The Talon newspaper, Nation Ford High

Volume 16 Issue 1 October 2022

THE TALON

Nation Ford High School •

1400 A.O. Jones Blvd.

•Enriching Students •Parking pass fees •Gender equality in sports •Cosmetic surgery

News 4-5

•ADHD medication shortage •Tittle IX at NFHS •New film club in Fort Mill •BeReal •Book bans

Center 6-7

•Siblings in sports •Athlete spotlights •New interim Athletic Director

Features 10-11

•Kennedy Childress at flight school •Technical crew •'Avatar' review •'Midnights' review '•It Ends With Us' review

Enertainment 12 •Coming soon ...

•Crossword puzzle •Halloween quiz •Horoscope

After receiving a notification on Oct. 24, Mark Caslaru ('26), and seniors Pranav Murugesan, Matthew Braddick, Grace Saini, Prisha Patel , Milli Shah, and Isa Rivas pose and take BeReal together to share with their friends.

Photos by Carly Jacobson

Behind the filters

New social media app promotes transparency

by Olivia Bennett You feel your phone buzz in your pocket and check your notifications. You see the words “Time to BeReal!”. You yell, “BeReal” to your friends, gather them together, and ask a stranger to take your photo.

This phenomenon is taking the world by storm.

The new French social media platform is climbing the app store charts as the leading social media for teenagers around the world.

With 10 million daily active users, the app has become worth $600 million. CEO of BeReal Alexis Barreyat says that he created the app as a response to the current social media landscape being “unideal and unbelievable”.

BeReal alarms users once a day to share a fast, unfiltered,

unedited, perfectly imperfect photo of whatever they may be doing.

Using the front and rear cameras at the same time, the app gives users a two-minute time frame to snap the image.

The app prioritizes unforced and candid photos of yourself and whatever may be going on around you.

Many prefer BeReal over other types of social media because it is carefree.

“I think it’s good for people to see the unfiltered version of others and not only post the positive or fun things you’re doing but the boring things too,” Caroline Easler (’26) said.

An April 14, 2022 article “How Using Social Media Affects Teenagers” from the Child Mind Institute states that other social media plat-

50 years of Title IX, girls continue fight for equity

by Rachel Studer It’s been 50 years since Title IX, the groundbreaking legislation that prohibits gender discrimination. The law was enacted to ensure all federally-funded educational institutions offer equal opportunities to all students. Since 1972, strides have been made to create equality for women's sports, yet there are still disparities between teams.

Essentially, all student organizations in public schools should receive equal funding and opportunity, including the athletic teams at Nation

Ford High School.

“When a school accepts money from outside sources such as booster groups, corporate sponsors or even private contributions from alumni, the overall amount of money raised and the source of the funds is not relevant…” according to Title IX guidelines explained by the National Federation of State High School Associations. “If this occurs, the school has the legal duty to correct the possible disparity between the boys and girls athletic programs.”

In short, even if teams

have their own fundraisers, the money is to be equally dispersed among men's and women's teams, or the athletic department must find funds to create equity.

Each Fort Mill school is allocated $264,800 to fund coaches’ salaries and team transportation, $22,000 for equipment, and $5,000 for cheerleading.

The $100 athletic fee each athlete pays also supplements coaches’ salaries and team transportation, according to FMSD Assistant Superintendent of Operations Joe Romenick.

Turn to page 4

Open Forum

Book bans result in controversy nationwide

Opinion 2-3

Sports 8-9

2007 as an

Fort Mill, SC 29715

What's Inside

•SCarowinds •Superstitions •Haunted Fort Mill •Last minute costumes •Guess the teacher

Founded in

forms have had negative effects on teens by exposing them to unrealistic views of other people’s lives.

“Looking on Instagram seeing these ‘perfect’ people lowers my self-esteem and sometimes makes me feel like I’m not good enough,” Arianna Davis (’23) said.

Unlike other social media platforms, you cannot follow people on BeReal, you can only be mutually friended.

You are unable to "like" other people’s posts, which reduces the anxiety some may feel, but there is also an option to capture a photo of yourself reacting to the image your friend has posted.

Users can also comment on their friends' photos for a limited time each day.

Turn to page 5

by Addison Gollnick After weeks of backlash from angry parents, and harassing comments in every inbox of every social media account he has, award-winning author Jonathan Evison finally has the opportunity to turn all of his social media accounts back to public, as the people forget about him and his story, and move on.

Thousands of school districts around the country have banned books for various reasons. Some see it as a way of protecting children from the subject matter in these books, and others see it as censorship.

During the 2021-2022 school year there have been one or more book bans in 138 school districts across the country, according to the Sept. 19, 2022 article from Pen America. These school districts represent over 4 million students. When a ban occurs, the book in question is located and stripped from every place possible within the school campus by school officials.

The easy answer to why people want to ban certain books is because they believe it’s inappropriate for the audience for which it’s been made available, but it’s not always that simple.

“I think that people think by banning books they’re protecting people from certain ideologies,” English Department Chair Rick Solt said. “The sad part is that a lot of politicians are getting involved, and so are parents and community members without reading the book and understanding what it is.”

Turn to page 5

2 • OP / ED

The Talon Staff Editors-In-Chief: Graphics Editors: Rian Donahue Carly Jacobson Sara Pipa

Crystia Basnight Sanaa Loyd

Section Editors:

John Frick

Justin Baxter Georgia Cox Isabelle Fetting Lilah Skovran Rachel Studer

Ad Manager: Adviser: Beth Swann

The Talon Policy The Talon provides students with an opportunity to research and write informative articles related to Nation Ford High School or topics students find interesting. The paper’s objective is to notify the school community of the news in a timely and informative manner and to entertain them through articles and columns.

The staff encourages letters to the editor.

Nation Ford High School students, staff members, and the public can express their opinions and reactions to the articles in The Talon.

Letters should be signed and should not exceed 150 words. Letters submitted may be published in the paper at the discretion of The Talon staff and will be edited for accuracy, length, and grammar, as well as offensive or inappropriate content.

The staff may permanently keep all unpublished letters for reference or guidance for future writing. All submissions should be submitted to Mrs. Swann, room D111, or via email to swanne@fortmillschools.org.

Please keep in mind that opinions voiced in the articles and personal columns are not those of the Nation Ford High School newspaper staff or Nation Ford High School’s administration, faculty, or staff; opinions are solely those of the author who submitted the article.

All-Southern from SIPA 2022 ALL STATE Rating from SCSPA 2022 803-835-0000 TheTalonNationFord@gmail.com

New FLEX app

Enriching Students frustrating, needs replacing

by Georgia Cox The school’s use of the new Enriching Students app to track student attendance during FLEX time, but this app offers more problems than it does solutions.

With Enriching Students, students are supposed to schedule where they’re going to for FLEX for the week. The goal of using this app is to make sure that nobody is skipping FLEX, and that everyone is present and accounted for, and in an emergency, administration knows where every student is. The plan seems great on paper, but how helpful really is it?

The students don’t like it. It’s extra work, it’s stressful, and there are flaws within the app that make it difficult to use.

One big problem with using this app is that students can’t always plan what they’re going to need help with a week in advance. For example, if someone is struggling with a new math topic, it can be

“The students don’t like it.

It’s extra work, it’s stressful, and there are flaws within the app that make it difficult to use.” hard to get help from a teacher when a student isn’t already signed up for math FLEX. Classes and study halls can fill up really fast, and other times glitches lock students out from signing up leaving some students with nowhere to go. In the past, students would be turned away from a FLEX session if the teachers room was full. Those students could still go to other teachers or study halls. Now however, a student can be punished for not signing up for FLEX, even if all of their teachers’ classes are full.

With anything new, there are going to be errors, but this app is frustrating to use. How are students supposed to sign up for FLEX if the app is prohibiting them from doing so?

Enriching Students has been helpful for knowing where students are during FLEX. However, a lot of students just don’t sign up for FLEX at all. How can the app account for everybody in the school if some people don’t put themselves into the system? The

goal here may be safety, but if there was an emergency, these students could end up left behind.

The app has also been helpful for students who need extra help because teachers invite students to their FLEX who need that.

However, the flaws in this system outweigh the positives. Using Enriching Students has done nothing but stress out students and overcomplicate what should be a simple system.

Instead of using Enriching Students, NFHS could adopt a different app that doesn’t have as many errors, or the school could also go back to the old method of FLEX and take student attendance.

Either way, Enriching Students is not the answer.

Fort Mill District must lower student parking fees

by Rian Donahue Driving. It’s a rite of passage, a vital component of the so-called ‘teenage experience.’ But it’s an experience that is becoming exceedingly expensive.

Many students experience the difficulties of saving for a vehicle, taking hours of driving lessons that cost up to $900, and paying their own insurance. These financial responsibilities are demanding when working a part-time job and incorporating a school workload. Once they’ve managed those burdens, students face a new expense: student parking.

The $50 fee for Fort Mill students is far too much for students who transport themselves to a place they are required to attend every day by federal law.

The district mandates students who drive themselves to school to take a driver’s education course, such as South Carolina’s Alive at 25, then pay a $50 fee for a parking pass. While $50 isn’t terribly expensive, it can be rather steep for high school students working part-time or for those who are not working. Fort Mill Schools' parking fees are the most expensive of any of the surrounding districts.

Fort Mill School District parking fees are the same for all three high schools, Assistant Principal Michael Abraham explained. “The average cost for surrounding districts is $30,” he said. “I would

THE TALON

be willing to present a price change. I don’t know if all of the schools have to agree to it–we try to stay aligned with each other.”

According to Fort Mill High School bookkeeper Denae Price, the parking fees were set by the school’s former principal, Dee Christopher. With Nation Ford’s opening in 2007 and Catawba Ridge's opening in 2019, the other schools likely followed suit.

Relative to your average high school student's in-

come, parking passes can be a lot of money to shell out of their own pockets each year.

Nation Ford Principal Chris Chandler stated that in addition to the maintenance of the parking lot much of the funds made from parking fees are used for miscellaneous purposes, such as event funding, teacher appreciation, and for other purposes that the school's federal funding won't cover. It’s one of the few accounts not tied to federal or state funding, and that money can only be used for instructional purposes.

Nation Ford sold around 600 parking passes this year-making upwards of $30,000.

With the high revenue the school makes off of the parking passes, and with what's rolling over year after year, the school makes more than enough to cover the cost of their miscellaneous expenses.

While riding the bus is free, this isn’t a practical option for many older students.

The implementation of the fees used for various general purposes puts the burden for funding only on those students who drive, and those students already alleviate transportation costs for the district.

A more equitable way to cover maintenance costs for the parking lot and still have miscellaneous funds to support our school community would be a schoolwide fee and allow drivers to pay only for the costs they incur. It’s time to lower cost of student parking.

October 2022

OP / ED • 3

Sports equity needs re-evaluation in Fort Mill Close enough, right?

women’s sports funds

‘important’ funds

by Lilah Skovran

Title IX encompasses both federal funds and fundraisers. Booster Club handles the fundraising portion, including some sports’ concessions and ticket fees.

At press time, the Nation Ford Booster Club, had not responded to The Talon’s inquiries for information or comment.

The issue of inequality also applies to facilities and equipment.

“It’s complicated,” according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. “Title IX requires equal treatment—in terms of things ranging from equipment and uniforms to coaching and travel opportunities—across all girls’ and boys’ teams, not necessarily spending.”

Coaches, too, are beginning to take notice of the discrepancy.

For example, the softball team has a less than functional practice facility, yet the baseball team’s new facility is already under construction. Women’s lacrosse battles for practice fields. Even locker rooms have become an issue for

female athletes.

That’s not to say that Nation Ford isn’t making steady progress. There are processes in place to create equal opportunity.

Take for example, the opportunity to participate, resulting in a female wrestler or a male cheerleader. Both the school and the district take into account funding, facilities and transportation needs.

Though the efforts are heading in the right direction, Fort MIll still has work to do to fulfill Title IX requirements and the promise it represents.

The problem may be awareness, yet it’s been inequitable for years. Due to the state of locker rooms (or the lack of locker rooms), female athletes started a game with the goal of changing in every bathroom in the school before the end of their seasons, collecting school bathrooms like trophies.

Physical change won’t happen overnight, but attitudes can.

An intentional re-evaluation of policy regarding Fort Mill District sports

E d i t o r ’s Co r n e r

Plastic surgery epidemic

Ideal body image not worth complications

by Sara Pipa Going to the gym for hours on end. No break days. Skipping meals. Constant comparing.

These side effects of the digital age reflect the current standard of beauty.

Yet, the concept of beauty is in a constant state of change, and the turmoil that round-the-clock adjustment generates is progressively becoming more physically and mentally harmful, especially for teenage girls.

The ideal body image that people try to attain can take a lot of hard work and time, but some people are straining their bodies to look a certain way within a matter of just weeks.

The increase in popularity of apps such as Tik Tok is an immediate source of the issue. Trends and filters such as the familiar “inverted filter”, leads to insecurities about what people look like from other’s perspectives.

One month the hourglass figure tends, the next, fit and toned.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reported that

October 2022

nearly a quarter million more cosmetic surgeries were performed in 2018 than 2017, and the numbers have been rising.

Heathline.com says there are six main reasons why cosmetic surgery is on the up-swing.

For example, more screen time.

With the increase of screen time, the public has the ability to see

“The public often disregards the very serious threats these surgeries can pose.” themselves changing over the years through social media by seeing old posts from long ago– putting us under constant criticism of our own appearances.

Another reason is the increased acceptance of plastic surgery. People are no longer ashamed of plastic surgery–and if anything, people are proud to share their personal experience with their procedures on social media.

Take TikTok star Nessa Barrett and dancer/influencer Mackenzie Ziegler: both proudly admit to having work done and claim that their surgery brings them more self-esteem.

Another reason for the popularity of plastic surgery is affordability. Plastic surgery is no longer strictly available to those who have enough money to throw it away, despite the risks which can sometimes be fatal.

The public often disregards the very serious threats these surgeries can pose.

For instance, comedian and actress Joan Rivers died during a very common surgery for face lifts, breast augmentations, brow lifts, and more.

And finally, more technological advances, more social media coverage, and more self-confidence all play a role in this growing epidemic of elective plastic surgery.

While plastic surgery is establishing itself as a part of our society’s future, it’s best to remember that true beauty lies within.

by Sara Pipa

Staff Editorial “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” –The United States Department of Justice.

Title IX, a law that prohibits gender descrimination in public school organizations, including sports, took effect 50 years ago in 1972. Title IX is supposed to ensure all institutions who receive federal funding disperse money and assign all facilities and play times without discrimination. Title IX was meant to create an equal opportunity for men and women in sports, but that ideal has yet to materialize.

Despite the law, many women’s sports teams in the U.S. have to deal with unfair bias and opportunity. This situation needs to change–and it needs to start with us.

While the Title IX problems at Nation Ford may not be intentional, the oversight and bias do exist. When it comes to funding, equipment, and facilities, women’s and less popular sports still tend to get brushed aside.

In terms of facilities and money, the focus tends to stay on the sports that bring in revenue: football, men’s basketball and baseball.

By law, the Athletic Department is required to equally fund both men and womens sports. This applies to both federal funds, as well as to fundraisers and donations.

Not all sports have the same needs.

For example, football jerseys are much more expensive than say volleyball’s.

That doesn’t go to say that teams shouldn’t get equal opportunity and quality, even if to achieve that, one requires more money.

would help create positive change; analysis of funding, fields, locker space, and equipment while removing gender from the equation, so that a team is simply a team, is a good start.

A status report on policy and Title IX compliance may even require a third party to further remove bias.

Transparency about the lack of equity is important, because obscuring the differences between teams creates a feeling of injustice and resentment.

Acknowledgement might not fix the problem, but it would validate and give hope to female athletes–who then deserve action.

Funding in general is a prevalent issue, as is the lack of transparency around it, but it doesn’t have to then create imbalance between athletic teams.

If Title IX was intended to create equal opportunity and remove bias, then that principle remains unrealized even after five decades of law, not only failing the programs, but most importantly, the athletes themselves. -RS

WOMEN'S BEAUTY STANDARDS

TTHROUGHOUT THE YEARS

1950'S

"The Hourglass"

During this time, a busty and voluptuous hourglass look was favored by most.

Hip and booty padding was even sold to "even out" women's figures.

"The Twig"

1 9 6 0 ' S

During this era, narrow hips, delicate features, thin limbs, small bust, and a doll face were desired by most.

There was a record amount of amphetamines sold for weight loss.

1 9 7 0 ' S "The Disco Diva"

Now, women wanted "natural" looking beauty, characterized by having small curves, a flat stomach, slim hips, and long lean legs.

"The Supermodel" 1 9 8 0 ' S Here, women wanted to be tall with some muscle tone, especially in their legs.

Ella Macpherson was known to have "THE 80's body."

1 9 9 0 ' S

"The Waif"

This body type consisted of a thin and more androgynous look including a small waist.

It was also referred to as the "heroine chic" look.

Source: .sutori.com

THE TALON

4• NEWS

Nation Ford Senior founds Fort Mill Film Club Members enjoy movies, discussions, writing reviews, crafting short films

by Harlen Rembert Wonder where seniors are hanging out on weekends? You can find many of them at the RedStone Theater viewing movies as part of the Fort Mill Film Appreciation Club. An organization completely independent of school, the club was conceived and founded by Brady Kuebler (’23) as a way to spread his fondness of cinema with the community.

The club’s Sunday outings have amassed a sizable number of people, primarily Kuebler’s fellow Nation Ford seniors.

Club activities range from attending screenings and discussing films to writing reviews and crafting original short films.

“Our goal is to bring appreciation of film into the town of Fort Mill as well as teach our members about the film industry and aspects of film production,” Kuebler says.

The club was launched by Kuebler in August, with the club’s first viewing being the film Barbarian, directed by Zach Cregger, starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgard, and Justin Long.

The club’s most recent viewing was Don’t Worry Darling, directed by Olivia Wilde, starring Harry Styles and Florence Pugh.

“I really enjoy coming to these screenings and getting to hear other people’s feedback,” Maya Vazquez (’23) said. “It allows me to view the films from different perspectives and appreciate things I might not have before.”

The club’s popularity has steadily climbed, with the most recent viewing amassing as many as 20 audience members.

“We are off to an amazing start,” Kuebler said.

“I’m a pretty opinionated person, and I am that person who talks through movies,” Danielle Marak (’23) said. “Being able to watch movies with my friends and then dissect it afterwards is super fun and interesting.”

The club has now launched its first short film contest, horror-oriented in conjunction with the Halloween season. Detailed on the club’s Instagram page, groups of at least 3 club members can work together to produce a 3-10 minute long horror film, which will be judged at a screening on Saturday, Oct. 29.

Whether you want to raise your Halloween spirit by partaking in some filmmaking or are simply looking to find folks to watch movies with, consider joining up with the Fort Mill Film Appreciation Club.

THE TALON

The Falcons’ “home team” locker room at the stadium is used by mens’ teams and offers individual cubbies and space to store their gear for the season. Currently, the football team is using the locker room.

Photo by Rachel Studer

The softball team keeps gear in duffle bags during the day due to space limitations. The lockers aren’t big enough to store gear, so bags pile up on the sides of the locker room.

Photo by Rachel Studer

50th anniversary of Title IX highlights lingering inequity Fort Mill Schools is making gains, but like schools across the U.S., inequities still exist between women’s and men’s teams continued from page one Booster club controls aspects of funding for the teams such as fundraising and donations, but at press time, they had not responded to The Talon’s request for information or comment.

Principal Chris Chandler says Nation Ford is taking steps to create equality between male and female sports. There are differences between these teams that create a complicated situation: uniforms, fundraisers, and timing for practices. He acknowledges the discrepancies, but equity is the prime goal. Not all teams require the same equipment, facilities, and funding.

“We evaluate all facilities, needs, and renovations as part of our longterm facilities plan, which is reviewed annually with individual school administrations,” Romenick said.

Though there is constant evaluation, oftentimes processes are never perfect.

Sometimes facilities and locker rooms are not equally and timely distributed among male and female sports.

A prime example: the softball team.

Last year, the softball team was told by the athletic program that there was a possibility of an indoor facility.

They understood construction couldn’t happen at the moment, but the concrete for the base was poured in

The girls team lost functionality of their facility for a promise of a potential indoor cage. preparation for the upcoming hitting facility; in this process, the aging batting cage was torn up to create space for the anticipated renovated building. The girls team lost functionality of their facility for a promise of a potential indoor cage.

“We were told [the renovation] would be this summer,” Craig Brown, Head Softball Coach said. “The summer rolls around and the building isn't done. Other buildings were being done instead of ours… Come to find out that

other schools were getting [funding] for other buildings that didn’t involve girls.”

Not only were boys’ building projects put ahead of girls’ facilities, but the baseball team, which already had a functioning facility, has a new indoor facility currently under construction.

Softball’s current cage is held together by zip ties that frequently need adjustment.

“It’s tough to look your female athletes in the eye and tell them, ‘You’re being put off again’” - Coach Craig Brown

No construction for the girls’ facility will begin until the boys’ renovation is complete, and the estimated date of completion for the softball facility keeps getting pushed back.

“The girls need a place to practice in inclement weather…where they don’t have to necessarily share or wait until baseball is done, or to be on the schedule for a gym,” Brown said. “They should have something they can be proud of, and say ‘that’s ours, that’s our place to use’.”

Romenick explains that there are outside forces that affect the completion of both buildings, and that baseball was prioritized only because the project had already been started.

Not only did Brown give up his office near the field, but his office in the school is constantly piled with female athlete’s bags, because they have no locker room. This includes both volleyball and softball.

“It's tough to look your female athletes in the eye and tell them, ‘You’re being put off again’,” Brown said.

Softball players aren’t the only girls sports who don’t have a locker room: the tennis teams, the girls soccer teams, and girls lacrosse all lack them.

“It’s definitely no coincidence why sports like football, baseball, and mens basketball have the best facilities, clothing, and most attention,” girls

tennis coach Lindsay Morrison said.

Nation Ford’s Interim Athletic Director David Johnson takes Title IX very seriously.

“Title 9 is a big issue in terms of equality and equal representation and facilities for men and women,” Johnson said. “We’re in the process right now where they’re building the baseball facility, and when they’re done with that, they’re going to build the softball facility to make that equitable.”

The school district, not individual athletic directors, handles most of the facilities in terms of locker room locations. It's important to the athletic program to keep the balance when it comes to funding male and female sports programs, he says.

“Locker rooms and other outbuildings are determined at the time the school is being planned with the Architects and Engineers,” Romenick said.

“All programs should have access to adequate space to prepare for practice and games.”

-Joe Romenick, Asst. Superintendent of Operations “All programs should have access to adequate space to prepare for practice and games. Sometimes locations may not be considered ideal by some, but things like funding, space limitations and other variables come into play when additional requests are made.”

Despite the disparities between men and womens sports teams, the district and school administration is taking the steps to create equity in our school.

“I can tell you personally that the District always wants to be fair as well,” Romenick said. “If an issue is communicated to us, we always do whatever we can and whatever is best for children to take care of it, no matter what the concern is. We obviously can’t do everything all at once because of funding, but there are always long term plans in mind.”

October 2022

NEWS• 5

School districts nationwide ban books continued from page one “If you don’t want to read a book then don’t check it out. If you don’t want your child to read it then you can also tell your child not to read it, but to start banning books is a slippery slope. You start banning books, but where do you stop?”

Fort Mill School District has a committee of administrators and parents in place for when books become challenged. They [the committee] chose to recommend a book ban, but ultimately, the district office has the power to make the decision.

This came about after the discovery of the book “Gender Queer: A Memoir” was found in a Fort Mill school’s library, and effectivley pulled from every shlef in the district after being deemed pornographic.

It’s typically parents that are finding these books they deem inappropriate for their own children, but by taking it away from one child, you’re effectively taking it away from all of the children that want to read it in the school or district. But these same book banning parents don’t bat an eye on the internet.

“Sometimes they [parents] underestimate what students have access to… I think it’s a little naive to think that students won’t see these things online,” he said.

The uprising in banned and restricted books not only affects the school districts they’re being banned from, but the authors of the books themselves.

“The first few weeks for me were very sketchy,” says Jonathan Evison, the author of “Lawn Boy,” the second-most banned book in the nation. “I got a lot of sick, perverted, pedophilic notes from people–accusing me of being a pedophile and saying really graphic things about my daughters, which was creepy. I had to shut down my social networks for a couple of weeks.”

Lawn boy is a semi-autobiographical book focusing on Mike Munoz, a young Mexican-American man who desires to live the American dream, but

Despite district bans and removal of books from the library, students are able to acess banned books on personal devices at school.

Photo by Carly Jacobson ends up mowing lawns for a living in the prime of his life.

The book covers social distinctions, LGBTQ topics, self-discovery, and overcoming cultural discrimination. The book was intended for Evison’s typical adult-audience, but because of “Lawn Boy’s” coming-of-age aspects, it attracted teenagers.

“The language in the book wasn’t what bothers people about my book. What bothers people is that Mike is a young person of color that lives on the a** end of capitalism, who is non-binary and has some very strong opinions about the American dream,” Evison said. “When he’s in the library, he’s asking ‘Where are the books about me?’ And that’s what these book banners are going to have a whole other generation of people asking.” “‘Lawn Boy’ was ranked the second most banned book in the nation, not yet beating out the book “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe. Both

of these books rose to the top of best-seller lists after being banned from schools across the country.

“Some people want to keep marginalized people– LGBTQ people, people of color–on the margin,’’ he says.

That’s where [book banners] feel the marginalized belong, he added “Because their idea of life and liberty in America is very much about white, Christian cis-gendered people,” Evison said. “It’s no coincidence that the overwhelming majority of books that are being banned and challenged have LGBTQ characters or people of color as characters.”

Censorship is one of the largest issues young people face when schools decide to ban a book. The First Amendment stands to protect the freedom of speech, which further extends to books, but it’s not always clear what is exactly protected by the first amendment.

Youth Free Expression Program Coordinator at the National Coalition Against Censorship Gianmarco Antosca has some concerns and advice about what he sees today.

“We do believe that schools and their communities have the right to decide which books should be included in school libraries. Generally speaking, we believe that parents should be allowed to decide what is or is not appropriate for their child, but that right does not extend to other children.”

“There will always be debate about what is and isn’t appropriate, especially when it comes to young people,” the group says. “There will always be challenges, and yes, likely there will be bannings. The best we can do is encourage more freedom, more conversations, and more open-mindedness.”

For the past 20 years, the rise in book bans has become unpredictable. While some people think that this is a good thing, meant for the protection of our youth, others think it’s -un-American, narrowing the young people’s view of the world.

ADHD medication shortage panicks American patients

by John Frick

Millions of Americans who rely on a daily dose of amphetamine for treatment may be panicking when trying to fill needed prescriptions due to a shortage, which was confirmed by the Food and Drug Administration on Oct. 12.

Supply chain issues that could last for months have been reported by Teva Pharmaceuticals, a major producer for Adderall, and they say they addressed any labor shortages at the company.

The current shortage of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder medication is almost certainly tied to the overprescription of brands like Adderall, Concerta, Dexedrine, and Ritalin.

Companies have come under fire lately for overprescribing practices after former employees reported feeling pressure from higher ups to dole out the medication without adequate time to make a diagnosis.

According to Forbes the vice-president of Cerebral was fired for speaking out about his claims that the company is guilty of unlawful and unethical practices such as overprescribing ADHD medications, but a lawsuit against Cerebral has not yet been decided.

According to The National Community Pharmacists Association, at least 6 in 10 small pharmacies reported difficulty obtaining Adderall in an August survey of about 8,000 pharmacies.

Symphony Health reported pre-

October 2022

Prescriptions for ADHD rose by 25.5 million in the past 13 years.

13% of Boys 3-17 are diagnosed with ADHD.

Source: CDC.gov

6% of Girls 3-17 are diagnosed with ADHD.

60% of pharmacies reported difficulty getting Adderall.

By John Frick

scriptions rose from 15.5 million in 2009 to 41 million in 2021. Yet population growth has flattened, according to the Census Bureau.

“The number of students with ADHD at school has increased. Rising numbers may be due to doctors having a better understanding of ADHD,” school psychologist Margaret Boone says.

Regardless of the cause, the fact is that the drugs are in high demand: 13% of boys ages 3 through 17 are diagnosed with ADHD while only 6% of girls ages 3 through 17 are diagnosed, according to the Center for Disease Control. While they are young, boys may simply show characteristics of someone with ADHD, but some of the behaviors associated with ADHD are normal for children, such as not sitting still, as well as excessive talking. These circumstances can lead to false diagno-

sis and unnecessary prescription of a Schedule 2 stimulant to a young child.

Apart from Adderall and stimulants being heavily prescribed by doctors; the FDA and DEA have reported websites that illegally sell amphetamines marketed as Adderall.

With Adderall shortages, this could cause the already existing black market to explode and cause people to buy fake medications that can be contaminated and unsafe causing harm.

This can take a physical toll on the body beyond the normal amount for a stimulant. Additionally, common ADHD symptoms are easily mimicked, leading to purposeful misdiagnosis and illicit drug use or drug sales, according to New York Times investigative journalist Alan Schwarz.

Schwartz wrote a book on the topic after the Times ran a series of articles he wrote uncovering numerous problems with ADHD drugs and diagnosis. The FDA says amphetamines have a high risk for abuse if taken without help of a healthcare professional. The side effects can be tough for those who are taking the prescription, even under doctors’ orders.

“I am diagnosed with ADD and have tried Adderall as well as Ritalin,” one Nation Ford student admits.

“These stimulants left me stressed, quiet, and numb for the duration. Adderall nor Ritalin turned out to be the correct medicine for me. In fact, now I don’t take any stimulant because of the negative side effects.”

BeReal app encourages authenticity Continued from Page One

“I like the fact that you don’t have to worry or care about how many likes or followers you have because the point of BeReal is to be in the moment and careless,” Alex Bentley (‘25) said.

BeReal works by notifying all users of the app once daily, every day at a different time but the same notification for each user.

The notification reads, “Time to BeReal”.

If you miss the two minute window you have to snap the image, you have the option to post a “late BeReal, ‘’ and you will not be able to see your friends posts until you post your own.

There are no options to edit or filter the photo in any way. The image can only be seen until the next notification goes off.

“BeReal is a better form of social media because you cannot edit the photos, which makes it real. It also teaches people to not be as insecure and care what other people think as much,” Harrison Collette (‘25) said.

Over time your BeReal’s from each day are saved to your “memories,” which will then leave you with a collection of personal, candid memories that last a lifetime.

“I like that BeReal saves my memories so I can look back and remember all of the fun times with my friends,” Charlotte Overman (‘25) said.

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6 • Center

Special behind the scenes look at SCarowinds festivities

by Marissa Ball

Returning this fall is the horrifying domain of fear where your darkest nightmares come true–SCarowinds: part amusement park, part scary experience for a one-time, carefree night that thrills Halloween fun.

However, due to an incident that occured on Sept. 18, attendees experienced a true horror on the opening weekend when the Halloween scary fun turned into really scary due to a mass panic with fake gun shots.

On the second opening night, the park was closed early. Fortunately, nobody was seriously hurt.

However, new rules have been implemented for all minors during their time at the park: “All general park guests who are age 17-yearsold or younger must be accompanied by a chaperone who is at least 21-years-old to be admitted to the park during SCarowinds event hours,” according to the park’s official website.

The scary event and new rules have led Carowinds to suffer a loss of employees and income.

Students at Nation Ford who

were present at the event said it had Behind the scenes But what really happens behind a profound effect on them, their exthe scenes? What do those people perience, and their decision to go to do to make our experience there the the park in the future. best?

The new rules and regulations “I loved working at SCarowhave changed the atmosphere of inds,” employee Tia Brown says. “It SCarowinds for everyone. was my most favorite job. During Some people say they have been the year it was fun to constantly on edge be creative. Once it during their time at “Being a lover of all was time to actually the park due to recent events, and some things horror and gore, run the event, it was have even stopped I loved being able to use stressful and excitshe said. Brown going. my artistic abilities to ing,” works in graphic deSCarowinds still create costumes that sign and runs the Sign has much to offer, deShop at Carowinds. looked real.” spite a few inconveWorking at SCaniences.

-Monica Jolly, rowinds can be fun Employees and former costume maker for employees as well. parents hope these Artistic abilities play a large role and new rules will make the park run creativity is vital. smoothly and will enforce more “Being a lover of all things horsafety–especially among minors. ror and gore, I loved being able to The park still hopes to offer famuse my artistic abilities to create ilies a good time, a chance to hang costumes that looked real,” former out with friends, and enjoy many SCarowinds costume maker Monica more entertaining activities.

Jolly said. Some visitors may have a Behind the scenes, employees favorite part of the park for any spework hard to entertain people and cific reason. Believe it or not, the emresidents at SCarowinds. ployees do, too. Workers love certain With the new areas coming out parts of their jobs, even creepy parts. and some exciting shows releasing, it “I really liked making the coswill surely still be a fun and thrilling tumes for the vampires in the Blood way to spend their free-time during Yard,” Jolly said. “The theme was the spooky season.

post-apocalyptic, so I got to use a lot of leather and gold and silver hardware. I love to be able to take household objects and use them in my designs.”

Designing, art, and creativity are all very important factors when it comes to behind the scenes work at SCarowinds, whether it be costume making, designing the mazes, face painting, or even being one of the scare actors.

Halloween is actually an artistic holiday to celebrate, which is why during preparation, employees tend to include art-based concepts in their work.

“During SCarowinds, we get new face paint menus that are different from our normal menus, having things like skeletons, cats, witches, swamp monsters, werewolves, and other Halloween type designs,” SCarowinds face-painter and NFHS student Mackenzie Greer (‘24) said. “Working there as an artist has had an effect on my art. I love my job and the environment it is in.”All the hard work from each employee adds up to make it an exciting experience for everyone.

SCarowinds attractions for guests to visit and enjoy will be open this 2022 Halloween season on select nights up until Oct 30, 2022.

Origins behind superstitions

by Aaron Genest Black cats. Ladders. Spilt salt. Superstitions seem to be everywhere this time of year, even in Fort Mill among students and their families.

“My grandma’s always said that whistling in the house is bad luck,” said Dvir Dvoretz (‘26).

That superstition, which comes from Estonia and Latvia, is said to cause the house to burst into flames.

Superstitions range wide and strange because they came into being from trying to find a reason for the unknown–such as bad luck and irrational fears. Some irrational fears are a little more unusual to explain than someone’s bad luck.

“My Grandpar-

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ents say, ‘Don’t clip your nails at night or it will cause bad luck,’” Shihab Sarar (’25) said, who is originally from Bangladesh.

If you hit your left foot, some believe your presence is not wanted or you are in danger.

More recognizable superstitions, like breaking a mirror, originated from Rome and later traveled across Europe, but today most people have forgotten the origin behind scary traditional folklore.

Check out the history behind some of your own superstitions–and don’t walk under a ladder. Bad luck lurks everywhere.

October 2022

Center• 7

Tales of the supernatural haunt Fort Mill

by Rachel Studer Whisper in the dark with your friends. Huddle around a crackling campfire. Jump at every crunch or snap in the woods.

It’s October, and late-night ghost stories make their annual visit. Ghost stories are notorious for being about something mysterious, mythical or nonexistent. But what happens when the story is about something plausible–and right around the corner?

Fort Mill is filled with ghosts and some even lurk around Nation Ford.

Ghost in NFHS cafeteria

These spooky occurrences began happening in the Nation Ford cafeteria when the school opened back in 2007-2008.

While most of the cafeteria staff come and go, Judy McManus has been there to experience it all.

“I was standing right there at the table [in the kitchen],” McManus said. “and I could’ve sworn I heard someone say ‘morning ladies,’ but I turned around, and there

was nobody there.”

McManus isn’t the only one to have heard the whispers of a paranormal being–many other workers in the kitchen have, too. They all describe the experience similarly: the voice of a woman.

A couple of years ago, as they were preparing for third lunch, the glass on the serving stations completely shattered.

“Nobody was around. Nothing happened–it just shattered,” McManus said. “We don’t know why.”

“I could’ve sworn I heard someone say ‘morning ladies,’ but I turned around and there was no body there” Rosetta, a custodian who worked at Nation Ford a couple years ago, experienced an entirely different entity.

“One day Rosetta was sitting in the janitor’s room, and she said she saw that man walk down the hall, and he came into her room– she said he had a book and was dressed like a soldier,” McManus said. “I’ve never seen that, though.”

Though the length of the lunch lines might be scarier than these ghosts, keep an eye out for any spooky phenomena–you never know what you might find.

History museum tales

Along with our friendly ghosts at Nation Ford, you can find additional haunted places in Fort Mill.

Darlene Kerr, tour guide of the Fort Mill History Museum’s Lanterns and Legends ghost tour, has a plethora of stories to share.

One organization in particular owns haunted houses around Fort Mill: Springs Farm.

One such spooky abode is located right down the road from the school.

The Springfield house was completed in 1806, and cur-

October 2022

rent employees have all had common experiences with “ghosts”: footsteps in the empty upstairs, unknown visitors entering and leaving the basement, and a lady in Victorian era clothing standing in an empty hallway.

As guests arrive at the Springfield house, it’s not uncommon to see people in the window and then enter to find an empty house.

Another Springs Farm house rumored to be haunted is the White Homestead house.

Grace, the ghost of the granddaughter of the man who lived there, died along with several of her young children.

“The archivist who works there had a paranormalist come in and was told that she could see the spirits around her,” Kerr said.

Another came in, and described Grace to a T–a girl standing on the stairs in a white dress with a pink sash.

Grace died very young, as did her children, and their spirits are said to have never left the house.

The ghosts have been described by the paranormalists as happy, and that they love Anne, the archivist.

Visitors on tours describe sightings of the ghosts, and they seem eager and excited to hear the stories Anne tells.

Most towns have ghost stories about bridges, and Fort Mill’s happens to be as you leave town on the way towards Pineville–it’s known as Cry Baby Bridge.

“Generally, the story goes that a woman was driving across, loses control of her car, the car goes off the bridge, she and her baby die,” Kerr explains. “Whoever goes across the bridge can hear the baby crying at night.”

The History Museum has access to numerous creepy tales and ghost stories.

“I’m not a big ghost believer, but after working here for so long, it’s hard not to,” Kerr said.

Now you’re ready for Halloween night, and you can share with your friends these true ghost tales–or better yet, go on a spooky ghost tour and experience the thrills and chills for yourself.

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8 • FEATURES

Soaring to new heights

Senior Kennedy Childress earns pilot license at National Flight Academy

by Gabriella Supsura Driving a car is something that comes almost naturally to everyone, with a little studying and practicing you can be driving in no time. Flying planes however, takes a lot more studying and skill.

Kennedy Childress (‘23) has already taken flight, not as a passenger, but as a pilot. Ever since she was a little girl, she found flying fascinating and interesting, and she always enjoyed flying in commercial planes. Her interest in flying planes never went away, but she never looked into any opportunities to fly until high school.

She heard about a scholarship for flight training, and after some discussions, her parents encouraged her to pursue the scholarship from the USMC JROTC for the National Flight Academy. Multiple colleges and universities across the nation host NFA training, and Kennedy received a scholarshop to attend an eight-week course at Delaware State University in Delaware, where Marines, Air Force and the Navy all send cadets.

She was selected as a candidate to receive a “discovery flight” with an instructor.

“It was an amazing experience and started my love for flying,” she said.

Even with her passion for flying, her hardest challenge was dealing with self doubt and feeling behind everyone else in the course.

“The course is so accelerated at first, I felt like I was drowning in information,” Childress said. At times she felt like everyone was so much more ad-

vanced, and that she didn’t deserve to be selected.

Over time, training and the information about flying started to click as seh caught up with her peers’ skill level and studied as a team rather than struggling alone.

Another hardship she faced in her flying career so far is being a female, she said.

After working extremely hard, she passed a stage three check that many of her peers had failed. “I had the best flight of my life that day,” Childress said.

Childress was so excited and thrilled, she told her friends and peers at lunch, but she wasn’t the only one taking her stage three check that day–her male peer failed. When he asked her if she passed, she proudly said, “Yes.” “His only response was that my check airmen only passed me because he thought that I was pretty,” she said.

Kennedy felt these few words degraded and diminished all of the time, effort, and hard work she put into accomplishments she took pride in. But after talking with her mom and friends, she changed her way of thinking.

“That moment taught me that I have to stay confident in myself and my hard work abilities no matter what someone else thinks,” she said.

Kennedy’s goal is to play soccer in college and build flight hours so she can become a pilot for a small regional airline.

Her end goal is to work for a major airline such as United or American Airlines.

At Deleware State University after earning a scholarship to attend the National Flight Academy, Kennedy Childress (‘23) finishes her flight checkride with N186DS on Aug. 2, 2022.

Running the show: Behind the scenes tech crew makes magic happen

by Trinity Gordon Lights, camera, action! The curtain is wide open while the stage is full of sound. The lights shine on the students on stage, but there is no audience. The smell of fresh paint in the air and the rhythmic steps of those working fill the air. Screwdrivers whirl and the hammers drum nails into wood. And once the work is done, the stage empties and lights go out befor yet another day of hard work.

These students are a part of the Tech Crew. Tech Crew is a group of students coming together to help in the fall and spring theater productions.

“Tech crew provides everything behind the scenes from props to costumes,” Melinda Marsh, Sponsor of Tech Crew said. “We don’t typically take a break, we finish a show and work on the next. It’s a lot of work.”

Marsh has been at Nation Ford since it opened in 2007. She mainly teaches business classes during the school hours. She also is known for doing Big Bird each year. She has been with Tech Crew for over six years.

Tech Crew is split into many different crews. Each crew does a different job to get the production done.

Costume crew is responsible for making the costumes that the actors will wear. Props are built by construction crews and painted by painting crews.

Running crew is the group that requires the most time, effort and dedication. Running crew is also something Will Andrews (‘24) wants to be a part of in the future. “[Running crew] do things behind the scenes like lighting, sound and quick changes,” Andrews says.

“Props and all that stuff.

“You are going to have to be way more dedicated, because you can not choose what days you can not do [if you are in running crew]. You have to do certain days. And if you miss one day you’re out [of the running crew]. It’s way more dedicated.”

Running crew is on the stage with the actors and actresses while a production is happening, and even on the catwalks.

Those who join Tech Crew come from all sorts of backgrounds and have various reasons for joining.

“First reason I joined Tech crew is because I did not make it in the fall play last year as an actor,” Construction member Melody Allen (‘25) said. “And I was like ‘Hey maybe there is still a way that I can get involved’ so I decided to join tech crew and try it out” Other students join because they want to master their craft or learn something new.

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At the first intermission of the Nation Ford fall play,’Play On!’, English teacher Madeleine Neff, Ryan Marescalco (‘24), and Jaylah Martin (‘24) quickly aid Natalie Berns (‘25) during her 10-minute quick change in the theatre dressing room on Oct. 22.

Photo by Carly Jacobson “It’s very new to me, cause like I am not used to building and painting and all that kind of stuff,” Allen said. “I do feel like those are skills that I do need to know. And things I want to do when I get older. I really enjoy it.”

Allen strives to be there for the newer members of construction.

“I was scared as a freshman since I kinda was the only young person on the crew and I had no experience with building or screwing or painting,” Allen said. “Like nothing. No experience. I was kinda scared and nervous to be around the other people because they knew.

“It changed because now I have experience and now I can help the people around me and making sure they feel kinda safe. And not like nervous to reach out and be like ‘Hey I need help’. I feel it gave me experience to be like ‘I was there too’ and help them.”

While Allen did not make the fall production, The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon, last year, she did make the spring musical production Chicago. “ [For] last year in the musical we had, literally it was just staircases and platforms,” Andrews said.

“We had to make the stairs but the platforms were already made for us.”

For Tech Crew the amount of work may change depending on which type of production they are working on.

“Musicals probably have more [moving parts and props] since there is a lot more going on and there is a lot more characters involved,” Allen said. “Especially during the songs there is going to be certain things dedicated to that song instead of dedicated to the whole musical.”

Tech Crew also gets exposure to many different types of “behind the scenes” work.

“I really enjoy it. It’s really nice, it is a good environment,” Andrews said.“You will get experience in a variety of different things. It is a workload like you will have to be there for days and it will take away from homework but it is a good course.”

While some believe that Tech crew is for only those in theater, that is not the case.

“Anyone can be a part of it,” Allen says. “I feel like people categorize people into certain sections and stuff, but it’s not that you have to enjoy performing or anything like that. Because you can stay behind the scenes.

“I just want people to be like they can be opened up to any opportunity regarding their friend or anything, stuff like that.”

October 2022

REVIEWS • 9

‘It Ends With Us’ romanticizes trauma

by Isabelle Fetting

‘Avatar’ re-release: not just another sci-fi film

by Lilah Skovran Set on the futuristic world of Pandora, Avatar follows Jake Sully, a paraplegic former Marine, who becomes caught between two different lives: his life with the Na’vi and his life with the human race.

As his love for the alien planet grows, Jake must now protect Pandora and the Na’vi from the heinous military coming to destroy their home.

In 2009, Director James Cameron created a whole new world for viewers to immerse themselves in, unique to that of “just another sci-fi movie”. He has brought back his brilliant film to theaters for a re-release, to aid the sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, releasing in December.

In addition, Cameron also felt that he wanted to give viewers a chance to see it once again the way he intended: on the big-screen.

“We authored it for the big-screen experience,” Cameron said in an interview with The New York Times. “You let people smell the roses. You let people go on the ride. If you’re doing a flying shot or a shot underwater in a beautiful coral reef, you hold the shot a little bit longer. I want people to really get in there and feel like they’re there, on a journey with these characters.”

Avatar holds the top spot for the highest-grossing movie of all time at $2.9 billion, and for good reason too. The film is beloved all around the globe by many countries, and is considered by some to be the best movie of all time.

Every single aspect of Avatar–the characters, the

animals, and the planet of Pandora–was obviously taken into deep consideration. There were interesting creatures, beautiful plants, and even a new language for the inhabitants of the alien world. It is a really refreshing and unique view on film, and Cameron’s vision has completely impacted the world of movies today.

The CGI (computer-generated imagery) and technical effects of Avatar was considered the best it had ever been and ahead of its time in its release year. Its return to theaters proved this once again, and even showed that it can be held comparable to the CGI used in current 2022 movies.

Avatar isn’t just for entertainment, it also teaches a lesson about harming the environment. In the movie, the Na’vi tribe’s land continues to be harmed and infiltrated by the U.S. military, because of their search for a special mineral that is native to Pandora.

Viewers see that this affects the Na’vi to a very large extent, because the land that is getting destroyed has deep-rooted cultural values.

This reminds watchers to consider what they do to the environment, and to ensure that they are keeping it safe, rather than hurting it.

This movie is truly for anyone. It is filled with sci-fi and action sequences, while also having heartwarming moments that will leave you smiling at the screen. Cameron’s Avatar is masterly crafted, changing the world of film and animation. The motion picture continues to stay one of the best crown jewels of sci-fi today.

Swift’s Midnights: highly anticipated 10th album

by Georgia Cox Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album, ‘Midnights’, had a lot of expectations to live up to.

Her past two albums, ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore’, showed Swift’s ability to change genres, solidifying her place as more than just a country-pop artist, but an extremely talented singer-songwriter. Since those albums came out, Swift has also re-released two previous studio albums, ‘Fearless’ and ‘Red’, in order to take back her masters.

‘Midnights’ is a step back from that folk sound she’d been trying out in ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore,’ but the album is reminiscent of her old albums. The album has a distinctly pop sound, like much of her earlier music, and though it might not be what was expected, that doesn’t exactly make it bad. It just doesn’t live up to the fullest potential of her music, shown on her eighth and ninth album. She doesn’t completely stray from that kind of “indie” theme, with songs like ‘Snow in the Beach’, ‘You’re on Your Own, Kid’, and ‘Labyrinth’, but the rest of the album sounds much like her past pop songs.

Swift also released seven extra songs at 3 am on October 21st after the original thirteen were released earlier at midnight. These extra songs hold up better despite being the songs that “lead up” to the orig-

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inally-released songs in the first place. Some of the best songs on the album are from those additional seven songs, and they truly stand out. Without them, the album wouldn’t be as memorable.

‘Midnights’ utilizes dark, emotional lyrics and combines them with fun-sounding pop beats. While this has been done before, Swift has mastered it, making her music exciting while relatable.

Contemporary fiction author Colleen Hoover rose to the new novelist throne due in large to TikTok. Her novels sold 7.3 million copies in the past year. Her most popular book has been “It Ends With Us’’, which has continued to be on the New York Times Bestseller List for years after its release. Through TikTok, her fans even led her to write the recently released sequel, “It Starts With Us”. However, this series, and Hoover’s other works, have been making waves in the media for being potentially damaging to readers. This is not without its justifications.

The novel “It Ends With Us” is set in present time Boston, where Lily is starting a floral business. She runs into a (wealthy) neurosurgeon, Ryle, on a conveniently placed rooftop, and their love story commences. While you are watching these characters fall in love, you are also getting flashbacks from Lily’s first love, Atlas. Atlas is the perfectly tempered, always there to help, boy next door.

Eventually, you see the two of them grow apart, as she goes to school and he goes into the military. These flashbacks of Atlas are simultaneously used to set up the portrayal of Lily’s past with her abusive father to the reader. The details of the abuse between her father and her mother seem to bleed into Lily’s own love story with Ryle. However, in Lily’s own love story, these details often feel romanticized and easily overlooked.

The continuance of her traumatic love story after she is repeatedly warned by other characters that she should not be with Ryle feels unnecessary. They get married (after previous instances of abuse) and he not surprisingly gets more abusive. They end up having a kid together, and he becomes more violent. The climax is, likely, traumatic for readers, and the story finale is open ended.

Overall, “It Ends With Us” was thoroughly entertaining. Novels can be both interesting and have issues with their content, and Colleen Hoover executes this exact paradox. Hoover should, however, include a trigger warning.

Books with themes such as domestic abuse can be largely triggering for an audience who is not expecting it. While it might have been an artistic choice that nobody expects abuse, and therefore the reader wouldn’t either, the main plot twist in the book could remain unspoiled with a warning. Authors such as Hoover should be obliged to account for the very real effects that their books can have on readers.

Whether actually shining a light on a problem in a way that raises awareness, or using these situations for shock factor, the author’s responsibility should remain the same.

The sequel, “It Starts With Us”, has the potential to make changes and continue the series in a more positive direction. Hoover’s writing style combined with a less traumatic storyline, would be well worth spending time on.

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10 • SPORTS

Big shoes to fill

Avery & Jackson Childs competed for most of their lives on the same teams

by Caroline Easler

(Left) Before a Fort Mill Post 43 club team game, Jackson and Avery Childs are ready for action in June of 2021.

Photo courtesy of the Childs

It’s the bottom of the seventh, two outs, runners on second and third.

Jackson ‘The Dawg’ Childs (‘25) up to bat. Crack! The ball soars to left field, the winning runs come in, and with a walk-off hit, Childs wins the game.

Since his T-ball days, Jackson has been on the diamond, lacing up in the shadow of his big brother Avery who graduated last year. Now with Avery

“Growing up we fought a lot, but baseball helped us bond. ” gone to study business and marketing at Winthrop, Jackson is now stepping into the spotlight. A more serious temperament on and off the field, he plays outfield for the Falcons.

Friends of Jackson talk about his individual and confident personality.

“Jacksons very introverted and enclosed before you meet him, then when he opens up, he is very sarcastic and funny,” said Zack Zolkos (‘25).

The funny thing about the brothers is their personalities are complete opposites. Teachers and friends of Avery talk about how much of an extrovert and talkative he is.

“He’s very social and gets along with pretty much everyone,” said teammate Hunter Mac (‘24). “He’s talkative and was very inspirational in both sports and school”.

Growing up the Childs brothers spent a lot of time arguing and learning how to be better through each other.

“Growing up we fought a lot, but baseball helped us bond,” Jackson said.

Avery played for the Falcons throughout high school, as well as on

(Above) On the bench, Jackson and Avery Childs as youngsters wait for the game to start. The boys played together growing up and pushed each other to be better.

Photo courtesy of the Childs

Although they both share the love a travel team. Being good at baseball for baseball, Avery ended his baseball only pushed Avery harder. By his jujourney after playnior year, Avery had perfected his best “Sometimes I have to live up ing in high school.

“Jackson has pitch. to other people’s more motivation “Avery’s submaand has the better rine pitch is one of his expectations– chance of continuing greatest strengths,” especially with us his baseball career in said head coach Jeff college,” Mac says.

Stack. both playing outfield.”

After finally stepBeing raised in a ping into the spotlight, Jackson has a baseball environment only contributheavy weight on his shoulders, only ed to Jackson’s love for the game. “If getting heavier as he continues to play my dad and Avery never brought me baseball. towards baseball, I would have proba“Sometimes I have to live up to bly continued playing soccer,” Jackson other people’s expectations–especially said. “They have had a huge impact on with us both playing outfield,” he said. my baseball career.”

Playing with Avery all of Jackson’s life has shown him what it means to be a real team player, and Jackson still thrives to become a player like Avery was.

“He has good mental toughness and is one of the most hard working players I’ve ever seen,” Jackson said.

While Avery had more experience playing for varsity, teammate Liam Quinn (‘24) believes Jackson has some advantages.

“Jackson is faster than Avery, and Jackson’s stronger than Avery, mentally and physically. He just has much more motivation,” he says.

On the baseball field teammates and coaches brag about Jackson’s attitude and motivation towards the game.

“I like playing with Jackson more, because of his attitude, and he has much more confidence and motivation than Avery while playing,” says CJ Smith (‘25), a teammate of both boys.

Jackson has a great attitude towards the game, but players say Avery’s leadership skills are unmatched.

“Avery is an amazing team leader and always inspired all of his teammates to be better throughout the seasons,” said Zolkos.

Off the baseball field, Jackson and Avery bond over more than baseball.

“They have very similar tastes in everything that they do–baseball, golf, sports teams, etc.–so they find a lot of common ground with that, ” their mom Holly Childs said.

While keeping it in the family, Jackson and Avery don’t plan on stopping baseball anytime soon. Although they may not always be playing on a team, they’ll continue to enjoy their passion with their old teammates and friends.

They admit their sibling rivalry will continue to be a big part of their lives for many years to come.

Ameo brothers to team up again, compete for Falcon lacrosse, football

by Elise Hay

relationship.

“Their love for each other is unconditional,” football coach Mike Allen says. “It’s pretty obvious that they are brothers, and they love each other.”

Peers describe them both as respectful, caring and cool people.

“Owen is always the one trying to get everyone going and excited–and if everyone’s not excited he gets pissed,”

You’re standing on the field with your biggest game of the year. You hear the crowd cheering. You are so nervous, you can’t stand still. But then you look to your right, and you see your brother there beside you. Now you feel calmer and excited to win your game.

Owen and Josh Ameo are brothers who play football and lacrosse together at Nation Ford. Owen (’23) has played lacrosse for 12 years and football for four while Josh (’25) has been

“Their love for each other is unconditional.”

–Coach Mike Allen

“I feel motivated to be better than him.”

–Josh Ameo (‘23) playing lacrosse for 10 years and football for five.

They both play attack in lacrosse, and Owen plays defensive line in football, while Josh is receiver.

They’re very competitive with each other.

“I feel motivated to be better than him,” Josh says, referring to his broth-

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After an injury, Owen Ameo (‘23) encourages his brother Josh (‘24) at a varsity lacrosse game against Audrey Kell last season.

Photo courtesy of the Ameos er.

On the field, you can see how well they work as teammates.

“They are really good at working together,” Hunter Nikola (’24) said. “It’s almost like they know where each other is going every single time.”

After high school, Owen is playing lacrosse at Roanoke College. Josh wants to follow in Owen’s footsteps and go to four-year college on a sports scholarship.

If you are around them at the same time, you know they have a very close

Nikola says. “Josh is a funny person, and he cares about everyone and how they are doing.”

Of course, every relationship has bumps and bruises.

“Even though they might get on eachothers nerves, they love each other and are very respectful,” according to Coach Allen.

At the end of the day they are here for each other and bonded to each other in a special brotherhood both on and off the field.

October 2022

SPORTS• 11

5 athletes commit

by Justin Baxter Five NFHS senior athletes have committed to play their sport for college teams next year.

Varsity volleyball player Chelsea Gilmore, who plays outside and middle, is committed to Army.

Gilmore claims she was looking for a challenge when searching for schools.

“During my recruiting journey, I talked to multiple schools, but Army was the school that stuck out to me the most,” she said.

“From the ridiculously amazing campus to the very rigorous academics. I feel like Army embodies who I am as a person, and I really couldn’t see myself anywhere else,” she said.

Star athlete Mia Mitchell plays varsity soccer for the Falcons and has committed to University of Maryland.

“I chose Maryland because of the overall environment,” Mitchell said. “It was super welcoming, and I fell in love with it right when I stepped on campus.”

She considered the people that surrounded her as an important part of her sport and where she chose to go.

“Maryland was the best fit for me because of the coaches and the players,” she said. “They prioritize great team chemistry, and encourage us to be good people, not just good players.”

Meanwhile, Mississippi State will gain varsity soccer player Kaitlyn Carroll early for their 2023 spring season–she will be graduating early to join the Bulldogs.

“It had the best coaching staff and was in the best conference,” Carroll said.

Mississippi State stood out to Kaitlyn because it was in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

“It’s just very competitive right now, with their football and basketball and soccer,” she said.

After being heavily recruited by many schools including South Carolina, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Virginia Tech, NFHS quarterback Carson Black will hit the road for the University of Memphis in the fall.

Lastly, 6’5 volleyball champ Kennedy Martin has committed to the University of Florida. The school stood out to her because of how long they believed in her, she says.

“NCAA rules did not allow them to talk to me then, but after June 15th, they sent me postcards dated all the way back to 2019 consisting of little messages of milestones that I’d reached so far in my career,” she added.

Kennedy wanted to go to a school that she felt welcomed and loved at.

“I knew Florida was the school for me after I went on my official visit and met all the girls on the team. They were very welcoming and made the school feel like home before the end of my visit,” Martin says.

More 2023 commits will be mentioned in coming issues.

October 2022

Breaking barriers

Cheerleader stands tall Ethan Lewis takes cheer to next level

by Sanaa Loyd The blinding stadium lights shine bright onto the football field and shouts from the eager crowd gets your heart pumping. “Go. Fight. WIN!” as the cheerleaders fire up the fans– one voice stands out, deeper than the rest.

Ethan Lewis (’23) is the newest addition to the varsity cheer team this year. Ethan started cheering in seventh grade because he wanted to try something different. In the past, he’d played baseball, basketball, and football.

He says he did not take cheer seriously until his senior year of high school due to the amount of bullying he received for joining the team. Male cheerleaders frequently have to deal with bullying due to it being predominantly a female sport.

“There is something different about cheer that makes you stand out,” Lewis says.

He is not the only male cheerleader to have made the NFHS squad, but it’s still rare. In 2021-2022, there were a total of 3,657 male cheerleaders in U.S. high schools.

Lewis says this year is different–instead of the bullying, there is a lot of hype, and he is able to express himself when on the mats as well as on the field.

“There are different ways to cheer as a male,” he says. “You can do it the way the females do it or the males. I

New AD Ethan Lewis (‘23) choose to do it the way males do it because that’s what I’m most comfortable with.

“Males’ movements differ from female movements. I go along with the movements, but you won’t actually see me doing theirs. You also don’t use pompoms--instead I have a megaphone while on the field.”

Lewis says his biggest challenge as a male cheerleader has been the focus and commitment.

“My favorite part about cheering with Ethan has to be his attitude,” Emma Clark (‘24) says. “Ethan always pushes everyone to be and do their best and you will never see him with a negative attitude.”

Next time when you glance on the football field look for Lewis and see how hard he’s worked to be where he is today.

Wrestler challenges self

Ava-Grace Robinson joins mens’ team, seeks tougher competition

by Crystia Basnight As of 2021, there are 31,654 girl wrestlers on high school teams in the U.S. For the second year, the Nation Ford wrestling team can boast they have their own female wrestler, AvaGrace Robinson (‘25).

Robinson moved to Fort Mill two years ago and started her first wrestling seasons as a freshman last year.

Inspired from a young age by her father who participated in many martial arts, Robinson joined the team in hopes of making her dad proud.

Bret Peltier has been coaching the wrestling team for seven years at NaAva-Grace Robinson (‘25) tion Ford High School and recently became head coach of the team. ing her brother, Chase Robinson (‘25), “It has been great having a female who was also on the wrestling team presence on the team,” Peltier said. “I last year. have seen a differ“I could not see ence in Ava. She the team being “[The boys] started to talk has become more a team without to me more, and I got more confident since her,” Chase adcomfortable.” her time on the mits. wrestling team.”

Robinson enUnsurprisingly, Robinson happens joyed last season and plans on returnto be Nation Ford’s only girl wrestler, ing this upcoming 2022 fall season. and that has not always been easy for Last year she only wrestled in the her. girls division, but this year she plans “At first it felt really uncomfortable on wrestling guys and girls this seafor me because I felt left out,” Robin- son. “With eight brothers, I’m not son said. “[The boys] started to talk to worried. I am looking for a challenge me more, and I got more comfortable.” so I can excel in girls’ competition,” Her teammates support her, includ- she says.

David Johnson named interim athletic director after former AD suffers injuries on motorcycle

by Justin Baxter After coach Jaybe Shackleford made a decision to step down from his role as athletic director, David Johnson has been named interim athletic director.

“I had a motorcycle accident,” Coach Shackleford said. “This accident caused me to have two surgeries in seven days.”

After he made the decision to step down, coach Johnson was offered the job.

“Obviously some things happened here where they needed someone to step up and fill in in the meantime, and I was glad to help,” Johnson said.

Coach Johnson said the move from P.E. teacher to the athletic director was pretty smooth.

“A lot of my coworkers/teachers have helped me out a lot,” he admits.

Coach Johnson knew he would have a lot on his plate taking the role as athletic director and being the offensive coordinator for the Falcons football team.

“Obviously the biggest thing is the time commitment being the football coach, and the athletic director is a big commitment,” Johnson said. “And having two little kids, a 4-year-old and a 3-month-old, so obviously time management has been the biggest thing for me.”

The athletic director job at a high school might be a challenging task few would take.

“It’s a big responsibility,” Johnson explains. “You know you’re in charge of 20 different sports–we have 730 athletes here, so I’m getting all the paperwork done and making sure everyone is eligible and following the rules.”

When Coach Shackleford comes back, he will be teaching High School 101.

“It’s been a few years since I taught a class, but I have confidence that I will get right back into being a teacher,” Coach Shackleford said.

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ENTERNAINMENT• 12

October 2022

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