Issuu

Vol. 9 Vol. Issue91 Issue #3

Mill Creek

CHRONICLE October/November 2016

Softball Spotlights:

The road to Columbus Foreign Exchange Students

Presidential Election Policies and more

Reflections

Diversity at Mill Creek

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11 Foreign Exchange Students

Softball

2016 State Tournament

MASTHEAD Editors Kaitlyn Neher Ashley Baptiste Staff Writers Allie Bolton Jordan Dudley Abigail Key Christopher Kline Vanessa Medina Maggie Mitchell Bailey Monroe Faith Montgomery Madeleine Moody Michelle Ortiz Collins Sainovich Will Sowders

Presidential Election 2016

One Act Winners

Other stories included... 4 Fast News 8 Multicultural Mill Creek 10 Demographic Statistics 12 Diverse Dishes

22 Reflections winners

24 Band Competitions 26 Coffee Alternatives

Adviser Mrs. Nora Neff Cover Design: Kaitlyn Neher, Ashley Baptiste Pictured in Cover: Micayla Rood Cover Photo Credits: Kaitlyn Neher Photo Credits left to right: Michelle Ortiz, Creative Commons, Cassidy Hettesheimer, Kaitlyn Neher

*The Chronicle is a student publication of Mill Creek High School. It is distributed to students, faculty, staff, and the Mill Creek community. The statements and opinions expressed in this publication are those of individual writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the entire Chronicle staff or of Mill Creek High School, its students, faculty, staff or administration. Content is edited and designed by student editors.

Volleyball Spotlights

FAST NEWS

Bringing you the latest news including topics relating to Mill Creek High School, the community, national, and even international events, the Mill Creek Chronicle staff strives to bring you in the know of what is current, trending, and happening in today’s society.

Defective Airbags By: Bailey Monroe and Maggie Mitchell

Many people these days drive around knowing that if they get in a car accident there are airbags to protect them from going through the windshield. Airbags save lives, but defective airbags can become deadly. Millions of cars have had defective airbags inside them without the driver knowing. “A 17-year-old died on a Texas highway after a minor automobile accident, one that local police said she should have walked away

from,” said New York Daily News. The 17-year-old girl was driving with a defective airbag. “She died within a matter of seconds as the Takata airbag inflator inside the steering wheel of her 2002 Honda Civic exploded, launching shrapnel at her from mere feet away,” said New York Daily News. These defective airbags have been the cost of some lives. Even with a harmless accident these defective airbags can turn it into a deadly accident. PHOTO: Creative Commons

Teacher Awarded Basketball Hall of Fame By: Allie Bolton

In late October, senior LA teacher Mr. Jenifer was inducted to the basketball hall of fame at his alma mater, Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, DC. After more than a decade away, Mr. Jenifer is being immortalized for his skill as a coach and his achievement as the last coach to lead their school to a championship title. “It will be good to go home. The teenagers that I coached are now young men and fathers and husbands,” Mr. Jenifer said, choking up, “I think it’s what we as educators do every day in our commitment to our students, so it’s good that… educators and coaches are recognised and I am just fortunate enough in this instance to be one of them.” PHOTO: Allie Bolton

California Bus Crash At 5:17 am Sunday morning, October 23rd, in southern California, a tour bus and a semi truck collided on highway 10 resulting in at least 13 passenger fatalities and 25 injuries in a wide range of conditions from minor injuries to critical condition.

The tour bus was on its way to LA from a trip to a casino in Thermal, California. Based on the substantiality of the impact, The bus was going significantly faster than the truck and likely even speeding, but the precise details are yet unknown.

PHOTOS: Creative Commons

By: Allie Bolton

The Effects of Hurricane Matthew By: Faith Montgomery

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Nora Neff

Hurricane Matthew started out in the eastern Caribbean, then made its way to Haiti, killing around 900 people before moving to Cuba, where 380,000 had to evacuate. Matthew then moved to the Bahamas, where the winds reached 140 miles an hour. Afterwards, Matthew traveled through the Atlantic up the southeastern coast of the United States. The hurricane affected the coasts of Florida and Georgia, as a category 3 hurricane, South Carolina, as a category 2 and North Carolina, as a category 1 storm. These images are from

the barrier islands off Saint Augustine, FL. In Georgia, 370,000 people were without power, and 1.4 million had to evacuate from their homes. Anyone located on the eastern side of Interstate 95 had to evacuate in order to escape the storm. Once Matthew arrived, on Friday, October 7th, and Saturday, October 8th, it was classified as a Category 2 Hurricane, which caused the sea level to rise 12.5 feet, making it the highest storm surge Georgia has seen. and also causing flooding to occur in the coastal region.

THE 2016 ELECTION

WHAT ELSE IS ON THE BALLOT By: Christopher Kline

While

the national media has focused largely on the presidential election, a handful of other important candidates and referendums were also found on the Georgia ballot.

PICTURED: Rep. Rob Woodall has represented Georgia’s 7th District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2011. Rashid Malik was his counterpart in his reelection bid.

PICTURED: Sen. Johnny Isakson has represented Georgia as a Republican senator since 2005, when he took over Zell Miller’s seat.

The presidential election has found itself at the forefront of political coverage across the spectrum, leading to widespread public focus on the race between Republican nominee Donald J. Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on the national stage, somewhat obscuring some of the other ballot options that will be up for consideration in Georgia. With the presidential election gaining extensive coverage nationally, some local elections have been overlooked. Alongside the bout for president, long-time U.S. senator Johnny Isakson was running for reelection on the Georgia ballot, while numerous Gwinnett-based referendums and our local Representative were also represented at the polls on November 8th. According to the Chronicle’s most recent survey, only 25.2% of students were aware that Isakson was running for reelection. Georgia, which currently wields two Republican senators as well as a majority representation from the party in the House of Representatives on the national level heading into election day, has found itself in a situation that has, in many ways, differed from recent campaign seasons. The state hasn’t voted democrat in the presidential election since 1992, when Clinton’s husband, Bill, beat out the incumbent George H.W. Bush. The state also hasn’t seen a democratic senator at the national

stage since Zell Miller, who left office in 2005. Georgia’s most recent polls have showed Hillary Clinton providing legitimate competition to her Republican counterpart, with RealClearPolitics’ most recent polling averages showing Trump leading by just under 5 percentage points, 46.4 to 41.8. As recently as August, Clinton held a lead in Georgia. The Chronicle’s survey showed that race being extremely close among the population at Mill Creek as well ,mere weeks before the election, with 27.7% throwing their support behind Clinton, while Trump was slightly behind at 26.1%. The Libertarian candidate, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, who was the third option on the Georgia ballot, garnered 8.4% support. In the senate race, however, Isakson held a steady lead over Democratic challenger Jim Barksdale and Libertarian challenger Allen Buckley, holding a 21-point advantage in a September Quinnipiac poll according to USA TODAY. In the same piece, USA TODAY detailed the opinion of Georgia State University political science professor Daniel Franklin, who stated that Isakson looked “unbeatable.” Isakson is the first Georgian since the 1800s to have held a position in the House of Representatives and the Senate at both the state and national level over the course of his career according to his website. He

HAWKS SOARING TO THE POLLS:

WHERE MCHS STANDS

37.8%

of students who took the Chronicle survey reported that they were undecided as to which candidate they support for president.

has represented Georgia at the national level since 1999, when he took on Speaker Newt Gingrich’s resigned seat in the House. In accompaniment with Isakson, Georgia’s U.S. House of Representatives seat is up for reelection as well. Georgia’s 7th district representative, which encompasses the Mill Creek area, is Rob Woodall, a Republican incumbent. He faced competition from Democratic challenger Rashid Malik. Additionally, the Georgia ballot saw the inclusion of several referendums up for vote, including one law that would allow the government to take on a larger role in improving the function of failing elementary schools and other secondary teaching establishments. The ballot title reads that it “provides greater flexibility and state accountability to fix failing schools through increasing community involvement,” according to Ballotpedia.org. “This proposal authorizes the General Assembly to

27.7%

of students surveyed reported that they supported Hillary Clinton for president of the United States.

Hillary Clinton

26.1%

of students reported that they supported Donald J. Trump, making him a close second.

provide for the creation of an Opportunity School District and authorizes the state to assume the supervision, management, and operation of failing public elementary and secondary schools…” The referendum gained mixed support among Mill Creek students, with 58.8% of those surveyed saying they would support such legislation.

Donald Trump

8.4% of students supported Gary Johnson as an alternative candidate.

Gary Johnson

ALL PHOTOS: Creative Commons

Diversity Across the Creek

By: Vanessa Medina

With nearly 4000 students roaming the halls, the high school is a culture in itself. We have students from all type of cultures and ethnicities here; that is what makes Mill Creek such a unified and impressive high school community.

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Angel Phomvongsa

Mexican

The main language of Laos is Lao. Lao is used for education, for the government, and for mass communications. Sixty percent of Laotian citizens are Buddhist and the main national symbols are Buddhist. To Buddhists, every day is considered a holiday because you should pray every day and in Laos Buddhists attend the temple every day. “The temple is an hour away, I go on the weekends to get my pray on,” said Angel Phomvongsa. Prayer in a Buddhist temple can last up to an hour at a time and after this people partake

Lots of aspects of Hispanic culture differ greatly from American culture. The way Hispanics speak may come off as strict. Hispanics love to talk and are generally very friendly. Relationships and bonds with others is a huge thing in Hispanic A Closer View... society. Another huge aspect Top: Laotian people congregating at their local of Hispanic culture is family. temple. Citizens delvied into deep prayer along with the Many Hispanic families may Buddhist monks. become more liberal once they Bottom: A worms eye view of a Buddha move to the United States but sculpture in a Buddhist temple.. they never forget or lose their culture. Hispanic families are very tightly knit and generally run very strict households. It is a common practice and almost expected for the children of the households to stay living with their parents until they get married and form families of their own. This is quite different from typical American households where children generally stay until they turn 18. “In Hispanic households your moms want to keep you,”said Veronica Martinez. Spanish is also taught very differently then the way native Hispanic speakers grow up hearing the language. Although the Spanish taught in a tradition of feeding the Buddhist monks. How this works is Laotian citizens in public schools is correct Americans do not learn typical will cook food and bring it to the temple slang used in everyday speech. and before 12 pm the monks will be fed. This is an aspect of Hispanic The monks can’t eat after 12pm because culture that can possibly be lost in Laotian culture this ties in with the among American society. It can purification of their salvation. After the be difficult to become fluent in monks are completely finished with their meal the Laotian people eat whatever food any language but it is possible. “The only way to get to that they have left as their afternoon meal. If there is no more food than the people go to level is to immerse in that culture, to go and live in that the kitchen and cook food with whatever country,” Mrs. Gillian Bradley. ingredients are in the kitchen of the temple.

Laotion

Pakistani As the second fastest growing group in the United States Pakistani Americans have spread their culture in a multitude of ways. The official language of Pakistan is Urdu, but many government officials use English as well. There are also several other languages spoken in Pakistan including Saraiki, Punjabi, Pashtu, and Hindko. The main religion of Pakistan is Islam and it is a huge part of everyday lives for practicing Muslims. An extremely holy holiday for Muslims is the holiday of Eid. “Eid is kind of like Christmas, we give each other presents,” said Fizza Rehman. Along with this family is very important to Pakistani society. Families are closely knit and more private than in some other cultures. Loyalty to immediate family members comes before all other social relationships.

Hungarian In Hungary the most prominent language is Hungarian. Although in recent years’ minority languages such as Croatian, Slovaki, and Romanian have gained popularity among the public. Most Hungarian citizens are Roman Catholic and practice Catholic traditions along with several typical holidays. The fashion sense in general is very different in Hungary. “It’s a lot more modern than in America, especially the younger kids, they really dress like you would see on the New York runway,” Ana Lorton. In Hungary, Easter is celebrated quite differently than in America. Holidays are considered a community affair and everyone in the

community is involved to celebrate together. Instead of getting Easter baskets, in Hungary single men got to women’s doors and the women give the men decorated eggs. The men then spray them with perfume. Christmas is also different because Hungarian people do not decorate their tree well in advance but instead do it the night before Christmas Eve. When children wake up they believe the tree was decorated by angelic like figure called ‘Little Jesus.’ This is somewhat similar to the belief in Santa Claus. On Christmas Eve night children light sparklers on the tree in celebration.

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Ana Lorton

A Closer View... Top: Senior, Ana Lorton and her grandparents celebrating New Years in Hungary. Bottom: A landscape view of the capital of Hungary, Budapest.

A Foreign Bird’s Eye View

from an American High School

he holiday season is approaching both in the United States and around the world, and here at Mill Creek, there are a few students who take part in celebrations from all over the globe. Foreign exchange students hail from all corners of the world, like Mill Creek students Agnese Serafino, Kenneth PereiraSilva, Juliette Godard, Sam Bodon and Victor Sandberg. Pereira-Silva comes from Brazil, while the others are European. Though cultures are different, as well as languages and basically everything else, some holidays are celebrated everywhere, such as Christmas. “Christmas is pretty much the same as here,” said Serafino, “We’re really close with our families, so it’s a time of the year where we’re with family.” Although the holidays are the same, some cultures celebrate them differently. In Denmark, “we open presents on the 24th, in the evening,” said Sandberg, who is from Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark. Halloween, on the other hand, is not as popular in Europe. Both Serafino and Sandberg said that Halloween is still existent, but according to Serafino, it is “not as big as it is here.” One specific holiday that Italians celebrate is Epiphany on Jan. 6th. Epiphany is the tradition of La Befana, a witch who

flies on a broomstick, bringing candy and toys to children on the evening of Jan. 5th. Children who are bad during the year receive lumps of coal, much like Santa Claus here in the US. In Brazil, Carnival is celebrated the Friday before Ash Wednesday, 51 days before Easter, and lasts through the weekend. It is a Roman Catholic holiday, drawing around 2 million people to the streets of Rio de Janeiro every year. People “dress like farmers, eat traditional foods,” and attend parades all throughout the city, according to Pereira-Silva, who was born in the US, but has since moved to Brazil and has returned through foreign exchange. Everyday life is not so similar overseas as well. Serafino’s school in Italy has a total of 900 students. They don’t choose their own classes, either, attending school Monday to Saturday, 8:00-1:00, for 5 years. In Europe, suburbs aren’t as popular. “I’m used to living in big cities, so it’s a pretty big difference. It’s kind of hard to go around because you can’t bike,” said Sandberg, “It takes some getting used to but I really like it here.”

Asian*

4% Multiracial*

17%

12%

59%

Black/African American Indian/ Alaskan Native* American*

Hispanic or White* Latino of any race

Hawaiian/ 0% Native Pacific Islander* *Not Hispanic or Latino

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Juliette Godard and Creative Commons

According to the GCPS Accountability Report, in the 2014-15 school year (most recent data shown), Mill Creek was composed of

Diversity in Dishes By: Jordan Dudley

Natalie Boyd North Carolina

Anna Diaz Mexico

Kennedy Long South Carolina

Britney Augustin Haiti

Chloe Freeman Georgia + Ohio

“The irony of me being born on Thanksgiving is that my mom’s family is British and my dad’s family is Native American (Siletz).” Toni Vankirk

Leandro Vidurrizaga Peru

Ameer Aboneeaj Palestine + New Zealand

Angel Phomvongsa Laos + Thai

Thanksgiving

Rebecca Castro Brazil

In America, Thanksgiving consists of foods such as turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. The holiday meal dates back to November of 1621, when the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Native Americans gathered at Plymouth for a harvest celebration, which is what we call the first Thanksgiving. The dishes have definitely changed over time, due to cultural immersion, industrialization, and innovations. In a survey, students say that if not everything about Thanksgiving, food is their favorite part of celebrating the holiday. Some of our culturally diverse Mill Creek students share what Thanksgiving looks like in their homes. 13

Diversity of Dishes Angel Phomvongsa

“I do celebrate Thanksgiving. My mom is half Laotian and half Thai. My dad is fully Laotian. My dad’s family lives in Jacksonville, Florida which is where we typically go for holidays. Everyone on my mom’s side lives in Laos. We eat traditional Laos foods. Like Kapoon. It’s like a chicken based curry noodle

Britney Augustin - Haiti

Rebecca Castro

“Yes I celebrate Thanksgiving. My family is from Haiti. On Thanksgiving we like to stick to eating a variety of different rices that contain Lima or cranberry beans. As meats we eat beef, turkey, chicken, and fried goat meat. Fried plantains.... I cherish the fact that everyone gets together to eat dinner. It’s full of jokes and laughs and joy. My favorite part would be at the end of dinner when we would all create Christmas list from Black Friday magazines.”

Brazil

Mexico

soup. There’s also larp which is any shredded meat mix. It’s typically spicy and bitter. We believe bitter food is good for our health and our future. We always cook together during the day so we have a feast at night. Regardless of if it’s just 5 of us or 50 of us. The thing I cherish most about Thanksgiving is the time and the moment. I grew up extremely family oriented because from where I come from you only have family. Sometimes you won’t have food or a home or water or electricity, but you always have your family.

Anna Diaz

Laos + Thailand

“Yes, I do celebrate Thanksgiving. My family is from Mexico. We eat ham, turkey, and apple pie (but it’s not that unique) The ability to be united with my family, even if it is for one night, because this is when the most bonding moments happen since we play games and express our love for each other.”

Leandro Vidurrizaga Peru Peru kkkkkkkkkkk

“Yes we do celebrate it here in the US, but not in Brazil. We are originally from Brasilia, Brazil. Normally we eat traditional Brazilian foods like Galinhada or Arroz com Pequi. I cherish the family time, because I usually don’t get to see my entire family all together and I do during Thanksgiving.”

“Our Peruvian traditions are similar to the ones in the U.S., we usually eat similar things such as turkey. What I cherish the most about Thanksgiving is meeting up with my family for something special”.

Natalie Boyd North Carolina

Ameer Aboneeaj - Palestine + New Zealand

“Yes, I celebrate Thanksgiving. All my family lives in a small town in North Carolina called Asheboro. Some things we love to make for Thanksgiving that are unique, I feel, to my family are country ham, chicken asparagus casserole, deviled eggs, brussel sprouts, and sweet potato casserole along with a chocolate chess pie. I love Thanksgiving because I think it brings families together. For one day a family can focus on being united and grateful that they have one another and I think that’s really special to have a day dedicated to that considering the world we live in today.”

“Yes. New Zealand and Palestine. The majority of the items we have on thanksgiving are traditional American foods with Arabic side dishes. Including Turkey, we serve chicken and rice. On Thanksgiving, I cherish family the most. My family has always been the most important thing in my life from the start. When my whole family gets together, we always have a blast and the environment is so warming.”

Kennedy Long

Chloe Freeman

South Carolina

Georgia + Ohio

“South Carolina, my mom’s amazing honey roasted turkey,spending time with my amazing family. just because me and my family are quite close and we have a lot of fun . Also we just love each other very much and love being around each other.”

“We are from Georgia and Ohio, we have a cranberry salad and canned cranberries and I cherish the food.”

The Road to Columbus

Micayla Rood “ I’m competitive so I like the competition that is why I continue to play”

Wynter Webb “Having an amazing coaching staff and a lot of friends on the team keeps me wanting to play each year”

By: Michelle Ortiz and Kaitlyn Neher

This season, our softball team won the

region title. On October 29 they won runner up in the state shampionship in Columbus. In the double elimation tourment, Mill Creek battled out of the loser's bracket with three back-to-back games on Saturday morning and met head to head with their region foe, North Gwinnett, in the championship game . Hawks lost 6 to 2, but fought a hard battle and came out strong.

Player Profiles: Seniors Micayla RoodBats: Left#1 Primary Position: Center Field

Throws: Right

Hannah Adams Primary Position: 3rd Base

Bats: Left Throws: Right

Makenna Mellot #7 Primary Position: Right Field

Wynter Webb Primary Position: 3rd Base

Bats: Right Throws: Right

Hannah Renfoe #12 Primary Position: Designated Player

Bats: Right Throws: Right

Amanda Natsch #14 Primary Position: 1st Base

Bats: Right Throws: Right

Morgan Barr Primary Position: Catcher

#20

Bats: Right Throws: Right

Skylar Heyward #21 Primary Position: Pitcher

Lindsey Lee Primary Position: Left Field

Sarah Fisher Primary Position: Outfield

Bats: Right Throws: Right

#22 Bats: Right Throws: Right

#23 Bats: Right Throws: Right 17

Volleyball

PHOTOS: Andy Ramirez

To the Net and Beyond

Player profiles: Seniors ALL PHOTOS: Kaitlyn Neher

Ariane Terry, 12 Libero

Elizabeth Driscoll, 12 Right Side Hitter

Jordan Dubley, 12 Right Side Hitter

By:Michelle Ortiz and Maddi Moody

Varsity Volleyball headed into playoffs with a strong season. The Lady Hawks made it to the State Playoffs to the Sweet 16 round awhere they fell to North Cobb. On the way to the state tournament, the team beat some of their key rivals such as Mountain View, North Gwinnett, Norcross, and Hebron.

“This season was a lot of fun and very successful. We didn’t fully accomplish all that we wanted to, but we embraced our goals and worked as a team to make it to the Sweet 16 of the state playoffs.” said Coach Wiliamson. Mill Creek had not made playoffs in two years. Prior to that, we went to playoffs for

Chloe Freeman, 12 Middle Hitter

Kennedy Long, 12 Setter

nine years straight. Williamson says, “It’s really fun to be back.” In the end, senior, Ariane Terry says, “It is a great enviroment and we have as strong bond. I am really going to miss this team.”

Adair Werley, 12 Right Side Hitter

M ill C reek T heater P resent s. . . By: Grace Everett and Abbie Key

Coming from the heart of Florida, “Radio T.B.S” was performed on the Mill Creek High School theater stage on Friday, October 14th. Written by Mark Landon Smith and produced by Baker’s Plays, this one act play has everything from an Elvis impersonator to a nativity scene. The show was made up of an outstanding group of MCHS students and was directed by Mrs. Katherine Alexander. The theater company entered this piece in the 6-AAAAAAA one act competition and won first place in regionals. The opening scene shows radio anchors Vesta Poteet (Ashley Hwang) and Dixie Mandrell (Alli Gibson) in the middle of hosting their radio show, “Luna Del Mar Radio.” They have many special guests including widow Mary Eunice Wheaton (Shandon Vance), the genius weather girl Harlene Akers (Leah Merritt), and of course the “Howdy from the Highways” news reporter Missy Goode (Katie Doyle). There is also the Miss Manatee contest happening, along with a nativity, with an Elvis impersonator along for the ride. Once the troublemaker shepard, Imogene (Sh’Neil Gaskin), comes to join the party, it is nothing but bad news from there. Once the audience knows Imogene and Mary Eunice have a bit of history, the nativity doesn’t go quite as planned. The acting in this play was stellar, even if the set was very simple. Since the play is set in the countryside of Florida, the accents were very

PHOTO: Eneida Manzo-Aleman

significant to believing the characters. Everyone in the group did a top-notch job with this significant part of the play. Furthermore, it may have surprised the audience when told that there were men playing women characters because of the unbelievable acting skills. These three male actors (Shanden Vance, Athan Maschas, and Adam Breazeale), did an impressive job and fooled the audience. Because of such comical scenes in the play, it may have been difficult for the group to maintain their character. The sole Miss Manatee pageant contestant, Mayola Felts was no exception. Actress Brielle Caporale captures the role of the lazy, not so interesting Mayola, whose mom forced her into the beauty pageant. Throughout the play, Caporale is required to not laugh, although the audience was openly laughing at her lines or stage presence, and she did an awesome job of not losing her concentration. Elvis lover Madge Huskey (Lilly Modly) also stood out when her Presley accent combined with her dancing turned out to be a big hit in the play. Although she was placed to the side during the nativity, the audience could not take their eyes off of her. The nativity was a scene in which the acting was vital in understanding the chaos that these characters were undergoing. The argument between Vesta and Dixie was not only believable, but also had the viewers laughing. Overall, the

PHOTO: Eneida Manzo-Aleman

RADIO TBS

acting was convincing, captivating, and left the audience craving more. While the play was very enjoyable, there were some small issues. Due to the strong country accents, it was difficult to hear the characters if you were not sitting in the front row. Although the basics of what they were saying could be understood, the sound should have been a bit louder. However, the makeup did a good job of placing the group to the 1980’s, the setting of the show, and even made males look like females. The costumes also did well in staying true to the time period. The transitions between the scenes were not the fastest, but the way the stage was set up (on wheels), was innovative. The lighting stood out when the characters had to pretend a car was passing by during the nativity scene. Spotlights during a play are of course original, but the crew handled it well and used them all at the right times. “Radio T.B.S.” is a funny and enjoyable play that the audience seemed to like. The performers couldn’t have been better in relation to being professional and a pleasure to watch. The crew did a fantastic job in many aspects of the design including the costumes and makeup, spotlight and set up. Altogether, the MCHS theater production deserved a thumb’s up rating for this play. For the first time in MCHS school history, One-Act won first place at the region competition. Along with winning first place, Shanden Vance won best actor and Alli Gibson and Leah Merritt were awarded All-Star cast. The cast and crew will participate in the state competition on November 12.

PHOTO: Isaac Lee

PHOTO: Eneida Manzo-Aleman

Winners Reflections

By: Maggie Mitchell

Every year the PTSA sponsors a national Reflections contest, where students from elementary to high school can submit something they are passionate about. There are 6 categories: dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography, and visual arts. Anyone can submit anything they want and can choose more than one category to enter in. This year’s theme was,” What is Your Story?” “It is a great way to see what I can do and I can’t wait to enter in next year,” said Ashley Lange. All 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners from each grade level and category will receive a gift card. The school winner and runner up in each category advance to the County competition. “I have always admired the beauty and stories photographs capture,”said Jenna Meinert,one of the 10th grade winners in the photography category. “I sent in a picture of a plant I had found in my backyard in early September because it had such an amazing appearance to it,” said Meinert. Meinert also sent in a drawing made through the art of pointillism. “The drawing captures a bridge in Pittsburgh where I grew up,” said Meinert. Emma Babushkin won 1st place in the 10th grade Visual Arts category. “It took me about 7 hours to complete the whole picture,” said Babushkin. The theme for this years Reflections contest was, “What is Your Story?” Emma Babushkin told her story by drawing a picture of a clock with a girl holding onto it trying to slow down time. “The girl in the picture represents me and I’m trying to slow down time but time doesn’t slow down for anyone,” said Babushkin. Also in this picture Emma Babushkin drew the numbers falling off the clock because it’s showing time slipping away. “I would like to enter into the Reflections contest again next year,” said Babushkin. After winning this year in the Reflections contest Emma Babushkin is looking forward tfuture opportunities. “I am looking forward to entering these next two years and being able to see other student’s art and photography.” said Meinert. Jenna Meinert has never entered into the Reflections contest before this year, but she is looking forward to entering in the future and to see other students photography and art. 23

By: Bailey Monroe On October 15, the Pride of Mill Creek ventured to Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to compete in the annual Bands of America competition. The gates at BB&T Field opened at 7:30 am, and Mill Creek performed at 9:00, fifth out of the 28 bands that took part, and walked away with 14th place. The way the field is built, sound travels out from the field and bounces off the stands and the field house atop Deacon Hill near the northwest end zone, resonating an echo throughout the stadium. “There were so many other bands,” said Alexandria May, a senior in color guard, “ a lot of other bands who beat us were also our competition in the Dome.” POMC also made the trek to the Georgia Dome on October 29 for the Bands of America Super Regional, in which they took home 15th

place. Bands from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia all competed for the coveted regional title. The band was required to be at school, ready to leave, at 2:00 am to be at Wake Forest at 9:00 to perform. “We had to wake up so early to leave for competitions,” said Kendall King, a freshman on color guard. On Sunday, the band stopped by Carowinds, an amusement park near Charlotte, to hang out and ride roller coasters before coming home from the competition. “I was so glad we got to go to Carowinds before we went home. It was nice, being able to hang out after all the craziness from the competition.” said Madison Mitchell a junior and a captain on the color guard. Other bands from the competition also stopped by Carowinds before beginning the journey home.

The way the field is built, sound travels out from the field and bounces off the stands and the field house atop Deacon Hill near the northwest end zone, resonating an echo throughout the stadium.

PHOTOS: Cassidy Hettesheimer, Isaac Lee

Band Competitions Pride of Mill Creek

1342 Auburn Rd, Dacula, GA 30019 770-995-2724 Open Mon-Sat 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. 25

To Tea or Not to Tea? A dash of cinnamon, a chunk of strawberry, a dollop of honey, whatever you like can turn a bitter brew into a kick of caffeine you can enjoy By: Allie Bolton

PHOTO: Allie Bolton

t is no secret that high schoolers are often tired from working. Between school work and homework, sleep can sometimes be hard to come by. To counter this, some students turn to coffees, teas, and sodas to stay awake on a busy school day. Many of these habits however, necessary as they may seem, can get expensive and even unhealthy after a while. Though generally seen as an everyday solution to drowsiness, there is a lot more to tea than Earl Grey or chai lattes. Tea is a lose science, leaving the drink open for interpretation by the user. Unlike coffee, teas are easy to manipulate, coming in every flavor from floral, to fruity, to spicy. Even for those who don’t identify themselves as tea drinkers or have a distaste for the common flavors, any desired flavor can be achieved simply by adding that one favorite ingredient. A dash of cinnamon, a chunk of strawberry, a dollop of honey, whatever you like can turn a bitter brew into a kick of caffeine you can enjoy. “I’d like to learn more about tea,” says senior Jessica Montoya, “I don’t like coffee but I’d like to have something to drink in the mornings and tea honestly sounds like a lot of fun since I can make it any way I want.” But caffeine isn’t the only thing about tea to get one ready for a long day of school, in fact many teas don’t have any caffeine at all. But that doesn’t mean it can’t get you ready for the morning. Many types of tea come in mint, lemon, and of course iced, all things known for waking up and alertness. Mint is a natural stimulant, giving your brain a jolt and making it easier to focus. That’s why you suck on a mint during a test. Lemon is rich in antioxidants and can get your day going by getting your metabolism started up more quickly. Ice, thougth not always the most fun way to wake up, can get you a morning burst of adrenaline by startling your warm body with a splash of cold, making an iced mint and lemon tea an effective morning drink. “Even if you don’t like tea,” says Melanie, a local tea expert who wished not to give a last name, “you can add as many other ingredients to your tea as you like but still keep the caffeine and health benefits of the tea.” A common price for loose leaf tea is about $12, which can seem like a lot but, as Melanie put it, “when used right, 2 ounces of tea can make over 20 cups.” 60 cents for a cup of tea compared to a $3 one cup latte? Perhaps less can be more.