May issue 2015

Northwest Guilford High • Greensboro, NC

Volume 51 • Issue 5 • May 2015

Senior Edition

What’s Inside Senior Spread

CLASS OF 2015 Where is everyone going next year?

pages 8-9, 11-12

Who impacted you in high School

Sci-Tech

University science departments evaluated

See page 18

page 4

Sports Photos by Willa Ma

Seniors Nick Loschin, Lindsey McGuirk, Aadam Haque and Jacey Hensley write one thing their teachers have said to them that has most inspired them. In the course of four years, these seniors have all learned much from their teachers that go beyond what is taught in the classroom.

Flooding in English classrooms causes concern

Nikole Nguyen graphics editor nglish teachers AnSenior athletes take drea Julian and Jennifer their sport Humbard were greeted with flooded classrooms the to college morning of Friday, May 1. The day had begun with a strong downpour, which led to leaking through the ceilings of rooms 111 and 112.

Julian’s classroom had water seeping across the entire floor, encountering electrical cords from her computer and other devices. news 2-3 Humbard’s water damage was contained to the side of the room technology 4 where the windows are. Both rooms had an odor of mildew. op/ed 5-7 “Right now, mold is a definite concern,” Julian said. seniors 8-9, 12-13 Many textbooks near the winspread 10-11 dows were soaked, some to the point of not being capable of sports 14-15 removal from under the desks; and students alike who arts & culture 16-17 teachers were at the scene report that this was ‘ridiculous.’ features 18-19 Photo by Nikole Nguyen “They need to find a way to English teacher Andrea Julian stands in a water puddle in her classroom the morning of Friday, May 1. Water keep these things from happening, entertainment 20 rather than slapping a Band-Aid damage due to rainfall has caused her classes to relocate to a trailer for the remainder of the school year. the matter,” Humbard said. been. of the year.

“If this [rain damage] goes on Visit our website on According to both Humbard “It happens every year, but not “There’s nothing wrong with and on [without maintenance], www.northwesthorizons.com and Julian, this is not the first time to such an extent as this,” Hum- the pipes, and the ceiling tiles have then the metal in the ceilings will that their classrooms have endured bard agreed. been replaced, so there’s nothing rust,” Prather said. water trickling in from outside.

Throughout the subsequent that should be particularly dangerJulian’s classes have been reJulian recalls water damage in weekend of May 2 and 3, the ous,” Prather said. located to trailer 230. Next year’s her classroom from as many as classrooms were left to dry. OfHowever, Julian has many con- plan is unknown at this time. four years ago. ficials from downtown came and cerns pertaining to the flooding.

“I have been teaching for 15 “It just gradually got worse. I replaced several ceiling tiles.

Many fear that mold will be the years; there are a lot of things in thought the problem was minor at Monday morning, custo- major consequence of this situa- that classroom that I don’t want Follow us @NWHorizons first, at least, before today,” Julian dianEarly Leroy Prather continued re- tion. Although Humbard’s room damaged,” Julian said. “And the said. furbishing Humbard’s room (112). is reportedly safe, Julian’s room water that will build up as a result and Horizons Julian that Like Horizons He believes her roomnorthwesthorizons.com is safeus: forNorthwest suffered more damage from the -- what will I be breathing in the Follow us: @NWHorizons Like us: Humbard Northwest Likeagree us:us: Northwest Horizons : @NWHorizons Follow hwhorizons Follow us: hwhorizons Follow us: hwhorizons northwesthorizons.com this is the worst that it has ever students to remain in for the rest flooding. longer I stay here?”

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Index

northwesthorizons.com

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May 2015

Generations of Vikings grow at Northwest Shalini Sharma staff writer

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ccording to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are approximately 98,817 public schools in the United States, most with available teaching opportunities.

However, aspects unique to Northwest have prompted some former graduates to return as teachers, as well as attracted their children to develop and learn in the same environment.

As a result, while some solely share a student-teacher relationship in the classroom, others share more intricate bonds within the Northwest community.

“My dad is close with all of my teachers…and growing up with [their] children has given me different relationships that I really like to be able to have,” sophomore Lilac Rain Thompson, daughter of social studies teacher Jim Thompson, said. “Even though the teachers do a good job of separating [themselves during school], I know I am able to come to them with anything—whether it deals with school or just my life in general.”

Of the many reasons teachers choose to send their own children to Northwest, a large majority were pulled here mostly because of its accessible location in the opu-

lent part of Greensboro, and the advantage of having one’s child safe on campus.

“There’s the protective side of the parent that says you just want to keep an eye out for [your children], and that you know who they are with, and who their teachers are,” math teacher Michelle Halchin, who currently has two daughters attending the school, said.

“But also, before they started driving, it was a huge convenience if they had to get here early or stay late, because as a teacher I don’t have the flexibility in my schedule to drop them off or pick them up from a different school.”

Even though, for the most part, the parents of students decide which school the child will attend, most students would still select Northwest, even if their parents were teaching elsewhere.

“We have the best teachers who have some of the highest scores in the county, and we have the least problems with our student body compared to other schools,” junior Connor Doak, son of science teacher Amy Dunn, said. “So, here I know that I will receive an optimal education while being surrounded by amazing peers. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Similarly, teachers who have been Vikings in years past, and now work here, would not wish to teach elsewhere if given the opportunity.

“The thing about Northwest is that the teachers don’t usually leave,” social studies

teacher Dana Hilliard, daughter of science teacher Cynthia Mardis, said. “Since we all can stay here and grow together, and it’s helped me in my own career to have such established relationships with teachers so they can really help me to improve. The amount of support I get from [my] department is what has kept me here and what will keep me here.”

Many teachers never know they want to have an educational occupation until they are in college. For some, though, seeing one’s parents teach inspires them to pursue the same career, especially when the two generations are at the same institution.

“In high school, I had my mom as a teacher, and I saw how she affected people, and how she affected me,” Hilliard said.

“Just growing up with it, I wanted to do something in which I could physically help people out. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

From birth, many parents and children share a strong relationship which develops and strengthens over time. However, having a parent teach at the same school that a child attends can evolve the connection even more.

“Dana and I have more in common and more to talk about than I do with my other children,” Mardis said. “For example, we are able to talk about things that happen around Northwest…or about education in North Carolina. We are connected in another way.”

Graphic by Sarah Colby

(From left to right) Math teacher Michelle Halchin with two of her daughters, junior Callie Halchin and senior Emma Halchin; social studies teacher Scott Bennett with freshman Aidan Bennett; science teacher Amy Dunn with her son, junior Connor Doak; math teacher Hamilton with former NW graduate Kathryn, sophomore Sarah and senior Hannah; social studies teacher Jim Thompson with daughter, sophomore Lilac Rain Thompson; and science teacher Cindy Mardis with daughter, social studies teacher Dana Hilliard. Many teachers return to Northwest to teach after attending college and many of their children attend Northwest.

Get ready, get set: “Go Set a Watchman” will arrive on shelves this summer Harley Nefe staff writer

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early 55 years ago, a coming-ofage novel through the eyes of a young girl, Scout, and her experiences in the prejudiced southern town of Maycomb was released to the public. The story is “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

“It’s an American classic that many people may not think would be a good book, but once they read it, I think people enjoy it,” English teacher Jason Allred said.

Allred teaches “To Kill a Mockingbird” in his ninth grade classes.

It would not have made the impact it has without its author, Harper Lee, who was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama and later attended Huntingdon College and studied law at the University of Alabama.

“It’s a piece of classic literature that will teach students what it was like back then and to be thankful of what we have now and not take things for granted,” freshman Christine Villanueva said. Villanueva read the novel when she was in the seventh grade.

Over the years, there have been more than 40 million copies of Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” sold worldwide, and it is also taught in numerous classrooms throughout the world. Harper exposes many themes, and has impacted students and teachers.

Photo by Harley Nefe

Sophomore Peyton Tipton reads “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Harper Lee’s first novel. This summer, Lee’s long awaited second novel will be released.

Since its publication in 1960, it has never been out of print.

“The book takes place in the south during the Civil Rights Movement, and it’s a coming-of-age novel as well where various characters gain maturity through experience,” Allred said. “It deals with something that our society has dealt with in the United States and something that students, when they read it, can have a connection to be-

cause we all go through changes emotionally.”

There was, however, disappointment to Lee fans everywhere; “To Kill a Mockingbird” has always been Lee’s only novel.

Not anymore.

Publishers announced in February the release of a new novel by Lee titled “Go Set a Watchman” July 14, 2015. It’s a sequel to the beloved “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

So far, it is revealed that Scout will once again be the book’s narrator and will be looking back on events from her youth as an older woman, bringing an alternative perspective on the previously award-winning narrative.

“It will definitely be an interesting read to see an adult’s reflection perspective, where in the first book you are getting the child’s perspective at least when her experiences took place,” Allred said. “That maturity theme will be an interesting take with Scout being much older.”

It should also be known that Lee had originally written “Go Set a Watchman” before “To Kill a Mockingbird,” but due to advice from her editors, who were more interested in the flashbacks to Scout’s youth, she was persuaded to write “To Kill a Mockingbird” instead. “’To Kill a Mockingbird’ is a classic in itself and it’s really good, so I’m excited to see what [‘Go Set a Watchman’] will be like,” Villanueva said.

“Go Set a Watchman” is set during the mid-1950s and features a handful of the characters from “To Kill a Mockingbird” approximately 20 years later. When Scout returns to Maycomb, she is forced to juggle both personal and political issues.

“With ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ being a classic, I feel older generations would definitely buy the book and read that, and then hopefully children and high school students who enjoy ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ will also read it,” Allred said. “I think it will be a good seller.”

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May 2015

2016 Presidential Election: Candidate Profiles Rand Paul

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enator Rand Paul of Kentucky announced his candidacy April 7, 2015, and is thought of as a more moderate conservative, with a significant possibility of gaining the vote of millenials.

Senator Paul’s views are conservative but are mild enough to appeal to a younger Republican voter who hasn’t had a lot of experience. He also defeats the dogma against Republicans as being politically and socially stubborn, which might lead to a victory in 2016. His political positions match those of any other conservative: Pro-life, supportive of second amendment rights, and against marijuana usage in any and all forms.

He is set apart from the rest of his party in that he is very much an isolationist in foreign policy, and a long-time supporter of the Tea Party. There is good chance that, if he gains the nomination, Senator Paul will be opposed to taxes and in favor of fiscal responsibility.

Marco Rubio

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Republican Senator from Florida, Marco Rubio, is, like Jeb Bush, expected to be a powerful contender for the presidency in 2016. Senator Rubio is rated a B+ by the National Rifle Association and is completely opposed to abortion, describing himself as “100 percent pro-life” like Governor Scott Walker.

He is opposed to recreational marijuana usage and has said that he is open to allowing medicinal cannabis usage. Pertaining to national security, Senator Rubio has placed Islamic terror as the most serious threat to America’s interests and has supported roving wiretaps on suspected terrorists as part of the USA Patriot Act. Senator Rubio, like Jeb Bush, is also predicted to have an immense sway on Hispanic voters, as he is of Cuban ancestry and fluent in Spanish.

Jim Webb

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nother possible candidate for the 2016 presidential elections is Jim Webb, former senator of Virginia. He served in the U.S. Marines for four years and later became senator, writing many books and sponsoring many bills.

He believes that the evolution on gay marriage has been good for the country, affirmative action should apply for African Americans only, energy independence is a positive thing, enforcing existing trade laws will create fair trade, and the increasing number of lobbyists is a problem. He also believes the potential danger of having a gun, not mental incompetence of the person with the gun, limits gun rights. He wants to support abortion rights, add additional funding for federal education, focus on health access and give a five percent tax break to recruit soldiers.

Jeb Bush

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illary Clinton has announced her plans to run in the 2016 presidential campaign and is currently the Democratic front-runner.

Clinton, the wife of former president Bill Clinton and the former Secretary of State, holds many accomplishments under her belt.

When Clinton was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2001, she was the only first lady to hold office. She announced her plans to run for presidency in early 2007 but conceded when it became apparent that Obama had the majority of the votes. Obama, when elected, appointed Clinton as Secretary of State.

Some of her ideas include making abortion rare by supporting adoption and foster care, creating bankruptcy reform, advocating for medical marijuana and integrating with Latin America while also focusing on income equality. She also believes equal pay is not equal, and supports gay marriage personally and as law.

Lincoln Chafee

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ormer governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, has not announced his bid for the presidency, but many suspect that, not only will he run, but that he will likely be the strongest of the Republican candidates that will throw their names in the ring.

Son to 41st U.S. president George H.W. Bush and brother to 43rd U.S. president George W. Bush, Jeb Bush has years of firsthand experience in and around the White House.

Bush has also been known to be a traditional conservative. He has not released any of his views on many hot-button political issues in the eight years since he was governor of Florida, but Bush will likely not support issues such as gay marriage and abortion.

In addition, he will also attempt to appeal toward Hispanic-Americans, as he is fluent in Spanish and married to a Mexican woman, Columba Bush. These attributes give him a significant chance to sway the Hispanic vote towards the Republicans.

Hillary Clinton

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incoln Chafee, former governor of Rhode Island, is very possibly going to be running for president in the 2016 elections as a Democrat. He was previously in the Republican Party, making the switch due to a possible re-election loss in 2014 and also due to his respect for President Obama.

Chafee’s views include allowing a woman to make her own reproductive decisions, funding special education before tax cuts for the wealthy, establishing greenhouse gas tradable allowances, ending reckless warfare and increasing the minimum wage. Chafee is also a longtime supporter of the LGBTQ community.

Graphic from Wikicommons

The elephant and donkey represent the Republicians and Democrats facing off in preparation for the 2016 presidential election. Many canidates have already announced their bid for their respective parties.

Profiles by William Royal and Alexis Marvin

Man on the street “Assuming that nothing particularly controversial is found regarding his policies and past, I would gladly cast a vote for Jeb Bush,” junior Holden Ruch said.

“Bush’s moderate conservative approach would address many of today’s greatest political issues free of the ideological buzzers worn by status quo politicians like Obama and Ted Cruz.”

-junior Holden Ruch

“I believe that candidates from both parties can benefit the country in their own way. I think the Democratic side will respect diversity and other cultures, and the Republicans will take the country’s historical values to heart.”

-sophomore Haleigh Cadd

“I think we’re long overdue for a female president, and I’m thankful that we have a candidate like Hillary in the running. I am beyond excited that the first election I get to vote in could possibly be for our first female president.”

-senior Mackinley Scaggs

Photos by William Royal, Shalini Sharma and contributed by Mackinley Scaggs

DOES YOUR CPA FIRM TAKE YOU TO THE TOP? www.smithleonardcpas.com

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May 2015

Universities and their sciences

Northwest Horizons explores the science departments of NC’s prestigious universities

UNC-Chapel Hill Willa Ma editor-in-chief

“Chapel Hill is the best school for my major out of the ones I applied to, and I heard that their chemistry department is he University of North Carolina ranked fifth in the nation,” Thomas said. at Chapel Hill is often overlooked While NC State as a school is known for its of science especially focus on science and when compared to engineering, Chapel NC State and Duke.

Hill is different because However, according to it is a liberal arts school. the university’s website, “This allows the the College of Arts and student to learn various Science is the largest unit disciplines that can on campus and a home help them become to more than 16,000 better critical thinkers undergraduate students. and more broadly The college’s miseducated, not just as sion is to create new scientists, but also in knowledge and discover the arts, humanities innovative solutions and social sciences,” to the world’s greatest Crimmins said. challenges.

Chapel Hill has one Photo from UNC-Chapel Hill website sector of engineering: “The breadth of different science Chemistry professor Michael Crimmons Biomedical Engindisciplines, including the standard math, eering, and the likelihood of engin-eering to chemistry, biology and physics areas as well as expand at UNC is not high. neuroscience, in the psychology department, “Engineering will likely grow in the biomedical engineering, applied physical context of applied sciences, but because scie-nces, geological sciences, environment of political issues, there is unlikely to be a and ecolo-gy, marine science and exercise significant growth in engineering at UNC,” and sport science [is what makes Chapel Crimmins said. “That, combined with Hill’s college of science unique],” chemistry limited space for expansion will limit the professor Michael Crimmins said. growth of engineering. Additionally, UNC Crimmins teaches Introductory Organic is a university that is focused on liberal arts Chemistry I and II. education. It is not a technical institute.”

“I enjoy teaching it because it is a very However, Crimmins does see other conceptual course and it is a very new additions to the College of Science in the experience for the students who take it,” future.

Crimmins said.

“There will likely be more and more The Department of Chemistry was interdisciplinary programs (perhaps majors) established in 1818. Chemistry at UNC is that combine two or more of the traditional divided into several subdisciplines: organic, science disciplines,” Crimmins said. inorganic, physical and biological, with Since the realm of science is endless, other hybrid areas of study, such as physical Crimmins urges future students to explore organic, bioinorganic and organometallic. different subjects.

“Chemistry was always interesting to “You never know what you might find me, and I have really enjoyed Mrs. Wells’ that will truly be your passion,” Crimmins AP Chemistry class this year,” senior Hailey said. “Use your time in college to explore Thomas said. different things as well as get a deeper Thomas plans to major in chemistry. understanding of one or two disciplines.”

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NC State Liz Hubbard arts & culture editor

of research topics.

“I think for ambitious students who are highly motivated they can take advantage of their ne of the most prestigious schools research opportunities at NC State in chemistry of science in North Carolina and and in lots of other departments,” NC State in the nation is North Carolina chemistry professor Jonathan S. Lindsey said.

State University’s College of Sciences (COS) in “[They can] really use that as a launching pad for their career.”

Raleigh.

The COS faculty is With departments well-known nationally of Biological Sciences, for its excellence in Chemistry, Marine Biology, research and many faculty Earth and Atmospheric members are Fellows of Sciences (MEAS), Matheprofessional societies. matics, Physics and Stati“I think the faculty stics, the college offers a in the college is very wide range of programs that ambitious,” Lindsey said. are highly nationally ranked. “they’re very entreprThe College of Sciences eneurial; they care a lot was launched July 1, 2013 about the students.” with the help of faculty The Departmentof from the former Physical Statistics is also something and Mathematical Sciences quite unique to the College (PAMS).

College of Sciences.

The Department of Photo from NC State website Biological Sciences was Chemistry professor Jonathan Lindsey The Department of Statistics was founded formed with the help of many people and programs from former in 1941 and is one of the oldest and most departments of biology, genetics, microbiology prestigious statistics departments in the nation. and toxicology. With 2,300 students and 165 With about 150 students, the graduate program faculty, staff and postdoctoral researchers, it is is the largest statistics graduate program in the country, and with about 140 students the the largest department at NC State.

The College of Sciences receives ample undergraduate program is one of the largest. research grant money; in fact, the amount factors “The concentration of faculty here in into some students’ choice to attend NC State, statistics is really unusual,” Lindsey said. “But the such as senior Michael Murphy, who plans on emergence of big data as an important research getting a degree in physics and mathematics. area, I think, has really made the statistics “The physics and math departments get department extremely valuable and puts NC a disproportionate amount of undergraduate State in an even stronger position to be able to research money compared to other colleges,” carry out its mission.”

Murphy said. “So if I want to pursue a project of Overall, the NC State College of Sciences my own design, I will have the opportunity to.” focuses on multi-disciplinary collaboration and The research programs offered by the College prepares students for future careers. of Sciences are ranked among the top research “I chose State because it’s a very good school programs in the nation and include a wide range for a very good price,” Murphy said.

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Wake Forest Sarah Boggins sports editor

allowing students to have a more personal relationship with their professor.

“The student ratio to teachers is really s a liberal arts college, Wake awesome,” An said. “Many of the [proForest presents its students fessors] are from Ivy League [schools]. with unique opportunities, They know what they are talking about, particularly in the science field. From so that really enriches the students.” personal relationStudents and faculty ships with professors come together at Wake to hands-on research Forest to accomplish projects, Wake Forest ideas, some of which provides students with have helped numerous many options within people. Paul Pauca, a its science department, Computer Science Prosuch as chemistry, biofessor at Wake Forest, physics, biology, etc. joined with his stu“[Wake Foest] was dents to create an app always my dream on Apple devices that school,” senior Yong helps children who Su An said. “Distance have developmental -wise, it was the best obstacles. fit for me because my Research at Wake parents didn’t want me Forest, just like the reto go too far away.”

Photo from Wake Forest website search done by Pauca An received a suband his students, is an stantial scholarship to Nanotechnology professor Adam Hall opportunity that many Wake Forest, and he will be attending students take part in. there this coming fall.

“There are a multitude of research Dr. Adam Hall originally worked as a projects going on at Wake, ranging from professor at UNCG; however, he decided fundamental science to work that is buildto move to Wake Forest for a variety of ing toward clinical therapies for diseases reasons. He now works at Wake Forest like cancer, diabetes and others,” Hall Baptist Health. said. “I think this type of experience is “I moved to Wake primarily because extremely valuable regardless of whether my scientific research had been moving a student plans to stay in research or go toward matters related to human health into some other science-related job.” for a long time, and Wake Forest BapStudents at Wake Forest have an optist Health offered tremendous opportu- portunity to take their love for science to nities to continue growing in that way,” other parts of the globe. Granada, NicaHall said. “I especially appreciated the ragua and Australia are two of the mulwide range of research that was happen- tiple places students traveled to in order ing and the accomplished faculty that to further their interest in science. would be able to offer collaborations and From faraway locations on Earth to mentoring.” downtown Winston-Salem, Wake Forest Hall believes that Wake Forest pro- provides its students with various opporvides students with a number of differ- tunities to ensure that they are ready for ent opportunities in the science depart- the working world when they graduate. ment. “[Science is] a living idea that, impleMore than half of classes at Wake mented correctly, accomplishes amazing Forest have 20 or fewer students in them, things,” Hall said.

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Alexis Rutledge staff writer

Duke

Andrew Craven said. “Now I want to go, so I can become a vet.”

When ranked alongside other schools in uke University has been well the United States, Duke tied for 11th place known for its stimulating in Biological Science, 41st in Chemistry, courses and its beautiful facil- 25th in Computer Science, 42nd in Earth ities for many years. As a lar-ge school Science and 29th in Physics. with a wide variety of majors and minors A recent research project at Duke to choose from, well-known sports teams involved the study of monkeys to better and many clubs, Duke has understand the social acquired a campus life that and physiological aspects attracts students from all of decision making. The over the world. director of the Duke “I wanted to go to Duke, Institute for Brain Science, because it had an incredible Michael Platt, has been amount of extracurricular studying these monkeys opportunities,” Dukeboth at a Duke lab and on bound senior Bianca the island Cayo Santiago.

D’Souza said. “They also “We have many research have stellar academic projects, study-ing how programs as we-ll as an we learn from others, amazing athletic program.” what moti-vates and Along with extracurricusustains giving behavior, lar activities and academic how the brain models the programs, Duke has intentions of others and become distinguished uses that information to for its extensive science make strategic plans, how Photo from Duke University website we think about numbers program.

Nicholas School of Institute for Brain Science and make computations the Environment, Pratt professor Michael Platt and what genetic and School of Engineering, School of experiential factors shape differences in Medicine and School of Nursing are just these behaviors,” Platt said. some of the undergraduate and graduate Duke University is a very diverse school academic programs at Duke. Within which offers many programs, research these programs, Duke has majors ranging opportunities and extracurricular activities from Neuroscience to Biophysics to to the students to make progressive Evolutionary Anthropology. Biomedical changes in the world.

Engineering at Duke is one of the top “All the sciences and liberal arts and in the nation and “integrates engineering professional schools are located right next and biology to detect and treat human to each other,” Platt said. “This creates diseases,” according to the Duke website. a vibrant, disruptive atmosphere where “Going to Duke has been my dream cutting-edge science influences and is since I was little, because my uncle, who influenced by medical necessity and public passed away, was a huge fan,” sophomore policy.”

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May 2015

Senior Reflections: Reflections Mackenzie Mitchell spread editor High school has been rather interesting for me with its ups and downs, but I have truthfully enjoyed most, if not all, of the classes I have taken here in some way. I’ve formed connections with lots of my teachers and learned not only educational lessons, but also life lessons from them.

Journalism has helped me find my true calling and is what gave me a solid goal of what I want to pursue in life. Drawing graphics has probably been the most fun I have had in high school—who wouldn’t say that would be a fun job?

I look forward to the future and hope to implement things I have learned in journalism— such as thinking more creatively and dealing with deadlines—into college and real life. So overall, I can say that my high school experience was a good one. I definitely have a positive takeaway from my teachers, friends and classes here at Northwest.

Willa Ma editor-in-chief Freshman year, I would have never thought I would later be the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper or even on the journalism staff, but four years later, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Journalism has changed my life by making me a stronger writer and a more confident person. I have become a better leader because of it. The class has been like a family to me. Writing for the newspaper is about writing compelling stories and grabbing readers by saying more with less. Being on staff has connected me to this school. I’ve loved interviewing students and teachers and getting to know the people that go to Northwest.

Writing has become one of my passions. I have loved the stress of meeting deadlines and working on layout. And most importantly, I have fallen in love with writing. Writing about the things that matter and telling a story to the rest of the world.

Melanie Jenkins staff writer Two years of zero period has involved selfdiscipline to get out of bed at 6 a.m., walks to the bus stop in the cold and uncountable thermoses of black coffee. But I wouldn’t take back these years for the world.

Journalism has always appealed to me. I can remember when I was in fifth grade and I sent a letter to a school-sponsored magazine.

I thought that if I wrote a really polite letter, then they might let me be a writer for them. I was turned away, but I can vividly remember thinking: “This is what I want to do one day.”

Four schools later, I’m a staff writer for a fantastic school newspaper. Every time the newspaper comes out, and I get to see mine and my friends’ hard work printed out on actual newspaper, I get this rush of nostalgia from my fifth-grade self and think: “Wow. We’re actually writing stories that people like to read. This is totally worth it.”

Lindsey McGuirk managing editor When I applied for journalism sophomore year, I had no idea how much the class would influence my life. Two years later, as I prepare to leave my high school journalism career behind, I am extremely grateful for all the lessons my fellow staff members and Mrs. Huynh-Duc have taught me.

Before I entered high school, I always thought that there would be one class that I would remember for the rest of my life. For me, that class is journalism. I’ve made friendships that I will always cherish, and I am so incredibly grateful for all those who supported me throughout this process. Although it hasn’t been easy waking up earlier than most students and working tirelessly to produce the best article I can for the readers, seeing students read and genuinely enjoy the paper makes all the hard work worth it. Joining journalism was one of the best decisions I made in high school.

Sarah Colby news editor As senior year is coming to an end, my final lacrosse games are being played, and the loom of final exams steadily approaches, my time has become divided among the things that matter most to me—family, friends, sports, school and journalism.

When I was a freshman, I never expected to be ending my time at Northwest in one of the same classrooms where it began. My life was ultimately changed in room 102 when my amazing ninth grade English teacher pulled me aside and told me I should apply for the journalism staff.

I have been on the Northwest Horizons staff for three years, been the news editor for two of those years, been to countless camps and yet, it’s still not enough time. Taking journalism, despite the early mornings and the extra hours put into it out of school, has been one of the best opportunities at Northwest that I have taken advantage of and I am so thankful every day that I did.

Austin Drake tech support Northwest Horizons has impacted my life drastically. Not only have I become a better writer and a better journalist after my three years of being on the staff, but I have also shared valuable experiences and made lifelong friends as a result of those same three years. I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I joined the staff originally to work on the website. I got to learn more about web design and development as well as about the layout of an online news source, and I’m thankful for all of the opportunities that Northwest Horizons has given me.

I enjoyed attending all of the journalism conferences such as SIPA and Chapel Hill, but my favorite experience I got to have because of Northwest Horizons is attending the national convention in Washington DC. I got to learn a lot of new things and experience the city with my friends. I may have spent three years waking up an hour early to attend our class, but I don’t regret a single moment of it because of the experiences I shared and the people I met.

Arts & Culture Editor Liz Hubbard Science & Technology Editor Bassam Bikdash Entertainment Editor Nick Loschin Managing Editor Lindsey McGuirk Webmaster Noah McCormick Graphics Editor Nikole Nguyen Tech Support Austin Drake

Northwest Horizons seniors reflect on high school and their time spent on the newspaper staff

Photo by Melanie Huynh-Duc

Northwest Horizons graduating seniors (from left to right): Nick Loschin, Austin Drake, Lindsey McGuirk, Jackson Parrish, Willa Ma, Satoria Ray, Liz Hubbard, Annie Ford, Sarah Colby, Melanie Jenkins and Mackenzie Mitchell.

Liz Hubbard arts & culture editor It’s been great being a part of Northwest Horizons. Even though this was only my second year on staff, it was an experience I will always remember and cherish.

Journalism is great because everyone in the class is motivated to do well and strives to produce the best work they can, and not every class is like that. I hope that in college I will be so lucky to meet more people who are as great as Mrs. Huynh-Duc, who does everything she can to help us be the best we can.

I have grown so much as a writer and as a person in the past two years, and a lot of that is thanks to Mrs. Huynh-Duc and this class as a whole.

Nick Loschin entertainment editor Entering my freshman year of high school, I was nervous about my writing ability. However, to my amazement, Mrs. Huynh-Duc asked me to apply for journalism. For me, joining journalism not only transcended my confidence in my ability to write, but it also allowed me to divulge myself into what was going on at Northwest and the world.

On staff, I formed many friendships and connections with others that expanded how I viewed the world and changed my perspective on life.

As much as I am going to miss my time on staff, it has opened many doors for me that, without my fellow staff members and Mrs. HuynhDuc, I would have never imagined. The values and lessons that were instilled upon me are ones I will share with people for the rest of my life.

Annie Ford staff writer

Satoria Ray staff writer

Being a member of Northwest Horizons has been one of the most incredible experiences of my high school career. Being able to work alongside my fellow staff members to create each issue has been not only fun, but also rewarding. Each issue put out had so much heart and enthusiasm laced into it, and that was amazing to see. Writing has always been something I loved, but I never had the appreciation I have for it now until I wrote my first article for the October issue.

I have made so many friends through journalism, both on staff, and with people I met through interviews. I am grateful to Mrs. Huynh-Duc and the staff for allowing me to be a part of this amazing group.

Journalism: the only class I would gladly wake up at 6:30 a.m. to attend.

These last two years on the Northwest Horizons staff have been wonderful. I’ve gotten the chance to meet new people, go to summer camps and attend a convention in Washington D.C., where the amazing Bob Woodward spoke.

Because of this class, I’ve been given opportunities I never would’ve had. I’ve also learned so much about myself, journalism and Oxford commas. I’ve learned things that I will take beyond high school, like time management and communication skills.

I have become a better writer, a better listener and an all-around better person because of this class.

Jackson Parrish op/ed editor High school had been something that I had anticipated for several years of my life. In elementary school, I would see my dad come home and hear about a different world of older kids reading through thick textbooks on subject matters beyond my comprehension.

In middle school, I would walk over to my father’s classroom and see students making up tests or socializing, and the atmosphere stirred curiosity in me.

Looking back, after being able to experience the four years I had awaited, I can safely say that I haven’t been disappointed. I never had a teacher I didn’t like or a class I didn’t grow from. Extracurricular activities such as speech and debate, We the People and journalism have taught me lifelong skills and information I will always be grateful for. Most importantly, however, the connections and friends I have made have fabricated memories I will treasure and never forget.

NORTHWEST Adviser Melanie Huynh-Duc Principal Ralph Kitley Editor in Chief Willa Ma News Editor Sarah Colby Op/Ed Editor Jackson Parrish Spread Editor Mackenzie Mitchell Sports Editor Sarah Boggins Features Editor Clare Kilmartin

Page 5

HORIZONS Staff Writers Jenny Blackburn Annie Ford Melanie Jenkins Alexis Marvin Harley Nefe Paige Nehls Katie Lee Parrish Satoria Ray Faith Rickerts William Royal Alexis Rutledge Shalini Sharma Sophie Vazquez

Policies and Intent

Serving as the primary printed and online forum for student opinion, Northwest Horizons publishes five issues each year by the staff at Northwest Guilford High School.

The paper is supported through community advertisers.

Staff Editorials are unsigned. The stance of each editorial is voted upon in staff meetings, but it requires the approval of the majority of the editorial board.

All members of the school community are encouraged to use Northwest Horizons to express their views. Letters must be signed when submitted.

Find us online: @NWHorizons Visit our website: www.northwesthorizons.com

May 2015

Page 6

The Pros and Cons of College Choices Community College:

Four year University:

Close to Home:

Far Away:

PROS: • More economically feasible: Tuition is a major factor that often limits students on where they can attend. Community colleges drastically cut down the price of an education allowing for students to save money that will be useful to them in the future.

• Smaller class sizes: Unlike fouryear universities, most community colleges have a smaller studentto-teacher ratio. This allows for a more hands-on experience in the classroom and can enable students to be more than just a face in the class.

• Schedules are more flexible: Flexible schedules can allow students more recreational time or more time to squeeze in work between classes. The work load is typically lighter when compared to universities, and night classes are offered, allowing more free time for the student to work during the day.

PROS: • Choices: Four-year universities offer many more academic and social opportunities for students. These choices come in handy for students when they decide what they want to spend their life doing.

• Experience: For these universities, the experience is what draws more students to its campus. The big stadium lights, the campus life and the student activities are all aspects that lure students to attending their school.

• Independence: Four-year universities typically require students to live on campus their first year and with this comes the chance for students to live their life the way they desire without boundaries.

PROS: • In-State Tuition: Attending a college in your own state allows you to avoid having to pay out-of-state tuition, which can sometimes be triple the cost of in-state. A lot of colleges offer many different scholarships for in-state students as well. For example, if you attend one of the sixteen UNC institutions or a NC Community College, you are eligible to receive the NC Lottery Scholarship.

• Familiarity: By attending a college close to home, you are already familiar with the area. Family and old friends are nearer, providing comfort in a time of change.

• Cost Efficient: Travel costs are a lot cheaper if you stay near home.

A drive is cheaper than a flight, and you can save on laundry, meals and even boarding by living with or near your parents.

PROS: • Independence: By moving far away from home, you are forced to be independent. Mom and Dad aren’t right around the corner so you have to learn to do things for yourself, like cook a meal and socialize with new people.

• New Surroundings: Living in the same place for all or most of your life can get boring. By going somewhere new, you get to fall in love with new places.

• A Fresh Start: Many people in high school create perceptions of you that may or may not reflect who you really are. By going far away, you get to escape these perceptions and start over.

CONS: • Lack of campus life and Student Activities: When one imagines college, normally one thinks of big sporting events that the entire school gets into. However, community colleges lack this experience.

• Associates degrees offer less opportunities: Unlike Bachelor degrees obtained from four-year universities, Associates degrees offer less flexibility. Typically, these degrees are used for a specific job but not a career.

CONS: • Cost: Undeniably, four-year universities are much more expensive than community colleges. This makes schools almost unaffordable without scholarships or loans.

• More students per class: Since public four-year universities are typically bigger than community colleges, there are normally many more students per class. This means that there are fewer chances to form a personal relationship with the professor.

• Harsher transition: Moving from high school straight to independence can be a crutch because students are not accustomed to living on their own. This can be the downfall for many students and can lead to failing of classes.

CONS: • Lack of Freedom: By staying close to home the freedom and independence you would get by going far away is limited. It’s a lot easier for Mom and Dad to pop up randomly on a campus that is an hour away than it is at a campus that is 10 hours away.

• Lack of New Experiences: Moving far away can be challenging, but the challenge helps to build character.

Being far away from home forces you to branch out of your comfort zone and meet new people and experience new things.

CONS • Cost: It’s expensive going to a college far away, especially if you leave your own state. Out-of-state tuition can be ridiculous, and travel costs are another issue.

• Lack of Support System: Transitioning from high school to college isn’t easy. It’s already hard enough leaving your parents’ home, but not having friends and family around the corner when a problem arises may lead to homesickness.

• Emergencies: Going far away can be very inconvenient when it comes to emergencies. If an unexpected problem arises at home, and you’re 1,000 miles away, it can cause additional stress and financial burden trying to get back to be with family.

Data compiled by Lindsey McGuirk and Satoria Ray; graphic by Nikole Nguyen

May 2015

Page 7

The Obama Era:

A reflection on the president’s eight years in office Bassam Bikdash science & technology editor

A

fter nearly eight years, another two-term presidency is drawing to a close as historians soon begin to analyze the important events that unfolded during Obama’s presidency.

Barack Hussein Obama is the first African-American president, as well as the first one to be born in Hawaii.

His policy decisions have addressed a global financial crisis and have included changes in tax policies, legislation to reform the United States health care industry, foreign policy initiatives and the phasing out of detention of prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.

“I like Obama. I agree with the majority of this foreign policy moves, and he’s made a lot of good strides in terms of domestic policy,” junior Giulia Cavalcanti said.

“I think people are really harsh on Obama because of his first term but he came in the middle of the recession and because of him the economy is better than it was in 2008.”

Upon assuming the presidency January 2009, Obama and his staff immediately drew their attention to the financial aftermath of the 2008 recession. Even before his presidency, Obama lobbied Congress to pass an economic stimulus bill which became top priority when he entered office.

Filled with tax breaks and other incentives, the bill was designed to encourage consumer spending and revive the lethargic economy. Despite slow growth since 2009 of one to two percent each year, the economy has been well on the road to recovery.

Quickly following the stimulus bill, Obama made healthcare reform his top domestic priority. In March 2010, Obama made several speeches around the country to argue for the passage of health care reform, specifically the Affordable Health Care Act, sometimes known as “Obamacare,” which requires insurance companies to cover all applicants with new minimum standards and offer the same rates regardless of preexisting

photo from wiki commons

President Obama is pictured here after just having finished a public address. Under the president, the American government has seen vast changes regarding social and economic policies.

condition.

“Honestly, I believe everyone should have the right to health care,” senior Adekale Ande said. “I would agree with Obamacare more if it was carried out more effectively; the concept is good, we just have to implement it so that it truly helps out the people in need.”

In terms of domestic policy, Obama has proved a satisfactory president; however, reactions to his foreign policy are somewhat mixed.

For example, in June 2009, protests broke out in Iran after many Iranians believed that the Presidential elections were marred by fraud. Obama called on the Iranian Government to stop “violent and unjust” action against the protesters but resisted calls to do more than that; he was criticized for not being more forceful.

However, Obama’s several points of positive criticism stem from the decision that resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden, as well as his most recent victory with the Iran nuclear deal. Within minutes of Obama’s announcement of Bin Ladin’s death on the evening of May 1, celebrations erupted in New York City’s Ground Zero and Times Square. Positive reactions came from prominent party members, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, as well as from many countries around the world.

Set to be reached by the end of June, a nuclear deal with Iran to prevent nuclear proliferation is progressing slowly but positively. “[Obama’s] relations with Iran and the nuclear deal is a good effort towards better regulations on deadly weapons, but it’s not going as planned,” senior Sarah Williams

said.

Drone strikes in Pakistan have been a particularly hot issue concerning the president. First started under President George W. Bush, the use of unmanned aerial vehicle attacks in Pakistan has increased substantially during the Obama administration. The most recent controversy stems from the killing of an American and an Italian hostage in an Al Qaeda compound in January.

The UN has criticized Obama for using drones to perform extrajudicial killings (killing without the sanction of a legal process) as targeted assassinations rather than to try and capture Taliban or Al Qaeda suspects.

Surveys have shown the drone strikes are deeply unpopular among the Pakistani people.

“I think his presidency was good but it could’ve been much better and more efficient,” junior Jorge Capote said.

Nuclear Iran threatens the world William Royal staff writer

W

e have had nuclear technology for exactly 70 years, and it gives us an incredibly powerful way of looking at our world and a slew of functions that it can perform. For example, nuclear power is second to none in the energy it can put out, and nuclear weapons, while highly destructive, are a must-have in a post-Cold War world in order to maintain respect in international diplomacy. However, these technologies have many potential buyers, and acquisition of this technology is not immune to enemies of the United States.

Iran is now seeking to acquire nuclear material. They claim that it will only be used for power, but the United States and the United Nations are suspicious. Iran, they say, is too volatile and extremist to hold nuclear material, as they could easily, and covertly, sell them to anyone.

“We’ve got enough nukes out there,” history teacher Scott Bennett said. “Why proliferate any more?”

Recent talks with Iran by the United Nations reached a preliminary deal after marathon sessions of negotiations with the Iranian government. In the deal, which was reached on April 2, Iran would reduce its uranium stockpile by 98 percent and the U.S. and the European Union would remove the sanctions that are currently placed on Tehran.

Forcing Iran to reduce the amount of uranium it has is some good progress. Although Iran is a sovereign nation with choices of its own, the United States cannot let its guard down and allow the ulterior motives of Iran slide under the radar. An undercover nuke deal with a rogue organization could be taking place any second.

They could, if given the right to hold

Graphic by Nikole Nguyen

Iran is pictured on a map, symbolically represented with a nuclear warning sign. Over the past few years, Iran’s nuclear program has caused worry due to terrorist activities in the area.

nuclear material for power, sell that material to our enemies like North Korea and ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), both of which are groups that will consider attacking us with nuclear weapons. Allowing ISIS to gain access to a WMD is lethal to any enemies of Islamic radicalism, like the United States or Israel. ISIS will not hesitate to utilize a nuclear weapon to terrorize the rest of the world, and they’ve gained a foothold in our own homes, with American, European and other world citizens going to Iraq to join ISIS. Modern thermonuclear weapons are capable of much more than that of the 1945 nuclear weapons that we had to use against

Japan. Their lethality cannot be matched.

With this much on the line, only the United States and its allies should possess nukes.

“I think the question to answer would be, ‘What do we do about the nuclear weapons that already exist and the countries that have them?’” Bennett said.

One common piece of rhetoric being thrown around in Washington is the assumption that if we do not allow Iran to build nuclear weapons, then Iran won’t be conducting any more nuclear research without our permission. This is simply not the case.

Iran has had a nuclear program since the 1950s, and it has since failed to produce

any nuclear weapons. They had a substantial amount of low-enriched uranium throughout the Iranian Revolution and into the 2010s. It is a major goal to the Iranian government to gain access to a nuclear weapon.

If the politicians in Washington think that they will just give up a program that has been a serious investment to them, they are gravely misinformed. If Iran can’t be allowed to produce nuclear weapons with our approval, they will ignore it and produce them with the help of others.

“Any country in the world wants to protect its own interests with whatever it’s capable of,” Bennett said. “I think any reasonable person would argue that we shouldn’t increase, throughout the world, anyone’s additional capacity to hold such a destructive weapon.”

In the end, the Iranians will produce nuclear energy and nuclear weapons regardless of our decisions. As a sovereign nation, they will try to protect their interests with any means possible. I fear that our decision will just push them farther away from us and into the arms of a country that will deal them, or assist them in producing, nuclear material.

“All we know is that we have countries that are enemies of other countries who have not used [nuclear weapons] against other countries,” Bennett said. “To speculate whether or not Iran would use [a nuclear weapon] in retaliation or preemptively?

There’s just no way of knowing.”

However, the ultimate goal in all of these negotiations is to maintain peace. In order for the world to be one step further away from using nuclear weapons to accomplish our goals, we need to open a constant dialogue with Iran to stay informed with what the Iranian government is actively pursuing.

After all of this, when the dust finally settles, the United States and Iran can hopefully gain a middle ground and work towards lasting peace and understanding.

Page 8

Seniors

May 2015

Senior plans for the future Where will your friends be next year?

Adal, Betania Aguilar-Granados, Aaron Aker, Cole Akers, Kailyn Alderson, Kyle Alemanni, Lauren Alsaid, Abdulaziz Alverez-Salmeron, Jesse Amos, Elizabeth An, Yong Su Ande, Adekale Anderson, Aliyah Anderson, Matthew Andrews, Alicia Anyogu, Merit Arkiszewski, Stephen Atkins, Courtney Auber, Mariyka Auel, Kyle Augsburger, Cameron Bagby, Madeline Banks, Kiara Barber, Rebecca Barker, Alexa Barrow, Shelby Baskerville, Jaleon Bates, Allison Bayliff, Cassidy Beck, Brittany Benfield, Holli Bennett, Noah Bennett, Bradley Benton, Jacob Berger, Phillip Berreth, Grayson Bilello, Anthony Blair, Jr., William Blake, Aaron Blasingame, Alexandra Blount, Andrew Bobeck, David Bomkamp, Matthew Bondurant, McKenzie Boney, Robert Bottoms, Christopher Brace, Jennifer Branham, Luke Braswell, Zachary Brewer, McKenna Brewer, Gretchen Broccolo, James Brown, Arika Brown, Nathanael Brunk, Samuel Buck, Vichelle Bullard, Kameron Burchett, Hunter Burstein, David Burton, Amanda Caine, Alexzandria Calderon Juarez, Brenda Campbell, Cherish Campbell, Jack Capurso, Nicholas Cardone, Hunter Carr, Sabrina Carruthers, Sutton Carter, Madison Carter, TaShaun

UNC-Pembroke GTCC UNC-CH NC State UNCC UNCG Arizona State University Liberty University UNCG Wake Forest Berry College ECU Norfolk State UNCC unknown at time of publication Clemson UNCG SCAD GTCC GTCC NC State GTCC ECU NC State GTCC ECU ASU Meredith College GTCC ASU NC State unknown at time of publication work Sewanee UNCC GTCC Methodist University UNCC UNCG ASU Belmont Abbey University UNCC WCU unknown at time of publication GTCC GTCC GTCC UNCG GTCC UNCG UNCP Lees-McRae UNCG unknown at time of publication UNCC UNCC unknown at time of publication ASU GTCC Empire Beauty School GTCC GTCC GTCC UNCC GTCC UNC-CH ECU UNCG Barber School

Carty, Brannon Casillas, Christian Castillo, Samuel Ceron, Erik Cheek, Sydney Cheney, Elizabeth Chicoma, Melissa Chung, Sophie Chung, Chris Clapp, Cheavez Clayton, Nicholas Clingman, David Coble, Caroline Colby, Sarah Collins, Brady Comeford, Austin Constantinidi, Olivia Cook, Caleb Cook, Jesse Cooper, Talya Costa, Daniel Councilman, Caitlyn Covington, Samuel Coyle, Matthew Cozart, Lyndon Cranford, Lindsey Critchley, Megan Critchley, Jessica Cross, Winston Crutchfield, Weston Cude, Elizabeth Dang, Dylan D'Angelo, Gina Dasnoit, Joshua Daughtrey, Austin Davis, Brennan Davis, Jr., Ricky Davis, Allison De La Rosa, Alexander De Leon, Zachary Dean, Tristan Dechambeau, Alison Dillon, Chase Doles, Maxwell Doyle, Christy Drake, Jon Drawbaugh, John Drew, Hanna D’Souza, Bianca Duehring, Adam Duffy, Sean Easton, Allyson Eisel, Samuel Elias, Casey Errichiello, Concetta Evangelista, Christine Evans, Danielle Evans, Julie Fabrizio , Neil Fallquist, Brendon Fenwrick-Wallace, Leah Ferman Blanco, Reina Xiomara Fidishun, David Flake, Sydney Fleming , Elizabeth Fletcher, Anna Ford, Kyrah Ford, Angelica Fritz, Eric

UNCG US Navy unknown at time of publication University of Arizona UNC-CH UNCC UNCG University of Georgia UNC-CH unknown at time of publication Liberty University UNCG ECU Illinois Institute of Technology UNCW US Naval Academy ASU ECU GTCC GTCC UNCC Guilford College NC State University of Missouri USC ECU UNCC UNCC unknown at time of publication UNCW ASU UNCC GTCC ASU GTCC GTCC UNCC Newberry College unknown at time of publication UNCW NC State UNCC US Army RCC/GTCC ECU Texas A&M NC State Navy Duke University undecided UNCC GTCC UNCG NC State NC State ECU Rhodes College WCU UNCC UT in Austin The Citadel unknown at time of publication Liberty University NC State ASU ASU undecided UNC-CH ASU

*“Undecided” means student reported he/she was unsure of next year’s plans. “Unknown at time of publication” means student could not be reached for comment.

Seniors

May 2015 Fuchs, Jonathan Fugitt, Joshua Funchess, Christopher Galloway, Branteze Garcia Servin, Monica Garner, Carlton Garvey, Jr., Michael Gatica, Samantha Gaytan, Christopher Gee, Justin Geiger, Josie George, Rahul Gibson, Andrew Gillespie, Madeline Gillett, William Glisson, Kayla Glynn, Mariah Godat, Hannah Godwin, Madison Golecruz, Justine Jovi Gomez-Bello, Ariatna Gomez, Lidia Gould, Courtney Gravitt, Madeline Green, Rebecca Greene, Chandler Griffin, Qyashia Groves, Katherine Grunewald, Hannah Guella, Erin Guilbeault, Danielle Ha, Michael Haack, Weston Halchin, Emma Hall, Brandon Hamilton, Hannah Hammond II, Tony Hampton, Benjamin Haque, Aadam Harding, Michael Harger, Graham Harman, Weston Haslacker, Victoria Hasteadt, Jessica Hatley, Savannah Hebert, Kaitlyn Hedrick, Joshua Hefner, Cassidy Heimke, Jennifer Henry, Jr., Kevin Hensley, Jacey Henson, Jacob Hill, Alexander Hine, Daniel Hines, Jasmine Hochwarth, Taylor Hodgson, Ananda Holland, Michael Homol, Joshua Honaker, Nicole Howard, Rory Howard, Emily Howard, Tariq Howerton, August Hoxworth, Hannah Hubbard, Elizabeth Hudson, Paul Hunsucker, Logan Hunt, Kathryn Hunt, Halle Hunt, Michael Hurley, Zachary Ikeanyionwu, Jr., Felix Isley, Rebekah Isley, Garrett Jacobson, Casey Japp, Alexander Jaramillo, Jose

Virginia State University unknown at time of publication unknown at time of publication GTCC UNCG UNCC GTCC unknown at time of publication undecided UNCG University of Alabama undecided NC State undecided unknown at time of publication Leon's Beauty School UNCG UNC-CH UNCC UNCC GTCC Florida International University ECU undecided GTCC ASU GTCC ECU ECU GTCC Lenior-Rhyne University ASU GTCC ASU UNCG BYU Morehouse College work Wake Forest unknown at time of publication NC State work GTCC ECU GTCC Wingate GTCC GTCC Montgomery Community College Jireh Prep UNCG unknown at time of publication ECU unknown at time of publication GTCC ASU UNCC work UNCG GTCC UNC-CH Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising

GTCC UNCC UNCW NC State UNCG GTCC Agnes Scott College UNCW NC State ECU undecided GTCC ASU UNCC work work

Jarvis, Samuel Jenkins, Melanie Jester, Samantha Jimbo, Richard Johansson, Steven Johnson, Hannah Johnson, Allona Johnson, Matthew Johnson, Amber Johnson, Zachary Jones, Emilee Jones, Cameron Judge, Hanah Kapoor, Arshjot Kassahun, Hannah Keller IV, John Kerans, Johnathan Keshavarz, Ramtin Kessler, Rachel Khaitas, Sol King, Dylan Kirchner, Kristina Klein, David Knight, Zachary Kolessar, Landon Kondrasov, Anastasia Kruger, Alan Kubis, Chase Laird, Marcie Lamb, Colin Lander, Madeline Landeros, Cyenna Luna De Oro Landeros, Leon Langston, Katherine Lawson, Mitchell Laymoun, Ahmad Laymoun, Majd Leasure, Nathan Lenard, Jasmine Lentz, Madison Lester, McKenzie Linder, Jocelyn Lindsay, Adam Lineback, Jonathan Lingao, Julio Rae Lohr, Madison Long, Hunter Loschin, Nicholas Lowery, Kayla Lucas, Megan Lyon, Nicholas Ma, Willa Mabe, Caroline Manganelli, Christopher Mantle, Brittany Marcos-Rosas, Diana Marini, Maris Marshall, Erica Martin, Lynton Martinez, Gabriel May, Zachary Mayer, Jake McCall, Emily McCormick, Madison McDonald, Addison McDowell, Ryan McGuire, Christine McGuirk, Lindsey Meadows III, John Mennen, Dylan Michael, Autumn Miller, Brian Miller, Taylor Millett, Victoria Miringu, Victoria Mitchell, Carter Mitchell, Myles Mitchell, Mackenzie

Page 9 NC State University of Texas at Austin Guilford College UNCC UNCG NC State ASU GTCC NC State UNCC Randolph Community College UNCG GTCC Greensboro College University of North Texas GTCC Navy UNCC Florida Atlantic University NC State unknown at time of publication UNCC College of Charleston UNCP GTCC US Naval Academy NC A&T ASU NC State UNCG unknown at time of publication National Guard Forsyth Tech UNC-CH GTCC NC A&T ECU unknown at time of publication Rochester Institute of Technology UNCC Greensboro College USC Mission Trip Rockingham Community College ASU NC State Averett University NC State GTCC ASU unknown at time of publication UNC-CH Clemson work UNCG unknown at time of publication unknown at time of publication work ASU unknown at time of publication Cape Fear Community College UNC-CH NC State ASU Rockingham Community College work UNCC UNCW unknown at time of publication UNCW GTCC UNCC WCU GTCC Central Piedmont Community College UNCC GTCC UNCG Continued on page 12

Caitlin Clarke Living in the Big Apple

Ana Nino Combs Dedicated to nursing

Mackenzie Mitchell center spread editor

Alexis Rutledge staff writer

Although you may be focused on a particular goal now, there is a possibility that new opportunities can change those objectives, and it may just be for the better. Caitlin Clarke, Northwest graduate from 2009, was one of the students who took chances and ended up in a place and position she loves in New York City.

“I originally thought I would move to DC after school to pursue studies in international law,” Clarke said. “It wasn’t until I later interned in DC that I decided New York City was really where my heart was, and it was at that point that I decided I needed to do whatever it took to make the move north.”

Clarke spent four years at Elon University working on and off campus, interning, holding leadership positions and traveling abroad.

“Through connections at school, I was offered a financial internship in New York, and to be honest I initially turned it down,” Clarke said. “The woman who offered me the role continued to encourage me to accept and told me that my diverse background of experiences (and the fact that I wasn’t a finance major) was exactly why they wanted me—I offered a unique perspective, I had professional experience, and as she said, ‘I can teach you finance faster than I can teach others street smarts.’”

When Clarke decided to take the opportunity, she turned out to enjoy the internship more than she thought she would, and now she holds a position as Senior Analyst of Business Transformation for DTCC. As well as her job, for which she enjoys waking up every day, Clarke is always fascinated with the city of New York.

“Living in New York is amazing, and something I honestly believe every person should do at least once in their life,” Clarke said. “There is an energy about this city that is always buzzing, and there is truly something for everyone here.”

Clarke encourages everyone to allow themselves to see new opportunities and “take chances and travel.”

“All of this came because I stepped out of my comfort zone and aligned myself with people who believed in me,” Clarke said.

Many students struggle with confidence and perseverance in their daily lives as they face challenges that require hard work and dedication. Though it may be difficult to get through these problems, Northwest graduate from the class of 2012, Ana Nino Combs, has a story that shows how believing in oneself can lead to success.

In high school, Combs had many ideas of what career path she wanted to follow, ranging from journalism to acting. Based on her family’s history of being doctors, Combs decided she wanted to be a nurse. She wanted to step up and help others around the world. After making this decision, she realized it was not as easy as she thought it would be.

“I struggled, believe me, but it was important for me to not give up,” Combs said. “Giving up is never an option.”

The first time Combs applied for nursing school she was rejected, but she didn’t give up that easily. She retook many of her classes, studied harder and pulled up her GPA, all while working two jobs on the side. She got into the nursing program this year.

“I had to really want it, and I did,” Combs said. “I knew what had to be done to get accepted, and that’s what I did.”

As a student at University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she is studying abroad and continuing to work hard so she can be a pediatric nurse at Brenner’s Children’s Hospital when she graduates.

Combs’ advice to students: “Do what you want to do.

Everyone is going to have an opinion about what you do with your life, but ignore the criticism if what you want to do makes you happy. Also, be prepared to work hard and no matter how difficult a situation gets, don’t give up.”

Living it up in the real world Krista Kelly Happily married mother

Alexis Marvin staff writer Krista Kelly, graduate from 2010, is not only a mother and a wife, but a previous Northwest high school student. Like many people, her dreams have evolved since she was younger and are still changing even now. “[In high school] I just wanted to go to college and make my family proud,” Kelly said. “I wanted to save the environment. By high school I decided I wanted to be a writer.”

After struggling to find something that truly appealed to her, Kelly decided to go for a liberal arts degree with a focus in race, class and culture.

She has followed through with many of her dreams, too.

“To begin, I am graduating. That is not only my dream but my parents’,” Kelly said.

After she had her daughter her first semester of college, her life, along with her dreams, changed tremendously. “I wanted to show her that no matter what obstacles come, [she] can do it.”

It is for this reason that she is going for her masters in creative writing, hoping to complete this task by fall of 2016.

And what is she doing now?

“I am finishing at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. I am married to my high school sweetheart. I have a four-year-old daughter who will be five in the fall and I work a lot,” Kelly said.

However, through determination and support, Kelly was able to make it to where she is now.

“It took a lot of growing up, but I would say I stayed focused,” Kelly said. “Getting where I am, being what society calls a ‘teen mom’, took support and help.”

Her advice to students can be useful to anyone.

“Do not ever let anyone or anything get in your way of your passion, your love of life, or the beauty in the world that you can make even more radiant.”

Kelly’s future goals are to write a book or get published for her poetry.

“I just want to be happy with what I do and make sure my family is taken care of, no matter how my future pans out,” Kelly said.

Morgon Von Steen Fashion Writer in New York City

Nikole Nguyen graphics editor Morgan Von Steen was the features editor of Northwest Horizons fewer than two years ago, graduating with the class of 2013. She had always dreamed of moving to New York and working at a fashion magazine. In high school, she spent much of her time in class reading fashion magazines.

“I’d try getting in contact with anyone and everyone who would answer my questions,” Von Steen said.

She worked five days a week at Cold Stone Creamery to save money to intern in New York over the summer, just to go to New York Fashion Week.

“I was a terrible student in all but one of my classes, journalism, where I really honed my writing chops,” Von Steen said. “I learned a lot while putting together the paper.”

Von Steen now works as a Freelance Producer for New York Magazine and as a Visuals Assistant at the J. Crew corporate headquarters, while also contributing to publications such as Teen Vogue and Buzzfeed.

“Right after my freshman year of college, I was offered a position as a fashion assistant at Lucky Magazine,” Von Steen said. “Needless to say, it was all I ever wanted.”

After packing her bags, she moved to New York and eventually transferred her present jobs from Lucky Magazine.

For current high school students, she highly recommends applying for scholarships, and that grades are but letters and numbers in the end. This, she asserted, will not prevent success in the future.

“Life begins the day you graduate, so getting a D in a class or getting unfollowed by someone on Twitter really doesn’t matter in the end,” Von Steen said.

“Just because you don’t do well on AP exams doesn’t mean you’re unintelligent.”

Hannah Piner Underwater Indiana Jones

Alexis Rutledge staff writer

Jonathan Lindsay Mormon Mission

Mackenzie Mitchell center spread editor

Throughout high school, students are constantly competing against other students to get into a college and to find a well-paying job. With teachers and parents acting as a constant reminder of this competition, it makes it stressful for students to actually follow their dreams while having the confidence that they will succeed.

Hannah Piner, graduate from Northwest in 2007, has shown that it is possible.

“I’ve wanted to be an underwater archaeologist since I was 10,” Piner said.

“Before that, I wanted to be a mermaid.

At 10, my parents decided to break it to me that it was impossible for me to be a mermaid. Well, I was really into Indiana Jones at the time, so I decided the closest thing to being a mermaid was being an underwater Indiana Jones.”

When Piner realized that underwater archaeology was the job for her, she began to take SCUBA lessons and continued to follow her interests throughout high school.

She even did her senior project on it.

“I researched underwater archaeology, took a specialty SCUBA course in it and treated some artifacts from a shipwreck,” Piner said.

As Piner continued her education at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW), she took classes in history, focusing on Public History and museum studies.

Currently she is part of the Maritime Studies program.

“We have done everything from excavating a shipwreck thought to be a Spanish treasure galleon, to mapping a North Carolina Oyster boat sunk in a black water river, to finding a cannon on Blackbeard’s pirate ship, to looking at the preservation of artifacts on a World War II battleship,” Piner said.

When Piner graduates from UNCW, she plans to work at a museum where she can continue to learn and teach about maritime history, conserve artifacts and create new programs and exhibits.

Piner’s advice to students is to be brave.

“Follow your dreams,” Piner said. “If you don’t ask for it, you will never get it.”

You don’t have to know in high school exactly what career you want to pursue in order to accomplish a goal. Jonathan Lindsay, a Northwest graduate of 2010, knew one thing for sure in high school: he wanted serve a mission and spread the word of the Book of Mormon.

“Serving a mission was the most incredible experience of my life up to this point,” Lindsay said. “A full-time mission for young members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is really a defining moment in their spiritual progression.”

When Lindsay was at Northwest, he was always open to talk about his Mormon beliefs, and serving a mission was a huge dream of his. He spent a great deal of time preparing for his mission, including lots of paperwork, doctors’ appointments, learning a different language and managing three jobs in order to save up and pay for his entire mission.

“But that wasn’t even the most important preparation,” Lindsay said. “I had to prepare myself spiritually before going.”

After a full year between graduation and his departure, he was able to travel to Utah and spread his beliefs with many people. He even taught and communicated with some in Spanish.

Lindsay had to give up contact with his friends and family and luxuries like television and music, but he felt that it was worthwhile because he was doing something in which he believes strongly.

“I personally was inspired to serve a mission because I know the importance of this work and that Christ and His atonement can change lives,” Lindsay said. “I saw first-hand on my mission countless lives turned around and people I came to love found true happiness.”

Lindsay still feels an incredible impact on his life from the mission he served nearly two years ago.

“It was solid foundation that I can turn to so that I can continue to build my faith,” Lindsay said.

He encourages all students never to limit themselves.

“Things might not always work out the way you plan them,” Lindsay said, “but they will always work out the way they are supposed to. Happiness is right around the corner.”

Successful Northwest alumni are living their dreams after graduation Myanh Ta Nonprofit coordinator Eric James Getting his PhD

Nikole Nguyen graphics editor Eric James graduated with the class of 2009, and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with the class of 2013. Though he initially wanted to become a journalist in high school, his major changed at UNCChapel Hill from journalism to theory and research, and he focused on a thesis in communication theory instead.

“I took an introductory communication theory class, and I just enjoyed the rigor and community there so much that, even on my J-school track, I could feel my interests starting to shift,” James said.

He now works with Qnary, LLC, a digital advertising and reputation management startup out of NYC for the past two years.

He works form Austin, Texas and occasionally in New York.

“I was recently accepted with a full Fellowship/TA-ship to the Rhetoric and Public Culture PhD program at Northwestern, and I can’t wait to get back into theory,” James said. “As far as how I got here, I guess it boils down to this: if I enjoy something, I’ve always submerged myself in it.”

He worked to become the editor-in-chief of Northwest Horizons, and came out of it with a first place award story in the state in 2009. He was also a member of We the People.

“I can still throw out an absurd number of court cases to this day,” James said.

As far as advice for high school students, James recommends involvement.

“Get excited about high school sports, dances, clubs, classes and everything else you can get your hands into. Learn to write a good e-mail. Respect yourself just a little bit past the point of arrogance. Have someone teach you to build credit and do taxes. Don’t ever let yourself get jaded of the things you love most. Don’t sweat changing your college major the first, second or third time,” James said. “And visit your high school teachers when you graduate; they do miss you.”

Alexis Marvin staff writer

Myanh Ta, former Northwest graduate of the class of 2009, works at the Young Women in CHARGE at the YWCA of Greensboro. She has followed many of her dreams and inspired those around her. But how did she get there?

When she was growing up, Ta knew she wanted to go to college. She knew she wanted to do something that required research, worked directly with people, had a measurable positive impact and required her to be creative and to collaborate with people who could teach her.

“When I was in high school, I was interested in so many things, but it seemed I was allergic to making concrete plans,” Ta said.

The problem was that she couldn’t think of one profession that had all of the things she wanted, so she went to college at UNC-Chapel Hill to get a liberal arts degree. While striving to get her degree, she managed to take all types of classes.

“Interestingly, the weirdest ones that didn’t seem to fit a ‘program’ or pre-set path were the ones which informed my current profession the most,” Ta said.

Ta is now currently the coordinator of Young Women in CHARGE. Her job involves many different tasks, including working with kids on social justice issues.

“What I love about my job is that I get to talk about issues close to my heart,” Ta said. “I, along with my colleagues, have the opportunity to teach in nonconventional ways.”

Ta got involved with Young Women in CHARGE in an interesting way. Her senior year of college, she took a class about non-profit work that had a service trip where she volunteered with different non-profit organizations. It was there she had her first encounter with a YWCA. “The really important factor is that I was passionate enough about the work that I was already doing it for free, which meant I had experience that many of my peers did not,” Ta said.

Her advice for students is pretty simple.

“I wish I could’ve told myself that it is okay to not know all the answers, but to keep asking questions and exploring every interest. There is a place for you in whatever field you choose, you just have to find it or create it,” Ta said.

Photos contributed by interviewed alumni

Page 12 Mitchell, Bridgette Moore, Lucas Morgan, Katie Morgan, Molly Morgan, Roy Morris, William Morrison, Daniel Morton, Erin Mothershead, Jaime Mukahanana, Mutsa Murphy, Jennifer Murphy, Kristen Murphy, Mark Murphy, Michael Najafabadi, Shayan Najafabadi, Negin Nazzal, Lena Nehls, Paige Nelson, Skyler Newman, Hunter Newton, Evan Newton, Shelby Nguyen, Thunder Nicholson, Sara Nikula, Jessica Nnadi, Victor Nogueira, Carolina Ocampo, Nathaniel Niko OrdoĹˆez Gallego, Melissa Otten, Spencer Overcash, Erica Oyama, Tokio Pagan, Galarza Belmary Pak, Grace Parent, Karsyn Parrish, Amanda Parrish, Jackson Parsons, Rebecca Patton, Elena Pearson, Andrew Pedersen, Danielle Pegg, Hunter Pegram, Makayla Pegram, Benjamin Perdue, Robert Perry, Olivia Person, Wilder Peterson, Mallory Phillips, Kayla Phillips, Patrick Pitonzo, Jesse Pitter, Alyssa Plott, Sarah Poe, Austin Poe, Caroline Pollard, Kimberly Potkay, Mikayla Powell, Hunter Preuss, Jr., Ricky Priddy, Seth Prince, Gregory Pritchett, Jacob Proposito, Beniamino Pruitt, Jonathan Purgason, Andrew Putman, Kaytlyn

Seniors

UNCG NC State UNCG UNCG undecided work Catawba College USC UNCC undecided film school UNCW UNC-CH NC State UNCW GTCC ECU Guilford College GTCC UNCC UNCC UNCC GTCC NC State GTCC UNCG college in Brazil GTCC undecided NC State Belmont University UNCC NC A&T Berklee College of Music University of Alabama UNCC UNC-CH ASU unknown at time of publication UNCG UNCG GTCC GTCC unknown at time of publication UNCC GTCC NC State ASU unknown at time of publication ECU UNCC work as a flight attendant UNC-CH UNCC UNCW NC State ECU West Point Lincoln Collge of Technology military Clemson GTCC GTCC unknown at time of publication GTCC Wallace State

Racca, Isabella Rader, Rachael Ramos, Luis Ratterree, Brooke Ray, Satoria Rebis, Jr., Paul Rebuck, Connor Reganess, Samantha Reyes, Mark Reynolds, Marley Rich, Taylor Richards, Devaughn Rivera, Ashlianet Roberts, Shelby Rodriguez, Erick Rodriguez, Clarisse Roux, Autumn Russell, Robert Sachs, Jamie Sachse, Caleb Sanchez, Annette Sanchez, Jr., Polo Sauer III, Edward Scaggs, Mackinley Scheopner, Nicholas Schneider, Hannah Schoppman, William Schwartz, Meghan Scovern, Wade Seagraves II, Paul Shahbandi Soumehsaraei, Ali Sharpe, Emily Shaw, Logan Shelton, Nicolas Sheppard, Alexander Shoemaker, Zackary Shongut, Stephanie Shull, Katherine Sides, Caleb Sikora, Zachary Silveira, Zackery Skeehan, Logan Slaughter, Sydney Smith, Sydney Snuggs, Kayla Somoza, Taylor Soufia, Rami Southern, Erin Stafford, Andrew Stafford, Darell Stafford, Matthew Stanley, Kyle Starks, Jr., Andre Stewart, William Stickler, Erin Strauss, Jacob Stringer, Rachel Stull, Payton Sugg, Katherine Szychowicz, Eric Tastet, Hannah Tharp, Melanie Thomas, Brigette Thomas, Hailey Thompson, Megan Thompson, Gabriel

May 2015 UNCW UNCC ECU ECU UNCC work GTCC gap year GTCC Guilford College unknown at time of publication GTCC unknown at time of publication UNCG GTCC undecided UNCC ASU ASU GTCC GTCC ECU unknown at time of publication ASU UNCG Roanoke College NC State Salem College GTCC unknown at time of publication WCU NC State AFT Alabama Huntsville GTCC Lenior-Rhyne University UNC-CH GTCC unknown at time of publication NC State unknown at time of publication UNCG GTCC NC State undecided GTCC NC State unknown at time of publication GTCC GTCC BYU UNCG GTCC GTCC Clemson UNC-CH UNCW UNCC GTCC Davidson County Community College UNCG WCU GTCC UNC-CH undecided Forsyth Tech

May 2015 Thurbon, Sarah Ticra, Maria Tolbert, Essence Tomaszewski, Owen Tomlin, Banks Tran, Brandon Travia, Kevin Troeger, Kyle Truesdale, Ryon Turcola, Maxwell Tuttle, Chloe Tzarathe, Isaac Underwood, Steven Utiss, Branko Vebber, Alyssa Venable, Adam Verma, Shukti Vigil, Vanessa Vinson, Jeremy Von Steen, Connor Walker, Jonathan Walker, Joseph Waller II, Jonathan Walsh, Carson Walter, MacKenzie Walters, Mariam Warner, Peyton Washington, Brenton Watkins , Anna Watson, Joshua Watson, Kayla

Seniors

GTCC GTCC GTCC Guilford College Guilford College UNCG UNC-CH GTCC unknown at time of publication UNCG UNCC UNCG Averett University unknown at time of publication UNCG welding school UNCG GTCC Marine Corps NC State work ASU NC A&T Cape Fear Community College Wingate UNCG UNCG GTCC UNC Asheville District of Columbia Fire Department GTCC

Better job?

Brighter future?

College works.

• • • •

Explore careers Research and apply to NC colleges online Find scholarships, grants and loans Get “Let Me Tell You” college tips

For more information, visit CFNC.org or call 866.866.CFNC (2362).

CFNC is a service of the State of North Carolina provided by Pathways (the NC Department of Public Instruction, the NC Community College System, the NC Independent Colleges and Universities and The University of North Carolina), College Foundation, Inc., and the NC State Education Assistance Authority. © 2015 Pathways, College Foundation, Inc., and State Education Assistance Authority (CFNC)

Watts, Taylor Weaver, Jessica Weiss, Michael Wellinsky, Nicole Wells, Sarah Wells, Samantha Westmoreland, Michael Wheeler, Audrey White Sizer, Christian Whyatt, Spencer Wilfong, Javier Wilhelm , Eric Williams, Brianna Williams, Julia Williams, Meranda Williams, Paxton Williams, Ronald Williams, Sarah Williams, Steven Wilson, Cordelia Wirtz, Alexander Wise, Nathan Wisnoski, Logan Wright, Dakarai Wright, Dian Wright, Kevin Yi, Justin Young, Jacob Young, Zachary Zawadzki, Rachel Ziglar, Thomas

Page 13 Roanoke College GTCC Air Force UNCC UNCG work work Florida State University WCU UNCG NC A&T UNCC UNCC NC State unknown at time of publication undecided UTI University of Minnesota Marine Reserves Ithaca College UNCC Marine Corps Air Force ECU ECU UNCG UNCC ASU UNCG UNC-CH GTCC

May 2015

Page 14

College A bound:

s their senior year comes to a close, these athletes will be continuing into a new territory: college. Throughout the past four years, you have seen these athletes sweating at practice, scoring points for the team and making Northwest parents and students stand to cheer. In their own words, here is their anticipation for the college days to come.

Volleyball at UNCWilmington Halle Hunt

Wrestling at Appalachian State Cary Miller

“College wrestling will be extremely tough, but after you’ve wrestled in college everything in your life will be easy.”

Tennis at Virginia State University Jonathan Fuchs

“I am really thankful to have the opportunity to go on scholarship and to be able to play volleyball in college.”

Lacrosse at Illinois “I’m looking foward to playing next level tennis at a college!”

Institute of *Fuchs stands third from the right Technology Running at Sarah Colby UNC-Charlotte Matt Bomkamp

“I am really excited to be able to attend Illinois Tech. with a scholarship. I am not ready for my time playing lacrosse to be over.”

Football at Averett “I’m excited about being able to train with other University athletes who have similar goals and ambitions

Hunter Long

as myself.”

Pitching at UNC-CH Cole Aker

“I’m excited. I am just ready to see where football takes me.”

“I’m thankful that I get to play the sport that I love at my dream school.”

Information compiled by staff and photos contributed by athletes

Page 15

May 2015

Northwest’s Sports:

All sports in the timeline above are conference champions. Additional conference champion teams include boys’ lacrosse, girls’ lacrosse and boys’ baseball.

Highlights of this year’s success in sports

Graphic by Nikole Nguyen and information compiled by Annie Ford

Varsity Swimming

Varsity Winterguard

Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse

Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse

Girls’ team: 2nd in conference

1st in circuit in the scholastic A silver division

14th in state

Boys’ Varsity Baseball

25th in state

50th in state

Overall: 16-3

Overall: 12-3-1

Overall: 15-8

Conference: 13-1

Conference: 10-0

Conference: 8-2

Boys’ team: 2nd in conference

34th in the world (out of 122)

Special Sports profile: Athletes involved in non-school sports

Willa Ma editor-in-chief

M

any athletes don’t know about horseback riding and the amount of physical effort exerted in the sport.

“It’s so much fun because I wouldn’t be able to go that fast on my own at all,” senior Mariyka Auber said. “It’s nice to feel the wind.”

Auber has been horseback riding for seven years and loves the physical aspects that come with it.

“You’re trying to both exercise the animal and yourself,” Auber said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Senior Hannah Schneider has been competing for nine years and rides nearly every day each week.

“I ride about five times a week, and when I ride, it is usually around two and a half hours a night,” Schneider said. “[My favorite part about horseback riding is] that I get to do it about five or six times a week. It’s a really good way to stay physically active.”

Schneider believes that with balancing school and horseback riding outside of school, having equestrian as a school sport would be too much; however, the program she rides in offers benefits that equal those a school could offer.

“There’s a program that I am in that I actually get a Varsity letter in horseback riding,” Schneider said.

While practicing takes up the majority of the time for horseback riders, competitions are what riders strive to succeed in.

“A competition is basically a bunch of riders trying to prove that they can be more collected and look more graceful in some cases and more put together than the other riders, whoever does that the

most gets the highest points,” Auber said.

In competition, there is a plethora of different events for riders.

“There are different sections of it you can do,” Auber said. “You can do dressage, which is working with the horse’s footwork and you can do hunter hack where you try to connect with your horse.”

For Schneider, a typical competition includes three events.

“I do a three-phase competition, and it’s over the course of one day,” Schneider said. “I do two different types of jumping phases.

One is in a closed-off arena, and the other jumping phase is out in the field and through the woods, and the last phase is a walk, trot and canter phase.”

While the time spent on perfecting her sport and competing in events is similar to those of other sports, Schneider also has to make time to take care of her horse.

“At the same time I’m competing in events, I have to take care of my horse, and there are a lot of ups and downs with his health,” Schneider said.

Health problems cause difficulty in the sport, but Auber finds having a stubborn horse to be another difficulty in horseback riding. “[The most difficult part is] when your horse doesn’t want to listen to you,” Auber said. “Sometimes you get a stubborn horse where whatever you do, they will not listen to you. Once I had one that would turn left and just keep running around, and all I could do was hang on and hope he didn’t jump the fence.”

However, the joys of horseback riding weigh out all the difficulties for Auber.

“You can communicate with your horse and there’s even a rhythm where you are both in the same wavelength,” Auber said. “You could twitch your foot and he will do what you want.”

Photo contributed by Schneider

Senior Hannah Schneider competes in a horseback riding competition. She has been riding for nine years and continues to ride nearly every day.

Summer sports:

Training for next year’s sports begins in the heat of the summer

Sarah Colby news editor

T

hough school gets out in June, and spring sports end in late April to early May, Northwest sports do not end there. Training for fall sports begins almost immediately after school gets out and continues through the summer.

Most coaches expect their teams to be training over the summer to be in peak athletic ability for the beginning of the fall sport season Aug. 1.

“I expect for the players returning to be prepared physically for the season,” varsity field hockey coach Kaitlin Brown said.

For some, this means training on their own, getting together with their teammates, going to camps or even getting up early and running.

For most teams, this means starting at the beginning of summer vacation.

“We will [practice] three times a week for the two weeks we have in June and four times a week for the two weeks we have in July in terms of training in the summer,” head football coach Jared Rolfes said.

“Our team camp starts the last week in July and rolls us right into our first official practice on August 1.”

This is the same for the field hockey team.

“During the summer, the field hockey team conditions two days a week, and my upperclassmen hold stick skill sessions one to two days per week,” Brown said. “These sessions begin in July. Many of the girls play [on a] club [team] and attend camps together during the summer months.”

Many cross country members go to camps to increase their speed.

“I went to Nike Smokey Mountain running camp the summer before my junior year, and I really think it helped me prepare for the season,” senior Mallory Peterson said.

For cross country runners, the season begins as soon as school gets out.

“At the end of the school year, everyone who signed up for cross country is placed into a group based on speed,” Peterson said.

“The seniors are responsible for getting their group together to run in the summer.”

Many members of the team meet in the morning at Burmil Park, sometimes daily, and run together to gain endurance.

Because of summer heat, summer training is a very important factor for fall sports.

“The heat definitely affects my team at the start of the season,” Brown said. “I take daily temperatures into consideration when I am making the summer schedule.”

The football team uses the heat in order to train harder, play better and beat their opponents.

“Our conditioning is very important in the summer and the early part of practices to ensure we can go the distance on Thursday and Friday nights” Rolfes said.

“Fatigue plays a major role in football games, we just always plan in a way that our conditioning is better than who we play.”

Avoiding the heat is important to the success of cross country runners as well.

“Whenever I would meet with my [running] group, we would try to run as early as possible to avoid the heat,” Peterson said.

Page 16

May 2015

Health vs. Wealth: Why Shopping for healthy foods is more expensive

Seniors’ advice to juniors

Coca-Cola: $4.99

Water: $2.99

Instant Ramen: $0.60

Carrots: $2.90

Lucky Charms: $3.39

Smart Ones frozen dinner: $2.69

“Take one day at a time.

Just breathe.”

–Alicia Andrews

Ice cream: $2.99

Special K: $4.00

Frozen chicken tenders: $4.90

Fresh chicken breast: $6.96 Cucumbers: $0.65 (each)

Michelina’s frozen dinner: $1.29

“Don’t stress that much because senior year is 10 times easier, and once you’re in a college there is no more stressing.”

–Colin Lamb

Lettuce: $3.29

Lemons: $2.49 Liz Hubbard & Faith Rickerts arts culture editor & staff writer he above cart shows some healthy and some unhealthy foods. If it is examined closely, one can see the differences in price. For example, fresh chicken breast costs $6.96 while an entire bag of frozen chicken tenders is only $4.90. Cucumbers cost 65 cents, but when compared to a pack of ramen, only the latter can be considered dinner.

This trend may explain why people below the poverty line tend to have an even higher rate of obesity. Although international trends show that high-income countries such as America are more prone to obesity than middle-and-lowincome countries, the trend is the opposite within the country, with obesity rates being higher among

T

low-income families. This is most likely due to the availability of unhealthy food and, of course, the fact that unhealthy food is so much less expensive.

As students head off to college, some may live on a meal plan and some may have to buy groceries on their own for the first time. The likelihood is that most college students won’t have a huge budget to buy food, so keep these suggestions in mind when you’re tight on cash and you need to shop for groceries: -Brown rice contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that can be a great component in a healthy meal at only $1.99 per pound -Whole-wheat pasta costs about $1.69 per box which for the average person makes about seven servings.

-Whole-wheat bread is $1.99 per loaf and contains far more nu-

Photo by Faith Rickerts

trients than white bread -Old-fashioned oats can be used for cereal, granola and muffins, and a 42-ounce container with 30 servings is only $3.99 -Frozen vegetables come in 12to 14- ounce bags that cost $1.75 to $2.25 and contain six to eight cups depending on the type of vegetable and size of the bag -Canned tuna comes with omega-3 fatty acids and protein, and is only $1.40 for two servings -Frozen edamame beans make a great healthy snack or appetizer, and they come in 16-ounce bags for around $2.00 Before you grab the cheaper, less healthy foods off the shelf, think about the foods listed above and how you can make yourself a healthy meal without breaking the bank.

“Don’t overwork yourself.” –Sol Khaitas

FIND YOUR FRIENDS in the NWO’s Student Profiles section CATCH GAME HIGHLIGHTS on our Facebook, Twitter & Youtube KEEP UP WITH YOUR COMMUNITY in the NWO YOUTUBE LOGO SPECS

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May 2015

Page 17

What’s in your future?

Art profile: senior Caleb Sachse

Katie Lee Parrish & Lindsey McGuirk staff writer & managing editor

T

he class of 2015 will walk across the stage at Greensboro Coliseum June 12 to collect the diploma they’ve worked for four years to receive. That diploma is more than just a piece of paper; it’s a key that opens the door to opportunity. As time passes, and the class of 2015 becomes just another group of alumni from Northwest, where will the people

who made up the class of 2015 be?

In five years, people will be going from college to the real world where they can put their knowledge to use. Dreams vary from person to person. Some imagine working in the fast-paced lifestyle of the medical field, while others question what the future holds for them. But in the end, it is you who is in control of your future.

“There’s a variety of options I could choose from in finance, but at the moment, I see myself working as a private equity investment professional or working in an investment bank.”

-senior Connor Von Steen “After college, I want to work toward becoming a doctor. I want a hands-on and fast-paced job, so caring for patients and solving problems every day would be great.”

-senior Erin Stickler “I see myself working with a consulting company or as a lawyer.”

-senior Bianca D’Souza

Sophie Vazquez staff writer

A

rt is about “dabbling in time travel manifesting my higher consciousness into a visual existence.” This quote by artist BB Bastidas is senior Caleb Sachse’s artistic inspiration.

Sachse loves art and has been highly praised for his work. He is well known for his spray painted celestial scenes and signature techniques.

“It’s the meaning and artist’s intention behind [a piece of art] that interests me,” Sachse said.

Sachse’s interest in art began during middle school. When by himself, he would master draw characters from the popular trading card game Yu-Gi-Oh! “That’s how I started,” Sachse said. “It probably makes me sound really lame but, I got really good at it, and people noticed.”

Sachse now completes projects for Honors Art 3 and is frequently praised for his creations.

“I don’t really have any expectations for myself; I just start something and see where it goes, [and]

Photo by Sophie Vazquez

people are always interested in what I’m making,” Sachse said.

Sachse receives support from his family, friends and art teachers.

His father also enjoys sketching and encourages his son to pursue art.

After high school, Sachse hopes to continue creating and begin selling his works. He is interested in exploring “coffee art,” a medium where paper is stained and painted with coffee.

Art is not his only hobby. Aside from spray painting, he also plays soccer, the guitar, drums and piano.

Sachse also expresses himself by skateboarding and surfing. He says that he and his art are influenced by his favorite music, including Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam. “Caleb is one of my most innovative and talented students,” art teacher Amber Gray said. “He works outside the comfort zone of most. His creative way of thinking and talent will take him far in the art world.”

Page 18

May 2015

Who impacted you in high school?

Seniors share their stories Jacey Hensley: Clare Kilmartin features editor

I

n the course of four years, one’s life may change drastically. Looking back on the first day of freshman year, many realize how much their lives have changed. High school has brought new friends and experiences that make up who we are.

For senior Jacey Hensely, she credits her change to one person: English teacher Sherilyn Little.

“I wasn’t a very dedicated student my first years of high school,” Hensley said. “I didn’t fail any classes and I didn’t like any classes.

I just went with it.”

On Hensley’s first day of junior year she walked into Little’s class with no expectations. However, she quickly was assured that Little was like no other teacher.

“On the first day of school, she talked about how names matter. .

“As soon as she did that I was like ‘okay, she is not a typical teacher,” Hensley said. “That first day left such an impression on me.”

In Little’s class, Hensley found herself and reevaluated her views on school.

“As soon as I had her, I did well in her class,” Hensley said.

“I thought okay, I don’t like these classes but if I can have a good attitude about them, I can be good at them.”

After Hensley’s first day in Little’s class, Hensley decided not only to strive to do well in Little’s class but in every class.

“I started doing well in all my classes and really became a good student,” Hensley said. “I cared about my work, and it was something new for me.”

Hensley not only learned to love learning but her life changed in so many ways.

“She really helped me grow as a student but also as a person,” Hensley said. “That’s really what makes her such a good teacher.”

Little’s English class is where

Sarah Wells:

Melanie Jenkins Hensley found her passion for learning and discovered that she, staff writer too, wanted to teach and affect students like Little does to all her sk any Northwest senior students. who was involved in “She’s influenced so many,” marching band and they Hensley said. “It’s not just me. will tell you about how the program That’s what I want has changed to do when I grow them for the up. I want to affect better. For people the way she some, marchaffected me.” ing band Hensley hopes has taught to find students like them about her and really help respect and them grow as stutime managedents. ment; others “I want to help learned how them find their to be leaders passion and fall in even when love with learning they felt like because that’s what giving up. In happened to me,” the case of Hensley said. senior Sarah Not only has Wells, she Little changed feels that Hensley’s life as a Northwest’s student, but Hensband direcley considers Little tor, Brian a friend.

McMath, has “If there’s truly helped something goshape the ing on in my life, I course of her know I could go to life. her,” Hensley said.

“I met “She would underMr. McMath stand. There have when I joined been times where the NorthI wouldn’t want to west Guiltalk to anyone else ford Marchabout it.” ing Band as Through the a color guard course of four member,” years, one teacher Wells said. immensely affected “I came to Hensley’s life for respect him the better. That one more than moment in class anyone I had the ability to know bechange her life procause of how foundly. Not only he treated us: had she became an not as chiloutstanding studren, but as dent, but most importantly, she made Photo by Clare Kilmartin a friend.

Senior Nick Loschin and science teacher Dr. Richard Thomas discuss Loschin’s

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future. Loschin views Thomas as one of the many teachers who impacted his life.

Nick Loschin: Nick Loschin entertainment editor

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orthwest is a school that opens many doors and offers a plethora of opportunities for all students that walk through its doors. However, it is the relationships that students form with the staff that truly last a lifetime.

For me personally, I was greatly influenced by my AP Environmental Science teacher, Dr. Richard Thomas. Not only did he open my eyes to the wonders and magnitude of the earth, but he also elucidated what I would become very passionate about. Dr. Thomas has inspired me to pursue an education in environmental science and has supported me every step of the way.

Like most high school students, I had no idea what I wanted to be or where I wanted to go when I graduated. However, Dr. Thomas showed me there was more than

meets the eye to the planet and how everything is connected. Science offered reason and purpose in my life but also allowed me a holistic perspective of life on a grander scale. Fascinated by nature, I began contemplating the meaning and magnitude of life from an environmental standpoint.

Dr. Thomas taught me much more than science. He taught me compassion and how to stand up for what I believed in. He was always someone I could confide in and express my thoughts openly.

Welcoming me with open arms, he helped shaped me into the individual I am today while, at the same time, being a model I aspire to become.

The staff shapes the Northwest community. Every day I walk in I am thankful for all the values I have gained from the staff in my four years. What makes Northwest special is the passion of its teachers who truly want to better all students who pass through its doors.

Dylan Dang:

Shalini Sharma staff writer

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young men and women.”

On the marching band field, everything boils down to three things: breathing, remembering the next set and listening for McMath’s instructions. Starting at the end of July, to the middle of November, McMath quickly becomes the epicenter of every marching band student’s life. Life lessons such as perseverance, time management and responsibility are taught during those crucial months.

“He instilled in us the meaning of hardwork, determination and commitment. He never gave up on us and would always give every single person encouragement to keep going,” Wells said.

From the field, to the classroom, Wells carried these crucial traits that she had learned from McMath to help her in high school.

Even when life got tough, she remembered what McMath had told her about pushing through the hard times and how she could accomplish anything that she applied herself to.

“Mr. McMath was more than just a teacher. He was a mentor, a coach, someone you could rely on for advice,” Wells said. “He has really inspired me.”

As her senior year draws to a close, Wells looks back on the past four years with little regret, and into the future with confidence. It is because of the marching band director that Wells feels that she is ready to take on any obstacles that she may face in college.

“I’ve learned many valuable lessons from Mr. McMath and will never forget the many things he said to me, such as, to never give up, keep going no matter how hard it gets and that I could do anything that I put my mind to,” Wells said.

“Mr. McMath helped me grow more than just as a color guard member or a student; he helped me grow as a human being.”

veryone has someone who affects their daily thoughts and actions, ranging from a parent or sibling, to a celebrity.

However, at Northwest, some students find themselves looking up to teachers or their peers for guidance and support.

For senior Dylan Dang, chemistry teacher Cynthia Mardis impacted the person he previously was, and as a result his entire view on school changed, allowing him to discern that hard work truly does pay off in the end.

According to Mardis, however, in his sophomore year, Dang was a bright student who did not recognizing his full potential—and his work ethic reflected that.

“Dylan never did any homework, lab write-ups, assessments or other work for class besides tests and quizzes; he was able to just float through [school],” Mardis said. “He loved learning, but grades did not seem that important to him.”

After a couple of months of teaching him, Mardis decided to make Dang realized his perspective

about education would prevent him from getting to the next level, which includes college and jobs.

“When I was living my life, and basically messing around in high school, Mrs. Mardis influenced me to change,” Dang said. “She told me that at some point I will have to grow up, and get my grades up, so that I will have a more stable life in the future.”

Because of her advice, Dang feels that he has successfully molded into the person and student he had always strived to become.

“There’s no way I could have made the grades I did, or as high of an SAT score that I did, without Mrs. Mardis; she is the reason I was admitted into the college I wanted to get into, [UNCC],” Dang said.

Due to this transformation in his thought process, Dang’s character evolved as well.

“I see Dylan doing big things, but I don’t see him as the type of person who would ever need recognition or one who would feel the need to label his name on his successes,” Mardis said. “He obtains self-gratification from his motivation, but he doesn’t publicize it and doesn’t need everyone else to know about his [achievements].”

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May 2015

Tips to ensure safety for incoming college students

Paige Nehls staff writer

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or some, college is right around the corner. The school year is almost done, and summer will fly by as it always has. While college can be an exciting and fun place to learn, have new experiences and meet new people, it can also be dangerous. Students can become so distracted by the excitement of the school year, and the exhilaration of their new freedom that they often forget the number-one rule their parents taught them: safety first. So if you’re one of these college-freshmento-be, here are some tips on how to stay safe.

1) Lock your door. Lock the door to your dorm room and make sure your hall or building is locked at all times. You don’t want random people waltzing into where you live, do you?

2) Be aware of stranger danger. If someone wants to be let into your building, dorm room, et cetera, don’t let them in unless you know who they are. Just because someone swears they were your roomate’s cousin’s best friend’s dog sitter does not mean he or she can come in. Call campus security or the police if you feel unsafe and/or if the person does not leave.

3) Make sure someone knows where you are at all times. If you go out jogging at 6 a.m. leave a note or send a text to your room-

mate letting him or her know what time they should expect you back. If you aren’t back within a half hour of your scheduled time of arrival, they can alert the authorities.

4) Have emergency contacts. Know your campus security phone number and memorize a contact’s number in case of an emergency.

5) Use the buddy system. It doesn’t matter if you’re 6’4” and 250 lbs. or 5’0” and 100 lbs., the buddy system is always a great and safe idea.

Especially at night, it is always best to walk across campus with a friend. Make sure you stay with that buddy.

6) Use Campus Security. Almost every college has some police officers or security guards that will escort you around campus should you feel unsafe, just give them a call. Better safe than sorry.

7) Have a check-in friend.

Text your friends like how you used to have to text your mom when you got your license. Every time you arrive or leave a place, let them know you got there safely. This is a good idea for people who live off-campus or who are out at night.

8) Be prepared in case of danger. Take a self-defense course or

carr y pepper spray if your campus allows it.

9) Just be responsible. Don’t become too distracted by your phone or other devices to the point where you are unaware of your surround-

ings. Don’t accept drinks from strangers. If you go to a party, always go with a friend and leave with that friend. College can

be fun, but only when you’re safe.

Never hesitate to report incidents to the authorities or call the police if you feel you are in danger.

Photo contributed by Katie Kilmartin

We The People celebrates 20 years at Northwest Willa Ma & Annie Ford editor-in-chief & staff writer

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n 1995, social studies teacher Ray Parrish was asked to take part in a competition based around the Constitution. Despite being a new teacher at the school, he took the project on, and his influence has made all the difference.

20 years of We the People has accumulated, and throughout the years, the names and faces of students have changed, but the point of the class, as led by Parrish, has remained consistent. What makes We the People so unique is that it’s main focus has always been to pursue truth, your own truth, in the company of your colleagues, friends and family. “[We the People] means having the opportunity to talk about the things I care about,” senior Sol Khaitas said.

And so many other students past and present agree with this statement.

“It means a lot more than just a class or a group of friends that you get together and hang out with,” senior Julia Williams said.

“It’s a place where you can get together and talk about the important things in life like the Constitution and other high-minded ideals.”

Talking about the things that matter, the topics that are frequently ignored, is what makes We the People a unique class.

“To me, We the People means a thirst for knowledge, and a chance to become an active citizen in our nation early on,” Concetta Errichiello said. “We the People gave me a place to expand my knowledge without fear of judgment and in the company of my newly formed family.”

The impact this class has had on students throughout the years is evident in how many past members return every year.

“I plan to come back mostly be-

Photo contributed by Ray Parrish

18 years ago, the 1997 We the People class poses for a picture after winning at the state level competition.

They went on to the nation-wide competition like many teams that came after them.

cause I want to see the program succeed, but also because I want to still be a part of it,” senior Becky Parsons said. “I want to give the next class the help and support our class got.”

The success of the program in the future is important to many current and past We the People students.

“We the people and Mr. Parrish really helped me launch my search for a purpose in this life, and I want to encourage future students to do the same,” Errichiello said. “I also want We the People to continue as long as possible so that it can change the lives of many.”

The classroom dynamic is so unique. Any student of Parrish’s can agree that there is so much to learn from him and the learning goes both ways.

“I’m learning from the students,” Parrish said. “So much of what I have learned has come from the stu-

dents.”

From the political discussions at the beginning to the year to the state and national competitions, there are many moments to pick from.

Being announced in the top 10 in the country at nationals must rank among the best moments in We the People history. “[However, I love to see] after losses, that we are not just about a competition,” Parrish said. “We have other incredible things going on.”

And he could not be any more right. Ultimately, We the People is a competition that students practice hard for all year: writing and rewriting papers, reading and reading and reading, and meeting with classmates to discuss a wide spectrum of topics that range from the obscurity of classical republicanism to the controversy of immigration reform. “[My most memorable mo-

ment was] getting up there at the state competition and performing,” senior Rory Howard said. “Even though we did end up losing, it felt good to put all our effort and hard work into action in front of actual judges.”

The heartache of loss reigned for a while, but the love among the

people of the class prevailed.

“The morning of the state competition, we were all in Mr. Parrish’s room ready to hear his pep talk,” Errichiello said. “He stood up before us and gave the most heartwarming pep talk I’ve ever heard. He went on and on about how we have awed him with our growth and our desire to learn. He amazed me with his unconditional love for us all and his confidence that we truly had the ability to be top ten in the nation.

His tears of joy that morning could have easily surpassed any sort of trophy we could receive.”

We the People is so much more than a competition. Students have developed a love for the Constitution. “[I love the Constitution because] there are a lot of great ideals in it of freedom, liberty and justice and also it has the debates that have shaped American history,” said Howard.

This document that has lasted for 200 years and still remains a crucial part of our society. “[The Constitution] has protected our inalienable rights as a people and continues to do so,” Errichiello said. “I have a voice; I have the ability to express myself due to that document. As a citizen, it’s my duty to uphold it to the best of my ability.”

A new wave of team members will come next year, receiving the support of this year’s class and the classes that came before them, adding another year to the legacy that

Page 20

May 2015

CAPTURING THE CLASS OF

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Sarah Colby news editor

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hat does it mean to be the class of 2015?

As it reaches to be the final month of the class of 2015’s senior year, the dread of what we’re going to do with the rest of our lives sets in. Senior year was a busy time with football games, powderpuff, dances, sports teams, exams and prom, all leading up to the final event—graduation.

“The people I’ve met over the years [have been the most memorable about high school],” senior Jacob Young said. “Some of the most random people have had such a positive impact on me, and I’m who I am because of it.”

For many people, sports have had a profound impact on their time at Northwest.

“My most memorable moments of high school have been from cross country,” se-

nior Molly Morgan said. “It’s one big family.

Everyone gets really close, and it’s a good time.”

From athletes to drama nerds, preps to hipsters, Northwest has it all.

“I would describe our class as diverse,” Morgan said.

Young agrees.

“I would describe us as diverse in all aspects,” Young said.

As the generation who has grown up with technology at our finger tips, there is a pressure for high achievement.

“Mr. Parrish read this book that says we are supposed to be the next great generation,” Morgan said. “We will just have to see.”

No matter if we live up to the expectations to be the next great generation, Young believes we will show the world something more.

“We’ll show the world that if you put your heart and soul into it, there’s no way you can truly fail,” Young said.

Photos contributed by students and staff