December 2020 Edition

rimson C

Sparkman High School | 2616 Jeff Road | Harvest, Ala. 35749 | Phone: (256)837-0331 | Fax: (256)837-7673 | www.crimsoncriernews.com

The

Crier

Friday, Dec. 11, 2020, Issue 2

CHEATING: BOOMING INDUSTRY IN DIGITAL AGE pg.8 Photo by: Grace Moore

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

INSIDE

2 | CONTENT

QUESTION

OF THE ISSUE

What are some of your holiday traditions?

CONTENT | 3

2020-2021

Crier Staff Editor-In Chief

Madison Duboise

News Editor

07 51

35

Myles Gollop

“My family all gets together at my grandmother’s house and garage and host a big party. We spend time together as a family and go to church service on Christmas Eve then rush home for all the children to get in the bed to wait for Santa.”

In-Depth Editor

Grace Moore

Sports Editor Ethan King Brody Wallace

A&E Editor

-Sophomore Noah Edwards

Sarah Chase

Reporters

16

32

“We like to get one of those angel families and we all pitch in to buy gifts.”

52

-Junior Madison Allen

Gabi Alexander Makayla Barchett Kendall Cope Kyla Davidson Angela Ducote Rileigh Glassman Kameron Glenn Emma Headrick Jacob Hiles Cherish Hollie Olivia Lake Anh Nguyen McKynna Stevens Tess Warren Donnell White

Adviser

Erin Coggins, MJE

07 35

News - Confederate statue relocated after complaints

In-Depth - Upcoming election and what could come of it

32 51

Lifestyles -Students find passion for makeup artistry

Sports - Senior discusses bowling career

16

40

Opinion - Custodian is unsung hero of the halls

A&E - New drinks spark craze among teens

“We usually eat dinner together on Christmas night and just spend time together for night, it is nice to be all together.”

-Sophomore Joseph Hawkins

TheCrimsonCrier sparkmannews thecrimsoncrier thecrimsoncrier Keep up with daily news on TheCrimsonCrier.com

4 | NEWS

NEWS | 5

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

Local monument comes down as activists call for change Grace Moore-Editor

I

n an ever evolving society, Americans have faced change unique from the rest of the world. As the Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum, so did the call to take down Confederate monuments.

In Huntsville and other parts of Alabama, the call is finally being heard. A monument to an unnamed Confederate soldier was taken down from the courthouse square in downtown Huntsville on Oct. 23. and is expected to be relocated in Maple Hill Cemetery, only months after Confederate monuments in Birmingham and Mobile were removed. In the South it is surprising to see the changes being made despite a region rooted deep in the history of the Confederacy.

“It made me feel cautiously optimistic,” Huntsville resident Frankie Cotton said.

“I was standing around the same place I was when the police riots happened back in June, so it was all very cathartic. Though some were a little on edge because a man who pulled a gun out at the protest on June first was lurking around, we were still able to ignore him and celebrate once it started coming down” While Alabamians who supported the monuments said they did not understand why people call for the statues to come down, people such as Cotton and others who were there that night feel that this mentality is the problem.

“It’s important that they get taken down because lost-cause revisionism is a lie that’s still being taught in our schools.

I remember taking the APUSH exam and the correct answer to the question ‘What was the cause of the civil war?’ was States’ Rights. This could be the start of us dealing with our past in the way a country like Germany, that accurately portrays the Holocaust. Currently, we’re more like Japan

in that respect,” Cotton said. “Taking down Confederate monuments is not an erasure of history at all. In fact them being kept up to deify the ‘noble cause of the confederacy’ is, because the confederacy was fighting to be able to keep human beings as chattel for the benefit of the planter class.”

However, dissenters such as Attorney General Steve Marshall say the removal of the statue was unlawful. Marshall is suing Madison County for $25,000, claiming that the relocation violates a 2017 law that prohibits altering a historic structure without having received a waiver from the committee formed by the state monuments law.

“I think the attorney general is missing the overall point,” sophomore Leo Duboise said. “The racism is so deep rooted in Confederate culture that these soldiers cannot be memorialized in a way that puts them up on a pedestal, in a way that causes people to almost worship these traitors of our country.”

It is not only Huntsville that is making changes here in the South. The University of Alabama is changing the names of several buildings that were previously named after confederate generals. But for some students, it is not enough. Editor-in-Chief of the University’s newspaper, The Crimson White, Rebecca Griesbach, believes that there is still more to be done.

“I think changing the building names was low-hanging fruit for the Board of Trustees. It’s something that should have been done a long time ago, and it’s an effort that shouldn’t stop at the buildings.

But in terms of the names, they should definitely be changed to honor Black Alabamians who fought against slavery and racism,” Griesbach said. “United Campus Workers came out with a list of suggestions, informed by the work of Dr. Hilary Green, who studies slavery on campus. The University has ignored these suggestions for each of the three building name changes that occurred this year, which shows how little it is willing to budge to truly reconcile the past. Instead, the current names – English, Presidents, and Honors Hall – paper over the

“Taking down Confederate monuments is not an erasure of history at all.”

Frankie Cotton

UA’s Quest to Right a Wrong

Morgan Hall currently houses the Dept. of English on the University of Alabama campus. Built in 1911, the building was named for Sen. John Tyler Morgan who was an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The building was renamed English Hall by the UA Board of Trustees in September 2020. The trustees hope to rename the building after an “appropriate individual” soon.

efforts of people who resisted slavery and racism.”

Overall, while it is only a start for activists, the student population of the University seem to favor the name changes themselves, but not the people in charge of them.

“I can’t really speak for the entire student population, but I think a good portion are supportive of name changes, and another portion is sort of apathetic.

Either way, I get the sense that a lot of students think the names that the Trustees chose are kind of a joke. I think some students feel like changing the names won’t do anything – and if anything, might make the campus forget how racist it is and was,” Griesbach said. Some think that changing the names is an affront to ‘Southern History’ and are actually mad about it, but very few are actually vocal about it. I don’t think they should be ignored though, because we’ve seen how ‘heritage not hate’ folks came out of the woodwork after Trump got elected.

They exist, and they exist on campus.”

While things such as these name changes and monuments being taken down

Progress Made After protests in May and June, Huntsville City Councilman and Sparkman alumnus, proposed taking down the Confederate statue on the courthouse square. The monument was taken down on Oct. 23 and placed in the historic Maple Hill Cemetery. Photos by Paul Gattis

are important steps for civil rights activists, the real change that needs to be made is much deeper, and for the people that care deeply about this, it needs to be made for the right reasons.

“Another thing that gets lost in the current discourse is that the name changes are a result of years of activism by students and professors – not just to change the names but to address a number of racist practices by the University and create safe spaces for students,” Griesbach said. “It

took two years to erect a marker next to Graves Hall commemorating Autherine Lucy Foster. And, I’ve been in meetings where administrators have told student activists how difficult it would be to change names on buildings, due to Historic Preservation Laws and family ties. So it’s interesting that all of a sudden, when it’s now cool for companies to say that Black Lives Matter, the University has decided to take down monuments and change the names.”

The University of Alabama’s Board of Trustees approved the removal of three plaques which honored students who served in the Confederate Army.

The plaques were located in front of the Amelia Gorgas Library on the Quad. The plaques were moved to a more “appropriate historical location.” last month.

Photos crowd sourced from Twitter

6 | NEWS

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

NEWS | 7

Holidays are perfect time to help

Despite COVID, people still giving Makayla Barchett-Reporter

T

aking time out of your day to dedicate your time to people has been routine every holiday season for some. Many are having a hard time this year to find volunteer opportunities or even find places that are taking volunteers. Richard Turner, Minister at the Madison Church of Christ, shared his opinion about the difficulty people are facing when trying to help in a time like this.

“We definitely are having to put forth a lot more effort, coming up with creative unique ways to reach out to people in such a weird time has been a huge struggle,” Turner said.

Many people still have not been able to leave their houses to receive community help or interact with friends. Turner found a way to reach them if they are stuck at home, in the hospital or even sick with COVID-19.

“Calling, texting, emailing, and sending cards has become my primary concern here since I cannot see them face to face,” Turner said.

COVID caused its fair share of change when it comes to life, but some feel it has brought new perspectives and has made volunteer work only more important. Junior Yesha Mwaura has given her opinion on why she feels it is important to volunteer, especially in times like these.

“I think people still need to volunteer because we need to help each other out now more than ever. Everyone this year has struggled with money loss due to this pandemic, loss of loved ones and much more due to the chaos of 2020,” Mwaura said. “If we can do something safely to impact people, it could make someone’s day and help people in ways we do not even know.”

National Honor Society Advisor, Amber Kimbrell, has seen the effects COVID has had on volunteering. She knows the importance of helping others and continuing to work through these tough times.

“I feel like it’s our job as humans to help each other in any way we can. We all want to live in a better and safer world,” Kimbrell said.

As the head of NHS, Kimbrell had to help make the tough decision to reduce the number

of volunteer hours required for members because of how COVID has impacted the volunteer world. Even still she emphasizes the importance of doing whatever you can to contribute to society.

“I believe when we help others, we help ourselves. Life is not just about us and we shouldn’t always be focused on ourselves,” Kimbrell said. “When we help other people, we see other life experiences and grow in understanding for others. That is one reason the National Honor Society requires volunteer work from our members.”

Many adjustments to service opportunities have been made right here in Harvest.

Despite challenges due to COVID , places like the House of Harvest are still focused on serving the community.

“Everything is a lot more COVID friendly. When I went to the House of Harvest yesterday, instead of letting the people come into the Firehouse and walk them around the stations of food while having conversations with them, it’s more like a drive-through and there was a lot less interaction,” Mwaura said. “They just asked what they wanted for each station then put it in their car.”

Many are struggling during this time especially with the holidays approaching while others are pointed in the direction of volunteering and aiding those who need assistance.

Mwaura makes a personal statement about why she truly feels it is important to participate, even in times as chaotic as these.

“I think it is important to serve others because I know if I were struggling and if I were going through a rough time, it would absolutely make my day if someone did something small for me. We look at other people every day and we don’t know what they’re going through,” Mwaura said. “I think helping others, in general, could save someone’s life whether we know it or not. It’s always the small things that count. I think that idea of making someone feel at ease or as cheesy as it is, a glimmer of light in some way compels me to volunteer.”

Bless the Bellringers A bellringer stands outside of Madison’s WalMart in order to collect funds for the Salvation Army. The Red Kettle debuted in San Francisco in 1891 to fund Christmas dinner 1,000 poor and destitute people, but bells were not rung until 1900. Photo by Madison Duboise

8 | NEWS

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

Cheating increases with online presence Anh Nguyen-Reporter

‘Click’

Just like that, the test begins with a 45-minute time limit.

Starting off strong, the test proves difficult. She answers the first question with uncertainty, with said uncertainty comes a rising temptation.

“It’s just one question,” she thinks.

Aware that her instructor can see when she exits the test, she pulls out her little gadget, Googling the answer. Alas, she has come across serendipity; a Quizlet containing every answer to every question of the test.

“It’s just one grade,” she thinks.

She breezes through, barely reading the questions and merely matches the answers from the Quizlet to the test, well aware that she will have 100% accuracy by the end of it.

This scenario portrays the current behavior that has become normalized over the years. The increase of virtual assignments creates an abundance of pathways to cheating with less of a chance to get caught. Even before the pandemic, cheating had been but a natural occurrence that was dealt with accordingly.

According to a study by Stanford university, math and science are the subjects in which cheating is most frequent.

To curb cheating, math teacher Jennifer Abernathy hands out multiple versions of each test to filter some of the cheating.

Ironically, one of her students used this to their advantage.

“The most interesting interaction was with a student who I knew was cheating but I couldn’t figure out how,” Abernathy said.

Having made three different versions per class, Abernathy uncovers the student’s methods by giving them a version of the test that was meant for her last block class. With no similar tests in sight, the possibility to cheat was slim to none.

“We later had a conversation about

[their] answers where [they] admitted to cheating on previous tests,” Abernathy said.

During the conversation, Abernathy informed the student that they will be receiving her fourth block’s version of each test from then on as well as taking the test next to her desk. The student apologized and agreed to study more.

English teacher Jennifer Culver’s first interaction with cheating goes back to her first year of teaching 24 years ago. As it was a time before smart phones, students would have to physically hand over their assignment to another in order to cheat.

“I noticed the same phrases/answers--people rarely try hard to make their work different from the one they copied from,” Culver said.

Both students had been penalized with a zero, one for cheating and the

enough time to do it,” sophomore Jacob Collier said.”I know cheating hurts me in the long run. I could have taken the time to grasp what I needed to learn, but it was an easy way to get that grade up.”

Senior Emily Hammer has a different perspective on the idea of cheating.

“My parents equate a higher grade with me learning more. Failing is an important part of learning however, doing some work online tempts me more. Because you are not in class to ask questions, it makes it a little more difficult and tempting,” Hammer said.

With remote students taking their tests at home, teachers have discovered that test scores seem to be higher and they know that students do access other devices to complete tests and homework assignments.

“Many of my teachers have adapted to remote learning and have evened the playing field by allowing us to use our notes at school,” senior Madison Duboise said.”They know that students at home are using them and that students coming to school should have the same advantage.”

Science can back the idea of the need to cheat.

Cortisol, a steroid hormone, is spread throughout the body and partakes in the role of responding to all one deems stressful.

Reactions are the same for every stressor, psychology teacher Jelena Pope states, fight or flight kicks in and sends the body into a state of heightened awareness as well as heightened cognitive state.

“One will think irrationally when pressured to do well,” Pope said.

Losing brain cells is taken into literal meaning as high levels of cortisol will shrink the prefrontal cortex over time, affecting memory in the process. The brain itself may shrink, hence the loss of brain cells.

“Knowledge is power; when you don’t really learn anything, and you just mindlessly figure out ways to cheat the system, you are only hurting yourself,” Culver said. “One day, you’ll know it when Karma knocks and you answer the door.”

NEWS | 9

Where is academic integrity?

64% 58% 32.7% students admitted to cheating on a test

admitted to plagiarism

admitted to constantly cheating in online courses

www.ww2.ed.gov

“I have contemplated cheating because there is often too much to do and not enough time to do it.”

Jacob Collier other for allowing another to cheat off of them. Culver continues with the same penalization from then to today.

Recently, Culver ran into a modern day cheating scenario. Her students asked to use their devices to look up a meaning of a word, but broke her trust as they texted the answers to one another, or browsed through School PLP lessons instead.

“So now if they need to look up a meaning, I show them a dictionary,” Culver said.

There are an abundance of reasons a student may cheat. According to Stanford University’s David L. Jaffe, students’ main focus remains on grades rather than learning. Whether it be the pressure put on by family and peers, or the concern for having a successful future, stress is caused from such factors and many more.

“I have contemplated cheating because there is often too much to do and not

Art by Olivia Lake

10 | NEWS

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

NEWS | 11

Churches adjust to COVID restrictions Kyla Davidson-Reporter

A

t this time of COVID-19, congregations have not participated in services since the beginning of this year. And from a pastor’s perspective it will require having to connect and serve in a brand new way.

Pastor Dr. Larry Davidson Jr. of Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church recognizes leading his church through God’s Spirit requires strength and prayer.

“It is that we are not leading personally. We haven’t met at our church since March 15, and the continuing of COVID-19 has made it more difficult to keep members connected to the church and ministry,” Davidson said.

From a spiritual perspective, Davidson believes God is speaking to everyone in this time of hardship.

Believers in Christ should always continue their walk with Him. And Pastor Davidson teaches that it is important to keep one’s spiritual lives healthy. “ He’s calling us to a place of repentance, to turn away from some things we have gotten into that led us away from Him. It changes the way we live if we acknowledge Him and come to Him. If we trust that He is in control of our life we would be interested in what He wants to say to us, even in this season. And churches in general change when we take hold of what God is saying in this season and grow from it,” Davidson said.

Not being able to attend church does not mean parishioners cannot build a spiritual and personal relationship with God. As the pastor, it can be easy to worry about your congregation as a body of Christ.

Pastor Davidson will have hope to believe that everyone is doing what they are required to do. He has done everything he can to keep their spirits revived and has had to do service virtually every Sunday and Wednesday afternoon and night for Bible Study. “ Hopefully they are doing well, if they are doing the things they were practicing before we came to this season. But I do have to say that sometimes we do wonder because we cannot see them. We do hope they are doing well but we do not know for sure,” Davidson said.

Even though members of churches are not able to come in contact with each other there are still many new ways churches can creatively reach out to others in need. And Pastor Davidson has taken that step in doing community projects in a way that is safe and effective. “ When we follow the social distancing guidelines, we have been able to meet on campus for certain ministry projects. As long as people are separated and we don’t usually get out of cars we have been able to minister to them in that way,” Davidson said, “ And also providing services to people in the community through pick-ups of items at the church facility whenever they are needed at various times. So there are opportunities to serve, we

“When we follow the social distancing guidelines, we have been able to meet on campus for certain ministry projects.”

Dr. Larry Davidson

just have to be creative while socially distancing and wearing a mask.”

Davidson is concerned about the effects of this time of sickness and what recovery will be testing and requires patience. Davidson has continued to try to help and brainstorm on new ideas for people. He is focusing on how this will be challenging in many different areas of life.

“The effects of COVID will probably linger for a little while. And then we will have to deal with the aspect of recovery and that’s going to create a whole new set of challenges, economically, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. And challenges we do not have knowledge of,” Davidson said. “But it keeps us praying because we trust in Him.” To ensure that students remain connected to their church families, local youth groups are adjusting how they hold retreats and missions. Mt. Zion Baptist Church, who is known for their Greenhouse Youth Group, just held their annual fall retreat. Instead of going out of town, the retreat was held at the church. “ Although we are still being spaced out we still have the opportunity to have fun with each other and discuss the message of the night,” sophomore Kendall Cope said.

Pastor Davidson’s church is currently only holding services virtually, while Cope’s church is offering virtual services but is also allowing parishioners into the building.

“We are not requiring masks, but they are recommended,” Cope said. “It appears that attendance is down from before COVID hit.”

Some churches are offering drive up services where those attending tune into a radio station to hear the service.

Senior Katlyn Dickey who attends Hillwood Baptist Church has the option of attending virtually, in person or parking lot services.

“It is really nice that even the older people who are at a higher risk can still attend church and we can all be together,” Dickey said. “We can’t shake hands, but there are options for us all to worship together.”

Photo by Madison Duboise

12 | NEWS

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

NEWS | 13

Scholarship started in honor of late alumnus Madison Duboise-Editor

N

ineteen years ago, a bright-eyed energetic student did not just walk through the doors of journalism adviser Erin Coggins’ classroom for the first time, but he walked straight into her heart.

Blake Brockway was a sophomore that had just transferred to the school the last nine weeks of his freshman year, the moment he walked into Coggins’ classroom. She recalls him as an immediate burst of sunshine, that never quit shining. Brockway was on her yearbook staff for his sophomore year and eventually also joined her newspaper class his junior year. He spent over half the school day sitting in her classroom, never failing to inspire Coggins’ in new ways.

“Times were different back then. Students did not have cell phones in their hands all the time, so they actually talked to teachers.

Blake was happy, funny and in some way, he needed me on his side--almost like a second mother. We developed a kinship over country music and had some hilarious moments buying concert tickets, using yearbook computers during my planning period--even our principal at the time, Mr. Steve Holland knew what we were doing,” Coggins said.

“One time, we spent too much money on tickets to the Country Music Awards show and had to hold a garage sale to help cover the cost. Let’s just say, the garage sale barely put a dent in the debt.”

During his time at school, Brockway became closer and closer with Coggins, constantly bonding over country music. This became a huge part of their friendship even after Brockway graduated. Brockway endured some bullying while in high school, yet Coggins said no student would have ever known it.

“He remained positive and ignored the comments, but I knew they hurt him more than he let on. He was popular. He served as editor of the yearbook and an officer in SGA-and just about every other club we had then,” Coggins said. “That’s what I admired about him--his tenacity to just keep going.”

That is exactly what Brockway did, kept going. He went on to work for the Human Rights Campaign, the Child Rescue Coalition and Equality Florida. The boy once sitting in Coggins’ tiny classroom was out fighting for the underdog and making a difference in all different communities.

“Blake was an advocate. He was

for the underdog much of the time and he was passionate about making sure everyone in our country had their rights,”Coggins said.

Coggins recalled the night he graduated as one of tears. She cried as if her own son had walked across the stage. Coggins never having children of her own found a relationship with Brockway that made her feel like a mother.

“I still have the card he gave me that night--where he said--I was a friend when he needed it most. Seriously, Blake became the son I never had. Blake became a part of our family,” Coggins said. “He attended my niece’s, birthday parties--dressing up as Winnie the Pooh and the lion from the Wizard of Oz. My dad loves Dolly Parton and once Blake stood in line to get Dolly to sign a picture for him, telling Dolly to address it to his grandfather. My family even gave him a graduation party.”

After graduating from high school, Brockway went from calling her Mrs. Coggins to giving her the nickname “Shorty”, it was a name he would call her until his last breath.

After high school the duo got together often, attending concerts, having dinner to catch up.

“For my 36th birthday, he got me backstage passes to Keith Urban in Huntsville

where he had Keith Urban sing my all time favorite song, “But for the Grace of God” for

“Something changed in me after Blake’s death. He always helped bring out the best in me.”

me,” Coggins said. “Oh, the stories I could tell about Blake.”

Early on Coggins knew Blake was a part of the LGBTQ+ community, she was just waiting for him to tell her. When he did come to her and told her he was gay he was extremely nervous. Coggins looked at him and told him she knew and that she would never judge anyone and definitely never stop loving them for that reason.

“In fact, I assured him that he could at least adopt me a grandchild one day or else I’d never be a grandparent,” Coggins said.

The two continued to stay in touch while Brockway went on to work in Nashville and eventually he took the job in Florida a few years ago.

“I missed him terribly--I also worried about him. He called me in October of 2019 to tell me that he was moving home--he had lost his job,” Coggins said. “We had dinner

Waiting On Dolly Black Brockway stood in line to get Dolly Parton’s signature for Coggin’s father. Brockway loved Coggin’s family like his own and always found ways to show his love.

Photo credits Erin Coggins

Group Shot For Erin Coggins’ 36th birthday Blake Brockway got Coggins backstage passes to see Keith Urban where he sung Coggins’ favorite song to her. Coggins jumped in for a picture when Brockway pushed her to the front. Photo credits Erin Coggins

and said we would catch up once he moved home in December.”

In March of this year Coggins received an email from French teacher Ann Herren.

Apparently, Herren had seen on FB that Blake was in the hospital and wanted to know what was going on. Coggins had no idea, she called Brockway’s phone but it was not his voice that answered back. His stepfather let her know Brockway was being put on a ventilator and that things did not look good at all.

“I rushed to the hospital to be with his mom and stepfather. He had a brain bleed and it was touch and go,” Coggins said. “I let him know that Shorty was there, hoping he could hear me. He went to ICU a few days later and I went to spend some time with him, singing to him and his eyes blinked--he always hated my singing--it is bad. When he woke up, his mother told him that he had a special visitor--a short one, she said he laughed and said I know--Shorty was here.”

Eventually Brockway grew better and was released from the hospital. Then once again, a few days later, his mom called Coggins to tell her that he was back in the hospital.

“It was March 30-his birthday and he called me to tell me he was lonely because of COVID-no one could visit him. We talked.

He said he felt better,” Coggins said.

A week later, Coggins received another call from his mother--he had cancer--bile duct cancer, stage 4--two weeks to live. It had spread to his liver and stomach. She asked that Brockway be sent home. She said it was the middle of a pandemic--he didn’t need to be alone.

“I went to his house to spend some time with him. Of course, some high school friends were there and he was laughing. I

still couldn’t get over how frail he looked.

He was sick,” Coggins said. “The friends eventually left and we had our talk--he said-I’m dying--no one will tell me, but I know I am. What do you say? His mom had told me.

I knew it. I left, giving him a big hug and said goodbye with plans to see him on Monday.”

He died on that Monday. Coggins got the call from his step-dad at 12:30 p.m.

Coggins was crushed, the lost one of the most important people to her that had ever walked into her classroom.

“We had to have a funeral in the middle of the pandemic when funeral attendees were limited. Blake asked that he be buried in his Trisha Yearwood T-shirt--he loved her and that asked that everyone wore concert T-shirts to his funeral,” Coggins said. “It was true Blake fashion.”

Coggins will never forget Brockway and the impact he had on her life, never forget the sweet memories and time they had together and will always remember the things he taught her in life.

“Something changed in me after Blake’s death, he always helped bring out the best in me. I could not conceive a world without his humor, bright personality and passion for change,” Coggins said. “I decided I wanted to be seen like that--a positive energy. He knew that as a teacher, I wanted to make a difference. I’m really trying to live up to that.

I’m really trying to seize the moment like he did. He was never scared to do anything.”

Since Brockway’s death this past spring Coggins has continued to use the light that Brockway left her after his passing. She knew she wanted to do something to honor his memory and all the things he did for her and others.

“He was a bright light in our world and with him gone, we have lost someone who

would use his voice to make a difference.

Before he died, he worked for a non-profit in Florida that helped track down people who trafficked children,” Coggins said. “He was a main player in the Human Rights Campaign, fighting for the rights of those in the LGBTQ community. He was passionate about the rights of African-Americans. And what I witnessed most, he was an advocate for kids who struggled with their weight and the bullying that often accompanies it.”

Coggins decided to dedicate a scholarship in Brockway’s memory called the Blake Brockway Memorial Scholarship. She approached her husband with the idea, choking up, asking what he thought about honoring Brockway with the scholarship.

“He hugged me and told me he was okay with that and that he thought it was a great idea. The amount of the scholarship is only $1200, but I hope it can help some student at our school pay for a little bit of their higher education,” Coggins said.

The application will include an essay that addresses a specific question of serving others. The application will open in January as Coggins still has a few business things to work out on the financial end. In fact, a former student of hers, Ashley Burrell, is handling that. Students wishing to apply should look for an announcement to be made in January.

“The applicant must show that they use their voice to help others. I am looking for a student who is active in the community, helping others to better themselves,” Coggins said. “Grades are important and will be evaluated however, service to others will rate more in the scholarship rubric. An outside party will evaluate the candidates’ essay and application. I’m looking for that positive and passionate person, just like Blake was for the world.”

14 | STAFF EDITORIAL 2616 Jeff Road, Harvest, Alabama 35749 (256) 837-0331 https://www.mcssk12.org/Domain/30 Distribution The Crimson Crier is a student-run publication produced in the state of Alabama.

All final design, reporting and content decisions are the responsibility of the student journalists of Sparkman High School under the guidance of their adviser and principal.

The views articulated in The Crimson Crier do not necessarily represent the views of the entire staff, Sparkman High School or the Madison County school district. Copies are distributed to the faculty, staff and student body free of charge. School Paper Express prints 500 copies for distribution.

Membership The Crimson Crier is a member of Columbia Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Alabama Scholastic Press Association and Southeastern Interscholastic Press Association and Quill and Scroll. The Crimson Crier is a two-time CSPA Silver Crown winner, a consistent CSPA Gold medalist, NSPA First Class medalist and ASPA All-Alabama rating.

Policy The Crimson Crier will report objectively on issues directly and indirectly affecting the student body and the school community. As student journalists, we understand our role in a global society to abide by the ethics of professional journalism in order to ensure a more informed student body.

Letters to the Editor The Crimson Crier will print all letters to the editor as long as space will allow, and may edit letters for grammatical mistakes.

All letters to the editor must be signed and include contact information of the writer.

Letters can be dropped off at the Sparkman High School newsroom (127) one week after publication.

Staff Editorial

T

here is a lot of hate behind the 13 stars and two blue stripes across a bright red background or a nameless monument. The Confederate flag and monuments reflect the idea of protecting or encouraging the behavior that the Confederacy represented and still represents today.

The pain brought on by the people this idea represents is endless, the lives it cost and the idea that slavery should be allowed in this country or any is unforgiveable.

The Confederates had their moment, and it ended shortly after it was started.

Why is it that the idea of the Confederacy which was started in the early 1860’s is one that is still alive and blooming in Southern culture?

Why do these monuments and flags mean just as much to people now who barely know the true history and hate behind each symbol?

With the Black Lives Matter movement flourishing at the beginning of this year, much more was sparked in the South than just justice. The removal of Confederate monuments all across the South has even sparked change in Alabama, the state most believe is the deepest rooted in the hateful culture. The relocation of the monument downtown means much more for those fighting for equality than just not having to look at it every time they pass by. It is the relocation of hate, the relocation of inequality and the relocation of tolerating a culture so

aged and hurtful.

It is a huge step forward for activists, people of color and even citizens. The progress took more than a while but it has

finally been made, and hopefully there is more to come. The idea that we are finally moving from the positive remembrance of the Confederacy towards remembering the Civil War and that time for what it is, a hateful and disturbing battle that will never be forgiven.

Each building name changed, each monument removed and every flag put away is one step towards the end of idolizing the culture that killed and hurt hundreds of thousands.

Art by Kameron Glenn

What you think...

“I feel like it has been an issue for some time where the flag and these monuments are symbols of a time period of slavery, these things mean and represent different things to different people.”

-History Teacher Jamie Coggins

OPINION | 15

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

“I think it is a good thing they preserve history but if they are taking down these statues and such they should be making replicas or something to replace the history that could be destroyed.”

-Sophomore Kallianne Borden

“I feel like it is a big step in the right direction.

I like how they did not destroy them, it is keeping the peace. I like people can still see them and learn but I will not be in a public place that affects those that wish not to see it.”

-Sophomore Joseph Hawkins

Americans tend to be to caught up in our problems, ignore world

I

can still remember the first time I realized the world existed outside of the bubble most people tend to put around themselves. I was in the third grade, sitting in my A.C.E. classroom, waiting on the day’s activities to begin. But rather than pulling out another science experiment or giving us a mystery to solve, Miss Davis walked to the front of the class and asked anyone if they knew what happened in Boston that morning.

Upon our silence, she clicked a button on her computer and projected an article onto her smart board. Multiple casualties in Boston Marathon bombing, FBI suspect terror attack. Up until this point, I had never given much thought to Boston, Massachusetts but now, it was all I could think about.

I think many people forget that the world continues to spin no matter what happens in their personal life. Take, for example, the people protesting mask mandates. They carry around automatic weapons, refusing to wear a mask, yelling, “My body, my choice,” as if they are not being given the opportunity to protect both themselves and the people around them from contracting COVID-19 and potentially dying. Something that so many poor souls around the world would take over a ventilator any day.

This year has been one catastrophe after another but what exactly those catastrophes are depends on who you ask about it. If you were to take someone walking around Washington, D.C., they might tell you it was the pandemic and the election.

But if you were to take someone off the street in Yemen, they might say it was not having anything to eat for the fifth year in a row. Or if you were to ask someone in Lebanon, they might

say it was losing their family members in the Beirut explosion. Or even in Nigeria, where they are currently experiencing a SARS outbreak on top of COVID-19.

There are so many people in the United States alone who seem to forget that we are, in fact, a first world country. We don’t have to worry about a famine. We don’t have to worry about where we will be getting our next glass of clean water. We don’t even have to leave our homes to get groceries. People get so caught up in what they want that they forget how much of a privilege it is to live in a place like the United States, where our worst nightmare is losing our Netflix password during quarantine.

The world is a big place and while your problems may seem horrible, you must remember that there are people around the world who would gratefully take your problems over their own. You are not living out your dystopian fantasies.

You are not the main character in an apocalyptic action movie, waiting to take down the bad guy. You are living with the privilege of knowing where your next meal will come from. You have a place to go when lock downs and mask mandates are put into place for your own protection.

You are not being oppressed. You are being given the opportunity to live without worrying about survival, something many others would be grateful for in your position.

“I think many people forget that the world continues to spin no matter what happens in their personal life.”

Emma Headrick-Editor

While You Weren’t Looking

January

Australian wildfires destroyed 47 million acres, displacing thousands of people and killing 34.

April

Nearly 1 million people affected and 24 dead as flash floods hit Beledweyne and Jowhar, Somalia.

August

A massive explosion at a Beirut port killed at least 190 people.

16 | OPINION

OPINION | 17

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

Public eyes celebrities too closely

B

Super Kat Custodian Kat Fitcherd sanitizes the desks in the newsroom. Editor Madison Duboise had to sneak of photo of Fitcherd who is camera shy.

Photo by Madison Duboise

Long time custodian deserves a big thanks W

Grace Moore-Editor

alking through our halls is an unsung super hero, and her name is one almost everyone knows, Mrs. Kat. Mrs. Kat does so many things for our student body and staff, and you will never once hear her complain. She cleans every classroom, daily, sanitizing the desks and computers, mopping the floors and taking out the trash. It is not uncommon to see her dusting the top of the lockers with her large feather duster.

But what stands out the most about Mrs. Kat is the bright smile that is always plastered on her face. It us always refreshing to see her scooting down the hallway with her cart, humming and moving from classto-class.

She also shows an interest in students, sometimes offering them advice or a friendly hello when they look down.

With this being said, students should respect the work Mrs. Kat does for them.

This means, we should always place our trash in the proper trash receptacles, flush

the toilets and utilize the utmost respect when it comes to keeping our bathrooms clean.

Besides treating everyone she meets with respect, we could all learn a more valuable lesson from Mrs. Kat and that is one of being committed and dedicated. Think about it.

If we all approached our school work with the hard work Mrs. Kat puts into her job, we would all be National Honor Society students. She shows us that hard work pays off and that it should be respected.

Sometimes I have the opportunity to be in the newsroom when Mrs. Kat comes in to clean. She always engages in conversation, asking how we are doing and sharing some insight into how life should be lived.

The Crimson Crier staff wants to say thank you, Mrs. Kat. Thank you for doing so much for our school and doing such an amazing job at that. Thank you for being one of the sweetest people to ever walk our hallways. We appreciate you more than you will ever know.

Next time you see her in the hallways, say thanks. She deserves it.

eing under the spotlight every second of the day can’t be easy. Someone always watching you and judging everything you do. Things that a normal person can do seems so absurd when it comes to a celebrity.

Recently a country music singer, Morgan Wallen, was the victim of a lot of hate for going down to the University of Alabama and partying with sorority girls there. Instead of the girls being hated for invading his privacy and recording without his permission, he was punished instead. I’m not supporting his immature actions, but rather showing that normal guys behave like this all the time and never see such a backlash attacking their character Divorce is a common thing in the world. People who once wanted to be together, don’t anymore, it’s normal, until a celebrity does it.

In 2019, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth announced their divorce. Fans were shocked and outraged that they wouldn’t be together anymore. But the truth is that life happens and so does divorce.

In 2018, tennis star Serena Williams made headlines by wearing a catsuit to the French Open, with many praising the athlete for the sporty look, things took a dramatic turn when The French Tennis Federation president decided to ban the one-piece from future tournaments. Williams, and other celebrities did not take this news very well.

Not only is their behavior judged twice as harshly as ours, they virtually have no aspect of privacy. When being born into a prominent family, like the Kardashians, from the day their children were born, all eyes were on them judging their every move.

Kenny Chesney once wrote a song called “Welcome to the Fishbowl”. In this song he is referring to life as a celebrity. They are the fish and we are the people starring in their bowls watching them swim. Not to mention the paparazzi trying to bait them into taking a bite of their drama.

Growing up in such a luxurious lifestyle seems like a dream, all the nice things, endlessly getting what you want, but most

Photo Illustration by Olivia Lake celebrities battle with mental health issues due to this lifestyle. The extensive pressure to be seen as “perfect” can ultimately lead to anxiety, depression and other mental issues.

39 celebrities have openly spoken about their mental issues that we know of, and studies show that being a celebrity can increase your chance of having depression and bipolar disorder due to incessant media and public scrutiny.

Lindsay Lohan is an example of letting the lifestyle get to you. Her career ran off the rails starting in her disastrous year of 2007 when she was twice convicted of drunk driving, once for cocaine use, made three trips to rehab, and served some jail time. In 2018, Demi Lavoto had a drug overdose. She opened up that she had recently suffered a relapse, and was taken to the hospital where she remained stable which allowed her time to recover.

Anyone can put on the “perfect act” for social media, but next time you wish you were a celebrity, just know their lives aren’t perfect, either.

Gabi Alexander-Reporter

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

18 | OPINION

Holiday season brings up memory for student

T

Olivia Lake-Reporter

here were few teachers around the school as well-known as Mrs. Gunter; rumored to be strict and demanding in regards to her students’ behavior, her actions were spoken of so often that she became a terrifying piece of folklore in the younger grades.

As one of the younger students, I thought I was safe from her reign for a few more years, but when my friends and I agreed to sign up for the school’s Christmas play, we were terrified to find Mrs. Gunter would be our teacher.

The play itself was spoken of with an air of excitement among the actors; most were enthusiastic about their roles or thankful to be a stagehand. Myself and many of the people I signed up with were assigned to the role of one of the nine reindeer, and we practiced ridiculing Rudolph every week after school.

Although Mrs. Gunter was just as brutally ruthless as everyone described, seeing her in person was a very humanizing experience. She would yell at a student for forgetting her lines, then invite us for a pizza break in the very next breath. Despite her short temper, everyone eventually grew to like her, and everyone in the class became considerably more relaxed as the date of the play approached.

Soon enough, the stagehands were rushing around to set everything up, and the actors were peeking their heads through the curtains to look at the boisterous audience sitting in the previously desolate auditorium.

One group went around asking, “Do you want to practice your lines with us?”

A reindeer ran by, loudly whispering,

“A reindeer ran by, loudly whispering, ‘has anyone seen my antlers?’

“Has anyone seen my antlers?”

Fed up with the commotion, Mrs. Gunter yelled, “Everyone take your seats!”

The play progressed smoothly, and soon, we had arrived at the big resolution of the play: Santa was giving a rousing speech to Rudolph, and the other reindeer and I were lined up, ready to take off.

Because my friend and I were in front, playing as Dasher and Dancer, we had a perfect view of the enraptured audience.

Everything was going normally, except for nervousness radiating from the two girls behind me, Prancer and Vixen.

I can only imagine what the audience must have thought, seeing four reindeer aggressively whispering amongst themselves.

“We’re supposed to take off right now!”

Prancer said.

“No, Santa is still talking,” I replied, but I was already doubting myself, and the other girls were no help—Dancer looked just as unsure.

“Move!” The two girls, with no intention to take no as an answer, push us forward, and the reindeer behind us follow us off-stage with no hesitation, leaving Santa behind in a trail of dust.

Mrs. Gunter met us backstage, and the look on her face was one that rivaled the horror stories plaguing the younger grades.

“What are you thinking? You can’t leave Santa behind!” she said, and thankfully the girls who pushed us felt guilty enough to take over the conversation and explain the misunderstanding. Mrs. Gunter motioned for us to go back out when Santa finished his monologue; he and Rudolph both looked relieved to see us.

The rest of the show is finished effortlessly, and our mistake went down as the biggest hitch in the show. Despite me and my friend’s disappointment, the girls convinced us it wasn’t a big deal. The audience stood and gave us their applause, and the incident was soon forgotten when Mrs. Gunter invited us to one last celebration, complete with pizza.

OPINION| 19

Biden Wins

Readies to make history in the White House

A

Myles Gollop-News Editor

new era in Washington has begun. Four years after leaving the Capitol, Joe Biden is back.

Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. was born on Nov. 20, 1942 in the small town of Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was a C student in high school, but was very active in extracurricular activities, lettering in football and baseball. He was president of his junior and senior classes.

At the young age of 29, Biden was elected to the US Senate via an upset victory. Tragically, his entire family was involved in a major car accident just weeks before his inauguration. It killed his wife and infant daughter, devastating him.

Biden ended up serving 36 years in the Senate before being nominated to be Barack Obama’s running mate in the 2008 presidential election. He spent eight years as Vice President and then took a short break from politics, declining to run for president in 2016.

On April 25, 2019, Biden made the decision. He was going to run for President of the United States. After defeating 28 Democratic challengers, Biden won the presidency over Republican incumbent Donald Trump. He is set to take office on Jan. 20, 2021.

Currently, Biden and his campaign staff are organizing who will serve in his presidential cabinet. Ron Klain, Biden’s former Senate aid, has been tapped as White House Chief of Staff. Several prominent Democrats have expressed interest in being part of the Biden administration, including Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Andrew Yang.

In his first 100 days as president, Biden plans to raise corporate income taxes from 21% to 28%, re-enter the United States into the Paris Climate Accord of 2015, create new legislation giving illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship, stop family separation at the border, rescind the travel ban for some Muslim countries, stop the continued construction of the border wall, increase police reform, create a $2 trillion climate plan and add on to the Affordable Care Act. Perhaps the most historical part of the Biden campaign is his vice president.

Kamala Harris, a half-Black, half-Indian senator from California, became the first woman ever to ever be elected as vice president. She formerly served as Attorney General of California for six years before being elected to the US Senate in 2016. She is the second highest ranked person of color in U.S. history, behind former President Barack Obama.

At the age of 78, Joe Biden is set to be the oldest president ever inaugurated. It is largely unknown if he will seek a second term in 2024.

A new chapter has begun in the U.S. With a new president comes a new way of thinking, new policies and a new administration. A four year clock to get things done ticks as millions of Americans from both major political parties root for Biden to succeed.

Making History For Women 1st Female V.P..

Kamala Harris is also the first African-Asian American V.P.

1st All-Female Communications Team Photos: Creative Commons/Twitter

20 | OPINION

Free college tuition is not all it is cracked up to be

Makayla Barchett-Reporter

63%

of adults agree with free college tuition at all public colleges

F

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

ree college sounds like a wonderful idea. However, when we look at it from another angle, is it really as great as it appears?

Yes, it does provide people with lower income a path to college, so they have a better chance of having a better future, but that is only the surface.

What happens when the government provides college education to everyone? The assumption is that everyone deserves a chance to get a college degree and this will better society in general, but will it?

In the early 2000s, we saw the results of what happened when the government got involved in home mortgage loans with the idea of “everyone deserves to own a home”. The federal government created legislation that led to low-income people being able to get home loans.

While this sounds like a great idea, the problem was that these people could not afford these loans.

This led to a housing market crisis as the price of homes went up, due to more people now being able to buy a home and there now being a high demand for homes, but then the prices of homes crashed when people began foreclosing on their homes because they could not afford the payments. This then creates a huge supply of homes on the market which drove the costs of the homes back down. In the end, it ended up hurting a lot of homeowners, who could afford their payments, because their homes were no longer worth the high price that they had paid for them. The point is that just because something sounds good, positive, and helpful does not necessarily mean that it is nor does it mean that it should be done.

How does this apply to colleges? The same problems that led to the housing crisis could easily end up happening within universities.

First, with the government paying for college, there would suddenly be a huge demand for college degrees. This demand could cause universities to increase their prices since the government is paying for it. However, it will be the taxpayers that suffer since that is where the government gets its money.

Second, with there now being a huge demand for degrees, universities will have to begin making up degrees for people to get. College degrees are not just basic education. They are meant to provide education in specific fields of study, and the fact is that not everyone is capable of being a lawyer, a doctor, an engineer, or a teacher. So colleges will begin making up degrees for people to obtain which will more than likely be worthless.

With this said, I know a couple who runs a screen printing business. An individual applied for a job with them once and expected to get paid more just because he had a degree in screen printing. However, his degree did not cause him to be any better at printing on T-shirts than the employees without a degree. Why should he get paid more if he would be doing the same level of work as someone without a degree? Worthless degrees would be a waste of taxpayers’ money.

Having said that, citizens’ taxes are going to increase to pay for the free college of others.

But what happens when someone attends just to get a meaningless degree because it was easy, giving them more time to spend on doing extra activities? The citizens’ money is being wasted and the economy can not function on people who get a degree that truly will not have an impact on them or on the people they want to work for.

Third, what drive will it give students to do well in college if they do not have to pay for it?

Sure, some will truly want to do well, but many will not. We see this happening in high school today. There are many students among us who truly work hard to do their best, but others do not. However, high schools do cause a sense of drive because failure can cause problems for a student since many employers require a high school diploma. However, it may not really matter if a student fails college because many employers do not require a college degree. For many, it will just be four or more years of being paid to party.

What happens if everyone truly does get a college degree? Right now, a person who has a college degree is usually viewed more as someone who took the time to further enhance his or her education. A bachelor’s degree is usually going to be seen as a better degree than a high school diploma as would a master’s over a bachelor’s. More likely an employer is going to hire someone over another with a greater degree.

If everyone has a college degree, the value of the degrees will drop. The employer is not going to care what kind of degree you have simply because everyone else will have one too.

Having college paid for honestly sounds like an awesome idea, but when one truly uncovers the negative aspects it can have on our country, it really outweighs the positive.

37%

of adults strongly favor free college tuition

36%

oppose free college tuition at all public colleges

LIFESTYLES | 21

Artist flourishes by drawing their own style Olivia Lake-Reporter

A

rt is known for far more than just meticulously painted, renaissance-style artwork. It can be semi-realistic or wildly cartoonish.

To some people, art is not just a style, but a future career laden with intrinsic value.

Sophomore Finn Treadwell is one of these people. Their fascination with art took root at the age of 5 and flourished into a passion and possible career shortly after.

“I started to take art more seriously because I saw what people were able to make in cartoons and comics and it made me want to try and pursue that as well,” Treadwell said. “I continued to draw because it’s become a good coping mechanism for me and I love being able to create my own world through drawings.”

Once they became interested, it was only natural to begin taking classes and working for experience. From entering contests to joining and hosting DTIYSes (draw this in your style), Finn believes this collection of experience aided their development as an artist.

“One of the biggest milestones I’ve hit in regards to my art would be when I won my first art contest in 7th grade,” Treadwell said.

“It immensely helped my confidence in my work.”

Their work was heavily influenced by punk aesthetics and ideals—obscure horror movies, Jack Stauber’s music and animations, stop-motion—and it shows in their art,

ranging from light and fun to heavily horrorinspired.

“Stop motion animation and cartoons are two types of mediums that inspire me because I’ve always loved how you can build things to your liking,” Treadwell said. “I’ve always loved things that tend to run off from the norm.”

Their interest in art led them to create an Instagram account, @gl1tch.brain, where they now have over 1000 followers.

Although burnout and loss of motivation can flare up now and then, the good outweighs the bad for Treadwell, and they instead find solace in the community that social media can provide.

“One of the best parts is being able to meet and interact with more artists and creators, and share tips with one another to improve our work,” Treadwell said.

“Something I like about the art community on Instagram is that the people in the community are extremely accepting and helpful.”

Throughout their journey in art, Treadwell has made leaps in their artistic achievement, met great artists and made new friends. They continue to make great use of the experience they have gathered, improving their artistic ability greatly as the years go on, and the community they have found follows them every step of the way.

“Some advice I would give is to reference things you like in artwork since it helps you learn more about how things like the human bodywork,” Treadwell said. “Most importantly, practice,

“I continued to draw because it’s become a good coping mechanism for me and I love being able to create my own world through drawings.”

21%

strongly oppose free college tuition at all public colleges Stats from cnbc.com

Illustrations by Finn Treadwell

22 | LIFESTYLES

The Crimson Crier || Oct. 27, 2020

Giving the tools of modern society Alumnus creates foundation, gives back

J

Sarah Chase-Editor

ohn Stallworth, Hall of Fame Wide Receiver who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, created the John Stallworth Foundation in 1980, which provided Lamario Williams with the scholarship money he needed to cover his room and board throughout college. This foundation provided the Sparkman alumnus with the help he needed to finish college and inspired his own non-profit, the DUBS Foundation.

Williams founded his foundation in February of 2020. For the upcoming year, the foundation will be offering one-time scholarships to graduating high school seniors that wish to enroll in a two or fouryear institution in the Fall of 2021.

“In the future, we hope to offer multi-year scholarships for students until they finish their desired degree. Currently, scholarships are open to students in Madison County Schools and Birmingham City Schools, which we hope to expand in the future,” Williams said.

Williams’ scholarship from the John Stallworth Foundation also funded his medical mission trip to Nepal in 2015. He described that those experiences have not only encouraged him to help others, but also give others the same opportunities he was able to have.

“Morally speaking, I believe humans have basic fundamental rights in the modern society we live in, two of these rights include education and health,” Williams said. “DUBS Foundation aims to provide educational and monetary resources to help ensure people have the knowledge and positive impacts on the world. If DUBS can help people live healthy lifestyles, I am all in!”

The process of starting a non-profit organization was not a part of Williams’ knowledge, but he was lucky enough to have people in his corner to show him the ropes.

He came up with the idea to create DUBS in 2015 and after five years, he figured out that it is not a difficult process, but one that requires time and patience.

“For years, with the help of Devin Wells, I just brainstormed thinking about what purpose I wanted DUBS to serve. In late 2019, with the help of Lucas Gambino, I learned the steps it takes to create a non-profit

Smiles of Success Sparkman Alumnus, Lamario Williams, shakes hands with his mentor, John Stallworth. Stallworth inspired Williams to create a charitable foundation. Photos courtesy of Lamario Williams

organization: reserving an organization name, applying for articles of incorporation, completing the SS4 tax ID form, etc. The government paperwork realm is far from my area of expertise, so I was incredibly thankful I was able to receive guidance on exactly how to accomplish each step. Because of my difficulties in what felt like such a long time to make my dream a reality, I am more than willing to help others on their journey to creating a non-profit,” Williams said.

DUBS also offers grants to high school teachers in the Birmingham City School system. Williams wanted to start with a small group of teachers who need financial aid, but does not want it to stay that way.

“Since 2013, I have met and worked with many students and teachers from the BCS system,” Williams said. “We hope to expand the grants we offer to more school systems including separate applications for elementary school teachers and middle school

teachers. We also hope to offer grants and/or fund initiatives that encourage adults to live healthy lifestyles!”

Although DUBS has not awarded any grants yet, Williams hopes they can reward their firsts in January of next year. He knows how hard teachers work to provide the best education for their students and wants to make sure he can help them continue that hard work without worrying about money.

“Teachers are some of the most patient and enduring people. Far too often, they struggle financially. We want to offer these grants to help alleviate that, but also to reward teachers that want to go above and beyond for their students giving them the monetary means to do so,” Williams said.

In the DUBS mission statement, they mention “Paying love forward.” In the section, they discuss how money has become so important and states “We’d rather use love as our currency to move society forward.”

LIFESTYLES | 23 It also states that DUBS feels a “moral obligation” to make sure that money does not hold anyone back from accomplishing their goals. Williams believes that money itself should never be the goal and the same goes for fame and power.

“Money: pieces of paper, round pieces of metal, and pixels on computer screens are what seem to make the world function. It’s an unfortunate reality, but we have to treat money as a tool: a means of obtaining a goal.

If the goal is always love, we will all always school teachers.” school system and in learning. He is thankful win. For example, money is needed to get a Williams started his foundation to to his executive board for seeing his vision bachelor’s degree, but the goal for a kid could provide people with the opportunities that who all graduated from Sparkman except for be to obtain a degree in architecture to design are so hard to obtain. His only advice to those one and for his parents as well. They never innovative housing that is more accessible wanting to do the same is to do it out of love fail to keep Williams encouraged in his goals. for people with walking disabilities. The of their hearts and not for reasons that benefit “We hope the education system gets some motivation for this kid could have been that them, but also do not “overcommit and curriculum reform. We hope to see increased they loved their relative that had a disability overwhelm yourself.” cultural competency and inclusiveness. We and wanted to make life easier for people in a “Life is a delicate balancing act. For think it is also important that all perspectives similar situation,” Williams said. people wanting to make a change in people’s are appreciated in world history. We hope In the application submission, DUBS has lives, you have to balance selfishness and there is more emphasis on longitudinal a photo called “Our Education System” with selflessness. It’s important to not be selfish education of philosophy throughout a quote that reads “Everybody is a genius. by helping others only to make yourself look grade school ensuring all students begin But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a good,” Williams said. “This type of approach better understanding logical reasoning tree, it will live its whole life believing that it will only last so long before selfish tendencies and morality. We also fully endorse more is stupid.” In the application, DUBS asks the are exposed. It is important to be thoughtful teachers being creative in ways they teach applicant to interpret that photo. in the ways you wish to help people and not soft skills,” Williams said. “Finally, we want “I believe the education system has a just do the bare minimum. Keep an open to see increased respect for the incredibly flawed standardized way of determining mind for opportunities and just find your difficult profession that is teaching. If there which students are ‘smart.’ However, in niche for how you can help others. No person is consensus to buy in for this, there should the social organism that is our society, not is going to save the whole world all at once.” consequently be salary increases for public everyone is going to be the heart or the toe or the eyelash.

Indeed, all those body parts come together to make a beautiful whole, but individually they serve important functions,” Williams said. Young minds are often so creative and ambitious yet we force them to think “inside the box.” I just want to encourage students to embrace their creativity and to learn from their ideas that do not work.”

Most importantly Williams wants to bring change through his foundation. There are a few main things he hopes to accomplish and two of those include minimizing disparities among school systems and also encouraging Helping Hands Lamario Williams held a toy drive as part of his DUBS Foundation. The event was part of Giving Tuesday, an students to bring their event held every November. Photo courtesy of Lamario Williams trust back into the

“Morally speaking, I believe humans have basic fundamental rights in the modern society we live in, two of these rights include education and health,”

24 | LIFESTYLES

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11 , 2020

LIFESTYLES| 25

Senior finds adventure in Virgin Islands Madison Duboise-Editor

O

ver this past summer, many students and families began cancelling hotel reservations and airline tickets as vacations and trips everywhere were postponed or canceled.

Senior Justin Rhodes however got to continue on with his plans, despite COVID-19’s attempt to stop his fun in the sun.

This June, Rhodes was an attendee of the 2020 St. Thomas Sea Base, BSA High Adventure. Rhodes participates in his Boy Scout Troop here in Madison. His troop sets up a high adventure opportunity for older Scouts to participate in every year.

There have been multiple high adventures including the Philmont Scout Ranch, Sea Base, Glacier National Park and Summit.

“I have been a part of Scouting since second grade, and when I got to Boy Scouts, in the sixth grade, I always wanted to go on the Sea Base high adventure. I heard amazing things about Sea Base from the previous crew that went in 2015 and I waited five years before another opportunity was open to go,” Rhodes said. “My parents were ok with me going, since I was in Boy Scouts my parents knew I was in good hands, we had adult leaders trained in wilderness survival and life-saving as well as the Scouts, including myself, knowing fundamental skills of survival and first-aid.”

Before Rhodes was approved to go on the trip he had to become a certified swimmer, as set by the BSA guidelines, have completed snorkel training and have all documentation necessary to travel to and from the U.S. Virgin Islands. The newest requirement to go to Sea Base was to test negative for COVID-19.

The crew of five Scouts and the two adults left Huntsville extremely early for their flight to St. Thomas, with a short layover in Atlanta. Rhodes has been friends with most of the Scouts that he went on the trip with since he was young, some of the boys were even in the same group as him when he first joined the Scouts.

“Over the week at sea I was able to have great experiences and create some of the best memories of my life. We spent many nights laughing and watching the sun set over the sea,” Rhodes said Once the group landed in St. Thomas, they took what Rhodes called a “very interesting” van ride, that was more bumpy

Out at Sea Senior Justin Rhodes sails the Virgin Islands with fellow Boy Scouts members and leaders. The group snorkeled, ate together and slept on the boat together for days as they adventured to many islands. Photo credits Justin Rhodes

than their flight, over to their hotel, which was settled in the Sapphire Marina Resort.

Their adventure lasted every moment from the time they got there to when they left.

Rhodes can remember almost every event from the trip, including what he ate every day.

The first day was spent settling into their rooms, playing games and snorkeling on the beach. Eventually the group ended but a small surf and turf restaurant where Rhodes received his nickname of the trip-- every year the crew that goes on the high adventure trip receives a nickname based on funny experiences that happen on the trip.

“My nickname, Watered Down, was endowed to me when the waiter poured water into my half-empty sprite cup, this created a mixture of liquid that I hoped tasted fine but when I took a sip I realized that the newly mixed concoction tasted like kitchen soap water,” Rhodes said. “My friends watched me as I took that dreadful sip, and completely lost it when I put it down and picked it up again to see if the taste was real.”

Day after day the group snorkeled, sailed, cooked on the boat, slept on the boat and hiked on St. John. The group got to see many of the island clusters that make up that region, and on multiple occasions started a

“incursion” into the British Virgin Islands.

They also got to see Jeffery Epstein’s island, also known as Little Saint James.

“Once we left our room the second day we headed to the dock and got ready to find out which boat we were on, getting our flippers, and meeting our captain. Our captain’s name was Tom and his boat was called Juno. Captain Tom is a hardened veteran to boating, he sailed from Australia to North Carolina by himself, he even was missing a finger from a sailboat accident,” Rhodes said. “He was the best person to have done this for us. It is all volunteer for sailboat owners to let Scouts come aboard, and with

COVID-19 affecting everything, which included Captain Tom’s income.”

Once they got the food for their week at sea aboard, they were debriefed by Captain Tom, and separated into two groups for cooking and sailing as they headed out to their first location, Christmas Cove. Once anchored at Christmas Cove, they began to snorkel.

“While snorkeling I saw stingrays, fish and even sea urchins. After snorkeling for the first time at sea we had dinner, there was a pizza boat in the cove that evening so our dinner was Italian. One of Captain Tom’s rules was to serve every meal with an accent, you can imagine the laughs from everyone as Will, one of the members on the trip, came up from the galley with spaghetti saying, ‘forgetta bout’,” Rhodes said The third day the group sailed out of Christmas Cove to Mary Point. Rhodes was not on the sailing crew that day so he used that time to relax and soak in the experience.

“I took a few nice naps, got some nice photos, and watched my other crew mates learn how to sail. During our sailing excursion that morning we started our running gag of constantly invading the British Virgin Islands, Captain Tom did say to have our passports ready in case the British Coast Guard ‘pulled us over’,” Rhodes said.

“When we arrived at Mary Point we got out and snorkeled once again. This time was way better than the last as we were on a hunt for nurse sharks. We ended up short on the shark find, but we saw cuttlefish and pygmy squids in a little bunch on the bottom of the bay,” The group then moved on eventually

to Lancaster Cay. That night as they were sleeping, it began raining. In a haze the boys had to grab all their gear and dash below deck. The next morning Rhodes got to experience sailing for the first time ever “Before we left we swam to the island from our boat and hiked to one of the plantation ruins and the Murphy House.

Once we returned to the beach we swam back to the boat, had lunch, and we started sailing to our next destination, Round Bay. I got to sail, and let me tell you it was an amazing experience to say the least. Getting a real nice heel which is when the boat leans to one side due to the sail, letting the wind do the work is relaxing and beautiful,” Rhodes said.

The rest of the trip was spent snorkeling, sailing and Rhodes exploring in ways he never had before. One of his most anticipated events of the trip was the commando jump, where he would jump off the boat into the sea while the Captain was still sailing.

“Surprisingly the water felt amazing, in certain spots it was colder than others, and the deeper we snorkeled the colder it got, but just floating on the surface, absorbing the heat, and watching everything below was an amazing experience,” Rhodes said.”Our goal was to swim back to him in the bay from our current location, along the way we saw countless fish, caves, underwater ravines, and a barracuda that was in between one of our leaders taking a photo of us. After our snorkel we sailed for the remainder of that day to get our 50-miler patch, which signifies we swam 50 or more miles by sail only. We spent the last day at sea sailing, and were even rewarded with entry into the Captain’s Club, got our 50-miler patch, and the Snorkeling Award.

Before the group felt they wanted to find some way to show Captain Tom how much they appreciated him and thank him for the opportunity to come to Sea Base. They ended up buying him a set of books and were on their way.

“This experience was once in a lifetime, I always wanted to go on a high adventure and this trip was my anticipation for 2020, I am just glad it happened,” Rhodes said. “I learned many things from this trip, one of the most interesting things being learning about sailing and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The one I treasure the most was learning about how beautiful our oceans are, and the need to preserve the oceans and its marine life.: Even though Rhodes will age out of the Boy Scouts this upcoming May and will not get a chance to participate in the Scout Sea Base adventure, this summer opened a whole new world for him.

“Sea base opened my eyes for the first time to sailing, I never went that far into the ocean on a primarily wind-powered watercraft. This experience really piqued my interest in sailing,” Rhodes said.

26 | LIFESTYLES

The Crimson Crier || Oct. 27, 2020

Into The Fire

LIFESTYLES | 27 ing and encouraging at Monrovia.

Everybody knows everybody and I have made some of my closest friends there,” Smith said.

When the students train it allows them to learn skills they can end up using in the real world, such time management and survival skills.

“I have learned many lessons volunteering, including always ask for help if you don’t understand, different aspects of first aid, fighting fires, staying in shape and helping others, Forbes said.”

The students stress how much volunteering at the station is more of a family than anything else. They are proud to serve their community the best way they can and encourage others to become a part of that as well.

“If you want a family, people you can count on no matter what, if you want to be a part of something that serves the community and help make it better, if you want to be a part of a legacy of amazing firefighters that have served Monrovia since 1965, join the junior program. The program also looks amazing on college applications and helps open doors for us,” Forsythe said. “Honestly, if you want to do something that is bigger than yourself, then see one of us juniors and we will get you started in the program.”

Students learn how to use fire fighting equipment, techniques

“You could not see a single thing, and I had to breathe through an oxygen tank.”

Conner Forbes

Sarah Chase-Editor

S

tudents have found a volunteering opportunity that does more than give them volunteer hours. The Monrovia Volunteer Fire Department has a junior firefighter program that gives students a chance to learn skills that prepares them for life after high school and provides a support system.

There are 10 junior firefighters and many students decided to join to further provide for their community.

Some are encouraged to join by friends and family and end up having a good experience.

“I wanted to be more involved in my community,” senior Hannah Forsythe said. “I was referred by a close friend of mine, Ryan Dahl, who thought I would be perfect for it. I saw it as a good, productive use of my time.”

Senior Ema Smith was also encouraged to join by her brother who is in the department. Smith decided to join to be more involved with the community as well. She is a Senior Member

in candidacy, which is the process to becoming an actual firefighter, but she still remembers the process that she did in the beginning to become a Junior Member.

“To become a Junior Member you have to be voted in by the department.

Once you are voted in, you begin training to become a Senior Member of the department. The Juniors train on most Tuesdays and occasionally Mondays, working through procedures and learning the use of equipment,” Smith said.

The students that are under 18-years-old are not allowed to go into actual fires, but there are training scenarios they are given to hone their skills and gain more experience.

Although these scenarios are to help the students in training, there are some that are more frightening than the others.

“One of the scariest experiences I went through was crawling through a training facility that resembled a burning house,” junior Conner Forbes said.

“You could not see a single thing, and I had to breathe through an oxygen

tank. After busting open the door with tools, we had to bring the hose through many rooms before putting out a machine that resembled a raging fire.”

The junior firefighters mainly help answer the phone and clean the station, but are not at the station often as they are in school. Balancing their classes does get stressful, but they do their best to stay on track and the staff is considerate to the students when school needs to come first.

“I am currently enrolled in five AP courses and I hold a leadership position within JROTC. My course load is insane this year and sometimes I just can not make it down to the station,” Forsythe said. “School always comes first and the people down at the station understand that. If I have tons of work to do, they are okay if I can not make it down. It is all about prioritizing honestly.”

Beyond that, the station has become a home for the students.

Volunteering at the station feels less like volunteer work and more of an uplifting place for students.

“The environment is very welcom-

Geared Up Members of the program pose for a quick photo while wearing their gear.

The fire department used the photo in order to promote the program. Photo courtesy of Conner Forbes

Getting Ready to Save Lifes Members of the junior firefighters, practice putting out a car fire. Part of their training is to gear up and learn the procedures of fighting small fires.

Photo courtesy of Conner Forbes

28 | LIFESTYLES

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

LIFESTYLES | 29

Students, teacher, alum find career in politics promising

Top Political Issues for the Panel Jaylen Cotton 1. People 2. Education 3. Tax Reform 4. Healthcare 5. Ethics in Policy

Jacob Hiles-Reporter

S

ome fortunate high school students already know what they want to do when they get out of high school or college. Some want to be engineers, others want to be doctors. There are a variety of professions students might want to do, but for these, they want to go into politics.

Senior Jaylen Cotton is one of those students. He describes himself as a moderate, that being he takes positions from both sides. He has already started to work towards the profession through building and maintaining relationships with many elected officials who offer a useful perspective on what makes good public service and servants.

“I want to impact people and feel as though politics has long been the avenue through which I have felt the ability to impact,” Cotton said. “Certainly everything is on the table, and I look forward to allowing God to order my steps.”

Junior Eshan Pokhrel is another.

He describes himself as a Libertarian.

Libertarians believe that the government should be shrunken in size, stay out of everyone’s life, and let people do what they want. Pokhrel is also one of the founders of PBPolitical, an independent political website that posts various articles about politics. Pokhrel plans on establishing him as someone who is trustworthy and an expert in law, which he enjoys.

“I feel that I could do a lot of good for a lot of people as a representative or

Eshan Pokhrel 1. Climate 2. Student Debt 3. Energy 4. Media 5. Education Illustration by Leo Duboise maybe even a senator,” Pokhrel said.

“I think being a representative makes it easier to connect with people and figure out ways to help them.”

Pokhrel understands that a political career means living in the spotlight and building relationships with those who may become his constituents. He knows learning how to do this will come with more education.

“I think I’d have to establish myself as someone who is trustworthy and an expert in law,” Pokhrel said. “Luckily for me, I think law is interesting so I might go into that as a career before deciding to run for any government position.”

While these students are still in high school, Sparkman alumna Chandler Shields knew she wanted to pursue a career in politics while in high school.

“I feel that I could do a lot of good for a lot of people as a representative or maybe even a senator.”

Eshan Pokhrel

Shields works for Sen. Richard Shelby as the Assistant to the Chief of Staff.

She does many things in that position, including managing the Chief’s schedule and official schedule. Before working for Shelby she interned for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio after volunteering for him in the 2016 primary. She was then hired as a Staff Assistant for South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

“One of my favorite experiences I have had while working for Sen. Shelby was the opportunity to represent him during Secretary Betsy Devos’s Back to School Tour in October 2018. On her annual Back to School Tour, Sec. Devos toured The Rise School in Tuscaloosa, a pre-school for children with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Shields said. “This was a very special moment for me, as I have grown a deep passion for the inclusion of the special needs community since my time at Sparkman High School.”

One of her goals is to emphasize the importance of civility and kindness in relationships to Shelby’s interns. She plans on continuing her involvement in government to improve Alabama’s

infrastructure, industry and individual well being.

Through her experience in Capitol Hill, Shields has learned to never become complacent and to always pursue personal, professional, and academic growth. This led her to pursue her Masters of Arts in Public Policy from Liberty University while working a full time job.

“Politics is public service. I’d encourage students to begin by volunteering on the local level in any capacity. Learn who the county commissioner is, or volunteer on a local campaign. Another great way to get involved is by lobbying in the State House in Montgomery by advocating for a non-profit or cause you are passionate about. Attend a public hearing in the State House, or apply to serve as a Page by contacting your local representative or senator,” Shields said. “Becoming a page is a unique opportunity typically reserved for middle school and high school aged students. Educate yourself on the local, state, and national issues.

Take the time to sift through the bias.

Register to vote as soon as you are able.

Pursue a congressional internship while you are in college. Anyone has the ability to make a difference.”

Shields may work in the inner-circle of politics, but history teacher Bobby Dolan knows what it is like to make a run for office. Dolan ran for the Alabama House of Representatives in 2018, running as an independent.

“I was sitting complaining about some local problems and decided to get up and go,” Dolan said.

Unfortunately, Dolan did not win.

He lost 63-37. That is a good percentage when going against an incumbent as an independent according to Dolan. He also received 500 signatures to get him on the ballot, while only 290 are required.

“I learned that even though in Alabama we think that everyone thinks alike, there are many different ideas held throughout Alabama,” Dolan said. He also would advise any student interested in politics to “Get up and do it. It's easier to complain on social media, but to actually make change, you need to actually get out and knock on doors and shake hands.”

Chandler Shields 1. Healthcare 2. Equitable Education 3. States’ Rights 4. National Security 5. A strong military

Mr. Bobby Dolan 1. Middle Class Jobs 2. Infrastructure 3. Fund high schools to prepare for blue collar jobs 4. Lower taxes for middle and lower classes.

30 | LIFESTYLES

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

From NASA to the Classroom Teacher uses lessons from previous career to engage students in classroom

K

McKynna Stevens-Reporter

yra Espinosa was working at NASA as a biomedical engineer flight controller on the fateful day that the Columbia Shuttle exploded. She said the crews worked so that half were able to sleep and half would work, switching when schedules were up. This is the time, Espinosa would ensure that the surgeons involved received enough exercise and food.

“When the shuttle launched, we noticed a tile had fallen and damaged some things, but thought nothing of it,” Espinosa said. “NASA lost contact with the shuttle while it was on the way back to Earth. People started calling, reporting that they found body parts, possibly of the crew. I wasn’t on the shuttle, but it had a major impact on me. It made me realize how special life is and to take things in stride.”

Now as a new science teacher, Espinosa feels she can handle the stress of what teaching high school may bring.

“Death and bad news are not new to NASA. Teaching and parenting are stressful, but it is okay,” Espinosa said.

Besides working as a biomedical engineer flight controller, where she learned to do stitches and take blood in space, Espinosa worked in other capacities for the government agency. As an employee at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas for 10 years, she worked as a flight controller to both the space station and the shuttle. After flight planning Espinosa became a real time planner working with the operations planner. For that she scheduled the crew’s day from waking up to going to sleep, this included science experiments and public affair events.

“Lastly I worked as a Pointer, which is a position to the Operations Planner.

The Pointer tells the station or shuttle how to fly in the 3D coordinate plane and also we schedule satellites for communication coverage. Depending on how the shuttle/ station is flying we can say what satellite will have coverage for the station,” Espinosa said.

Most recently she worked in Huntsville at Marshall Space Flight Center as a Payload Rack Officer. For that she was basically turning on and off the racks in the space stations that power different experiments.

“A typical day with NASA was nonexistent. Whether it was going on a mission, picking up someone’s previous shift or just reviewing plans, there was always something new,” Espinosa said.

Although she loved working at NASA she eventually retired and started looking for a new job. While in college at Arizona

“A typical day with NASA was nonexistent. Whether it was going on a mission, picking up someone’s previous shift or just reviewing plans, there was always something new.”

LIFESTYLES | 31 State University, she read an article about retired engineers becoming teachers.

“They said the stress was less than as an engineer and they knew all the higher math and science. I knew then that I wanted to retire and become a teacher,” Espinosa said.

Espinosa has found a love for teaching.

Currently, she is teaching all remote learners.

She gets excited to learn more about it and help students. NASA taught her that space science was cool, but for her she likes to see her students get excited to learn.

“My passion for teaching came from when I was a math tutor. My company in Houston had a tutoring program with the local high school. I did that once a week and learned how much I love seeing students ‘get’ a topic,” Espinosa said.

Along the way Espinosa has found that some skills from NASA could also be used to help her teach better. When talking in mission control you have to be short and concise so her communication skills have improved from that experience. With teaching she has found that it is important to be well understood so her skills at NASA have helped her become better at this.

“Best part about teaching- helping evolve students into what they want to be,” Espinosa said.

Hard at Work Listening to progress on her headset, Espinosa keeps updated on the mission. Smiling Faces Looking over her shoulder, Kyra Espinosa takes a look at the camera. She said working with mission control at Houston Space Center was never dull. Photos courtesy of Kyra Espinsoa

32 | LIFESTYLES

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

Catching the Public Eye Emma Headrick-Editor

A

little girl creeps down the hallway leading to her sister’s bedroom, her eyes trained on the glowing lights encircling the mirror sitting parallel to the door. An assortment of brightly colored powders lay almost stagnant on the tabletop, still sitting in the same position her sister left them in just an hour before, not bothering to close her makeup bag before hurrying out the front door to catch her ride. A mischievous grin spreads across the young girl’s face as she slinks past her mother’s room and makes herself at home in front of her sister’s vanity. This is one girl’s story and there are so many more out there just like it, waiting to be revealed and introduced to the world as it’s next big thing.

In the era of social media and instant connection, the term ‘influencer’ holds more value than ‘celebrity’ ever could. When young people fantasize about living a life of luxury, they no longer dream of reality television and being chased by the paparazzi. This glamorous lifestyle can now be found in the intervals between Instagram posts and Youtube videos, hiding inside direct messages and story replies.

Sophomore Emma McMyler is a 15-year-old makeup artist based in Madison County who started doing her makeup in 2017. She instantly fell in love with it. McMyler decided it was time to share her talent with the world in 2018 when she started her beauty account, @makeupbyemm.a, on Instagram. She started out by posting simple eyeshadow looks here and there and the occasional full face of makeup. She quickly progressed into more complicated looks as she gained her following, eventually using makeup to turn herself into fictional characters such as the Joker and Pennywise.

“Since my page has been growing the most it has ever this past year I've of course had some hate, but I always tell myself you will never be able to satisfy every single person, so focus on and appreciate the people who do support what you are doing,” McMyler said. “And obviously balancing all the parts of my life are difficult but once you find the right balance it’s a lot less chaotic.”

As McMyler’s account has grown, so has her clientele. McMyler began taking clients in 2019, offering services for events like prom and homecoming. As of 2020, McMyler has done makeup for 25 different clients, some of which returning multiple times after their initial appointment. She is currently taking new clients.

“I book appointments with anyone and everyone!” McMyler said. “No matter your skin color, pronouns or gender, it’s my goal to make everyone feel confident and comfortable in their own skin while adding a little glam to their life. If you are interested in booking with me please feel free to contact me via Instagram! I take appointments all year-round, no matter what the occasion is!”

Many students to have walked the halls of Sparkman High School have found their passion in makeup and Junior Azlyn Miller is no exception. Miller recounts watching her mother put on makeup as a child and becoming entranced by the way she could enhance her entire appearance with lipstick and eyeshadow. She started playing around with makeup when she was in seventh grade but her love for makeup did not take off until she was in her freshman year of high school.

“I’ve always found myself to be a very creative person. I used to draw and paint a lot when I was younger. I still paint to this day,” Miller said. “I loved how everyone had a different style and had different ideas on how to do things. Nobody's makeup was ever the same.”

Miller had always entertained the idea of starting a beauty account but she did not

“Starting an account really helped me express myself and started helping me just understand who I really am.

This showed me that other people’s opinions on me don’t really matter, as long as I am happy.”

Emma McMyler

LIFESTYLES | 33

“I got posted on a makeup account garnered for men and it gained over 23,000 likes.”

Tyree Carter even consider acting on it until early 2020 when the lock down was first put into place. Though she had never considered herself very talented, Miller went to her friends for advice, anyway. They urged her to start an account on Instagram dedicated entirely to her makeup looks. After taking a few weeks to do research and mull over her decision, Miller finally took a leap of faith and started her account, @makeupdonebyaz.

“I would always take pictures of my looks but they always just stayed in my phone,” Miller said. “It was very nerve racking. I have always been the type that really was affected by what everyone’s opinion was on me.

Starting an account really helped me express myself and started helping me just understand who I really am. This showed me that other people’s opinions on me don’t really matter, as long as I am happy.”

Though she feared she would regret it, Miller has become much more confident and much happier since starting her beauty account. She urges others who are considering starting their own account to just jump in and do it.

“You will have looks that you don’t like or that you don’t like as much as others but that’s all about growing and learning,” Miller said.

Among other rising influencers in Northern Alabama, Sparkman alum Tyree Carter is just making his mark in the beauty community. The Class of 2019 graduate found his passion in makeup when he was just a child, watching his mother paint her face for hours on end before stealing her makeup and applying it to himself. He did not truly get into makeup until his junior year of high school when he made a deal with his then yearbook editor, Cassie. If Carter bought her a milkshake from Sonic, she would buy him a highlighter.

“We both went back to her house and I did her makeup. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I had watched so many makeup videos by that point so I kind of had a good idea on what to do,” Carter said. “And from then, my makeup journey took off.”

Though Carter does not have a set beauty account, his personal account, @tyreejcarter, has become well known for his makeup looks. Since he began experimenting with makeup, Carter has gained a total of 4,374 followers.

He has also been recognized by multiple major makeup brands.

“I got posted on a makeup account garnered for men and it gained over like 23,000 likes. That was really special for me,” Carter said. “I've had Colourpop follow, repost me and send me makeup. Dragun beauty, Nikita Dragun's brand, reposted me, sent me makeup. I also have a discount code with them. Use the code ‘TYREE’ for 10% off. Lady Gaga's brand, Haus labs followed me. Huda Beauty sent me a promotional box the other day.”

As most male makeup artists in the beauty community experience, Carter once found himself hesitant to begin his makeup journey in fear of what others would think or even say. He recounts seeing other men doing makeup when he was younger and thinking lowly of them because of the makeup they wore on their face. He now regrets that choice and wishes he would have become more open minded sooner.

“I think then I associated makeup with femininity,” Carter said. “But being in the beauty space, I see that makeup does not define you as a person whatsoever. There are so many masculine guys that I know that wear makeup, as well as feminine. And if I could, I would tell my younger self that makeup is an art form, a form of expression, and anyone can use it however they see fit.”

Tyree Carter

Azlyn Miller

34 | LIFESTYLES

The Crimson Crier || Oct. 27, 2020

IN-DEPTH| 35

Helping hands Jamie Tipton and aide Andra Alexander encourage Mickael Ortiz-Gratacos as he practices spelling.

Photo by Tess Warren

Teacher balances church, school and family Jacob Hiles-Reporter Special Education teacher Jamie Tipton double dips in the area of service. Besides teaching, Tipton, along with her husband Mark, are ministers at Gracepoint in Decatur, a non- denominational church.

The two share responsibilities at their church.

“I help with administrative tasks and oversee the children’s ministry,” Tipton said.

“He does the preaching, marketing/branding, outreach, and leadership development types of things that aid in church growth. We have worked side-by-side as pastors for many years. We focus our individual work in our areas of strength and work together to grow in our areas of weakness.”

Tipton’s father was also a pastor.

She would help him when she was younger with the children at his church. This experience has taught her lessons that influence her to this day.

“Being raised in a pastor’s home taught me to love and care for others despite their background or abilities; therefore, I wanted to follow in my parents footsteps and help others learn about God and grow in their faith,” Tipton said. “This experience led me into the field of education. Each time I try to go into another field I am drawn back into the school setting; therefore, I believe that teaching is my purpose. It is definitely my passion.”

Tipton and her husband have been working together for over two decades. In fact, they have served together even before they married. They have served in many different churches in many different areas of the country over the years.

“My husband and I have been ministers together for 22 years,” Tipton said. “We started a church in South St. Louis and were there for 2 years. We then moved to Freeport, IL and pastored there for 3 years. We have helped a church in NW Iowa start new campuses, as well as helped my dad’s church do the same in neighboring towns. We have also co-pastored in the Branson, MO area.”

Then, her and her husband moved to north Alabama and ministered at two churches. They started with a church in Prattville before moving to Huntsville to serve in Decatur, where they work now.

“We have only lived in AL for about a year and a half,” Tipton said. “We are hoping that this church we now pastor in Decatur is our last and that we get to stay for many years.”

At her current church, she is working to revamp the children’s ministry. She believes that she is called by God to be a servant and help others, whether it be her role as a teacher or as a minister.

“That may sound strange since they are both “leadership” type positions but as a teacher and minister your purpose is to serve

“My way of thinking is that it should be God, family, then church.”

and help others,” Tipton said. “In both fields you are working to help others better themselves and to grow as individuals.”

Tipton achieves a balance between the many roles she has through the support of her church. There are many other leaders that have stepped up and helped at her church.

She has learned how to balance it all from the years holding her positions.

“It gets exhausting balancing pastoring, teaching, family, and furthering my education but one thing I have learned is to make sure to take time for myself and my family,” Tipton said.

With over two decades serving as a minister, Tipton has gained many insights on life from her experiences as a minister.

“I have learned that living life by putting God first everything else will fall into place,” Tipton said. “My way of thinking is that it should be God, family, then church.”

A PLACE T O BELONG According to the Adoption Network website, 135,000 children are adopted in the United States each year.

Another 428,000 are in foster care.

Photo Illustration by Cherish Hollie

36 | IN-DEPTH

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11 , 2020

IN-DEPTH | 37

Adoption creates family, advocacy for those left behind Madison Duboise- Editor

A

ccording to the Alabama Department Of Human Resources, there are currently 6,345 children in foster care in the state of Alabama. There are a total of 2,294 foster homes in the state and on average children stay in the foster care system for over 618 days. In the US, currently there are 104,236 children that are adoption ready.

They are waiting-- 1,296 children waiting for homes in Alabama alone.

One person right here in North Alabama has headed down a variety of different routes on her way to assist children in finding their forever homes, and giving some their own in her house. This woman is adoptive mother Rebel Judge.

Judge is a mother to three biological children and two adoptive children. Judge’s journey to adopting children is one longer than most, starting in an orphanage in Bangkok, Thailand in the early ‘90s. Judge recalls the city being dotted with orphanages, too many to count. Judge belonged to an expat’s women’s social group that held a fundraiser to collect money to purchase several washing machines and dryers to donate to a small orphanage not too far from her 28th story dwelling.

“After participating in the fundraiser and delivery of the appliances, I found myself leaving my immaculate marble floored home many times per week to volunteer in an unkempt crumbling-cement floored building,” Judge said. “The orphanage I volunteered in had a large room, that made me think of a sweaty gymnasium during a power outage. The stifling heat and humidity of Southeast Asia mixed with the street smells drifting in through the few open windows.

Each crib contained a child, some containing more.”

Judge said there were bottles of room temperature watered-down formula that were tied over each crib. This is how babies, too many to count, were fed. Many of the

children were too young to reach up and grab the bottle for themselves. At the time, Thailand was ravaged by the HIV/Aids Epidemic, the workers at the orphanage were too frightened to even touch the children because they were unaware of medical progress and thus they did not understand how to care for the children safely.

“I had a newborn son at the time. He was my absolute delight. I could hold him and sing and rock him 24 hours a day. I had such a hard time wrapping my mother’s head and heart around what I saw at the orphanage,” Judge said. “I knew I could do so little but it was important to me that I did what I could.

Every baby that I held, every baby that I sang to, every baby that I rocked and fed, I hoped and prayed that I was making a difference to that child, if only in that moment.”

For over three years Judge volunteered, watching frail children enter and leave the crumbling orphanage. She watched children die and suffer every single day.

“It changed me,” Judge said. “Those children never cried. It is a fact that had such a great impact on me, so many babies and they did not cry. Why cry when no one comes to your aid. Crying is a learned behavior. Babies cry because they receive a caring response to a need. When a baby’s cry elicits no response, they stop crying.

Can you imagine being in a room with over one hundred infants and there is complete silence.”

However, despite her greatest contributions to the orphanage, Judge wanted to do more. Judge could not adopt in Thailand, though. She and her husband did not fit any of the requirements. In Thailand, the list was long for foreign families wishing to adopt. Rule number one was the woman must be barren. Judge already had one child and was pregnant with her second during much of my time volunteering. She felt helpless, like nothing she could do could have the tragic lives the orphans were living.

“My husband and I returned to the United States for additional military training and graduate school. We welcomed our third child while residing in Atlanta,” Judge said.

“We still talked about adoption all the time, but we were not settled in one place. Because

“Can you imagine being in a room with over one hundred infants and there is complete silence?”

Rebel Judge

of our military life, we were nomads, global nomads. We were moving an average of once every one to two years at that point in our lives, and one to two years in a location is not even close to enough time to adopt.”

Soon, the Judges’ found themselves with every earthly possession packed and tickets in hand to move to Jakarta, Indonesia.

It was late 2000. Again Judge joined an expat women’s group and found herself searching for volunteer opportunities. Her children were all in school, the youngest being four at the time.

Indonesia, being the world’s largest and most populous Muslim country and an emerging third world country at the time, the country had a very different social welfare outlook that Judge had never experienced.

There were state run orphanages but there were also buildings, rooms, shacks, etc that housed numerous children with no authority from the government. Then there were the children that lived on the street, the ones that had no shelter at all, not a single human on their side.

“I immediately looked into adoption in Indonesia but was saddened to learn that the first rule in Indonesia is that foreign families must reside in the county for three years before starting the adoption process. Families are also required to speak the language and understand the culture, and families and children must be of the same religion,” Judge said. “I had completed one year of intensive language studies and had achieved a high level of competency in the language and spent just as much time, if not more, studying the history and culture of the fascinating place that I would soon call home. Having to live in the country for three years and being a Christian in a country that is 99.9% Muslim seemed like huge road blocks. They seemed

When They Were Little The judge family adopted both Lilli and Abby at a young age. The two immediately formed a bond of sisters. Photos courtesy of Rebel Judge

insurmountable.”

With the knowledge she had gained from her time in Thailand and Indonesia, she put her head down and focused on volunteering.

World events began to unfold around her.

“9/11 happened, the Bali bombings happened, my three children and I were evacuated twice and forced to return to the United States, while my husband stayed in Indonesia,” Judge said. “When the dust settled and we were allowed to return to our home, the military extended our orders. My husband would stay at the US Embassy for three more years. We would be in Indonesia for over six years.”

Judge’s family in the U.S. were saddened by the extension and concerned for the family’s safety, but all Judge could think about was one thing- adopting.

“We would now meet the first rule for

adopting in Indonesia. We would soon hit the three year mark with three more to go, this was all the green light I needed. God was paving the way- moving mountains,” Judge said.

One Sunday an Australian friend of Judge called and said they were driving to an orphanage on the outskirts of the sprawling metropolis of Jakarta to deliver food and clothing donations. It was a small Christian orphanage, not really an orphanage- more of an old retail building where a small group of Indonesian Nuns decided to care for whatever children might be placed before them.

“I can remember there was an automotive repair shop to the right - old tires stacked up everywhere. On the left, a nondescript little shop selling soap and noodles and sodas in plastic baggies tied up

with rubber bands,” Judge said. “An old man sat on a low stool in front of a small fire with a wok-like pan full of cooking vegetables. He greeted me, “Selamat Pagi”, which means good morning, without even looking up from his task. It was a normal day. Quiet- nothing special. Yet, my life changed forever that day.”

Hours later, Judge was watching a young girl crawl around a large mattress covered in babies, around 17 newborns, feeding them from the same bottle. The young girl was doing her best in what was a mind blowing

Continued on 38

38 | IN-DEPTH

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

Continued from 37

Finding a Home Statistics From Adoption-Beyond.org

6 IN 10 AMERICANS HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH ADOPTION They themselves, a family member or close friend have been adopted, adopted a child or gave a child up for adoption.

STUDIES SUPPORT THAT ADOPTED CHILDREN HAVE HIGHER TEST SCORES Compared to children raised in a single parent home, adopted children have a healthier self esteem, optimism and volunterrism.

STATISTICS SHOW THAT ADOPTED CHILDREN TEND TO BE HAPPIER Adopted children score higher than their middleclass counterparts on indicators of school performance.

THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES LOOKING TO ADOPT EACH YEAR 100,000 children in foster care in the United States are waiting to be adopted.

situation for an American mother. The director of this building, a non-government sanctioned home for children, was aware that her family was interested in adoption. She knew that we had started the long paperwork journey.

“This woman in charge called me into her office. She asked if I would like to meet my daughter. My head was spinning and I thought, if I had to pick from the 17 newborns laying on a mattress several floors above my head, my husband might return from his current travel to find that he had more children than he realized, 17 more to be exact,” Judge said.

Thoughts were swirling and her body sweating, she was trying to fathom adding 17 newborns to her family, the woman left the room and returned with a very small baby girl wrapped in a blanket. She placed her in Judge’s arms.

She said the words, “Meet your daughter, her name is Abigail.” Little did the woman know, through all the years of praying, planning, hoping and dreaming all Judge wanted was a baby girl, and she had planned to name her Abigail.

“I had not told this stranger with my broken Indonesian language skills any of it. This was a moment when worlds simply collided,” Judge said. “My prayers for my Abby were answered on the other side of the world in a small four story dilapidated apartment on a nondescript street in a city that just a few years earlier, I had never even heard of.”

Abby was quite ill so Judge was allowed to take her to a local hospital for care. Abby needed daily care for almost 7 months so the paperwork for her and her husband to become legal foster parents in the eyes of the Indonesian government was rushed.

Her illness was to them a small blessing that allowed them to take custody while processing the adoption.

From the moment Abby was placed in her arms, the adoption took almost three years to complete.

“I felt like a circus animal at times, there were so many hoops to jump through, some I understood and some made me scratch my head. Three and a half years, but I would have jumped through a million hoops and off a cliff in order to bring Abby home,” Judge said. “One of the last home inspections we had in Jakarta before receiving our final court date was quite the spectacle. What should have been one or two social workers coming to visit at our home suddenly became almost the entire government social welfare staff coming to our home. I hosted a lunch for

nearly 70 curious individuals who wanted to personally understand why an American family with three children would want to adopt a little girl from Indonesia.”

When the adoption proceedings stalled at the very end, right before the finish line and right before they were set to move to Australia, the family was fortunate to know the President of Indonesia wrote a personal letter on their behalf. The adoption was finalized, Abby received her passport and the family moved to Australia a little over six years after arriving in Southeast Asia.

Later on Judge and her husband realized that Abby was so much younger than their other three children. They thought that as the other children grew older and left for college and adulthood, Abby would remain at home for many years as an “only child”. They decided to adopt once again.

“We were living in Australia at the time and this presented all kinds of obstacles. We could not adopt from the US foster system as we did not reside in the US. Australia did not have international adoption. Most international agencies that I reached out to via phone or email told me it had never been done and would be too hard,” Judge said. “Then, through the power of the internet, I, sitting in my office in Canberra, Australia, one evening after dinner met a lawyer in Boston, Massachusetts. Our virtual personalities clicked and weeks later, she agreed to do whatever necessary to help facilitate another adoption for our family.”

It took months, but they found an actual adoption agency in Salt Lake City, Utah that agreed to help them. It was an odd set of circumstances, an American Family living in Canberra, Australia, working with an agency in Salt Lake City, Utah, via a lawyer in Boston, Massachusetts, attempting to adopt a child from Xian, China.

“We were matched with an infant in China within months through the Special Needs Adoption Process. It took approximately one additional year of home studies, paperwork and more hoops before we were allowed to travel to China and on a snowy day in March of 2008, meet our daughter Lilli, our 5th and final child, Judge said.”

As soon as the family returned to the U.S. it was official Lilli was an American citizen due to the Hague Agreement. Abby however was not a citizen yet. The family had to work with an immigration attorney for over a year to gain US citizenship for Abby. While

Continued to 40

IN-DEPTH | 39

“I’m surrounded by Indonesian things every day. I love hearing stories about my heritage.”

-Abby Judge

“When we lived overseas and I was small, my parents had Chinese friends that would cook special dishes and share stories about China with my parents to share with me.”

-Lilli Judge

The Complete Family The Judge family poses for a family photo. With three of the children living in different areas, it was a rarity to get them all together. Photo courtesy of Rebel Judge

40 | IN-DEPTH

Since incorporation in 2004, the Kids to Love Foundation has been able to reach over 250,000 foster children, rescuing them and meeting their needs.

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

Each summer, Kids to Love equips more than 5,000 foster children in Alabama and Tennessee for their new school year. In the spring, they celebrate with graduating high school seniors by awarding college scholarships so their career dreams can become reality. Since 2005, the Kids to Love Foundation has awarded 553 scholarships.

IN-DEPTH| 41

Every week, founder and CEO Lee Marshall, a former foster and adoptive child herself, shares with the Tennessee Valley stories of children waiting to be adopted. Out of 350 children featured in the weekly Kids to Love segment, 300 of them have found forever families.

In 2016, Kids to Love launched KTECH, offering Mechatronics/Advanced Manufacturing training to young adults living in foster care along with residents of the Huntsville/Madison County area. In 2018, their KTECH curriculum expanded to include soldering and robotics classes.

More information on how to adopt or foster a child through Kids to Love can be found at kidstolove.org.

Continued from 38 working through the immigration process for Abby, they met many adult adoptees that pushed them to adopt the girls again through the US Court System.

“We followed the wisdom and guidance of the adult adoptees and completed the re-adoption process in the state of Alabama nearly two years after returning to America,” Judge said.

Now today Abby is almost 17 years old and Lilli almost 16 who both attend Sparkman. Abby focused on JROTC and college choices, loving her new found freedom that came disguised as a driver’s license and little black Subaru. Lilli is focused on her studies, dance and loves animals most of all. Just typical teens living a typical American teenage life. They love when their older siblings come home to visit for weekends or for long extended stays over the holidays.

“We do not look the same on the outside, we always chuckle when people see us together for the first time. The looks of puzzlement and lack of words always make us smile. I am 6 feet tall with pale blue eyes and brown hair and my two youngest daughters are small in stature, have coal black hair and beautiful dark skin and eyes,” Judge said. ”In a big family there is always a willing partner for a video or board game, always someone to share your accomplishments or worries with and always laughter and memories to share. Abby and Lilli continue to be tremendous blessings as all of my children are and bring great joy and pride to our family.”

The Judges have always embraced

everything that adoption is. Honoring the initial sacrifice and loss and honoring the beauty and the family that has been created from that loss.

“We are open and love to educate anyone who is interested in our story or the story of adoption in general. Feel free to ask Abby or Lilli, they will share with a smile and open heart. I read a quote years ago from an adoptive mother and have adapted it to fit my story and family, ‘I have five children.

A few of which are biological and a few adopted. I forget which ones are which.’,” Judge said. “I have never thought of myself as brave. I am a rule follower. I don’t ‘push the envelope’. I am not a trailblazer. But, with regard to adoption, I did what was necessary to find a way where there was none before. Besides my family, I am most proud that others followed in my footsteps. Others walked the path that I cleared. I helped other children find families and other families find children.”

Judge continues to be an advocate for foster care and adoption in the U.S., even here in Madison County. She has been a Court Appointed Juvenile Advocate for over 10 years, advocating for children in the foster care system as their cases work through the legal system.

“Often, my heart is heavy, as I am assigned to a new case. Each case represents a child or children that have seen too much, experienced loss and unspeakable things at a young age,” Judge said. “I go back in my mind to my time in Thailand. It is often overwhelming, the numbers, the need. If I can help one child in one moment, that is the power that I have. That is what I can do.”

In the world today, according to UNICEF, there are at least 140 million orphans in the world.

“I can not imagine being a child without a home, without a family. Yet every single day, as we are going about our lives, 10 thousand children become orphans. Think about

that, every single day- in 24 hours, 10,000 children become orphans. What can be more important than finding a family for these children. Besides air, water, and food, what is a more basic human need than family, love, acceptance, belonging, security or a strong foundation for life,” Judge said.

Although Judge understands the side of adoption from an adopting parent perspective, former WAFF TV anchor, Lee Marshall has lived the life of an adopted child. In fact, Marshall has dedicated her career to bringing awareness to foster children and adoption through the foundation she started.

Marshall is founder and CEO of Kids to Love, an organization that focusing on finding forever homes for children in foster care as well as providing care and necessities for them while they are still in foster care.

“I have always felt called to be a voice for foster children. When I was in TV, I started telling the stories of children in foster care in hopes to find them forever families,” Marshall said. “I would see the needs of the children and found there was no one specifically meeting their needs so that’s why I started Kids to Love Foundation in 2004.”

Marshall knows from first hand experience what being an adopted child is like. She was born into the foster care system in Memphis and was placed with a family at 6-weeks-old and was adopted at the age of 2-years-old. Marshall also knows the harsh reality that many children in foster care will never find a family the way she did and that is what inspires her to passionately care for and support the children in foster care in the Tennessee Valley.

The process was started in 2003 after the idea for Kids to Love had weighed on her heart for so long. The foundation officially became a non-profit in 2004 and has since impacted the lives of more than 275,000 children in foster care.

From scholarship programs, ten

programs that serve children in foster care to fundraisers, Kids to Love and Marshall work year long to meet the needs of the many children they serve.

Kids to Love provides, at no cost to the potential foster or adoptive family, the required training to become a foster and adoptive parent. They work with the Department of Human Resources to help kids in the foster care system find forever families and serve on both sides in both training and recruiting potential families and awareness of the kids to help kids transition out of foster care.

What started as a foundation with just Marshall, grew to include communications director Julie Reyburn 13 years ago and has now turned into a full team of people working to serve children in foster care.

“In 2015, I retired from TV news and moved to Kids to Love full time to launch my vision of the Kids to Love Center and KTECH. Since then our team has grown because our services and programs have grown. Every member of our team plays a critical role in how we serve our kids every day,” Marshall said. “There have been so many people who have walked this journey with me. I am thankful for every single one of them.”

Faith has been one of the things Marshall believes has made this journey possible for her. She keeps God close in her heart every step of the way, never has she doubted this is her “God given call”.

“Faith is a huge part of who and am and why I serve. Kids to Love is faith manifest, it is what I have been called to do," Marshall said.

Marshall and her foundation have both received a number of awards for the accomplishments they have made over the past two decades. Marshall landed on the list of the 500 Most Influential CEOs in the World, been

named an "Angel in Adoption'' by Congress and honored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for her adoption awareness efforts. Kids to Love was named the Women-Owned Business of the year with the Huntsville - Madison County Chamber of Commerce. Marshall was also honored by the Alabama Broadcaster’s Association for her journalistic contributions and was named one of 2017 Women Who Shape The State. She also was the 2019 Entrepreneur of the year in Huntsville, 2019 Non Profit Executive of the Year and 2020 Woman of Impact Honoree.

Two of the biggest programs Kids to Love has started include Davidson Farms, which is a home for young girls, as well as KTECH, which is a hands-on, interactive, one-onone instruction connecting students to jobs.

The mission of Kids to love is “To Meet the Immediate Needs of Children in Foster Care” and many think Marshall is doing much more than just that.

“Our mission is to meet a child where they are in the foster care system and guide them through the foster care journey with support and an education focus to help them become successful adults,” Marshall said.

“Our mission is to meet a child where they are in the foster care system and guide them through the foster care journey.”

Lee Marshall

Lee Marshall, Founder of Kids to Love

42 | IN-DEPTH

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

Student bakes to raise money for foster children

OPINION

Foster care system in need of major changes

STATS 70%

of youth involved in the juvenile justice system have been involved in the child welfare system

50%

of foster children will not graduate high school on time

33%

of homeless young adults were previously in foster care

60%

of child trafficking victims have histories in foster care

48%

of girls in foster care will become pregnant by age 19. www.foster-America.org

IN-DEPTH | 43

Grace Moore- Editor

A

lthough the foster care system does help some children and adolescents find loving families, this system is largely failing America’s kids. While efforts are being made to help fix the foster care system, they are simply not enough. Donations and sponsors can only help so much; a bigger change needs to be made starting with the root of the problem: a lack of empathy and selfishness on the part of the foster parents that are taking in these children.

When children are put into the system they are most likely already traumatized from past events. It is even worse when extensive background checks are not completed on the foster parents and agents neglect checking up on the kids. Only a few states require a sex offender registry check, adult protective services checks, juvenile court records and records of domestic violence. By not doing these checks in every state, a child could be put in the hands of someone who will potentially ruin their lives. There have been cases of social workers ignoring cries for help from foster children and children in abusive situations in general, such as the Gabriel Fernandez case, in which an eight-year-old boy was abused and tortured by his parents until he was killed.

Relocation is a common occurrence in the system, which can help some children but can also further traumatize children. Children getting relocated can happen so often that once a child gets accustomed to their situation, and they have to do it all over again, it puts with them abusive foster parents or causes abandonment issues. Another major issue is the separation of siblings. This hurts kids in a way deeper than most know, especially when these kids have already lost their parents, if they even had the chance to know their parents in the first place. If the potential foster parents do not want all the kids of a particular family, they shouldn’t get any of them.

Seventy percent of children who are in juvenile detention are also in foster care,

along with the 1 in 17 kids who are thrown into these detention centers. There are more minorities such as people of color and LGBTQ+ children than heterosexual white children.

Over 48% of girls in foster care become pregnant before the age of 19 due to neglect, ignorance due to neglect, or sexual abuse.

Neglect and constant relocation can cause children and adolescents to fall behind in school and fail or graduate late. A chilling fact that is overlooked by the media is that over 60% of kids involved in sex trafficking were once in foster care. Kids in the foster care system are also four times more likely to attempt suicide due to their conditions.

Several things can be done to fix these problems. There should be a universal system that is required by law in which people who want to become foster parents must

“When children are put into the system, they are most likely already traumatized from past events.” undergo extensive background checks and mental health screenings, to make sure they are capable of taking care of these children.

Agents should be required to check on the children in the home at least twice a month, if not more often, to make sure they are happy and healthy. Additionally, these kids should have constant access to a therapist that they can talk to at least once a week, without the foster parents hovering over them in the room, that way they have a safe space to report and possible abuse, as well as be able to talk about other personal problems that they have. And, depending on the kid's individual situation, some should be required to do weekly therapy, that way they can heal from any trauma and know that they are not alone. These kids did not ask to be put in their situation and we as a country cannot abandon them. These changes will help ensure that these kids have higher chances of being successful, happy adults in the future.

Kendall Cope- Reporter

W

ith currently about 6,000 children in foster care in Alabama, there are not enough devotionals for the children who want them. Junior Emma-Claire Foster is determined to change that.

Spreading the word of God has always been her mission in life. Foster knew she wanted to do something to share Jesus with those children that do not have the same access to Bibles, devotionals and churches that many children do. Foster started raising money in August by selling homemade baked goods. Her inspiration to fundraise for foster children stems from wanting to be involved in the pro-life movement.

“I am passionately pro-life and prolove. Some in the pro-life movement work at pregnancy centers or adopt while some donate money or protest.

I know that God has called me in this season to speak up and use my gifts to help foster care children,” Foster said.

Foster’s faith plays a vital role in her heart to serve. She describes her faith in Jesus as “a relationship not a religion.” She believes that relationship is undeserving.

“I am not good enough, worthy or deserving of His love and sacrifice, but I was offered it because of His perfect love. He constantly provides for me, loves me when I repeatedly betray Him and shows me that His way is so much better than the world’s,” Foster said.

Foster makes an average of seven orders a weekend. Her cinnamon rolls have proven to be the most successful out of her baked goods.

Her delicious goods and products can be found on the Instagram page @ goodsforthegreatergood, if anyone is interested. Make sure to give her a follow to keep up with what she is selling each weekend.

Foster donates 80% of her proceeds to the organization, Make It Matter.

The other 20% goes towards buying

supplies for her products. Make It Matter is a local organization that is making Christmas packages for foster children that include a devotional, journal, pen and “make it matter” sticker. She donates in $250 clusters through Make It Matter’s online donation.

She puts exactly how much she has raised in her bio on her fundraising Instagram account.

“There are so many heart-wrenching statistics about former and current foster care kids. I pray that the devotionals will lay out for them the hope, love, and security of Jesus,” Foster said.

Not only is she helping foster children get devotionals, but she also gets the opportunity to share her passion for baking and embroidering in the process.

She has even thought about fostering children in the future.

“I desire to serve God and others with my love of baking by providing a devotional to these kids,” Foster said.

She has already raised $500 for donation to Make It Matter. She is currently working on embroidered sweatshirts and pencil pouches as well.

“I wanted to find a way to spend some of my time while doing what I love (baking and embroidering) to share Jesus to a group of people in need” Foster said.

Fresh Baked Goods Showing off her baked goods, junior Emma-Claire Foster. pulls her treats from the oven. Foster donated 80% of her profits to foster organizations. Photos courtesy of Emma-Claire Foster

“I desire to serve God and others with my love of baking by providing a devotional to these kids.”

Emma-Claire Foster

44 | SPORTS

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

JUST BALLIN’

Players share their shooting success

SPORTS | 45

Senior Emma Bailey 13 points against Florence

Sophomore Kennedy Langham 18 points against Florence

Freshman Abethany James 14 points against Bob Jones

Junior Calen Lightford 24 points against Bob Jones

Senior Trevon Ragland 34 points against Florence

Senior Xavier Williams 13 points against Buckhorn

Sophomore Will Hawkins 10 points against Bob Jones Photos by Scott Lowe

46 | SPORTS

HUGHES KNOWS

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

Long-time coach reminisces on career

T

Myles Gollop-Editor

wenty-two years after his first coaching job at Hazel Green, basketball coach David Hughes vociferously coaches JV to victory. Before his coaching career started, he was just a young man who played basketball for fun.

“I played basketball at Grissom High School. I was not a star player or anything like that,” Hughes said. “I never had any athletic ability. I was just a tough guy who was a pretty good shooter.”

After high school, Hughes decided to pursue a college education. A few years after graduation, he returned to school for another degree.

“I received my first degree in business from Auburn University,” Hughes said. “After getting into coaching I got my education degree from Athens State University.”

In 1998, Hughes was given his first coaching opportunity. He accepted a position to become the next Hazel Green freshman girls basketball coach. Two years later, he got his first teaching job at St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Mobile.

“I taught little kids PE and coached junior varsity boys basketball,” Hughes said. “I also was an assistant coach for varsity.”

Two years into his teaching career, Hughes decided to leave Mobile. He accepted a coaching job in his hometown.

“In 2002, I was given the opportunity to come back to North Alabama and be part of a great school,” Hughes said.

“Sparkman is the best. I plan on being here for the rest of my career.”

As JV coach, Hughes is 341-109 in his 18 year tenure at the school. Among his favorite moments include when his 2008 team won a major tournament in Fort Payne.

“Over half of the players on the team came from a middle school that hadn’t won a game in two years,” Hughes said. “Just seeing their faces of pride while holding up the trophy is a vision I will never forget.”

This year, the season has been widely impacted by the COVID however, the team has had a few notable victories.

“This year is different because of COVID-19. We did not play in any tournaments that had an actual winner,” Hughes said. “We went 2-1 at Hazel Green a couple of weeks ago. In one game we were down 20 against Lee and came back to win.”

Despite the topsy-turvy year, Hughes has maintained his handson style of coaching as well as his passion at practice and at games.

“Coach likes us to learn through experience, making us learn on the fly instead of telling us what to do,” sophomore Donell White said. “A lot of the time he is yelling at us, but none of us take it to heart because we know he is just trying to make us better. A lot of times, coach will sub us out instead of benching us. He asks why did you do that or what could you have done differently in that situation.

Hughes coaching philosophy is simple. He is intense because he wants his players to thrive.

“I create an environment that teaches the players how to not only be successful on the court but more importantly be successful in life,” Hughes said. “I want to be remembered as a person who cared about his players and students. I hope they remember me as someone who wanted them to succeed in life.”

SPORTS | 47

THE FINISH LINE Freshman talks running varsity, setting records Crimson Crier: When did you join Sparkman’s Cross Country team?

Samantha Menikheim: I joined in 2017

when I was in 7th grade and I was 12 years old.

CC: Explain your thoughts and how you felt during the first practice.

SM: The first practice was a 30-minute jog.

I was not in shape for it, and I felt like I was going to die after about 15 minutes.

CC: How did you prepare for the season ahead?

SM: Now, I prepare for a cross country season by doing track to stay in running shape and running a lot during the summer.

My coaches have helped me have better form while running and have taught me good running techniques and have genuinely pushed me to be my very best. My friends on the team have also pushed me and supported me, and I am grateful for all of them.

CC: At what point were you able to start competing at the varsity level?

SM: During my first year running, my coaches started having me run at the varsity level to prepare for sectionals and state where the only races are varsity level. It was definitely harder, but it pushed me more, and I feel like I got better running varsity as opposed to JV. CC: What is your Personal Record for your varsity 5K? SM: My personal record is 20 minutes and 29 seconds. I’ve been training harder and enjoying running much more than usual, and I hope to break 20 minutes next season.

CC: Do you have any advice for incoming members looking to join Cross Country?

SM: The best advice I would give new runners is to enjoy yourself and the sport.

Push yourself to your limits, not all of your races will go perfectly smooth. Learn from each race and learn what works for you and what doesn’t.

CC: What do you hope to accomplish by your senior year?

SM: I’m really looking forward to running varsity at every race and running with my great teammates. I’m not sure what will happen between now and senior year, but my main goal is to continue pushing myself and to never give up.

Exhausted. Completing the James Clemens Invitational, freshman Samantha Menikheim crosses the finish line. Menikheim became one of the team’s top runners. Photo by Kate Irving

48 | SPORTS

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

SPORTS | 49

Freshman makes varsity soccer team Tess Warren-Reporter

S

occer coach Rebecca Jennings has high standards for her players on and off the field, and it seems freshman Chelsey Curtis has met the criteria.

“I look for good technical skills like dribbling, passing and shooting.

I also look for good tactical skills like their field vision and awareness. It is not just about what you can do on the ball, but what you can do when you do not have the ball,” Jennings said.

“I also look for attitude on and off the field. I want team players on the team, not just skilled athletes.”

Curtis started playing soccer when she was 4-years-old as an alternative to dance, which her sisters were doing. In elementary school, she played softball and basketball during the off season. Curtis has stuck with soccer because she has a passion for it and for the people she plays with.

“I play soccer because I like how fast paced it is compared to some other sports. Also, a few of my friends from my club soccer team are also on varsity so I’m glad I get to play with them,” Curtis said.

This year Curtis made the varsity soccer team. Playing against older, bigger and stronger players might be something that intimidates most people, but Jennings believes Curtis is up for the task.

“During tryouts, she had great field awareness and really understood the position she was playing and what it takes to play that position.

I could tell that she would be able to hang and compete at the varsity level,” Jennings said.

During tryouts, Curtis got a taste of what playing against upperclassmen on varsity may be like.

“They had mixed everyone together. I think they tried to divide the teams up where it was not all older people against all younger people,” Curtis said. “I really thought I held my own against the older people.”

Curtis believes playing varsity will be a good challenge for her. She is not too worried because she has played with older people before. She

understands many of them will be bigger than her as she is 5’2”, so she does her best to play smarter and harder.

“My biggest weakness is probably my size because I will be playing against older girls and I am not very big, so I will have to work on my strength and push to work harder,” Curtis said. “I try to play smart and not push people, I try to just pass the ball and move quickly.”

Curtis has managed to break her wrist, smash her rotator cuff and even injured her foot but despite all this, Curtis continues to remain passionate about the sport and pushes forward.

“I try not to think about it because I know, obviously, when I’m playing I can get injured. I try to just think positive,” Curtis said. “I also try not to make any dumb decisions like slide tackling or doing something that could put me in a bad situation.”

As a midfielder, her job is quite versatile because she helps carry the ball across the field. She is there to support the ball wherever her team needs her, whether that means defensively or offensively.

Her position also allows lots of opportunities for her to take a shot at the goal.

“It feels good to score and to see everyone happy about it. Normally after I score I just turn around and then everyone starts high-fiving and cheering and stuff,” Curtis said.

“Some people celebrate after they score. I don’t have time to think of a celebration in the moment.”

Her achievements are a result of all of her practice which to her has paid off. Curtis knows that the more she practices, she gets better and so does her team.

“I practice a lot on my own, but most of the time I work on shooting, and my first touch. The more I practice, the better I do in games,” Curtis said. “I am right-footed so I try to work on my left foot a lot because I need to be good with both feet. I try to do a lot of dribbling and juggling on my left foot to get stronger.”

The key to Chelsey’s success seems to be practice, practice, and

more practice.

She practices a lot on her own time whether that be by herself or with her dad. She also participates in the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program.

“It is fun and it has helped me a lot because I get to learn from several other coaches,” Curtis said.

“They also have a lot of college scouts there, a lot of people get scholarships off of it.”

Curtis plans to continue soccer through college and even hopes to play in the Olympics one day, that would be the true pay off for her. Of course, she must take it one step at a time and tackle the next four seasons of high school soccer first.

“I think this season will be fun and I hope we do good. Hopefully no one will get sick so we will not have to miss any games or practices,” Curtis said.

Some people actually prefer playing JV because they fear upperclassmen will get the majority of playtime. Jennings believes that age may directly affect a person’s experience, but it does not directly affect their ability.

“I personally do not believe that an upperclassman will start or play more than someone else just because they are an upperclassman. Age does not matter, if a freshman shows up, works hard, and outperforms an upperclassman, then that position and playtime deserves to go to the freshman,” Jennings said. “Every position is a dog fight. You have to earn it.”

Kicking Off Freshman Chelsey Curtis looks forward this season and taking on any challenges that lay ahead.

She has years of experience behind her from being captain at Monrovia Middle School to participating in the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program.

Photo courtesy of Chelsey and Cathy Curtis

50 | SPORTS

Student sticks with gymnastics Ethan King-Editor

A

move across the country from South Carolina to Colorado caused junior McKynna Stevens to pick up a new interest. With an influenced decision from her parents, they soon began looking for gymnasiums in the nearby area.

“Almost as soon as we moved they wanted to put me in gymnastics so we started looking for gyms,” Stevens said.

“We ended up finding the Colorado Aerials gym which is owned by the current Nation Team Coordinator Tom Forester.”

The love Stevens came to develop wasn’t immediate however, it took time for her to get used to the physical wear it put on her body and the emotional stress along with it. However, commitment and dedication to something she had just started because of something her parents wanted, led her to some of the best memories she’s ever made.

“It’s a challenging sport .It really does test both your mind and body but it has helped me stay in the best shape of my life,” Steven said. “Above all else though, I met my best friends here, with all the time we spend together here we really have formed a little family.”

As Stevens’ love for the sport became larger, she began finding idols inside the sport as well. Winner of the all around in the 2008 Olympics, Nastia Liukin, became one of those role models quickly.

“I truly admire her dedication to the sport,” Stevens said. “I love how you won’t see her give up but rather have a smile on her face the whole time she’s doing it.

Role models like Liukin played a major role in Stevens’ dedication to the sport as well. In February 2018 Stevens suffered her first major injury, a broken big toe that left her sidelined for over a year. Without someone to look up to and keep her motivated towards making a recovery and taking the mat, Stevens may have never stepped foot in another gym.

“It was definitely hard and there were times when I was unsure whether or not I wanted to do it anymore,” Stevens said. “It was a really long injury and really demoralized me but I feel like

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

FLIPPING OUT

Threading the Needle

SPORTS | 51

Junior talks time in the lanes McKynna Stevens-Reporter

W

In the Air The camera catches junior McKynna Stevens in a somersault during a floor exercise competition. Stevens has competed in gymnastics since the age of 5. Photo courtesy of McKynna Stevens it tested my love for the game and I’m glad I didn’t quit.”

Stevens consistently puts in four days a week for four hours as a typical practice schedule. This has helped mold her heart and develop her passion for the sport. Meeting Olympic gymnasts such as Jordyn Wieber and the skills she has learned throughout her time has given her an experience that she intends to work on for the foreseeable future and

memories she will never forget.

“I’ve really been taught respect and discipline, I’ve gotten better at the sport itself but it taught me mental traits I wouldn’t trade for anything,” Stevens said. “I’ve wanted to be a college gymnast since I was younger and I think the skills I have got over the last couple years can help me get there.”

hen a bowling ball was put into her hands at the age of five, it was inevitable that junior Emily Lindsey would find her place in the sport of bowling.

Lindsey’s parents met while bowling in a youth league when they were teenagers and have been passionate about it ever since, which led her to grow up in bowling centers. Bowling is something that runs in her family so it is very important to Lindsey because it allows her to have more of a connection linking a hobby that many of her family members share.

“Bowling is important to me because it’s not only something I’ve been doing for several years, but my Dad was one of the main people that got me into bowling,” Lindsey said.

Lindsey joined the school’s bowling team as a 7th grader where she befriended upperclassman Nicole Gilbert.

“She was a great example of a good bowler and team leader,” Lindsey said.

“I learned from Nicole by watching her prepare for tournaments and matches and how she interacted with her teammates.”

Like Gilbert, Lindsey has made some great accomplishments with her talent. One of Lindsey’s biggest accomplishments was being named to the second team All-State for having the eighth-highest average for girls in the state of Alabama. These accomplishments were quite a surprise for her to receive.

“I am currently ranked 8th in the state of Alabama for youth girls,” Lindsey said. “I felt pretty shocked, I didn’t even know it was a thing if I’m being honest, but it did feel good to know that my hard work was paying off.”

Over the years Lindsey has played for many teams and made many friends

out of teammates and coaches. She currently bowls for the school’s varsity team, Roll-X Academy, Rebels and competes in individual leagues that allow the opportunity to bowl in the national tournament each year.

“My favorite memory so far is probably when I bowled a 694 in the city tournament. I was kinda disappointed it wasn’t a 700, it was still a great accomplishment and my highest series so far,” Lindsey said.

With a year and a half left of high school Lindsey has started thinking about college. This is something she plans to continue.

“Along with my academics, I hope bowling will help get me into college. I have been looking at several colleges and talking with coaches and have narrowed it down to one I hope to sign with next year,” Lindsey said.

Like many other people, COVID-19 has brought some setbacks to her practicing. For months everything was closed and that meant Lindsey could not bowl. She found ways around it to keep up with her progress.

“A recent setback was the pandemic. Bowling centers were closed for several months and I was unable to practice like normal. I took that time to work on the things that I could off the lanes. Before the pandemic, I felt I was making good progress but since coming back it has taken me a while to get where I am feeling more comfortable on the lanes again,” Lindsey said.

There are rough days but in the end, Lindsey loves to bowl with her friends and make memories.

“Even though you hit the pocket you don’t always strike,” Lindsey said.

Smiles and Strikes Junior Emily Lindsey converses while preparing to bowl.

She concentrated on beating her best score, 694, that she bowled in the city tournament. Photo courtesy of Emily Lindsey

Anh Nguyen- Reporter

52 | A&E

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

A&E | 53

THE TEA CRAZE LOADED TEA QUICK FACT The tea is a thermogenic which boosts metabolism to help burn more than 15 calories.

B

T

oba, or bubble, tea differs from any other tea as it includes chewy tapioca pearls at the bottom of the drink. The pearls add not only flavor, but an aesthetically pleasing sight for one’s eyes.

There are a variety of flavors; the standard milk tea, taro milk tea, Thai milk tea, green milk tea, jasmine, honeydew, mango, lychee and more. The varied selection often creates dilemmas for first-timers. Another factor to take into consideration is the location in which one purchases their tea.

ShakeiT Boba is a popular Boba truck that is usually located in Madison at the Shell/MinitMan gas station on HWY

72. They allow a generous amount of customization by giving the customer a set of options for toppings, sugar level, jelly or pearls and lastly, the option of putting the tea in a bag or a cup.

Out of the many flavors I have tried, coffee milk tea is my go-to. I am addicted to coffee so of course, the flavor of this tea is my preference however, if I am to recommend a flavor to anyone, I would recommend the taro flavor for a more Boba-like vibe. I cannot put the flavor into words, you just have to try it. With a purple hue, the drink is aesthetically pleasing as well.

BOBA QUICK FACT Boba tea was developed in Taiwan in the 1980s. It is also referred to as Bubble tea.

ea Bombs, or loaded tea, contain vitamins and nutrients, aiding in weight loss by speeding one’s metabolism as well as energizing them. In addition to the low calories, there is an abundance of flavors to choose from depending on the business one decides to purchase from.

Capshaw Road Nutrition is a small business that sells delicious tea bombs. The closest building is on Capshaw Road in Madison. A few of the flavors they have up for purchase includes [flavors].

Tea is not the only drink they have to offer, but shakes and smoothies as well.

Though it is filling for the stomach, each drink is healthy for the consumer.

Although I have only tried one from this business, it was a wonderful experience. The flavor I chose tasted like a watermelon jolly rancher in the form of a drink, it even took on a shade of translucent reddish-pink as the candy had.

Tea Galore Various places around Huntsville and Madison offer both Boba and loaded teas. Photos

by Sarah Chase

54 | A&E

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

A&E | 55

DO YOU SHOP SUSTAINABLY?

Sustainable shopping is on the rise as environmental concerns

Art by Kameron Glenn

Sarah Chase-A&E Editor

M

isguided, Boohoo, Fashion Nova, Shein and ASOS. Those are some fast fashion brands most people have fallen in love with in recent years, but with fast fashion getting exposed for their effects on the planet, people are advocating for more sustainable options.

Fast fashion brands mass produce trendy clothing and then sell them for a cheaper

price. This is done to keep up with all of the latest styles consumers are wanting and celebrities are wearing.

“I shop fast fashion because it is so easily accessible and it constantly stays on top of the newest trends without having to buy from more costly luxury brands,” junior and employee at Blu Boutique, Sophie Shull said.

“I think people choose fast fashion for the same reasons I do. It is fashionable, quick and less costly.”

Although many people shop fast fashion

because of the reasons Shull mentioned, people online have been raising awareness and sharing concerns about shopping in the fast fashion industry. There are accounts on social media apps such as Instagram and Twitter that are dedicated to educating people on fast fashion and the effects. They encourage others to shop sustainably.

“Fast fashion is a huge problem in our world,” senior and employee at Style Encore, Hannah Perry said. “It contributes to a lot of water pollution and carbon emissions. Stores

“No and mostly because of time and COVID. I mostly go to the mall, Walmart, and Target,” senior Evan Howard

“I prefer Target and T.J. Maxx because they always have things in style and more variety,” senior Lise Dahl

like Style Encore avoid this problem because we do not make our own clothes. We buy clothes from people who do not want them anymore and we sell the clothes for a cheaper price.”

Most sustainable options lack having a larger size range and have a harder time staying on top of the fashion that pulls more people in. People look for clothes in their sizes at places they know they can find them.

“I normally shop fast fashion since I have always had problems finding clothes that fit me or that were in my size,” senior Megan Harrison said. “Fast fashion always has my size and I have kind of had to stick to that, but if more companies made better sustainable fashion, I would buy those.”

Fast fashion has gotten a lot of criticism for utilizing forced labor as well to make their clothes, especially child labor. According to Sofie Ovaa, the global campaign coordinator of Stop Child Labor, girls in Bangledesh and India are willing to work for low earnings and are brought to work in these industries being promised to make a decent wage.

Brands like H&M, Nike and Gap still use child labor.

“I think more people are concerned about fast fashion because the industry has grown so much over the years so people are starting to do research on how it is affecting our world,” Shull said. “They could make the clothing in the U.S. with proper labor and pay.”

Now with people finding out about the things these popular brands are guilty of and how fast fashion is affecting our planet, they are choosing to shop in ways that do not harm the environment and that do not use child labor. To do that some people are choosing to shop at local shops such as Plato’s Closet, Style Encore and thrift stores.

“I always try to shop at second hand

stores or from companies that I know are giving back to the environment,” Perry said.

“One of my biggest concerns for our future is that fast fashion companies should not be rewarded for cutting corners. Many people literally just do not know that fast fashion is an issue. Until everyone knows what is happening to our planet and why, nothing is going to change.”

Style Encore is all about recycling old clothes, so they donate clothing to foster homes along with their customer selling.

Stores that do not offer those options, do the best they can to make sure they are not wasting clothing items.

“I would say Blu Boutique is very good about making sure nothing goes to waste,” Shull said. “There are constantly huge sales on clothes so everything put in the store goes out to a customer. I am concerned about how companies that throw out their clothes or even people who throw away their own are polluting the earth.”

Right now environmental change is a big issue for everyone around the world and there are people educating themselves, others, shopping the best way they can and doing the best they can to make sure they are protecting their planet.

“I hope that we can slow the damage to our planet,” Perry said. “If everyone does their part, we can keep our world alive for future generations. One way to help is shopping and supporting sustainable fashion.

I hope that we can realize the power we have to help and use it.”

“I shop at Plato’s closet mainly because of time. If I shop it is normally online like Lululemon, Nike, places like that,” senior Kelsey Jones

“One way to help is shopping and supporting sustainable fashion.”

56 | A&E

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

Getting in the Spirit Despite COVID’s potential to dampen holiday spirits, the city of Huntsville is still offering a variety of events to get people in the festive mood.

A&E | 57

Tips for enjoying these events: One

Check the event’s website to see if pre-purchased tickets are required.

Two Dress for the occasion in order to be prepared for outdoor weather.

Three TINSEL TREE

Free Admission Through Jan. 3 Big Spring Park takes on a holiday glow with over 300 decorated trees.

TWICKENHAM TOUR

Free Admission Through Dec. 25 Stroll through the Twickenham Historic District to check out the decorated homes.

BRIDGE STREET

Free Admission Through Dec. 24 The shopping complex offers a Santa and Laser light show at 6 p.m.

Pack some hot cocoa to enjoy on your tour of the Tinsel Tree and Twickenham.

Four Be prepared to wear a mask and to social distance.

TRASH PANDAS

$25 per car Through Jan. 3 Take a drive through the magical “Santa’s Mountain” themed light show.

ICE SKATING

$12 Through Jan. 10 Rental skates are available.

Refreshments on the premises.

EARLYWORKS

$10 Through Dec. 23 Explore the decorated museum and get a glimpse of Santa in a Art by Olivia Lake

58 | A&E

The Crimson Crier || Dec. 11, 2020

Snapping to It

Ways to utilize your SNAP story Special Events

For special events like prom or graduation. Show off the experience of growing up and getting dolled up. This can benefit family and friends who can not be with you during these events. .

Organizations

If you are into different organizations like sororities or FCA you can create a private story with people who also like the organization so that you can interact with people.

School Day

You can make a private story into a vlog and document your activities throughout the day. The classes you have for the day, pictures of your assignments and fun experiments can all be included in your Snap.

Holidays

If you are going on a holiday trip you can make a private story to allow close friends and family to view pictures and videos.

Work

During your work day you can create a private story to vlog your task and activities at work. How are you feeling, what time do you get off all of these questions can be answered on the Snap?

Get Ready with Me

Art by Sarah Chase

Showing your friends your process of getting in the morning or at night. This can be an everyday occurrence or just for special occasions.

Talk About Political Issues

You can allow people who are passionate about certain political issues to view your private snap and interact with your story. Whether this be about #BLM or SARS.