November 2015

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the

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Crier

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015

Volume XXVI

Cheer squad gears up for new season, working towards success

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pg 13

March in Time New raider team branches out, makes history

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Issue III

pg 2

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

one of our own...

Loss leaves Senators anguished, reflective Savannah Bullard In-Depth Editor

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n every face lay red-rimmed eyes, recently wiped with a tissue or sleeve.

The class of 2017 claims the spirit award at the last pep rally of the season. A hard week brings heavy hearts, but for once these tear stains are not from sorrow; each and every student is filled with exuberant joy. Cheers erupt from the crowd, chanting only one name: “Ari! Ari! Ari!” Junior Ariyanna Benjamin, who is described as the life of any party, passed away on the evening of Oct. 24 in a single-car accident. Benjamin’s friends and family remember her as a beauty and a beast, from stealing everyone’s hearts at homecoming to tearing it up on the basketball court. Basketball coach Patrick Delay says it will be “impossible to replace her presence in the locker room and her energy on the floor.”

“It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Delay said, “I think when we have our first game or when something happens that we all know Ariyanna would be laughing hysterically or dancing around — just being Ariyanna — I think that’s when we’ll feel it the most. It’s probably going to be very difficult [this season].”

Junior Jaida Steele says the week Benjamin passed

away was “one of the longest and slowest weeks” she has had to endure. Basketball season, according to Steele, is going to be one like no other with the loss of their teammate. “[The team is] going to have lots of anger built up, come basketball season.

But I think they are going to play every game for Ariyanna and they are going to play every game the way Ariyanna wanted it to be played,” Steele said. “It will be extremely hard, but I think we will be able to bind together and make it a good season.”

A memorial was held for Benjamin on Oct. 27 before school in the gym. What was going to be a small service to honor her life turned into a packed house, with almost every student in attendance.

The service was reported on different news channels and tears stained almost every shirt in sight, with only one smiling face in everyone’s minds.

“It was incredible; such a perfect example of why God gave us different gifts, and how he plans to use them,” senior Tylor Harris said. “The room was filled with comforters, healers, musicians, leaders, friends and family, coaches and teachers; I’m blessed to have been among them — in His humbling presence.”

Harris and junior Daryl Bowden sang a few songs for the memorial and at Benjamin’s funeral. Bowden,

often at a loss for words about the event, says he will cherish the opportunity to honor someone so beloved by a community. “[Performing for Benjamin] was a really important thing for me,” Bowden said. “It was one of those experiences I will never forget.”

The memorial provided an unbelievable amount of comfort for Delay, who says the support of the school is overwhelmingly helpful.

“The ceremony, I thought, was fantastic,” Delay said. “I’m very thankful for everything [students] have done for Ariyanna and her family. I’m extremely proud of the ceremony they gave for her and I know that meant a lot to her mom.”

In attendance, besides over 1,000 students, faculty and media, was Benjamin’s family. Her godmother, Arianne Price, spoke to the crowd of Benjamin’s life and her love for God. “The very God that worked inside my godbaby was working in her to affect your life in a very powerful way,” Price said to the crowd on Tuesday morning. “Every time you cry, give a little laugh because that means God loved me that much that he blessed us with an angel called Ariyanna Deon Benjamin.”

Even in remembering her death, the most notable thing is that Benjamin lived her life without a dull moment.

Her friends describe her as

“the life of the party,” whose kindness and excitement lights up any room. And even after her death — after a week of grief and pain — the Oct. 30 pep rally roared with laughter and cheers. Steele says Benjamin was everpresent in that gym and that students were on fire for her life instead of weeping for her loss.

“Just people sending condolences, that goes a mile. And the support of the school is really helping out her family,” Steele said. “Her friends, we were considered her family. She calls her mom ‘mom,’ and we call her mom ‘mom.’ So it’s not like a classmate died; it’s like a part of me died too. It has a much larger effect than people realize.”

Steele says she has been friends with Benjamin since middle school when they played on the same basketball team. To Steele, Benjamin’s death was one of the “worst days” she’s had to experience, but her main goal is to now live her life for Benjamin and spread her legacy.

“Always help someone and always have fun. I try to never have a bad day and if I am having a bad day, I make sure someone else isn’t having a bad day. That’s it, with her,” Steele said. “I have no idea how I am going to get through high school.

But we all have each other and we’re not going to give up on each other. I think we’ll be okay.”

Photo by Hayleigh Pitts

New program ignites passion for volunteering, helping others the] biggest in the state of posters in the halls, testifying Alabama [and] I think we their cause, and posting gnite a Spark is a should have a huge impact about it on their Instagram page (@igniteasparkk). project that encourages on our community.”

Sign-ups for students to get out and volunteer be more involved in their work are community via volunteering.

It makes me feel good inside d u r i n g Sophomore Camryn Shields lunches and began this program during whenever you make people anyone can her freshman year, when join. Shield’s inspired by a song artist happy and it makes me even goal for the Matthew West. program is to happier seeing Sparkman family “I started this last get the entire year from a song by Matthew having that same feeling. student body West, ‘Do Something.’ It volunteering. sophomore Camryn Shields says, ‘If not us, then who?

If not me and you?’ I was “The goal is thinking of a way that I could for everyone in the school to Shields and others encourage people around me to volunteer,” Shields who have joined the cause be on fire [for the program] said. “Our school is [one of spread the word by hanging and want to volunteer and be

Parker Boothe Reporter

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involved in the community.

We all have one thing in common and that’s time. It just depends on how people spend their time,” Shields said, “People should give up [their time] and sacrifice one day instead of playing video games.”

Shields organizes all the events and places volunteers go to for Ignite a Spark or IAS. Some of the places they go include Harvest Youth Club, Miracle League, Manna House, Downtown Rescue Mission, 3058 Street and Santa’s Village.

“It’s really neat when you go back. I’ve been

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going to Miracle League and HYC, [and] you go back and the kids and parents remember you. I can remember the kid’s names and they love you and like to hold on to you,” Shields said, “It was really cool seeing how they remembered me.”

Every grade has had participants volunteer in the program. One of Shields friends, sophomore, Savannah Wilson, was only able to help a few times last year, but now she plans to put more of her time into volunteering with IAS. “The main goal is to reach people in our community and to show

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them that we care about them. I first went to HYC through ‘Ignite a Spark,’ and now I go there every week. I have even started a fundraiser from it all because of Ignite a Spark,” Wilson said.

Wilson follows the motto, ‘take every moment,’ that motivates her to go volunteer and cherish her moments while she is there. The motto came up when she met a girl at HYC.

Spark

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News pgs. 2-3, 16 Opinion pgs. 4-5 Lifestyles pgs. 6-8 A&E pg. 9-10 Sports pgs. 11-13 In-Depth pgs. 14-15

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Ignite a Spark cont. on pg 1

Lunches of Love

Teacher teams with local ministry to aid hunger issue

Ania Stover Reporter

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hen special education teacher Amy Alsup witnessed Sparkman students going without food on the weekends, she took action to solve the problem.

Alsup made some phone calls to the local organization Lunches of Love to see if they could assist in providing snacks and meals for those students in need.

“I saw lots of students who needed additional food outside of the lunchroom.

Many do not have food on the weekends,” Alsup said. “It’s kind of a touchy situation because nobody wants to say that they need help.”

The Mission Firefly Lunches of Love program makes healthy food and snacks available to underprivileged children who may not get the meals they need. The program started in 2009 when a group of friends decided to get together and adopt a rural village in Central America.

It then transitioned to schools in the Madison County School System.

The program first provided schools with 30 bags of food a week.

The group has grown to include all elementary and middle schools in the system and now provides 600 bags of food a week.

“Mission Firefly has a love and passion for children,” director of Lunch of Love Jenda Hillis said. “We wanted to help children in our community.”

Sparkman is the first high school to participate in the Lunches of Love program.

The organization found that older students also need assistance in finding food.

Alsup feels items like boxed foods, poptarts and other healthy snacks are perfect for when adults may not be around to cook.

Students and parents can help get this program off the ground by sponsoring fundraisers like bake sales, food drives and food truck rallies.

“I’m looking for a huge response from organizations to help make this program successful,” Alsup said.

JROTC team makes history breaking gender boundaries Courtney Stewart Reporter

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he saying “anything boys can do, girls can do better” is being proven in the JROTC wing with the school’s first co-ed raider team.

Although this being Lt. Col. Lloyd Nathan’s first coed drill team, the members of JROTC did not hesitate to jump in on this opportunity.

Nathan’s team consists of girls and boys, ranging from freshman to juniors.

“This is the first year I have had a co-ed team,” Nathan said. “To see what both sections can bring to the table I think is impressive.”

Although the co-ed team has to work hard to stay fit

B u t and healthy, besides all they do not of the work, find it hard Nathan’s to make it team agreed exciting. that they still They must find time go through to bond at a series of the end of tasks and the day. courses to Whether complete it be after t h e i r practices, drills. Two or after a m i n u t e s LET’S GET PHYSICAL. Co-ed team members work on completing their competition. of sit-ups anddrills at the Scottsboro competition. Photo courtesy of Ian Keel This team courses that involve balance push-ups is just believes that not enough for this team. and crawling under barbed the focus is teamwork from From running two miles wire,” says freshman Maria every person. Without while carrying a backpack of Mascano. “Sometimes, to this element, they cannot sand, to mud-filled obstacle make it more complicated, conduct working as a unit courses, these guys are not we have to carry rifles to perform all of their afraid to get “down and throughout obstacles while tasks, including engaging making sure we don’t drop in all activities physical and dirty”.

“We have obstacle it.” mental.

“I love how close we are, it’s like we’re a big family,” says Team Leader, Junior Aubrey Fox. “After competition, we usually sit by the fire and make s’mores and just talk.”

Being that this is Nathan’s first co-ed drill team, they have already started going above and beyond. Nathan believes seeing both girls and boys on the team work together brings them closer as friends and a unit. They take into consideration of each other’s physical capabilities and find a way to work as a team without any struggle.

“I am absolutely proud of my group,” Nathan said.

“I have a lot of expectations for them.”

“I talked to her a lot and then one day I came back and she wasn’t there anymore,” Wilson said, “She had been moved to a foster home and you can’t contact them for privacy reasons.

That was really upsetting and it taught me to ‘take every moment.’”

Shields also has a quote that she likes to remember.

It is scripture from the Bible and she uses it as an explanation for why she does what she does.

“I like the verse Colossians 3:23: ‘whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.’ It shows we’re put on Earth for different thing.

We’re here to help others and shine God’s light,” Shields said.

Both Shields and Wilson stress the importance of signing up for ‘Ignite a Spark.’ It has changed the atmosphere at HYC and Miracle League and they believe it can change the atmosphere of the school.

“It is important because it only takes a spark to start a wildfire. Once we get a small group of kids, or maybe even one person, then other people are going to catch on and eventually it’s going to make the school and community a better place,” Shields said.

According to Wilson, IAS is also a great program because it lets students do something meaningful with their fellow peers and friends.

For the majority of students, it can be intimidating to go by themselves, but this project allows students to go with friends.

“It’s a program to get students who usually don’t volunteer into that kind of stuff. A lot of times, it’s hard to just go on your own; it’s kind of scary, honestly. If you have schoolmates with you, it’s a lot easier,” Wilson said.

They believe the more students who volunteer, the better the school will be and it will even have an emotional impact on students. And according to Shields, there is no greater experience than volunteering.

“Personally, it makes me feel good inside whenever you make people happy and it makes me even happier seeing Sparkman family having that same feeling,” Shields said, “You always get something out of volunteering; there is no way you can go and not get something out of it.”

7186 Hyw 72 West Madison, Al. 256-970-4005 FURNITURE DECOR CHALK PAINT GIFTS & MORE BRING THIS AD IN FOR A FREE GIFT

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Teacher battles with disease Christian White Reporter

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magine having to stab yourself with a needle every time you want to eat or drink anything. Probably not fun. With breast cancer awareness month passing, we move on to recognition for another disease that plagues the lives of many Americans and their families — diabetes.

November is diabetes awareness month. Twenty nine million people in the U.S. have diabetes. That’s 9.3 percent of the American population, a number worthy of recognition.

Diabetes, being the seventh highest cause of death in the U.S. with a tallied 234,051 death certificates, is one of the most common and potentially deadly diseases facing Americans today. It happens when the body’s blood sugar rises to high or drops too low, and can result in heart attacks, strokes, blindness and even kidney failure if not treated properly. History teacher Gina Glass is a type two diabetic, who checks her insulin intake throughout the day.

“When I was 12, I got really sick, after that, my immune system kinda just shut down. whatever virus I had attacked my pancreas and some other organs, and they just stopped working.

Soon after, I developed all the symptoms that come with diabetes and was diagnosed with it.” Glass said.

REACHING OUT TO THOSE IN NEED. Gina Glass checks her insulin Photo by Madison Harding

After her virus, Glass experienced severe weight loss and increased hunger and thirst, known symptoms of diabetes. Other symptoms include blurry vision and tingling or numbness of the hands and feet.

Diabetes changed Glass’s life dramatically, she had to throw away all of her snack foods and cereals and any non diet drink., “ When I was still taking shots, I had to watch what I ate all the time. All the drinks I drank had to be either diet or just water. It was a big change,” Glass said.

Most people with diabetes cannot eat “junk foods” such as cookies, brownies or candies, and cannot drink any non diet sodas. However

with many treatments advancing, people’s lives are slowly beginning to return to normal. For example, some people such as Glass herself use an insulin pump to regulate

{ } “I am stronger than Diabetes...”

themselves, therefore they can eat most foods with exception. Oral agents are another solution, but the best way to keep yourself healthy with diabetes is to stay active. Not all people diabetes victims manage is as well as they should.

About 208,000

Americans under the age of 20 are estimated to have diabetes. Having the disease means you carry the risk of many other complications and morbid conditions.

Diabetes by itself does not appear to be enough. One example is kidney disease.

Diabetes was listed as the primary cause of kidney failure in 44 percent of all new cases in 2012 when nearly 50 thousand people began treatment for kidney failure due to diabetes.

Another example is amputation. In 2010, about 73 thousand non traumatic, lower limb amputations were performed in adults aged 20 years or older with diagnosed diabetes. All the treatment as of 2012 cost a total of 245 billion dollars.

“I am stronger than Diabetes. I am going to be around, until there is a cure.” N.CO/diabetes said on their website.

Think about it, That is a quarter of the population of people under 20. As previously said, 29.1 million people in the U.S. have diabetes but of that 29.1, 8.1 million were estimated to be undiagnosed. The Diabetes also seems to differ by race, sometimes by a lot. American Indians and natives have the highest number of people of all everyone with diabetes at around 15.9 percent. Non Hispanic blacks come after that with 13.2 percent, and surprising again is the fact that whites are the race with the lowest amount of people with diabetes at 7.6 percent.

Diabetes by itself does not appear to be enough.

The Crimson Crier Nov. 19, 2015

3

What’s Happening at

SHS

Welcome Back Mrs. Blanchette!

Career EXPO Dec. 7

Thanksgving Break Nov 23-27

Soccer Tryouts Boys 4 p.m. Nov. 30

Student sells shirts to aid local organization Mya Harrell Reporter

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hile many people are hoarding up for the winter,sophomore Savannah Wilson is doing just that. Wilson is currently selling t-shirts to raise funds for the Harvest Youth Club. It’s a afternoon and summer camp program.

Wilson has love for the kids and they have a special

meaning to her. The little girls at the facility have a connection with Wilson.

They feel comfortable talking about things and Wilson helps them with their homework.

“Their facility is old.

They don’t even have something to do homework on. The children have to do their homework on the gym floor. Looking at their conditions, I saw that they could use the money and I

wanted to help out,” Wilson said.

Wilson is hoping to raise about $250. The t-shirts are sell for $15, of which $6 of each shirt sold will go to the facility.

“It will be better to sell as many as I can instead of none. All the money goes to the shirts after the actual cost of making the shirts has been covered,” Wilson said.

Displayed on the shirt will be a bible verse, Matthew

5:13 “You are the salt of the earth.”

“HYC is a place very dear to my heart, and I think what Savannah is doing is great. By selling these shirts, Savannah is able to also draw attention to HYC much like Ignite A Spark did last year.

Interests and encourages more and more students to volunteer there,”Ignite a Spark Member Camryn Shields said.

Soccer Tryouts Girls 6 p.m Nov. 30

CANVAS

New school program creates new access to academic assignments

Nick Arnold

Managing Editor

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adison County has decided to introduce a new online program to the schools called Canvas.

Canvas is a program that will allow students to work on assignments online rather than in class. Canvas allows students to do work in a place where they are familiar because it is similar to edmodo and Facebook layout wise.

“It allows us to engage more with the kids in a way they know how to. It is very reflective of the way colleges are communicating with their students,” assistant principal Jonathan Barron said. “It allows the teacher to upload things to you and not worry about losing assignments, so students can know what the assignments are if they were sick. It allows us to provide better resources to you

instantly.”

The use of Canvas will allow students to better communicate with the teachers and vice versa. One of the main reasons the school is moving toward using Canvas is to become a more technology-based school.

“I think it allows for easier communication between students and the teacher or your parents and the teacher. It makes it for easier grading GET CONNECTED. Student use CANVAS to access online assignments Photo

by Madison Harding because you can put tests up up even when they are not there and it automatically copies they use and have to here,” Silvey said. grades it, so students get pay for.

Administration is also immediate feedback,” “I think I am mainly trying to create an easier Barron said. “Reading out going to use Canvas to way to gain access to Canvas of a textbook, it is not you, upload large documents that for the students by giving it is not your generation.”

I don’t have the funds to them more opportunities to English teacher, Angela print. I will try to use Canvas use computer and iPads in Silvey, thinks the the for quizzes and homework school. implementation of Canvas assignments. Student will “From what I will be a good thing for both have better access to what understand, we are buying teachers and students. For they missed at school if a bunch of chromebooks to teachers, Canvas will cut they are out. They can keep kind of beef up our lab to down on the amount of

help. We want to make our mobile carts more available to [students] and our teachers.

We will help in any way we can to provide alternatives for those kids. It is important that they are at least exposed to it,” Barron said.

Senators will have a chance to work with Canvas on several E-learning days that will require students to log onto Canvas and complete any assignment the teacher has posted for that day. Students will be given the choice to stay at home or come to school and work on the same work that is online in class. According to Barron, students who do not have access to a computer or internet at home will be able to do it at school on those E-learning days.

“Anything that is put up there is going to have a hard copy, unless it is video.

What we are encouraging our teachers to do is allow [students who do not have access to a computer or internet at home] opportunities to come in and watch videos and get on the computers,” Barron said.

The school is moving toward online schooling, in order to change with other schools and colleges.

According to Barron, the school wants to be able to prepare students for what may be coming after they graduate because online schooling is the way some colleges are going.

“It is kind of the way the future is going. Virtual schools are becoming a thing now. It kind of models that.

It is independent on you and puts some responsibility on you,” Barron said.

The Crimson Crier

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Hannah Cox Web Editor

Staff presents dangers of distracted teen driving In the midst of such a daunting month, the student body is experiencing a massive moment of realization. Life is invaluable and can often be taken for granted. Teenagers live in the fast lane, invincible to all things — and we think this includes death.

According to www. distraction.gov, 3,154 people were killed in vehicle accidents in 2013.

The cause? Distracted driving. In 2013, 10 percent of drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal vehicle accidents were proved to be distracted at the time of their collisions. Teenagers, or human beings in general, are not invincible. Far from

it.

As we travel from place to place, we are objected to daily distractions. The radio, AC and phones haunt us as we drive. Not to mention, we tend to ignore the speed limit, no matter the weather or time of day. Teens believe “that will never happen to me” and, despite the loss of our former Senators, we continue to allow distractions to control our driving.

When we allow distractions to take over, we ignore the people surrounding us, the people who care about us and the people we love. We allow something so small, so trivial, to change our lives in mere seconds.

And so, as a staff, the Crimson Crier committed to change. It is time that we make our own decisions.

By casting our phones aside and watching our environment as we live our lives, we can change our fate. We can decide not to take our lives or the lives of others. It is long overdue, but better late than dead.

Remember to drive safe, because your l i f e means more than a simple distraction.

Illustration by McKenzie Ashmore

Testing does not help students in long run Patrick Rickles Web Editor

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tandardized testing is the one subject that makes students shudder in fear. In order to take the test, a student is forced to wake up early, groggily drive to the testing area, sacrifice one of the few free days they have and have to calculate the mass of the sun before breakfast. The student is then asked to sit through hours upon hours of testing, boredom and sheer panic.

These tests are the bane of students’ existences and leave them asking why they must endure several hours of mental torture.

Students are asked to take standardized tests because it offers an even platform for all students to succeed. Many colleges cannot take a student’s GPA (Grade Point Average) into account unweighted, as schools will typically offer bonus points for attempting to take the more difficult classes and the Advanced Placement exam. This leads to highly misleading grades

that can go well over a 100 or even a 110. The ACT (American College Testing), SAT, ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) and others with all of their flaws, can help level that playing field for students everywhere.

However, testing has a tendency to tip the scales in other places. A standardized test is just that — a test. There are students that have extreme difficulty in taking any test. Other students often suffer through anxiety and stress about test preparations and results for the test. On the other hand, some students are also naturally good at taking different kinds of exams.

How is this system in any way fair? This system panders to those that are good at test taking and have enough spare time to study.

This system discriminates against those that do not have enough fortune to hire a tutor or would not have time to study due to other school and job activities. The ACT and SAT are only a few of

these tests that students have to worry about. On average, students have to take about 112 tests during their first 12 years of education and Pre-K. This is a problem that is widespread in academia.

On October 26, the President Barack Obama addressed the problem in our nation’s system of testing. In a recent statement, he acknowledged school systems today focus way too much on testing instead of actual learning.

The President is right in stating that these tests are a necessary evil. They

aid educators who must give educators a benchmark on progress and test a student’s educational aptitude in certain areas. However, the number of hours dedicated to testing is too high. The President is attempting to steer the country’s educators away from testing and towards more of a focus on learning in the classroom.

Hopefully, this new interest in a prevalent problem will help future students have more opportunities in education without the problems that have plagued this generation.

Cross-country deserves support at meets Makayla Tomaino Reporter

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tudents flock to football games. They put on school colors and cheer on basketball. But when it comes to cross country, not many students take the time to be spectators at cross country meets.

Cross-country is not just a part of me, it is my greatest passion. I love the environment of cross country because the team is very supportive. I love it because the sport is fun.

Together we are a family, we make each other strong and we care about each other.

During practice, we strive to become better runners,

and the coaches help by motivating and supporting us. They help us set certain time goals that we want to achieve, and they seek a lot of potential in us as runners. Allen Poole varsity cross-country coach and Jim Barnes junior varsity crosscountry coach take time out of their day to not only coach us, but to motivate us. Both come together to make us a stronger team.

At the meets, we support every runner as they compete. When a junior varsity member runs their race, varsity is on the sidelines screaming and cheering for them and vice versa.

Because of these things, Policy

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

All final design, reporting and content decisions are the responsibility of the student journalists of Sparkman High School under the guidance of their adviser. 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. The Madison County Record prints 2,000 copies, eight times yearly.

Best way to save a child through adoption

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oman are badgered with the same question for a large majority of their lifetime: when is she going to have kids? Having children is a very personal decision for the parents, or in some cases, parent.

Besides the obvious “birds and the bees” way to have children, there are a few other options when wanting to extend the family — especially in a single parent household.

Adoption allows the household to not only expand their family , but to help a child in need that may not be a part of a family otherwise. According to the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, or CCAI, over 397,000 children today are in the foster system and living without permanent families.

This begs the question, if there are over 397,000 children without permanent homes, why are couples still having children? The world is ripe with unwanted children—the foster homes are overflowing with children and the streets are cluttered with small, hungry, unloved bodies.

We have all heard the expression ‘blood is thicker than water,’ which may explains why some couples are uncomfortable with adopting. The child the family brings into their home is not biologically their own and may bring some unwanted problems with it. But if a family can alleviate the suffering of even one child by taking it off of the streets or out of an orphanage or out of the foster system, would that not be worth it?

The answer is yes.

Just because it is not one’s child by blood does not mean parents cannot have the same experiences like one could with their own child. The long drives, chats while mom does the laundry and playing catch in the yard with dad would not disappear if the child is not biologically their own. If anything, it makes it more special to do these seemingly mundane things with the adopted new son or daughter because the adoptees know the child might not be doing this otherwise. These mundane things would mean the world to this child.

Money is such a large part of life nowadays that we cannot make any decisions without at least a thought or two drifting towards your bank account. Whether a family decides to have a child themselves or adopt, wallets will be opened and money will be spent. According to the US Department of Agriculture, raising a child for 18 years on average costs 245,000 dollars. The only difference between having a child and adopting is that adoption from the US will cost between 8,000 to 40,000 dollars more, according to CCAI. These added costs go towards several things including the adoption agency and travel expenses.

Children are a precious gift, and sadly this gift is unattainable for some women, whether it be due to medical issues or lack of a male figure. Adoption kills two birds with one stone: giving a woman a child and giving a child a home. Same with a lone male figure: adoption gives him the privilege of a child without a woman in his life.

Becoming a foster parent can be a way to help the world as well. One would be helping however many children you’d want to take in. According to CCAI, 23,396 youth aged out of the U.S. foster care system in 2012 without the emotional or financial support necessary to succeed out in the real world. As a US citizen we have responsibilities to our country, and that includes helping our youth.

Though adoption may take longer than nine months, imagine the smile or smiles an adoption can put on the child’s face when they realize they have a home, a bed and a loving family. Imagine the joy this child would feel knowing he or she has their own bedroom, toys.

That lonely boy in that back, too shy to talk to anyone in his foster home does not need to stay shy and timid his entire life. He does not deserve not to know what it feels like to smile or to laugh. He deserves a family to take him in, to love him and to teach him how to smile. We have the power to make a difference in the world of adoption. Those 397,000 children deserve everything life has to offer—and we can help make that happen, one child at a time.

the cross country deserves to be supported by the student body. Week after week, our runners place in the top of each meet, we win medals and we beat our personal records. I, myself, have broken a school record in the 3-mile run. Just imagine, how much greater we could perform if our student body would come and cheer us on.

From my coaches to my teammates, the love of cross-country runs deep.

We run, we encourage and we support. We are a team.

No matter where we are or who we are competing against, our passion cannot Photo by Greg Machen be hidden. We work hard everyday and we never give up. Join us sometime.

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 CC is a 2011 Silver Crown winner.

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{opinion}

The Crimson Crier Nov. 19, 2015

5

Janitors underappreciated by class body Jaida Johnson Reporter

T

here are many unsung heroes in our society who do jobs for little to no thanks or recognition.

Everyone knows to revere firefighters and police officers, but one is hard pressed to find people who proudly voice their respect for custodial staff. To be fair, contemplating the trials of being a custodian is not something that constantly crosses our minds or, when it happens to flit through our thoughts, is a dramatic and newsworthy event compared to a shootout involving police or firefighters saving people’s lives. Though the realization may not have ever occurred to us, the truth is that

custodial staff altogether play a very important role in keeping our society running smoothly.

I am no expert on what it is like to be a custodian, but even my own limited observations have proved just how much crap they have to deal with -no pun intended. There are standard job requirements for a custodian, such as mopping, sweeping and basic cleaning, but there are often also unnecessary tasks they must spend time on created by us, the people they are cleaning up after, which unfairly burden people who already work with little to no thanks given by those they are helping. Those burdens would include timeconsuming tasks, such as dealing with the mess left by students in the hallway.

Sanitary concerns and ridiculous immaturity aside, the seeming laundry list of time consuming and extraneous tasks serve to add difficulties to custodial work at school or anywhere. The custodial staff and resident assistants’ jobs are difficult and under appreciated as it is, and we should not need to add to that with insensitivity and stupid antics that leave messes in our wake. In places of work, custodians are underpaid and understaffed.

Work is divided amongst the janitors and when a janitor is out, the other custodians have to do the absent janitors work. If not, who else is going to do it?

Whether you are one of the people guilty of that casual insulting indifference who adds to the problems, or someone who simply

Photo by Greg Machen

does not give much thought to janitors, showing them the respect they deserve is surprisingly simple.

Ask the custodian his or her name when you see

them; stop for a quick chat about sports or something on the news; spare 30 seconds out of your day to thank the person who ensures that the building you live or work in

Student gives personal veganism experience, animal cruelty feelings Hailey Watts Reporter

M

ore than 150 billion animals are slaughtered, smashed and shredded each year for human digestion. More than 100 million animals are killed in U.S. laboratories for numerous things including chemical, drug, food and cosmetic testing. Every year, millions of animals are killed for the clothing industry — all in the name of fashion.

Much like racism and sexism, we must, as a society, aim to sentient; animals strive for the same basic needs we do, such as freedom and love: and also hope they do not suffer. Why do we take harmless lives to be created and confused into something unnecessary?

Why do we think we can murder and exploit them?

Our only difference is our physiology. But surely that is a completely irrelevant factor to use as a basis to justify discrimination.

Most people do not want to think of an animal being slaughtered as most people love animals. Most people compare their love to a relationship with animals.

Are we really supporters of anti-animal abuse and cruelty when our society kills to eat a living thing with a brain, emotional and physical feelings and a family? The imagery of our own baby getting taken from us known that it will be eaten the next day, week or month is horrid. So, why do we support slaughterhouses and factory farmers to do the

same thing? Because they are not humans. By creating less demand for animal products we can destabilize the businesses that profit from scientific exploration and therefore give our friends a greater chance of living free, having a family and be happy all while being alive. Veganism is a great way to teach us about real love and compassion.

Animal products do not provide humans with anything that is essential to our survival which we cannot get from natural resources.

Being slaughtered for food is not the personal choice of the billions of animals that just want to live their portion of time on Earth. For vegans it is not impossible to find something else to eat, even when eating out. Vegans are not missing out on anything.

That sounds unbelievable to meat eaters who feel they need to take minutes of my time to wonder how anyone could survive without steak.

Everything can be recreated into vegan products that are still as savory and sweet. That beautiful dog and lovely cat you see in your room, on the street, in the store has the same intelligence, feelings and loyalty as that chicken in between bread. This is a life put on this world to live.

They feel every movement and emotion just like humans. We can not expect this Earth to become a better environment when we are selfish to earthlings.

When a lion takes control of a pride his first action is to kill all the offspring of the previous dominant male

so that his own offspring will have the best chance of surviving. This is natural, but we would hardly use it as a basis for human morality.

That something is natural does not mean it is ethical.

Humans are capable of living in ways that transcend ‘animal’ nature and, from an ethical point of view, it is only by so doing that we can become truly human.

In a very real sense meateating is not natural for us: we are poorly adapted to eating meat. The human gut is proportionately far longer than that of a carnivore, and this is probably why meateaters have a far higher incidence of bowel cancer than vegetarians.

According to recent headlines and studies meat and milk alone, especially in their processed states, are the primary causes of a slew of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, and a host of other maladies.

If we switch to vegan then our chances of getting cancer, being unhealthy and overweight decrease. Our eyes will become brighter, our skin softer, and our gait or step faster and better coordinated.

According to the Water Education Foundation, it takes 2,464 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef in California. This is the same amount of water you would use if you took a seven-minute shower every day for six entire months.

According to the Rainforest Action Network, 55 square feet of tropical rainforest are

destroyed to make every fastfood hamburger made from rainforest cattle. Additional impacts on the environment from a meat-eating diet are the pollution of our water and air.

I felt vulgar and naked in supporting animal cruelty in my past. I was told it was just a phase that it would pass.

The difference between a phase and a lifestyle is that a phase is a distinct period or stage in a process of change and a lifestyle is the way in which a person lives, grows, in the way of life. Vegan is my lifestyle.No one decides how we feel besides ourselves.

No one should tell us how we feel besides ourselves because in our bodies comes emotions and a conscience no one can control. A moral sense is stuck in us and that’s something beautiful about humans.

I am vegan because I do not want to support an industry of violence. I am vegan because discrimination to anyone, whether based on race, color, class, sex, sexual orientation, ability or species is wrong. I am vegan because animals are our property; slaves who are denied the right to live their own lives. I am vegan because I want to put an end to the property status of animals, hoping one day they will be free. Is a moment of our pleasure really worth their suffering?

It is time to build an Earth that is powered by peace instead of greed. It just takes a little bit of love.

In adopting a vegetarian diet we will have a real impact on the planet in many ways.

When you hear the word vegan, what comes to mind?

“

They don’t eat meat. They are very healthy people. They hate

“

What comes to mind when I hear the word vegatarian is people are looking

animal abuse. They love the

out for their own health and find that

planet.

animals are more important than eating

”

-Senior Jordan Burwell

steak.

”

-Junior Jena Hudgins

is clean and pleasant. The custodians will likely thank you for it, and you will be able to go about your day knowing that you did a basic courtesy and made their day all the better.

Kenzie’s

Corner Corner

Prison reforms save money, deny justice McKenzie Ashmore Opinion Editor

“

That’s money, honey.”

In the world that surrounds us, one word can describe how we function and maneuver: money.

Money is often times looked to as the aide in our existence, the only real reason we stay afloat, but it is also what drags us down. Money controls everything, especially prison reforms.

A recent reform in the sentencing of nonviolent drug offenses last year, has caused more than 6,000 inmates set to be released in just weeks. With this reform, it has become apparent that we evade justice for financial purposes.

If we choose to release these individuals, then who is to say they will not turn to the same habits they had weeks or months prior to their arrest? I have personally seen how drugs can damage a family and how the person can come to the realization that what they have done changed not just their life, but everyone’s around them as well. These individuals need a stable environment. Prison might just be the best thing to get their life on track.

Prison is the one place drug users can be isolated from their previous habits. By discharging inmates from prison early, we are merely forcing them back into an unstable environment filled with drugs. In 2014, over 1 million out of 11 million arrests were tied back to drug law violations according to drugwarfacts.org. Logically speaking, if inmates are separated from this environment over a certain period of time , then they will break the habit and their daily life will not revolve around their next drug use. Not to mention that two to six dollars can be saved on each inmate that avoids reincarceration, according to the New York Times.

If inmates are not reincarcerated, a total of $47,000 per person over a period of six years can be saved, according to Research Triangle Institute.

Generally, if a person is involved in a criminal act, including drugs, they are arrested and, depending on their criminal record, the sentence will vary. In most cases, if a drug offense is involved, then prison time is required.

However, a reform focused on the “three strikes” rule — also known as the “if you mess up three times then it is game over and you go to jail” rule — has also been reconsidered and changed, now the third strike offense no longer receives mandatory sentencing. So essentially, the justice of minor crimes is now on a short leash for the purpose of saving money.

The fact is something can be done about this issue. The solution is not stealing money from other departments, such as education, but instead funding the money ourselves.

By banding together, we can save money as a nation and create a fund that allows inmates to get the support and help they need. It is understandable that individuals may feel squeamish when considering given up their money to a “convict”, but the thing is everyone makes mistakes.

With that said, a second chance should be given. I am by no means suggesting that we empty our bank accounts, but instead start small with change. Overtime it will add up. If we bind together for this treatment option, then our prison numbers could possibly drop. According to Newsweek, the number of drug users that may be reincarcerated can drop by 30 percent after treatment.

Sadly, what the government does not realize is that they are revolving this beautiful country around a green, tattered piece of paper. When in reality we should be focused on bettering the people of our country. We are supposed to be a country of brave, caring people, but all that can be seen is a veil of selfishness. Instead of throwing the individuals out into a pack of starving wolves, it is time that we help them.

Instead of focusing our attention on attaining as much of the green paper as possible, focus on helping our people first.

They are what really matters.

The Crimson Crier

6 Nov. 19, 2015

{lifestyles}

Walter Jones promotes football for local charity Savannah Bullard In-Depth Editor

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veryone has that one place where they can truly call “home.” Whether it is a childhood town or a recent discovery, that one remarkable place becomes a part of who inhabits it. For former Seattle Seahawks football player Walter Jones, Harvest, Alabama is his home.

“My hometown is [in] Aliceville,” Jones said. “So when I was playing in the NFL and looking to find a place to call home I chose Harvest, as it was close to my hometown.”

To Jones, one of his most important ties to Alabama is his involvement with the Health Establishments at Local Schools (HEALS, Inc.) program, an organization that provides healthcare for low-income schools.

“By providing free on-site medical and dental care, mental health counseling and social services at our participating schools, HEALS clinics make an immediate difference in the lives of many children and their families,” the HEALS, Inc. website reads.

Jones comes to Alabama twice a year to participate in and host charities for underprivileged children. The program is dear to his heart and he enjoys being a part of the cause.

“The HEALS mission is something that I truly believe in. Many schools are low poverty and it is a great charity that gives back to the schools,” Jones said. “This is something that I believe in and it was good to put my name on this event as it is a passion for the kids.”

The event is called the Walter Jones Turkey Bowl for HEALS, Inc. It is an annual community flag football game that raises money for the HEALS, Inc. organization. Jones was asked to be a part of the event in 2011 and says he has been thankful for the opportunity ever since.

“It was a friend of a friend who wanted to do something for the Thanksgiving holiday,” Jones said. “I wanted to give back so they asked to use my name and it was great honor and the program is a great event.”

Jones does not come to Alabama from his permanent Seattle home just to hang out in his mansion and host football games, however. Pat Pope, a dear friend of Jones, says their often long-distance friendship is one of a kind.

“I have known Walter Jones for fourteen years and it was definitely one of those God deals,” Pope said.

Pope invited Jones to visit Madison Cross Roads Elementary School, where 64 percent of the children live below the poverty line. That visit, she says, was the beginning point of their friendship and avid involvement in the community.

“My late husband went to school there, [and] my daughter and my grandchildren. It is a school with problems that comes with a majority of the population that lives below the poverty level,” Pope said. “I invited Walter to come and mentor the fifth grade boys, never thinking he would come.

It was the start of a long friendship.”

MXR (Madison Cross Roads) is one of the many North

Alabama schools that is aided by HEALS, Inc. According to the program, children’s health is their top priority.

“It is our mission to keep children healthy and optimize their opportunities for success in school and society,” the HEALS, Inc. mission statement reads. “By providing accessible school-based health care for eligible economically disadvantaged children, we are a real solution, right now to the health care crisis by providing them with a medical home.”

That first visit to MXR started a chain reaction of giving back that still continues to grow. And while Jones says he loves coming back to Alabama to “relax and hang out with family and friends,” traveling makes it more difficult to be there for his children.

“It was never an issue coming back and forth but my main goal is to be with my children,” Jones said. “I love my family and friends and still enjoy coming back and seeing everyone and being part of the community.”

Giving back to the community is always in the foreground for Jones, however he is still working on new chapters of his life. In one case, Jones’s Jeff Road estate is currently on the market.

“The reason my house is for sale is the fact that I live and reside in Seattle and my children go to high school and my time is to be with my children and work in Seattle,” Jones said. “My hope is someone can love this house as much as I have and can make it their joy.”

Even though he plans to make a less prominent residence in Harvest, Jones is not going anywhere. He says there is “no reason to keep [a] beautiful home not lived in,” but he is not giving up his Alabama roots.

“Of course I will still have ties and my family and friends still live in Alabama and I will be back to visit as I always do,” Jones said.

According to Pope, this friendship is what makes Jones such a beloved member of the community.

“I want the world to know how wonderful he is,” Pope said. “He does not have to come in from Seattle every year; he does it because he cares about our children.”

And Jones can agree: his involvement in the Walter Jones Turkey Bowl for HEALS is not about a legacy or fame. He is more concerned about caring for Madison County children.

“I have learned that you [want to] give a child a better opportunity and to be sure they come to school with clean clothes and a good meal to start the day, every day,” Jones said. “It is about making children’s lives better and making a difference. If everyone could do the same, the world would be so much better.”

Jones says he is deeply appreciative of all who support him and he is looking forward to another exciting year of football.

“Thank you to the Walter Jones committee for putting together such a great tournament every year,” Jones said.

“You do not have to play to donate to the cause. Every dollar counts.”

Infographic by Savannah Bullarrd

HOME ON THE RANGE. Senior Imran Khan leads a cow through the pasture. Khan loves working on his family’s farm. Photo courtesy of Imran Khan

Students discuss life on farm Jonathan Hatchett Copy Editor

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he typical life of a farmhand is rough. Hard work, extensive labor and no play. Feeding, watering — both of which having to be done to plants and animals. Yet it is a different story from the generic for seniors Catie Gwin, Joe Rury and Imran Khan: they simply love it.

“It’s fantastic living on a farm with animals,” Khan said. “My mother usually tends to them [pigeons, sheep, cows, ducks], but when I do, I love seeing all of them just happily eating and enjoying their lives as free birds — some of them literally.”

The various animals found in student’s dwelling have added a light to their lives they each cannot explain. Khan and his family of 10 have a few of the exotic variety.

“I have an emu,” Khan said. “It’s basically like a large chicken, feed-wise. Besides that I also have three peacocks — two the normal blue and green and one white.”

Rury and his family are currently building a farm, but have kept only chickens, the apparent equal to Khan’s emu, for the last nine years. He wrapped up his whole take on them in the four following words: “They are ridiculously stupid,” Rury said.

Gwin had more to say on the matter since she owns more “intelligent” animals: 15 goats and two cows. Gwin and her sister tend to their 40-acre farm at times when their elders need help the most. Their grandfather bought the farm back in 1967 and it has been in commission ever since. The old homestead will be passed down through the continuation of the Gwin family name. The Gwin’s are the only ones mentioned who actually have a barn — a staple symbol in the farm world — but a farm technically just needs to have animals on it as perfectly displayed by the nursery rhyme “Old MacDonald.”

“We have fainting goats,” Gwin said. “We had this really bad goat and my dad used to, if she didn’t come to him, get a blanket or a flashlight and just scare her and she would just fall over and then he’d come to her. It doesn’t hurt them; it’s just really funny to watch them lock up and fall over.”

These students do not mind the hard labor because of their companions in the fields. After a hard day working on the property, their days are brightened by the antics of the animals they own. The work literally becomes an illusion in the presence of their four-legged friends.

“They are just fun to be around, honestly,” Gwin said.

“They are happy animals and you love to be around them.”

Teacher named Toyota Teacher of the Year Camille Herren Business Editor

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hock and happiness flooded robotics teacher Rachael Simons mind when it was announced that she won the Toyota Teacher of the Year award.

Simons’ background is in mathematics and computer science. While she was a math teacher she decided to move on to a lego robotics class because it suited her interests better.

“I like to build and my students and husband also like a hands-on approach and manufacturing, so I decided, in order to appeal to my children, I wanted to be more knowledgeable in the field of actual manufacturing too. I decided to offer that I would take over the robotics class,” Simons said. “After the first couple of years, I realized that you’re not going to get competitive students in Lego robotics but in other robotics like pure manufacturing, you would have the more elite students who are there to actually go into engineering and design so that’s why we stopped doing Lego robotics and migrated into the manufacturing part,” Simons said.

Robotics is combination of manufacturing, design, engineering and math. Simons says it almost like a STEM program.

“Before starting the program, I just wanted students to have an understanding of what design and programming was.

Now it’s more of a collaboration of soft skills, manufacturing, design and implementation. We want students who are ready to go out into the workforce,” Simons said.

This year, the robotics class participated in a competition called Best Robotics at University of Alabama in Huntsville.

This year’s competition was called Pay Dirt and they had to mine certain materials like coal, magnetite (an iron ore), boxite (aluminum ore) and more.

“We were able to score points based on point values set

by the competition for the different commodities. However, throughout the competition, there was a market shift, which means if you over mine something, the cost of that commodity decreases and if there’s something that’s not being mined as much then the price value of it increases.

You had to be aware of what the market shift was for the different commodities as you were competing and not go for the things so low so you can get higher point values,” Simons said.

There are different components to Pay Dirt and each competitor had a marketing team and an engineering team.

Simons’ marketing team had to do a presentation to a panel of 10 judges and outreach to the community and industry.

“They had to make a marketing exhibit, a project engineering notebook, design a T-shirt and we were supposed to do a webpage but we didn’t get that far this year. It’s so overwhelming because there’s so many different things that you have to do. It’s hard for one person to do. In the past three years, I did it all by myself. This year, I recruited Mrs. Quaife who is a creative writing and English teacher. Some of her students took on the role of the marketing side and let me focus on the engineering side, however, I still had to train and prep them,” Simons said.

The robotics class worked six weeks on their Pay Dirt project. Simons and her students stayed after school to work on their project.

“We have stayed here until 9:45, 8:30, 6:20, 7:30 all at night. The day before the competition we stayed all night and I only got 20 minutes of sleep that night,” Simons said.

Simons was given the Toyota Teacher of the Year award after the competition. Her students were excited.

“All of the students there were extremely happy because she definitely deserved it. She does so much for us and we never get the opportunity to thank her enough,” senior Patrick Dailey said. “She is willing to put in as much effort as the students do. She doesn’t sit back and watch, she

ROBOCOP. The robotics team poses for a photo to show off their third place plaques. The team spent six weeks preparing for the Best Robotics competition. Photo courtesy of Renee Quiafe

encourages and challenges us to further improve and get better.”

Simons felt that the award, an acrylic piece, looked like something to be proud of. She says she was surprised and overjoyed.

“I was in shock when I first went to get it and when I was around the parents and kids I just started crying. I had makeup all over my face. The first thing I did after I cleaned myself up was I took a picture of it and sent it to my mom, my dad, my sister, my brother and my husband,” Simons said.

Simons wants to inspire her students She wants them to go to success and give them an understanding of robotics and engineering and give them a chance to use these skills.

“Engineering and teaching is in my blood. I like being able to have the freedom to do things outside the box,” Simons said.

{lifestyles}

The Crimson Crier Nov. 19, 2015

Student battles cancer, prepares to graduate Hayleigh Pitts Reporter

SCIENCE FICTION DOUBLE FEATURE. Junior Jacob Daugherty sings ‘Sweet Transvestite’ during a performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show presented by The Princess Theatre. Photo courtesy of The Decatur Daily

Senators take the stage under direction of former teacher Erin Stender Editor-in-Chief

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haking, steps away from being on stage. Light hits your face. This is the moment. This is acting.

Recently, students felt these same emotions as actors in the the cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” For Halloween weekend, the rock-musical was featured at the local Princess Theatre in downtown Decatur.

“My friend and I auditioned together. We did a duet from Cinderella, where it was Cinderella and the Prince.

We made it funny,” Daugherty said. “Sherri called me up and was like ‘Hey, we’re going to do Rocky Horror’ so I auditioned and I got a call back. I was excited, but I didn’t know quite what I was getting into.”

Artistic director Sherri Ryan, the former drama teacher, also cast former student Mikayla Holliday in the show.

“I auditioned for Sherri and she liked me. I didn’t get a call back or anything, from my audition she decided I was going to be Janet. I’m very thankful for that,” Holliday said.

While Ryan’s mind was made up, she chose not to contact Holliday directly, instead surprising the young actor.

“Sherri didn’t actually call me, she called my best friend Travis who played Rocky at the time and she was like ‘Just tell Mikayla’. He was like ‘Mikayla, you got Janet!’ and I was like ‘If you’re kidding me right now, this is the worst joke ever!’” Holliday said. “I was crying. He was like no, it’s not a joke, it’s serious. I hugged the phone and screamed for five minutes.”

After securing their roles, the actors began to learn about their characters and the performance they were to give.

Daugherty was cast as the lead, Dr. Frank N. Furter.

“He’s a very special man. He’s a doctor who tries to find himself through a series of events. He builds a man and meets these two new people who come throughout the show. Throughout the show, he finds himself,” Daugherty

said.

The role of Janet -- a girl Holliday sees as a very innocent, doe eyed girl who discovers her confidence — exposes herself to things she has never thought of before.

“I feel in a sense, I have a connection to her. It’s interesting that my connection to theatre is almost like her journey because it’s about her finding her confidence through making herself uncomfortable and I used to battle a lot with stage fright but kept doing shows. It’s just really opened me up,” Holliday said.

For Holliday, Sherri Ryan is both a mentor and an inspiration. While lessons learned about music and acting were invaluable, Holliday found that being outside, and doing community theatre rather than something at school exposed her to new people and a life-changing experience.

“It was just fun to make new connections and I learned how to work with older people. Everyone was so gracious and nice to me. I’ll take forward confidence. I’ve experienced something new and I’m very grateful to have been able to do this show,” Holliday said.

The show not only instilled confidence in Holliday, but left Daughtery with the experience of a lifetime.

“I didn’t know exactly what I was getting myself into until about two weeks beforehand and I couldn’t back out then, so I just did it. I will never do it again, even though it was a very good experience,” Daugherty said.

Despite this, Daugherty feels that while experience was leading him out of his comfort zone, it was also leading him towards a new appreciation of the musical world. “[The role] definitely opened my mind to a different perspective. I’ve never done a musical like that before,” Daugherty said. “It just help me branch out to different types of musicals.It gave me a differnet expereicence that I’d never had before and it has broadened my expansion of the musical world.”

Student remembers mother Aiesha Desarme News Editor

T

he road traveled towards the American Dream has been a path taken by millions. It’s profile is draped with wary footprints and perfumed with the efforts of those who have chased and achieved their ambitions. For junior Arian Jahandarfard, the journey towards this dream has been an everyday reality for him and his family.

Jahandarfard and his mother, Akram Mokhtari (Translates to Amy), along with his three brothers left their homeland, Iran, to come to the States to live with family, after experiencing hardships in Iran.

“My mother divorced, my father when we were in Iran.

In addition to that things were really rough over there,” Jahandarfard said. “ My mother mainly came over here to get a better life.”

After moving to the States, Jahandarfard and his family moved to Hazel Green where they stayed, till Mokhtari married Jahandarfard’s step-dad, Saeed Adibi, and then moved to the Harvest area. Though not bonded by blood , Jahandarfard still believes he is just as much his dad.

“I see him as a regular dad. There’s always that tiny truth ‘Oh, he’s not your dad”, but at the same time,he’s always been there for me; raised me since I was a kid,” Jahandarfard said.

From that time the family has greatly prospered. One of the family’s greatest achievements is their traditional Mediterranean and Middle Eastern family owned restaurant, 5A’s, that took a production time of about two years..

“My step-dad originally owned the property the restaurant is on. One day he decided he wanted to do more with it. Originally is was a gas station, and then he turned it into a restaurant,” Jahandarfard said.“He didn’t hire anyone to build it, because it was something he wanted to do by himself; he built it from the ground up.”

Jahandarfard saw his step-dad’s deep passion for cooking and puts his time in preserving it, by working and assisting

7

cancer.” “ You have Nobody believes

it could become a reality, but for senior Brittany Eakin, it has become a surreal truth.

Early this year, Eakin began having stomach problems accompanied by headaches. A few weeks later, she found out the true cause of her pain and discomfort - a tumor.

“Around February I started throwing up maybe once a week, then it got worse to once a day. It kept getting worse to at least three times a day. We went to the hospital on March 16 and they did a CT scan and found the tumor was [about baseball size],” Brittany said.

Brittany has had family members who have had cancer before but she does not consider it a history.

Her family suspected nothing more than stomach complications. They were appalled to learn the real diagnosis was brain cancer.

“I was just in utter shock. When we went to the hospital that night, we were thinking maybe a bad stomach problem was our worst case scenario. We were definitely not expecting a brain tumor to show up on her scan,” Brittany’s sister, Chelsea Eakin, said.

After learning of her cancer, Brittany’s road to recovery began. Surgeons removed all of the tumor.

Once the doctors cleared it, Brittany began her six weeks of radiation Monday through Friday. After that came the chemotherapy.

“We got home and I was throwing up. My head was hurting more than you can think of so an ambulance came and I [went] back to Memphis. I ended up having meningitis,” Brittany said.

Brittany has plans to become an oncology nurse after high school. However she is not quite sure what school she would like to attend.

“I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. But, after everything, I think I want to be a nurse in oncology and work with cancer patients,” Brittany said.

Her senior year started off at St. Jude. She missed events such as pep rallies and football games. However, she plans to come home for good in November and plans to return to Sparkman in January. Life before cancer was that of a normal teenager — Brittany spent most of her time either working at Subway or hanging out with her friends whom she has missed.

“I think the fact that I still have the chance to graduate with my class and walk across the stage has helped me because when we first found out I had the tumor I just cried. The first thing that popped into my head was ‘I’m going to fail or not graduate on time,’” Brittany said.

Even though she has a reason to be down, Brittany chooses to remain positive throughout her troubling times. Her positivity stems partly from seeing how much worse it could be if she were as young as some of the other patients at St. Jude.

“I realized how good I have it compared to most kids. Also, the doctors and nurses are just so nice to everyone. It’s what made me want [to become an oncology nurse],” Brittany said.

Through her trials and tribulations, she learned not to take life for granted.

Brittany’s positivity has brought a new kind of mindset to not only her, but her family as well.

“If she can fight brain cancer smiling and laughing, what do I have to complain about? It has really put everything into perspective for me. I appreciate the little things more and try to stay positive when bad things happen. It could always be worse,” Chelsea said.

WE ARE FAMILY. Junior Arian Jahandafard smiles with his family during the hard times of his mother being ill. Photo courtesy of Arman Jahandarfard

as much as he can.

“I work mainly on Sundays and Saturdays, I also try fill in when another employee is out. The restaurant is a part of my family that we are very proud of,” Jahandarfard said.

Unfortunately, for Jahandarfard and his family things took a turn for the worst. In the summer of 2014 the family lost, Mokhtari, to a long battle with breast cancer. For Jahandarfard’s brother, Arman that absence leaves a hole in his heart. The impression that his mother left on his heart and his life still resonates with him.

“She was the hardest worker I have ever met, after she would go through her treatments she would still want to work for hours,” Jahandarfard said. “When you have chemo and radiation your whole body is torn down and you have trouble even standing sometimes. Through all that she never lost her sense of humor.”

The journey for Jahandarfard has not easy despite his trials Jahandarfard has had one lesson that speaks to him greatly about taking for granted the things we hold close in life.

“You have to be happy with what you have. A lot of people can’t live comfortably, have food every day on their table and have a family,” Jahandarfard said.

FINISHING THE FIGHT. Senior Brittany Eakin smiles with a homemade poster while she prepares to go through her last round of chemotherapy.

Eakin beat cancer on Nov. 6 and has returned home. Photo courtesy of Brittany Eakin

The Crimson Crier

8 Nov. 19, 2015

{lifestyles}

Remembering Malcolm:

Student attends World War II institute, connects to silent hero FREE BIRD. Senior Erin Stender holds up a picture of Capt. Malcolm A. Smith in front of his tombstone that lies in the American cemetery in Normandy, France. Photo courtesy of Erin Stender

Victoria Lewis Lifestyles Editor

T

he stress of finals and the excitement for Christmas break filled the school. Senior, Erin Stender, was called into journalism teacher Erin Coggins’, room on the last day of the fall semester 2014.

She was not prepared to receive any kind of gift, but she especially did not expect this particular gift: a little red beret.

“I was surprised because I hadn’t gotten her anything, but I opened the present and inside was a little red beret and she said ‘we’re going to France!’” Stender said. “I was in complete shock.”

Stender and Coggins are the first Alabamians to be accepted into the National History Day Normandy Scholars program. They applied for the program in Oct. of 2014 and were accepted that December. For the application Stender wrote an essay about how impactful history is and how important storytelling is and Coggins wrote a recommendation attesting to Stender’s character.

“Mrs. Coggins came to me and told me about the National History Day program and about the Normandy Institute branch where they send students to Normandy, France to follow in the footsteps of the soldiers in World War II. I have always loved history, so when she brought that opportunity to me, I was pretty excited about it,” Stender said.

Coggins found out about the program after befriending Lynne O’Hara a few years ago while attending a workshop at Stanford University. O’Hara was active in National History Day and was eventually appointed to be the coordinator of programs, and encouraged Coggins to apply. Coggins adds that Stender was an obvious pick.

“Erin had been in my Great Wars class and I knew I was going to have her as an editor, so I knew she had good writing skills and I knew she respected the military.

I contacted her mother, and I asked Erin and she agreed.

I thought her writing skills and her love for history were a good match,” Coggins said.

They flew to Washington D.C. on June 30 to begin the research process and meet the other 15 student-teacher teams from across the nation. The participants went to lectures given by professors and historians, where they were able to talk to veterans and people who have experienced Normandy.

“It was a great experience to be able to ask questions freely, be able to talk to so many people and learn in that kind of environment. We got to go to the memorial in D.C. and do a presentation there where we presented a wreath to

honor their memory,” Stender said.

The groups listened to speakers discuss D-day and Operation Overlord. A lot of what the program revolves around is the D-day invasion and the men who died on those beaches, many of whom are buried in the American cemetery in Normandy (A requirement for the hero they picked was that they had to be buried in the American cemetery in Normandy). They visited The National Archives and explored archived documents that had anything to involve their soldier, unit or branch of military.

“I randomly picked his name off of a list. We found a decent amount on my silent hero, Malcolm A. Smith, because he was a captain, so he was mentioned a lot in field reports and notes. He was in the Army Air Corps,” Stender said.

When they first started researching their silent hero, they googled him and an article from The University of Alabama in Birmingham came up. They found that his niece is a communications professor at UAB and she did a documentary on her mother (Malcolm’s sister) retracing his footsteps in France. The two got in contact with his sister.

“We met with his niece, June, who had boxes that her mother had kept. They were labeled ‘Mac’. Everything was so organized, everything from boyhood to after his death.

This is when we got to read his boyhood journals and really get to know him. It was a special experience because this was the first time June saw the documents in the boxes as well,” Stender said.

Smith was a bomber escort in the Army Air Corps. in 1944. He was caught in a dogfight with a German plane and was shot down. Eye witness accounts state that Smith was going to land on the village, but the plane suddenly turned and landed in the woods.

“What the common belief in the village is, and what I believe is that, in that split second between life and death, he was conscious enough to realize that the village below had people in it,” Stender said. “The people in the village found him and didn’t know who he was, but they buried him and played the Canadian, American and Britain national anthems because they didn’t know what nationality he was.”

Stender shared that his story has been passed down for generations in the village and once they figured out Smith’s identity, he was reburied in the American cemetery in Normandy. Stender tries to spread Mac’s story as much as she can. She believes that every single man who ran up on the beach,fought in a plane, or sank in a ship is a hero and deserves recognition.

“We were following our soldier’s footsteps. So we were doing everything we could to try to understand what their

sacrifice meant and what it meant to be a soldier in the U.S. military in World War II,” Stender said.

Coggins shares that her favorite part of the experience was walking down the Normandy beaches where the D-Day invasion took place. She shares that she has done a lot of research on D-Day, but this program allowed her and Stender to see every aspect about it, including all of the planning, secrets and spying, but more importantly, the stories of many men who fought and died.

“I learned that every soldier and every pilot who fought in World War II has a story, and it’s a unique story that deserves to be told. And Capt. Smith’s story, to me, was unbelievable. I learned to slow down and really research the people as well as the everyday war stuff,” Coggins said.

Each member in the program was given the project to make a website about their silent hero. Stender strived to create her website to how Smith would want it and how he would want to be remembered. Stender shares that it was enjoyable to get to meet a group of teenagers who all come from different states and we were able to share their love of history and their findings in the program.

“Throughout the whole trip, I think we, the students, all got along really well because we had the common ground of this soldier who we referred to as ‘our soldiers’ and they were brought up in conversations casually like they were our brothers or cousins,” Stender said.

Coggins believes that often times history as a subject is overlooked. History is not included in standardized testing and the effects are hurting the classroom. She adds that unique approaches to history are necessary in order to get students excited to learn.

“I am beginning to see as I teach longer and longer how kids don’t know their history and they don’t care to know their history. I think that this program approaches history in such a unique way that once you hook kids onto research; it makes it easier to teach,” Coggins said.

The goal of the NHD program is to convey to students that history is alive and that history does have a purpose.

The program allowed Stender to get on a personal level on the war. She shares that it was a turning point for her to understand that they did not just die, but that they laid their lives down.

“It’s not just old, dead men in text books; it’s something that can happen to you or me. It makes you more knowledgeable about what’s going on in the world today.

History is happening every minute. History is a story.

Programs like this emphasize that,” Stender said.

Student creates homemade jewerly, business Camille Herren Business Editor

W

hat starts as a passion can develop into a career.

Senior Brittany Rowe proves this as her success grows and her creativity pays off. Instead of a paintbrush, she utilizes beads to express her imagination.

Rowe started off making jewelry for herself but recently over the summer she began selling it. She puts her beads and other materials together until she finds a design that she likes. Her business, Dawn Designers has become successful and popular.

“It’s all handmade and as long as I’m making money and I like doing it, I’ll continue to sell,” Rowe said. “Before I started my business, I saw girls from school with a similar style of jewelry but I knew I wanted to create things like it at a reasonable price.”

A visit to a boutique called J Whitener lead to a partnership. Rowe’s jewelry will soon be sold in J Whitener and it only took looking at a few pictures for the owner to notice her designs.

“I visited J Whitener and noticed they had a lot in the same style but they weren’t as unique as mine. I asked the owner if I could show her photos of my jewelry and she said yes. She asked for samples and placed the order. I took them up to the boutique and was immediately paid,” Rowe said.

Rowe collaborated with senior Eden Fletcher, a photography connoisseur to develop photos for advertising purposes.

“I offered her free photos that she could use for advertising her products in exchange for having jewelry made especially for my shoots. I gave all the jewelry back to her afterwards,” Fletcher said. “She then had a contest and I asked if she’d want to collaborate on that as well. The winner, Sara Stricklin, received a ton of free jewelry from Brittany and a free photo session from me.”

Rowe’s jewelry can be found on Instagram, Facebook and Etsy. There are a variety of choices like necklaces, bracelets and rings priced at a $5 to $20 price range.

“What she makes is in really high demand right now.

What sets her apart from the rest is that she is selling her items for way cheaper, and there’s something about knowing that all of her items are a little different from each other,” Fletcher said.

Rowe started making and selling jewelry on her own. As her business grew however, she started selling it on Etsy to make things easier. All of it is listed at www.etsy.com/shop/ GLAMMED UP. Senior Brittany Rowe creates custom, original jewelry dawndesigners. that is put on display and is sold at J. Whitener Boutique in Madison.

“I started out making jewelry for myself. Others saw Photo courtesy of Brittany Rowe it and I started taking orders. I had so many orders and I couldn’t keep up with it,” Rowe said.

“It’s much better to have a small job doing something Rowe’s booming business is based off passion and you love than to have a big one and hate it. Find something creativity. She does what she loves, all while making money you love doing and figure out how to make money doing it,” for it. In fact, Rowe has made $1,000 so far from her jewelry. Rowe said.

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arts & entertainment

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The Crimson Crier Nov. 19, 2015

9

Behind the scenes Choir strives for success Emily Baucum

Social Media Editor

Crimson Crier: Could you tell me about the Christmas Choir Concert?

Choir Teacher David Giambrone: We will have a Christmas concert Tuesday, Dec 1. It is going to be at 6:30 p.m. at Asbury United Methodist Church. It will be a combination of our three choirs which are: Concert Choir, Women’s Choir and Choir 1. We will accompany our ninth grade choir across the street at Sparkman 9.

We will sing some holiday music and some music that we worked on during first semester. It will probably be about an hour and a half worth of music.

CC: How will you prepare for the concert?

Photo illustration by Jaida Johnson

Junior Caitie Traynom: We are practicing everyday in class going over our songs and also letting the ninth grade choir come over and practice songs together.

D.G.: Primarily we will start working full time on Christmas music at the end of October. But really that is what we do before now and Christmas time, or the end of the semester. We work on holiday music and trying to get that concert as good as we can.

CC: What will you be performing?

D.G.: We will be performing some songs that are traditional like “Carol of the Bells”, some that are newer like “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and some that are tradition [as far as us inviting a few alumni to come back from the audience to sing with us]. We sing a lot of things that will be appealing to different groups of people. Some people will like the more traditional songs, some people will like the more modern songs, some people will like everything and some people will just smile because it is their children who are singing.

CC: What would you tell the student body about why they should attend?

D.G.: The concert is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and really, once Thanksgiving hits, it’s a roll downhill to exams and then to Christmas break, [and] the nice thing about it is that it is so stressful with testing and getting ready for semester exams that going to the choir concert, the band concert or really anything that’s Christmas themed, is just a nice way to kind of take yourself out of your everyday life and participate in something that makes you remember that it is okay to enjoy the holiday time and just relax and be apart of something beautiful for a moment.

CC: How has choir affected you?

C.T.: Emotionally, physically and mentally. Choir speaks to me. It isn’t just singing a few songs and getting it over with, it is being connected with something that you can relate to. That is what makes a good sound.

CC: What do you think music does to the soul?

D.G.: I can’t really speak for the soul because everybody’s experience with music is different, but what I can say is that choral music is one of the very few art forms that engages both sides of our brains. In addition to the aesthetic “this pleases me” and “this doesnt” feeling you’re also listening to a text.You’re really analyzing with both sides of your brain. What music does for the soul is it just reminds you that you learn so much about rules and regulations that if we don’t feed your soul and give it something beautiful to have as remembrance when we’re low then we really don’t have any reason to be here.

Music expresses sometimes what words can’t express.

With choral music we have words, but I still think that sometimes we use music as a way for our soul to let go of some angst and fear and give us that feeling that it is okay and everything is going to be alright.

Thanksgiving prep

How to prepare the perfect gingersnap pie Kaylyn Jones Reporter

TT

hanksgiving is that one time of the year where people stuff their faces without feeling an ounce of guilt while they are eating of course. The guilt just comes back to haunt them later after they are done eating. People sit around a table — a feast before their eyes — giving thanks for what they have only to rush to every store they can think of the very next day, trampling down others for what they think they need.

A traditional Thanksgiving feast usually consists of a large turkey, dressing, rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, brown gravy and of course, the famous pumpkin pie with a tower of whipped cream standing on top of it. What is Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie? Is pumpkin pie more of a staple than turkey? It sounds like a crime, right? What if people went against the plain pumpkin pie and decided to spice it up a little?

Now, for the sake of tradition, we will not change it so dramatically.

Gingersnap pie is a mouthwatering dessert that leaves its consumers craving more. For this recipe, there are three parts: the crust, the pumpkin custard filling and the easy whipped cream.

1.

The Crust

The crust is an easy task to complete. We will need 12 ounces of gingersnap cookies, two tablespoons of light brown sugar, one teaspoon ground ginger, one teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and a half cup of unsalted melted butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Take the gingersnap cookies and crush them until they are a coarse crumb, then add the brown sugar, thoroughly mixing them together. Add the ground ginger and ground cinnamon into the gingersnap mix, then pour the melted butter in and stir.

2.

The Filling

3.

The Whipped Cream

Take the pie pan out of the oven and let it cool for about two to three hours until it is completely set. The pie filling will continue cooking due to residual heat. Garnish the pie with whipped cream and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Pumpkin pie is usually the center of attention during Thanksgiving meals. Everyone saves their forks because they know the best is yet to come so instead of having the same thing over and over, change it up and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Place a nine-inch ungreased pie pan on the counter and spoon the mixture in, gently dividing the mix into an even

Best of the best: Thanksgiving dishes

11.5% Stuffing 15.4% Ham

Show time. Posing for the camera, choir teacher David Giambrone stands with his students before they perform. The choir performed on ___ . Photo

by Madison Harding.

layer on the sides and bottom of the pan. To pact the crust, take the flat of a measuring cup following over the layer.

Bake the crust for eight minutes, then cool for 10 minutes.

As the crust is baking, begin making the pumpkin custard filling. This is the complicated part of the recipe. One 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree, two-thirds of granulated sugar, two tablespoons of fresh-crushed ginger, one teaspoon of ground cinnamon, one fourth of a teaspoon of ground cloves, half a teaspoon of fine sea salt, one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk, two large eggs, one egg yolk and half a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract will be needed for this part. Pour the pumpkin puree, crushed ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and spices into a pot and heat until it begins to sputter. Cook for five minutes while stirring regularly until it is smooth and glossy.

Remove the pot from the heat and slowly stir in the sweetened condensed milk, making sure it is completely combined. The eggs and egg yolk will be whisked in one at a time, then stir in the pure vanilla extract. After everything is mixed completely, pour the custard filling into the pie shell.

Bake for 30 minutes until the edges of the filling are almost set. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees fahrenheit and bake for 25 to 35 more minutes until the filling is mostly set. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover only the crust with aluminum foil.

17.3% Turkey

15.4%

Mashed potatoes

19.2% Pumpkin pie 3.9% Green beans

17.3% Other

{arts & entertainment }

The Crimson Crier

10 Nov. 19, 2015

Weekend road trip Day trip forges new friendships Libby Reid A&E Editor

Left: Photo by Austin Simpson Above: Juniors Austin Simpson, Randi Swanson, Libby Reid, Alysiah Price and Cameron Harbin pose in front of the Jiffy Burger restaurant sign. Photo by Jerry Reid Below: Photo by Austin Simpson

Visit new places. Talk to new faces. I was extremely indecisive on deciding where to go for this month’s road trip. I talked about various places such as Nashville and Birmingham, but finally decided that I wanted to end up in Manchester, Tennessee.

Manchester was picked for a few different reasons. For starters, my grandparents live there, so it is definitely a place that feels like home. It also happens to be the home of Bonnaroo—the happiest place on Earth.

When the morning came, we could not just get up and go. Before we could leave, a few of us had to take our ACTs. After four grueling hours of hunching over the dreaded test, we were out. Within the next hour, Austin Simpson, Alysiah Price, Randi Swanson, Cameron Harbin and I were off.

I thought I knew the way since I had been over the same roads time and time again, yet we got lost. I guess the same can be said about life in some instances.

Either way, we relied on a confusing GPS and old road signs to get us going back on our way.

Around 3:30 p.m. we made our way into Lynchburg, Tennessee. Lynchburg is a very small town located somewhat in between Lincoln County and Coffee County.

I started going to Lynchburg before I could talk, but this was the most memorable visit I have had.

More people occupied the town than normal because of its annual BBQ-Eating festival.

We started off in the small ice cream shop in the middle of the square.

The atmosphere makes you feel as if you just walked into a 50’s diner. Small tables and checkered floors really helped to create the scene.

On the wall, there were t w o giant maps.

One was a map of the U.S. while the other was a world map. The two maps were completely covered in pins from where all the customers have come from.

Austin reached up for a loose pin and put it right on Huntsville. Alysiah grabbed one as well, but put it on Seychelles—a small island near Madagascar where her family is from.

Austin walked out of the shop to go take photos while the rest of us finished our ice cream.

By the time we were done, Austin was nowhere to be found. I was not too worried though—he is a wanderer—I knew he would show back up. With that in mind, Cameron, Randi, Alysiah and I made our way to the small antique

store on the other side of the square.

For every visit I have ever made to Lynchburg, the same old man has always been the one to greet me at the door.

He gives a simple and genuine welcome just like everyone else in the town.

Cameron and Alysiah seemed to be most amused by the collection of old glass Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Sun Drop and Mountain Dew bottles. The store was filled with all types of vintage furniture as well. As we made our way out, Randi and I spotted the Moon Pie general store.

We walked straight to it without hesitation. If you have never experienced the taste a moon pie, then have you really lived at all? The answer, in case you are wondering, is no. The shelves were lined with shirts, mugs, magnets, key chains and, of course, Moon Pies and RC Colas. Only after looking over everything the store had to offer did we leave. I suggested going to the barrel store, so we started walking over.

As we headed over, Cameron got a call from Austin. He was back by the ice cream shop so we headed back that direction.

When we got over to the shop, the first thing Austin did was show us a bracelet he had bought from one of the vendors.

H e

took us over to the women he had purchased it from and we started looking around. Within a minute, I had myself a bracelet and a necklace. There is nothing quite like one of a kind pieces of jewelry.

With the full crew intact, we entered the barrel store which was full of Jack Daniels merchandise. One of the coolest items had to have been a motorcycle we found upstairs. I messed around trying on different cowboy hats while Cameron put on a black leather vest. We sported them quite well.

As we kept looking around the store, I sat down at a table with a checkers set on it. Randi joined me and we began the most intense game of checkers I have ever been a part of. Sad to say, after 15 minutes, I was cornered on the table and had to surrender for the sake of the road trip.

We walked towards the visitor center reflecting on what all we had done so far. We got back to my car and headed to our next location—Manchester.

We spent a little less than an hour on the road. When we hit McMinnville Highway, I started telling them little facts I knew about the town whenever I saw something that

sparked my memory. We originally had plans to visit the Bonnaroo campgrounds, but as it got darker, we realized we would not have enough time.

Before I left my house, I asked my mom not to tell my grandparents I would be coming. I wanted to surprise them, and that is exactly what we did.

We pulled into their driveway and walked up to the door. As my granddad, Ba, opened the door, I saw a giant and somewhat confused smile cross his face. I told him about my weekend road trip story and he was happy I had decided to make the trip up to visit them. From the living room, I could hear my nana say “Elizabeth, is that you?”

I walked in, gave her a giant hug (which is not hard to do considering she is so small) and introduced her to everyone.

We made it just in time to watch the fourth quarter of the Alabama vs. Tennessee game.

As Alysiah and I cheered for Bama, my grandparents and Cameron rooted hard for Tennessee. Within the next 15 minutes though, Alysiah and I had earned our team’s bragging rights.

We were all feeling a little hungry, so we headed to a small burger joint in town called Jiffy Burger. My grandparents went on to tell us that it had been there for the past 50 years and it definitely looked like it. The walls were completely covered in various vintage signs and hundreds of pictures of different sports teams from Coffee County that Jiffy Burger had sponsored over the years.

We started talking about how crazy it was that some of the kids in those pictures had kids of their own now. It hit me as very bittersweet.

We all ordered our meals and although we did not make it to the Bonnaroo campgrounds, Cameron and Austin still got a taste of it—literally. They both decided to try the Bonnaroo Burger which consists of a

fried egg, an onion ring and bacon. It was a masterpiece of food.

We each said our goodbyes to my grandparents before we headed back to the ‘ville. On the ride home, we went around in rotation each playing songs: not our favorite songs, but rather ones we knew we could never skip over. It was in that moment that I realized what my lesson for this road trip had to be.

Road trips bring people together in ways that would not otherwise be possible. Letting kids go on small day-trips together teaches them a lot about themselves, but even more about the people they are with. There is no friend like a road trip friend. You just cannot break that bond.

Movie Reboot: Movie remakes do not always prove to be better than original Tessa Jackson Reporter

T

he art of remaking movies and television shows has been around for years, however, it can be extremely difficult to do it successfully. In this process, Hollywood must create an aura of a film

without just redoing the movie entirely. At the same time, directors do not want it to appear that they are “mocking” or taking away from the original version.

Some of film’s most popular classics are being rebooted with a modern twist. From princesses all the way to the horror genre, the world of film takes risks and tackles the challenge

of remaking America’s “beloved” movies.

Releasing in 2017, the classic “The Beauty and the Beast” will return to the big screen but this time with live actors. Emma Watson will star as Belle in this magical story of defining true love inside outer beauty. The film will be directed by Bill Condon who has a history of creating successful movies.

Like the original, this version will also contain musical scenes.

Director Dierderick Van Rooijen, who is known for remakes, will redo the raw thriller “The Birds.” This movie was first released in 1963 and written and directed by the infamous Alfred Hitchcock. The movie is about a San Francisco socialite who

moves into a small town in California. Upon arrival, they experience an attack of various types of birds.

The release date has yet to be released but filming is currently taking place.

The classic “Ghostbusters” movie will be rebooted in 2016. Not only is this film being modernized, but it is also being feminized.

The original movie included

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mainly male characters as ghost battlers, but the new release will have a feminine twist with comedic actress Melissa McCarthy.

All three of these films are set to off the charts in viewership and are expected to satisfy even the most harsh remake critic.

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sports

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The Crimson Crier Nov. 19, 2015

11

Leave it all on the court

Sophomores work to lead basketball team Jake Wilson Reporter

H

ard work and determination can often outweigh age when it comes to a player’s performance on the court.

The varsity basketball team is moving into more of a transitional season, because a majority of the team’s starters are sophomores and juniors. Despite this their high expectations remain the same.

“I have high expectations for them like I do with the rest of our players; I expect them to bring it to the table everyday in terms of work ethic. I expect them to have a great attitude and I’m looking forward to them making contributions to the team,” coach Jamie Coggins said.

Two sophomores that Coggins will be relying on this season are Kaliq Green and Amarius Beasley. They are aware that they have big shoes to fill when it comes to being on the varsity team as sophomores and have every intention of doing so as the season starts.

“Being on the varsity team as a sophomore makes me feel good about myself as a player. It’s good to practice and learn from the older guys and it gets me prepared for the next couple of years,” Green said.

Although this will be a year of learning for them both, they are expected to pull their weight and contribute to the team’s achievements. In doing so, some of the older

players might learn a thing or two from them. Keeping this in mind, they know preparation will be their means for success.

“I plan to be getting in the gym everyday and every weekend to get stronger, become better and to always do my best,” Beasley said.

Pressure and intimidation would normally be the young players’ biggest burden when stepping foot onto the court as a varsity player. What could be more terrifying than facing a team loaded with seniors? Luckily, these players have better things to worry about than the number on their opponents’ birth certificate.

“I feel no intimidation from any mainly senior teams or any teams,” Green said.

They see opposing seniors as an equivalent, but they see their seniors as leaders and most importantly, as friends. As young players, they have a lot to learn from their fellow seniors and along with knowledge, a lot of great memories to make.

“I try to interact well with everyone on the team, especially the seniors. They’re good teammates and good leaders,” Beasley said.

Besides Coggins’ expectations, players have made their own personal goals for the season. Motivation is a great accomplice to hard work and determination, which is another component to beating an experienced team.

What better way to get motivated than setting goals that one can strive to achieve while simultaneously boosting one’s morale and confidence on the court.

“My goal for this season is to form a role where I can contribute to the team in the game, especially when it’s crunch time and they need me the most,” Beasley said.

Beasley wants his team to be able to trust him to be the “go-to guy” when the game is on the line.

“I’m trying to get better and be there when my team needs me to,” Green said.

Like Beasley, Green seeks the trust of his teammates and wants them to be able to rely on him in crucial times and become a better player because of it.

These players’ journey has only just begun for the varsity team. They will undergo some hard losses and well-earned victories along the way. Their experiences will only make them stronger and wiser athletes.

“In the future I see myself being a team leader, trying to make the team better so we can make it to the championship,” Green said.

Right now they are just sophomores preparing and learning, but in just two years these players could potentially be the team leaders of Sparkman varsity basketball.

What are your goals for this season?

“My team’s goals are to promote team unity, and to create loyalty to the program and coach.

Also, [I want] to improve the intensity and quality of practices to make a mindset that the team is bigger than any one individual. My biggest goal is to get to state as a sophomore.”

-Kaliq Greene

“My goal is to be on top of everything and to be a leader on and off the court. Also, [I want] to play to my fullest capability and to score as much as possible.”

-Kaleb Mack

“My team’s goals for the season are to win at least 20 games. My personal goals are to play my best, and to get the rebounds as the center of the varsity basketball team.”

-Reed Zitting

“My goals for the season are to help produce scoring and defensive intensity to help us win. Also, [I want] leadership for the team to offer guidance and wisdom.”

-Amarius Beasley

“My goals for the season are to work my hardest and play my best. Also, I want to get a double in a game. I want to excel on the offensive and defensive end.”

-AJ Horton

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Bracing for

{ sports }

Impact Female boxer shares passion, combats gender stereotype Sidney Al-Dijaili Reporter

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or most female athletes, volleyball or softball is the way to go, but for one, boxing is where her heart lies.

Sophomore Jocelyn Jones is much more than the average American teenage girl. While some may be hanging out with friends or shopping at the mall, Jones is pushing herself to the limit to train for her upcoming boxing competitions. Jones first started boxing when she was eight due to issues with controlling her anger.

It is something she has put copious amounts of work into and she takes pleasure in doing it.

“I practice [boxing] four days a week,” Jones said.

Along with her hours of training throughout the week, it is essential for Jones to diet to ensure full physical fitness while she boxes and prepares for competitions.

“I have strict diets,” Jones said. ”I can’t eat candy, soda, chips, peanut butter and jelly.”

Though training and diets are not always fun and games, the competitions Jones has been attending since she was nine years old are the things she loves most about boxing.

“I like the competitions [because it] pumps me up and [makes] me happy,” Jones said.

Competitions are where Jones thrives. She has already

attended 15 competitions this year and has 60 KO’s under her belt. Jones is such a phenomenal boxer that she has earned her Silver Gloves.

To earn such a prestigious award, Jones had to put her skill and training to the test by competing in and winning 15 different matches at state.

After achieving this, Jones traveled to Texas to compete in an international boxing competition. There, her hard work and skill proved her to be superior.

“My proudest achievement was getting my Silver Gloves because that is a step higher to getting me Golden Gloves,” Jones said.

“I feel proud about [boxing] because it is something not everybody does.”

Not only has boxing taught her how to make the perfect uppercut, but through boxing, Jones has learned things that are valuable in life.

“Boxing helps to [teach] me focus and responsibility,” Jones said.

Boxing has also earned her respect from others. In most cases, if a girl decides to endeavor in a predominantly male sport, they are discriminated against.

Despite her degrading situation, she is a boxer respected in the eyes of the boys that fight around her.

“They said I fight just like them and they give me credit for that,” Jones said.

Not only does Jones plan

28% 28% 15% 29% of males said yes

on going professional one day, but she also wants to share her knowledge with other future boxers. “[Being a boxer] makes me want to work harder and to teach kids in the future to fulfill that dream if they want,” Jones said.

of females said yes

of males said no

of females said no

180 students were polled

Thoughts from the mat:

The guys weigh in: what it means to live and breathe all things wrestling Cameron Harbin Reporter

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sk anybody on the wrestling team and they will all agree that wrestling teaches key life lessons. The mat is where you will experience your highest highs and lowest lows. But the most important lesson learned through the ups and downs is staying humble no matter the outcome.

The first lesson is that one must rely upon oneself if they want to be successful. Out on the mat one has no teammates to blame, so one is forced to look their own mistakes in the face and accept them. One has to learn to accept these mistakes so that one can improve upon them.

“When I am on the mat nobody can help me; only I can determine the outcome with my own performance. In a rough match the winner is usually the one that makes the least mistakes,” junior Brandon Coin said.

Wrestling also teaches that you should never take anything for granted because your dream — whether it be becoming a state champion or winning your first match — can be taken from you at any moment. In a wrestling match, wrestlers are faced against a person with the same goals and the wrestler who wants it more and puts in the work every day at practice is the one who emerges victorious. Wrestling teaches you to fight for what you want and to never settle for less than what you truly desire.

“I give every match my all because I know that the only thing standing between me and my dream is the person right in front of me. I always push myself to the limit in practice, so when I step out on the mat, I know that nobody is working

harder than me,” varsity wrestler Chris Leatherman said.

Though wrestling is not a team sport, it builds camaraderie like no other. Grueling practices and long 12 hour tournaments build a special bond between teammates that lasts forever.

“I am thankful for the friends I have made and for every coach who has ever sat in my corner and coached me while I do the sport I love. There is no other sport like it and the person I am today is due to wrestling,” varsity wrestler Josh Little said.

The team will be taking the mat Nov. 24 at Huntsville High to kick off the season. Be sure to come out and show your support.

“I’m ready for this season to start so that I can use the new skills I’ve gained over the summer,” Leatherman said.

Living through “hell week” — a personal account of wrestling camp in Birmingham As the sun rises, the first day of hell week beings, marking the start of the four-week Fargo Camp. This camp consists of three daily practices, six days a week. Week one is known as hell week for the reason that half of the participants quit in this time period, and you accept the fact that you are most likely going to die.

The Sunday before the first day is when Chris Leatherman and I arrived in Birmingham and moved into the house we would call home for the next four weeks. We lived in the

basement of a fellow wrestler from Oak Mountain, Michael John Harris.

About 60 wrestlers showed for the first day of camp, the largest group to ever participate. By the end of the week, that number had been cut down to about 35 people. To begin the 9 a.m. session, we went out to the Spain Park track and ran a 5k to get a base time to measure improvement. After the run we went back indoors to record base numbers for several things like push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups. Finally, the first session came to a close around 11 a.m.

We had a quick break at the Smoothie King and a run home for a quick shower before returning to the 1 p.m. session. I was already miserably sore from the morning run, but the day had just begun and the coaches were not going to let us off easy. We were forced back outside in the 95 degree weather to run some hills. While running this 50-yard tall hill, it became immediately apparent that I was not going to survive this camp. It was the second session of the first day and I was certain I could not walk another step. With an unbelievable amount of willpower, I made it through the second session.

The final session began much like the second with an hour and a half of drills, but the last hour of the day would be the death of me. We went into the gym and ran lung-busting suicides for an entire hour and then we were released to go home for the day at 8 p.m.

As I laid in bed with my body aching, the one thought on my mind was, only 72 sessions to go.

DOWN FOR THE COUNT. After a long brawl, sophomore Ethan Rose pins his opponent. This will be Rose’s second year of wrestling for the Senators. Photo courtesy of Greg Machen

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Football equality brought into question, female players left on the sidelines Erin Stender Editor-in-Chief

“Y

ou throw like a girl.”

It is a derogatory term, but why?

During their middle school years, juniors Sarah and Savannah Bustamante challenged such assumptions as players on Sparkman Middle School’s football team. Despite their achievements, both left the game before high school. The reason? Societal pressure.

“I love sports. I’ve played basketball, softball, volleyball, soccer [and football],” Sarah said. “There was controversy when I was in middle school [and] I decided I didn’t want to deal with that anymore. I still really wanted to play football, but it just wasn’t going to happen.”

After making the team in their seventh grade year, the twins were shocked to find themselves shut out the next fall.

“It made me pretty upset because I really liked it. I liked playing and being a part of the team. It was different [because] we were the only ones that did it ,” Savanah said. “When they told us we weren’t on the team I was like ‘Why not?’ They were like ‘We had too many players’ but they didn’t because we had extra jerseys.”

Sarah also felt the sting of rejection, but quickly found solace where she least expected it. After both players were cut from the team, they were offered positions as managers.

“We were upset, but we ended up being managers for the team [instead], so that we would still be involved,” Savanah said.

The manager positions in their earlier years led them to their current positions as student aides.

“We work alongside the athletic trainers. Working alongside them is helping us see what it would be like to be an athletic trainer,” Sarah said. “I really love being

around sports and since I haven’t been able to play the sports that I really like, it’s cool to be able to help other people play them.”

The Bustamantes were lucky to find their place, but for many girls nationwide, the world of sports — specifically football — is forever off limits. For football coach Chris Cagle, having a female on the team is not unthinkable, just unlikely.

“There really aren’t any rules or laws that say it’s a guys’ sport, it’s just [that] mostly guys play it. There are some schools that have female players,” Cagle said.“It’s not a rule or a law, it’s just the way that most people do it.”

While he is open to female players, Cagle has yet to see any interested athletes, let alone females capable of the rigorous training required to compete on a high school level.

“Since I’ve been here, no [girls have tried out].

If someone wants to try out and they meet all [of] the requirements, then [they can be on the team],” Cagle said.

“I know there are some teams who have [girls]. Would that be realistic at Sparkman? I don’t know.”

Though many solutions to such issues have been proposed and Sparkman itself hosts annual powderpuff games, there has yet to be a push for a true solution. “[Society] sees girls as being weaker and more fragile,” Savanah said. “I think that if you want to play, then [coaches] should let you because it’s your choice. Like other sports, they should have a powderpuff type thing — [maybe] a girls’ football team.”

For the Bustamante’s, a year round women’s football team seems to be the simple answer.

“If they aren’t going to have [it] where guys and girls would be on the same team, then there should be opportunities for girls to play those sports on all girls’ teams. That’d be really cool,” Sarah said.

DOWN, SET. Junior Savanah Bustamante works the sidelines during a football game. Savanah and her sister, Sarah, played football during their middle school years.

Photo by Bella Rector

Junior shares love of the hunt, disproves stereotypes is a guys and girls sport,” McFarlen said.

McFarlen knows that most young he barrel of a gun aims at the heart women would never wake up at 2 a.m. to of a deer. It is quiet in the woods. go kill an animal. They do not enjoy the There is nothing but the sound of the thought of sitting in the cold all day with beating heart of the hunter. She lifts her no bathroom and just the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. But when gun and pulls the trigger. It strikes.

Over the past few years, hunting has a deer finally walks out of the brush, it is all grown in popularity with young women. worth it to her.

“I didn’t want to miss it but I didn’t want Statistics say 72 percent more women are now hunting with firearms than just to just wound the deer. It was so relieving five years ago. Junior Courtney McFarlen to see the deer fall,” McFarlen said.

There is no feeling like killing your first began hunting when she was just 4 years deer. From the old. sigh of relief “I really to see it fall, do not think to the nervous about the stomach of stereotype watching it that hunting walk out, is for men it was an because I like indescribable to do my own moment for thing. Girls her. McFarlen can do what uses the meat guys do,” processed McFarlen from the deer said. to help feed It is an her family. assumed fact “I feel that men are that hunting physically is something stronger than everyone can women and do. I know their brains I am doing p r o c e s s Photo by Brandon Daye things differently, but that does not mean something most young women would a thing when it comes to hunting. It is just never imagine doing,”McFarlen said.

McFarlen has only killed one deer so as easy for McFarlen to carry her own gun, climb in her own stand and gut her own far, but her goal for this upcoming season deer. McFarlen uses a Ruger, .44 caliber is at least two. The feeling of killing a deer semi-automatic rifle. She claims that there is almost addictive to her and she plans to is no better feeling than taking a trophy to go every free weekend that she has.

“I love being able to spend time with the processor to show it off.

“I know a handful of girls that go my family and do something [that] I love, hunting, but it is mostly just guys. Hunting even if it is freezing,” McFarlen said.

Charlotte Stanley Reporter

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Charlotte Stanley Reporter

Cheerleaders re-enter spotlight READY, OKAY. The cheer team practices their routine the day before they compete in the regional competition.

The 2015-2016 team plans to take nationals for the second time in a row. Photo by Madison Harding

Jasmine Turner Reporter

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fter winning the national championship title last year, the cheer team begins their journey to nationals again after winning the regional championship for small varsity co-ed.

The top three regional winners in each division secure a national championship bid. The nationals trip, which is in February at Orlando, is just a yearly tradition for the Senator cheerleaders. “[Winning regionals] was such a relief. It was our first competition and we had been struggling with mental toughness,” cheer coach Lisa Aderholt said. “I was very proud of them and also proud to have [regionals] under our belt.”

The journey to being national champions began with the cheer team’s first competition at regionals.

After winning regionals, the cheerleaders begin the next step to victory by preparing for nationals.

“We are approaching this season like we have always done in the past. We are working hard, trying to piece together our routine and getting in shape to do the routine,” Aderholt said.

For nationals, the skills included in their performance are not going to be entirely different from last year because certain aspects have to be included, such as co-ed stunts, jump combination segments and tumbling segments. The cheer team’s regionals performance provides a stepping stone for nationals.

This helps create a challenge for the cheerleaders so that they can build their confidence as a team.

“The skills I expect them to do are similar to last year, but the makeup of the routine and the organization of it is still different,” Aderholt said.

“We are doing a watereddown version of what we hope to [do] come February [at nationals].”

Winning 12 national championships raises the expectations for the cheer team. The cheerleaders strive to do their best and make sure that the pressure of the team’s legacy does not affect their performance.

“There is a lot of stress.

Right now we have to get over our fear of large crowds.

We also have to make sure we hit everything and realize that we are going to make mistakes,” junior Britany Cancel said.

Throughout tough

training and injuries from practice, the team has remained mentally focused on keeping their championship title. Dominating every competition without letting stress get in their way proves that the smallest fears and expectations can be pushed aside with teamwork.

“When we go through competitions, we have to make sure that we have our mind in the game,” Cancel said. “If we don’t have our mind in the game then we are not going to do as well. We have to fight for [everyone], not just ourselves, but the entire team.”

After pushing through the mental roadblocks, the team created a winning performance for regionals.

If nervousness and pressure could not stop the team from winning regionals, nothing can stop them from bringing home, once again, the national championship title.

“When you are a coach, you can only be on the sidelines. Hitting start for the music and screaming out your lungs is all you can do,” Aderholt said. “I feel helpless on the side, but you have no control over anything other than to hope and pray to the good Lord above that they hit the routine.”

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Military kids discuss travels, future soldiers share legacies Aliyah Thompson Sports Editor

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aybe it is in the way they walk. Or in the way that they talk. Or maybe not. It is clear that there is something unique about them, but it is hard to put a finger on exactly what it is. They are military kids.

They may not always love it, but it forms the mold that will shape their character.

Junior Cecil Coffey — whose dad is a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army, Special Forces, Peace Corps and Marines — has lived in four countries on two different continents. Compared to other parents, Coffey’s dad’s expectations are even higher. He also encourages any extracurricular activity that is productive or beneficial.

“Dad’s definitely a lot more strict. He doesn’t say that he wants his kids to go [into] the Army, but you can notice that he definitely wants us to go into the Army,” Coffey said. “He tries not to bring it up a lot, but he does sometimes mention what college I want to go to and he [recommends] West Point because it’s a top military academy.”

Although Coffey’s dad tries not to pressure his kids to join the military, he does push good grades and behavior.

Participation in any physical club or activity is also encouraged. In regards to his future, Coffey plans to follow in his dad’s footsteps and join the military.

“I’m going to do about four years of service,” Coffey said. “I want to go into the Marines and be a combat diver [and] do some scuba diving. [It] sounds fun.”

For the kids of one or more military parent, having to pack up and move frequently is simply a part of the military lifestyle. For most of their lives, they have traveled to places that most kids their age have not.Out of the foreign countries he has lived in, Thailand is where he lived the longest. Aside from moving often, living up to the standards of a military parent can be difficult. For Coffey, being a military kid can have its cons — the frequent moves and strict lifestyle — and pros.

“Because he was in the Army, he was put into a position where he was always lower than someone. So when I’m facing someone older than me, like a teacher or another parent, he usually knows how to react to it [and] what I should say,” Coffey said. “He also knows not to be too much of a suck-up [and] how to show people that he’s actually worth something.”

Senior Kaleena Jacobson, whose parents and stepdad are in the Army, appreciates the benefits of being a military kid, such as her parents’ jobs enabling her to live comfortably.

But with every blessing comes a sacrifice and for Jacobson, it is not an easy one.

“I’ve had two times where both [of] my parents [got] deployed at the same time,” Jacobson said. “So I [had] to go live with other people randomly.”

Unlike Coffey, Jacobson is not interested in joining the military. Instead, she plans to explore the world of makeup as a cosmetologist.

“I don’t like being told what to look like; that’s pretty much the only reason,” Jacobson said. “And I don’t like being yelled at.”

Although military kids may only have parents who were in the military, they are still a part of the pages and chapters of its biography. But for some, the military is a thing that they are born into, but for those with generations of family members in the military, it is entirely

different. The military is a part of their history; it spikes their blood with a passion that radiates through their veins down to the very core of their bones.

Senior Justin Walker’s military history dates as far back as World War I, making him the fourth generation in his family to pursue this career. Walker’s great-grandfather and grandfather were drafted or enlisted to avoid the draft.

Unlike his ancestors, his decision to enter the Army as an infantry officer after participating in ROTC in college, is completely of his own will.

“I love the military.

I’m proud of my family’s military heritage and I’m excited to be a part of it myself,” Walker said.

Walker is fascinated with World War II and admires the cause that the American people fought for. He is sincere about protecting and serving his country, as the men and women who fought for the cause of World War II were.

“We were fighting a truly evil enemy. There was a genuine threat against the free world, [and] that was the best America’s military [has] ever been,” Walker said. “We were fighting the good fight; that was one of the few wars that the American public has been completely behind.”

In senior Austin Hill’s family, the military has been a tight-knit community that has surrounded his ancestors and family members since 1898 in the Spanish-American War. “I thought [my military history] was awesome,” Hill said. “I remember [in] kindergarten it was dress up like what you want to be. I had some old camo and this little helmet, so I went as a soldier to my school.”

Some kids of the military will choose to join the force, while others may not. No matter whether the military connection is fresh or runs deep through the tendrils of their roots, it will forever be an integral part of Coffey, Walker, Jacobson and Hill’s lives.

“The military was really beneficial to my family for both income and providing places to live. What’s great about it [the military] is the community.

There were times when we needed help and our Army community would come rally [together] and help us [set up] fundraisers,” Hill said. “[I’m] proud to say what kind of military history [my] family has had because they served their country.”

e

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in remembrance.

With his grandfather’s United States flag from World War II, senior Justin Walker reminisces about the stories Senior Airman Maynard Walker used to tell him. Justin’s grandfather died on July 10, 2003 at age 74 due to lung cancer. Photo by Madison Harding.

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Out of the 44 U.S. presidents, 30 have served in the military.

In case you didn’t know...

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From military brats to future soldiers: highlighting students who have a passion for military beyond the classroom.

Editorial: women belong in combat, not in the kitchen Griffin Gonterman Reporter

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ctivist Susan B. Anthony eventually had the 19th Amendment of the Constitution named after her. Deborah Sampson fought in the American Revolution while disguised as a man. In the American Civil War, Harriet Tubman became a spy for the Union and helped lead over 700 hundred slaves to freedom. All these women have one thing in common, they challenged discrimination.

Many have said that women do not belong on the front lines. However, there are plenty of women in our country who are qualified to be in the military. American women have been involved in conflicts since the American Revolution, though back then, they were forced to disguise themselves as males to fight. Today, women are still in the minority; about 10 percent of the U.S. forces stationed in the middle east today are women. They are also not allowed to join nine percent of the different military branches, such as the Navy Seals and several other smaller sectors.

There are advantages that can come from females serving in the military, but there are also considerable risks. In the middle east women are treated as second-class citizens and sometimes like dirt, so why should we expect them to treat foreign female prisoner’s of war any better? While being imprisoned, one of the guards or enemy soldiers may sexually assault a female soldier.

Assuming the male soldier is straight, being around nobody but other men can drive a male towards a female and create sexual tensions between the two. If it was consented and the female got pregnant, the male could go to extra measures to protect her, even by acting foolishly and getting killed over the matter. She would also be put on maternity leave and have to be replaced by another soldier.

This problem could also degrade the female’s effectiveness on the battlefield.

Some women want to protect our country on the front lines of war just as much, and sometimes even more, than some men. But as women are fighting for equal rights on the warfront, they are fighting a domestic war inside our borders for equal opportunities, salaries and to be treated justly.

Equal rights for women in the military could bring up something young men have been avoiding since 1940, the draft. Last month, Army Sec. John McHugh discussed the possibility of a female inclusive draft. He then said that if women’s objectives are “true and of pure equality, then you have to look at all the aspects.” This does make sense because, if women want equal rights, a draft that includes both genders is the only way forward. Another strategy the U.S military is implementing, created

by Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Snow, is by raising the amount of female recruiters by one percent until 2018 to hopefully boost the amount of women joining the military force.

He also said that women are 23 percent better at recruiting other women, as opposed to men. If this tactic works out well, we could dispose of the gender gap in the military in the not so distant future.

One day we will truly call them the “brothers and sisters in arms.”

Illustration by Kayla Wagner

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(LEFT) Color guard members get down to the SHS fight song.

(RIGHT) Toilet paper is thrown from one side of the court to the other, launching a class chant war.

(ABOVE) Teachers Erin Coggins, Crys Hodgens and Evan Carter dust off their dance moves as they perform to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

(BELOW) Quarterback Mason Edwards introduces and honors his fellow senior teammates.

(ABOVE) After the band performed the Alma Mater, students rush the court and end the last pep rally in a spirited embrace.

(BELOW) Junior Chelsea Owens and seniors Jordan Caesar and Michaela Dubose-Schmidt lead the band in songs to pump up the crowd.

(ABOVE) The senior crowd goes wild as the Varsity cheerleaders perform their stunts.

Put some

pep in your

step

Photographers Madison Harding and Cassie Chapman captured all the highlights of the last pep rally of the season.

(ABOVE) The Varsity Dance Team performs a contemporary routine that was dedicated to the memory of junior Ariyanna Benjamin.

(RIGHT) Juniors Carly Riley and NAME NAME take a break from playing to watch the pep rally madness.

(RIGHT) No class competition is complete without some motivating music from the competition band.

(LEFT) Senior Mason Foster waits for his cue while senior Paul Buwalda and junior Landon Jones rock out on their tenor drums.

(LEFT) Sophomores Lucas Farmer and Kameron Purington test their mummywrapping skills in a pep rally class competition.

(LEFT) Juniors Ariana Haynes, Dailyn Hereford, Ashlee Walker, Alysiah Price, Stephanie Ngyuen, Sophia Capps, Lindsey Harper, Sydney Sturgeon, Libby Reid and Carly Busby celebrate winning the spirit award, while donning green outfits to remember their classmate, Ariyanna Benjamin.

(RIGHT) The Alma Mater plays out the last pep rally of the year, with the Varsity cheerleaders swaying to the end of the football season.