The Nevarmore, March 2013

Ravenscroft School

7409 Falls of Neuse Road LowDown On Downton

MS Matches

Say Whhaatt?

Mean Girls

? ater W t o

March 2013

G

Page 5

You Just Got # RESPECT

Emi Myers

STAFF WRITER

J

ason Ramsden, Ravenscroft’s Chief Technology Officer, gave a passionate presentation to the Upper School on February 13th, concerning the treatment and condition of the Chromebooks issued last year. Ramsden compared damage reports between Ravenscroft and public schools also using Chromebooks, highlighting the huge percentage gap between damaged units , which suggested that Ravenscroft students are much harder on the units than their public school peers.

His presentation served as a harsh awakening to the student population and perhaps even inspired better care for the Chromes but many students are questioning the validity of Ramsden’s data and it’s portrayal of the Upper School community.

Chr med

Chrome1. Schools witsth uadent had book for each ges vlid overnight pri l students 2. Available gtoraaldes 4-12) (some cases 3. Used as a tool

Presentation

Gabrielle Rhoades, ‘13, Michael Wohlers, ‘13, and Nick LeFevre,’13, respectfully use their

Chromebooks while in Rhonda’s Cafe. Photo by Emi Meyers

P

ublic schools were estimated to have a 1.4% damage rate whereas Ravenscroft is estimated to have a 26% damage rate. Further divided, the statistics showed that the 8th and 11th grades were responsible for the most damage throughout the school.

At the end of his presentation, Ramsden threatened that if the damage levels continue at the same rate or increase, Ravenscroft might begin to charge for repairs.

Ramsden reported that the data was collected through “Google+ chat” with other public school districts.

T

he presentation, titled “Respect: It’s a Community Thing,” accompanied by “#respect,” started by mentioning recent changes in North Carolina laws that outlaw the creation of fabricated profiles of both classmates and teachers. Midway through the presentation, the subject matter changed. Ramsden showed slide after slide containing facts about the amount of damaged Chromebooks at Ravenscroft and other public schools using the same units.

Page 10

Page 12

] s rohm pound k [ e m co om um Chr enoting hromi due C s n. D loys of rogres p l or a pause g or o v. T e closin of a to th wering k o unp meboo o Chr

The Facts

ol Public Scho k Usage : Chromeboo

Pages 8 & 9

Page 15

Grady Finch, ‘14, Rachel Ormand, ‘14, and Kayla Reali, ‘14, hard at work on their Chromebooks.

Photo by Emi Meyers

r Rates Pe Damage Grade:

.1% Grade - 7 % * de - 46.4 **8th Gra - 5.9% de **9th Gra ade - 9.2% **10th Gr % ade - 28.1 **11th Gr ade - 3.3% **12th Gr *7th

The Student Response

F

ollowing the presentation, some students have questioned the viability of the data used by Ramsden.

This is reinforced by the thought that such vastly different circumstances and upbringings might explain the difference in damage rates.

Some students have also complained about the fragility of the Chromebooks, blaming the faulty design for the high damage rates, seeing as Chromebooks are encased with hard plastic, in comparison to the metal plating found on Macbooks and other PCs. Since then, one unintended consequence of the presentation is

that students have become tentative to turn their b r o k e n Chromes in for repair.

I n Lila Welsh, ‘14, typing the long on the Chrome. run, this Photo by Emi Meyers could turn out to be even more detrimental and costly to the school. The IT Department has not yet been able to track a change in Chromebook damage considering the recent timing of the presentation, occurring right before break. Only time will tell if this presentation will have a lasting effect.

ft students “Ravenscro iation for pprec have less a . Consideroks Chromebo ve students ha ing a lot of cy n fa ones, and iPads, iPh e m ,a iting at ho laptops wa ok seems Chromebo nt.” insignifica Wiehe, ‘15 - Stephanie

Laptops in Other Schools Cary Academy:

Students are provided with tablet PCs. First damage is $30 and second incident is $100.

Cardinal Gibbons:

Students are not given technology, but are allowed to bring their own computers in to use.

Durham Academy:

Grades 6-8 are provided with iPads. Personal computers are permitted in high school.

St. Mary’s:

Each student recieves a Lenovo Tablet PC. Damage repairs can cost from $100-$500.

2 Table of Contents Page 2 Social Media Stephanie Wiehe

Page 3 Minimum Wage Daniella Solovay

Page 4 Presidenial Awards Page 5 Water Fountains Audrey Hammerstein

Page 5 Dares

Austin Morin

Page 6 Pit Bulls

Caroline Scales

Page 7 Editorial

Caroline Scales, Calley Mangum & Max Sminkey

Pages 8 & 9 Mean Girls Casey Harris

Page 10 MS Couples Cameron Castleberry Lee Massey

Page 10 Academy Awards Caroline Scales Calley Mangum

Page 11 Boy/Girl Quiz Jimbo Barnes Jordan Bednar Matthew Quesenberry

Page 12 Rodents Kate Sweeney Page 13 Favs

Abbie Green & Marianela de Oro

Page 14 Downtown Abbey Lindsay Thompson

Page 14 Horoscopes Layla Tanik

Page 15 Pre-Game Superstitions

Skye Dietelbaum

Page 16 Winter Sports Awards Skye Dietelbaum

Nevarmore NamePlate ArtWork Bella Kron

News

Monstrous Media “Social” Media Promotes Anti-Social Behavior

Stephanie Wiehe

Staff Writer

O

ver the last 20 years, technology has developed and become commonplace in just about every household across America. Kids have gone from asking Santa for hot wheels and Barbies to asking for iPhones and iPods. The worst part: Santa is complying. New technology, like the iPhone, has encouraged teens and young adults to immerse themselves in the media industry of the modern age , including Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, and all the movies and television imaginable.

I traded in my iPhone for an old flip phone in late January for various reasons, and surprisingly, I haven’t died or gone crazy yet. Of course it wasn’t a happy change at first, but as I’ve gotten used to it, I’ve started thinking that it is ridiculous how obsessed students are with technology, especially iPhones.

Phones were invented to serve a purpose: connecting people and allowing communication between distant places. Today, phones certainly still have the ability of calling, but not many teens actually pick up a phone and talk. Texting, Facebook, and Twitter have become the main uses of cell phones. These are considered “social” networking programs, designed to promote social interactions, but I believe as people have begun to use these means of communication more, true social interaction has decreased.

Limits f2f I

n 2012, the US alone sent 2.27 TRILLION texts. If it takes roughly 10 seconds to send a multiple word text, imagine how many seconds, minutes, hours, days are spent staring at phone screens sending messages. With so much time and money put into texting, and with so much said, there really aren’t that many meaningful things left to discuss in person.

I haven’t been able to text for the last two weeks and it’s noticeable how much more there is to talk about in person. If something exciting or newsworthy among friends happens in the evening, you can talk about it the next morning. Constant communication between friends, especially girls, leaves nothing to discuss other than the contentless high school drama that concerns and benefits no one but the attention seeker.

Phone-Ou-Flage Phones allow not only a new

means of communication, but also a new means and dimension of bullying and wrongdoing. There are constantly reports on the news of suicides and awful situations caused by a hurtful statement, video, or picture posted on the internet.

Before clicking ‘Send,’ ‘Post,’ or ‘Tweet,’ it’s hard to remember how simple it is to hide behind a keyboard. Most teens don’t describe themselves as confrontational and would probably not verbally attack someone in person. But behind a phone, it’s easy to be someone you’re not.

Texting can also hide the emotion and sincerity of things said. A sarcastic or joking text looks the same as a sincere and honest text on a phone.

As convenient as it would be, there’s no magical sarcasm font, thus, hurtful things can be said unintentionally and look as sincere as any other text.

“Sexting” is another loophole in the security of texting and a glitch in the logic and intelligence of teenagers.

While it is obviously a poor decision, it seems as though people still “sext,” trusting the person on the other side of that cellular connection.

Trusting someone through a phone is perfectly logical with a best friend or someone known well, but as previously stated, teens are often braver behind a phone and may talk to someone they don’t have a trustworthy relationship with in person, leading to an illogical and possibly reputationdamaging catastrophe.

Phones were not designed for the purpose of ruining lives, and are perfectly capable of being used without ruining lives, but teenage overuse and stupidity turns these useful devices into live social bombs.

Addiction I

t may seem cliché and extreme, but I firmly believe that I’m more productive and I get more out of every day without my phone buzzing in my pocket every five minutes. Believe it or not, it’s actually a lot easier to hold a conversation with someone when you aren’t staring at a little glowing screen.

Paying attention in class is significantly easier when you aren’t texting under your desk, trying to reply to an urgent message from your best friend in the next room over. Unless you’re dying or bleeding, the text can probably wait

E-Kids

The amount of time US children and teens spend on the computer has tripled in the last 10 years.

82%

of Americans age 16-17 own a cell phone

91.4

Million

Smartphones are in the US alone

92%

of Smartphone use is for text messaging

Cell Phones In Class

Nearly 8 in 10 teenagers say they bring a cell phone to school regardless of the school’s policy, according to a recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

until after class or whatever task is afoot.

All too often when walking into a new unfamiliar situation, teens whip out their phones and pretend to text or tweet to avoid an awkward situation with other people. Not having a phone is character building in situations like these. Down the road in life walking into a job interview, pulling out a phone and texting probably isn’t the best idea when trying to send out a good impression. So, set down the phone and talk to someone. You never know, you might actually meet someone worthy of talking to, and your teenage life might be slightly less tragic.

Love Affair With Virtual World On a non-text related

note, iPads and more have granted access to wonderful applications such as Netflix.

While Netflix is a magnificent creation for the bored teenage population, it too is becoming addictive and dangerous.

With the ability to stream movies instantly on the go comes the ability to watch romantic comedies all the time. Watching too many movies can lead the emotional teenage girl into living in a fantastical world created by Nicholas Sparks and whatever hunk of an actor is cast.

Watching these sappy movies creates a false expectation of what life is actually like. Don’t hold your breath, but Ryan Gosling probably isn’t going to show up on a ferris wheel and ask you out, and Liam Hemsworth probably won’t sweep you off your feet this summer, contrary to what movies may lead you to believe.

Similar to expecting the unrealistic situations that movies portray, comes the fantastical infatuation with Hollywood icons.

Media such as Twitter and television allow us to keep up with the latest Hollywood gossip and follow the every move, and I mean EVERY move, of our favorite actor, singer, or talentless celebrity. A great example of this are

the “Directioners” who obsessively follow the British boy band One Direction, their every move, tweet, relationship, and thought. With media allowing this, teenagers no longer only have their own lives to worry about, but they mindlessly worry about their celebrity crushes’ drama as well.

Infatuation with a celebrity icon can lead to excessive staring at cell phones and conversations revolving around nothing but what said celebrity wore to Starbucks today. Life would be more productive without such distractions. I hate to burst some more bubbles, but you will probably never be adopted by the Kardashians or end up in a reversepolygamist relationship with all five members of One Direction. Sure, it’s okay to be a fan, but wasting the mental energy and time sitting on your phone, computer, or TV, keeping tabs on a celebrity who doesn’t know you, is ludicrous and possibly preventing you from the exciting, social, high school career you deserve, or homework.

Back to the main concern: Is media really helping us? I have a pretty strong belief that at schools in this day and age, media has become addictive and harmful. It sounds cliché and antagonistic, but seriously, put down the phone and have real intellectual conversations with someone. It will honestly get you further in life. I’m sure you have heard your parents say something along the lines of, “Back in our day, we didn’t have cell phones,” and it’s true. They didn’t, yet they turned out to be successful. We really shouldn’t be sacrificing true social time in high school for technology, since previous generations made it, and so can we.

With moderation and thoughtfulness, media and technology can serve their true purpose, to help the population with communication and entertainment. Humor me, and try a day without a phone. I promise, you won’t die because you couldn’t text your friend or “significant” other for one day. Addiction is a mental problem, and the way it’s looking now, our generation is on the fast track to a society filled with crazies, addicted to media and technology.

3

News

Minimum Wage-nscroft “I think it is a good minimum wage.

It is a fair price and allows for a lot of jobs. If it goes higher then there will be less minimum wage jobs, making it harder to find work.”

-Robert Lippit, ‘14 Lifeguard

Daniella Solovay

STAFF WRITER

A

fter hearing President Obama’s State of the Union speech, in which he proposed an increase in the minimum wage, The Nevarmore wanted to find out more about the opinions of minimum wage and how it affects students at Ravenscroft.

President Obama wanted to raise minimum wage from $7.25/hour to $9.00/hour. His reasoning was that the price of living has increased, so people can no longer live off of minimum wage. Since the point of minimum wage is to be the minimum a person needs to survive, it needs to be increased in order to be enough for someone to support themselves and their families.

It would seem that minimum wage wouldn’t affect most people at Ravenscroft, but our survey says otherwise. We sent out a student survey to look deeper and 58% of the students who responded have jobs. Out of the 58% percent of students with jobs, 22% earn minimum wage, 33% earn less than $10/ hour, and 30% are volunteers.

The pros and cons of having a job in high school vary for different people.

Having a high school job can help develop responsibility, money management, and people skills. It can also show colleges that you have a good work ethic and experience.

However, the effects on grades tend to get in the way of the positive opinions. Depending on the student, having a job can either make grades a lot harder to keep up with, or just not affect them. Time management is a key factor in keeping grades up and keeping a job in high school.

“The current minimum wage is perfectly acceptable for people who are not using their minimum wage job to survive. It is insufficient as a “living wage,” meaning that if you are working 40 hours a week at $7.25 you cannot support your basic needs.

You will still be below the federal poverty level and will need government assistance.

If we expect households to be supported on a full-time minimum wage then it is inadequate.”

- Jennifer Cohen History Instructor

Minmum Wages Vary By State

Upcoming SGA Events 3rd Quarter Celebration Day: Thursday, April 25th.

Student-Faculty Basketball Game: Saturday, April, 13th, 2 PM 2nd Annual Upper School Kickball Tournament for In Sam’s Name: Sunday, April 21st, 5-7 PM Spring Movie Night: TBA

4

News Presidential Community Service Awards President Barack Obama is continuing the volunteer recognition program initiated in his

2002 during the State of the Union address by President George W. Bush as he challenged all Americans to make time in their lives to assist their neighbors, communities, the nation, and the world through service. As a result of this challenge, The Presidential Volunteer Service Award program was developed to thank and honor citizens who met President Bush’s challenge. The council believes that recognizing and honoring volunteers sets a standard for others and encourages them to answer the President’s call to service.

2012 GOLD Awards

2012 SILVER Awards

Kaira Harrison, ’16

Kyla Babson, ‘13

Karinn Kasbekar, ’16

Chris Brajer, ‘13

Kyle Knape, ’16

Sara Howard Francis, ‘14

Andrew Pruden, ’16

Rachel Hopkins, ‘16

John Pupa, ’15

Sara Kasbekar, ‘14

Sarah Pupa, ’13

Arash Kasebi, ‘13

Laura Naslund, ’15

Johnny McNeill, ‘16

Megan Ragusa, ‘16

Claudia Meyer, ‘13

Sophie Raymer, ’15

Simone Sellette, ‘14

Humza Rizvi, ’14

Elisabeth Schricker, ‘13

Max Sminkey, ‘13 Ashley Suh, ‘15 Lila Welsh, ‘14

2012 BRONZE Awards Menaka Atree, ’16

Claire Fuscoe, ’14

Ford Layman, ‘15

Courtney Price, ‘15

Chris Antonello, ’14

Caroline Gainey, ’15

Alexandra Lee, ‘15

Emily Ratliff, ‘14

Davy Babson, ’15

Grant Glenn, ’14

Stratton Lindenmuth, ‘16

Abby Quirk-Royal, ‘13

Axel Barth, ’15

Abbie Green, ’16

Shane Litcher, ‘14

Wes Stroud, ‘15

Mary Grady Bell, ’14

Michael Gong, ’16

Abbey Lockhart, ‘14

Lindsay Thompson, ‘14

Sara Brown, ’14

Max Haensel, ’14

Jessie Lutz, ‘14

Collin Thrash, ‘16

Cory Carr, ’16

Jay Hirl, ’14

Calley Mangum, ‘13

Rachel Wakeford, ‘13

Alex Cooley, ’13

Jake Isley, ’14

Vanessa May, ‘14

Christian Walker, ‘14

Johnny Davis, ’15

Zoe Johnson, ’16

Patrick McIntyre, ‘14

Mariel Ziperski, ‘13

Virginia Douglas, ’14

Robin Kikuchi, ’15

Rebecca Miller, ‘13

Alexandra Zuckerman, ‘15

JT Fritsch, ’14

Nicole Knape, ’15

Eryn Murphy, ‘14

Caroline Zuckerman, ‘13

5

Opinion

Water You Really Drinking?

A Flood of Information About a Hydration Experiment that Tested the Tester

Audrey Hammerstein

STAFF WRITER

The Original Idea W

ell, right now, I’m really mad because I was going to write this water fountain article for The Nevarmore, because I wanted to write about something relevant to the school. At first, I thought, Well, I mean, this is stupid because kids in Africa don’t have drinkable water or whatever, and I’m here complaining about how our water in the water fountains is gross, but then Emi Myers, ‘15, convinced me that the kids in Africa have water, and it’s okay because I’m just stating my opinion. And, I talked to a bunch of other people and some thought the same thing.

I got all my quotes and did some research and was feeling pretty good about this article and all. I was going to get this stupid thing done and it was going to be great and somehow magically fix the taste of the stupid water in the fountains.

So, I went and talked to Zoe Welsh, Science Instructor, and got some facts about some gene people have that allows them to taste bitterness. Awesome! I decided to link that to this big taste test I was going to do. I was trying to connect the bitter taste gene with the chemical taste that some people claimed to find in our water fountain water. I planned to use the PTC paper Welsh gave me.

I got the water from the store, but the problem was I had $10 to buy candy, water, and cups with and so I was shopping on a budget. Regrettably, I turned down my parents’ offer to pay for this stuff and ended up getting some really weird candy and some 87 cent water because I needed something cheap. And, I forgot the cups. Go me for forgetting EVERYTHING on a regular basis.

The Execution So then, on the way to school, I was feeling good because

I had this whole big plan and the taste test would go great and I’d make an announcement at Morning Meeting that would be informative and funny so everyone would know about the test. They’d all come and I’d have a bunch of people taste the water which would give me a bunch of results. If everything worked out as I hoped, the people who thought the bottled water tasted better and could tell which one was which, would also taste the bitterness and there would be the link between everything and it would just make the article amazing because I did this whole huge science experiment and everyone would think I’m a god or something. It would all be amazing.

Side-note, the water in the blue cup was from the fountain, and the water and the coke cups was the bottled water.

Okay, but the problem with all this is that THE WATER THAT I BOUGHT TASTES WORSE THAN THE WATER FOUNTAIN WATER. IT TASTED LIKE CHEMICALS AND SUGAR COOKIES. So, that just blew the whole science experiment. Everyone thought the blue water tasted better and the guesses of which water was which was obviously just random guessing and there was NO correlation between the PTC paper bitterness and the taste of the water. To make matters worse, now I have many enemies because the paper tasted so bad and the really weird candy, like the lollipops, which were some super weird green-vomit color, was rachet.

WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK! But, whatever.

Trying to Go With the Flow

S

o then I was hoping that maybe only I thought the water from Harris Teeter tasted weird, because for some reason I am just super picky about my water and I am ridiculous. But then, Helen Velk, Journalism Instructor, Jack Van Lokeren, ‘15, and Emi Myers, ‘15, tried the water and also thought it tasted weird. Jack even said it “tasted like poo!” What in the world why? And, he needs to get his hair cut - just throwing that out there. Then, they tasted Aquafina, purchased from Rhonda’s Cafe, and said THAT WAS GROSS TOO - worse that the water fountain. So in the stinking end, the water fountain water tasted the best, WHICH JUST DE-

FEATS THE WHOLE ENTIRE PURPOSE OF MY ARTICLE. Then, I refused to give up or whatever because I had already done all this and I just needed to finish this stupid article. So, last night, I went to Harris Teeter and stood in front of the water bottle section for about 15 minutes, trying to figure out which water tasted like PLAIN WATER, BASICALLY NOTHING. I couldn’t decide. So, I texted Rosie Waring, ‘15, asking which one she thought was the most normal. She said something completely different than I thought. I said Deer Park and Dasani, and she said Aquafina. After that, I had the revelation that WATER TASTES DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE. I AM TRYING TO WRITE AND FIND OUT SOMETHING THAT JUST WILL NOT WORK AT ALL. I just wasted basically my entire life’s work. So, then I stood there for five more minutes and decided to buy Evian because I Googled best plain tasting water, and that’s what Fox News said. I figured that would be close because it was Fox News; so why the heck not? If anyone knows about bottled water, I feel like it would be Fox News. So, I bought that and some more testing cups; and then forgot to get my free sugar cookie from Harris Teeter - my favorite part of shopping there. So that stunk.

Then, I get to school and I bring the water. We stopped by Chick-Fil-A before school, and that was great. I walk into Journalism, and BAM, a bird flies into the window. Now it’s feathers and blood are still caked on the window and it’s gross.

Then There Was A Bird

One Literally Flew INTO the Cuckoo’s Nest

A

ustin Morin, ‘15, and I ran outside to try and save it, and found it sitting next to the bush; like, not moving at all. Then, the wind kind of blew it over. We’re both freaking out about this bird because IT’S DYING WHATNOT! Kate Sweeney, 13, runs out and tries to pick up the thing with her bare hands, WHICH YOU CANNOT DO. She’s going to get the Bird Flu or something weird and probably die. Who knows?

Then, Velk came out and told us not to touch or bug the bird because it is stunned and will fly away when it’s ready. Of course, I tweeted about it and there is still bird feather and blood on the window and we’re telling everyone about it because that actually happened. WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK! That doesn’t just happen.

Then, some man walked by and was laughing and some police officer asked us what was happening and I told him and he was just like, “Okay, wut?” He walked away. As class ended, Morin went back out there. He’s going to kill the thing and Velk is freaking out and the bird could be dying. What do we do?

Now, I have this bird and the whole water incident; which is not over. And I have to write this and I don’t even know what I’m doing. I’m not going to have an article and everything is ruined.

Why did I do this? The whole water idea was stupid and a waste of my life. WHY? I’m telling all this to Velk and she tells me to pretend that she is the Chromebook and I am talking to her. Soooooo...

Then I don’t even know. I have this water. I’m sitting in the Journalism/Online News class and it’s so much louder than our class. I feel weird. Everyone probably thinks I’m crazy because I just tried to write an article about water and sitting in front of me is this jug of disgusting Harris Teeter water, which I didn’t even get a cookie with, and I think I’m going to throw it at someone.

ANYONE.

I DareYou...

Crawford Sloan, ‘15 “I had to lick dog-doody, and drink someone’s pee.”

Austin Morin

STAFF WRITER

I

t was a warm summer day in Maryland.

The wind was flying past my face as the boat picked up speed. We came close to the dock and slowed down.

A friend told me of the jellyfish that chilled in the bay; I didn’t believe him.

He dared me to swim the last few yards to the dock.

So, I did. I courageously dove into the slightly murky water.

My freestyle form was outstanding as I neared the dock, if I do say so myself. I was getting excited about shoving the fact that I did not get stung in my friend’s face.

As I grasped the rung of the ladder, I felt an extremely painful sensation and I let out a manly scream as I pulled myself out of the water as fast as I could.

My friend’s mom came with God’s speed. I revealed my wounds and she gasped at the horror. I was stung on my neck and my torso; it was kind of a big deal.

As I not-so-fondly reminisced, I decided to ask the Ravenscroft community about dares that they have experienced. Whether it is just the average dare or the infamous double-dog dare, the event is bound to bring on a good story.

Skye Deitelbaum, ‘15 “I ate lichens (fungus) with someone on a school feild trip to the woods.

It did not taste half bad.”

Abbie Green ,‘16 “One time, I was dared to pull the fire alarm and yell fire, I got scared that I would get caught.

So, I bolted away.”

Helen Velk

Journalism Instructor Last year, Helen Velk would make students sing if they walked through the alcove during her advisory group meeting.

Water Under the Bridge Next, I have Physics, but I still don’t know what I’m going

to write about because water is a stupid waste of time. We should all just drink sweet tea. This whole idea was stupid and just stupid and the bird is probably dead now. The end. Good luck with this. This is so long and rambling and I am frustrated. The end.

And now, I just threw a whole temper tantrum in Online News class and Velk just said, “Have a lovely day!” They think I’m insane now, I’m positive. Sorry. I slammed the door. I was mad.

That class thinks I’m completely insane, and so does everyone else because I just talked very loudly about water. Okay. The end - for real this time. Fini. That’s French, I think.

I

Wait, Wuuuttt??

lied. I basically went to Physics late with my note from Velk and blurted all this in Dr. Nelson Nunalee’s face. And then, the most amazing thing, he said he thought this whole thing was excellent. WUT? He agreed with Velk (very rare for anyone to agree with her - jk!) and thought the whole shenanigans proved something important:

EVERYONE PERCEIVES THE TASTE OF WATER (AND OTHER THINGS) DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS A UNIQUE SET OF INAudrey Hammerstein, ‘14, administers the infamous water test to Casey Harris, ‘15, and Kyle Williams, ‘14. HERITED TRAITS AND LIFE EXPERIENCES. GO FIGURE? Photo by Helen Velk

Layla Tanik, ‘13 “I took a shot of olive oil, and ate play dough, then jumped in a pond my dad thought I was drowning.”

Garrett

Anderson, ‘14 “I was dared to put my pants on backwards.

It felt really weird, so I put them back on normal.”

Daniella Solovay, ‘15

“I walked down the street in my bra, and my friend’s mom pulled up behind me and I wasn’t able to talk to them for the rest of the year.”

Matthew Quesenberry, ‘13 &Jimbo Barnes,’13 “It snowed one time and we both got into our boxers and went sledding.

We then preceded to jump into a hot tub to prevent hypothermia. It was an exhilarating experience.”

6

Opinion

Killing Man’s Best Friend Caroline Scales

W

O.J., a 2 1/2 month old pit bull puppy, sits during a training class at the Nash Community Center in Chicago, Illinois, September 16, 2009.

Photo Credit: Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/MCT

“Pit Bull” Myths: They have locking jaws: No dog, be it pit bull-type, Rottweiler, or German Shepherd, has a locking jaw. The fighting style of “pit bulls” involves grabbing and shaking. They have powerful jaw muscles, which allow them to hold on longer. Just because they can hold on longer does not mean that they change the anatomy of a dog and lock the jaw.

Dog biting leads to people biting: There have been many studies that show that dog-aggressive dogs are just as likely as dog-friendly dogs to turn on humans.

Actually, many dogs used in fighting are less likely to turn on people because of their desire to please.

Editor

ish to spark fear in the eyes of an innocent bystander? Tell them your dog is a pit bull, and watch them run away.

“Pit bull” is, in fact, not a breed. It is a blanket term that covers the breeds American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) and the American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff). Breeds such as the Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and the American Bulldog are lumped into the group on account of likeness of head and body sizes.

The bias of “dangerous” dogs like APBT, AmStaff, and Rottweilers has caused many cities to implement Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) in hopes of maintaining public safety.

BSL ranges from mild to extreme. In mild cases, for example, “dangerous” dogs are required to be leashed at all times and spayed/neutered. Some cities have taken BSL to the extreme, attempting to rid of specific breeds within city limits.

In Denver, Ordinance Number 661-12 in 1989 made it “unlawful for any person to own, possess, keep, exercise control over, maintain, harbor, transport, or sell within the city any pit bull.” They defined a “pit bull” as an “American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one or more of the above breeds, or any dog exhibiting those distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to the standards established by the American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club for any of the above breeds.”

If the dog is not removed from the city, the dog is taken away by animal control and euthanized. Since 1989, an estimated 3,947 dogs have been put down, found guilty of breed.

These BSL’s represent the peak of canine racism, profiling all “pit bulls” just because of the infamous cases of dog fighting. A majority of the dogs euthanized in Denver have never shown an ounce of aggression, but could not be saved by their families because of the fees required to rescue the dog and house him or her outside of the city.

Breeds like the APBT, AmStaff, and Rottweilers get bad raps because of dog fighting scandals. These breeds are used in fights because they are strong-willed and have a desire to please their masters. So, if the owner keeps telling the dog to fight and not back down, the dog will continue to fight in

order to please the master.

As part of wanting to please their masters, dogs like APBT, AmStaff, German Shepherds, and Rottweilers are used as guard dogs, longing to protect their masters. In the United States, it is possible for a robber to break into a house, be bitten by a guard dog (or any dog in general), and sue for injury.

Breed Specific Legislation needs to change to Owner Specific Legislation. The breed is not at fault for attacking; it is the way the individual dog is trained. Any dog, whether it be a Labrador Retriever or AmStaff, that is socialized early with both dogs and humans, rarely show signs of aggression.

Pit bull type dogs were once the pride of America.

Around World War I, “pit bulls” were on army recruitment posters, typifying American soldiers as athletic and strongwilled men. The only dog attack involving “pit bulls” in the first half of the 20th century was in 1947 when a man purposefully sicced a pack of 26 dogs on a young woman. And that didn’t set in motion any BSL. It wasn’t until around the 1980s when dog fighting became an extremely popular underground “sport” that “pit bulls” started to turn sour in the public’s eyes. In 1987, a story hit the news that sparked a revolution against pit-bull-type dogs when a drug dealer’s guard “pit bull” attacked and killed a two-year-old-boy. By the end of the summer in 1987, every single proposed BSL was set into law.

The Houston Chronicle reported anonymous officials placing the blame on the people for attack, not the dogs.

“Many of the pit bull attacks are due to a skyrocketing number of poorly bred and badly trained dogs raised by backyard breeders, who are trying to cash in on the pit bull’s growing reputation as a cheap, but deadly effective guard dog, particularly in urban areas.”

There are plenty of “pit bulls” raised by wonderful people to not fight, but to be a loving dog. For example, Helen Keller, a blind, deaf, and mute girl, raised an APBT named Sir Thomas, and she believed he was the kindest dog she ever owned.

This “Pit Bull Holocaust” needs to end, starting with the owners. More legislation about proper dog care and training needs be enforced. Cesar Milan, famous dog trainer, believes that “a breed is like a suit of clothes, it doesn’t tell you anything about the dog inside.”

Photo credit: 1800petmeds.com

They don’t feel pain: Pit bulls are dogs. And just like any other dog, they have the same exact nervous system, and can feel pain. Many pit-bull type dogs will muscle through the pain, though, because their owners tell them to.

Their bite has the highest pressure per square inch (PSI) of any breed: Dr. Brady Barr of National Geographic recently conducted a test between an APBT, Rottweiler, and German Shepherd, and the APBT has the lowest PSI of the three.

They can’t get along with other animals: If properly socialized, just like any other dog, a “pit bull” can get along with any animal or human.

Pete the Pup from Our Gang is an AmStaff.

Photo in public domain

Editorial

7

The Worm Wiggles Into North Korea

Rodman’s Visit Will Do More Harm Than Good for America F

ormer NBA player Dennis Rodman doesn’t seem like the most equipped candidate to negotiate with a hostile dictator. No NBA player seems like the right person to deal with one of infamous anti-American dictators of modern times. But that didn’t stop Rodman. He went to North Korea with an invite from the country’s “Supreme Leader”, Kim Jong Un. Not under the official representation of the United States, though.

Kim, who refers to America as “the sworn enemy of the Korean people” and has threatened to bomb the United States multiple times, bonded with the “Supreme Globetrotter” over a basketball game in North Korea. According to Rodman, Kim is now a “really cool guy” and “a friend for life.”

The game was between a few of the Harlem Globetrotters and some of North Korea’s “Dream Team.” It ended with a score of 110-110. A tie, imagine that.

A few months ago, North Korea had the U.S. in their sights as a named target of an underground nuclear test and a long-range missile launch capable of carrying a warhead. Only a couple of days before Rodman’s lovely visit, Kim threatened a nuclear “miserable destruction” against the United States.

Rodman went to North Korea, not as an official representative for U.S., but to make a TV documentary. Yet, he tweeted that he was “honored to represent the United States.”

Nevertheless, with this new eternal friendship, people are hoping Kim will show a little less hostility towards the U.S. Probably not, though, considering Rodman’s speak-firstask-later attitude spilled a North Korean state secret as soon as Former Detroit Piston Dennis Rodman he returned to the U.S. In an interview with the Sun, he said talks with the media before the ceremony that Ri Sol Ju, Kim’s wife, “would not stop talking about their beautiful baby daughter,” information which was supposed to retiring his uniform number.

(Kirthmon F. Dozier/Detroit Free Press/MCT) be kept a state secret.

This could have easily been the push Kim needed to follow through on his threats. Rodman’s one little slip up could have cost the U.S. dearly, and it could have been avoided altogether if someone a little more qualified travelled to North Korea instead of Rodman.

Kim did allow Rodman to explain parts of his childhood, though, as “his grandad built all this s--t and then his dad built more s--t, but he is a normal guy.”

Rodman believes Kim truly is a good person. “He doesn’t want to kill anyone,” Rodman continued in the interview, “he doesn’t want to bomb anyone. He just wants Obama to call him.”

Leader of the free world just hitting on one of the most feared dictators?

Oh, yeah, easy as pie.

“I’m not a politician,” Rodman tweeted, “Kim Jung Un & North Korean people are basketball fans. I love everyone. Period. End of story.”

Now Rodman, filled with the glory of reaching the unreachable, wants to meet with one of the most respected men in the Western World: Pope Francis. The next stop on his “Save the World Tour” is to help fixing the scandals of the Catholic Church. Rodman told TMZ that his “people” were in contact with the Vatican in order to organize a meeting between him and Pope Francis.

This is the same person who, in June 1997, was fined $50,000, one of the largest fines in NBA history, because he offended the Mormons when his team, the Chicago Bulls, lost to the Utah Jazz. Upset from the loss, Rodman said, “It’s difficult to get in sync because of all of the [expletive deleted] Mormons out here. And you can quote me on that.” Bulls coach Phil Jackson defended him, saying, “To Dennis, a Mormon may just be a nickname for people from Utah. He may not even know it’s a religious cult or sect or whatever.”

What’s worse: insulting an entire religion because you lost a basketball game or not knowing they’re a “religious cult or sect or whatever”?

If the Catholic church really needs saving, let’s give someone else a shot who knows what they’re doing, instead of Rodman.

Dennis Rodman’s Don’t hate me.

Don’t hate me.

Don’t hate me.

Guess what?

Don’t hate me.

“I’ll get you out of a pickle!”

- Snooki

(UN) Dream Team

“I’ll help you WIN, baby #WINNING!” - Charlie

“I’ll help him steal the Declaration of Independence!”

- Nicolas

Obama, CALL ME...

Maybe?

“This is so much worse than the Burn Book...”

- Lindsay

Cartoon by Caroline Scales

Editorial Content:

This paper serves as a communication link within Ravenscroft School and between the school and the local community.

The Nevarmore staff strives to produce a professional-quality publication that follows the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Our overall objective is to print the news for and about our students and other members of our school and community in a fair and objective way with the utmost regard for integrity.

Wire Service

The Nevarmore subscribes to MCT Campus, which provides photographs, national news & entertainment services to high school newspapers.

Faculty Advisor: Helen Velk

Editor-in-Chief

Caroline Scales

Associate Editors Calley Mangum & Max Sminkey The unsigned editorials in this issue are a reflection of the combined opinions of the editorial team.

Responses in the form of a letter are welcomed and will be considered for publication.

NamePlate Artist Bella Kron

1) The students on The Nevarmore staff will print articles which have been researched to the best of their ability to obtain the most complete information.

2) The information will be presented in an objective, truthful and fair manner.

3) When personal commentary is given it will be in good taste on issues that have been researched, analyzed and where expert opinion has been sought, and then presented to the best ability of the writer.

4) No material which is obscene, libel or anything that will cause a “material and substantial disruption” of the school day, according to accepted legal definitions, will be printed.

The Truth Abou Girls, Boys, and Bullying...Oh My! Casey Harris STAFF WRITER

A

lmost everyone in High School can think of someone who resembles the Regina George character from Mean Girls. That one infamous group of the “popular” kids can usually be spotted on a person’s first day of school.

Unfortunately, there are many stereotypes and expectations that go along with that group of students, especially the girls.

It is not uncommon to hear statements such as “high school girls are just cruel.” And many teenage girls find themselves victims of such cruelty.

Maybe someone you think is your “friend” has switched your face cream with foot cream, gave you Kaltene bars and tricked you into thinking they would help you lose weight, or made your boyfriend brake up with you. If you have had any combination of these things happen to you, you probably are slightly biased and believe that girls are just plain mean.

Recently, awareness has been increasing on teen bullying, in particular among girls.

The rise of social media sites and constant social connection has had people looking into the behaviors between teenagers, and between teenage girls.

It is a general stereotype that teenage girls are mean to each other and partake in manipulative games in order to get ahead of other girls, but are there any facts to support that belief? Is there any correlation between the popular belief regarding teenage girls and the truth?

Photo classified as “Free Use”

Expert Opinions W

hen people think of bullying, they tend to think of teenage girls forming cliques and plotting against other girls and cliques.

Ravenscroft school counselor, Dr. Susan Perry, Dr. Susan Perry feels that bullying, whether done by boys or girls, has the Counselor same end result, leaving a person who was bullied feeling hurt, outcasted, and victimized.

Alison Kelly, English Instructor and published author, analyzed the movie, Carrie, and believes that girl bullying manifests in different ways because it originates from different types of people [girls verses boys].

In her published work, Kelly gives an analysis of the types of harassment that Carrie receives, including direct verbal abuse, and belittlement.

Another theory is that the media that leads society to view teenage girls as ruthless and scheming.

Movies, such as Mean Girls, satirically poke fun at teenage girls and their interactions with one another, usually resulting in mass plans of destruction or competition.

These movies go down in history as the classic sleep-over must sees, and many people refer to them as if they are a realistic view of high school girls.

The ability of movies like Mean Girls or Sleepover to make commonly thought of drama related with teenage girls such as boyfriend troubles, rumors and the constant struggle to fit in with the “it girls” contributes to their popularity.

Alison Kelly

English Instructor

Tips from Dr. Perry on Beating Bullies

1

Tell

the person who is making you uncomfortable that you want the behavior to stop, and remove yourself from the situation. Safety is always the main priority.

2

Publ Allison

Involve a trusted adult. Be-

cause bullying is long term, and involves a balance of power, there is no reason that it will stop unless there is an outside force that steps in. Tell a faculty member, counselor, or parent in order to stop the cycle of bullying from continuing.

3

Remember to take

care of yourself.

Educate yourself on bullying, and take advantage of your resources such as faculty, counselors, and parents. Find activities and people to be around that will help you remain happy and healthy.

Girl Bullies

Have many f

Are socially s

Act in grou isolate a sing

Know the gir bully

Are doing w school

Ravens, What “Girls don’t fight with their fists the way guys do, and instead they use words and they can often say the cruelest things. It’s just a different fighting style. Studies have shown that those who verbally attack and harass others in high school are likely to be higher up on the social ladder, and most people will do anything for a little status and “popularity.”

Rachel Hopkins, ‘16

I don’t think ally mean to just know exac because we everything, the all of our frien whenever ther pecially betwe know where are and exactl order to make

Eryn M

Is there a “ “I think there is a decent human-being code... not just a set of rules for girls.”

- Helen Velk Journalism Instructor

“Yes but guys do it because girls from a differ I think the gi imaginary cod a lot of d

- Sam Suth

ut Mean Girls

lished Author and English Instructor n Kelly Shares Her Findings on Bullying

Vs.

Guy Bullies

friends

Have few friends

skilled

Are socially inept

ups to gle girl

Act alone Do not know the boys, or girls, they bully

rls they

Are doing poorly in school

well in

Do You think?

we girls are reeach other, we ctly what to say, tell each other erefore we know nds’ secrets. So re is an issue, eseen friends, girls e the sore spots ly what to say in e the person feel worse.

Girls fight with words and secrets, while boys fight with their fists.

As far as I’m concerned, girls are mean to girls.

Guys are mean to guys.

Girls get jealous and think of creative ways to be mean to each other like snubbing and stuff like that. Girls have more awkward “frenemy” situations. Guys are straight up with it if they don’t like each other.

Delaney Roberts, ‘16

Murphy, ‘14

“Girl Code?”

“Yes. You can’t go after someone’s ex, you can’t buy the same clothes as a friend, and you can’t steal someone else’s friends... and that’s the girl code.”

- Courtney Price, ‘15

on’t understand s are creatures rent planet... irl code is an de that causes drama.”

herland, ‘15

I

According

to Alison Kelly, English Instructor, and many others, bullying differs between guys and girls.

Girls who bully are typically powerful, popular figures who can manipulate others into their abusive actions, making girl bullying a group-action. Guys who bully typically act alone, partly because they tend to be loners with few friends.

Guys can attack anyone, and usually do not know the people that they choose to assault. Girls, on the other hand, make deliberate decisions to isolate a girl that they know, and that they believe deserves to be ridiculed.

Photo by Casey Harris

The Facts

n order to understand bullying, it is important to know a good definition of what bullying is. The three main points of bullying is that it is intentional, it involves a power imbalance, and it happens over time.

Bullying usually involves a vicious cycle in which an insecure person puts others down in order to gain more self esteem, attention, or power. The person who becomes a bully often times does receive the attention and power, so he or she continues to bully.

Bystanders of bullying can react in different ways, feeling afraid, powerless, guilty for not acting against the situation, or tempted to participate. These feelings lead to a silence among peers who have witnessed bullying, which allows the cycle to continue.

One question that is important to understand is why do people, including girls, bully in the first place?

Bullies often come from homes in which they are bullied or abused. They feel a sense of control by bullying others that they do not feel at home.

Girls who bully most often have a need to feel powerful, and try to give off the impression of being powerful by going after girls who are passive, easily pushed around, or have few friends.

Most bullies are also insecure, and attempt to hide their own insecurities by pointing out others. A girl will attack another be-

fore they get the chance to attack her.

Most commonly, the underlying cause of bullying is the desire to be “popular.” Girls view popularity as gaining attention from their peers. They believe that being cruel to other people, most often girls, will cause them to be accepted by the “cool crowd.” The sad part is, most mean girls are considered “cool” and have others actually striving to be like them.

Girls bully in a way that often goes undetected by adults, or other kids who are not directly involved. Rumors, gossip, and direct verbal attacks are used to make an “opposing” girl get the message that she messed up in the eyes of the bully. Teenage bullying among girls can be caused by a number of issues, some as petty as common interests in dates or dresses.

Despite the common belief that girls partake in more, and worse, bullying than guys do, Dr. Perry says she has not seen a disproportion in the number of bullying incidents involving either girls or guys, but it can take different forms according to gender.

Alison Kelly, English Instructor, does believe that bullying takes different forms between guys and girls, and differentiates between typical girls who bully, and typical guys who bully.

All bullying affects those involved in a negative way. Movies satirize the cruelty among peers, and make it entertaining, but the bottom line is, girl or guy, bullying is intended to hurt others, and in most cases is successful in doing so.

Statistics About Girl Bullying and Self-Image A girl is bullied every 7 minutes in the school yard, playground, stairwell, classroom or bathroom.

Only 2% of women think they are beautiful.

90% of all women want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance.

81% of 10 year old girls are afraid of being fat.

57% of women are targeted for workplace bullying.

Girls are more likely than boys to be victims of cyberbullying.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents and teenagers.

Teen girls are more likely to attempt suicide.

Three-fourths of girls with low self-esteem engage in negative activities, such as disordered eating, bullying, smoking or drinking.

10

Ravenscroft Academy Awards Caroline Scales & Calley Mangum

Editors

The votes are in! You voted for your favorites, and we have the results. And the Oscar goes to...

Best Actor In a Leading Role Funniest, nicest guy

Bryant Dowd 52%

I think Byrant is a great leader of the student body.

- Rachel Wakeford, ‘13

Best Actress In a Leading Role Funniest, nicest girl

Rachel Wakeford 37%

“I think Rachel is genuinely very sweet to everyone.”

-Margaret Edwards, ‘13

Best Animated Feature Film Quirkiest

Mariel Ziperski 63%

Best Costume Design Most fashionable

Feature

ool h c S M Matches... iddle

Lee Massey & Cameron Castleberry

James Turner, ‘13 & Taylor Letts, ‘13

Staff Writers

Their relationship started

in 3rd grade.

He used to bring her presents from every one of his vacations.

One time, he brought her back a ring and she threw it over the fence because she was mad at him. In Middle School, when AIM was popular, James’ username was deaconman55 so Taylor made hers deaconman55lover!

or Mismatches?

Will Barefoot, ‘13 & Natalie Holdstock, ‘13

F

or Valentine’s Day in 7th grade, Will brought Natalie a huge bouquet of flowers to school and she was so embarrassed. She had nowhere to put them and ended up keeping them in a teacher’s room! Natalie will never forget the time she lip-locked with him in front of his parents!

Josh McCoy 32%

Best Director Best teacher

Mr. Steve McGill 39%

Best Foreign Language Film Most travelled, knows most languages

Gabrielle Rhoades

T

23%

heir first kiss was at Blockade Runner (a hotel at Wrightsville Beach) in the sauna and for the rest of that day, Savannah was feeling sick to her stomach. She must have had the love bug!

Best Makeup Most creative use of makeup

Caroline Scales 30%

Best Original Song Best singer

English Bernhart 48%

Best Origninal Screenplay Original writer or artist

Calley Mangum 52%

Best Adapted Screenplay Utilizes already published works (i.e. acting)

Lloyd Mallison

47% Best Live Action Short Film Most athletic

Wesley Frazier 72%

Andrew Yochem, ‘13 & Savannah Story, ‘13

Chris Antonello, ‘12 & Kate Sweeney, ‘13

A

fter Chris asked her out through text, Kate remembers beating him at tennis all the time! She broke up with him because he used to send her videos of what he was watching on tv. Their Middle School romance only lasted a short two weeks, over Christmas break.

All Photos by Lee Massey

11

Feature

Sports Superstitions: It’s Not Weird if it Works Nicole Moore, English Instructor, running in a high school track meet.

Skye Deitelbaum STAFF WRITER

I

n my family, sports are a big part of our lives, especially our favorite team, Ohio State. Just like many other passionate sport fans, we have our superstitions. For example, my step-dad always wears his customized scarlet and grey shoes, my siblings and I have our lucky Buckeyes to rub. Here is a look at other athletes and sports fans at the ‘Croft that also practice unique superstitions to bring their teams to victory.

Nicole Moore, English Instructor

Photo Provided by Nicole Moore

“My high school 4x400 relay team would make pig snorting sounds in the relay baton in the order in which we ran.

Consequences were dire if we didn’t perform this ritual. Our 4x400 team went undefeated at conference for 4 years and competed at the state level 4 years. It worked!”

Kofie Yeboah, ‘13

Will Barefoot, ‘13

Photo by Susan Washburn

“I have to sing the national anthem when it is played before I play in a football or lacrosse game”

Photo by Susan Washburn

“I am VERY super superstitious with my track races. I have a pre-game dap routine with one of my other teammates. This year we are going to have a different intro routine. Also, I wear a different pair of “special” socks every meet.”

Kevin Billerman, Varsity Basketball Coach

Photo by Susan Washburn

“If I wear the same suit for a game that they win, then I will continue to wear it and not wash it for every game until they lose.”

Connor Irey, ‘14 “I always have to wear my teams apparel, and I never eat during a Maryland basketball game so I can be focused on it and get really into the game.”

Photo Provided by Connor Irey

Senior Announcements Senior Internships May 13th - June 4th At this point, seniors should have secured an internship as well as a faculty sponsor, submitted their signed “Initial Proposal Form” to their faculty advisor and discussed their internship schedule with the company they plan to assist.

What should you do if you still don’t have any internship arranged for yourself?

GO SPEAK WITH COACH MICHELLE PIETTE ABOUT POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES

ASAP

Important Dates in May and June May 2013

Internship Report Due

Monday, May 6 –Friday, May 17

Internship Conference

AP Exam Period

Wednesday, June 5, by 2:00 PM

Last Day of Senior Classes

Thursday, June 6

Spring Varsity Sports Awards

Honors Convocation, Main Arena

Senior Internship Period

All students are required to attend in Game Day Dress.

Parents will receive a phone invitation if their child will be receiving an award.

Friday, May 10

(Auxiliary Gym – Finley Center) Sunday, May 19, 5:30-8:00PM

Monday, May 13 –Tuesday, June 4

June 2013 The Alumni/Senior Dinner (North Ridge Country Club) Tuesday, June 4, 6:30 PM

Attire: Females: Dress or skirt/top Males: Coat & Tie. Save the date card will arrive after Spring Break with invitation to follow.

Baccalaureate & Commencement Rehearsal

Wednesday, June 5, 3:45-5:45 PM St. Raphaelʹs Church 5801 Falls Of Neuse Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609 PLEASE PLAN TO ARRIVE PROMPTLY AT 3:45 PM. Commencement rehearsal will start at the Upper School Green immediately following Baccalaureate Rehearsal.

Thursday, June 6, 1:00-3:00 PM

Baccalaureate, St. Raphael’s Church Thursday, June 6, 6:00-7:30PM Seniors are to arrive at 5:30 pm.

Attire: Females: White dress, no bare shoulders or midriff, white dress shoes. Males: Dark suit, or dark pants with a dark jacket, dress shirt and tie, dress shoes.

There is no limit on the number of guests in your party, and there are no tickets.

COMMENCEMENT Friday, June 7, 6:30 PM

Seniors are to arrive at the Auxiliary Gym in the Finley Center by 4:45 PM for class photos.

Commencement will be held on the Campus Green followed by reception hosted by the Junior class and Junior parents. Ceremony is expected to end around 8:00 PM. Attendance at the reception is not mandatory.

In the event of rain, Commencement activities will be held in the A.E. Finley Center.

12

Feature

Gender Benders:

How Well Do You Know the Opposite Sex? Jimbo Barnes, Jordan Bednar & Matthew Quesenberry

“Baking cookies” -Mr Luna

Staff Writers

All Images from Public Domain and Photoshopped by Matthew Quesenberry and Jimbo Barnes

What is a romper?

What is a common activity for girls at sleepovers?

What type of clothing is Frye associated with?

“So its not an animal?”

- Justin Bednar, ‘15

“McDonald’s worker outfit.”

- Kat Belk,

“A Baby thing.”

- Lloyd Mallison, ‘13

Math Instructor

“Scarf.” - Michael Wohlers, ‘13

“A shoe.”

- John Pupa, ‘15 “A butt in Spanish.”

- Colin Vernal, ‘14

“Hipsters.” - Elliot Copeland, ‘13 “A monk.” - Lloyd Mallison, ‘13

ANSWER:

A loose one piece garmet combining a shirt or blouse and shorts.

ANSWER: Boots/Footwear

“Painting nails and “Pillow Fights watching in under“The Notewear.” book.””

- Lloyd Mallison, ‘13 - Justin Bednar, ‘15

A “So they can talk about A Why The N guys.”

N do S world - Justin Bednar, ‘15 S girls W may “So they don’t get lost.”

W “Tickle fights.” go to E never - Elliott Copeland, ‘13 E -Phillip Kielty the R know...

History Instructor R bath?? room “Talk, and exchange notes.” “They are scared of falling in.” Use your - Gregg Luna - Philip Kielty in imgination.

Spanish Instructor History Instructor pairs?

What is a What is top one-andcheddar?

What is a What is one?

PAT? 2k?

“I like Wisconsin, don’t they make cheese in Wisconsin.”

-Kat Belk Math Instructor

“Has to do with Xbox.”

- Taylor Letts, ‘13

LIL LAYLA

“Finest cheese in all the land.” -Taylor Letts, ‘13

“2,000 dollars.”

- Kat Belk

Math Instructor

“A - Lay rapper.” la Ta nik, ‘ 13

“House on wheels.” -Rachel Wakeford, ‘13 “A tropical drink.” -Anna Ergish,‘14 “Cream filled donut.” -Savannah Story, ‘13

“Nothing to do with the Patriots?”

- Taylor Letts, ‘13 “What you do to a little kid.”

- Kat Belk Math Instructor

“A paddle.”

- Savannah Story, ‘13

ANSWER:

“Place and Time.”

-Rachel Wakeford ‘13

ANSWER:

ANSWER:

A slang term used to describe an amzing goal in lacrosse, hockey, etc.

Field goal attempted upon scoring a touchdown. It is worth 1 point.

Who is the Black Mamba?

“Somebody on Dancing With the Stars.”

- Kat Belk Math Instructor

ANSWER:

ANSWER:

A free throw attempt that is dependant upon making the first.

What is Nair?

“Shoe brand.”

- Justin Bednar, ‘15

“Evan Lindsay.”

- Tayor Letts, ‘13

A popular video game for high school boys.

“Buy one get one free.”

-Natalie Holdstock, ‘13

Famous basketball player, Kobe Bryant.

“Naughty Americans In Rompers.”

- Lloyd Mallison, ‘13 “A type of drug.”

- Crawford Sloan, ‘15

ANSWER: A hair removal cream.

Feature

1

TOP 5

Favorite Actor Johnny Depp 20% Ben Stiller 7%

1

STAFF WRITERs

1

Brad Pitt 5%

Leonardo DiCaprio 28%

Abbie Green & Marianela de Oro

Favorite TV Show

PDQ 12%

Football 12% Lacrosse 10% Track 9% Soccer 8%

Bruno Mars 12% Justin Timberlake 11%

Taylor Swift 22% How I Pretty Met Your The Modern Little Mother Office Family Liars 5% 11% 4% 12%

1

Anne Hathaway 28%

Jennifer Aniston 17% Sandra Bullock 16% Angelina Jolie 9% Dakota Fanning 5%

Favorite band Red Hot Chilli Peppers 13%

Basketball 25%

Justin Bieber 4%

Most Desired Superpower

1

Favorite Actress

Chipotle 4%

Favorite Sport

Drake 17%

The Big Bang Theory 22%

1 Bojangles 28%

Favorite Singer

1

Robert Downey Jr. 4%

Favorite Fast Food

Cookout 22% Chick-Fil-A 20%

13

Fun. 10%

Flight 35% Mind ReadTime ing Invisibility Strength Freezing 34% 16% 4% 2%

Favorite Social Network

1

Twitter 26%

1

Maroon 5 29%

Facebook 27%

One Direction 7% The Lumineers 6%

Instagram 24% Pinterest 15% Tumblr 3%

Good Answer: “I try not to use social networks, I talk to people instead.”

Best Answers From Our Survey: What is the most unusual song on your iPod?

Something nobody knows about you:

Arash Kasebi: “The Trololo Song”

Garrison Rountree: “In Doodle Jump, I was once ranked number 9 in the world for a week. My score was like 500,000 points.”

Most desired superpower: “Ability to convert energy”

(potential to kinetic, solar to electrical, etc.)

Favorite singer: “Kurt Contain”

14

Feature

Chinchillas, Rats, and Degus, Oh My! K S ate

C

tent with their pets, but one question about exotic animals proves to be extremely controversial: is it wrong to take exotic animals out of their natural habitat and keep them as pets?

Susan Heckman, Ravenscroft science instructor, says yes.

weeney

STAFF WRITER

hinchillas, degus, rats, mice, and hamsters all have one thing in common: they’re rodents! Contrary to popular belief, rodents actually make great pets.

Rodents commonly kept as pets include hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs. Some of the more exotic rodents that can be kept as pets include degus, chinchillas, rats, and ferrets.

Rodents are classified as exotic pets along with hedgehogs, sugar gliders, and reptiles. Although fairly uncommon, many in the Ravenscroft community are familiar with the world of exotic pets.

“ I have a pig!”

Drew Gagnon, ‘13

Degus

Bill Chissoe, Upper School Computer Science Instructor

“My oldest son (Billy, in the 8th grade) has a red-eyed tree frog. He’s nocturnal, so during the day he curls up and is very small, but at night his arms, legs, and hands (or whatever they’re called) spread out and he’s very colorful. They’re relatively fragile, and his cage must be kept humid like his native home in the Amazon rain forest.

He was introduced to the frog when he completed a report for Mrs. Woodson in 2nd grade. I tried to stall as long as I could, but he was insistent he wanted one and we finally got them when Billy was in 4th grade.”

Chissoe and Gagnon seem con-

Degus are much like chinchillas, except they have coarser fur and wiry tails. They like to be kept in pairs and need a multilevel cage to play in.

Degus are very high-energy and love to run around on wheels and play with other degus.

They are much less fragile compared to chinchillas, but they are still a A degu at Heidelberg Zoo, Germany. high-maintenance pet Photo by Markus on 2011-12-10 because of their incredible amount of healthy. energy.

Their diet is identical to According to exoticpets.com, de- that of a chinchilla and because of gus live about five to eight years and, their fragile digestive systems, their like chinchillas, need a dust bath ev- treat intake should be limited to one ery week to keep their fur shiny and raisin per day.

Chinchillas are probably the most high maintenance pet rodent.

They have the softest fur of any animal in the world, and they love to run around and climb on their owners.

They eat timothy hay and chinchilla pellets, and sit on their hind legs while nibbling on the food grasped in their paws.

Photo of a standard gray chinchilla.

ChinchilPhoto by Thirteen squared on 2010-09-02 las are known for their extremely might keep you up at night running long life span, outliving most dogs around their cage!

Many people purchase and cats. Often, they live to be 18-22 Chinchillas because they are cute years old!

According to PetCo, chin- but don’t know how to properly care chillas need an hour of outside-the- for them. Bill Chissoe, Ravenscroft cage playtime every day and need computer science teacher, thinks this to roll around in volcanic ash once a is a problem.

“I don’t think anyone week to keep their fur healthy. Chin- chillas must be kept at around 70 should keep a pet they’re not comdegrees Fahrenheit and must be kept mitted to caring for.” dry. If they get wet, they can develop Chinchillas might be hard work, but a life-threatening fungus on their they sure are adorable! skin. They are also nocturnal, so they

Chinchillas

Cory Carr, ‘16

Susan Heckman, Upper School Science Instructor “There are too many issues involving exotic pets to make ownership safe and suitable. There are too many other domestic animals that need good homes.”

Others in the Ravenscroft community, like Cory Carr, ‘16, disagree.

“I don’t think it’s wrong. It’s just as “wrong” to keep exotic animals as

Rats

pets as keeping normal animals as pets.”

Liz Gulden, ‘14, agrees with Carr.

“If you take care of them the right way then it’s perfectly fine to own exotic animals.”

Stephanie Weihe, ‘15, stands in the middle of the debate: “It’s okay to have exotic animals as pets, but keeping something like a tiger as a pet is wrong.”

The debate over whether keeping exotic animals as pets rages on, but whatever side someone favors, everyone should agree that exotic pet owners should be educated and prepared to handle high-maintenance pets.

Liz Gulden, ‘14

Stephanie Wiehe, ‘15

Exotic Pets

Often, when people think of rodents, they think of gross, diseased, infected rats crawling around in sewers.

Actually, rats are fairly clean animals when kept in captivity and possess the ability to bond quite closely with their owners. Since the public is quite averse to rats, the Two adult guinea pigs stereotype is often Photo by Carlosar on 2005generalized to all 04-25 rodents, creating an inaccurate social stigma surrounding the ownership of rodents.

Rats live about one year on averA short-haired hamster (named age, but can live as “Egbert”) sitting in its owner’s long as three years. hand and eating a piece of carrot.

In some parts ofPhoto by Keith Pomakis on 2003the world, rat meat 07-27. is revered as a delicacy.

In America, rats are not commonly consumed. AccordHenrietta the rat gets a bite of banana. ing to ratfanclub.

Photo by Steve Ringman, MCT Campus

org, Rats are extremely social animals and enjoy interaction with their owners.

“Most rats will beg to be petted

or to come out and play, and many will show affection by grooming their people with licks Hedgehog and gentle nibbles. Many rats like to sit on a Photo by MCT Campus shoulder just to be with their person.”

Gwen Hovde plays with Meeko, Ferrets are often thought of as smelly, wormy, dis- an Australian sugar glider, at her apartgusting animals, but in fact they can make quite loyal ment in and friendly pets.

MinneThey eat speapolis, cial food comprised Minof different meat nesota, Decemproducts and love ber 26, to frolic and play 2007. with their owners.

They sleep 14-18 Photo by Jerry Holt/Minneapolis Star Tribune/MCT hours a day and Reptile owners showed off their perform a special pets and “weasel dance” competed for when they want to prizes play. on People object Sunday, to the smell a ferret July 18, can release, like a 2010, skunk, when it feels at the threatened, but Miami veterinarians can Science Muremove their anal seum in secretion glands to Ferret Coconut eliminate this probPhoto by Alfredo Gutiérrez on 2008-07-31 Grove, Florida. Here, Erin Byrne, lem effectively. eight years, but they are prone to many health of Miami Beach, and Biggie, her Most ferrets are about 20 inches problems such as cancer.

10-year-old female green iguana, and have a five-inch tail.They can Ferrets need lots of social interaction, so share a kiss. have brown, black, white, or mixed they might not be the best pets for the busy Photo by Lilly Echeverria/Miami Herald/MCT fur. The average life span of is about person.

Ferrets

15

Feature

The Lowdown on Downton LindsayThompson

STAFF WRITER

M

atthew Crawley is dead.

If that doesn’t concern you, then you should find out more about Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey, which is a riveting representation of life during the early 20th century, written by Oscar-winning screenwriter, Julian Fellowes.

This production is filmed at Highclere Castle in Hampshire, England, and, in reality, is the home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon.

Beginning in 1912, this period drama follows the aristocratic Crawley family before, during, and after World War I, from an English perspective.

However, this is not at all a dull, boring history lesson or documentary, but an exciting story about the lives of several highly developed characters and the numerous trials and tribulations of life at Downton Abbey.

The Crawleys are faced with all sorts of challenges: from determining the heir of the estate and saving the family from bankruptcy, to finding suitable bachelors for the daughters, keeping the family free of scandal, and learning how electricity works.

ARIES

In addition to the crowd upstairs, Fellowes ingeniously interweaves the lives of the family’s servants into the main plot.

Whether preserving the family’s honor or deciding what to serve for dessert, there is never a dull moment for a servant of Downton Abbey.

The show focuses on everything from entrepreneurial endeavors and aristocratic expectations, to the passionate romances and dirty secrets of this complicated family. It also highlights many themes such as morality and compassion, as emphasized on CNN’s Opinion page, as well as women’s’ rights, class structure, and the role of society’s expectations.

This series does an amazing job of educating viewers about the time period, while simultaneously addicting them to this intriguing insight into 20th century life that will leave you not wanting to miss a single episode.

Recently, the television show has become immensely popular with viewers on both sides of the Atlantic. This British hit, premiering with season one in 2010 and currently on season three now in 2013, has taken both its home country and the United States by storm.

With over 11 million viewers

in the UK, and shown in over 100 countries around the world (according to the Highclere Castle website), this international sensation is becoming more and more popular here in the States. According to The New York Times, the first season had a nightly average of 4.9 million viewers in the US, a number which, according to CNN, had risen to 5.4 million by the end of the second season. The article in The New York Times also stated

that over one million viewers who are mostly ages 18 to 49 view the show online through Netflix or PBS.org.

The article also cited sources such as CNN, BBC America, Lifetime, People, TV Guide, and Twitter as venues propelling the show’s incredible success. British TV review site IndieLondon recently took a survey celebrating Downton Abbey as the most popular show in the last ten years. Global News also published

an article in which iTunes confirmed that the show was its bestselling TV series last year. According to PBS, the show’s immense success has also been reflected in the form of several awards and recognitions in the Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Television Critics Association Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Producers Guild Awards.

Horoscopes Layla Tanik

Like...Mary Grady Bell, ‘14 March 21- April 19

O

n a group project, you and your partner may butt heads, causing frustrations.

Don’t let it discourage you, a small gesture can easily fix the problem; maybe some delicious cookies!

Love is in the air, especially towards the end of March, but it may leave you feeling unappreciated.

Make sure your significant other knows how lucky they are!

TAURUS

Like...Max Sminkey, ‘13 April 20 -May 20

T

his month, your responsibility to your profession will take precedent!

You’ll spend a lot of time planning an event for your peers, and around March 9th, your dreams will turn into a reality and you’ll definitely receive raving reviews! All your hard work pays off, but don’t forget to slow down and take a break! Even presidents need to relax every once in awhile.

GEMINI

Like...Crawford Sloan, ‘15 May 21-June 21

You’ll be feeling focused

Photo is in the public domain.

this month, and your superiors will appreciate your efficiency!

Especially with new assignments, you will be on time with all deadlines. A new activity you have taken part in will prove to be beneficial for you, and you’ll be able to show off your speedy skills!

Like the greek god Nike, you will be feeling particularly light on your feet.

CAPRICORN

STAFF WRITER

The Zodiac signs have been around since the first discovery of the

constellations in 1000 BC. For the month of March, the stars are aligning in mysterious ways, affecting the complicated lives of Ravenscroft students. Here are some of the events that have been predicted.

CANCER

Like...Josh McCoy, ‘14 June 22-July 22

D

uring this month, financially you will be feeling particularly thrifty and will find ways save money while looking fashion forward.

Your love life has been happy and consistent recently, and will flourish towards the end of this month. Don’t be afraid to take a risk and do something nice for your sweetheart! A gift is always well received, and goldfish are great companions.

LEO

Like...Mariel Ziperski, ‘13 July23-Aug. 22

Y

ou’ll be feeling particularly creative this month, and it’ll show through your work and imaginative ways of speaking, especially in front of a crowd. Cupid is circling nearby, throwing your romantic life through a loop. You’ll be presented with many options, but your heart tells you that you just aren’t ready for a long term relationship.

VIRGO

Like...Matthew Quesenberry‘13 Aug. 23-Sept. 22

T

his month is looking exiting for you, Virgo. Though the beginning of March may start off slow, as it progresses you’ll notice people around you are in high spirits!

These positive attitudes will bring parties and fun, especially in the last week of the month.

Your workload will also decrease significantly, leaving you feeling relaxed.

Let the good times roll!

LIBRA

Like...Lloyd Mallison, ‘13 Sept. 23-Oct. 22

T

his month you’ll be feeling creative and expressive. Venus is shifting this month, giving you many new options in your love life.

Choose carefully, too many women on your plate only call for disaster.

Make sure you tread lightly with everyone’s feelings around you.

Some of your friends may be involved in conflicts between March 10th-15th. Try to give these friends their space, and only offer your help if they ask.

If not, they may feel a British invasion of privacy.

SCORPIO

Like...Audrey Hammerstein, ‘14 Oct. 23 - Nov. 21

F

or you, this month will lack equilibrium, so you will have to create a balancing act for yourself.

You may start feeling overwhelmed with work around the 15th of March but stay focused, and spend time with close friends, a Sagittarius makes a great companion! Towards the end of March, your focus will be lacking and you’ll find yourself getting lost in some day dreams. Make sure you don’t miss out on any important information while you’re lost in a fantasy!

SAGITTARIUS Like...Rosie Waring, ‘14 Nov. 22-Dec. 21

T

his month is a good time for you to join some extracurriculars and spend some time doing something you love, a sport maybe?

Your new interests will prove beneficial to you, and with hard work success is definitely coming your way! Try not to sweat the small stuff and keep spending time with your close friends. As a Sagittarius, your best friend compatibility is most definitely strong with a Scoprio!

M

Savannah Story Dec. 22-Jan. 19

arch will be a strong time for your relationships and in particular with close friends and siblings!

Have fun and enjoy all the time you have with them. On the 27th, the full moon may bring some pressures for you but don’t feel tense. You have everything under control even if you don’t know it!

AQUARIUS

Like...Taylor Letts, ‘13 Jan. 20-Feb. 18

For Aquarius, you’ll

be tested by people around you who may find humor in things you care about. Ignore them for this time and don’t let them put a damper on your happiness.

Cherish the time you have left with your close friends, a era of your life is coming to an end soon, but your future looks bright and exciting! You may find yourself to be stressed towards the end of March, but remember, a smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.

PISCES

Like...Cameron Castleberry, ‘13 Feb. 19-March 20

This month, treat yourself

to a few days of rest.

You’ve recently finalized a big accomplishment and it’s time to kick back and enjoy!

Your love life has been through complications, but it all figures itself out and happiness is all around. Cupid is definitely calling. March 14th will be a very special day for you, and your loved ones will come together to celebrate!

Have fun and enjoy your day!

16

Sports

Winter Sports Recap Girls Swim Team State Champs

skye Deitelbaum After an strong undefeated season of STAFF WRITER

15-0, the lady ravens claimed NCISAA 3A State title finishing with the total of 292 points leaving the competion in the dust.

Individually, Claire Fuscoe, ’14, received 1st in the 500 freestyle and 2nd in the 200 freestyle, Chloe Mikles, ’16, got 1st in the 100 and 50 freestyle, and Madeline High received 1st in the 100 backstroke. As for the relays, the 200 freestyle team consisting of: Chloe Mikles, ’16, Brittani Bryan, ’14, Mariel Ziperski, ’13 and Claire Fuscoe, ’14, along with the 400 frestylee team including: Chloe Mikles, ’16, Kaitlin Ramsden, ’18, Madeline High, ’17, and Claire Fuscoe, ’14, both took home 1st place.

Madeline High, ‘17, with A shot of the Varsity Girls Swim team with a few of their supportive members from the Varsity Boys team as they pose with Coach their trophy and medals. Front: Dillon Ragusa, ‘13, Chase Duncan, ‘13, Emily Bedsole, ‘13, Danielle Given, ‘13, Kathleen Brandes, Greg ‘15, Jamie Mason, ‘14, Grace Bergstrom, ‘18, Allison McAdams, ‘13, Daniel Strong, ‘16, Claire Zaytoun, ‘16, Evan Grimes, ‘16, Middle: Warren, Madeline High, ‘17, Tenley Ziperski, ‘17, Sydney Sweeney, ‘15, Casey Harris, ‘14, Brittani Bryan, ‘14, Chloe Mikles, ‘16, Claire Fuscoe, ‘14, Chloe Kaitlin Ramsden, ‘18, Shannon Strong, ‘14, Nicole Knape, ‘14, Megan Youngbar, ‘13, Back: Coach Greg Warren, Caitlin Given, ‘14, Mariel Mikles, Ziperski, ‘13, Alexandra Zuckerman, ‘14, David Stump, ‘13, Jay Hirl, ‘14, Samuel Stump, ‘15, Charlie High, ‘14, and Assistant Coach ‘16, Assistant Coach Jessalyn Crawford Jessalyn Crawford. as they proudly display their awards.

Photo by Susan Washburn

Varsity Girls Basketball 15-14

Photo by Susan Washburn

Varsity Boys Basketball TISAC Conferance Champs 21-10

The Varsity Boys Basketball team enjoys a bit of bench banter. LJ Young, ‘14, Tommy Corchiani, ‘16, Jonathan Clark, ‘15, Marki Bryan, ‘13, David Reynolds, ‘15, Chris Corchiani, ‘14, and Greg Harper, ‘14.

Photo by Susan Washburn

Varsity Wrestling 6-12 The varsity girls during a pre-game strategy session.

Photo by Susan Washburn

Varsity Boys Swimming 11-4

Emily Velk, ‘13, encourages David Stump, ‘13, before a race while Ryan Carr, ‘13, and Chris Brajer, ‘13 join in.

Photo by Susan Washburn

Jamal Carson, ‘13, takes down his South Granville opponent.

Photo by Susan Washburn

Liam King, ‘15, prepares for battle against his South Granville opponent.

Photo by Susan Washburn