The Renaissance (Fall 2014)

The Renaissance The student newsmagazine of Dutch Fork High School 1400 Old Tamah Road/ Irmo, SC Volume 23. Issue 1/ Fall 2014

Editor’s letter

Hello!

WOW is about the only word I have for the start of my senior year. How in the world did high school fly by so fast?

I remember sitting in my first journalism class on my first day of freshman year thinking about the endless hours I would spend at Dutch Fork.

Now, sitting in my Journalism IV Honors class writing this letter I realize my time in journalism at Dutch Fork is now coming to an end.

Although this year’s staff has editors for each section, I am the only Editor-inChief. I loved having a CoEditor last year; this year, though, it is all on me to lead the staff as a team and that really is scary. I can no

longer rely on another Editor-in-Chief for help, but I know I can rely on my hardworking staff to help produce an amazing magazine.

As a staff, we pledge to bring Dutch Fork content that is not only newsworthy but also interesting to the student body, teachers and faculty. My hope for The Renaissance this year is that our readership will grow: both in print and online.

Our staffers this year are doing what they love and work diligently to write and design an award-winning publication. I hope we can grab our readers’ attention by providing interesting and newsworthy stories in each issue.

In this issue we profile two students and a teacher and focus on what they did during their summer vacation. (And, no, it wasn’t just lying around on the couch watching “Friends” reruns.)

Take a look at our news section for stories about the Center for Advanced Technical Studies (aka the CATE center) and the new Foxy.

And sports has coverage of football, tennis, and cross country.

We hope you will enjoy this issue; please actually read it! We’ve been working hard to produce it all quarter. I am so proud of my staff and my first solo issue, and I hope you enjoy it, too.

Michaela Baker

Editor-in-Chief

(cover): Defensive end Dominique Scott lines up for the play against the Sumter Gamecocks. Dutch Fork defeated Sumter 59-7 making it the second win aganst them (the first being last year at the state championship game).

The Renaissance Editor-in-Chief: Michaela Baker Section Editors: News Robin Hendricks Opinion Carina Leaman Life Hayley Younginer Sports Josh Imholte Web Eddie Bates Jamie Gilbert-Fitzpatrick Staff: Abby Beauregard Anna Maria Gardiner Raleigh Norris Becca Spilka Rebekah Street Lacee Getter Maddie Mason Jacob Sprankle Adviser: Amy Medlock-Greene Principal: Dr. Gregory Owings The Renaissance is an open forum for student expression at Dutch Fork High School.

The purpose of The Renaissance is to inform the student body about events affecting them, to influence its readers through responsible editorials, to entertain through feature content, to reflect the overall personality of the school and to bring buyer and seller together. These goals will be achieved through fair, accurate and responsible reporting.

Unbylined editorials reflect the views of the majority of The Renaissance staff, but not necessarily the view of the school board, the administratiors, the faculty, the adviser, the entire staff, or student body.

All bylined editorials and cartoons reflect the opinion of the writer or artist. Advertisements do not reflect the opinion of The Renaissance or its adviser.

The Renaissance encourages letters to the editors as they constitute a constructive avenue for opinion. All letters must be signed by the writer to be considered for publication. The staff reserves the right to edit letters for poor taste, libel, grammar and space.

The Renaissance is published four times a year by students in the journalism classes. The online edition, updated regularly, is available at www.foxfusion.org.

Contents

October 31, 2014

News

06

04 Classroom switch-up 06 CATE’s hands-on classes 08 New spaces on campus

Opinion

12 Staff editorial 13 Tech Tip recap 15 iOS8 review

Life

19

17 - 20 Summer experiences 22 The fault in our adaptations 24 ACT and SAT season

Sports

30

26 Cross Country 28 Girls’ tennis 30 Football

news

inBrief

Crowning royalty

Shakespeare on campus

F

riday Nov. 21 marks a day that drama students have been waiting and preparing for since late September. It marks the opening night of the first play of the school year, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This will also be the first play directed by drama teacher Jessica Fichter since she came to the high school in August. The play will run Nov. 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 23 at 2:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

More on the Drama Club sponsored by Fichter on page 25.

Landscape makeover

T

he crowd cheered as the Silver Foxes scored yet another touchdown. At the annual homecoming game, the Foxes dominated the field over Ridgeview with a final score of 41-7. During halftime, the homecoming representatives walked across the field. Matthew Colburn (varsity football’s representative) and Johanna Davis (AFJROTC’s representative) were crowned homecoming king and queen. See the Oct. 17 episode of “The Silver Screen Report” (http:// tinyurl.com/SSR2014-2015) for more about the winners.

Midterm elections

T

R

ecently, the front of the school has been under construction. The trees have been uprooted and the old rope fence is being replaced with a new iron one. The trees have been cut down because they blocked security cameras. This caused a problem because the cameras were not able to see the areas surrounding the trees.

Smaller bushes, shrubs and flowers have replaced the old trees. The decision was ultimately made by principal Greg Owings and the District to improve security and to make the school more aesthetically appealing.

04 | Fall 2014 | NEWS

he 2014 mid term elections will be held Nov. 4. Along with the state-wide races for governor, lieutenant governor, and superintendent of education as well as the national elections for house and senate, local elections will help decide the composition of the District 5 school board.

The election for 4 out of the 7 seats available on the board will determine the fate of more than 16,500 students across the Lexington-Richland area. To learn more about the school board candidates, check out the district’s website at www. lexrich5.org.

Classroom switch-up greets students story by Anna Maria Gardiner, Robin Hendricks and Rebekah Street

S

chool doors open to reveal yet another year where nothing is quite the same.

Previously scattered departments are now closely huddled together in their own little sections of the school to talk and coordinate amongst themselves with more ease.

This convenience is forcing teachers to leave their old beloved rooms and attempt to add personality to the plain white walls of their new rooms down the hall.

“I think that there are advantages and disadvantages to [moving classrooms],” social studies teacher Laurie Humphrey said. “The advantage is that I get to talk to social studies teachers about common issues that we may be having in our classes. The disadvantage is that we can’t have any cross-curricular discussions between classes.”

Along with a student exodus to Spring Hill High School, there was also an exodus of teachers from the building because of moves, retirement or relocation to the new Health Science building.

“Some of the classrooms are currently being used for storage,” clerical assistant Cathy Campbell said, “and some classrooms are occupied part-time since some teachers only teach on Adays or B-days, or only use their classroom whenever necessary due to their job.”

Although the number of teachers let go should have been proportional to the number of students leaving, there are classes filled to the brim with students while other classrooms go unused.

“My history class has way too many people. Every desk is full,” junior Matthew Weeks said. “It’s bad because you have less teacher/student interaction but [it’s good because] you also have more

people to communicate and work with.”

Universities such as Harvard and Yale are especially revered for their small faculty-to-student ratio, which gives way to smaller classes with more communication between the teachers and students.

“I would rather my class be too small than too big because you get to know the people so well and the class is less distracting,” Matthew said.

Along with the trouble of larger classes, students have to deal with the confusion of locating the new classrooms.

Freshmen were not the only ones carrying maps and asking the Teacher Cadets where to find their classrooms this year.

“Teachers expect seniors to know where all of the classes are,” senior Alejandro Samperio said, “but it’s been difficult so far because we are just as confused as everyone else trying to figure out where their teachers have moved.”

While the clustering of department classrooms can be beneficial for teachers, students say they create more of a hassle for students trying to get from one class to another.

“My classes were a lot closer together last year because all of the subjects were mixed up,” sophomore Talor Gamble said. “I pretty much was always on the same floor.

Now it’s scattered everywhere and I’m running all over the place.”

While a new school year starts, teachers and students alike learn to adjust to hallways they had never before ventured.

“I don’t like the way that classrooms are organized now because it gets confusing since I’m used to knowing where everything is,” Alejandro said. “I know I’ll get to used to it, though; it’s just going to take some time.”

Social Studies

Math

English

Computer/Science Labs

Arts/Languages

Science NEWS | Fall 2014 | 05

news Students in the Auto Tech class at the CATE Center work on improving cars. They work on either their own or donated automobiles.

CATE offers hands-on, career-oriented courses

story by Rebekah Street and Jamie Gilbert Fitzpatrick  photos by Maddie Mason and Jamie Gilbert-Fitzpatrick

T

he Center for Advanced Technical Studies opens its doors for its second year of furthering students’ career educations.

Whether it’s Veterinary Science or Aerospace Engineering, Automotive Service or Law Enforcement, The Center has a Career and Technical Education (CATE)program to suit students’ career ambitions.

The programs are unique to District 5, as are the opportunities.

“These are specialized areas,” guidance counselor Laura Dilworth said.“For example, a student that might want to become a chef [can take] culinary arts over there, with the industrial style kitchen and everything like you would see in a restaurant.”

Veterinary Science students have the opportunity to work with various species of animals such as horses, goats and birds.

Automotive Service students work on cars in their classrooms. Every program

06 | Fall 2014 | NEWS

offered at The Center allows students to have practical experience in their selected field.

“I think it’s a really cool program, and gives kids a lot of opportunities,” senior Riley Gillam said. “ A n d with the certifications, you can go out of high school and imm e d i ately go into your f i e l d , which is nifty.”

Besides the hands-on opportunities, The Center also allows students who complete their selected program to receive a certification pertaining to that field of work.

For example, students graduating from the Emergency and Fire Management

program can receive a certification enabling them to leave high school as certified fire fighters.

“The career opportunities that seem to apply to me are in the field of law, and I do believe I am getting a greater chance at reaching a career I want in law enforcement,” senior J a m e s Klinger s a i d .

“The instructors there are tied closely to everything involving law. It’s nice to be in a place that offers so much and also gives just as much.”

Teachers at The Center not only have teaching degrees, but also certification in their fields of study, thus enabling them to teach their students

With the certifications, you can go out of high school and immediately go into your field, which is nifty.

–Riley Gillam

what to expect in that career field.

“Personally I enjoy the teachers and the actual fields of study they come from,” James said. “They are more in tune with the students and people around them.”

The Center currently offers 17 different programs.

“They generally have programs that aren’t at any of the other high schools. They’re unique and they’re technical study courses,” Dilworth said.

“Some of these courses will lead into doing a third year internship type course.”

In addition to the programs offered at The Center, the facilities are another sell.

“The Center is a brand new building,” Dilworth said. “[It’s] a state of the art building.”

For Riley, a student in veterinary science, The Center has solidified her career choice.

“It’s made me feel better about where I want to go and what to be,” Riley said. “And shows me the steps to get there.”

Biomedical Science & Nanotechnology

Veterinary Science & Technology

Culinary Arts

Welding Technology

CATE offers these programs and more, including:

Aerospace Engineering Agriculture & Biosystems Engineering Technology Automotive Service & Maintenance Technology Building Construction Design & Integrated Technology Clean Energy & Engineering Systems Electrical Design & Integrated Systems Emergency & Fire Management Services Law Enforcement Engineering Design & Machine Tool Technology Media Technology & Visual Arts Networking & Cybersecurity Technology Veterinary Science & Technology Visual & Digital Media

Mechatronics Systems Technology

Automotive Service & Maintenance Technology NEWS | Fall 2014 | 07

news

New spaces enhance programs story and photos by Anna Maria Gardiner and Becca Spilka

A

herd of football players treads from the school to the new health science building, and junior Alec Deboer is eager to see the renovations and new sports equipment.

Alec said he was pleasantly surprised when he walked in the building and found a brand new facility with impressive additions.

“I think it is a huge improvement from what we used to have,” Alec said. “Not that what we used to have was bad: there is just a lot more room in the building and it is really convenient having the locker rooms, weight room, and trainer all in the same place.”

The idea of the new health science building originated from previous principal Gregg Morton. From there, trainer Mack Harvey and football coach Tom Knotts used ideas from other schools and colleges to finish off the plans.

After the building was completed, the next challenge was moving the equipment.

“Moving everything to this building was tedious but went very smoothly,” Harvey said.

“Coach [Noah] Dixon had to move the weight room, so he had football players help him

08 | Fall 2014 | NEWS

transfer all of the heavy equipment over. We also had a company move some of the major equipment over the summer.”

Students in the health science classes are also benefiting from the new building.

Student trainers, for example, are now receiving hands-on experience with proper facilities that mirror courses in collegiate and professional athletic programs.

“As a trainer, the new building allows us to give the athletes the individual space they need to do their therapy,” senior trainer Haley Krabbe said, “and I get to learn a lot more by being able to see the therapy done and watch the athletes’ progress.”

The achievements of Dutch Fork’s sports teams over the past three years have proven the school to be a top competitor in athletics with a dedicated student body.

“The sports program at this school is very impressive, and we have many students that work very hard in all they do,”

Knotts said. “Facilities like these are not only beneficial to the students and athletes, they are very well-deserved.”

The athletic and health science programs aren’t the only ones to benefit from the move.

With Dixon’s class moving out of the old weight room, a vacancy was left that was perfectly suited for a new drama room. The room had to be renovated to fit the needs of the drama program and equipped with costume storage, prop and shop storage, and a dressing room.

“I really like the space because it’s bigger which means there’s more area for everyone,” freshman Maddie Jones said, “and it shows a lot of support for the drama program.”

The new drama room is much closer to the auditorium, a stark contrast to last year’s distance with the drama room on the first floor on the opposite side of the building. Along with its new

“The

renovations will definitely have a postive effect.”

-Eliza McLeod

location, the new room will allow for new opportunities.

“The renovations will definitely have a positive effect, especially since we will be able to create in a much bigger way thanks to the new room,” junior Eliza McLeod said. “It’s going to be awesome to be able to make new set pieces and scenery ourselves.”

Coaches, teachers and students say they are enthusiastic about the renovations.

“Our goal with all of the renovations was to organize things to where teachers can plan and execute what they need to do in the most efficient way,” principal Dr. Greg Owings said. “We are hoping that these changes help improve the school as a whole.” _____________________ [Top left] Physical education teacher Casey Waites’ class lifts in a new weight room with plenty of space. [Top right] Sophomore Elizabeth Jones does therapy with new equipment.

Elizabeth came to the new training room after school before she went to practice and didn’t need to wait to start her therapy because there is now double the room and double the equipment.

“

�

Facilities like these are not only beneficial to the students and athletes, they are very well-deserved.

-athletic director Tom Knotts

[Top] Sophomore Alison Walsh takes advantage of the new building before her tennis practice. She used a new piece of equipment to complete her shoulder therapy. [Bottom] Junior Hope Whisman concentrates closely. She had decided to work on her balance after school.

NEWS | Fall 2014 | 09

news

Foxy gets new look F

story by Robin Hendricks, Rebekah Street and Anna Maria Gardiner • photo by Jacob Sprankle

or the first time in Dutch Fork history, Foxy has a new face.

After $6,000 and more than a year of planning, fundraising and designing, Foxy has his new costume.

“We needed a new mascot [costume] because the other one was getting a little old and this new one has a modern twist to it,” freshman A’Jahlaya Carter said.

Senior Courtney Brown disagrees.

“I think that the last Foxy was fine, and there wasn’t really anything wrong with it,” Courtney said, “so it wasn’t really necessary to spend money on the new one.”

While the former Foxy costume appeared to be shipshape, Foxy’s mother, who asked to remain anonymous, said that’s not true.

“It wasn’t a matter of why we thought we needed one, it was a matter of we had to have one,” Foxy’s mother said. “The old one was falling apart. We were duct-taping the shoes together. It was extremely old and it needed an uplift.”

10 | Fall 2014 | NEWS

One of the reasons the costume was so expensive is that silver foxes are not common mascots. There is no template for designing a silver fox costume and there are not any ready-made from a factory.

That need for customization drove up the cost. But not everyone is pleased with the new look.

“I think that if they really wanted a new one, they should have just gotten the same mascot [costume] again,” sophomore Avery Stephens said. “It would be the same, just newer and nicer.”

F o x y ’ s mother said Foxy can see better out of the current costume since the head is smaller in the new design, whereas he couldn’t see very well out of the old one.

Foxy (whose identity is kept secret) was unavailable

for comment.

But students like sophomore Katherine Epting said the money could have been better spent elsewhere.

“I think the money could have been used for other things. I know Chapin recently got a new scoreboard that’s really nice,” Katherine said. “It would be cool to have something like that rather than getting a new mascot that wasn’t exactly necessary.”

N o t all the money for the n e w costume c a m e from the school, though.

While t h e Dutch Fork athletic department provided about half of the costume’s $6,000 cost, other money was raised by Foxy and his friends through Sonic cards and sponsorships.

He really does represent the school and this community in all aspects.

-Foxy’s mother

The school’s pep club and the Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO) gave money as well.

Foxy also helps raise money for the school, too.

In the past, he has helped Dutch Fork’s art department, swim club and cheerleading squad raise money for their projects.

“He’s very involved in the school and [with] community service, especially the Special Olympics,” Foxy’s mother said. “He [is] also with the [basketball] team most of the time.

“A lot of people think he is just for football, which is kind of not true,” she said.

“He really does represent the school and this community in all aspects.”

[Top] The new Foxy makes his debut at the first home game, with a screaming and excited crowd cheering behind him.

The new mascot costume has bigger eyes, a more angular head, a fitted jersey, and even built-in abs.

Fox Fusion is the website for both The Renaissance and “The Silver Screen Report.” At www.foxfusion.org, you’ll find:

Stay in touch:

Silver Screen Episodes Photo Galleries News Stories Personality Profiles Sports Coverage Polls & Surveys Editors’ Columns

Want to advertise in The Renaissance?

Call (803)-476-3427 or email amedlock@lexrich5.org.

Advertisements start at $25.

Write us!

Send all Letters to the Editor to room 252. Include your name, signature and 7B class.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @Dffoxfusion Scan the QR Code to visit www.foxfusion.org to out check these and more.

opinion

Staff Editorial

New Foxy costume is welcome, necessary change

The sweat stained, hair filled mascot costume is being retired after a 16-year career.

This year, Foxy gets a new face to the name. His whole appearance has been overhauled, from fur color to his jersey.

In the previous costume, Foxy couldn’t see well. The mask restricted his vision almost completely, and the see-through lens was cloudy.

Now the eyes are wider and clean, giving Foxy a better view while he is in costume.

There won’t be the lingering fear that young kids posing for photos will be accidentally trampled.

The former mascot was in use for 16 years, so, of course

he was going to get old; he was already well on his way to disintegrating mid-game.

Once his feet had to start being duct-taped, it was obvious that it was time for a new costume.

Since the costume is brand new, it’s also cleaner and smells better than the old costume. There aren’t any more ghosts-of-Foxies-past living in the fabric.

Foxy’s new look makes him look stronger and more intense than before. The designers used different fabrics and made his head smaller so he could have a better field of vision.

The new Foxy costume not only looks newer, but is cleaner, too.

The new Foxy makes the school stand out with our new, clean mascot. Foxy also looks stronger and more intimidating than the old Foxy, who looked sweet and cute.

The Foxy costume is very different from the old costume, but is very nice and professional.

The new Foxy costume may have cost $6,000, but it was much needed and gives Foxy a brand new look.

It definitely took some time to raise the money, but in the end, it was all worth it. Maybe this new edition of Foxy should have a much shorter life, so duct-taped feet can be avoided.

Too much work leads to not enough time

The story: The Foxy mascot costume has been replaced after 16 years.

Our view: The replacement was a much needed investment for the school.

column by Carina Leaman

There’s an energy crisis among high school students, and it’s not hard to understand why.

To get into the best colleges and/or qualify for scholarships, a student needs to have great grades–in the highest level classes–and high SAT/ ACT scores.

But wait! The student can’t just be academically gifted, they have to be wellrounded, too! Now they have to join a sports team, or a drama group, or a school club. And ideally, they need to be highly involved to show commitment.

Already that’s a lot to handle. This isn’t even taking into account the students who need to hold part-time

12 | Fall 2014 | OPINION

jobs year-round in order to save enough money for that college they’re working so hard to get into.

But there are two very important things missing in this list: socializing and sleep.

“Socializing isn’t necessary!” you cry indignantly.

“Talking to your friends isn’t as important as getting into college!”

But according to the American Sociological Association, having a social life is vital to healthy development–not just for young children, but throughout life as well.

And while no one argues that sleep isn’t important, no one seems to understand how much teenagers really need.

The National Sleep Founda-

tion says teenagers should get at least 9.25 hours of sleep per night in order to remain healthy and alert.

So say one student wakes up at 6:30 a.m. every morning for school. The school day is over at 4 p.m., when club meetings begin. The meeting ends at 5 p.m., and the student drives home. Family dinner takes an hour, allowing the student to relax for a bit. Working on the homework due the next day takes four hours, and with the SAT coming up, the student takes an hour or two to study.

It’s already midnight.

That only leaves 6.5 hours for sleep. (And that’s without having a test to study for, or a shift at work, or time to

spend with friends.)

A sleep schedule that limited will quickly affect the student’s focus and health, ultimately affecting their success in school. It’s no wonder students fall asleep during class.

It’s true that time management is a skill learned early, and getting into college is important. But there is life outside of academics, and running students into the ground is only going to do irrevocable damage.

There comes a time when a line needs to be drawn between helping students become successful and completely overwhelming them.

That time has to be now.

Kids In The Hall

What do you think about the new Foxy?

Tech Tip Recap Every Thursday, Technology Integration Specialist Susan Aplin posts a new tip in the “Tech Tips for Students 14-15” Edmodo group. Here are some of the highlights from the first nine weeks:

#1 Setting up your iPad Make sure you have an Apple ID, personal and school email, and App Catalog set up on your iPad.

Steven Bross freshman “It’s terrible! How bad could it [have been]?”

Kyle Ni sophomore “There’s no reason for him to be replaced.”

Backing up your iPad

#2

Double check that all school apps–Notability, Pages, Keynote, etc.–are all synced to iCloud to protect your work.

#3 Find My iPad

Go into settings and confirm that the Find My iPad option is turned ON, so your device can be found if lost or stolen.

Subscribe to DFHS calendars Elise Maglione junior “The old one was fine; the new one looks kind of weird.”

Hannah Anderson senior

“Everything [in the school] changed. It makes sense that they’d replace him, too.”

#4

Go to the Dutch Fork website and click the Google calendar icon to subscribe to calendars and receive notifications.

#5Student expectations Students should check their school email and Edmodo accounts daily, and should not play games during class.

Turning in digital files

#6

Click the export icon, normally in one of the top corners, and either email the file or open in another app.

OPINION | Fall2014 | 13

opinion

Pizza lines take up lunch time column by Raleigh Norris Watching the clock near noon, there is only one thought on students’ minds: lunch.

The bell rings. Students race to lunch hoping to get a good spot in line so they can quickly eat, but when they get there, they find themselves standing in the middle of the lunch room. It’s absolutely ridiculous.

When the lunch bell rings, students are hungry after sitting in classrooms for the first half of the day. Everyone is ready to eat and with the 23 minutes students have for lunch, students don’t have time to waste by standing in long lines waiting for food.

All of the lines are extremely long but the longest is definitely the pizza line, a new addition as of last year.

The warm, cheesy pizzas are

very delicious, but it just isn’t style line is long but is double worth spending 13 minutes of sided, helping it not to overthe 20 minute lunch time in a flow into the lunchroom.

The pizza box makes it easy line and then having to stuff to transport your food to the your face before the bell rings.

The pizza, even though it is next class, but not all teachers delicious, isn’t the only cafete- let students eat in their classria offering. People who waste rooms. Also, the grease from t h e their pizza time With the 23 minutes students will go waithave for lunch, students don’t from ing in have time to waste by standing hands t h e in long lines waiting for food. to papizza pers l i n e not only lose lunch time but or iPads and just isn’t sanitary.

No one wants a greasy iPad don’t get to eat the other options the cafeteria staff pro- and no teacher wants to grade a paper that has pizza grease vides.

The chicken line is one sided splotches on it.

A reason people may get but doesn’t have as many students lining up for that lunch. pizza is because it’s easy to get The Chinese/salad bar line is and go. When the bell rings, double sided but is probably students can quickly hop in line the shortest line. The home- (if they get there early enough),

“ ”

grab pizza, and go to their next class or to a lunch table.

They don’t have to stand in line with a tray and contemplate the many options of what to eat. They just have to know what kind of pizza they want, get it, pay for it, and leave.

Since pizza is the most popular lunch choice, the line would move faster if it was double sided like the homestyle lunch line. This change would also make the cafeteria easier to maneuver because everyone wouldn’t be standing in the way.

All of the lunch lines are pretty long and all have delicious food. The pizza line just happens to be the favorite of Dutch Fork.

Either the pizza lines need to be shorter, or lunch should be longer.

A day in the halls Population too large for school size column by Robin Hendricks

Halls fill with bleary-eyed, stumbling zombies lugging backpacks half their size. The walking dead move together in a synchronized, sluggish pace.

They may have had a chance to arrive to class on time to if it weren’t for the blocked artery this school calls a stairwell.

It’s 8:15 a.m. and ain’t nobody got time for this.

One would assume that the highest rated public school in the state of South Carolina would be able to find a way to fit all its students comfortably into the school. But apparently not.

More than two decades ago, the school was built to house 950 students. Now the school’s student population is three students short of housing dou-

14| Fall 2014 | OPINION

ble what it was originally built for, a slight problem for the 1900 students zoned here.

Apparently they had a tiny bit of an estimation problem.

About 15 years ago, the school received an addition called the “new wing.” The two new halls, one for the main floor and one for the third, were intended to help to the school’s growing population. The only problem is that it keeps growing.

And growing. And growing.

So now as they walk to class, students get their daily exercise through a number of creative methods. They expertly dodge around the slow herds of gossipers/selfie-takers that always seem to come in packs of four and then hightail it to

the corner stairs in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, today they’ll catch a break and make it up those crowded steps in under two minutes.

And don’t forget about the lockers. See, if there isn’t enough room to even walk in the halls, there’s certainly not enough room to stand at a locker and switch out textbooks.

Grabbing stuff from your locker is starting to feel more like parking your car on the middle of the interstate.

In all honesty, though, Dutch Fork is a really great school. That’s probably why it has so many students.

It distributes more AP tests than any other school in the district. The STEM program sets it apart.

Overall, Dutch Fork is a great place to learn.

Spring Hill was supposed to act as a levee for the schools of District 5 and cut down the school population by almost 200 underclassmen.

However, students are already returning from their first year over at the new school and coming back to Dutch Fork.

If another public high school were added to District 5, then theoretically all the excess population from the schools would go to the new one. Anything like that would take a few years and a pretty penny.

So for now, students must trod on through the crowd with hope that maybe Dutch Fork’s next generation will get a little more room to spare.





iOS 8 received three out of five stars because the update contains many glitches and unecessary updates.

This app recieved four out of five stars because it is a fun and friendly game, but can get repetitive after a while.

Number one app: Beach Buggy Blitz

A

Another month, another update

Fun app keeps players’ eyes glued to screen

iOS 8 released with many pros, cons

review by Maddie Mason

review by Raleigh Norris

simple game made for fun is now number one in the Apple app store.

Beach Buggy Blitz is a racing game that is easy for everyone.

Beach Buggy Blitz is an app where the player gets to race other people and go through obstacles to win the race.

This app is understandably the top app in the app store; it is super fun and a little bit addictive.

This simple game, even though it can be complicated for some, it is just basic racing with a twist to it and it is really easy to figure out how to play.

To drive, the player does not have to do anything to start the race; it starts, and the car automatically starts moving. Players only need to move the device in either direction to move left and right, and to break or stop the player just has to touch the screen.

Similar to a Mario Kart game, it has power ups that you drive into and earn a prize, such as a shield or a

rocket. It can be aggravating, though, because unless you have a certain number of jewels, and some of the power-ups can’t be used.

Players can also upgrade their cars and race on 12 different tracks. With this upgrade, players can change their appearance.

The game is suitable for all ages; it is family friendly and anybody can figure out how to play it.

The game can also get repetitive and become annoying, though. Throughout the game, the player basically does the same thing: race.

Even though this is a racing game, it might have been a good idea to add a storyline to make it a little more interesting.

The game is simple, but it can use something to spice it up a little bit.

Even though it could be annoying at times, it is definitely recommended to anybody who enjoys racing or just need a fun, free game to play.

L

ast year, all the talk and excitement was about iOS 7. This year, it’s about iOS 8; but this change isn’t quite as easy or exciting.

There aren’t too many differences between iOS 7 and iOS 8. “Health” and “Tips” are two new apps; recent contacts show up when you double click the home button; and Siri now has Shazam.

But the novelty of something new is too much for people to resist the 5GB upgrade.

Pictures, videos, music, and apps can kiss their homes goodbye as iPhone and iPad owners delete anything and everything to update their phone.

Meanwhile, simply plugging your phone into iTunes to update only takes 1GB, charges your device, and may not take up as much time (although students should NOT plug their district-issued iPads into a computer). iOS 8 seems to be biased towards the type of iPhone you have, too. If you update

it on an iPad or a iPhone 5 or 6, it seems to work really well with no major problems. If you update on an iPhone 4S or anything older than that, the device runs slower than before.

Some apps that haven’t updated for iOS8 crash. Some devices that aren’t updated to iOS8, but have the most recent version of apps, won’t let the device use the app until the device is up-to-date , too.

A lot of people are having problems with iOS 8 deleting apps as well. A few people have had FaceTime deleted or the Apple Store deleted.

The iOS 8.0.1 update was recalled because of unexpected glitches including apps crashing and the device not working like it is supposed to.

If you absolutely have to have the most recent update from Apple, then update at your own risk.

But if you can survive a few months or so of staring at the old design, the bug fixes will be worth the wait.

OPINION | Fall 2014 | 15

The Southern Strutt One of the top 5 dance studios in the nation Voted #1 by readers of The State newspaper

All levels welcome!

803-781-3980

90 Ashbourne Road Irmo, South Carolina 29063

I know what you did last summer From traveling to pageants, seniors Samantha Byrne and Ben Wolverton and social studies teacher Kelly Ragan participated in a wide range of summer activities...

T

wenty-three days, 20 states, and a bus full of strangers. Needless to say, senior Samantha Byrne was nervous.

Boarding the bus on the Davidson College campus in North Carolina, Samantha scanned the sea of new and unfamiliar faces who had also signed up for Teens Westward Bound. With no phone and few opportunities to call home, she would quickly bond with many of these people as they trekked across the country for 23 days.

“I didn’t know anyone. It was just me, so I had to go out and meet all these new people,” Samantha said. “I didn’t know if I was going to like them or what would happen. I had no idea what to expect.”

Before Samantha knew it, the trip was going full throttle and there was no slowing down. Teens Westward Bound allows all kinds of teens to visit countless notable landmarks throughout western America. Over the course of 23 days, roughly 80 kids bond with each other as

they visit and experience the best parts of America.

They would see everything from New Orleans to the Alamo. The Grand Canyon to Las Vegas. Disneyland to Yosemite National Park. Salt Lake City to Yellowstone. The Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River.

“I loved being able to the see the country,” Samantha said. “It gives you a new appreciation for where we live, and you can say you really know what America is.”

Although Samatha said Teens Westward Bound was jam-packed with incredible, life-changing moments, it was challenging for everyone to live without their luxuries, one being the soft, warm comfort of a bed.

“You have your sleeping bag, and we were either inside a YMCA or any kind of community building we were allowed to use. Other than that we’d be on a campground, and we’d just sleep outside,” Samantha said. “The next morning, we’d wake up and we’d go.”

Adjusting to this lifestyle, however, was easy for Sa-

mantha in comparison to adjusting to life without a cell phone, getting only the occasional chance to phone home and catch up with her family and friends. She said the absence of a phone allowed her to connect and grow significantly closer to the people around her.

“If you had technology, you would not bond with these people,” Samantha said. “You have to push people out of their comfort zone if you want to build these friendships.”

Not only was Samantha able to build friendships with the other teens on the trip, but each and every teen bonded with the many counselors and especially the founder of Teens Westward Bound, Dennis Deaton. He started the program nearly 40 years ago and has watched the country change as he has shared this experience with countless individuals. Samantha said if you talk to anyone who has been on this trip, they will tell you they love Dennis Deaton.

“He is great human being,” Samantha said. “He loves you and you love him.

You love everyone. They throw the word love around like crazy because you grow to love these people; it’s insane. But all Dennis wants is to share that with you, to share the whole country with you because he has so much love for it.”

After 23 endlessly exciting and busy days, Samantha said she was thrilled finally to return home. She said her experience busing, camping and touring America taught her so much about herself and benefitted her in so many ways.

“I’m not afraid to rough it anymore; I feel like I can go through anything,” Samantha said. “It made me more personable and more likely to socialize with people.”

As Samantha takes her next steps towards applying for college in her senior year, she will carry with her the knowledge and experiences of Teens Westward Bound.

“You get what you put into the experience,” Samantha said. “And if you go into it open-minded, it’s unbelievable how much you can take away from it.”

Senior takes educational vacation story by Becca Spilka • photo provided by Samantha Byrne

Senior Samantha Byrne takes in the view of her trip across the country. For more information, go to teenswestwardbound.com.

18 | Fall 2014 | LIFE

Senior Ben Wolverton takes time off from working during his mission trip to play with some of the children living in Canada.

Teen treks from Columbia to Canada story by Becca Spilka • photo provided by Ben Wolverton

F

or the typical student, summer vacation means lying on the beach, visiting family, or just watching Netflix. But for senior Ben Wolverton, this summer was far from average.

For a week in July, Ben traveled to Toronto, Canada with his church to do missionary work. The goal of the trip was to help a brand new church establish a solid community, as well as expand by inviting new people.

“We made a bunch of food like chicken kebabs, hot dogs and hamburgers for a beach picnic that they were having to help make connections and also have something fun for the community to do,” Ben said. “We also helped make carnival games for a big block party that the city of Toronto was having and had invited the church to help out with.”

Since the church was new and just developing, they

needed all the help they could self incredibly inspired by get to create and foster a the kind and devoted people he met who helped build the strong community.

“We went to help out this church in Toronto.

“Their commitment to church because they do not have a whole lot of volunteers leave everything they were that are able to help,” Ben used to here in America and said. “And we wanted to serve move their families up to Toas a light for Christ in the city ronto in order to help spread the love of God was of Toronto.” very cool and inBen said he spiring,” Ben said. personally felt Aside from the drawn to go on “Helping other churches and work he did to help the trip because community, he wanted to help brothers and the these people with sisters in Christ Ben said he had a time exthe massive task is what we as wonderful periencing life outahead of them.

Christians are side the U.S. “Just helping called to do.”

“I loved helping other churches and brothers and -Ben Wolverton the Church out, but seeing and walking sisters in Christ around the city [of is what we as Christians are called to do, Toronto] for a week was inso being able to do this was credibly awesome, too,” Ben really a blessing,” Ben said. said. “It is always fun to go “Also, Toronto is an awesome to a big city whenever you are living in Irmo.” city, so that’s a bonus.”

The different environment Ben said he found him-

and new people taught Ben a great deal about being flexible and adjusting to unfamiliar situations.

Ben said he also personally grew from the experience and learned the importance of partaking in missionary work all around the world.

“I learned the power of prayer,” Ben said, “and that my ultimate goal in life is to advance the Kingdom of God wherever I go, whether it is school, my job or somewhere far away like Toronto.”

In the end, Ben said he had an incredible time helping out a community in need and experiencing what life was like in Toronto.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, learned so many new things and also got to sightsee in a new place, too,” he said. “The combo of events made it a really awesome trip and I cannot wait for the next adventure.”

LIFE | Fall 2014 | 19

life

Teacher competes in Miss South Carolina Pageant

story by Lacee Getter • photo provided by Kelly Ragan

T

he spotlight shines is not good for a pageant. I’m bright on social studies not a typical pageant girl. I teacher Kelly Ragan’s would rather be dancing or face as she struts across doing something athletic the Township Audito- other than having to stand rium stage. on stage in a bathing suit be On June 28, Ragan joined cause that’s really scary.” dozens of women from across Although the Miss South the state with the same goal Carolina pageant is televised in mind: the title of Miss state-wide, the event conSouth Carolina. sists of more than what the Last year, Ragan partici- viewers see on TV. pated in the Greenville Scot- “The night that was on TV tish Games pageant in Green- wasn’t the only night that we ville, S.C. and was crowned competed,” Ragan said. “We Miss Greenville Scottish did a 10-minute long interGames. view in which I was asked a “In the Greenville Scot- couple of political questions tish Games you have to do and about my platform of self the same process you do for esteem and encouragement,” Miss South Carolina,” Ragan Ragan said. “The first night I said, “but on a smaller scale. did [an] onstage question, the It’s the exact same thing, but second night was swimsuit with just fewer girls.” and evening gown, and the The Greenville competi- last night of [the preliminary tion was competitinot Ration] I did gan’s first. talent.”

When Ra R a gan was gan’s tal“I learned a in high ent is clogschool, she ging. lot more about was influ myself than I enced by “I have one of her clogged thought I would.” friends to since I was start coma little girl; peting in that’s one pageants. of my big “I acgest pastually fell sions,” she into pageants said. through a teacher that used At the Miss South Carolina to be here,” Ragan said. “For- pageant, Ragan did not win mer Dutch Fork math teacher the title crown, but she placed Heather] Barnhart [Vassey] is third runner-up overall. one of my closest friends and She said the experience of she convinced me to do her being involved in pageants pageant when I was a senior has also opened many doors in high school.” and opportunities for her.

Ragan has taught at Dutch “Not only can you get Fork since the 2013-2014 scholarship money [from school year; she teaches US being in pageants], but I’ve History and US Government. also made lifelong friends “I think it’s amazing hav- through this process,” Ragan ing a teacher who’s compet- said, “and I have girls that I ed in the Miss South Caro- still talk to on a daily basis.” lina pageant,” senior Maddie Ragan encourages every Campanella said. “I know girl to experience being in a many students look up to pageant. her.”

“It was a really good ex Beyond the pageants and perience; I would definitely teaching, Ragan said she en- say any girl at this school joys playing sports and danc- should try it out if they’ve ing. ever thought about it,” Ragan “[One thing] a lot of peo- said. “I learned a lot more ple don’t know is that I’m about myself than I thought I clumsy,” Ragan said, “which would.”

-Kelly Ragan

Social studies teacher Kelly Ragan performs her dance routine at the Miss South Carolina pageant during the final competition night. Ragan ultimately finished the pageant as third runner-up.

20 | Fall 2014 | LIFE

“EXPECT MORE”

Tidewater Boats, LLC

Boats include: Center Console PO Box 85552, Lexington, SC 29063 LXF Bay Max (803) 732-7300 Carolina Bay www.tidewaterboates.net Dual Console Skiff Sales@TideWaterBoats.net

Order your yearbook now!

Scan the QR code to go to the Jostens website.

Buy now because only a limited quantity will be available when yearbooks are delivered in May.

The fault in our adaptations written by Hayley Younginer story by Hayley Younginer

Let’s play a game. First person to spot the die-hard fan out of the people attending the The Fault In Our Stars at the movies tonight wins.

Is it the boy obviously being dragged in by his girlfriend? Is it the senior citizen excited for his discount on popcorn?

Or is it the girl in a blue shirt, Converse, and huge box of tissues anxiously pacing in front of the doors, ready to burst in as soon as the doors open? She will be sitting in the front row, bawling, her eyes trained on the screen.

Now, out of these fans, which one sounds like the sort of person to have read the book beforehand?

Nowadays, as technology is growing and expanding at an exponential rate, book-to-movie adaptations have taken a great step in production, specifically with recent releases like The Giver, If I Stay, and The Fault In Our Stars.

“Movies have been fairly accurate in relation to the books, but, of course, Hollywood has to add a lot more action and controversial elements to make the movie look more attractive,” senior Cori Stewart said. “They also present characters as perhaps more [physically] appealing than they were [described] in the books.”

Cori recently saw the film adaptation of The Giver, a dystopian novel written

by Lois Lowry, and immediately noticed some differences between the book and

22 | Fall 2014 | LIFE

the movie.

“The movie differed in that it had all of this futuristic technology and action that was not described in the book, but movies have to be dramatic to bring in viewers, so I understand the addition of the drones and computer systems and holograms,” Cori said. “The book [also] didn’t place so much emphasis on love triangles as the movie.”

With the changes necessary to attract viewers and profit, some changes must be made for the movie’s economic benefit; however, these changes also have an effect on the author since it is his or her story being altered.

Cori said that in her opinion, Lowry would not appreciate how futuristic and technologically-centered the movie version of her book was, but overall the plot was presented accurately (with which any author would be pleased).

Because of the popularity of young adult romance novels such as If I Stay and The Fault In Our Stars, certain changes are made to attract a bigger audience and provide greater entertainment to the viewers.

“The movie [version of The Giver] was really similar to the book but focused more on the lovey dovey romantic parts of the movie,” junior Sam Fuhr said.

“They left out a lot of the philosophical ideas in the story which was huge.”

Romance attracts young movie-goers, especially after they have read and

become attached to the story.

“I read the book before the movie, so I didn’t go in blindsided about the story,” Sam said. “I went in with a general idea of what was going to happen, and I would know the true story rather than just what was shown.”

Likewise, If I Stay also amped up the romance and toned down other content.

“The movie romanticized everything a lot more between Mia and Adam than the book did, and it over exaggerated a lot of the events,” junior Rachel Rorie said, “but it was still a really good movie.”

Even with the sacrifice of certain content, a majority of movies nowadays have taken a great deal of time to try to stay as close to the original plot as possible in order to appease avid readers and moviegoers.

“I think that films are getting more accurate because of the criticism movies have received for not following the story line,” Rachel said. “[Movies also need to be] able to satisfy the big fans of the books [who] are looking forward to spending the money to watch the movie,” Rachel said.

Overall, book-to-movie adaptations all have one thing in common: one has to read the book before being able to make an honest analysis of the movie’s accuracy.

“I always read the book before seeing the movie,” Cori said. “It’s like sinning if you watch the movie before you read the books.”

BOOK

MOVIE

VS

Dutch Fork’s rating:

Dutch Fork’s rating:





A fear of oblivion

An emotional rollercoaster

4.9 out of 5 stars*

A couple of years ago, my step grandmother passed away from lung cancer. I can’t imagine going through any type of cancer, especially at my age.

But in The Fault in Our Stars, 16year-old Hazel Grace has to.

At the beginning of the book, she doesn’t have much that makes her happy: just occasionally her best friend Kaitlyn and her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction.

Her mom forces her to go to a cancer support group (which at first she thinks is awful aside from her friend Isaac, a blonde teenager battling eye cancer, who makes faces at her across the room).

Her outlook on life changes when Isaac’s friend, Augustus Waters, joins them in the “Literal Heart Of Jesus.”

Augustus (or “Gus” as he is called by a majority of the characters) isn’t your average 17-yearold. With his fear of oblivion, use of metaphors, and his prosthetic leg, Gus easily captures Hazel’s heart, and is sure to capture the reader’s.

Hazel, Augustus, and Isaac all go through things together (and separately for that matter) that most teenagers don’t have to go through, and hopefully will never have to.

The book as a whole is very inspiring and heart-wrenching. John Green did an amazing job writing in the point of view of a 16-year-old girl, and you feel like you are Hazel Grace and forget that she is just a character in a book.

Not only is this touching story full of romance, but it is also about living in the moment, teaching people to appreciate what they have while they have it, and to cherish the memories of what they once had.

3.8 out of 5 stars*

• Caroline Mathers is Gus’ dead ex-girlfriend.

• Isaac is described as having long, blond hair that covers one eye.

• Written dialogue is used between characters.

• Hazel and Gus text often.

• The book An Imperial Affliction is in the novel.

X

• Caroline Mathers doesn’t exist.

X

• Isaac has short, brown hair that is styled up off his forehead.

√

• Spoken dialogue is almost word-forword.

√

• Texts were shown onscreen.

√

• The book An Imperial Affliction is in the movie.

Dutch Fork’s Choice:

BOOK 4 to 1*

review by Raleigh Norris

You’re sitting in a movie theater that is completely packed.

People are murmuring to each other, sharing popcorn, checking their phones. Everyone’s excited and anxious and happy.

But when the lights go down, everything is quiet.

Two hours and six minutes later everyone’s sobbing and stumbling out of the theater.

The Fault in Our Stars tells the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster, a young teen diagnosed with terminal thyroid cancer. While at a “nobodyreally-wants-to-be-here” support group, Hazel meets Augustus Waters, a cancer survivor.

But this is far from your typical “girl-meets-boy” summer flick.

The main focus of the movie isn’t the fact that the two main characters fall in love, but it’s the characters’ struggles to cope with their realities and the injustices of the world.

Yet despite the heavy themes that would weigh down any other movie’s characters, Hazel and Gus are still teenagers.

The actors are perfectly cast and really move the audience. Nat Wolff’s portrayal of Isaac is hilarious and heart-wrenching.

It is easy to forget that you’re sitting in a chair with popcorn shoved in the cracks as opposed to sitting at the dinner table with Hazel and her family.

And when you finally step out of the dim lighting and into the sun, that drunken stupor that is so rare with movies of late stays with you for hours.

The whole film is an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.

It’s the perfect tear jerker that’ll make you hug your parents for an hour straight when you get home.

review by Carina Leaman *Based on 70 responses to a school-wide poll

life

Students weigh in on SAT vs. ACT debate story by Lacee Getter, Becca Spilka and Hayley Younginer

T

his is the moment for which students have been studying and memorizing and working tirelessly for the past three years of their lives.

Their futures stare back at them, ready to be written.

Ready, set, start your test.

“I bought an ACT prep book and studied that for a couple months in order to prepare for the ACT,” senior Ken Crawford said.

Millions of students take the SAT and ACT each year as the key to acceptance for their dream college or university.

But for many students the SAT and ACT can be a hit or miss. Students often perform better on one test than the

S

other.

“I’m generally bad at the SAT, but my strengths on the ACT are science and grammar,” senior Savannah Dale said. “However, I’m bad at reading and working under pressure.”

The SAT is divided into three sections: Critical Reading, Math and Writing. The ACT has Math, Reading, Science, Grammar and Writing sections.

“The ACT and SAT are kind of the same, but I did feel like the math was easier on the ACT,” Ken said.

The different categories offered on the SAT and ACT lead some students to have trouble with some parts while

exceling in others.

“My strengths on the SAT and ACT are definitely math, but my weakness is probably the reading section,” Ken said.

Students can take preparation classes and attend workshops to prepare for both tests. Test taking strategies and shortcuts are taught in these classes to increase students’ overall scores.

“The PowerScore class was unlike any other SAT class that I’ve taken because it focused on every aspect of the test,” senior Haley Owens said. “Instead of viewing the test in broad terms, the instructor broke it up into smaller, more specific pieces

vs.

ACT

SAT

S 52.50

without writing:

$38

with writing:

$54.50

Highest Score

36 24 | Fall 2014 | LIFE

of each section.”

These classes can also provide additional opportunities and skills besides simply increasing SAT and ACT test scores.

“I highly recommend taking the PowerScore course,” Haley said. “It is expensive without the discount code offered by DFHS; however, this class could potentially open new doors for many scholarships, saving the student and his or her parents thousands of dollars each year.

“Not only does the PowerScore class benefit the student while taking the SAT,” Haley said, “but it also teaches ideas that can be carried over to the classroom.”

without writing:

3 hours

with writing:

3 hours 45 minutes

3 hours 30 minutes

the ACT has a science section

Highest Score

2400 the SAT has a required writing section *information from sat.collegeboard.org and actstudent.org

Curtain rises on new Drama Club

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Nov. 20-22 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 23 2:30 p.m. in the auditorium Tickets: $5 students; $7 adults Bottom left: The cast of A Midsummer Night’s Dream rehearses a scene. Below: Junior Jesse Tompkins reads his lines as the character Flute.

story by Lacee Getter and Becca Spilka  photos by Becca Spilka

T

he flipping of scripts, costume changes, teamwork and standing ovations.

It’s the first meeting of the year and there’s a great deal of anticipation for the members of the brand new drama club.

“We're starting a club this year that allows anyone in the school to be involved,” Drama Club sponsor Jessica Fichter said. “We're going to plan events, and do fundraisers, and have fun exploring theatre.”

Senior Josh Bristow has a substantial role as Drama Club president and said he is ready to take on the latest changes in this year’s drama department.

“I’m looking forward to getting more people involved with the theatre program at Dutch Fork because this is a year with a lot of changes,” Josh said. “I think Drama Club is a great way to get students involved.”

Junior Jesse Tompkins, who could not

fit a drama class in his schedule, said he is looking forward to the opportunities the new club will bring.

“I am very excited to be in the Drama Club this year because I was not able to take drama as a class,” Jesse said, “so this club gives me the opportunity to continue drama as a hobby.”

Fichter said she hopes to achieve additional goals to help promote the club throughout the school.

“Our goals are eventually to get an honors society charter and to plan school- wide events that promote theatre in the Dutch Fork community,” Fichter said.

Students say they hope this year’s changes will promote more involvement in the drama department this year.

“I'm looking forward to getting to do more stuff with drama than I have in previous years,” senior Ryann Shealy said. “I think Drama Club will get more

people involved with drama year round, not just when we do major plays.”

There will be two plays this year: A Midsummer Night’s Dream in November and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown in the spring.

“I am really looking forward to getting to know everyone involved in the drama club because drama people are the best kind of people,” Jesse said. “I am also looking forward to the performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream because it is one of my favorite Shakespearean plays.”

Drama is a part of the arts, and the arts allow individuals to express themselves visually, physically and verbally.

“I think having a drama club will allow all students from all grades to unite to better theatre itself,” Jesse said.

“Acting is an amazing thing, and I think that Drama Club is a great way for people to express themselves through it.”

LIFE | Fall 2014 | 25

sports

y r t n u o C s s o Cr races to the top story by Abby Beauregard, Josh Imholte and Jacob Sprankle

A

Cross country team members embark on their daily run through the trails behind the school.

They have been running eight miles each day this season. Photo by Jacob Sprankle.

26 | Fall 2014 | SPORTS

fter a long summer of hard work, the cross country team is finally competing and seeing its hard work pay off.

“Everyone on the team is really dedicated and came into the offseason ready to work,” junior Andrew Herbst said. “Also, our coach pushes us [to work as a team], but makes us be independent runners.”

Coming off strong performances at local invitationals, the team is already being recognized as a contender for state finals.

“It’s been great,” senior Collin McKinnon said. “Both guys and girls are in the top five in the state already.”

The team’s success isn’t limited to one team or gender as well.

“Boys’ JV and varsity have been doing well and girls’ JV and varsity have really been excelling against their competition,” Andrew said.

However, to make these strides, the team has had to put in a lot of hard work and time.

“This season has been [difficult],” freshman Hayden Stansbury said.

Throughout its practices, the team has racked up mile after mile, in hopes of meeting its goals.

“The training is really hard, running eight miles a day,” Hayden said, “but it all pays off in the end.”

The hardest competition

the team will face will be among itself, as team members say they plan to persevere in hopes of a successful season.

“The hardest part of being on cross country is fighting through the mental and physical struggles that you go through during practices and races,” Collin said.

Members of the team are already reflecting on past performances and setting goals for the new season.

“My goals for this season are to improve as a runner and to run a under a 19 minute 5k,” Collin said.

As a team, reaching the state championship is one of its primary goals for the season.

“We want to work hard enough to fulfill our potential and do really well at state qualifiers and the state championship,” Andrew said.

In addition to their own hard work, team members encourage their teammates to help them reach their goals, and ultimately the team’s.

“We train hard together and help each other out when we need it,” Hayden said.

The most important challenge for the team is just to stay focused and dedicated to the sport.

“We just need to stay focused through the rest of season,” Andrew said, “because the program is already really strong.”

SPORTS | Fall 2014 | 27

sports

[This page] The girls’ varsity tennis team comes in for a group cheer before a match. [Right] Senior girls’ varsity tennis players Anna Maria Gardiner and Caroline Sinegar high-five at practice. The girls’ tennis team is undefeated so far this season.

Game. Set. Match.

Girls’ tennis team aces its way to state story by Josh Imholte, Abby Beauregard and Jacob Sprankle • photos provided by Anna Maria Gardiner The girls’ varsity tennis team’s dream of making it to the state championship now looks like a reality.

Despite a close round of matches with TL Hannah at state last year, the team wasn’t able to pull off a victory.

With five seniors of the team’s 12-member roster, the girls know it’s “go big or go home” this year.

“We are more focused than ever,” senior Caroline Sinegar said. “This season is really important--especially for our seniors."

Making it to the state championship is an impor-

28 | Fall 2014 | SPORTS

tant but attainable goal for a team that has made appearances in the there for the past two years. But they have yet to bring home a first-place trophy.

"I believe these girls can get the state title this year,” coach Gina Hilts said, “as long as they believe in themselves and fight until the end of every match."

The girls know they will have to practice hard to achieve this goal, and say they hope to make strides both on and off the court.

“I hope to become a stronger person,” senior Haley Owens said, “not only men-

tally but as a tennis player as well."

In order to do that, the team must have dedication and practice on technique.

"Because we are competitively going for the state title, this season is going to be a lot more intense,” Caroline said.

In addition to the team's goals, individual players say they want to improve their own play, including sophomore Sam Calais, the only court to eke out a victory at last year’s ill-fated match.

"For me personally, I want to improve on my serve and have more consistent points,” Sam said. “As a

team, I think it would be really good to just continue building unity.”

Even if the team makes it to state, there is no guarantee of a victory or even a shot to play. Last year Caroline Sloop had to forfeit because of asthma problems.

But being on the tennis team is about more than just winning. Players say it helps to create strong young athletes both on and off the court.

"I want to finish [my senior] season knowing I did the best I could and leave on a positive note," Haley said.

"With our dedication, I also hope to gain a state title.”

Girls' Tennis Scoreboard Date Aug. 26 Sept. 3 Sept. 9 Sept. 11 Sept. 16 Sept. 18 Sept. 23 Sept. 25 Sept. 30 Oct. 1 Oct. 6 Oct. 7 Oct. 9 Oct. 14 Oct. 16 Oct. 22

Ace:

Tennis Terms

A serve that the returner doesn't even touch with her racquet. An ace wins the point immediately for the server.

Backhand:

Opponent AC Flora Hammond AC Flora River Bluff Ridge View Spring Valley Westwood Blythewood Lugoff-Elgin Irmo Ridge View Spring Valley Westwood Blythewood Lugoff-Elgin Laurens

Score 6-0 W 6-0 W 6-0 W 6-0 W 6-0 W 6-0 W 6-0 W 6-0 W 6-0 W 4-2 W 6-0 W 5-1 W 6-0 W 5-1 W 6-0 W 6-0 W

Lob:

A shot that you hit with any stroke high and deep into your opponent's court. You typically use a lob to get the ball past an opponent when she stands at the net.

The side of your body that you usually don’t do business on.

Netpost: For example, if you’re right- The two very hard metal posts handed, your backhand side is that hold up the net. the left side of your body.

Baseline:

Overhead:

A shot you hit over your head The line, parallel to the net, during play, either on the fly, which defines the outer- or after the ball bounces. The most edge of the court. overhead is also known as a smash.

Center Line:

The line in the direct center of Passing Shot: the baseline. You must stand A forehand or backhand you to either side of the baseline hit past an opponent when when you serve. she stands at the net.

Terms and court graphic from the Tennis for Dummies Cheat Sheet

SPORTS | Fall 2014 | 29

Fear the Foxes story by Abby Beauregard, Josh Imholte and Jacob Sprakle  photo by Jacob Sprankle

W

ith last year’s state championship in the rear view mirror and this year’s state championship ahead of them, the varsity football team is feeling the pressure.

Along with the success of last year, the Silver Foxes anticipate another record season after a strong start, dominating Greenwood 4519, Ridgeview 41-7 and Sumter 59-7.

“I think we did really well on offense and defense [against Greenwood],” junior Bryan Singleton said. “There were a couple of turnovers, but overall we still did pretty well and we were able to get the win.”

After practicing throughout the summer and creating new plays, the team is full of confidence, and has faith in its ability to win games and have a successful season.

“Our strengths [at the Greenwood game] were making plays. We all made plays on offense and on defense,” sophomore Bobby Irby said.

If the first half of the season is an indicator of how the rest of the games will go, the Silver Foxes have a solid chance to make it back to Williams-Brice (as they have for the past two years). After their first state championship win last year against Sumter, both the school and the team have even higher expectations.

And with high expectations comes a lot of pressure for players to repeat last year’s season, or even the

2012-13 season, in which the Foxes made it to State for the first time.

Despite losing starting quarterback Derek Olenchuk, players are still confident they can pull off a winning season.

“Everybody knows we can do it again,” senior Brandon Turner said. “We have the players on offense and defense to win it. And the coaching staff is great.”

With a top-notch team, experienced coaches and Dutch Fork’s favorite senior running back Matt Colburn, who recently committed to the University of Louisville, the school and the community sees another championship ring for the team.

But despite expert coaching and players’ natural talent, the team has to focus on making consistently solid plays.

“We just have to continue making plays, giving up less points, and less turnovers,” Bobby said.

Even though the Foxes appear to be on track for a winning season, there is still room for improvement.

But even with close losses against Allen, Tx. and Dorman, the Foxes’ undefeated winning streak at home puts the team well on its way to success.

“I’m convinced that we’ll be back-to-back champs this year,” Brandon said. “We’ve got the momentum and the potential and just the overall attitude to do great again this year.”

Junior Dominique Benson blocks Irmo’s kick during the rivaly game Oct. 3. Dutch Fork won 27-7.

SPORTS | Fall 2014 | 31