Volume 1 Issue 2 May 2014
In The Middle
INSIDE IN THE MIDDLE
Teacher Profile page 2
Terra Nova and Duke TIPS page 2
Ask Arizona page 3
Student Profile page 3
Sound of Music Photo Essay pages 4-5
Spring Break page 6
The transition to freshman year can be challenging Amya’ Gainey Journalist
Transitioning from middle school to high school is a scary thought. Who am I going to sit with at lunch? Will any of my friends be in my classes? What is the workload going to be like? These are all questions that run through an 8th graders’ mind while thinking of high school. The classes are very different freshman year than they are in middle school. For starters, the classes are 1 ½ hours instead of the usual 45 minute classes. Secondly, the lunch time changes from 12:15 to 10:50. As a freshman you also have to deal with not having a study hall already set into your schedule. Freshman year is the time to start getting very serious about your transcript, in other words, how you look on paper. Elite colleges such as Duke, North Carolina State, University of North Carolina, and Davidson all look for that person who has a lot to offer. “They (Colleges) want you to excel in aca-
demics, have lots of community service hours, and also participate in different clubs and extracurricular activities. Colleges would rather you get A’s in regulars classes than be in honors and fail. Each year of high school you should advance in your classes and not stay at the same level of academics,” Guidance Counselor Greg Lineberger stated.
Being able to manage your time is also very key. For instance, being an exceptional athlete and student can be very hard to juggle. “Take a study hall. The homework is a lot different than middle school. It’s hard to juggle both a sport and honors classes. If you procrastinate, then everything piles up, and you will basically drown from all the
Photo by Olivia Kinser Above: Freshmen Jake Hardman, Alec Parsons, Noah Perault, and Chris Martin recite the poem “O Captain, My Captain” in Mrs. Isenhour’s 9th grade English class.
work,” says freshman Matthew Hobbs, who runs cross country and plays basketball. Most freshmen come into high school scared of the upperclassmen, but because of the warm and comfortable environment here, students have nothing to worry about. The upperclassman try to be mentors and also
look after underclassmen as though they are family. “I was scared at first because I was homeschooled and I heard that upperclassmen could be bullies, but when I came they embraced me and made it an easy transition,” Fajha Bradford said.
4 Tips for Freshies 1. Pick classes that you will excel in. 2. Do your homework the night it’s assigned. 3. Get used to having 11/2 hour classes. 4. Don’t have too much going on at one time.
Terra Nova testing helps math & sci- Teacher Profile: ence gifted students with Duke TIPS Mrs.Janice White Kinzi Templeton Journalist You may not know it, but academically gifted students who scored 95% or higher in the math/science section of the Terra Nova test in 6th grade qualified for the Duke TIP (Talent Identification Program) in the 7th grade.
Congratulations to those who qualified and tested in the Duke TIPS!
Riley Aiken Robert Brouillard Lauren Burke Hamilton Cooper Michael Honrine Cailan Jefferson Noah Laney Lauren Burke, who qualified, ied in length. “I don’t remember said there were some things she the exact number, but it was did not expect. about 7 or 8 tests, each from ten minutes to an hour long.” “I didn’t expect high schoolers to be there while I was taking the The difficulty depended on if test. Also, I didn’t expect that I the student had been taught the would have to register and find material. the room I was in on my own,” she shared. “Some parts were confusing if I hadn’t learned it yet, but other Several tests were given that var- than that it was easy.”
Terra Nova Testing Preparation Tips Bring two pencils to class that day.
Be calm, and be confident, don’t doubt yourself. Eat a good breakfast the morning before the test. Ask the instructor to clarify any things that you may be confused about. Don’t stress when people finish before you. Pace yourself and don’t rush to finish. Check to make sure you answered of your questions. Use process of elimination. Erase any unwanted marks. Recheck your work if you finish early.
all
7th Grade English Amaria Greene Journalist
Growing up in North Carolina, Mrs. Janice White always knew that she wanted to be a teacher. White loved school and new things.
enjoyed learning
“I was an excellent student,” White said, “until I got to eleventh grade and I began to play around and goof off. Then I got myself back together by the time I was in 12th grade.” White is encouraging, joyful, and family- o r i e nt e d . She knew she would love her job as a teacher since she was a little girl; and she loves it even more now.
I Bet You Didn’t Know... • plays on a softball team in the summer • loves all sports • played piano • hates to shop • has 6 grandchildren • loves to get pedicures • grew up in Charlotte • has been teaching for 40 years • taught at Hickory Grove Elementary and Clear Creek Elementary
ASK
ARIZONA I have been friends with this guy for a long time. Even though we are close friends, he’s been ignoring me lately. I try to talk to him, but it’s like he doesn’t want me to be his friend anymore. But I really don’t want to lose my friend! What should I do? ~Confused Friend I can see that this is a person that you really care about. I think you may be trying too hard for this friendship. Don’t look too desperately for friends… maybe that’s the reason he’s ignoring you. Let time do it’s job and always be nice and say “Hi” as you pass in the hallway, and maybe he’ll notice how great of a friend you were. Open up to God about this relationship, also. Pray for His wisdom. It sounds like this is a person who was never really a true friend in the first place. ~Ask Arizona
W hat ’s
Why do people blush?
It’s caused by dilation in the blood vessels in your cheeks increasing blood flow, giving the cheeks a red hue.
your burning Question? What is a quick cure for hiccups?
1- take a deep breath 2- exhale deeply 3- take two sips of water Student Profile: McKinley Meeks Morgan Davis Journalist
In the performing arts department, it is hard to stand out. McKinley Meeks is one who does because of her voice.
She has had struggles with her soccer schedule. It was difficult for her to weave between practices and games and practicing higher octaves to improve her voice. “There are some times when I can’t hit the notes I need to and it’s really challenging for me.”
She is involved in chorus and is Through all of her struggles, she very talented. She was about four keeps going, showing who she years old when she started to love really is. singing. “I personally love singing be“Everywhere I went I was singcause I can express my emoing,” Meeks shared. tions.”
“I personally love singing because I can express my emotions.”
The Stage is alive with The Sound of Music Fine Arts Department students brought the popular musical The Sound of Music to the HG North Campus stage on April 4 at 6:30 pm and April 5 at 2:00 pm. The musical was directed by Verna Clark (music/ acting), Brandy Caton (dance), & Taylor Above: The nuns sing about their constant problems Caton (orchestra). with Maria with “How to Solve a Problem like a Ma-
Photography by Wesley Reed Photo Essay by Wesley Smith
ria.” The nuns got special tutoring from Tracey Fisher to sing the powerful opening number, “Preludium,” which is in Latin.
Right: Rofl’s stunt double (Josh Davis) and Liesl Von Trapp (Seagle) have a flirtatious moment while dancing to “Sixteen going on Seventeen.” Rofl (Caleb Davis) had his twin brother dance with Liesl. The audience was fooled and did not even realize the switch.
Above: Captain Von Trapp (Kyle Riggs) and Maria (HeatherClark) realize their love for each other and decide to elope. “I tried to internalize the situations and emotions surrounding her and emote as best I could a good rendition of Maria,” Clark said about how she approached her character.
Above: Maria (Clark) and Liesl (Bethany Seagle) sing about how waiting for love is not a bad thing. “I approached her like myself and just took the differences and exaggerated them,” Seagle said about how she approached her character. Left: Mother Abbess (Ava Furr) encourages the Von Trapp family to call on God and “climb every mountain” during a time of trying to escape the Nazis. “(The performance) was amazing. You truly get swept up in the moment and feel the same emotions as your character would,” Furr said.
Above: Alex Shelton (near) and Ryan Nelson (far) play one of several parts to assemble an orchestra. The cast enjoyed having the orchestra during rehearsal to have a glimpse of the final product. “We practiced as soon as we got the music. Everybody went home and practiced, and we had rehearsals after school like drama did. You listen to it until you hate it, then you end up falling in love with it. We miss it,” Music Director Taylor Caton said about how he approached his part of this big musical.
Left: The Von Trapp girls (L to R: Seagle, Abigayle Phipps, Gracie Pyke, Ariana Arocho and Bethany McVey) happily invite Maria into their family. “I like middle schoolers in general. And as one of the kids, I wanted to actually feel that emotion that you have towards a brother or sister, so after I got to know the two girls, we become three peas in a pod. They are both silly but kind, and perfectly selected for the roles. All seven (including Caleb Lemmons and Jonathan Arocho) of us truly acted like a family even when we were’t at rehearsal,” Phipps said about her relationship with all of those in Von Trapp children roles. Left: The priest (Matthew McLeod) marries Maria (Clark) and Captain Von Trapp (Riggs). Timothy Riggs, Kyle’s father, helped tremendousily with the set backstage and helped get the set on fast and effectively. Left: Max Detweiller (Kyle Feeney) entered the Von Trapp children into the Kaltzberg Festival secretly, hoping the unapproving father wouldn’t find out. Max was a success with the audience, continually making them laugh with his whimsical behavior.
Above: The Von Trapp family uses the festival to escape the strong hold of the Nazis. “I think the actors and actresses captured it by the reality of their characterization and I think they felt what they were performing. They were really visualizing it because the sound of music comes from real people. It’s based off of a real story,” Director Clark said on how the actors gave the feeling of the intense fear the last few scenes gave.
Quick Facts
Above: Baroness Elsa (Caitie Wright) watches as the Von Trapp children sing a song for her.
197.25 collective hours were put
Left: Maria teaches in the show. the children how to An excess of 200 people were sing with the song “Do, Re, Mi”. Maria, present each show. Captain, and the Both night’s were sold out . Von Trapp children continually went on All of the set was handmade by Ron their own accord and King and the maintenance staff. practiced their parts over and over again. Many of the costumes were made by
Liisa Pyke and Beth Tison.
Spring Break Destinations Lauren Burke Journalist
Spring Break, the week of freedom we all wait for. Some people went to the beach, to visit relatives, or even just stayed at home. Either way, it was a time to have fun and spend time with loved ones. A survey was taken of how many students were going somewhere for Spring Break, and where they were going.
Farthest Travelers:
6th grade
The Bahamas
Adrianna Stowe, 8th grade
South Africa
Mrs. Janice White, 7th grade teacher
Jamaica
Parker Sciolino, 6th grade
7th grade
8th grade