Pitchfork, Issue 2, 2022-2023 Dec. 2, 2022

ITCHFORK THE

Marietta High School

Etinosa Ogbomo Managing Editor

The recent midterm elections concluded with Democrats performing well against Republican candidates. Democrats held off GOP challenges in key states like Nevada and Arizona, and flipped Pennsylvania’s Republican-held seat, granting the party a true majority in the Senate. Since 1922, there have been three previous in stances of the President’s party gaining Senate seats and losing fewer than 10 House seats in the president’s first midterm.

Georgia midterm election ends in runoff, uncertainty Blue Devils refuse to slow down

Typically, the political party that controls the White House faces losses in midterm elections, but 2022 saw Democrats consolidating political territory. Democrats’ performance this year has funneled down to the state level as well. This will be the first time since 1934 that the presi dent’s party had a net gain of governorships in a president’s first midterm.

Many political pundits attribute the lack of strong Republican performance to unpopular ‘extremist’ rhetoric and an affiliation with for mer President Trump. Polls show that six in ten people who identify as Republicans still hold the belief that President Biden was not the le gitimate winner of the 2024 Presidential Elec tion, and the majority of American citizens are finding it difficult to rally behind candidates that echo anti-democratic sentiments. Election de niers faced overwhelming losses in battleground states, with a disproportionately large number of Republicans pushing rhetoric that Democrats are not the true winners of their elections.

Continue to pg. 4 for “Elections”

Girls and boys cross country sweep state championship title

As the teams gathered at the starting line, voices around the course lowered as families and fans waited anxiously for the race to start. People gathered in every available space, pushing their way as close to the course as possible. Directions are given, the flag is raised, the gun goes off, and they run.

Coach Coleman, the cross ountry coach at Marietta for the past 22 years, praised the team and their champion ship wins.

“The hard work of the student ath letes [is what makes the team success ful.] Most of the varsity runners work year round in running, and that is why we are successful,” Coleman said.

The teams were able to advance to the state championships races due to their wins at region on Oct. 22. The boys have been region champions for eight years in total, and the girls backto-back champs for two years. In the top ten, five Marietta varsity boys placed first, third, sixth, eighth, and tenth. As well, five varsity girls placed second, third, sixth, seventh, and eighth.

Mary Nesmith (9) placed third in the varsity girls race at region.

“I feel like we were pretty happy with how we did,” Nesmith said. “I am happy with how I did and I hope that we can all keep it up for our future races.”

In addition, the boys did not only win

region as a team, senior Jared Forten berry (12) won first place in the region race.

“I was stoked to win region,” he said. “Despite winning and placing at state many times, we had never won region, so it felt good to be able to call our selves champs.”

Both teams advanced to the state competition in Carrollton. The boys and girls won the state championship with Jared Fortenberry coming in second for the boys at 16:38.93, and Maddie Jones coming in second for the girls at 19:15.03.

Advanced Theatre wins One Act Play Region Championship

Alex Kelly Staff Writer

“When you look at the back cover of a book, does it tell you about everything that’s in the book?” This is one of the many hard-hitting quotes from the region cham pion One Act play, “Back Cover.” On Oct. 29 Marietta High’s Advanced Theater won first place.

“I selected Back Cover after reading through numerous plays last spring. I visit ied Ground Zero six months after 9/11, and this play inspired me to share the story of a person who was affected by the events of that day,” Director Holly Smith said.

“Back Cover” highlights the life of Mad ison, a 14-year-old girl who has moved with her mother to New York after her parent’s divorce. The role was played by Savvy Dixon (11). The story is told from the perspective of Madison’s older self, played by Kindle Martin (12).

Madison finds a box of letters written by Jessica Walsh. Jessica is found to have a similar experience to Madison as she has had to move to New York due to the loss of her mother. Their experiences and opin ions mirror each other. Madison looks up to Jenifer as a heroine following her every act. In a twist of events, after using clues from the letters, Madison finds that Jessica was a victim of the 9/11 tragedy and debates whether to tell her story for her school’s 9/11 project.

This play tugged at the heartstrings of the audience by portraying multiple accounts of the incident in a poetic gesture. This highlighted the overwhelming feelings of uncertainty that were felt on 9/11. “Back Cover” conveys how normal life was be fore the shaking events by portraying something that families across the country go through every day, separation. “Back Cover” revealed themes of fear, hope, and injustice.

Continue to pg. 11 for “One Act”

Maddie Jones (10) and Mary Nesmith (9) start the second lap in the top five at the state race in Carrollton. They finished in second and fifth place, respectively, contributing to the state championship win. Photo by Amelia Jenkins

Amelia Jenkins Staff Writer

Marietta, Georgia

Kindle Martin (12), as Madison, performs a monologue about her younger self reflecting on 9/11. Martin won Region One Act Play Best Actor in a Female Role. Photo by Alexandria Kelly

November, the month of giving thanks. It is a time of year that brings recognition and gives thanks with Thanksgiving and Veterans Day. People’s attitudes change to more positive vibes because it is getting closer to the holidays. It is a joyful time of year that should be enjoyed by everybody, but that is not possible if every one cannot afford to have a Thanksgiving or holiday cel ebration. As a result, this time of year shows an increase in people giving back to the ones that are in need as a way of demonstrating that they are thankful for every thing they have.

The question that often comes with giving back or supporting causes to be a ‘helpful human’ is not know ing if people are doing it with purely good intentions or if they are also participating to help themselves.

Over the years, as social media has developed more, people have found ways of making themselves look good for the sake of media instead of for the sake of the cause.

Being a helpful human can consist of people taking time out to help someone as it relates to their school, job or community. These good people are usually rec ognized over social media and they are praised as doing good for others. Being recognized for doing something

good is a warm, fuzzy feeling that causes others to want to have it also. It is similar to FOMO, the fear of missing out.

just to give them a new pair of airpods. Actions like that are unnecessary. If he really wanted to surprise a person with new airpods, then he doesn’t have to create a staged and dramatic situation. These videos are recorded and posted on social media as a way of getting clout. More views, followers and likes, benefits the person creating the content more than the people they are ‘helping.’ It is hard trying to determine who is actually being a truly helpful human and who is not.

People can post on social media working with differ ent organizations or giving back to different communi ties as a way of spreading information to help others. For example, different organizations around Marietta use social media as a way to encourage others to come out and help. Our school has the Student Life Center that helps students and their way of connecting with stu dents is through Instagram and Twitter. This is actually helpful.

TikTok is a prime example of people taking advantage of trying to get recognized as being a good person. For example, there is a guy who will go up to random people that have regular earbuds with the cord and cut them

Thoughts on helping others while helping your image

Ellie Smith (11) My brother deals with this type of stuff, people taking photos and acting fake. But all it does is make him, and every other neurodivergent kid out there, feel bad.

Ann Marie Stevens (12) If you’re clout-chasing, you end up messing things up with those around you, especially those you’re trying to “help.”

So how can we find this balance of determining who is giving back for the right reasons? That question might never be answered, but we have to trust that people can do the right thing in order to make the world a better place by helping others not just themselves.

Share Your Gratitude

‘Tis the season of thanksgiving. Just SCAN the QR code to share your gratitude for something or someone at MHS or in the Marietta community.

Pitchfork will spread the gratitiude and share on @mhspitchfork social media and Good Morning Marietta.

Pitchfork is published by journalism students at Marietta High. It is free to the student body, staff and community. The views and opinions expressed in the Pitchfork are not necessarily those of the administration and faculty. Letters to the editor should be brought to room J208 or emailed to the staff: pitchfork@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

Mission Statement: Pitchfork is a student written and produced newspaper aimed at educating, enlightening, and entertaining Marietta High’s students. All content is determined by the staff in an attempt to be relevant and give voice to the student body.

Staff Writers

Adalyn Law

Addison Moreland

Aidan Allegro

Alex Kelly

Amber Ryan

Amelia Jenkins

Icy McFall

Kaia Kirkpatrick

Lauren Kelley

Lily Konigsmark

Mae Bullington

Quinn Mulkey

Sydney Hernandez

Sydney Martinez

Trinity Seals

Mareka Stringfellow (9)

Can I ask you a question about the parking lot?

Wesley Harrison Editor-in-Chief

Every morning I endure high levels of stress in the Marietta High School parking lot. The parking lot only works on a loose ly agreed social contract. Students run in front of and in-between cars, parents park in student’s spots and hold up traffic, and it’s all very unorganized.

I fall into the group of carpoolers, where I spend an extreme amount of time waiting to get through the roundabout. Every day

I spend upwards of 15 minutes traveling from Whitlock Avenue to my first block class. The thing that makes me the angriest when going through the line is the large number of people who turn left before right before the entrance to the round about. When these singular cars stop, the entire line behind them has to wait for their kid to get out and then for them to turn left before they can continue with their dropoff. It is inconsiderate of other people’s time and slows down students’ attempts to get to class. In addition to the problems before the warning bell rings, after 7:40 there is a mass in flux of students from the parking lot moving into the school all at once. This huge group stifles movement in the entire parking lot. The bottleneck that occurs at the doors blocks

Don’t just do something, stand there!

Etinosa Ogbomo Managing Editor

Purchasing and consuming alcoholic beverages. Attending casinos. Renting cars. 18 year olds are unable to participate in every single one of the aforementioned activities. Why? Because an 18 year old’s brain is still in its developmental phase. Generally, teenagers are deemed too irresponsible to be trusted with important decisions. The purpose of agebased restrictions isn’t to punish the teenager, or infringe on individual liberty, but rather to ensure the safety of both teens and fellow citizens. The truth is that there are certain activities that should be reserved for individuals with life experience; individuals who can responsibly act based on wisdom rather than impulse.

We understand this principle within the context of day-to-day life, yet as a nation we’ve failed to apply this idea in perhaps the most consequential field: politics. As a country, we’ve presuppositionaly embraced ‘democratic ideals’ to the point that we fail to critically evaluate certain norms. If you’re reading this article, and you’re 18 years old (or perhaps even a few years younger), turn to your peers and ask them the following questions: “What are the true political leanings of each candidate? How did the incumbent previously vote? How has the governor implemented policy to better Georgia? And how did the governor’s opponent plan to alter existing policy?”

The results, I’m sure, will yield the following truth: teenagers know frighteningly lit tle about our political landscape. And why should they care to be knowledgeable? The vast majority of teenagers live in their parents’ home. Most teenagers don’t provide the major source of income for their family. Teenagers don’t understand, or care to under stand, political realities because oftentimes teens feel that policy doesn’t affect them.

Recently, I heard a fellow student remark that “It doesn’t matter who we vote for because what they do doesn’t make a big difference.”

A student that believes the candidate voted into office doesn’t make a difference doesn’t only have blissful ignorance, but dangerous ideology. That student will vote carelessly and possibly endanger our future because of their lack of knowledge.

Let me be clear: I am not advocating for a change in voting age. There are many in formed 18 year olds who will research candidates before making a decision regarding who they vote for. There are many students who are knowledgeable about political realities and processes. Instead, we should reevaluate the way we think about voting. Perhaps there are instances in which not voting can actually improve our government, and subsequently the health of our nation.

“Don’t just stand there! Do something!” adults often say. Maybe — for the majority of teenagers — we shouldn’t just do something, but rather take time to stand there. Ob serve the world. Learn about politics. And when the time comes; make your decision based on an informed viewpoint.

the carpool line from moving forward, stopping later arriving students from dropping their students off close to the school, and the walk can cause them to be late to class.

People have expressed that they would like to have officers controlling traffic on the way to the high school. They believe this would help less students be tardy due to the multiple traffic lights on the way to school. However, this would not work because Whit lock Avenue is a state highway, This would greatly inhibit the flow of traffic for all the other people using the highway.

Some people might say that we should simply take the bus to school, but the early bus route time lower the amount of sleep students can get depending on how early their stop is. This can inhibit their productivity throughout the day and harm their sleep schedule.

That leaves me with this question: how can the parking lot system be improved?

In my opinion, the problem stems from a need for more clear communication about the policies for the carpool line at the school. If there were clear procedures that were communicated to students and parents before the beginning of the school year, there would be less confusion about how to do drop off and pick up. The constant changes to the protocols also cause major impediments to the betterment of the system as a whole.

What do you think can be done about the carpool line? Let me know your opinion on Instagram @mhspitchfork or email pitchfork@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

Don’t just stand there, do something!

Dylan Buehner Business Manager

My generation is barred from today’s politics. Which is a shame, as we are one of the most knowledgeable generations to ever exist. We have so much information at our fingertips that, compared to prior generations, we are leagues ahead. 18-year-olds back in the sixties had very little knowledge of what was happening outside their state let alone globally. But today, Generation Z knows nearly everything about ev ery country at any given moment. People try to say that we don’t understand politics or that we’re too young for such things, but I disagree.

We’ve grown up in an age where politics surrounds us. We understand when a talking head on the news is lying to our face or when an outlet is cherrypicking data to make their audience feel better. Yet every other generation treats us like mouth-breath ing, phone-addicted twerps, not a part of the fake reality they created for themselves.

We get told by politicians that they represent the youth and that they want what is best for us. Yet time and time again, we are either not let into the conversation or ac tively demeaned during it. Whether it be school funding, public transportation, climate change, or economic policy, my generation is stuck at the little kid’s table while the “adults” burn the house down.

Things need to change, and voting is the stepping stone to do so. 18-year-olds need to get out and vote for the people that represent them. Anyone that says that young people should sit on the sidelines and watch is just trying to undermine our freedoms. The main way to get old people out of power is by having young people vote for younger leaders. But the young people we elect still are not us. You must be 35 to run in most major elections, but I believe that said age requirement should be dropped to 25. This might sound drastic, but you have to remember that we would not be putting just any 25-year-old into office, we’d be putting the brightest 25-year-olds on the ballot. Those that have revolutionary ideas to better our society without the baggage that comes with age.

On top of that, we need to have stricter term limits and age limits. 80-year-olds should not be representing entire states, and the same person shouldn’t be in power for 20 years. Most professional jobs age out employees in their 60s so why do we have people 20-plus that running our country?

Young people are starting to get to the age where they can vote, and I predict that we are going to see a dramatic decrease in ages across government positions. I hope that with these young minds in office, things will actually get done, and we won’t be bossed around by people who do not understand the danger they are putting us and their great-grandchildren in.

Continued from pg. 1 “Elections”

Though the Nation generally saw strong Democrat success, Georgia remained a “purple” state, with neither party firmly controlling policy. Typically, the Republicans control Georgia, but in recent years there has been a shift away from Georgia residents’ endorsement of the GOP. In the Gubernatorial race, Incumbent Brian Kemp defeated Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams. Kemp received 53.4 percent of the vote, whereas Abrams received only 45.8 percent of the vote, placing the governorship in the hands of Republicans. The senate race saw different results, with Democrat Raphael Warnock winning a plurality of the vote but not the majority needed to retain his spot as a senator. The senate was previously split 50-50, with the Vice President being the deciding vote in passing contentious partisan proposals.

The Georgia senate race was in the national spotlight because it's one of the deciding factors in which party controls the senate. Raphael Warnock received 49.4 percent of the vote, while Herschel Walker received 48.5 percent of the vote. The election snow balled into a runoff. Overall, there will be 33 Senate seats up in 2024. Democrats will be defending 23 of them, compared to 10 for the Republicans. If the Democrats hope to defend their senate majority, they need to begin to make gains in the senate that extend beyond a slim majority.

The importance of the race can best be seen in the actions of the two parties to gain the upper hand— Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger pushed to disallow counties from submitting early voting ahead of next month’s Senate runoff election, and subsequently Warnock’s campaign and the Democrats are suing the state of Georgia. The lawsuit, filed on Nov. 14 by the Democratic Party of Georgia and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign, challenges the state’s finding that it would be illegal to hold early voting on Nov. 26, the day after a state holiday. The lawsuit says the state’s interpreta tion hurts Warnock in particular because Democrats tend to push early voting more than Republicans.

“Illegal attempts to block Saturday voting are another desperate attempt by career politicians to squeeze the people out of their own democracy and to silence the voices of Georgians,” Quentin Fulks, Warnock’s campaign manager, said in a statement. “We’re aggressively fighting to protect Georgia voters’ ability to vote on Saturday,” Fulks said.

Raffensperger, Secretary of State, dismissed the lawsuit as mere politics.

“Senator Warnock and his Democratic Party allies are seeking to change Georgia law right before an election based on their political preferences,” he said. “Instead of mud dying the water and pressuring counties to ignore Georgia law, Senator Warnock should be allowing county election officials to continue preparations for the upcoming runoff."

Under Georgia’s 2021 election law, there will be only four weeks before the runoff — with Thanksgiving in the middle. Many Georgians will be offered only five weekdays of early in-person voting beginning Nov. 28. And June’s primary runoffs showed time for mail ballots to be received and returned can be very tight.

Raffensperger and Deputy Secretary of State Gabriel Sterling had initially said they expected at some counties would offer voting on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. State law requires at least five weekdays of early in-person balloting beginning Monday, Nov. 28, but also directs Georgia’s 159 counties to open early in-person voting “as soon as possible” in a runoff.

But Sterling told The Associated Press in an interview that officials had researched the law and concluded that it would be illegal to hold early voting on a day after a state holiday. Thanksgiving and the following Friday are both state holidays. Raffensperger’s office followed up Saturday with an official election bulletin to the counties setting the position into writing.

The plaintiffs say Raffensperger’s interpretation “misreads” and “cherry-picks” the law.

While Warnock hopes to retain his senate seat through extension of early voting during the runoff election, the Republicans hope to aid Walker through financial means. A super PAC (political action committee) announced on Nov. 15 that they would spend $14.2 million to boost Herchsel Walker in the coming runoff election. The PAC has already contributed over $40 million to Walker's campaign.

"SLF is all-in on electing Herschel Walker to the Senate...we are pulling out the stops to win Georgia and beat the Democrats," said SFL President Steven Law in a statement.

If elected, Herschel Walker would be the second African-American senator in Georgia, and the first Republican African-American Georgia senator.

The Presidential election shifted the traitionally-red Georgia to a swing state that neither party can claim, and the run-off election will be an important race from recent years — either the Democrats firmly hold their majority, or the Republicans take control of Congress.

Student Opinions on Midterm Elections

"I feel like it doesn't make much sense that we have a runoff elec tion. It's kind of like 'wow, how did we come to this.' Personally, I'm really tired of all the election ads and youtube videos with the candidates dissing each other. I am glad that I'm 18, though."

"The election frankly surprised me. I thought that there was a clear person who should have won, but it got really really close.

I think it's funny that the election detiorated into candidates talk ing about whether they were 'vampire or werewolf' people."

"I'm glad that the election hap pened, I obviously believe in democracy. I did not want a cer tain candidate to win, though, and I was a bit frightened that the election got as close as it did. The background of the candidates said a lot about their character."

Kristin Wells (12)

"I do feel like neither of the can didates should have run, they both had a lot of character flaws. I'm happy that I'm old enough to vote now, and I enjoyed getting the sticker for voting."

Cyaoni Thomas (12)

Ava Bussey (11)

Stefan Korey (12)

Morning traffic congestion wreaks havoc

Wesley Harrison Editor-in-Chief

Every weekday morning, students share one responsi bility, getting to school before 7:45 a.m. There are many different ways for students to get to school, the majority of which involve traveling across Whitlock Avenue, the highway that Marietta stands on.

This highway causes many problems for people trying to get to school. However, both the city and the school are working to change that. The city has made adjustments to the traffic signal timing during rush periods of the day.

They have received requests for longer turn lanes and such but these items will not work.

“Most of the issues have to do with students travel routes through neighborhoods that we can’t regulate,” said Mark Rice, director of public works for Marietta City.

They installed all of the traffic calming devices that can be installed on the routes to the high school so it is now an enforcement issue with Marietta Police. However, people

failing to follow these DOT devices cause danger and risk for both parents and students.

The intersections causes bottlenecks on the entrance to the high school, which stifles traffic. There are also bot tlenecks surrounding the dropoff points at school where many people get stuck.

“Traffic is terrible in the morning because of the parents who block streets or park in our parking slots instead of going to the car rider line,” said McKenzie Hibbler (12).

The heavy traffic is a more significant problem in the mornings. The cones that direct traffic are only present in the morning due to there being a higher amount of traffic. The heavy traffic can also be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic. When Marietta returned to in-person school ing, there were more car riders due to parents’ concern over sending their kid on a bus. The increase is still pres ent to this day. District and school staff are still navigating through the ever-present changes.

The Student Resource Officers (SROs) enforce the policies created by MCS.

-SRO Matt

Students’ problems with getting into school don’t end at Whitlock Ave. Students who drive to school also expe rience many troubles with getting through the parking lot in the morning.

“[The students] didn’t need to walk through that kind of intersection where your cars were turning left and causing kind of a little bit of a chaotic area there," Officer Matt Arrington said.

Many students have been marked tardy due to them not being able to get into or through the parking lot.

The parking lot and traffic situation is always changing based on district and city choices.

MSLC advocates for CobbLinc stop

Public transportation is constantly evolving, it is no longer just a bus line or taxi services. CobbLinc is a public transit service throughout Cobb County. The service has multiple different means of transport, including buses, car services, and senior citizen ser vices. The Marietta Student Life Center (MSLC) has been in contact with Cobb County in an attempt to establish a CobbLinc stop at the high school.

MSLC is attempting to give kids further access to public trans portation. Access to the CobbLinc would give students more access to opportunities like dual enrollment, work-based learning appren ticeships, and careers outside of school. It would also give families more access to the school. “That would be a benefit, not only to our

kids here but to the greater community to create some kind of public transportation,” MSLC Director Sarah Barbour said.

MSLC is working to introduce this stop by conducting a study of the student body. There is a google form collecting responses about student interest in CobbLinc. Students can express their want for a CobbLinc.

This form allows for the school to present a case to CobbLinc as to the need for a CobbLinc stop at the school.

“I think it’s more helpful since it’s on time, it’s more helpful to get [to and from] school,” said Hawanatu Ruffai (12).

Parents line up before school ends to pick up their children. They file into the teacher parking lot before 2:30pm.

Students walk into Marietta High School. They pass through the carpool line to get into the building. Photos by Wesley Harrison

“[The students] didn’t need to walk through that kind of intersection where your cars were turning left and causing kind of a little bit of a chaotic area there.”

Arrington

Students enter the high school from either Whitlock Avenue (hexagon) or Manning Road (square) where they then either travel through the carpool line or go to student parking Graphic by Wesley Harrison

Katelyn Seward

Katelyn Seward (10) is a MHS student who works at Publix where she has learned to balance her work and school life. She found out about the job opportunity through her cousins. An added bonus was the job location is close to her home. She believed it would be a good experience. She wanted to gain knowledge and expe rience to know what the workforce is like.

“It taught me how to be on time and punc tuality, and it taught me how to be more organized in everything,” Seward said.

Luke Fennelly

Luke Fennelly (10) is a sophomore at MHS who works at Willie Jewell’s bar becue restaurant. He has figured out how to balance being a working student and student athlete. He enjoys the staff and the environment that his job creates.

He has discovered how to keep up with his schoolworks while still being able to do what he loves.

“I mean, it’s difficult because I play sports too but as long as you have a schedule and have a time management plan, you’ll be al right,” said Luke Fennelly (10).

Seals Staff Writers

Opportunities at MHS

For those interested in finding a suitable part time job now or exploring a career for post-graduation, the Marietta High School career advisers have many opportunities to work and learn available. Located in J202, Mrs. Sparks and Mrs. Wilson are ready to assist.

Mrs. Wilson, the work-based learning coordinator, utilizes her class time to instruct and support students who are enrolled to work. She has a set amount of students on her roster that she instructs with work-based skills and the students work in the community. The class counts toward graduation requirements.

To be involved in the work-based learning program, students must be in 11th or 12th grade to participate. Once those requirements are met, students fill out an application and the process is individualized from there forward.

Mrs. Sparks is the career advisor. She coordinates outreach who brings people into the school to teach students schoolwide about various career opportunities available. She’s organized events such as the STEM Expo that was held in October. She also brings in ex perts for different CTAE courses to provide students with an example of workers in several industries.

Through the program, Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Sparks work with those in the community to assist students in the job-hunting process. With these connections, they can help students find jobs and see if companies that they are partnered with have positions available.

“Students can come into the career lab at any time to get assistance with looking for a job, how to properly apply for a job, how to interview for a job and if they need some interview attire,” Wilson said.

By applying for a job through MHS, students have a higher likelihood of getting their application acknowledged by the company they are applying to. Also, accommodations can be made with some companies to fit a student’s needs. For example, if a student is lack ing reliable transportation, then options can be explored or a virtual job can be arranged.

The career development program also offers various programs to expose students to dif ferent opportunities. For example, the Pizza With Professionals program is an event where students have lunch in the Career Classroom with a successful professional in an industry. The professional provides the pizza and it is an opportunity for students to ask questions and learn more about the field they are interested in.

Semanisin

Ansli Semanisin

Amber Ryan & Trinity

Ansli Semanisin School’s young jewelry business, business four opportunity to designed to help with the motto, a cause.”

“When I was lost free funding the schools were it again. One with that day next to me hadn’t depending on lies could not right,”

grader should time they get

Being a student employee requires a well-balanced use of time. Between homework, a work schedule, and maybe even a sport or other activities, it can be difficult to balance it all. Depending on the work schedule and type of job a student has, time management can be a challenge to balance. For example, a three hour shift at a local shop can leave a student sufficient time to spend on school work, but some students work eight hour shifts after attending school all day. Working students have varying methods to balance work, school and free time.

“Balancing work and school is really difficult due to timing and stuff, but I’m very lucky to have understanding bosses who get how heavy my workload is. They actually let me do my homework in my free time, and my job is really close to the school, so commuting is never a problem. I think the key to balanc ing work and school is finding time in your schedule for both,” Tiah Carthers (11) said.

Student athletes already have packed schedules with practices or conditioning after school almost every day. Then the majority of the day is occupied when it’s a game day.

“I usually work from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. and I get everything I need to do like homework and things on the weekend before I go to work and clock in. Then during the weekday I practice or whatever,” said Jamilo Morris (11)

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the U.S Department of Labor, 55.3% of youth ages 16-24 have jobs as of August 2022. So, many students deal with these same issues.

The Reality of Working

Having a job while also being a high school student can be difficult. Besides the obvious challenges, there are also benefits. Working teaches important skills such as time manage ment, discipline, and collaboration. Along with skill development, it can teach concepts such as understanding a work environment, and what life will be like after high school. Students gain different benefits in different ways that help them in their own individual lives.

Everyone works for a different reason, and those reasons are going to bring different outcomes. Some do it to have their own persomal money while others work to help support their families.

Students learn skills that can help them improve in school as well, such as understanding timeliness and the importance of organization. Jobs bring crucial experience into young lives, preparing them for the workload of the future, and can help make applications for college, and future jobs stronger.

Making a profit from working a job also helps student workers to save for important expenses such as college, desired trips, cars, or anything they feel their hard earned money is worth. Earning this profit is what inspires many kids to work.

“Working has taught me to have patience as well create better routines in my life. I’m inspired to work in order to have the things I want as well as having somewhere to be pro ductive,” said Amanda Bezerra (12).

Jobs create opportunities to lead a better and healthier lifestyle, stay active and keep or der. Students having motivation to purchase the things they want, can make them happier and allows them to reward themselves for the hard work they have accomplished.

Along with the struggles of keeping a schedule, working a job does teach crucial life skills and can also better future job opportunities. It can strengthen a resume and show future employers a person’s working capability and that they are able to balance both work and their personal lives.

The reality of work can be challenging but the outcome can be very beneficial. Students will know how to balance their work once they are out of highschool. By understanding what the actual working world is like, students can be prepared for their future and have a way to support it.

Semanisin (9) is one of Marietta High young entrepreneurs. She owns a business, Clay Cause. She began the years ago because she saw an to help others. Clay Cause was help support local MHS families motto, “Handmade clay earrings for was in sixth grade, that’s when we funding for breakfast and lunch, and were really pushing to sign up for of the teachers I was meeting day said to imagine if the person hadn’t eaten any meals and were on free food because their fami afford it and I thought it wasn’t Semanisin said. “I thought no sixth should have to worry about the next a hot meal.”

Having learned this information, she made the decision to talk to her mom about what was happening. They were already planning to make clay earrings for themselves, but An sli had an idea. They would sell the jewelry to support those in need, and Clay Cause was created.

The business has grown since it opened, but Ansli still has bigger goals in mind. She continues to handcraft carefully made ear rings and donates her profits to local chari ties and non-profit organizations. Clay Cause attribues much of its success to support it garners at pop-up shops throughout Mariett community. The next pop-up is at the Holiday Market at Session Stand on 380 North Ses sions St. Dec. 10.

Check out @claycause for details.

Sweet Season ends with Sweet Sixteen

Ada Chesney Business Manager

The varsity volleyball team qualified for the state champi onship tournament. In order to qualify, the team earned an over all regular season record of 16-12 and a regular season region record of 4-1. Ranked above McEachern High, North Paulding High and Harrison High, but below Hillgrove High, the team ranked second in the 7A Area 3 region.

“Compared to previous years… we are the strongest we have ever been. We’re more athletic and physical at every position,” Coach Black said. “Overall, we had a great year. We have the talent and athleticism to com pete against the best teams in the state.”

The first round of the state championship was on Oct. 18. Marietta beat Parkview High with

a score of 3-0. The second round was on Oct. 22, and Marietta played East Coweta High. The team lost in the second round with a score of 1-3, ending their season.

“We struggled with self-con fidence and believing that we could beat anyone we played,” Black said.

The varsity team is coached by Coach Jeff Black, who has been the head coach since 2018, and Coach Ashley Jones, who has been with the team since 2021. The team is composed of one freshman, five sophomores, seven juniors, and is led by senior captains, Caroline Owen and Lauren Giles.

“We have strong leadership from our senior captains and the juniors on the team,” Black said. “Losing our senior leaders, Caroline Owen and Lauren Giles, will hurt and we will miss them.”

Nicole Hurioglu (11) and Jaya Moore (11) stand out as the team’s MVPs this year.

Nicole has 55 aces from the serving line on 294 attempts, meaning 19 percent of her serves were aces. She is the best serve receive passer on the team with only 32 errors on 376 attempts. Nicole also leads the team with 220 digs on defense.

Jaya has 219 kills and 40 per cent of the time that Jaya attacks she scores. Jaya is also the team’s strongest blocker, with 52 total blocks, 10 solo and 42 assists, this season.

"I think for all of us nothing we say is just to criticize or just to say it, it's all for a reason," Jaya Moore (11) said. "So if we are lifting someone up or if we are saying hey fix that, it's construc tive criticism. I think everybody knows we are all working togeth er for the same goals."

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“I was in such awe and amazement,” Fortenberry said. “I didn’t know what the full story of how the race went until Skylar Mwaniki came up to me and told me, ‘I think you guys are up for the win.’ At this point we just waited for the results and when they announced it, I lost it.”

The team was all gathered together after the boy’s race when they announced they had gotten first place.

The runners on the team are chosen from how each boy and girl performs throughout the season. Seven runners make up each state team that competes. The boys’ state team consisted of Jared Fortenberry, Hines Doyle, Jack Baltz, Evan Grundmeyer, Jack Boland, Parker Pitts, and Evan Owens. The girls’ state team consisted of Maddie Jones, Mary Nesmith, Kristal McQueen, Nora Hart, Colette DePasquale, Gabi Comsudes, and Brooklyn McVicker.

“After state I was so happy with mine and the team’s performances,” Maddie Jones (10) said. “We had all done really well and we won for the third year in a row, it was a pretty great feeling.”

An important part of the race is what happens in the very beginning. A false start occurred at the beginning of the boy's state race and set some teams ahead, while others were affected nega tively. When a runner tripped and fell, all teams were forced to start back at the finish line and restart the race.

“The false start only affected us positively,” Fortenberry said. “As a team we were ready for everything and we even like to race with the worst possible conditions. So we were hyped up to know everyone had to go through these conditions and legitimately had to fight for the title.”

For many of the runners, hearing their fam ily and friends cheering them on only positively impacts them, rather than distracting them.

“When I hear my friends and family cheering, it is always really motivating. Everyone is always

so encouraging and it pushes me to try harder,” Nesmith said.

Jones also said that her friends and family cheer ing her on only makes her want to push herself more.

“When I hear my family and teammates cheer ing for me, I usually think ‘oh man, I wish I was cheering instead of racing right now,’ but in real ity, people cheering for me in a race helps me stay focused and run my hardest,” she said.

Many of the team’s bonding time happens at their pre-race traditions in addition to after school practices.

“We always have a pasta dinner before and we make ribbons for our hair,” Nesmith said. The team’s pasta dinner consists of everyone gather ing together, sharing a meal, and spending time together the night before the race.

As well, Jones talks about the team’s traditions minutes before the race begins.

“The team huddles up and does a team prayer, then we all put our hands together and yell, ‘Aw Sick!’ before the start of each race,” Jones said.

This year, many runners are also seniors which makes this experience, the team’s traditions, and the win more special to the team.

“Being a senior is very surreal,” Fortenberry said. “I’ve run on this team for so long it’s hard to believe it’s coming to an end. I’ve loved all the easy and hard times and just all the memories and experiences. I’ve made my best friends here and had many experiences with them that I will always remember.”

As well, the returning runners have a optimistic view of the future for the team.

“I am so excited for our team in the future,” Jones said. “We keep improving, so we will hope fully keep getting better and better, and we have a lot of younger girls that I look forward to seeing how they improve.”

The team’s cross country season has been exactly as they’ve planned, according to Coach Coleman, and they are optimistic about the future.

Jack Baltz (12) and Kristal McQueen (12) hold the state championship trophies while both teams claim the podium donning their medals after the awards ceremony.

Photos by Amelia Jenkins

The boys cross country team huddles together after the race waiting to find out the official results.

"I'm very proud of us for get ting as far as we did... I'm hoping that next year we will be able to push through and win that game and move on to the elite eight."

Peyton Konop (10)

"The

season ended

on such a postive note, though we did not make it as far as we wanted to. We had the most fun playing together."

Caroline Owen (12)

Nicole Hurioglu (11) recieves a serve and passes it to her teamate. Photos by Ada Chesney

Gabby Stanley (10) reaches for the ball and barely tips it over the net. Stanley had 32 total kills in the season.

Mary Jane Mayfield (11) serves the ball against Cart ersville High. Mayfield had a total of 22 aces this season.

"I feel like we [improved] from last year. Next year, I think we're gonna be really good because we got as far as we did this year."

Ryan Sadler (9)

Marietta City Schools' second annual Adapted Games

Sydney Martinez Staff Writer

The Adapted Games are a yearly opportu nity to commemorate special needs students dur ing Learning Disabilities Awareness Month. Consequently, Marietta City Schools held its second annual Adapted Games on Oct. 13. Students with disabilities, from grades preschool through 12th, were able to play, blend with one another, and bring a community of students together to celebrate.

There were many non-competitive games like soccer, bowling, 100-yard dash, javelin toss, cup stack, and many more adapted versions of games for students to enjoy. This year, special needs students from Emily Lembeck Early Learning Center were able to partici pate, making this year’s event bigger. It also allowed for the high school volunteers to be introduced to aspects of early childhood education.

“It was my second year, it was similar both years. There were also more people this year. I liked football the most. I always have fun," Siah “Si” Hickson (11), a student player, said.

High schoolers who are a part of Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) or in the sports medicine class were able to volunteer to interact with players. These students were able to coordinate games, set up stations, and even play with the students.

“I had to pair up with a preschooler and be around them during the whole [event]. That included playing with them, taking them to different stations, and eating lunch with them,” Estrella Rivera (11) said.

These games are impactful to special needs students.

“The Adapted Games allow for inclusion, it allows opportunities for students to showcase their talents, [which] they might not even know they have. This allows students to build confidence by getting out of their comfort zone,” Amanda Dobson, teacher of stu dents with autism, said.

“I’ve done it [for] two years now, [and] both times it was very well executed. It’s really good to do some thing for your school and the community that means a lot more than you think it does,” Remy Edenfield (11) said.

Volunteers and teachers alike, hope to see more opportunities like these for students with disabilities to make them feel included in our community.

Did you connect with any of the players?

It was interesting. I got to meet a preschooler. He didn’t know his own name so it was really hard to commu nicate with him. I was able to tap him and catch his attention. He also has the urge to squeeze the closest thing near him.

What was your role in the Adapted Games?

I mostly stayed in one section. The preschoolers had a ballpit to play in so they wouldn’t run around and the other games were a little too rough. They wouldn’t find it fun. The ball pit was my favorite.

What other opportunities would you want to see for disabled stu dents?

More opportunities for them like this. This field day was made for them. Maybe something to do with art, a way to express themselves and their creativity.

Estrella Rivera (11) plays with the preschooler she was paired up with for the day. Photos by Sydney Martinez

Siah “Si” Hickson (11) and Claire Leiter (11) play a game of cup stack. It was one of the many games that were available to play in the Adapted Games.

Estrella Rivera Student Volunteer

EFFECTIVE CANCELLATION

Lauren Kelley Staff Writer

Cancel culture, often a movement in which a large group attempts to minimize or remove the public platform of an influ encer or celebrity, has been consistently increasing in popularity over the past few years. Since its incline, there has been constant debate as to the actual benefits and effects of cancelation.

Does canceling a celebrity actually make an impact on them or hold them ac countable for their actions? J.K. Rowling was canceled in 2020 when she began to voice homophobic and transphobic be liefs. Despite receiving a large amount of online backlash, Rowling’s book sales increased.

This is very consistent with canceled celebrities, as many people have been canceled, but very few of them have faced

actual repercussions of their cancellations.

Some argue that cancel culture encour ages accountability and growth. When a person is canceled, they are provided with opportunities to educate themselves and take responsibility for their actions. This often allows minority or victimized groups to feel seen or understood rather than having to be subject to inequalities and discrimination. Cancel culture also re duces the ability of celebrity actions to be deemed excusable because of their power in the media.

Despite the benefits of cancel culture, it usually does not affect the celebrity or pre vent future discrimination. In many cases, especially in cancellations that mostly pertain to social media, the celebrity gets an intense amount of hate for a few weeks and shortly thereafter, the “cancellation” becomes less and less relevant until there is virtually no effect on the celebrity.

In these cases, after a couple months, the celebrities have online platforms and followings that have been virtually unaf fected.

Last summer, Addison Rae was can celed for posting a picture of herself wearing a bikini that mocked the Chris tian faith. Rae later deleted the post but did not apologize or address the backlash. While some of her fans were offended by this post, her career received little to no repercussions.

By allowing celebrities to quickly re cover from controversial and problematic situations shows the public that there are little to no long term consequences for un just actions.

For cancellation to be effective, it must cause a genuine impact on the person.

OPINION: Ignoring Anti-Semitism Makes Anti-Semitists

LET’S TALK ABOUT YE

Recently, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, was canceled for a series of anti-semitic threats and statements posted on Twit ter. One post said that he would go “death con 3 on Jewish peo ple.”

West, in contrast to many canceled celebrities, has suffered real consequences as a result of his cancellation. Many busi nesses have spoken out against or cut ties with West since his initial can cellation.

Both Instagram and Twitter have temporarily disabled West’s ac counts. Adidas has ended its contract with West and will take a 246 mil lion dollar hit to their fourth quarter sales and has stopped all production of items in West’s brand, Yeezy.

The Gap originally split with West in September with the agreement that any remaining merchan dise would continue to be sold but have recently reversed that decision. Balenciaga has stated that they “no longer have any relationship” and do not have “any plans for future products” with West.

According to Insider Radio, West’s songs were played 21.1 percent less on Oct. 25 compared to that of Oct. 10. His sales have decreased by nearly 23 percent and his online streams are beginning to decline.

“I don’t feel like he’s actually realizing that what he says has consequences. It’s not okay to make Anti-Semitic comments and

think that they won’t have negative outcomes,” states Paradise Hill (11).

Ye West has admitted to suffering from bipolar disorder, a mental illness that can cause intense mood episodes that can last from a few days to multiple weeks.

Max Crawson (12) said, “I think that his mental issues have caused him to lash out irratio nally.”

Many people, including his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, have argued that West should be treated with “compassion and empathy” because of his mental health issues.

It is important to understand that mental illness is a very se rious topic and it is important to be supportive of those experiencing mental health issues. How ever, there is a fine line to walk when looking at Ye’s harmful comments while also encouraging him to get the mental health help necessary.

Ye West does suffer from bipolar disorder, but he has also shown explicit Anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry and prejudice. People must hold him accountable, despite his mental issues, in order to demonstrate that they do not tolerate hate tar geted at minority groups.

As of 2020, the F.B.I. reported that Jewish people make up roughly 2.5 percent of the adult population in the United States and receive nearly 55 percent of all religiously motivated hate crimes.

This shows that Jews receive a disproportionate amount of preju dice when compared to other groups.

By supporting people that show beliefs in Anti-Semitism, like Ye West, fans are condoning Anti-Sem itism. As people continue to listen to West’s music and promote his brands, they are expanding his reach and his online platform.

This sends the message that peo ple that support Anti-Semitism and other hate groups will encounter little to no consequences to their in difference.

Donald Trump, former president, has spoken out against American Jewish people. On his social media site, Truth Social, Trump wrote, “U.S. Jews have to get their act to gether... Before it is too late!”

This isn’t the first time Trump had threatened Jewish Americans. He has criticized and threatened this population for years.

By voting for politicians like Trump, people would be implicitly supporting Anti-Semitism. Even if voters believe Anti-Semitism is “bad,” they are giving Anti-Semitic politicians a political platform and power and are therefore allowing Anti-Semitism to remain prevelant, and even encouraged, in America.

By tolerating figures like Ye West and Donald Trump, we are showing Jewish people that they are not im portant enough to be fought for and that their equality is insignificant to that of other racial and religious groups.

For society to effectively stop Anti-Semitism, people must fight against Anti-Semites and spread information and knowledge about Anti-Semitism. An online platform, My Jewish Learning, provides many resources for education and preven tion of Anti-Semitism.

“It’s not okay to make Anti-Semitic comments and think that they won’t have negative outcomes.”

- Paradise Hill (11)

Lauren Kelley Staff Writer

GHP: Interesting students with interesting passions

Parie Desai

Sophomore and Junior students with a passion in for the arts, language, or the sciences have the opportunity to attend a midsummer program to enhance their talents. The Governor’s Honors Program allows students to explore their talents and knowledge while attending classes on a college campus. Although there are no GPA or grade requirements to be selected for the program, nominees are expected to have extensive knowledge and creativ ity surrounding their area of selection.

The program has an complex interview process that includes a showcase of the projects that students have completed in the area of their passion. There are three levels within the interview process in cluding school level, state level, and a final interview at the college where the program will be held. Students are also asked to bring a portfolio containing a picture of the projects that students have completed and a small explanation of each.

Parie Desai, a senior engineering stu dent, attended GHP. Though she experi enced the same interview process as all other GHP students, she handled it with ease. She had a portfolio compiled with projects that she completed throughout her highschool career.

“I prepared for my interview by practic ing questions that previous GHP alumni told me were asked,” Desai said.

Desai takes classes that revolve around the STEM field and had mentors to guide her, she was prepared for the grueling questions.

Desai not only has a passion for learn ing about engineering in class, but she develops projects outside of school as well. One of her recent projects consisted of creating a 4- step UV filtration system. The filtration works by running water through rocks, sand, and charcoal to re move particles. Then, it is run through a tube surrounded by UV lights to kill any bacteria.

Peyton Pitts

Peyton Pitts is an art-based student that attended the GHP program. Pitts spent a magnitude of her time prepar ing pieces for the interview. Not only did Pitts produce creative paintings for her portfolio, but she also produced woodworked pieces.

“I spent many hours each week at home painting or drawing or at my grandfather’s friend’s workshop doing wood working for a sculpture piece,” Pitts said.

With the help of her grandfather and his friend, Pitts was able to design and build a skateboard for her portfolio presentation. Although many of these projects took months to complete, Pitts perservered. Pitts had to complete nu merous steps, including a press to cre ate the curvature of the board, soaking the plywood planks in water, and fi nally, cutting and sanding the board at the end. Not only did Pitts show off impressive woodworking skills and

patience, but she also made the board a unique piece of artwork by collaging the bottom and cutting patterns in the grip tape.

Pitts has the support of her grandfa ther and his friends, but she had a sense of support from inside of the school.

“Mrs. Hooley was incredibly help ful and supportive throughout the en tire process and I could not thank her enough,” Pitts said.

Nominees for the program are cur rently preparing for the process of being interviewed at the state level. Although most nominees likely feel confident considering they have been through the interiew process before, Pitts advises that they overprepare.

“Manage your time. Do your best to use your time early on. I overprepared for the interview so that if worst came to worst, I would be able to robotically recite my notes from memory,” Pitts said.

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“I love how it was so dramatic and how the two stories meet together in an unexpected way. It was great, very well done,” Jordan Eddy said. “I wasn’t even alive when 9/11 happened so it was nice and very educational to see what happened. I could tell that they really put a lot of emotion into it and they were very intertwined with the incident.”

The judges openly shared comments upon the con clusion of the play and the announcement of the Region 3-7A One Act Play awards.

The second judge praised the team for “very strong work that used the power of theatre to do something that felt very real.”

“It was a powerful moment with a tribute to 9/11 story accounts,” Judge one said. “The unison component was well rehearsed. [And there were] touching scenes be tween Jessica and her dad.”

Advanced Theater’s acting president, Erin Johnson (12) attributed praise of the show onto the work ethic of the entire group.

“It wasn’t like, ‘You’re the president so you make de cisions,’ It was actually more of a group effort,” Johnson said, “I’m hoping that throughout this process, they’ve learned that it’s a growing learning pace for everyone.”

The group also won the Best Set Award, and individual awards went to Josh Sexton and Emma Herndon for All Star Cast. Kindle Martin won Best Actor in a Female Role.

On Nov. 19, the cast and crew will compete at Jackson County High School for the One Act State Champion ship.

Kindle Martin Region One Act Play Best Actor in a Female Role

How did it feel to take on a lead role in this play?

It was difficult but very rewarding from the work that I put in over the years feeling like I finally accomplished something.

How did you get yourself into character as some one who has never been through an experience like 9/11?

I went through and looked up multiple different stories from survivors from the day and watched videos and asked questions from adults I knew who went through the situation.

Was it ever hard for you to make theatrical deci sions given the weight of the story?

Absolutely, I felt like sometimes I had a limit depend ing on the scene, but then once I did a deep analysis, I realized that I had a lot more freedom with it.

Who was a support throughout the duration of this process?

I think that Mrs. Smith, Ms. Peck, and a few of the other adults I work with were definitely extremely helpful in the process. They helped to give me acting tips and helped when my mental health got really difficult from the weight of the show and just helped me get through everything mentally and physically in the show.

Do you think you will continue to tell this story after Back Cover has run its last show?

Absolutely, I feel like the storyline and the story, in general, is such an important story to tell because it helps to show our culture in a way.

What was your favorite scene in the show?

I really enjoyed the 9/11 monologue scenes because I feel like it helps me get to a place physically in the scene and just the way that they told the story was so beautiful.

Peyton Pitts (11) proudly displays a self-portrait. She attended GHP due to her passion for art. Photos by Kaia Kirkpatrick

This solar powered filtration system is one of many STEM projects Parie Desai (12) has created.

Kaia Kirkpatrick Staff Writer

Helping hands in the high school community

Aidan Allegro Staff Writer

The City of Marietta has a history of having a helpful community. There is support from organizations that include local churches, food kitchens, Must Ministries, non-profits, businesses and more. Marietta High School is also well-known for having a wide variety of resources, programs and projects to help those in need at the school.

There are clubs and programs in the school that have been created in the name of service. The Student Life Center and Mentoring for Leadership impact students on a daily basis. Other clubs create opportunities for students to provide service: Interact Club, Environmental Club, Habitat for Humanity, Key Club, National Honor Society and more. These clubs not only provide wonderful opportunities for students but also have a significant impact on the school and community.

Marietta Student Life Center

An impactful organization on campus at Marietta High School is the Marietta Student Life Center. The center supports students in and out of the classroom with academic and personal needs.

It is located in lower B Hall, and the welcome room is the first place to go. Students are met by Coach Terrance Duke who leads students to other locations on B hall depen dent upon their needs. There are areas for academic tutoring and personal counseling. There is a food pantry and clothes closet called the “Swap it Closet.” Students can give or receive.

“Students are able to pick what they want or donate and there are also washers and dryers,” Counselor Diana Eraydin said.

The center’s closet and pantry also help to support young mothers who may need baby clothes and other products. MSLC also has several small groups that students can be a part of and students can be connected to career advisers or college advisers.

The charter mission is as follows: To mobilize staff members and partners within the community to equip our students to graduate prepared and opitimistic for their life journey. By matching the skills and resources of our stakeholders with the needs and desires of each student, we ignite hope and illuminate a positive path for life success.

Overall, the MSLC is a hub of information and assistance for the school and is a helpful program for all students.

Mentoring for Leadership

Another helpful resource is Mentoring for Leadership. It is a nonprofit organization that has offices at Marietta Middle and High. The office at MHS is across from the media center. The goal of this organization is to find students who have high potential and match them with a mentor that helps them inside and outside of school.

There belief statement is as follows: “We believe the most effective mentoring ex perience is achieved through one-on-one, long term relationships with two people who are actively engaged.”

Mentors can be staff from the school system or volunteers from throughout the com munity. These mentors can help connect students to tutors and find academic opportu nities. Kristin Thompson, Executive Director, said the overall hope is to have someone to guide them and help students reach their goals and dreams.

Right now there are around 150 students in the high school program. While it is a small number compared to the entire student body, it is beneficial because it allows for more individualized work with students.

Statistically, students have increased their academic progress significantly by just being in the mentorship program. 100 percent of all students who have been in MFL have graduated on time. 90 percent of MFL students have entered college after gradu ation and 92 percent of those students have increased their GPA each semester in the program.

National Honor Society and Interact Club

The National Honor Society is a club that serves the community. This club is for those who have a 3.65 GPA or higher and exemplify the four pillars of the NHS. The four pillars are service, scholarship, citizenship, and character.

Although a largely academic club, this program helps to recognize and promote public service. Several service opportunities are posted to members through com munity suggestions and from other teachers. This allows NHS to find areas in our community that need help and properly assist them.

“Service is just a part of being a productive member of society and those who are fortunate should at least give service our time,” Dr. Cody Morelock said.

Overall NHS not only helps encourage good students but also good community members.

The Interact Club, led by Mrs. Valerie Trotter, is another group that focuses on service. It has been at Marietta for many years. They work with the local Rotary Club to provide public service to Marietta and the general community.

“The Interact Club centralizes its efforts to give back to our school and commu

nity through donation drives and service projects,” Interact

Crowson said.

It also allows a group of students to give back to work towards the common goal of serving our community. So far this year they have helped maintain the outdoor ob servatory on campus and have completed several drives inlduing a canned food drive, joggers and shoe drive, and a school supply drive.

The club also recently attended the Interact Conference in Fairburn with other In teract clubs from around the state. During this conference, the clubs talked about past service activities and brainstormed new activities that will benefit the community.

club Vice President Max

Coach Duke welcomes students into the Marietta Student Life Center on lower B Hall. He provides academic and emotional support for students along with the other MSLC staff.

Students enjoy a catered meal for a “friendsgiving” lunch. The tablecloth allowed students to write messages, which included many notes of gratitude for the family enviroment of MFL .

“Those of us who have more resources should at least give up our time.”

-Dr. Morelock

Explore opportunities to help or get help in our community