate of an issue healthcare seems to be, decided to only tweak a few provisions to create a sad excuse of a bill that not even Republicans were satisfied with.

RyanCare, as it is now

called, failed to address any of the problems with ObamaCare and if it was passed it would have made those problems even worse.

It is a good thing that over 20 House Republicans from the Freedom Caucus, a group of farright conservatives and libertarians that felt that RyanCare did not go far enough, were able to drive the last nail into the coffin of the nowdead RyanCare bill.

I know that healthcare may be a delicate subject in this country, but I am going to take an extreme position here, in fact, I am going to take both extreme positions: Healthcare should either be entirely free-market, with no government interference, or the health care costs of all Americans

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Room visits if the costs were paid out-of-pocket.

The biggest problem with the free-market solution is that people with pre-existing health-related conditions such as age, disabilities, ailments such as cancer, etc. could be denied coverage.

Government-run healthcare such as a system of Medicare-for-all would cover those people, and prices would remain low as the government would directly negotiate the prices.

However, the quality of care and waiting times would get even worse as people would have no monetary deterrent to going to a Doctor’s office for something small—even something as small as a cold or sniffle.

Regardless of the

should be paid for directly by the Federal government—with no middle-man health insurance companies.

There is really no room for a solution in-between.

There are problems to both sides, but either would be a huge upgrade compared to what is now.

True free-market health insurance would allow the consumer to decide whether they want or do not want healthcare with no threat of fines—which would force health insurance providers to lower prices or millions of people would optout. Healthcare quality would also rise and waiting times would drop as people would be less inclined to make unnecessary Doctor’s office or Emergency Che

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Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump “Tonight I ordered a targeted military strike [on Syria].”

Syria

2017

September 3 2013

The Crimson Crier 2616 Jeff Road Harvest, AL 35749 256-837-0331 www.crimsoncriernews.com

@TheCrimsonCrier

The Crimson Crier is an open forum for free expression by the Sparkman High School Community. The Crimson Crier is a student-run publication produced in the state of Alabama.

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April 7 2017

Editor-in-Chief.....................Emily Baucum

Social Media Editors..................... Danni Jo Grider,

News Editor.........................Ania Stover

Jessica Turnage

Opinion Editor.....................Camille Herren

Video Editor....................................Parker Boothe

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Reporters........................................ Andrew

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Atchley, Dylan Brotherton, Danielle Cardo, Alaura Gordon, Andrea Graves, Quentin Hanson,

A&E Editor.............................Sydney Goggans

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In-Depth Editor.....................Natalie Craney

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Copy Editor...........................Aliyah Thompson Website Master.....................Christian White/Kaylyn Jones Photo Editors.............Madison Harding/Ariel Thomas Managing Editor....................Jacob Whitlock Business Editor.........................Saylor Cuzzort

not only on prom night but on any occasion.

Waiters make minimum wage and live off of tips.

Some restaurants even e m p l o y t h e system of “tip out” in which waiters must take a percentage out of their tips and give it to cooks, hosts or bartenders, meaning they earn even less in tips than you give them.

We understand that high school students do not always have much money even if they are

employed, however, we believe that if you plan to eat at a restaurant you should plan to give them a fair tip. If a stud e n t d o e s n o t h a v e t h e money to give a tip, t h e n they should plan to stay in for the night. Waiters put in more effort for us than one would think behind the scenes and take the heat when food comes out wrong even if it is not their doing. They deserve a tip for making our prom

In Favor 8-0

nights special.

We believe it is always necessary to tip waiters the proper percentage. Let us not cause restaurants to dread the night of prom and our presence but rather make it a successful night for not only us but also them. If students do not learn to be grateful and appreciative of their service then they should remember that they could be working in a waiter’s shoes one day, earning little to no tips on prom night.

See the tip guide on page two of this issue to be prepared on how to tip at any time.

t is almost the end of my junior year and although it has been the difficult personally, I believe that I have grown into a better person and found the missing piece to a healthy life -real friendship. Even at my lowest points, it is the friendships I have built that have kept me from falling.

My experience with people is not so pretty.

Since I was a child I had difficulty connecting with people. I liked being on my own and I still do. When I made friends, I found that I did not trust them or believe that I could really talk to them because they did not truly know or understand me. I also befriended toxic people who seeked to make me fall.

But I also met people who are worth the time it took to grow close and who have made me come out of my shell.

It is difficult to find valuable friends who love you despite your shortcomings. You often have to rid yourself of the toxic friendships before you realize the ones that are healthy. This year, I finally withdrew from the toxins and built and maintained the friendships that mean the most to me.

The friends that came through were the ones that communicate with me. They tell me when something is wrong. I do not find myself having to read a post on social media about it or hear it through gossip. My friends and I talk it out.

They are supportive and they listen to me.

I learned this year that when a friendship is real, I do not have to hold back my thoughts. I feel secure with my friends and I know that they appreciate being open. I learned that although I make mistakes, I have them at the end of the day. Of course they are not perfect. We are all human and have faults. But the important thing is that they try. If a friend seeks no malice and tries their best, you know that they are one to count on.

Maybe it is strange that I appreciate such qualities as much as I do. But throughout my life I never felt secure and happy with my friendships. I never felt like I could trust anyone. I believed if I uttered a word of my thoughts, they would be known by all. Because of breaking from toxic friendships and strengthening the real ones, I have found the qualities of a true friend.

It is important to keep America beautiful even after month of April Dylan Brotherton Reporter

L

and of the free and home of the brave. America has granted us with the freedom of speech, religion, press and many more wonderful things.

We should feel obligated to give back as much as our nation has given to us by keeping it as a token we can always be proud to call our home. America has developed into something more beautiful than ever imagined and we should strive to keep it that way.

April is set aside to celebrate Keep America Beautiful Month and work toward keeping our country beautiful. The Keep America

Beautiful Foundation, founded in 1953, is a US based non-profit organization that was created to reduce waste, prevent littering and beautify communities.

The foundation strives to strengthen communities by working with corporations, businesses, non-profit organizations and educational institutions to address complex challenges on both a local and national level. Everyday, this foundation turns “public spaces into beautiful places” with the help of volunteers. For more than six decades, it has remained as the country’s nonprofit steward of litter prevention.

People say one per-

son does not make a difference when it comes to recycling, but it all starts with one. Aluminum cans, paper and plastics can be separated into the recycling bin instead of being thrown into the garbage can. Doing this small deed causes less waste and prevents recyclables from taking up space in landfills that could be used for legitimate garbage. One person ending their bad habit of littering can influence other people around them in the community to stop carrying out this terrible act. Litter is something that is costly to clean up, impacts quality of life and economic development. Eventually, the garbage tossed into

Photo by Mady Harding

our streets make its way into our waterways and oceans, harming animals and aquatic life.

Putting wastes into the appropriate bins prevents horrible tragedies like these from happening so often.

You can join this amazing movement

by logging onto their website, www.kab.org, to become a partner or even just make a small donation to the foundation. By working alongside this organization, we can better improve our communities or contribute on our own by doing little things in

our own towns to clean and enrich our environment.

The foundation has made it their ultimate goal to end littering in America. We have to keep America beautiful not just this month, but every month.

Shorter summer takes away from relaxation, limits students’ opportunity

Illustration by Andrew Atchley Policy

ith prom night coming our way, it is only necessary to recognize a recurring flaw in our students’ behaviors. We take on every aspect of prom from finding the perfect dress to coordinating corsage colors but one detail is always missing on that magical night - properly tipping our waiters.

It should be a common courtesy at any restaurant to tip the waiter 15 to 20 percent.

But sadly, students on prom night have been known to tip poorly, leaving every waiter dreading this occasion.

We believe that students should tip their waiters

Reporter

ack

“What I am saying is stay out of Syria.”

2013

downsides, both extreme positions would solve the biggest immediate problem—growing costs. However, it is unlikely that either solution could be put into place at this time as “moderates” of both political parties would unite to stop it.

Moderate Democrats prevented Obama from implementing government-run healthcare back in 2009, and moderate Republicans are now creating a mediocre alternative to the mediocre system that the Democrats created eight long years ago.

Compromise can be a good thing both in life and politics, but if we continue to compromise on the healthcare issue we will never cure America’s ills.

W

Makayla Tomaino

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

Syria

Student reflects on quality of friendship

I

Illustration by Daniella Cardo

Andrew Atchley

O

Camille’s Corner

Opinion Editor

No tip prom boy?

Decisive actions, not compromise, will solve healthcare’s problems n the campaign trail, Donald J. Trump promised to “repeal and replace” ObamaCare. Now the American people have one lingering question on their mind: what does President Trump intend to replace it with?

Healthcare seems to be a uniquely delicate subject—even in the world of politics—and ObamaCare for all its faults, and there are many, enables thousands of Americans with pre-existing conditions to receive life-saving health insurance.

Here are some of those problems: The “individual mandate” is forcing young, healthy people to buy health insurance that they really do not need under the threat of a large yearly fine. Former president Barack Obama intended for this to cause health insurance providers to lower premiums which would allow poorer people to get higher-quality care.

However, that was not the case; premium costs have risen in 45 states from 2015 to 2016, and there is no end in sight for the people being crushed by these growing costs. In just that one year, Alabama’s premium costs have risen by 12.7 percent according to Business Insider.

You would expect that an increase in prices for health insurance would at least go hand

Opinion

Camille Herren

Illustration by Al Jackson

Reporter

5

The Crimson Crier

Tran, Matthew Walker,Zane White, Bradley Wright Adviser...........................................Erin Coggins, MJE

T

hose last few months leading up to summer break are dreaded months. Summer plans are calling my name, wanting to be made. But I have to go to school, imagine that.

Summer break is a blessing. It is a time to kick back and relax.

The stress of homework, projects and study guides disappear as does having to deal with drama or gossip that lingers throughout the hallways. It is my summer break and I plan to enjoy every moment of it.

That happiness is shattered, though, when “back to school time” nears. It seems that every summer is shorter than the previous one, making our summer only eight weeks instead of the usual 10 and a half weeks.

Having a longer summer gives students the opportunity to have a summer job without the busy schedule of school. Our parents are not the ones going to college and most of them agree that we are old enough to help ourselves out by getting a job. It would also give students a longer time for academic opportu-

nities. Some students go to learning camps to help them in subjects in school.

This would benefit juniors, such as myself,

w h o are moving up to their senior year in the preparation for c o l -

lege.

We got back to school in one of the hottest months, which is August. It being so hot causes financial problems for the school. It costs more money to cool (run the AC units) the school in such a short period of time.

S c h o o l should always be a top priority, but taking time off from all the hard work is something everyone needs.

Photo by Mady Harding

Your

Photos by Mady Harding

View

What are the benefits of a longer summer?

“I would rather have a longer summer because I would like to spend more time out of school [with] friends and family and going to the beach.”

--senior Maxwell Moore

“You just have a longer break from school. That is really it. There is not much advantage to it. It would be nice to have more of a break instead of being at school.”

--sophomore Kennan Pots

“I could go down to Mississippi which [is] where I moved from and I could spend more time with my parents, my friends [and] my family. If we had a longer summer, we can do a lot more shopping for school supplies.”

--junior Rose Lang

6

Opinion

April 20, 2017

The Crimson Crier

Student evaluates future, decides to enter military

Lucas Hicks Reporter

T

he military was never my initial goal or ambition. It was not entirely out of the question, but I have to admit that it was pretty low on my list to begin with. I always imagined that I would be going to some four-year university or perhaps even a local community college for the lower expense to shave off some of the money it would take to pay for my masters.

I remember clearly a time last year roughly the Christmas of my junior year I went over my options and all but laughed at the idea of going to basic or even considering wearing a uniform. The armed services could not have been further from my mind. The idea was so unappealing to me. I believed it was a “lastditch” effort or an “escape” for those whose options were running thin.

I had heard stories from my parents, about how in the late ‘80s they escaped the chains of their old-fashioned and predominantly white small hometown in southern Florida. My father mentioned that he had gotten the best

job in town. It was a run-of-the-mill job for a small business in the area that paid meagerly, but was the best you could get in the onehorse town.. He and my mother had lived in a trailer park filled with roaches and were essentially doing what they could to survive.

In essence, what I was told is that until they enlisted in the Army as a pair, their lives were built around that dead end town that seemed depraved of all opportunity and growth. (From what I understand, the town remains the same to this day.) The army was their opportunity and escape to a better life.

As a result, I had always regarded the service as just that, an escape.

I knew of the purposes of the service and the consequences as well as obligations of joining, but my view of it was at least mildly molded by the experiences of my parents. As a result it was a respected, but unappealing option for me. I had always thought of going a typical route: school, more school and even more after that to accomplish my graduate degree in law.

However, as the clock ticked down in the fourth quarter towards graduation, I started to realize that I had very little plans. Up until that point, I had imagined this dream scenario in which I would go

to school and become successful. Everything would be neat and perfect. I knew of student loans, how competitive the job market was and of how my law degree would not necessarily equal my ambitions in politics, writing or even guarantee success financially.

I had taken the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery with a friend, a test generated by the military to measure aptitudes for job fields. I remember joking about it, laughing at how easy we perceived the test to be and how we believed it would ultimately lead to nothing. While I was joking about how it was just a shot in the dark, I began to question this path for myself. I wondered, if I were to do well and put myself in an advantageous situation, what I could do with it? I ended up passing the test with extremely high scores and leaving confident because of how easy the test was.

By December of my senior year, my thoughts became clouded with uncertainty and I became willing to investigate other options. Financial aid was beginning to look like a quite meager option and I had already seen how odd the job market could be. Only having a degree did not seem like it would be a guarantee for success or even stability. All around, I was

looking for a pathway that would allow me to control my own destiny and bring myself success, without being dependent upon others.

It sounded odd at first, looking for independence and self-molded success from the military, a pathway that seemed like it would bring me less individuality and even more dependence on a system. However, despite my doubts, I pushed forward. These thoughts of success cleared my mind and helped me to determine what I could possibly look for in the service.

In less than a handful of visits and with eyes keen on my own success, I eventually made progress. I discussed a multitude of opportunities and how I could apply them or if I was qualified for them. Suddenly, one test seemed to open up job opportunities, education opportunities, financial opportunities and even a pathway to one of the greatest schools in the country by the end of it.

My chosen job required me to be highly qualified in American College Testing, the ASVAB and have physical qualifications along with innumerable other tests and hoops I would need to jump through.

I had chosen to use the military as a route to live on my own, pay off my education and stand firm by my career as a lawyer.

My job is being a 27D (Twenty-Seven Delta) Paralegal Specialist. It was the only job I would allow myself to have in return for giving my service within the active duty army, however it was rare. It took months before an opening became available and I absolutely would not allow myself to take anything else. It was my life and my career and I wanted to achieve what I wanted and get the experience I needed. I had to go through a series of medical and other various tests at a processing center in Montgomery in order to qualify for my contract. Everything about me seemed to be put under scrutiny. All of my information from my criminal record to my medical record had to be recorded and then tested. It seemed that a slight error or miscalculation could get me disqualified, and that everyone in the processing center had the sole job of weeding out the applicants that the recruiter sent them and sending them back home. If anything were liable for disqualification, my career could be put on hold or even permanently ended, before I even started.

Months of work, paperwork and preparing for the medical screenings resulted in getting my contract. I had succeeded and was capable of taking my oath.

Furthermore, I had succeeded in garnering my

own pathway and career for myself.

It may seem like the opportunities are limited, but as a result of my scoring this job I will not pay for college in return for my service. I will have a legitimate shot at going to the West Point Military Academy for an officer position after my bachelor’s degree which would allow me to expand upon my law and political career. I will be independent, and be able to pave my own path, all as a result of serving the years I am contracted to serve.

My thoughts on the service are still not concrete and I still have some hoops that I will have to go through before I attain what I want. However, for the first time, I have an array of options. I feel as though I have the ability to forge my own path and through my own work, I can use these opportunities to create my own life. I am not depending on my parents or any sort of privilege afforded to me, nor am I looking down the barrel of uncertainty or have an inability to move on with my life. My choice, no matter what else, has granted me independence if I am able to pay my dues and serve what I must.

Photo by Cady Harbin

Sexual assault can happen to anyone, precautions should be taken Andrea Graves Reporter

A

dvocates for sexual violence awareness began calling April “Sexual Assault Awareness Month” in the ‘90s.

The history of sexual assault prevention advocacy began much earlier, as far back as the ‘70s. In the late 70s, women in England began marching through the streets, protesting the sexual violence they experienced when walking through those same streets at night.

They dubbed them as “Take Back the Night” marches and word of them quickly spread to other countries around the world. San Francisco and New York held their own Take Back the Night marches in 1978.

Sexual assault is defined by Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary as “illegal sexual contact that usually involves force upon a person without consent or is inflicted upon a person who is incapable of giving consent (as because of age or physical or mental incapacity) or who places the assailant (as a doctor) in a position of trust or authority.”

Unfortunately, sexual violence is more prevalent in communities across America than previously thought.

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) states that “one in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in

Sexual Assault

1 in 6 American women are a victim of attempted rape or completed rape Photo by Cady Harbin

their lives” and that the victim personally knew their assailant in eight out of ten rape cases.

Victims can include men, women, non-binary individuals, as well as people of color and trans-gender individuals. Often times, minorities are targeted not for the reason of sexual gratification, but as a show of power.

NSVRC reported that 46.4 percent of lesbians, 74.9 percent of bisexual women, 40.2 percent of gay men and 47.4 percent of bisexual men have reported experiencing sexual violence other than rape during their lifetimes. Of sexual violence against people overall, only nine percent of rape and sexual assault victims are male, leaving the other 91 percent to be female and minorities.

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) report-

ed that one out of every six American women have been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. In the National Crime Victimization Survey conducted by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2010-2014, a sexual assault is committed against another American every 98 seconds. RAINN also reports that 98 percent of rapists will never be jailed for their crimes.

Unfortunately, members of the LGBTQ+ community experience more sexual violence in their lives than their cisgender counterparts.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) reported that “around half of trans-gender people and bisexual women will experience sexual violence at some point in their lifetimes,” as well as the fact that trans-gender

women were targeted more than their trans male peers. The HRC also stated that “Among black trans-gender people, 15 percent reported physical assault and seven percent reported sexual assault by police.

Additionally, 22 percent of those trans-gender people who had attempted to access shelters reported being sexually assaulted by either another person in the shelter or by shelter staff.”

With college rapidly approaching for high school seniors across the nation, sexual assault precautions should be reviewed in order to prevent chances of sexual violence occurring at campuses nationwide.

According to a report on a survey conducted by the Association of American Universities (AAU) published on Sept. 21 2015, 11.2 percent of all graduate and

undergraduate students experience rape or sexual assault, as well as 4.2 percent of students reported as having experienced stalking since entering college.

AAU also reported that “21 percent of TGQN (trans-gender, genderqueer, non-conforming) college students have been sexually assaulted, compared to 18 percent of non-TGQN females and 4 percent of nonTGQN males.”

In a Campus Sexual Assault Study titled “Risk of Unwanted Sex for College Women: Evidence for a Red Zone” conducted by the Journal of American College Health in 2008, it was stated that “More than 50 percent of college sexual assaults occur in either August, September, October or November” and that “students are at an increased risk during the first few months of their first and

second semesters in college.”

Sexual violence and assaults are committed against thousands of working Americans daily. The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) reported that 54 percent of respondents had experienced some form of workplace sexual harassment and that 79 percent of the victims are women, while 21 percent were men.

Of all respondents, 12 percent had received threats of termination if the victim did not comply with demands made by the assailant. While the majority of the crimes were committed by higher administrative staff, workers are equally as vulnerable to sexual assaults made by coworkers. AWARE also reported that a few examples of industries with the highest sexual violence rates are business, trade, banking, finance, sales/marketing, hospitality, civil service, education, etc.

Studies have shown that sexual assaults do not have to happen at a victim’s workplace in order to affect work performance either. In order to stay safe from all unwanted advances, carrying self defense weapons such as tasers or pepper spray is useful. Learning a few emergency martial arts maneuvers is highly recommended as well.

April 20, 2017

7 Lifestyles

The Crimson Crier

Senior uses creative way to cure an ugly problem Jacob Whitlock Managing Editor

W

ithin the walls of Sparkman High School sits a man who has been accepted into Harvard, has published a book and has spoken in front of hundreds of local students on bullying. This person is not a teacher, nor an administrator, but an unlikely character amidst the student body.

On the outside, senior Al Jackson seems like a perfectly normal high schooler. He is quiet, loves to draw and is busy preparing for college. Inside, however, Jackson leads a life of activism and support for the disenfranchised youth in our community.

Al’s career as an advocate was spawned from an incident with bullying he had while in middle school.

“For a while I was bullied at my church.

There were two older kids that were messing around with me physically and verbally. I was 11 or 12 at the time and these boys were 17 and 18,” Al said. “It didn’t make sense to me and I was constantly scared. I would come home upset because I was confused as to why they were doing this to me.

It was a difficult time.”

The bullying continued until one Wednesday Jackson called his mother in tears and confessed what had been happening. His mother, Contessa Jackson, was en route to an event when she heard about it and immediately scheduled to meet the bullies and their

parents.

“We emphatically mentioned to them that it was their last time speaking or touching our son and to apologize to him. The young men obeyed and that was the last time they ever bothered him,” Contessa said.

Though the experience was relatively brief, it continues to have an impact on Al’s life in the present day.

He abides by the important lesson of not crossing lines when joking around or teasing his friends and peers.

“I don’t like seeing other people in that same situation. If I see bullying happen I will step up to help, because it’s just a natural instinct within me after my experience. I’ve become more confident and more willing to stand up for someone else. I’m less tolerant of any form of bullying,” Al said.

Soon after the ordeal had passed, rather than push it into the back of his mind, Jackson decided that he could express his thoughts through writing. Al began typing up short stories in a book format in a Word document, and at 13 years old, he had written and illustrated his own book.

“It began as nothing more than my random, jumbled thoughts on paper. My parents were very supportive, especially my mom, who was the main person pushing me to go and finish the book,” Al said. “Originally I didn’t want to publish it, but my mom convinced me that this could be something big-

ger and help others.”

Al published his book through a self-publishing company called Outskirts Express. It has been available for the past three years on Amazon and local scholastic book fairs.

“It’s called ‘Adventures of Middle School: The Handbook’ and it sort of coincided with when I was being bullied. I like to think of it is a kind of guide to different situations and obstacles someone that age might encounter.

It also includes some tips and pictures scattered throughout it,” Al said.

Throughout the entire process, Contessa remained a guiding voice and provided motivation for him to finish. She recognized that his private conciliations could maybe help someone in a similar situation.

“When Al came to me to show me what he had written, I became overwhelmed.

I couldn’t believe he had written so much in such a short time and in a book form. I suggested that he finished writing and to publish it in book form, and he did just that,” Contessa said.

Al’s success as an author opened up opportunities to meet with his audience face to face. During his freshman year, he was invited to Hampton Cove Middle School to speak to the students, read a couple excerpts from the book and give

Looking back, Al has come to recognize the importance of writing the book for not only himself, but for the community of people who have used it. Many areas of his life have benefited, such as writing skills and self-esteem, all the while helping others struggling with the same problems.

“At the time I

away a few copies.

“I remember the kids seemed to be surprised to see someone not too much older than them talking about an issue like bullying, telling them personal stories and giving advice,” Al said. “I basically told them they aren’t alone and there are people that can help,

including me.”

Very recently, Al received some big news regarding college when he learned he was accepted into Harvard.

However, he does not plan to attend because he wants to go into animation, a program that Harvard does not yet have. Regardless, his family and friends have expressed their congratulations for his achievement.

“I was elated when I found out [he was accepted]. I know my son and I have seen him work extremely hard scholastically. Needless to say, I admire him so much and very proud

Stepping up. Having been bullied as a child, senior Al Jackson knows how to approach this issue. He wrote a book addressing the issue and talked with students about how to deal with it. Photo by Jacob Whitlock

of Al for becoming the young Christian man he is today,” Contessa said.

“I appreciate the fact that he realizes that he doesn’t have to be like anyone else and that he’s really an awesome son and I am grateful that God chose me to be his Mom.”

didn’t really think of it as important, but now I can look back on it in a different light. Granted, bullying has been around forever and unfortunately it is never going away completely,” Al said. “So hopefully I would be able to enlighten someone who has had an experience with bullying and even someone who hasn’t. I hope I can provide some kind of guidance.”

Earth day encourages people to want to save the planet Bradley Wright Reporter

A

s spring rolls around, it comes to be the time that people around the world take a day to celebrate and appreciate Earth.

To acknowledge the importance of a clean planet, environmental club adviser Twyla Maxtion feels it is important for students around the country to realize the seriousness of maintaining a “green” planet.

“The importance of Earth Day is to make people aware of environmental issues we have today. Global warming is a huge issue for us right now, and i feel like Earth Day brings that problem to the forefront,” Maxtion said. “To make our students more aware, we are doing an Earth Day walk-a-thon this year. It will be held on Friday, April 21 at the football field. There will be games, exhibits, music and food.”

Much like Maxtion, environmental club president, Randi Swanson encourages fellow students to pick up their trash, and help make

the planet more sustainable to live on.

“Earth Day helps people be more aware of our environment, because most of the time people take make the time to actually care about it,” Swanson said.

“The environmental club is going to build and raise gardens out-

side of the school, and the special needs students will come out and tend to it to make people more aware to plant more. I am always picking up trash that people leave behind in public. I just try to do little things to help people see the awareness.”

In the opinion of Maxtion, the small things that students do around their community to benefit their environment are just as important as the bigger more significant actions.

“One of the things we do here at school is recycle. I know it sounds simple, but sometimes students don’t have the opportunities at home to do so,” Maxtion said. “Recycling is very important.

It’s a simple concept, but it’s important that we are recycling what we use so we don’t use up other resources.

Simple things can make a huge difference.”

No one understands protecting the environment better than the Black Belt Citizens organization. The group formed in 2005 to take on the issue of declining health of residents living across from a landfill and the quality of life issues living by the large d u m p .

After a win over the Tennessee Valley Authority, the community group continued to fight the landfills pollution and the group continued to grow.

“Our main objective is to protect health and justice as it relates to environmental issues,” president William Gibbs said. “We are currently addressing pollution from landfills, factory-farms, mega

landfills and state policies that result in water pollution, toxic waste and desecration of sacred space.”

Coal ash is a big issue in the Black Belt and the group continues to fight it daily.

From 2009 to 2010, over 4 million tons of toxic coal ash was dumped in Uniontown. Black Belt Citizens Officers and members have worked with many groups and organizations to document and research the problems at these types of landfills.

“BBC Officers and members have worked side-by-side with legal experts involving cases in freedom of speech, discrimination, families’ rights, protecting land, clean water, defending sacred space, and more,” Gibbs said.

“BBC Officers are a community resource to connect residents with legal tools. BBC is working to protect and defend historic cemeteries, small farmers and impacted landowners, and oppressed residents. BBC Officers want to continue to guide the community towards justice through protections, connections, education,

Fact: The first Earth Day was held April 22, 1970 in New York City

and opportunities.”

The Black Belt Citizens Organization recognize the significance in student and youth participating in events to help keep the earth clean. Through different aspects of the organization, students gain the opportunity to engage in various projects to learn more about keeping the environment clean and healthy.

“BBC Officers and members have families and they want their children to have a safe and healthy. We work with families and always include our youth. In 2016, we began taking our youth to programs, workshops and conferences to have opportunities and experiences to build leadership,” Gibbs said. ”This Black Belt Citizens Youth Fund has been set up to benefit the youth for special programs to promote education of history and culture, engage in healthy activities, travel to workshops and conferences, assist in leadership development, and prepare our youth for adult-life through technology and entrepreneurship trainings.”

Graphics printed with permission from Google images

8 Lifestyles

The Crimson Crier

April 20, 2017

April 20, 2017

The Crimson Crier

Racially-mixed students explain issues with choosing just one race Danni Jo Grider Reporter

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Photo Illustration by Alex Myers

Student shares about the struggles of bullying, learns to battle it Alex Myers Reporter

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ccording to STOMPoutbullying.org, one out of four teens are bullied. 43 percent of the time, it takes place online. However, only 15 percent of the time does someone intervene.

In today’s technology-ridden world, social media has become a platform for an abundance of actions. Just like how some people choose to bully others online, senior Makayla Morrison chooses to fight against bullying online. Morrison is an active user on Facebook and works through the social media giant to get her thoughts on the screen for other people to read.

“Using social media allows me to get more responses than I would if I did it another way,” Morrison said. “I get lots of positive feedback, and my sisters comment on a lot of them.”

While Morrison is using social media in order to battle against bullying, some people on the internet also use social media to spread their messages far and wide—just with bad intentions. According to the aforementioned statistics, 43 percent of bullying occurs online. Morrison’s older sister, Julia, sees how social media can affect the degree to which a person

is bullied.

“All of us had to deal with it growing up too. I remember when I went through it and she didn’t even know what it meant and now she’s going through it,” Julia said. “I guess it’s a lot harder for her because you know everyone has cellphones now and everyone has social media and it can really ruin someone.”

Morrison comes from a family of seven, in which she and all four of her sisters are adopted. Her older sister Julia lives with her. She witnesses the effect that bullying has had on her sister by watching how Morrison copes with it.

“I guess I’d say that [Makayla] locks herself in her room a lot and I do not really know what goes on inside her room but I do not think it helps her,” Morrison said. “I think it leaves room for negative thoughts and I think they just start forming in her head and she gets surrounded by them.”

People find various ways to cope with bullying but they do not always work. Bullying can impact people tremendously and break down people faster and harder than anything. While Morrison puts up a fight, her sister sees how it truly affects her when she is not around others. Like most of us would, Morrison breaks down, according to her sister, using anger

against some of her closest family to relieve the frustration of being bullied.

“I know Mom and Dad are always having to go to the school to talk to her teachers because she comes home and she’s upset and she cries,” Morrison’s sister said. “I think she tries to take her anger out on the family, but deep down we know it’s not us but we can still tell it affects her.”

Julia says that everyone goes through a period in their life when they are bullied. She has been bullied years before and agrees that it is a truly difficult and damaging experience for many people to have to go through. However, once Morrison decided to finally accept herself, it stopped hurting as much.

“I think when I was younger I felt like I didn’t have the power to do anything about it, so it was a lot of just going to administration and [talking to] my mom and dad about it. I think growing up, I improved with how I handle thing because at the time, I was always just crying about it in my room,” Julia Morrison said. “I think as I got older I was able to just accept myself as I am. I’m hoping that she can get to that point too.”

Student shares the struggle of having divorced parents, how it affects everyday life Web Editor

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he subject of race, especially the mixing of races, has always been a controversial one, but most people have never thought about what it is like logistically. During the years that people attend school and whenever they apply for jobs they have to fill out numerous forms for them, all of these forms include at least one question about their race.

A person of mixed race generally has a problem with answering those questions if it says to pick only one. Some feel conflicted and are unsure which to pick. Most are taught to pick a specific race to classify as when they are very young, usually identifying with their father’s race.

“On my birth certificate it says I’m African-American because when I was born you took the father’s origin, I consider myself African-American even though I don’t look like it,” P.E. teacher John Turnbough said.

Generally, multiracial individuals do not like to classify as just one race, but in some situations they are made to pick one. Sophomore Shelby Lopez is of Puerto Rican and African-American descent and has experienced first-hand what it is like to be asked to pick one race. Last year, she along with two other students were pulled out of their Spanish class to go to the counselor’s office. They were told they had to pick a race on their enrollment papers. The two students with Lopez had white and Hispanic marked and she had Hispanic and African-American marked. They were told that Hispanic was not considered a race— it was considered an ethnicity—and they could not mark it. The other two kids marked white and left, but Lopez refused to pick one and said that she was not going to chose one because she is proud of both races.

“I am okay with checking a box for African-Amer-

“ People of mixed are classified as one race because people see them as one or the other.” junior Destinee Brewton

Out of 180 people polled, 62 percent of students have parents who are together.

Out of 180 people polled, 38 percent of students have parents who are not together. had broken.

To think that there was a chance — because I had gotten all of my feelings off my chest — that I could start the process of emotional healing and the beginning of mending our relationship was ignorant of me.

I do not regret anything I told him though, nor do I feel guilty about it. If there was anything my father and his girlfriend did, it was just back up all of the points I had made clear in my cry to him and I thank them for that, although I did not need their help in proving them. They were simply the truth within itself.

I learned that my father was a puppet, and the puppet master is his partner in every relationship he pursues because although biology claims he is a man and anatomy claims he has the parts to back it up, but he is sadly nowhere near being the epitome of a man. The dollar amount of a cellphone that was given away as a birthday gift was shown to be far more important than the relationships he establishes with his own blood line. It is simply pathetic, as he is.

Divorced parents are typically overlooked nowadays because it is such a common part of American culture. The emotional impact and neglect of the children suffering through having divorced parents is overlooked as well. It is not as the movies show it.

Yes, some children have better outcomes and continue having great relationships with their parents, but as for others, it is a living hell that is a struggle to escape.

ican and Hispanic but when comes to me just having to pick one that’s when there is a problem. I’m not just black and I’m not just Hispanic, I’m both and I take credit for both and I want to be able to check both,” Lopez said.

It is human nature to judge people upon meeting them. Hair, height, weight and skin color are at risk of being judged. Everyone has different skin tones and multiracial people can be any of them, so it is difficult to tell what race they are based on their skin color.

People usually assume that they are only a part of one race and they are usually incorrect. Those who are Since they multiracial, are used to incorrect stereotypes and are not as offended by them.

“I’m very good at brushing things off. If I know someone is particularly trying to offend me I will just ignore them completely. When it comes to race I know who I am and I know what I am and I don’t need people to tell me what I look like or what color I am,” senior Cassie Chapman said.

Even though race is a sensitive subject it still needs to be addressed for demographics,especially when it comes to college applications. Depending on the college, the acceptance rate is proportionate to a person’s race. If you apply to a historically black college you are more likely to get accepted if you are of African-American descent. In addition, some colleges give minority scholarships to balance out the student population.

“I think it is pretty cool that mixed kids can get scholarships just for embracing their ethnicity,” Lopez said. “The fact that colleges give financial support to applicants just for being who they truly are is amazing. Whether it be to increase diversity in the university or to give equal opportunities to who they deem necessary, it’s just pretty cool in general.”

Photo Illistration by Danni Jo Grider

“People are judged by the way they act, and who they hang out with.” junior Khris Downey

“I think people of mixed race get generalised. They generalise me and don’t care enough to actually ask what I am.” senior Vashti Convers

Student shares about brother with autism, encourages awareness for disability Sydney Goggans A & E Editor

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Kaylyn Jones

mas break and all of spring break. Of course, he had another girlfriend in November that year, but he nevs times continues on, the echo of divorces er told us that she had already moved in with him unseem to grow louder than ever before. Years til the first night of the summer we went to his house. ago, divorce was something that did not really seem I was shocked to see so many people in his house at to exist, but now it is as if it is a part of American once and at first, I thought they were just staying for the night and the majority would leave in the mornculture.

In total, according to divorce statistics, 73 percent ing. I could not have been more wrong.

With six kids, including myself and three adults of children with divorced parents are living with their mother and 41 percent are growing up with an absent with around four gigantic saltwater fish tanks, the house was cramped and did nothing but spark countfather. I am within those percentages.

My parents divorced when I was around 6 years less arguments among the kids. Out of everyone in old. I did not know what it meant at the time and it that house, the kids acted as adults more than the did not really affect me either. There was no differ- adults themselves. Countless nights of them drinkence because my mother was still there the way she ing until they could not walk and smoking until their had been since I can remember and my father partied eyes were entirely bloodshot is what consisted of alas if he was still a teenager — granted, he was young most every summer night. That summer, I learned but he still had numerous responsibilities he did not that even though my father, brother and I shared the same blood, we were not family because of the lack of attend to and there is absolutely no excuse for that.

We — my mother, brother and I — moved in with loyalty and reliability. I had to bring it upon myself to my Nana and my father kept the house they had just step away and look from a realistic point and admit that I was a bastard and despite his words, my father moved into benever gave a fore lawyers damn unless it were called would paint a and a divorce I recently let everything out pretty picture was finalized. to my father. I bottle things for himself.

During this up to avoid conflict.

When I got time my brothback to my er was diagjunior Kaylyn Jones mother’s house nosed with that year, I cystic fibrosis had a dream which affects the cells that create mucus, sweat and digestive juic- about murdering my father and held no remorse. I es. Most who are diagnosed do not live past their 30s. was put into counseling through the local church I atI vaguely remember the few times I went back to that tended — and still attend — to talk about the dream house. I was in the fourth grade when my mother met and what I was feeling. I was told that because I had someone and we moved to Alabama from Tennessee. never shared those emotions and bottled it in, my unThey were married about a year later. My father nev- conscious mind attempted to escape all of the weight by playing it out in a dream. That school year, my er called until the sixth grade.

He called to tell my brother and I that he wanted sophomore year, my English teacher had the class to see us over the weekend and informed us that he write a “breakup letter” to a toxic part of our lives had a girlfriend he wanted us to meet as well. By the and planned to hand them back when we graduate. I time we were able to see him one weekend, he had addressed mine to my father and decided to deliver it moved into his girlfriend’s apartment. We continued to him the day I graduated — but some plans change. to see him off and on for the year they were togeth- My goodbye came earlier than expected.

I recently let everything out to my father. Just as er, but right after they had split up, the phone calls my mother does, I bottle things up to avoid conflict stopped and so did the visits.

My father has a pattern of not seeing my brother but when pushed to an edge, it is all released and and I unless he has a girlfriend he wants to impress there is no holding it back. That is exactly what hapand plays the “poor, pitiful me” role as he tells sto- pened. I believe the most cruel part about the situaries of how he tried to see us, but my mother would tion was that I was expected to get over everything in not let him. They were all lies and that is all he ever mere days. Years of build up, in mere days. Because told. It was continuous and of course, since I was at a I refused to push my feelings aside as if I was comyoung age where I could not fathom the idea of a fa- pletely happy, court papers and a stolen phone report ther not being there for his daughter, I believed every were threatened. Now, my stepmother and father do lie he told and began to resent my mother, blaming pay my phone bill, but because I have statements of them saying the phone itself was a birthday gift, I — her for everything.

Reality slapped me in the face during the winter by law — did not have to give it back. The threats of 2015 when he sent a court order that required my were still being pushed and there was no outreach to brother and I to visit him all summer, half of Christ- me to try and attempt reviving the relationships that

9 Lifestyles

hewed up plastic Barbie dolls. Eaten paper money submerged in salivary glands. Torn ravishing, opulent jewelry chunks. Only one nettlesome culprit in my intimate household could have done those common deeds—my brother.

LeForest is the name which my parents have called him. Growing up, he was the one you would call a rambunctious wild child. He was the second sibling after my oldest sister and she would experience the most unforgettable memories of his turbulent actions. LeForest would scramble out of his white, contemporary-styled window and bolt out unto the rugged, bumpy road. Darting away from the house, it would seem he was trying to run away from home… but he wasn’t. Why was he running?

We don’t know. LeForest would violently produce noisy sounds while my worried parents beckoned to calm him down to get out of the curious eyes’ unwanted stares. It was hard for him to eat to his liking; being a picky eater he had the most constricted food choices in limited categories: fried crispy fatty food, sugary coated sweets, and crunchy, flavor-induced chips. Nothing else and nothing more. This ultimately resulted in him gaining rapid weight and becoming obese. Yes, I know it seems like my parents went through a fiery, hellish stage of parenthood.

My dearest mother had emotional nights sobbing salty tears down her stressed face, feeling worn out from constantly cleaning up after his missed aim in his dirty bathroom. And she experienced depressed nights composed of prayers to the Lord as a call of desperate help for not only her but to my rattling brother. It was tough times. Rough times. Difficult times. He was given rude stares from the average schoolmates. LeForest was under my parent’s protective wings and there were times where we realized no one will ever love him and understand him as much as we do.

Occurrences happened such as a teacher lying about him and characterizing him as a vicious boy so she could never work with him again- this was the realization of the evils that were in the world­­.

Students sneered and snickered at him. We could not take him certain places because of the fear of his spontaneous behavior becoming an outcome of unwanted attention. Life was unfair for him and my parents. Of course, there was the kindness he deserved from loving teachers and peers. But still the evils from others still existed.

I was born on September 29th 2000, the youngest of my family. LeForest was 10 years older than me—a wide gap. When he held me in his soft, flabby arm, I felt safe, he never dropped me, and he knew I was his sister and that I was a part of this family.

Like my oldest sister, coming into this world presented not only normal typical life problems but also my “special” brother. I guess this time my cautious parents were more prepared. Two metals locks clanged on all the doors to prevent him from running, his window had deteriorated in the past years

and it had a lock, and healthier meal plans tried to be installed in his life. Such as the randomness like when he struts in the house in bare bones naked even when visitors were there. Shocked stares will normally be the reaction but others can be jubilant laughter…along with my own. I have gotten used to it over the years and it always presents a gleeful laugh on my face and I say to myself with a sigh “Ahh Leforest”. I have lost friends in the past because they felt scared of him or threatened by him which used to tear me to pieces. At the time, I did not understand why they left me but now as I got older I grew to know.

Now he is a 26-years-old and still living with us. You can tell he and I are blood related. Our soft baby faces closely resemble and we have the same personality flaw that my parents abhor- stubbornness. We relish in rhythmic, enjoyable music. LeForest dances to the rhythmic beat and would advance to bounce his flabby arms on his sides and produce a thunderous clap with his hands. We adore roller coasters from amusement parks and love our bodies and hair rumbled up by the powerful wind. We are also messy eaters. The ultimate difference is he gets his greasy dirty fingers filled with food and proceeds to put it on his white shirt that he never fails to wear. He would giggle and grin when he gets excited. I love seeing his flashy smile brighten and his eyes sparkle.

LeForest is like a kid. A big kid. And he still believes he is one. Squirming on family’s laps to get comfortable. Naps that seem to go on for a thousand years. Toys still excite him. Bubbles. Tickles.

And anything else that invoke a childlike wonder.

Like any brother, he annoys me. I admit the constant noises he makes, the breaking of my precious items makes me infuriated by him. At night, sometimes he pops into my room while I am peacefully asleep to sneak to play with my aged, shabby stuffed animals while turning on the venomous lights (which wakes me up).Even though, he has caused me tremendous amount of pain to be living with, he is my brother.

And my love for him is unconditional even though I fail to show it. He is a big giant teddy bear. Nothing much from his childhood has changed, his attitude is calmer and more tranquil. He doesn’t urge to jump out of windows anymore like he used to do.

Yet he stills need to be given baths, watched when he uses the bathroom so he will not miss aim, and get dressed every morning to go to his “school”. My brother is a nuisance. A pain and any other word I can describe. But I love him and even with his crazy quirks I’ve grown to adore it.

Autism has restricted him to accomplish certain things in his life which is unfair. LeForest has a moderate form of autism. LeForest cannot have a conversation with me only short phrases. But he can understand me. His autism has never been a barrier to my love for him no matter the obstacle my love for him is will always be grand and boundless as the vast sky above.

Remembering the happy times. Junior Sydney Goggans reminisces on the past as she writes about her brother, Leforest Goggans, for Autism Awareness month. Photos show the two have lived a normal life as siblings.

Photos Printed with permission by Sydney Goggans

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April 20, 2017

The Crimson Crier

Min r setback f ra

Aliyah Thompson Reporter

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Junior basketball player shares experiences and trials in recovering from scoliosis Matthew Walker Reporter

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Standing tall. Being faced with a curved spine, junior Ellis Lee stands taller now. Lee chose to have surgery as soon as possible in order to get back on the playing field. Photo illustration by Mady Harding and Griffin Gonterman

senior year,” Lee said.

Lee, a terrific shooter, was dearly missed this past season. The Senators got knocked out in the first round of the regionals without Lee on the floor.

They hope that he will be able to provide an offensive surge in his senior his season and help the team make a deep playoff run next year.

“We all thought Ellis was going to be an integral part of the team this year. He is a guy that would have been able to make a shot, he is actually one of the better shooters in the program, and at times we struggled to shoot the ball this year,” Coggins said.

“We are excited to get Ellis, a pure shooter, back on the floor next year.”

Lee is planning on playing AAU over the summer to get in playing shape for his senior season. He is hungry to get back out on the court in next year and provide that needed surge that his teammates and coaching staff are counting on.

“It was very difficult to not play this year. To watch

my family, my team, out there playing and having fun and competing without me was difficult,” Lee said. “I’m extremely excited about next year though.

I can’t wait to get back out there, and give my very best every single inning.”

Junior Carrington Simpson

Junior Amarius Beasley

“Ellis has been working hard. He really wants to get back into the grind. He may be ready to come back by May 25th, so were hoping thats the day he returns.”

“Well as soon as the doctor said he was cleared to shoot free-throws he was in the gym every morning doing that. He also works out at school with the team, and goes after school.”

Dr. Charles Brown Chiropractic Physician

Photos by Scott Lowe

oach LaRon White has led Tanner High School's football team to three state championships games, leaving two of them as state champions. And White is now Sparkman's new head football coach. But who is he, really?

White started playing football while attending Courtland High School, with his father coaching the team. His father won four state championships with Courtland’s football team, setting an example for White who viewed his father as a role model and someone he continuously aspires to be like.

After high school, White attended The University of Alabama on a full football scholarship, playing defense with the line.

“I always wanted to go into coaching. I always wanted to plan the game of football and plan

New sheriff in town. New football coach Laron White speaks to the press at the school press conference held in March. White met the team that day and has already moved to campus. Photo by Cassie Chapman

the next level,” White said. “That's always been my dream [when I was] growing up.”

After 20 years of coaching football, what White loves most about the sport is its ability to teach character and build

Shelby Lopez Reporter

Knee injuries have sadly become more common among young athletes recently at Sparkman High. Four year Varsity baseball player Alex Strachan experienced his first major injury recently after tearing his ACL, MCL, and Meniscus during a play and had his first surgery ever on March 3rd of his senior year.

“I was trying to avoid hitting the first baseman while sprinting to first base and I planted the wrong way and tried to turn,” Strachan said. “My knee kind of just blew up.”

Not only does his injury affect his playing for school ball but Strachan also plays travel. With an expected recovery time of 6-9 months, Strachan has to watch from the dugout this summer as well.

“I play a lot of travel ball during the summer,” Strachan said. “I play for Team Elite out of Atlanta right now but I can’t this season of course. I miss it but I know they’ll do just fine.”

Playing baseball for as long as he can remember, Strachan has developed an avid love for the game. Whether he’s in the batters box or on third base, he feels at home.

“I have played baseball every year since I was five years old,” Strachan said. “The competitiveness is the best thing. It’s you versus the pitcher and nobody else can help you out.”

In November of 2016, Strachan signed to play

college baseball along with 6 other seniors that month. Committed to a school always on his mind, signing to play with Jacksonville State University was a dream come true.

“It feels amazing to sign,” Strachan said. “To be able to go to college with some financial support and get a scholarship is just great.

I love helping my parents out in any way I can.”

Hoping to be ready to compete his freshman year, Strachan has made a quick recovery his first priority.

Even though the therapy may be difficult,

Strachan knows t h a t listening to his trainers and putting in the extra effort will benefit him more t h a n anything.

“I have college ball next y e a r .

That’s m y

biggest motivation,” Strachan said. “I need to go in and try to get a spot my freshman year.

That’s really my end goal right

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Strachan’s injury has affected more than just himself. The team has taken a great loss of not only his talent, but his personality as well.

“Alex’s personality in general affects the team.

He was a great teammate and kind of led us on the field and off the field,” head coach Kellan Greer said. “He’s a friend to everybody and just the daily aspect of him not being around every day due to his therapy took a lot out of us early. Losing a guy like that is always tough.”

Greer has coached Strachan all four years he’s played at Sparkman. With four years of playing, four years of

work ethic, his work habits are great, yet he understands and knows he’s got to have a good time too and enjoys the game.”

Not only has Greer worked with Strachan but so have many others. Assistant coach Ben Stevenson knows his athletic ability to more than great but also mentions Strachan as a leader on the field as well as in the dugout.

“He can swing it for sure. He’s not bad defensively at third base, but again leadership

characterizes him more than anything else,” Stevenson said. “He’s a senior, he’s a leader, and people follow him. I think that was his biggest contribution.”

Strachan has developed his own memories from Sparkman baseball. His teammates have become brothers and he’s grown with them throughout all of his high school years.

‘I have a whole lot of memories from Sparkman baseball,” Strachan said.

“My favorite would probably be from freshman year.

Playing for the State personality Championship is and him something I’ll always being a great remember.” competitor.

He’s Playing kind of what you baseball for so want a lot of players long, retired to be,” Greer said.

“He’s got an unbelievable shortstop Derek Jeter has memories have followed.

Whether it is a great win or bonding off the field, Greer reminisces multiple things a b o u t Strachan.

“I just love his f u n loving

LaRon White’s career

2A State Champs in 2012 and 2013.

With 8 division titles.

83.1% Win percentage

Over 14 seasons his overall record was 148-30.

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become one of Strachan’s biggest inspirations along with his father Joey Strachan. Hoping to go as far as he can in baseball, Strachan has proven he knows what it takes to go far.

“He can go as far as he wants to and as far as his abilities allow him,” Greer said. “He’s a special kid with a special future and his work habits will help him. I think he’ll continue to have

opportunities to go as far as he wants to go.”

Some of Strachan’s athletic abilities include his defensive aggression at third base and his offensive ability at home plate.

Whether he’s hitting home runs or making plays with his teammates, Strachan’s athleticism is one to remember.

“His injury changes the lineup definitely.

He’s hard to replace as both a leader and a player at 3rd base and within the batting lineup,” Stevenson said. “It affects the way we have to move some people around and changes our depth a little bit.”

Another thing that sets Strachan apart from his competition is his commitment and motivation to his team.

One of the biggest disadvantages the team has experienced due to

Strachan’s absence is the lack of his personality and encouragement.

“He’s a good player and he trusts in his abilities, but other players trust him too,” Greer said.

“His camaraderie that he has with his teammates and who he is during practices and games or even training really set him apart.”

The biggest goal every team has is to make it to state. The change of the line-up has not stood in the way of the team’s chances of making it as far as they hope to go and their continuous wins have proven that.

“We’ve got a talented team, we’ve got a seniorheavy team, and a veteran team. We’ve got to control what we can control and do what we need to do and then when it comes to something like state, some of that stuff just has to play out in your favor,” Stevenson said. “You’ve got to have a little luck on your side but still control what you can control. As long as we do that then we have as good a chance as anybody if things go our way.”

Strachan has learned a few things during his recovery and motivation is one of them. His intense therapy has proven to help his recovery and Strachan knows that “keeping his head up” is more than important.

“Work hard and stay persistent,” Strachan said. “ It’s going to be a tough road but you’ll get through it.”

Photo by Scott Lowe and illustration by Griffin Gonterman

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games when it comes to practice and performance on the field.

“I like hard work,” White said. “When it comes to football and when it comes to working. It's all-out, full-speed hard work.”

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Madison County 310 Board

Fax: (256) 837-5886

men. He also likes that football enables a player to display their toughness -- his foundation of choice for building a strong team -- and what they can accomplish. Although football is a game sport, White plays no

However, White does like to smile and have fun. One of the ways he bonds with his team is by getting to know them and things like what kind of music they like -- his favorite kind of music being rap and artists such as TuPac, Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z -- as well as what they like to do on the weekend, etc.

“I’m what you call a player's coach. I think my guys come first. I like to interact with the guys. I like to make them feel comfortable. Not to the point where they think they can act up or ‘get over,’ but the point [where] we show mutual respect,” White said.

Players seem to be adapting to him as well.

“It’s a change, but a good one so far, junior Devin Kimbrough said.

“We just have to keep learning and working like he says.”

Baseball signee works through season ending injury and his future

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coliosis is a disorder in which there is a sideways curve of the spine or backbone. According to knowyourback.org 2-3 percent of the population requires treatment for this disorder. Junior basketball player Ellis Lee was shocked this past October when hearing the news that he might have this disorder.

“It was crazy. It was something that I didn’t expect so I was amazed and scared because I did not want to go through surgery,” Lee said.

Lee experienced some minor back pain in the months leading up to the discovery made by school trainer Andy Withrow, but Lee did not pay too much attention it. After being told he needed surgery, Lee found out that it would take at least six months for his back to heal enough to resume basketball activities.

“I never had any doubts about playing basketball again. I’m a strong person and I knew that I would do whatever it took to get back out there, but it was very depressing to hear that I would be out for six months ” Lee said.

The surgery he had straightened his back.

The operating doctors put three rods in his back that will probably stay in his back for the rest of his life. Ellis will have to get a monthly check up throughout the summer to make sure he is healing properly.

“The guys were there for him. Most of them visited him in the hospital.

They supported him and encouraged him to have a positive mindset through a difficult surgery. They helped him put faith in God and pushed him to work hard in rehab in order to get back to where he was,” varsity basketball coach Jamie Coggins said.

Lee first found out this past October, and had a successful surgery about a month later in late November. After his surgery he was required to rest for almost three months.

His rest period recently ended, and his rehab began, which currently consists of mainly lower body workouts, and he does not yet know the specifics of his back therapy.. He will continue to rehab the next couple of weeks. After a couple of grueling recovery months, Lee is targeting May 25 as his return date to full basketball activities.

“I wanted to get the surgery over with so I wouldn’t have to worry about missing anytime my

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The Crimson Crier

Festival Fashion DIY

April 20, 2017

Mady Harding Photo Editor

With festival season on the horizon and our bank accounts running low, we are faced with the question: What can we where? I’m here to tell you that you do not need to buy expensive clothing to be the stylish one in the crowd. With a few helpful tips, examples and an imaginative mind you can create some cheap, dazzling outfits from almost nothing.

Photo #1 This is one for the simpler outfit ideas.

Headband- This stylish headband is so simple to make. All you need is the cut off bottom hems of old t-shirts. Any colors will do. You could also get pattern fabric from the craft store. Once you have your selected fabrics, just braid them together with a knot at the end. BINGO. Shirt- One can get this shirt at the dollar store. A white cotton shirt in the size of your choosing. Then you will also need to purchase a tie-dye kit. Follow the instructions in the kit and you will have your first festival outfit.

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A different type of fire alarm Sydney Goggans A&E Editor

Photo #2 Headband- This bright headband was made in 10 minutes. You will need to purchase a plain black headband from Walmart. You can get fake flowers from Hobby Lobby, any flowers of your choosing.

You will also need a hot glue gun, and hot glue sticks. When you have gathered everything just simply hot glue your flowers onto the top of the headband and let dry for an hour or so.

Shirt- This shirt was bought at a thrift store. It was a men’s large. Quick tip, the better clothes are always found in the men’s section. I easily cut the bottom of the shirt to the length I was comfortable with. I also cut off the sleeves, you are going to thank yourself for that because festivals are so hot.

At the end I dried the shirt just to make the end curl in and look better.

On the morning of Aug. 1, 1966, it seemed like it would be a normal day. Students and other civilians on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin strolled down the streets and carried on conversations. A man by the name of Charles Whitman traveled up the university’s tower, but he was not up there to observe the campus. He had a more deadly plan — a killing spree.

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Photo #3 Headband- This headband’s base is made with stretchy black material, more like a large ponytail holder. I purchased little flowers that could not be super glued directly to the stretchy headband. I purchased felt from Hobby Lobby in each color of the flowers. I super glued the felt to the flower and then stapled the felt to the black headband.

Shirt- This shirt is also bought from a thrift store in the men’s section. I cut the bottom hem off and just cut strips vertically into the shirt. I did the same with the sleeves. The collar also bothered me so I cut that off. Feel free to go crazy with cutting or add beads or accessories to the fridges on the shirt.

Music Festivals Must Haves : Portable Phone Charger

Portable Fan

Moist Towelettes

Snacks

First Aid Kit

Shower Wipes

Prepare for summer with these easy, interesting reads Cady Harbin

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3.

Reporter

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Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon is liter- All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven is your Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Anally everything. Imagine being allergic to everything.

You have never been outside a day in your life, you are trapped inside your house with only the entertainment of the decontaminated items that you are allowed to touch. Imagine being lonely, never coming in contact or saying a word to anybody else but your mom and nurse. Madeline Whittier is an 18-year-old who has severe combined immunodeficiency. Her condition restricts her to her house where she cannot leave. Every item she touches has to be sanitized. Her only company is her mother, nurse Carla, and the books she has collected over the years. Everything changes for Madeline when a new boy, Olly, moves next door.

Other Suggestions

above average contemporary novel. Theodore Finch and Violet Markey are two teenagers who both want to escape the small town in Indiana. Violet is counting down the days until she graduates so she can leave behind the memories of her sister’s death. Finch suffers from a mental illness where he constantly obsesses over his own death and the ways to take his own life, but each time there is something good that happens to him that stops him. The two meet on top of the school bell tower, where their story begins.

Finch and Violet are paired together on an school assignment where they must discover the natural wonders of their state, but instead they find that Finch can be himself with her and Violet can stop counting the days and start living them.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

by Rick Riordan

drews follows Greg Gaines, a senior in high school.

Greg is lonely, with only one friend, Earl. They have been friends since childhood and spend their time together creating films. Everything changes for them when a childhood friend, Rachel, is diagnosed with leukemia. Gregs mother pushes him to start up Rachel’s and his friendship again, but he refuses. Eventually, Rachel and Greg begin to spend more time with each other. As the story continues, Greg is pressured to apply to colleges but his passion is making films. When word gets around he creates films, Rachel’s friend insist he makes a film dedicated to Rachel.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky

This is Where it Ends

by Marieke Nyjkamp

hat moment in American history became known as the first mass school shooting.

During his 96 minute killing spree, Whitman opened fire on students, employees and others around the campus resulting in 14 killed and 31 injured. The UT Austin shooting stunned the nation. However, that fatal incident was not the first time that a school shooting has happened in the United States. The first time dates all the way back to colonial times when Native Americans reportedly rushed into a school and killed 10 students along with the schoolmaster, Enoch Brown. Today, the U.S. has more school shootings than any other country in the world.

The massacre at UT Austin unfortunately will not be the last time a school tragedy happens. After the massacre, school shootings like before the massacre happened here and there. The next school shooting was the following month after UT Austin, a Minnesotan student killed his administrator. A school shooting occurred basically every year.

Different shootings popped up around the country. In 1969, two student members of the Black Panther Party were shot during a student meeting. During the same year a janitor killed numerous gay students. In 1982, a student killed his teacher and wounded two students. Another year, a former gradu-

ate student killed the University of Iowa’s faculty along with the university’s research student. In Brooklyn, a 15 year old killed 2 of his fellow students. A 14 year old killed a 13 year old during music class in Nashville. The list of school shootings goes on and on. Some of the school shootings that happen do not gain as much media attention as other do. A lot of school shootings the public has never heard of any acknowledgments from them. Then, Columbine happened.

On the day of April 20, 1999, the nation wept for those killed and wounded during that dark day. Columbine is coined as the “deadliest high school shooting in US history”. The question of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold’s persona became the biggest question of the media. Questions arose not only of their mental states but of how they are treated at school, goth culture and their Internet use. Columbine initiated debates over gun control, high school cliques and violence in video games.

Columbine provoked new studies on social climate and impacted school policies unlike other school shootings in the past.

School policies across America ranged from security guards to see through backpacks and some even tried to get students to wear computer generated IDs. The SWAT team policies even changed their tactics in case an event like Columbine happened again due to the controversy that they

had a slow response. nation. At Sandy Hook Schools renewed their Elementary School, anti-bullying policies Adam Lanza killed 28 and provided calls on people and 20 of them gun control measures. were children and the In the AP Language others were adults. It classes, Columbine has brought back a renewed been a required sumgun debate especially mer reading book.. Jeson the conversation of sica Britton, an AP Lanbackground- check uniguage teacher, became versal. Another school obsessed with the book shooting on the Santa and believes that it is alMonica College campus lowing students to read was a killing spree that a nonfiction book that resulted in six dead. is timely in today’s soCNN conducted a ciety.

“It is a relevant book and -Most school shootings occur it’s something during the school day, with students can relate to even if some happening before or after they don’t want -The attackers usually did not to relate to it.

It’s kind of the threaten their victims beforereality of where hand, but other students knew we are,” Britton that the attacker was planning said. something.

Kaylyn Jones, junior, was one http://www.teenviolencestatistics.com of the students required to read the book Columbine. study that mass killings She enjoyed the book are “contagious”. The and felt that it was eseffects of school shootsential to read. ings have resulted in [The book] worked debates over not only as a spotlight to bring gun control but the US’s the truth out of what involvement in helping really happened at Colmental health, cliques, umbine. Due to the fact bullying and violence that the media blurred on games. Witnessing the real truth”, Jones school shootings have said. increased anxiety and It became even traumatic stress in the worse after Columbine. students and teachers.

In 2007, 32 students and Schools have found it faculty members were an important policy to shot and killed while 17 teach the students and were wounded. Seungfaculties what to do if Hui Cho, the shooter, a situation happened in saw the Columbine one of their schools. shooters as martyrs. The “I feel as though they school was criticized made us read the book heavily on their treatto spread awareness ment with mental health of a true event and to issues and another gun discuss the seriousness control debate. School of school shootings beshootings happened cause it’s a topic that not one after the other but typically talked about”, one day another school Jones said. shooting horrified the

Facts

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three

Top deadliest school shootings

1st

32 killed April 16, 2007

- Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. A gunman, 23-year-old student Seung-Hui Cho, goes on a shooting spree killing 32 people in two locations and wounding an undetermined number of others on campus. The shooter then commits suicide.

2nd

27 killed December 14, 2012

- Sandy Hook Elementary School - Newtown, Connecticut.

Adam Lanza, 20, guns down 20 children, ages six and seven, and six adults, school staff and faculty, before turning the gun on himself. Investigating police later find Nancy Lanza, Adam’s mother, dead from a gunshot wound.

3rd

13 killed April 20, 1999

- Columbine High School - Littleton, Colorado.

Eighteen-year-old Eric Harris and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold kill 12 fellow students and one teacher before committing suicide in the school library. http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/16/us/20-deadliestmass-shootings-in-u-s-history-fast-facts/

April 20, 2017

April 20, 2017

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Man reflects on harsh reality of best friends’ crime Jessica Turnage Social Media Editor

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n May 19, 1998 a tragic school shooting happened in Fayetteville, Tennessee. Tim Quaife’s best friend Jacob Davis shot and killed Robert Nicolas “Nick” Creson on the school grounds of Lincoln County High School just days before graduation. “[I was] literally stunned speechless. I think it was our very last class of the day. We had seven periods. It was seventh period and near the end of the period. [The] teacher came in and told us what happened. I think [that at] the time I was standing up, I just fell to the floor. I just couldn’t comprehend it. My brain could not process the information,” Tim said. “Everybody was just stunned. Everybody was sad and stunned. Of course you know [that] people who knew Nick and were friends with Nick [were] very emotional and upset and rightly so. People who knew Jacob were emotional and upset.”

Fayetteville is a typical small town where everyone knows everyone. It is a town that people would not expect for something like this to happen.

“You hear about all these crazy things that happen in California and New York and all the violence.

And all the major metropolitan areas. Nobody expected anything like that to happen in our little town and so mostly yeah it was emotional,” Tim said.

It has been almost 20 years since the shooting happened in Tennessee. Tim said that it still has an impact on him and that he still thinks about it sometimes. Over time, the painful memories of that day have slowly diminished.

“I still keep in contact with him, kind of indirectly through Facebook. We can leave messages on Facebook, it turns around and gets passed through them in prison. They respond back and it is posted back on Facebook again. It’s pretty rare but we still stay in communication here and there. It’s gotten easier to deal with,” Tim said. “I wouldn’t [have] ever guessed in a million years that. Like this was one of my best friends since Junior high. So we had been very close for seven/eight years. Never in a million had I thought he was cable of doing something like that.”

The root of the situation was a girl. According to Tim, Davis was dating a girl named Tonya who had dated Creson for most of their high school career. Davis began dating the girl and eventually the two broke up. Rumors flew that the girl had begun talking to Creson again. Davis went home, got a gun, came back to school, waited for Creson after football practice and shot him dead.

“A lot of people think Tonya was playing both of them. Nick and Jacob,” Tim said. “Regardless, there was an incident in the school, in class where Nick had antagonized Jacob with Tonya. I don’t know what specifically was said but the subject was Tonya. And that was what put Jacob over the edge. He left school and went to go do what he did.”

After this, Davis’s life changed forever. Tim says that Jacob still feels remorse to this day. Davis claimed that he was in a haze and did not really know what he was doing. The prosecutors argued that because he had enough time to go home and get a gun and then come back and wait That it was not really in the heat of the moment. That it was planned.

“The prosecutors claimed he had enough time to stop and say “hey I shouldn’t do this”. To stop and think about it. So it really depends on who you ask.

You know I’d like to believe, that Jacob was a good person,” Tim said. “To this day Jacob is a good person, even know he’s killed somebody. I’d like to believe he didn’t know what he was doing. But I can see the argument for the other side too.”

Tim’s wife, Renee, had just begun dating him when he was sequestered for the murder trial. She was shocked to know someone who knew someone who had committed a murder. At first she did not understand why Tim felt bad for Davis.

“As his girlfriend at the time, it was difficult [to understand] because my initial thought was he killed somebody. He drove home and he got a gun and he came back and he killed the guy. Yeah he need to be punished how could you feel sad for him,” Renee said. “But it was still his friend so it kind of made me think about it differently. If someone that I was close to someone and they crime committed a crime will be able to see past the crime and still see the person. And I guess that was kind of what Tim was able to do.”

The police interviewed Tim and Jacob’s other best friends off and on up until the trial. They had to talk to law enforcement to give statements. They also talked to lawyers and media outlets.

“To be honest with you I was very angry with the local media and the way that they were painting the situation. So much of this was either inaccurate or sensationalized a little bit, so at the time that made me very very angry. Because that was the other thing the news video was making so many assumptions,” Tim said. “All I had to do was ask some questions and they wouldn’t have to do that. I brought a lot of anger at that point be-

cause you know so many of his friends were sitting here going that’s so not how [this happened]. Yes kernel of the story was that Jacob shot Nick that part is true but all the other details people are painting this picture with I was just not accurate at all. That was just a big wake up call to a lot of us.”

Tim and Jacob’s other best friends were called as witnesses for Davis. They would sit in the basement away from the trial waiting for their names to be called but the lawyer never used them.

“At the time I kind of wish, that they had called us.

That we would’ve been able to say something to his defense. Say hey this was not indicative of his character. Looking back now I don’t know if it would’ve had made any difference,” Tims said. “I remember at the time being very angry that they didn’t call us but I guess the lawyer thought it wasn’t strong enough.”

After the shooting the students at school started to treat Tim differently. Even to this day there are some people on Jacob’s side and some on Creson’s side.

Tim knew Creson but did not go to his funeral. As Davis’ best friend, it would have been inappropriate.

He does not attend high school reunions, either.

“We did get treated a little bit differently. ‘Yeah you were his friend how can you defend him’. I mean we weren’t defending him but we will still his friends.

We were still on his side. At the time we were saying you know he wasn’t in his right mind and people would be like ‘Yeah but Nick’s dead how could you possibly defend that action’. And we would go ‘Well you mean what we did was wrong but that didn’t make him a bad person.’ And people were trying to make him out as this evil monster all along which wasn’t the case. He was a good kid that made a very very bad decision. You know obviously killing someone is wrong but it didn’t change the fact that up until that point he was a great guy.’ Tim said Since the shooting happened days before graduation, the school canceled finals. At graduation they did have a moment of silence for Creson. Tim described the graduation as subdued and silent, with classmates really not talking to each other. He felt especially bad for Tonya.

“I remember seeing Tonya the graduation. I gave her a hug. And being surprised when she had a bulletproof vest on because apparently at some point some of the law enforcement thought it was a good idea for her to have one on during graduation, I don’t know why. At that point a lot of rumors were swirling around. A lot of people obviously everyone was blaming Jacob. But a lot of people were also starting to talk about Tonya and was she playing against each other,” Tim said. “Because of that I guess law enforcement the felt like they wanted her to be protected. So she had a bulletproof vest on under her gown.

So that alone kind of everything a little bit weird. Not the kind of thing that you expect from graduation.”

Davis was sentenced to 50 years with no parole.

He continues to appeal for a chance of early parole, but as it sits Davis will be 70-years-old when he gets out. Tim was able to visit Davis when he was in the county jail, but he has since been moved to the state penitentiary across the state. At that point he just wrote letters and emails. Tim has not contacted Jacob in years. He says that he did not want Jacob to feel bad about his life outside of prison, married, having a job and family. While Jacob did not have any of that.

Every now and then he will send a little quick message of encouragement but not any real conversation for at least a few years.

“I’ve always said if he ever got out I would like to see him. If he got out for parole, I would like to see him. I don’t know. It would need to be a reality first before I could even. At this point it’s hard to say for best friends anymore because we just drifted apart.

He’s got his life inside and I got mine out,” Tim said.

“I don’t love love is action, I love the man. At some point he was like a brother. We spent a lot of time together we are always over at each other’s house. To lose somebody kind of the close in that way was just traumatic.”

Photo by Madison Harding

Student expresses fears of possible intruder

Alex Myers Reporter

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et us set the scene.

The tiles are cold and the bookshelf behind me rubs on my spine. The room is mostly dark, only lit by the dim glow of cellphones emanating from the crowd of students I sit with. An administrator alerts the school in a clear, but calm voice over the intercom— we are under a code red.

There is an intruder in the school.

This intruder, most likely armed, is currently stalking the hallways like a ravenous predator on the lookout for its prey; I am sitting curled up in what feels like the most uncomfortable position imaginable, helpless. There is no defense and no escape. I am a sitting duck. There is no way to hold off an armed intruder if they just so

happened to get through the locked door. The only thing that stands between me and my classmates and the caliber of choice selected by our unwelcomed guest.

As I sit there, I start to imagine. Thoughts race through my mind about the end of life. What would it feel like to have a bullet shot through me?

Would it hurt for just a second, or would I feel the pain as the blood poured out of my dying body? I think about my teachers and how they are forced to put on a brave face when I know they are just as frightened as we are. I ponder what I would do differently on my second go around. I think about my regrets and my successes.

What else is there to do when you feel so close to death? I am certainly not thinking about my countless assignments that are due before the end of the week, I can tell you that.

It has been an hour now. I can see the flashing blue lights of the patrol cars through the cracks of the closed blinds and I yearn for the freedom

Would you feel safe if an intruder were to come in our school?

No Yes

19% Yes

Waiting for freedom. Jacob Davis awaits sentencing at his 1999 trial.

Davis shot a classmate on Lincoln County High School’s campus and remains in prison for the crime. Photo printed with permission from Al. com

for Columbine. I knew then I would buy and read the book. And I did on the day it was published.

I built in thirty minutes of reading for pleasure time in my class on Friday—“free reading Friday” is what I called it.

At the end of our thirty minutes, we shared what we were reading, whether it was a book, a magazine, homework.

room with his nose buried in his newest graphic novel. The truth is, anything would make me feel safer than I do now.

Sure, the door is solid wood and it would take a hefty amount of force to break that bad boy. The door, sadly, is not bulletproof and neither are we.

The room might be dark and the doors are locked, but the same goes every other classroom. It is not like the shooter is going to think that we are all out of school at 10:36 a.m. on a Wednesday. Whoever they are, they are not an idiot.

So here we are. You, me, scrunched up behind the teacher’s desk waiting for the all clear. We sit here with nothing more than our cell phones, a few car keys and some lonely mechanical pencils with small dust bunnies clinging to the grip.

I guess if you have really good aim, you could get the keys to hit his eye.

Maybe if we are lucky, the shooter will have asthma which will be no force against our furry friends.

Oh yeah, and go ahead and snap a pic while you

Should teachers be able to carry guns on them in school?

81% No

Reading Columbine W hen Columbine happened, I was a senior in college and preparing to be a high school teacher. I was so shocked and sadden at this tragedy, but I was also shocked and sadden because none of my professors wanted to discuss it. I did—after all, I was planning to teach high school. What if this happened at the school I was in?

That tragedy haunted me for years.

One day I was reading People magazine, and there was a book review

and security of the people on the other side of the double-paned windows in the classroom. There is no way out though.

I wonder if my mom knows what is going on.

I think. I pull my phone out to text her before realizing that any light could jeopardize our “hiding spot.” Or at least that is what we are told.

If this were a drill, half of my class would be asleep on the floor by now or giggling over some mindless Tweet that they found hilarious, but this is not a drill.

Nervous breath fills the air and silent prayers are given only hoping that someone out there hears them. As for myself, my palms are sweating and my heart is racing.

All I can think is that I wish I had a gun.

Not even a gun. A rock, a bat, anything.

Simply any object that could possibly keep me from having to surrender my life to the barrel of a gun staring me straight in the face. It does not even have to be me. My teacher, my friend, the shy guy in the back of the class-

are there. You are going to want to remember the moment you took down a school shooter with just a number two pencil and the keys to your mom’s 2007 Honda Civic.

Keep dreaming. It is time we face the harsh reality that if a shooter gets in a classroom, the odds are stacked against us.

The way that the school systems handles situations like this is overrated and under-prepared.

They tell us to shut the blinds, cover the door, turn the lights off and get in the corner. This makes me feel no safer than hiding in a bathroom stall would. Nobody in the room has any kind of a weapon, or at least they should not. However, we are expected to remain calm. When faced with the threat of death, I am asked to stay calm. My classmates are told to be calm. It feels like driving up to a red light and being told to keep driving.

I am not saying that schools should arm students with guns or baseball bats. I am simply stating that teachers should have access to some

School shootings from 1990-2017

64%

Key

None

1-5

6-10

36%

I shared this book with my kids, and they were captivated by the story.

Many asked to borrow

focuses on non-fiction writing and how the author communicates their message to their intended

11-20

too sure what to expect.

At training we learned the class was a non-fiction class, and there was discussion on non-fiction books. I knew I wanted to use this book in some way. It was added to summer reading as a “choice” book instead of the required. I believe it was a choice book for two summers before it was moved to the “required” one.

It was moved to the “required” one at the suggestion of the AP

Commentary by Ms. Crys Hodgens

it, and several bought it to read on their own. We talked about this book a lot. And this was before I taught AP Language & Composition, a class that

form of defense against an armed intruder. I bet if asked, they would say it would make them feel safer too. Having a way to halt a shooter without having to cower in the corner with our tails between our legs would hugely impact how safe most students would feel in the occasion of a school invasion, myself included.

A change needs to be made. Maybe not now, maybe not next year, but sometime soon. Schools should be equipped with the proper equipment to ward off an invader.

Anyone on the outside is probably reading this right now thinking “well that is just an awful idea.”

I see their point. Weapons in school have been frowned upon since the beginning of time. However, put yourselves in our shoes. Imagine yourself rolled into a ball, behind a desk, in a dark room with only a locked door protecting you from death. What would you want in your hands?

audience.

When I learned I was going to teach this class, we kept the summer reading the way it had always been because we weren’t

Language kids. When we asked them about the book choices for summer reading, Mrs. Fitch and I overwhelmingly heard from the kids that Columbine should be moved to the “required” list because it had more meat to it, it challenged them more in their reading and their thinking, and because the vast majority of them used it as their “choice” book.

We use the book to discuss the shift in safety at schools and media portrayals of tragedies.

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The Crimson Crier

Kicking off Sunday Shoes The drama department performed “Footloose”, April 6-9 to rave reviews.

The parts were perfectly casted for an upbeat and modern musical. Drama teacher, Terry Harbison, said the play gave the cast and crew a chance to see what he was like as a director.

Between the lines...

Surf’s up. Being lifted in the air, senior Jonathan Everheart finished the opening scene of the play. Everheart’s character had just moved to Beaumont from Chicago for a new start.

Photo by Cassie Chapman Almost paradise. The two lead characters, Ren and Ariel, finally confess their love for one another.

The leads were played by senior Jonathan Everheart and senior McKenna Barlow. Photo by Cassie Chapman

Step it up. Senior Johnathan Everheart explores his new home town in the opening scene. The opening scene included the entire cast. Photo by Cassie Chapman Getting funky. The step team dance in the gym class scene.

They were singing “I’m Free.” Photo by Cassie Chapman

Singing her heart out. Singing “Let’s Hear it for the Boy,” junior Nikki Ahlf performs in the second scene of the second act. Ahlf portrayed Rusty, Ariel’s best friend. Photo by Cassie Chapman

Group effort. Senior Jonathan Everheart holds junior Cody Colbank in his arms during the “Mama Says” while surrounded by other cast members. In the scene, the character Willard gave his advice to Ren. Photo by Cassie Chapman Twirl. Showing off her dance moves, junior Bella Rector performs in a group scene. Rector helped with choreography for the play. Photo by Cassie Chapman

Let us dance. Senior Spencer Rosenthal and junior Nikki Ahlf dance in the “Still Rockin’” scene. Rosenthal portrayed Cowboy Bob who tried to steal Ahlf from the character Willard. Photo by Cassie Chapman The cast and crew. Finishing their final scene, the cast ends on a prom moment. The last show was sold out.

Photo by Cassie Chapman