february 2013

Students prepare for the upcoming talent show on Feb. 15. Students will be dis-playing various talents and essentially competing for an award at the end of the show.

Students Audition For Talent Showp. 17

Volume XI Issue 5

Visit trnwired.org to see the latest photo galleries

Fashion Marketing Class Presents Fashion Showp. 15

Cultural Awareness, SADD Club Celebrate Black History p. 7

February is Black History Month and this year, the Cultural Awareness and SADD clubs will put on a Black History Program on Feb. 22. The Black History Program will feature students and faculty members in skits about various significant African American people in history.

Prince George H.S. - 7801 Laurel Spring Rd. Prince George, VA 23875 - www.trnwired.org - February 15, 2013

Each year in Feb., major cities in the world have their fashion show. This year the PGHS fashion show, put on by the fashion marketing class, will be held on Mar. 15 in the auditorium at 7:00 PM.

theRoyalNews

The Royalettes dance team displays posters in memory of Marvin Massenburg, Jr. at the football

game on Sept. 29. Various clubs made signs in dedication to Marvin Massenburg, Jr.

Photo by Tasia Faulcon. Ban On Women InCombat Lifted p.8

Junior Destiny Grubbs is 1st Lt. in JROTC as well as rifle team commander and Putnam

leader. The ban on the law prohibiting women in combat was lifted on Jan. 24.

Photo by Ridhi Patel

Ed

ito

ria

l

O n Feb. 8, a Valentine’s

Dance was scheduled

to take place at the

high school. However,

due to the lack of ticket

sales, the PTA was obligated to cancel.

The dance was supposed to be a

fundraiser for after prom. Questions

have arisen as to why this event fell

through.

One explanation for the lack of

ticket sales could be the minimal

amount of advertising leading up to

the dance. This problem could have

been easily solved with a few flyers

and more aggressive promotion on

the announcements. Advertising

sooner would have allowed students

to have more time to prepare. They

would have been able to see which of

their friends were going and convince

a few others to attend.

Another reason the dance was

unsuccessful could be because dances

are expensive. With such short

notice, some students may not have

had the money to afford to go. The

students have to pay for a ticket, buy

something new to wear, and maybe

even go out for dinner. Students in

high school want a dance to be more

than just gathering in the commons

with a DJ. It has become an old and

stale pastime.

For a dance to be successful,

people need to want to go. If it had

been made clear to the students with

advanced notice that the Valentine’s

Dance was helping to pay for after

prom, it is probable that they would

have sold a greater amount of tickets.

Juniors and Seniors would have come

out to support the production of their

after prom. To have a successful

dance, students need to be informed

and they need to believe that they are

paying for something valuable: time

well spent.

The Everyday Struggle and When it Becomes Real

Why is life so hard? Everyday we go through so many stupid and ridiculous things

that make life difficult. Things like: Having no milk for your cereal. Always blinking in photos. Stubbing your toe. Spilling water down the side when pouring from glass to glass. Dealing with an inaccurate GPS. Seatbelts that are too tight. Seatbelts that get twisted. Opening a box on the wrong side. Water fountains with a short stream. Opening a bag of gummies too violently. Losing the tail of the tape. Tracking dirt all over the floor. When batteries die. Unwanted Facebook requests. Tripping up the stairs. Tripping down the stairs. Missing the last step. Skiing into a tree. When people park too close. When the same bad song is on two stations. Awkwardly catching someone’s eye. Recycled tweets. Long hashtags. When you think someone is talking to you, but they have a bluetooth in their ear. When sodas explode. When the printer runs out of paper. Running into desks. The deceit and lies of the potato chip industry. STEPPING ON LEGOS. Getting stuck with the last piece of bread. Signing up for a “free” trial. When you pierce through the back of the Capri Sun. Losing an oreo in the milk. Dropping the tab into the can. The unreachable foosball. Getting coughed on. Washing your money. Stepping in chewing gum. When a fly gets in the car. When a wasp gets in the car. Sunny days during exams. Tripping for no reason. Autocorrect. Flashing internet advertisements. Unevenly ripping out a sheet of paper. Never having enough electrical outlets. Unnecessary abbreviations and acronyms. Sitting behind really tall people. Not being able to understand microwave instructions. Full memory cards. Being in between sizes. The feeling of falling. The third time not being the charm. When the struggle becomes real, remember how fortunate we are to have problems like these.

NaThaN BRiTT

the RoyalNews

Our mission as the school newspaper for Prince George High School is to provide a form of media that represents all aspects of student life. The goal

is to present factual accounts of newsworthy events in a timely manner. Our publication will be informative, entertaining and reflective of the student body’s opinions. It is the desire of the staff to reach every student and tell as many of their stories as possible.

We invite your commentary: The Royal News Opinion page is a forum for public discussion and shall be open to all students. The Royal News will print as many letters as space will allow. The Royal News reserves the right not to print a letter. The Royal News publishes a wide variety of opinions. Send letters to: Letters to the Editor, The Royal News, PGHS, 7801 Laurel Spring Road, Prince George, Virginia 23875, or bring them to room A4, or e-mail them to [email protected]

We reserve the right to edit for clarity, brevity, accuracy, legality, spelling and grammar. Please include your name, address and phone number. Anonymous letters will not be considered for publication. 500 word maximum. Thank you for the support this year. Please continue to communicate on trnwired.org.

Front page: Quetasia Faulcon-Op/Ed: Nathan Britt-News: Casey Overton-Features: Faven Butler-

Double Truck: Danielle Marshall-A&E : Deborah Gardner-Sports: Kristen Schwalm-Ampersand: Tiana

Kelly-Photo Editor/Distribution and Events: Ridhi Patel-Business & Ad Editor: Chloe Alexander-Online Editor-in-Chief: Korrina Smith Online Sports Editor: Courtney Taylor-Social Media Manager: Christina

Buckles

The Royal News, PGHStrnwired.org & trnsports.org

7801 Laurel Spring Road Prince George, Virginia 23875

804-733-2720The Royal News is printed at

The Progress-Index in Petersburg, Virginia

Professional affiliations & awards - Columbia Scholastic Press Associations Gold Medalist 2008-2011Columbia Scholastic Press Associations Silver Crown Winner 2011 Virginia High School Association Trophy Class 2006-2011Col. Charles Savedge Award for Sustained Excellence 2010

SIPA All Southern 2008-2011

Amanda Majewski

Section Editors

Chris Waugaman

Managing Editor

Editor-in-Chief

Business ManagerChloe Alexander

AdviserQuetasia Faulcon

op/ed 2 | ThE ROYaL NEWS | FRiDaY 2.15.13

Writers

Debra Thomas-Genevieve Perez-Kolade Olanrewaju-Blier Smith-Sarah Daniel-JoJo Taylor-Lindsay

Pugh-Devan Fishburne-Angelica Martinez-Mallory Cox-Roxy Sherrick-John Shumar-Samantha Barton

Dance Flops Due To Low Ticket Sales

illustration by anthony Sudol.

A ccording to ABCNews and Online Dating Maga-zine, an estimated 40 million people use online dating services hoping to find their true love. How-ever, only about 280,000 marriages in one year were a result of using an online dating services.

With only 7% success, the dangers that come along with online dating aren’t worth the risk. In a study done by Jeana Frost from Boston University, ap-proximately 20% of daters admit to lying about themselves online. When daters lie about themselves, other daters often fall into their trap thinking they’ve met the perfect match. However, who they think they are speaking to is actually someone com-pletely different. These statistics reassure the dangers of online dating. InternetPredatorStatistics.com says that each year, inter-net predators commit more than 16,000 abductions, 100 murders, and thousands of rapes. Although there are many risks associated with becoming online prey, there are some precautions one can take to ensure their safety. First, a relationship should have plenty of time to grow over the internet before it becomes personal. Time can lead to trust which will increase the chances of staying safe. Once the couple feels comfortable enough to meet for the first time, it should be in a public place. It wouldn’t hurt either to bring someone along and maybe make it a group date. This will help decrease the risk of being put in major danger and becoming an-other statistic. Finally, all online daters should trust their instinct. If something doesn’t feel right within a relationship, it shouldn’t continue to grow. As Valentine’s Day approaches, the subject of dating becomes more and more prevalent. Relationships can become dangerous whether it is online or not; however, meeting someone in person guarantees that you know who you are talking to, whereas meeting someone online requires additional precautions to be taken through the growth of relationship. Before online dating existed, relationships thrived just as well, only with fewer risks.

Is online dating a safe way to meet people? The security of online dating has been called into question as of late with the emergence of MTV’s Catfish and the unveiling of the hoax perpetrated on Manti Te’O. What do you think?

op/ed

A ccording to match.com, 120,000 people find and marry someone they met online each year. Even though so many people find love online, some are skeptical about the safety of online dating, when there is honestly nothing to worry about.

People on online dating sites can sometimes be different than they say they are. The MTV reality show “Catfish: The TV Show” features people who date online that live hundreds of miles away, they then fall in love with someone they have never met. This usually ends badly with one of them not being completely honest with who they are. Proper online dating prevents this. Online Dating Magazine gives out useful safety tips to po-tential online daters. The basis of these tips is to keep private things private. The magazine include tips such as not giving out personal information that could possibly be used to take advan-tage of you. It is important to meet in a public place and stay in that public place if one does intend to go out with someone they have met online. Waiting until the other person has left is a good strategy, so you can be sure that they cannot follow you home and possibly harm you. In these instances it can never hurt to bring someone along that can act as a look out. Until a person feels absolutely safe and certain that a person is who he or she says they are, they should keep their guard up. They should keep their personal items close, so such informa-tion cannot be stolen, misused or tampered with. If people guard their personal and financial information they can be protected from things such as identity theft. Match.com and other reputable dating sites do background checks to keep members safe. Match.com also gives out tips to its members on how to remain safe, such as getting to know a person before meeting them, not allowing them to pick you up for meetings or know where you live, leaving by yourself, and telling a friend of your plans. It is also important to use common sense, if something online seems too good to be true, it prob-ably is. Dating online is perfectly safe if one follows these simple steps, uses common sense, and takes steps to keep their privacy.

FRiDaY 2.15.13 | ThE ROYaL NEWS | 3

Dating site users who lie about their height, weight, or age on their profile.

PRO CONQuETaSia FauLCON COuRTNEY TaYLOR

67%

33%

Making the Grade

B+ The winding down of winter sports and the beginning of tryouts for spring sports.

A Only 115 days left until seniors gradu-ate. CMTV’s Made came

to Prince Geroge High School for open auditions on Thurs., Feb., 14.

A+ The boys ‘ basket-ball team defeted Thomas Dale on Tuesday night. The Royals are advanc-ing to Regionals.

Making the Grade is the staff’s report card for student interest topics.

From datingsitesreviews.com

81%

Have lied

19%Have not lied

4 | ThE ROYaL NEWS | FRiDaY 2.15.13

Briefly

NEWS BriefS

Military Ball Has ArrivedThe Military Ball will be held on Feb. 16 at the Moose Lodge in Hopewell. It is ten dollars per person and non-JROTC will need a date form.

MTV Auditions StudentsMTV auditioned students for the show Made on Feb. 14 from 2:30 to 4:30. Made focuses on students that want to become something they can’t achieve alone.

Black History Month

SADD Honors Black History MonthSADD’s presentation for Black History Month will be held on Feb. 15. It will take place in the auditori-um from 7:00 to 9:00 PM and it’s free to attend. The program will include music, a presentation of tra-ditional ceremonies, and more cultural attributes.

Talent Show Takes PlaceThe PGHS Talent Show will be held Feb. 15 at 7:00 PM. It will take place in the auditorium and there is an attendance fee of five dollars.

Groundhog’s Day

Valentine’s DayArthur W. Mitchell (1883-1968)He was the first African American democratic congressman.Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993)He was the first African American to serve on the U.S. Su-preme Court. Rosa Parks (1913-2005)She was an activist during the Civil Rights movement. Edward Brooke III (1919- )He was the first African American senator. Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005)She was the first African American congresswoman. Medgar Evers (1925-1963)He helped desegregate the University of Mississippi. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)He was a civil rights leader that stood for racial equality and peacemaking. Before being assassinated, he won the Nobel Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.Barack Obama (1961- )He is the first African American president in the United States.

This holiday on Feb. 14 is set aside for romance and companionship. It originates from the Saint Valentine in the Christian religion and also ancient Roman tradi-tion. There are many legends about Saint Valentine. One legend says Valentine married couples secretly despite the law of that time. Another says that Valentine sent the first ‘valentine’ to a woman he loved signed ‘from your valentine.’ The origin of this holiday is evident in how it is celebrated today.

Groundhog’s Day was on Feb. 2, and it was the 157th year of this holiday. The groundhog did not see his shadow, therefore Spring will come early this year.

Is Valentine’s Day commercialized?

27%83%

NoYes

Do you prefer to give or to receive?

GiveReceive

58% 42%

>>

>>>>

>>

>>

>>>>

Survey conducted with one hundred students (all grades).

Malik Vaughan and LCT Chandler


Feb. is the month when African Americans are honored for their achieve-ments in history. Also known as Black History Month, this is a time when students are educating the community about

specific persons who have had an impact in their lives.

Black History Month dates back to 1926, due to the efforts of Carter G. Woodson. It initially started as “Negro History Week” because the birthdays of Frederick Dou-glass and Abraham Lincoln were in Feb. Over time, it spread to be the holiday that it is today.

Cultural Awareness and SADD club will be holding a program on Friday, Feb. 22 for all of Prince George County from 7-9 p.m. The program is intended to be entertaining but also informative of significant African-Americans in history.

“The goal is to assist with educating them on African-American history,” sponsor Takisha Ogunyemi said.

Ogunyemi is responsible for the Cul-tural Awareness club. It is her effort and work through the club that have made the program and activities possible. Cinnamon Brown, who is in charge of the Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) club, has been collaborating with her to make it a success.

Cultural Awareness and SADD club are presenting their program in the auditorium with free admission. In place of a fee, dona-tions for the clubs are accepted and greatly appreciated.

The program will consist of skits done by not only the students, but faculty in the high school and members of the community. Auditions for a part in the program were

open to the students on Monday, Feb. 4th, and Thursday, Feb. 7th.

Some of the roles that are to be por-trayed in the program are to include famous African-Americans like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama. The lives of entertainers will be acted out as well. Such entertainers include Whitney Houston and Oprah Winfrey.

The purpose of the skits is to educate the public about the lives of African-Amer-icans from the past and present. The pro-gram will also consist of music, biographies, and poetry.

“[Students should] take pride in Black History Month, and honor our historians and our current leaders,” Ogunyemi said.

Roughly 40 people, including faculty and students of the school, are going to be participating in the Black History Month pro-gram. As a result, a lot of work has been put forth in organizing and recruiting members.

“I think it’s very important program for Prince George. This is a great club, and learning about different cultures is an inter-esting thing to do, especially in such a small county like Prince George,” sophomore Tyler Whitby said.

Whitby is a member of Cultural Aware-ness Club, and appreciates everything the club is doing in honor of Black History Month.

“I think Black History Month is some-thing that is very interesting, and it is a very important time of year that brings people together,” Whitby said.

Sophomore Carlos Littles,also a mem-ber of Cultural Awareness, is very proud to have a program that has the potential to change the student body.

“It will break down the barriers of ste-reotypical thoughts of students and open the gates of understanding of African-American culture,” Littles said.

featureS

Angelica Martineztrn writer

Black History Month Honored

Junior Diamond Tyler performs a song for her audition on Mon., Feb. 4 for the black

history month program . The program will be held on Fri., Feb. 22.

Photo by Kristen Schwalm.

Cultural Awareness, SADD Clubs Sponsor Program On Black History


Visit www.trnwired.org to view the latest stories and photo galleries.

Ban On Women In

Dating all the way back to the 18th century, women have been striving to make his-tory, “her”story. From women’s suffrage to partaking in World War II under the influence

of Rosie the Riveter, women have been making their mark on society. A more recent stride in history is the new law that permits women to fight in combat on the ground.

In 1994 the first legislation pertaining to women in combat circulated through congress, and was ultimately vetoed. However, on Jan. 24, 2013, U.S. Defense Attorney, Leon Panetta, lifted the ban, and is now permitting women various positions on battlegrounds.

“I like the new law because girls can show that they are just as good as boys,” junior Destiny Grubbs said.

Grubbs is a 2nd Lt. with hopes of becoming a Lt. Col. in the program. In the future, Grubbs plans on entering the Air Force or the Marines.

The face of the military will be changed indefinitely due to the ban lift. Some females

take this law as an initiative to enlist. “There will be more opportunities for

women. A lot of women feel like they can’t join the military, but the law can make them want to join,” sophomore Emily Gideon said.

Historically, women have been viewed as the weaker gender. They have had to face adversity and discrimination.

“I think that women are going to have to prove themselves because women haven’t had the same equality as men. It’s going to take a lot of blood, sweat, and tears,” Gideon said.

According to the Department of Defense, there are over 200,000 women that are active in the military, and there are approximately an additional 600,000 in the reserves and National Guard.

The JROTC program gives girls and boys a foundation for careers in the military.

“I have been planning on pursuing a career in the military, and it would seem fair if we could do all the same things,” sophomore Haley Parker said.

Although women were previously not al-lowed in combat, women were still fighting in the air, and some were already fighting on the ground without being recognized for their roles.

According to the Associated Press, before this new law was passed 152 women died, and 958 women were wounded by going over seas, commanding combat units, and being on the military bases in the midst of war. The law gives women the recognition they have been looking for on the field.

“I feel like our military has come a long way for allowing women to fight side by side

with men,” Command Sergeant major Daniel Reid said. “For the past 30 to 40 years they have been in supporting roles. First, women were flying helicopters in combat, then came [women] commanding units in combat. It seems only fitting to have them fighting side by side in combat.”

Reid was in a commanding position in Iraq before retiring from the army in Nov. of 2012, and has worked with several women in both commanding positions and combat units. Ten of the women he commanded were injured in combat and recognized for their service.

Combat units will have to deal with irregu-larities that they may not have had to deal with before the law went into action.

“It will be an adjustment for the combat units especially for the deployed units and units that train in a field environment,” Lieutenant Colonel Alvin Chandler said.

There may be an initial struggle for combat units to adjust to the new law, but the struggle may shift away.

“It [The new law] will more solidify the term ‘Army Strong’. I like the cliche ‘You should be all that you can be.’ We can now truly be army strong by allowing women to be all they can be,” Reid said.

featureS

Debra Thomas

trn writer

Junior Destiny Grubbs instructs the JROTC class as 2nd Lt. and rifle team com-

mander. She believes women should be allowed front line combat roles.

Photo by Faven Butler.

JROTC members content with national ban lift concerning females on battlegrounds


BY THENuMBerS

14Percentage of women that are in

active duty as of 2012 .

96Number of women held Prisoners

of War during Civil War, WWII, Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi

Freedom .

93,637Number of female veterans in the

state of VA.

19.5Percentage of women in the Army,

Marine, Air Force, Coastal Guard, and Navy Reserves.

24 Date of Jan. 2013 when the ban

restricting women to fight on battlegrounds was lifted.

54Number of females in JROTC this

year.Source: American Memorial Foundation for women in

military service.

Combat Lifted

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aMperSaNdFRiDaY 2.15.13| ThE ROYaL NEWS | 11

Senior Basheen Mar-shall has been known for his outrageous outfitswhether it be for the gaug-es, the extremely big glass-es he wears or the Vans and Jeremy Scotts he may have on his feet.

Marshall gives a couple of reasons to the fashion world on why he wears things the way he does and why he would not wear them any other way.

For The Love Of Fashion Dates For Spring Fashion WeekNEW YORK: February 7LONDON: February 15MILAN: February 20PARIS: February 26

“Fashion expresses personality.”

“Being unique defines who you are and creativity is everything; matching means nothing. You don’t always have to match to look good. You could throw on opposites and still have an amazing outfit.”

He quotes “Imitation is suicide,” by Ralph Waldo Emerson because “imitat-ing someone else kills off his own individuality and uniqueness.”

Fashion week happens twice a year in the major fashion capitals of the world: Paris, Milan, New York and London.

Fashion weeks are held several months in advance of the season to allow the press and buyers a chance to pre-view fashion designs for the following season.

From Jan. through Apr., designers showcase their autumn and winter collec-tions. Fashion week for spring and summer is held from Sept. through Nov. This is also to allow time for retailers to arrange to purchase or in-corporate the designers into their retail marketing.

The latest innovations in dress designs are showcased by renowned fashion de-signers during these fashion weeks, and all these latest collections are covered in magazines such as Vogue.

Design by Tiana Kelly


Benjamin and Chrystal Barnwell married on June 19th, 2004. Chrystal Barnwell teaches tenth grade biology, while Benjamin Barnwell teach-es both biology and ecology. After eight years of marriage, they now, not only teach science courses, but also have a 7-year-old son named Isaiah. Benjamin believes the thing that should always permeate in a relationship is respect for

one another. “Nothing bothers me more than seeing someone disrespect his

or her spouse. It carries out a long way and when the dust settles, people remember you gave them respect,” Benjamin said.

Chrystal believes in communication. “You cannot move forward without expressing the way you

feel,” Chrystal said. What Benjamin admires most about Chrystal is her patience

and the fact that she does not allow people to upset her easily. “She is kind and considerate even when people haven’t earned

it,” Benjamin said. She doesn’t lower herself to the actions of others. When I met her, I met someone who was able to bring me strength.”

Chrystal admires his intelligence and sense of humor. “He’s caring and always giving,” Chrystal said. Throughout their marriage, Benjamin learned how not to over-

step his boundaries. “My wife is very independent, so I had to let her ask me for help

before jumping into things,” Benjamin said. With Chrystal being an only child, she had to get used to shar-

ing. “My husband and I are a team now. He is my constant sup port

Mr.Seely and Bauman-Seely Married 7 Months

The Barnwell’s Married 8 Years

Guidance counselor Tara Bau-man is newly married to her former co-worker and long-time friend, Brian Seely. They have currently been married for seven months with their anniversary on July 3rd, 2012. They chose to get married in

Central Park, NY. “We go to Central Park every Christmas so it

made sense to get married there,” Bauman-Seely said.

Bauman-Seely believes the key to a long lasting relationship is to trust and have fun with one another.

“There are so many serious things that come with marriage, you just have to be able to have fun and be good friends through it all,” Bauman-Seely said.

Her favorite traits about her spouse include his caring nature and sense of humor. She met her spouse in Pennsylvania, where they used to work to-gether. They moved here and made the decision that

it was the right time to get married. “It’s always been comfortable between us,” Bau-

man-Seely said. “He is definitely my best friend. He’s funny, smart, there’s never a time where I have to second guess how he feels about me. He’s caring and I know he loves and supports me.”

Design By:Danielle Marshall

With February 14th being Valentines Day, couples within the county explain the meaning behind a marriage and their secrets to making a strong relationship work

“Royal” Marriages Test Time

step his boundaries. “My wife is very independent, so I had to let her ask me for help

before jumping into things,” Benjamin said. With Chrystal being an only child, she had to get used to shar-

ing. “My husband and I are a team now. He is my constant sup port

The Barnwell’s Married 8 Years


The Massey’s Married 19 Years

Richard and Mary Massey married on June 10th, 1993. They have now been married for 19 years. Both Mary, a history teacher, and Rich-ard, the vocational technology teacher, teach at J.E.J. Moore Middle School. They dated for three years before getting married.

“I remember one of my students saying ‘I think Mr. Massey has a crush on you,’” said

Mary. “When I asked why, he replied ‘Because he always changes your oil for you in the shop!’”

Richard Massey believes one has to learn to give and take in a relationship.

“I tell my younger buddies who are just beginning their rela-tionship to remember the 3 C’s: Communication, Consideration, and Compromise,” Richard said.

Mary’s favorite character trait about her husband is his sense of humor and willingness to get along.

“If you count the years we dated, we’ve never had a major argument,”Mary said.

She admits they hardly ever see each other during school hours, but it is also convenient to work in the same place.

“When we get home, we can discuss the day and understand

where we’re coming from. Plus, I get to borrow lunch money,” Mary said.

Richard likes the fact that they can have the same days off, in-cluding weekends, snow days, and summer holidays. Mary says the best thing about being married is having someone to talk to and always be there for you.

Faven Butler

features editor

With February 14th being Valentines Day, couples within the county explain the meaning behind a marriage and their secrets to making a strong relationship work

“Royal” Marriages Test Time


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Yankee Candle Spring Collection Now in Stock!

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As she gently sets her schedule down with a smile, Kimberly Beales tells stories about her experi-ences. Big fluffy brid-al dresses, number crunching, and struts

were all involved in her daily life style. This fashion marketing teacher in our school, is helping her students put on the fashion show together.

“We start by planning it in September,” Beales said. “That is when we decide what scenes we do and what we do with them.”

Planning starts in the class with all of her students from all of her fashion market-ing classes. These students come together and decide what they want to be in the show as a big team. They all know Beales is the best for the job because of her fashion his-tory.

“Appalachian State University in North Carolina is where I earned a Clothing and Textile merchandising degree with a dou-ble minor in marketing and management,” Beales said.

Thanks to her college degrees in Appa-lachian State University, she is able to teach many students about fashion and how ordi-nary life all ties in together. These principles of fashion can help you stay organized and

become a role model. “While working with Belk, they put me

into the Bridal Department and I found out that I enjoyed it,” Beales said, “Afterward, I became the Operations Manager at Tif-fany’s Bridal.”

Her experience in the fashion field has made it possible for her to pull extravagant shows together in many different regions. The rehearsals, which include each models’ blocking techniques, were all the same.

“I have done shows in Richmond, Vir-ginia Beach, Charlottesville and Norfolk,” Beales said.

Fortunately for the students, this is not the ‘normal’ runway. There are going to be different scenes all under one theme. Each category will hold different contemporary fashions that are new and trendy. Some of the scenes are reflecting off of famous songs and movies, grabbing the attention of many parents and students.

“People should be looking forward to all the entertainment,” Beales said, “There will be tons of music with dancing and funny scenes.”

People sitting in front of the stage can see an organized show after Beales and her students pull everything together. Some-thing that observers do not see is the behind the scenes chaos like the clothes and make-up are scattered back stage.

“Organization and all the behind the scene stress is the most stressful part about putting a show together,” Beales said.

There is much more to planning a fash-

ion show than just deciding what scenes to put in. To be in the show you need knowl-edge of the stage and tempos of music. Teamwork is also a requirement to hold the show together.

“After all the planning, we do rehearsals so the students know where to stand, how to walk, and have timing down,” said Beales.

At times there can be mishaps back-stage, which can include the models becom-ing sick. Probably, even having broken heels can set the flow for the show. Beales has plans for the things that may happen such as these.

“The models always have back ups,” Beales said. “Back up shoes, clothes and I have an emergency kit which include duct tape, needles, and thread.”

If any model accidentally falls or loses a shoe, Beales coaches them enough to make it seem as if it was meant to be. Acting non-chalant is the best technique these models have before getting on the stage if any ac-cidents happen to them.

“On with the show because I need divas on stage not off,” Beales said. “I have had stu-dents pretend they are taking their shoes off on purpose.”

The fashion show takes place Mar. 13, at 7:30. The tickets are on sale for three dollars in advance and five dollars at the door.

Genevieve Perez

trn writer

With knowledge of the stage Beales helps her students put on fashion show

Beales Puts On Show For Cause

Beales instructs models on how to walk in the Fashion Show on Mar. 13. The

preparation for this show started in Sept.. Photo by Deborah Gardner.

WARM BODIES INSPIRES LOVE

Warm Bodies looked like a love story with a twist, the additions

of decaying zombies and anorexic-looking skeleton monsters bringing an interesting new take on the classic romantic movie. Unfortunately, even with the dark humor and zombie warfare, this one was not all it cracked up to be.

It begins with a lonely, brooding zombie, who walks around feeling sorry for himself. Turns out teen angst sticks around even after death.

He comes across this pretty hu-man girl, Julie, who he immediately falls in love with after he eats her ex-boyfriend. He protects her from the other zombies, and they do lots of cliche bonding stuff, like dancing around, talking about their feelings, and staring awkwardly at each other. Soon they fall in love, and his heart starts beating again, and the other zombies see them together and come conveniently back to life too.

Julie lives at a walled-in facility, along with other survivors, like her dad, who happens to be their leader. After her zombie boyfriend, who she named R, confesses that he ate her ex, Julie returns there, broken-heart-ed and missing her zombie.

R gathers his zombie friends when he realizes that some ugly skel-eton things are after Julie and goes to her home to help defend it. Unfortu-nately her dad, in true father’s fash-ion, tells her they can’t be together, and nearly shoots R in the head. This is the main conflict. Will the zombies and people work together to de-stroy the skeleton things? Or will the people just shoot everything like they usually do in these situations?

Warm Bodies is so full of cliche moments, it puts Hallmark movies to shame. The only thing that makes it worth watching is the zombie violence and angsty humor. Unless you like cheesy romance or have a cute date to go with, I suggest picking a different movie.

Mallory Cox

a&eFRiDaY 2.15.13 | ThE ROYaL NEWS | 15


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Talent Show Contestants

What? Talent ShowWhen? February 15 @ 7p.m.

Where? High School Auditorium

Graphic Design by Kristen Schwalm

Who: Senior Ashley WilkesWhat: Playing “Apologize” by: OneRepublic on the piano as a soloWhy: “I want to bring a new aspect to the show this year. Because it is my senior year, I just really want to show what I can do.”How long she has practiced: This song in particular for the past few weeks, so she could get a better feel for it.

Who: Sophomore Isaac BlandWhat: Singing “Broken” with Joanna MayesWhy: “The song is a great one, and sounded pretty. Joanna really wanted to sing it with me, so I am helping with it. Doing a duet is also interesting. It is different.”How long he has practiced: 1 month

Who: Sophomore Samantha MartinWhat: Singing “Someone Like You” by: Adele, while playing the guitar, as a solo.Why: “I love singing songs by Adele, and I think they compliment my voice very well.”How long she has practiced: I have known what song I have wanted to do since November.

Who: Senior Joanna MayesWhat: Singing “Broken” by: Seether featur-ing Amy Lee as a duet with Isaac BlandWhy: “I thought it would be a good match for the two of us to sing, it’s just a really great song in general.” How long she has practiced: 1 month

Who: Senior A’marah HawkinsWhat:: Singing “The Closer I Get to You” by: Luther Vandross as a duetWhy: “Singing this song shows variety, and what I can do when I am singing with some-one else. I chose to sing it as a duet because it’s really different for my senior.”How long she has practiced: Approxi-mately 3 weeks

Who: Sophomore Mackenzie GlasscockWhat: Singing “White Liar” by: Miranda Lam-bertWhy: “Mrs. Barkley suggested it. I like Miran-da Lambert and I knew the song.”How long she has practiced: More than 4 weeks


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a&e Gamer's Corner

Let’s take a moment to talk about Lara Croft. She’s pretty much the iconic woman that people think of when asked about strong female characters in gaming (perhaps

barring Samus of Metroid fame and Alyx Vance of Half-Life 2). She’s independent, tough, and enjoys mindlessly slaughtering animals while running around in a not-quite realistic crop top and extremely short shorts. She has a tendency to vilify people who are doing the same thing that she is for simply getting to the treasure first.

To put it simply, she’s kind of a horrible person. She’s hard to like and even harder to sympathize with. She’s horribly overly sexu-alized. Yet, and I’m well aware of the fact that this is an unpopular opinion, I still prefer her to the new Lara coming out this year.

Square Enix’s goal was to bring forth a

Lara Croft that was new to adventure, still innocent and not as morally bankrupt as her older self. This Lara did not lose her mother to a plane crash, though she is thrown into a similar survival situation - she ends up shipwrecked on an island.

I was all on board, ready to embrace a Lara with flaws and feelings that don’t consist entirely of needing to punch puppies in the face. This immediately came screeching to a halt at the sight of the gameplay trailer. Other than having a terribly grating ‘British’ (in the loosest term) accent, Lara was also brutalized pretty badly. In no particular order, she was:

- Kidnapped.- Having an emotional breakdown as

she was forced to kill a deer for food.- Attacked by wolves.- Kidnapped again.- Falling down and bleeding all over the

place.- Getting shot at, falling, then bleeding all

over the place.- Crying for the male characters to come

and rescue her.

- Yeah, she falls more than Commander Shepard does in Mass Effect 3.

There’s a difference between making a character vulnerable and making a character that basically just goes through torture. It confuses me that so many people are aboard with this transformation after the Metroid: Other M debacle which did pretty much the exact same thing to poor Samus and effec-tively killed the Metroid series.

Is it because Tomb Raider is a more

mature series? Does mature have to involve lots of blood and crying in order to be a good game? Was Lara such a terrible person that this is karma for all the horrible things she did in her former life?

I was never a fan of Lara Croft or anything she did, but does this redesign re-ally fix anything? The fact that this is getting such positive feedback worries me for the future of both female characters and future reboots. I’m not exactly concerned about whether it’s going to be a good game - the gameplay looks solid enough, at least - but I don’t personally know if I can stomach going through it if the entire game is Lara being horribly mauled. It’s kind of a justified worry when all of the promotional art shows her bleeding and having to patch up her wounds (or her falling off of things in a lot of released screenshots).

I’m going to give Tomb Raider a pass for now, but the gameplay looks solid at least. If you don’t mind everything that I listed above, or even think it’s refreshing for the character, I recommend checking it out.

Lara Croft : Just About Getting By In Gamer’s World


alex Crowder

http://turntherightcorner.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/tomb-raider-reboot-delayed-2013.jpg?w=500&h=263

ROYALS FOOtBALL WeIgHt tRAInIng

MOnDAY - tHURSDAY 3 PM tO 5 PM

MOnDAY - WeDneSDAY 10tH - 12tH gRADeRS

tUeSDAY - 9tH gRADeRStHURSDAYeVeRYOne

PHOTOGallery20 | ThE ROYaL NEWS | FRiDaY 2.15.13

>LEFT: Junior Devan Rose drives past a pair of Colonial heights defenders to get to the paint. Rose put up three of the Royals’ 88 points on Fri., Feb. 1. all photos by Blier Smith.

Boys Basketball

>aBOVE: Senior alex Tur-pin stretches for a rebound against a Colonial heights de-fender. The Royals won this game 88 to 68.

>RiGhT: Senior Malik alexander drives around a Colonial heights de-fender in an attempt to score for the Royals. his effort along with many others helped contribute to the Royals victory.

>BELOW: Junior Brian Fullman crash-es the board to rip down a rebound. Fullman contributed seven points to the Royals win against the Colonials.

vs. Colonial Heights 2/1/13

Super:William Havard

Tracey SmallwoodJohn Jones

Sue SeayStephanie Bishop

Albin and Jeanine Majewski

CrimeSolversPatrick DunfordRobert Shumar

Rock Church of Petersburg

Jesse MacLellandJoyce Marshall

Master’s & Sons PlumbingQuality First Carpet Cleaning

Childress Family

Thank You Patrons! Roscoe JonesKim Carneal

Louise ThorntonJohn Pelter

Stream TeamTim and Janet Schwalm

Deran Smith and Angela PollardJohn Seay Sr.Harold Pugh

The Wettstein’sVickie Cosgrove

S.B. JonesThe McCoy Family

Pamela AlleyDaryl Phillips

Marcia EdmundsonMrs. SimmonsCathy Dancy

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Lisa CarrierBrian TaylorLisa Taylor

WHBCBarbara Shumar

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Sarah DiazCalled to Worship & Praise Center

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Gold:Abria Humphries

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Patron:


“Good luck Girls Soccer!”

Best Wishes,JAAAT


Contact Us:

Be sure to visit us before Prom!

Be sure to visit us before Prom!

A s a four year old in

kindergarten, senior

and center midfielder

Dallas Smith devel-

oped her lasting pas-

sion for soccer.

“It’s what I en-

joy most, if I’m

bored I just go out and play soccer. It’s just

what makes me happy,” Smith said.

Anyone who had seen her playing those

many days in the yard could notice the joy she

had when playing, but no one could have fore-

seen her future as one of the select girls chosen

to become a member of the Virginia Common-

wealth University girls’ soccer team.

It all started when Smith was spotted by a

recruiter at a soccer showcase event in Orlando,

Florida.

“[VCU] emailed me after they saw me play at

the Disney Showcase in Orlando and they invited

me for an unofficial visit,” Smith said.

The recruiting process puts butterflies in the

stomachs of athletes. and it was no different with

Smith, even after playing well in the showcase.

“It was nerve-racking because it is hard to

decide where to spend the next four years,” Smith

said.

The decision was not an easy one to make,

but with some inspiration from her travel soccer

coach and the girls on her travel team, the choice

was clear.

“Because my travel team is so family ori-

ented I was looking for somewhere close.” Smith

said. “The coaches were really nice and they

wanted to build a personal relationship.”

Smith feels “privileged” and “excited” when

she thinks of the magical moment in which she

will adorn a VCU Ram along the front of her jer-

sey for the very first time, but not for one second

is she underestimating the amount of talent she

will face in the college league.

“[College soccer] is extremely competitive,

everyone’s at the same level,” Smith said.

The challenges of transitioning from high

school to college sports has eaten many sports

prodigies alive, but Smith understands how hard

she has to work to be successful.

“I have to give 110% and work harder than I

have before because I’m surrounded by such tal-

ent,” Smith said.

Success can be hard to find on your first try,

so Smith has made her goals more personal.

“To become a better soccer player, to get

playing time, to grow close with the team, and

become a better person,” Smith said.

While the countdown to that first game on

Sports Backers Stadium is present in Smith’s

mind. This joyous thought is often replaced with

a sad one, the fact that this will be Smith’s last year

on the Royals’ soccer team.

“I’m sad, we’re a lot different from any other

high school, we do everything together and I’m

going to miss Mr. Warren,” Smith said.

The notion of leaving the people you call a

second family can be tough, but Smith is comfort-

ed by what she feels will be her lasting impres-

sion on Prince George soccer.

“Just knowing that I helped the team and we

played as a team, I don’t want to stand out as just

me I want to know we learned to play as a team,”

Smith said.

The love for soccer Smith possesses has

helped her become successful in high school,

and is aiding in getting the opportunity to play

in college, but she has no aspiration to go to the

pros.

“After college I want to do something in the

field of sports,” Smith said. “I want to major in nu-

trition and fitness.”

Devan Fishburne

trn writer

SPRINGSportS

Senior Dallas Smith signs her letter of intent to play with the VCu Rams in the

fall. Smith signed on National Signing Day, Wed., Feb. 6. Photo by Kristen

Schwalm.

SENiOR SPOTLiGhTTrevor Hargrave

Wrestling

When did you first start wrestling? Why?“In eighth grade because my cousins did it, so I tried out and I wanted to try something new. I thought I would be good at it.”

What inspired you to wrestle? “I used to watch WWE and UFC when I was a little kid.”

What is your favorite thing about wrestling?“I like showing a sense of domi-nance and skills. It is also a huge stress reliever.”

What was your favorite match?“When I went to a tournament at Franklin High this year, there was double overtime, and my shoes were half-ripped off. I had the will to keep going that helped me win the match.”

What do you do to train for wrestling season?“I play football, do P90X, yoga, weights, lift, run, and stay away from fatty foods.”

Where did you place at dis-tricts?“I placed third in my weight divi-sion.”


Senior Dallas Smith continues soccer ca-reer with VCU Rams

Visit www.trnsports.org to view the latest sports photo galleries.

Smith SignsContract

UPCOMING TRyOUTS

Sophomore Ariel Stephenson Ranked

Girls soccer tryouts will be held starting Mon., Feb. 18 for high school students. Junior high tryouts will begin Tues., Feb. 19.

Boys soccer tryouts will begin Mon., Feb. 18 at 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the PGhS gym. Feb. 19-22 tryouts will continue at the PG Ed Center from 3-5 p.m.

Girls softball tryouts will be held beginning on Tues., Feb. 19 and will continue through Fri., Feb. 22.

Dribbling down the court, sophomore Ariel Ste-phenson looks for an open lane to take the ball to the hoop. Stephenson has been ranked on the 2015 HoopGurlz Recruit-ing

Rankings- Terrific 25, ESPN’s list of the 25 high-est ranked sophomores in the entire country.

Stephenson plays on the varsity team as a guard. She is 16 years old and is 5’10. Stephen-son has been playing basketball since she was an infant. She has been on the varsity team since she was a freshman.

“The first time I played I was four,” Stephen-son said. “It was in a recreation league in Pe-tersburg.”

The rankings were released on Jan. 24, 2013. Stephenson was proud of herself when she found out she was ranked number 25.

“At first it was exciting, but ultimately I am still the same person I was two weeks ago,” Stephenson said. “Being ranked does not really mean anything, it is just a number.”

Although this ranking is a major accom-plishment, Stephenson still continues to push herself to do better and work as hard as she al-ways has.

“Being ranked number 25 does not make me work any harder,” said Stephenson. “I am always working hard, and honestly, 25th is not enough.”

By saying 25th is not enough, Stephenson plans to continue to work hard to better her rank.

“To get a better rank, I work hard everyday,” said Stephenson. “I do not take breaks. I keep a good mentality.”

Stephenson’s teammates and coaches are very proud of her and continue to push her to do better on and off the court.

“Playing with Ariel is really fun, she’s really humble and she encourages us all to do better,”

senior Tayla Smith said. “It is defiantly cool to say that I played with her.”

Stephenson is a natural leader on the court. She helps her teammates whenever they need it.

“Ariel gives us direction and she encour-ages us to do better as a team and individually,” Smith said.

Stephenson is inspired by everyone who has helped her along the way,

“I am inspired by my teammates,” said Ste-phenson. “I look up to Lebron and the memory of my dad’s inspiration.”

The following was Stephenson’s player evaluation from the AAU Nationals- July 11.

[She] is a slight framed guard who plays the game with a lot of energy. [She] finishes with either hand and likes to attack off the bounce. [She] thrives in an uptempo style of play. [She] was really good here as she showed the ability to score the ball in both the half court as well as in transition. [She] plays with toughness you just don’t normally find in players her age.”

Head Coach Billy Gray is proud to have the honor to coach such an exceptional athlete.

“Ariel works harder than any player I have ever coached,”Head coach Billy Gray said in a phone interview. “She is a pleasure to be around and she is a great young lady.”

Stephenson is extremely proud of herself and all of the accomplishments she has achieved in her lifetime. She plans on continuing to play basketball and to see where it will take her in the future. She is thankful for everyone that has helped and encouraged her along the way.

“I would not be here without my teammates and my coaches,” said Stephenson.“ They have helped me tremendously.”

Kristen Schwalm

sports editor

Sophomore ariel Stephenson receives her award at the pep rally on Fri., Feb. 1. Stephenson was ranked number 25 on

the ESPN’s list of the top 25 girls basket-ball players that are sophomores.

Photo by Genevieve Perez.

february 2013

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