the northridge reporter march 2015
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The student voice of Northridge High School Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35406TRANSCRIPT
THE NORTHRIDGE
EST. 2003
The student voice of Northridge High SchoolMARCH 13, 2015 VOLUME 12 ISSUE 6
REPORTERNorthridge High School2901 Northridge RoadTuscaloosa, Alabama 35406
www.northridgereporter.wordpress.com
AT A GLANCE
SPECIAL FEATURE SOCCER
pages 6-7
page 11
DESTINY HODGESNEWS EDITOR
In celebration of Black History Month, the American Spiritual Ensemble,
a professional group that sings dynamic renditions of classical spirituals and Broadway numbers, performed in the auditorium on Feb. 19.
Mary Harmon Moman, the granddaughter of Paul “Bear” Bryant, was the school’s connection for the American Spiritual Ensemble.
Dr. Everett McCorvey, the founder and director of the American Spiritual Ensemble, said spirituals are the folk songs that slaves sang in the fields.
“[Slaves] created rhythmic songs to help get them through the work day and to sooth the pain of beatings and unbearable labor,” McCorvey said.
He said that in the Civil Rights Movement, the songs were sung because they gave the people strength and hope.
“Martin Luther King was a lover of spirituals and his wife, Coretta Scott King, was a singer as well,” McCorvey said. “Martin Luther King used the text from spirituals in his sermons and speeches.”
He said Rev. Joseph Lowery’s speech at the end of the first Obama inauguration
contained texts from spirituals, hymns and the Negro National Anthem.
“If you are not aware of spirituals, you wouldn’t know that he was quoting texts from songs that brought African-American people through a difficult time in their history all the way to inaugurating the nation’s first African-American president,” McCorvey said.
He said he organized the American Spiritual Ensemble because he felt that the American Negro spiritual and its importance to our culture was being lost.
“These songs have a very special meaning to me, and I want to make sure that the young people celebrate these songs,” McCorvey said.
He grew up in Montgomery, Alabama where his father was the deacon at a church where Ralph Abernathy, a leader of the Civil Rights Movement,
was the pastor. Martin Luther King lived “around the corner” from his house.
“We can learn a lot through slavery, through the Civil Rights Movement and even the celebration of the first black president,” McCorvey said. “Spirituals played a part in all of these movements.”
McCorvey said from spirituals grew many musical genres.
“Jazz, blues, gospel, pop, and Broadway
all come from spirituals,” he said. “I want to make sure the [African-American students] can celebrate the fact that the music of their ancestors played such an important part in American musical theatre.”
Junior Ebone Tucker said the American Spiritual Ensemble captured Black History month in a positive way.
“Yeah, they told us about the hard times African-Americans went through, but they also told us how they got through it. How
they lifted each other up with spirituals,” Tucker said.
Darren Spence, Dean of Students, said the American Spiritual Ensemble made him reflect.
“I’m a little older, and I am very cognitive of the civil rights movement,” Spence said. “I grew up singing some of the [spirituals] in church.”
Spence bought a copy of the documentary and of the American Spiritual Ensemble’s concert.
Rezoning considered for overcrowding problem
Spiritual choir performs for Black History Month celebration
SING IT Fred Bates, junior, is invited onstage to conduct the American Spiritual Ensemble by its director, Dr. Everett McCorvey, during a performance at school on Feb. 19.
Photo by Ragan Ferguson
MAYCI HARTLEYSTAFF WRITER
Northridge has roughly 1,380 students, Bryant has roughly 855, and Central has roughly 650.
Dr. Paul McKendrick, superintendent, said the school board has looked at how populated the schools are and how the schools can be made more efficient for more students.
“We are going to try and make these numbers make more sense. If we were going to rezone for Northridge, we do NOT know who would be moved,” McKendrick said.
McKendrick said that rezoning is not the only option.“There are multiple ways to fix overcrowding,
including adding onto buildings, building new buildings, consolidating buildings, changing the grade levels at buildings and if needed rezoning,” McKendrick said.
He said people have brought rumors to him, and none of them have been true.
“The rumors of us doing anything right now are not true. We will not know what is going to happen until the demographic study is done in May,” he said.
“If we are to rezone, I think we will allow students to stay where they are for one year, especially juniors,” McKendrick said. “You will not be able to stay at a school because of sports.”
McKendrick said when doing this, one has to think of what will happen after.
“If you think of this like a boat in a river, everything that the boat touches has a ripple effect. We don’t want to affect the river too much,” Dr. McKendrick said.
McKendrick said the community is a big part of what is decided.
“You don’t want to change the schools so much that you don’t have the support of the community,” he said.
Counselor Kenneth Smothers disagreed with the idea of rezoning.
“If the schools are rezoned, you will be dealing with a racial imbalance,” he said. “We don’t need to rezone; we need to stop busing students in who live closer to Bryant or Central [High School].”
The city school system is doing a demographic study during this school year. It will end in late April or early May.
London Bailey, sophomore, said she would “hate” to move.
“We are used to the way they teach here and would have to get used to the way they teach at different schools. We would also have to make new friends,” she said
Deilo Richardson, freshman, said he would want to stay but would do whatever was decided upon.
“I think the schools are perfectly fine and don’t need to be changed,” Delio said.
‘SWING LOW, SWEET CHARIOT’
DRUGS
It was kind of a social experiment for me...They were like, ‘I’m on top of the world,’ and I’m like, ‘Okay, well, what is that feeling?’
“ “
ANONYMOUS SENIOR
See story on PAGE 6
These songs have a very special meaning to me, and I want to make sure that the young people celebrate
these songs.
“ “
DR. EVERETT McCORVEY, DIRECTOR, AMERICAN SPIRITUAL ENSEMBLE
Journalist of the Year 2013 • Bailey Thomson Award for Editorial Writing 2013 • Rick Bragg Feature Writing Award 2009 • Pacemaker Finalist 2014 • NSPA 6th Place Best of Show 2013 • NSPA 5th Place Best of Show 2012 • NSPA 1st Place Best of Show 2011 • NSPA 5th Place Best of Show 2008 • NSPA 8th Place Best of Show 2008 • NSPA 9th Place Best of Show 2006 • CSPA Gold Medalist 2005-2013 • SIPA All-Southern 2003, 2005–2012 • ASPA All-Alabama 2003–2013
• NSPA All-American 2004, 2008, 2011 • Best SIPA Newspaper in Alabama 2003–2007 • NSPA News Story of the Year 2005, 2014 • NSPA Cartoon of the Year 2014 • SIPA First Place News Story 2007• SIPA First Place Review 2009
Northridge High School • 2901 Northridge Road • Tuscaloosa, AL 35406 • (205) 759-3734 ext. 295 *Denotes state, regional and national award winners
The opinions in The Northridge Reporter are those of the students and not of the faculty or administration of Northridge High School or the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education.
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THE REPORTERNORTHRIDGE
est. 2003
The student voice of Northridge High School
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OUR THOUGHTS
AGREE 13ABSTAINED 2
Drug offenses merit real punishment
2 THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERMARCH 13, 2015OPINION
The drug use among students poses a serious threat to the health, well-being and safety of the student body.
It has been shown repeatedly that students who engage in regular drug use may experience significant mental or physical issues not just during their teenage years but throughout their lives. Drug use furthermore causes social estrangement from the majority who do not engage in this ‘risky behavior,’ as well as ever-increasing dependence on a mind- or body-altering substance.
Although it is highly difficult, if not impossible, for the school to halt individual drug use, it is possible to place restrictions on students using drugs while in school.
For instance, the drug testing program which has been discussed since September of 2013, and will hopefully be implemented this month, promises to guarantee a level of safety among students, as well as greater fairness in athletic and other extracurricular activities. Counselors, too, are available for students who are trapped in a spiral of dependency and addiction and desire to break out of it. Several rehabilitation centers, such as Bradford Health Services, are more than willing to help students overcome their self-destructive behaviors.
However, not all students will be willing to remove themselves from drugs. They will cite enjoyment of using the drug, the rush of getting ‘high’ and the need to have an emotional boost, whether to complete a test or simply get through the day.
This is why The Northridge Reporter believes that if drug paraphernalia is discovered on students at school, the student’s punishment should more adequately reflect the criminal offense that it is, rather than a Class III violation punishable by merely a hearing at the school board. If our school is to remain a ‘zero tolerance’ area for drugs and alcohol, every measure should be taken to ensure that such substances are kept off-campus, and students understand that possession of drugs and alcohol while on campus is not merely a code violation they can flaunt—it is a breach of the law with serious consequences, and with good reason.
As someone who is not fond of cold weather, starting my soccer season
right in the middle of the winter is not fun.
Practices in thirty degree weather are frequent, hands are always numb or aching from frostbite so gloves are a necessity. To play a spring sport one must be very prepared to endure the cold, wind chill included.
However, there is a promised land: March.
March is the most beautiful month of a spring athlete’s year because instead of it being forty by practice time it’s now sixty.
During March the wind starts to disappear, the sun breaks through the clouds and everyone can take off their gloves and toboggans and relax in a T-shirt and shorts.
I have already had one game rescheduled because of cold weather. The high was in
the thirties, and I will admit it would have been pretty miserable to play that game in such cold temperatures.
On Feb. 27, I played a game in Vestavia at an utterly freezing thirty degrees. I had to wear three layers of clothes just to keep from getting hypothermia, let alone stay warm.
As we move into March, temperatures are warmer, but more unpredictable.
During the first week of March, on Tuesday it was seventy degrees, and on Thursday it was about forty.
Alabama loves to throw curveballs at spring athletes, and as a player who has afterschool practice, I must
check the weather every day to make sure I’m prepared to take on either the freezing cold, or scorching heat.
It all depends on what Alabama weather wants to throw on the table.
JORDAN HUTCHINSON • SPORTS EDITOR
Athletes have grueling winter, merry March
Recent winter weather events have caused several two hour delays,
allowing students to sleep in later. A later start time, however, has many more positive benefits than just extra sleep.
As children age into adolescence, their circadian sleep rhythms (the 24 hour body clock) progress later into the day.
Teenagers’ bodies release melatonin, the hormone that tells the body to sleep, from around 11:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Schools that start at 8:00 a.m. or earlier force students to wake up during their sleep cycle, which makes getting out of bed an extremely unpleasant experience instead of a natural awakening.
JACOB MARTIN • COPY EDITOR
Sleep deprivation in high school becomes a habit for students, and it can be one that doesn’t go away as they age into adulthood.
Sleep deprivation has horrible long term effects, such as heart disease, increased risk of mortality, and accelerated aging. While students themselves are at fault for developing a habit of sacrificing sleep for other activities, an early school start exacerbates the problem.
The benefits of a later start are numerous. Students who sleep enough are less tired and more attentive during morning classes.
They perform better academically. The rates of obesity, major depressive disorder
and automobile crashes are all lower amongst students who go to schools that start at 8:30 a.m. or later.
After-school activities are often cited as a reason to not delay the start times of school. If school started an hour later, students would have to start their activities later. However, this type of thinking disregards the purpose of school itself. If after-school activities are weighted above students’ learning, the education system has failed its purpose.
An early start time is not the only reason for students’ lack of sleep. Electronic devices emit blue light, which mimics daylight
when it signals to the body that it is not time to sleep, and widespread consumption of caffeinated beverages leaves teenagers awake late into the night.
It is possible to achieve the recommended amount of sleep with a start time of 8:00 a.m. (I sleep eight to nine hours most nights), but it is certainly harder or nearly impossible to attain it when one has to juggle academics, sports and other extracurricular activities, all while dealing with a later sleep cycle.
If the school system wishes to improve students’ education and health, a later start time should be implemented.
Later start times imperative for student health and success
Alabama loves to throw curveballs
at spring athletes... I’m prepared to
take on freezing cold or scorching
heat.
“
“
While students themselves are at fault for developing a habit of sacrificing sleep for other activities, an early school start exacerbates
the problem.“ “
THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERMARCH 13, 2015 3OPINION
It’s ugly - made of metal and painted silver. It’s painful - digs into your
underarm and creates blisters on your hands. But worst of all, it’s noticeable - drawing attention like an elephant in a room. It’s a pair of standard, hospital crutches, and I’m stuck using them for the foreseeable future.
It begins a dumb mistake on my part. I didn’t look when I should have. I crossed the street when I shouldn’t have, and a car hit me that would not have if only I would have done what I was supposed to do.
But I didn’t, and the next thing I knew, there were shouting, crying and sirens. The firefighters came first, though I have no clue why, considering there was no fire nor cat needing saving. Next were the police officers and, then, after a while, the paramedics. Questions were asked, my leg was wrapped, and I was taken away in an ambulance.
At the hospital, after a lot of waiting (three hours’ worth of it), the bad news was given. My leg was fractured at the lower left tibia. A splint was needed until further examination from an orthopedic (in layman’s terms: bone doctor).
They wrapped my leg in some type of cloth. They wet some clay like strips and put them along the sides and back of my injured leg. I asked what it was made of. They said they did not know. I would’ve questioned the integrity of the hospital if not for the burning sensation coming from the newly put on splint.
Stay off your feet, they said. Put an icepack on your splint, they said. And if you must walk, use your crutches, they said.
I’ve used crutches before. It was for a few minutes in anatomy class for a project. I fell then, and I have no hope of not doing the same thing now. It’s unfortunate, but my center of gravity was never that great.
At first, the crutches felt fine. I only tripped a few times (ten or eleven, but who’s counting). No one stared at me (probably because I was in a hospital), and I thought it looked pretty cool (I think I need my eyes checked).
It was the Sunday after the unfortunate events that I truly learned what I was in for.
I go to the library every Sunday, and afterward, I go to the store. A broken leg will not stop me, I had told my mom.
So, I clumped into the library. Everyone stared. They stared at my leg (the broken one), and they stared at my crutches. Slowly, because there is no other way to walk with crutches, I made my way to the DVDs aisle. With every step, I emitted a clunking sound. Step, clunk, step, clunk.
I tried to ignore the spectacle I was making of myself, but who could really ignore that?
My hands started to hurt when I arrived
at the store. They were red and sort of puffy. I persevered. Half way through shopping, my underarms started to hurt as well. My one good leg started to hurt as well.
I got more exercise from that one shopping trip than I usually get in a month. Who knows, maybe I’ll actually have some muscle by the time this whole ordeal is over.
Crutches are a horrible, horrible, invention. They make you support your
whole weight, along with the cast, with every step. The rubber causes friction burns and eventually, blisters or rashes. And it takes ten times the energy it usually takes to make your way across the room.
Did I mention you can’t hold anything with them? You really can’t. Trust me, I’ve tried, and the result was terribly painful (not to mention the poor food).
Crutches should be more comfortable if they (the person who makes them) expect people to use them for a long period of time. Crutches should be more appealing, if not less noticeable. The cast draws enough attention; we don’t need the crutches to draw even more.
But the most horrible thing is I have school.
I’ll take a wheelchair any day, thank you. At least with that, I can carry stuff.
Crutches uncomfortable, very unappealing
Art by Jessica Ballard
MYCHI TRAN • NEWS EDITOR
I tried to ignore the spectacle I was making of myself,
but who could really ignore that?
“
“
Photo by Mayci Hartley
When would YOU like school to start and end?
Information compiled by John Mark McClelland and Bert McLelland
Infographic designed by Kathryn Versace102 students polled
It’s unfortunate, but my center of gravity was never
that great.
““
FIGHTING THE PAIN News Editor Mychi Tran, sophomore, must endure crutches, after being struck by a car. Even in her hard-ship, she finds room for creativity: her toenails and her cast are a matching shade of purple. She has tied her purse to one of her crutches.
4 THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERMARCH 13, 2014NEWS
TUG OF WAR Senior Lee Wicks moves the car placed in honor of Adam Johnson, son of math teacher Scott Johnson. Fred Mobley, senior, made arangements for the car to be brought to this spot. Wennetta Stallworth, security, said the car was a safety hazard. The car left on March 10.
Photo by Jacob Martin
KATHRYN VERSACEINFOGRAPHICS EDITOR
The car placed near the marquee, in honor of Adam Johnson, son of math teacher Scott Johnson, had to be moved.
Wennetta Stallworth, security, said, “I admit I was the one who asked for it to be moved.”
Stallworth was leaving the parking lot while making a left turn when she noticed the wrecked automobile.
“I was at the stop sign, and I was like ‘I can’t see past that red car.’ Somebody was gonna hit me,” Stallworth said. “I was concerned about the safety of others, also.”
SGA member, Fred Mobley, was in charge of organizing the arrival of the car.
“We got it from Fred Robertson Towing. They have a program where you can call them, and they give you a car,” Mobley said. “Mrs. Stallworth had been talking to officer Darley, and it needed to be moved.”
After getting word that the car was considered a safety hazard to students, SGA took it upon themselves to adjust the car’s current position.
“It was hard to get Fred Robertson Towing here in the first place, so we decided we could just wench it over,” Mobley said.
Jarrod Worley, SGA member, said, motioning to outside the fine arts hallway, “It was just moved 20 feet back. A kid in SGA had a hitch on his truck and moved it.”
“That kid” was senior Lee Wicks who with the help of Fred Mobley moved the car.
Wicks said they moved the car themselves because a cop told them to.
“The cop said it was blocking the line of sight. It only took about twenty minutes to move it,” Wicks said.
After the car was moved, the marquee read: “THINK BEFORE MAKING A FATAL MISTAKE.”
On March 10, the car was removed by Fred Robertson Towing.
Mobley said the car was moved because Kyle Ferguson, principal, asked about it.
Mobley said he thinks the car had an affect on the students.
“I think it touched a lot of kids and made them realize what could happen,” he said.
Wrecked car moved one final time
in brief
Prom dress sale held
Yoga class raises money for third world countries
CARTER LOVESTAFF WRITER
Brenda Gibson’s career preparation class did not expect the long morning that was to come. After waking up at 4 a.m. to get to the school at 5:30 a.m., the students got to the classroom not expecting that their bus for their field trip was nowhere to be found.
Tyler Salekin, freshman career prep student, said they had been sitting in the room since they arrived.
“We’ve been sitting here, literally, since 5:30 [a.m.],” Salekin said.
Kalayshia Spencer, freshman career prep student, said the bus was five hours late.
“We were trying to get into contact with them, and they finally answered at like 8:30 [a.m.],” Spencer said.
Emma Fisher, freshman career prep student, said she was starving because she had not had a big breakfast.
Field trip delayedfive hours, bus late
SUJITHA PERAMSETTYASSISTANT COPY EDITOR
Girls Learn International, a club that raises awareness for girl’s education in third world countries, held its annual fundraiser at Yoga Bliss on Feb. 28.
Emma Bradford, sophomore club member, said the club held two fundraisers: a cake raffle and a yoga class.
“People could buy a [cake raffle] ticket for a dollar,” she said. “[For the yoga class fundraiser] several people …donated ten dollars or more to take the class.”
Sophomore Katie Tindol, president, said the goal was to raise $500.
“We raised $180 through the raffle sale. Right now, we’re at exactly $480. The donation box is at Yoga Bliss until Saturday, so we will have more,” she said. “The money goes towards expenses like tuition… and school supplies since girls schools are not provided with any types of government funding in countries such as Sierra Leone, Ghana, India, Afghanistan and so on.”
Bradford said the club tries to educate people about gender equality problems.
CARTER LOVE STAFF WRITER
The “3-30” policy has taken a large toll on fights. The number of fights have decreased greatly.
Principal Kyle Ferguson’s new rule seems to be working as expected, and students fear the dreaded three days of suspension and 30 days of In-School Isolation. Ferguson said he has seen a drastic decrease in fights this year.
“Last school year, we had 200 incidents of violence, during the first semester; this year, we had four. They happen very
seldom,” Ferguson said. “We’ve maybe had three since we’ve been back from break.”
Shane Ahscraft, English teacher, said it was not rare for him to break up two or so fights a week last year or the year before. This year, he has only had to get involved in one.
“I think Mr. Ferguson’s stance on fighting as a whole has done a lot to decrease it,” Ashcraft said. “He’s not going to tolerate it.”
Mustafa Khaleel, senior, sees the effects of the policy and the school’s new leadership.
“He’s a lot more strict than our other principal; he did change a lot,” Khaleel said.
FIGHTS DECREASEFerguson’s ‘3-30’ policy makes students think twice before getting into a fight
SUJITHA PERAMSETTYASSISTANT COPY EDITOR
House of Prom, an annual sale of inexpensive prom dresses, was held on March 7 at Midtown Village Suite #106.
Brenda Harris founded Tuscaloosa Prom Closet which is an organization that collects dresses for the sale.
Harris said the sale went great. “We raised over $3200 in just four
hours for Turning Point,” she said. “That was over 320 dresses at $10 per dress.”
All proceeds went to Turning Point, an organization that helps victims of domestic violence and assault.
Senior Nicoletta Versace attended the sale and found a dress.
“We got there an hour early but still had to wait an hour,” she said. “It took forever, but it was worth it. It was organized by size and color, so it was easy to find.”
Harris said they plan to have the sale again in 2016 about two weeks before Spring Break.
“The date will not be decided until maybe early February 2016,” she said. “We will continually solicit dress donations throughout the year.”
Illustration by Mychi Tran
THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERMARCH 13, 2014 5NEWS
Seniors have nine weeks left of high school
DESTINY HODGESNEWS EDITOR
In celebration of Career and Technical Month, Career Preparedness teacher Brenda Gibson organized the Reality Check Program.
Gibson said the Reality Check Program was an opportunity for students to be introduced to real world situations.
“The Reality Check Program is an instructional activity for students to learn about financial literacy,” Gibson said. “It should cause students to start planning for their financial goals and their educational and career goals.”
The Program took place in the library. Students who participated in the activity were given jobs with monthly and yearly salaries, a level of education, spouses and children.
Stations such as education, realty, daycare, insurance, taxes, automotive and utilities were set up to give the participants a real life experience.
Marie Harris, Alabama Cooperative Extension agent of Consumer Science and Personal Financial Management, introduced students to the activity and helped Gibson set up stations.
In the activity, freshman Sarah Turner was a registered nurse and a single mother to a three year old girl. She had a yearly salary of $34,024 and a monthly salary of $2,835.
Turner said she decided to buy a car instead of buying a bus pass at the automotive station.
“If I had a bus pass, the bus doesn’t run at night, and I couldn’t take [my daughter] to the hospital at night if she got sick,” she said.
Natashia Szulczewski, freshman, was an insurance agent, who made a yearly salary of $29,839 and a monthly salary of $1,966 after taxes were deducted. She was a single mother of a six month old boy.
Szulczewski said at the realty station, she rented an apartment.
“I needed a place to live, and I didn’t have enough money for a house,” she said.
Lynette Clark, a commercial lender at First US Bank, managed the RC Daycare station. She provided daycare services to participants who had children.
Clark said the Reality Check Program was an actual reality check.
“[Students] will see what the real world is about. They have to choose between what they want and what they need,” Clark said.
Publix Assistant Grocery Manager Terry Greene conducted the Super-Market station. He helped participants shop for groceries.
Greene said he wanted students to know how to live on less than you make.
“The cost of living is pretty high, and you can only spend your money one time,” Greene said. “If you don’t have a plan for your money, you’re certain to fail. Give every dollar a designation.”
Shamorrow Brown, assistant branch manager of Woodforest National Bank, managed the Realville Bank station along with her colleagues Charity Ellis, retail
banker, and Jason Ritchey, branch manager.
Brown said they think the Reality Check Program is a good program to help young kids know that there is responsibility and repercussion.
“To make a sound decision, you have to look at all aspects of the pros and cons,” Ritchey said. “You have to weigh the options.”
Director of Secondary Education Robert Coates said he thinks the Reality Check Program is an opportunity for kids to have a reality check.
“Every day I deal with students who make good choices and students who make bad choices. Some drop out, and they realize there is nothing for drop outs to drop into,” Coates said. “Life offers a lot of choices, and you have to be responsible in the decisions that you make.”
Gibson said she thought the Reality Check Program would surprise students.
“I think sometimes students don’t realize, as far as finance, what their parents have to do to take care of them,” she said. “This may be a surprise to students that parents have to commit and make financial sacrifices to support their family.”
Freshman Tristan Collins said he learned that he needed to save money better.
“I was in debt $200,” Collins said.Demoyene Jennings, freshman, said he
enjoyed the activity and feels prepared for the future.
“It was hands on. It gave me an idea of how my parents are when they pay bills and complain a lot,” he said.
Reality Check Program prepares students for life after high school
CHECK Brenda Gibson’s students participate in the Reality Check Program. From top to bottom: Freshmen Adante Johnson and Jakyla Cameron look for their next station. Daryl LeAnn Wilson, TCS career coach, helps students find the right car. Freshmen Natashia Szu-lczewski and Kendra Holifield pay for their utilities. Terry Greene, Publix Assistant Grocery Manager, talks to Brenda Gibson as he helps freshman Avery Hester and junior Anna Katherine Tucker with their groceries.
Photos by Destiny Hodges
DESTINY HODGESNEWS EDITOR
For senior Mike Lee, second semester is a fresh start and a chance to improve.
“I plan to enjoy and appreciate my last semester by showing school spirit,” he said.
He said his only jitters are of the graduation ceremony.
“I’m afraid of falling on stage,” Lee said. “Failure is not an option, and I can’t let my fears get in the way.”
Zaahria Deboise, senior, said, she would describe second semester as long, boring and stressful.
“I’m ready to graduate and be done with high school,” Deboise said.
Kathleen Bradford, twelfth grade counselor, said she thinks seniors should be more concerned in second semester.
“I believe students catch senioritis extremely bad in the spring,” Bradford said.
“They haven’t finished yet. They haven’t walked across that graduation stage, and by not caring they’re jeopardizing their chances of [graduating].”
Senior Mary-Elisabeth Tucker said she would describe her second semester as fun, somewhat difficult and challenging.
“It’s fun because I’m closer to graduating, and better things are happening for me,” Tucker said. “It’s difficult and challenging because the work gets harder, and there are more obstacles I have to face.”
Principal Kyle Ferguson said he is impressed with this year’s seniors.
“After coming back from the holidays, our seniors stayed focused on their priorities. They have their heads screwed on right,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson said he wants seniors to know that their days are getting real short.
“Everything [seniors] have prepared for up to this point is about to happen,” he said.
GET IT TOGETHER
““Live on less than you
make.
TERRY GREENE, PUBLIX ASSISTANT GROCERY
MANAGER
216 THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTER
MARCH 13, 2015FEATURE
BERT McLELLANDOPINION EDITOR
There was this house, a teenager’s house for a teenager’s party. Inside there was this guy, a really innocent guy, who had never touched a drug before in his life. But tonight he was at this house, ‘cause he came with this other guy.
“He probably wanted to fit in,” said a senior girl who was at that house. “He’d never smoked weed, never done drugs before. Then these guys were like ‘Try some of this.’”
“Ok,” said that innocent guy.“First he sat down,” said the
senior girl, “and he was like ‘I feel funny.’ Then all of a sudden he starts shaking his head back and forth uncontrollable, just freaking out, and he’s turning green.”
“People start asking him ‘are you ok? Do you want some water?’ And he’s just sitting there freaking out, sweating and really pale.”
Instead of fetching water, another teen produces a pouch of marijuana, “because if you smoke weed after synthetic marijuana, it kind of makes the feeling go away, of the synthetic,” the senior girl said.
“So they were like, ‘Take a hit of this,’ and then he got scared, ‘cause he thought they were offering him more spice, and he slapped the weed away.”
“He became like an animal,” the senior girl said, “throwing tables, throwing chairs and shouting ‘LEAVE ME ALONE!’ Then all of a sudden he sits down like nothing happened.”
“Everything in the room was destroyed, and he was like ‘What happened to this room?’”
“You did it,” they told him. “He looked down,” the senior
girl said, “and he said ‘I just came
back from Hell.’”“Then he walks outside and lays
down. He did not talk the rest of the night.”
The drug that boy was given was synthetic marijuana. The National Institute on Drug Abuse website describes it as an umbrella group of chemical concoctions designed to produce “experiences similar to marijuana” that are “marketed as ‘safe’ legal alternatives to that drug.”
Commonly called “spice,” synthetic marijuana is sold under a series of pseudonyms, like Gorrillaz, K2, Spice Silver, Spice Diamond, Spice Arctic Synergy and No More Mr. Nice Guy. (listed in a report by the European
Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction compiled on spice in 2010.)
Because spice is a very recent addition to the narcotics black market - according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, negative effects of spice have only been reported in America since 2009 - it is still widely sold over the counter in gas stations and online.
Principal Kyle Ferguson recalls encountering spice in a convenience store when he was still a principal in Thomasville.
“They used to be able to sell it legally,
under the guise of incense,” Ferguson said, “marked Not for Human Consumption.”
One day, Ferguson said, the clerk at a store directed his attention to a number of brightly colored packets, which Ferguson
described as looking “like candy.”“Hey,” the clerk said, “you need
to try this stuff in the purple package.”
“I just thought, ‘Wow,’” Ferguson said.
The nature of the clerks offer was clear: “He was sellin’ it to smoke, not as incense.”
Ferguson said he bought one pack of every kind of spice in the store, then took it to show his faculty.
As a result of a law passed in 2012 which Ferguson said he proposed through former state senator Marc Keahey, synthetic marijuana is now illegal to purchase or sell in the state of Alabama.
But the law, said Ferguson, is difficult to enforce.
“They’ll outlaw a certain combination, and [dealers] will throw somethin’ else in it.”
Erratic changes in the chemical composition of spice products make its effects extremely unpredictable.
HORROR STORIES: Synthetic marijuana more than just frightful experience, can cause irreversible damage
FADED
ALREADY KNEE-DEEP INTO THE DANGEROUS WATERS OF RECREATIONAL DRUGS, THE SENIOR AND TWO OF HIS CLASSMATES SAID MARIJUANA IS WHERE THEY STARTED, TOO.
A SECOND SENIOR said her drug habits started when she was introduced to marijuana as a freshman.
“I was in PE, and everyone was like, ‘We’re going to the tennis courts to smoke weed,’ so I was just like, ‘Okay, whatever, I guess that’s the cool thing to do now,’” she said. “So I went to the tennis court with those people, and then more people were smoking weed, so we just joined in with them. And then I went back to class.”
“...That’s where I started screwing up. It’s where I thought things were cool in high school. Now I’m a senior, and there’s consequences...,” she said.
She wasn’t experimenting with drugs alone. Upon forming a relationship with a third senior, the second senior said the couple began to dabble in a variety of drugs, moving from one substance to the other in order to avoid addiction.
“We’re, like, really open-minded, so we like try everything like once, but we’re not like addicts where we would do it more than once,” she said.
With her own mental and physical scars
to show, the second senior said that she
w o u l d
GATEWAY DRUG paves life of experimentation, substance abuse for THREE seniors
inhale it “as if you were inhaling a balloon full of helium.” The senior reached for his phone and looked the substance up, searching for an answer as to what it could do to him if he were to try it, too.
AP Psychology teacher Erin Baggett said that while they are legal and easily accessible, there are people who will buy aerosol-based products from “Office Depot” or “Walmart” just to huff them.
“Huffing is very serious to the point where it could lead to damaging brain cells,” she said. “…The high is very temporary, so a lot of times, you see people have maybe thirty minutes to an hour on the high, and then they’ll go back down and have to do it again.”
The only way the senior could describe the experience, he said, was “drowning, but painless.”
“It will put you on your a**. You just sit there, and you’re loopy. Some people drool... I sit there, and I just smile,” he said, expressionless. “Is it good? No. Not at all. I don’t even know if I think weed is good or not yet...”
not advise anyone to begin using drugs in such a manner because it can lead to not only health problems, but psychological problems as well.
“The minute you do it, you kinda, like, get this feeling of always wanting to feel better, or different,” she said. “Once you start feeling different, you’re not content with feeling sober all the time.”
“Yeah, it’s like, ‘I just wanna get high,’” the third senior said. “...There’s other things out there that you can have fun with than just doing something that will ruin your life.”
“Plus, it’s such a waste of money,” she said. “Like, you’ll buy a gram of weed for $20, and then you’ll smoke it, and then it’s gone.”
However independent of these drugs they may claim to be, the seniors have a particular hunch for prescription drug abuse when it comes to daily intake.
“I am on Adderall right now,” she said.
“Right now, I’m on antidepressants,” he said. “...I was prescribed for them, but, I kind of... wanted to get on it, ‘cause I love the medicine and all that, ‘cause it feels good.”
“But you need that,” she said to him.
“Not really...” he said back. “I’ve been taking it when I... want to.”
THE FIRST SENIOR, a relative newbie to the weed scene, said he just started smoking marijuana two months ago.
“If anything, you could say it was peer pressure,” he said. “My friends were doing it. I wanted to try it. It was kind of a social experiment for me, ‘cause I wanted to get to that place where people said they were always at. They were like, ‘I’m on top of the world,” and I’m like, “Okay, well, what is that feeling?”
It was marijuana, the senior said, that opened the door to another substance.
“I was going to pick up weed, and when I was at – of course – a sketchy apartment with sketchy high schoolers... they said, ‘Hey, we’re going to Walmart to get some Air Duster. Do you want to try it?’’ he said. “... and I was like, ‘I.... do not know what that is... maybe.’”
The senior did, in fact, go with these “sketchy high schoolers” to purchase the substance. He watched one of them lift up their shirts to their mouth, filter the substance through and deeply
REBECCA GRIESBACHMANAGING EDITOR
After consuming a cannabis confection concocted by his senior
classmate, a junior and self-proclaimed “drug virgin” took his first steps into the hallucinogenic world of weed.
“These were very very weak pot brownies,” the senior said coolly. “Typically, you have about three and a half grams per twelve brownies. I only put just under a gram.”
Already knee deep into the dangerous waters of recreational drugs, the senior and two of his classmates said marijuana is where they started, too.
“
IT’S NOT A GATEWAY DRUG, IT’S A DEAD END DRUG.
“KYLE FERGUSON, PRINCIPAL
“
STUDENT MARIJUANA USAGE
upon leaving middle school
Information from the National Institute on Drug AbuseInfographic designed by Rebecca Griesbach
3THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERMARCH 13, 2015 7FEATURE
“You might as well be smoking that garbage bag,” Ferguson said.
While the sale of spice may be banned in Alabama, it can be purchased without the slightest difficulty online. One website not blocked on school computers offers the listed synthetic marijuana product Yucatan Fire, which it describes as an “aromatic potpourri herbal blend with natural fruity essences.”
Though synthetic marijuana is designed to be a cannabis-like high, its effect on the body can be quite different from marijuana.
An anonymous sophomore who admitted to smoking weed said synthetic marijuana was “real bad” by contrast.
“That sh** can mess up your brain,” she said.
The aforementioned senior girl described an awful experience she once had after smoking what she now believes was synthetic marijuana.
“I would never touch synthetic
marijuana, ‘cause it has chemicals and stuff in it, [but] someone said it was weed.”
“I started having these dreams,” the senior said, “like things were making me mad.”
“I felt like I was in hell.”The senior said the spice caused
her to “tear all of the skin off [her] lips,” and then made the conversation of the older boys who gave her the synthetic seem to “repeat” over and over again.
When she asked to leave, the boys refused to let her.
“I asked them to take me home, but they were like ‘just chill,’” she said. “I tried to call my mom, but they took my phone from me and kept it, so they wouldn’t get it trouble. I begged them to take me home, but they just laughed.”
In the end, the senior said she persuaded her companions to drop her off at her father’s house, which was nearby.
“When I got there,” the senior
said, “I was so uncomfortable I could barely walk.”
Ferguson said he has had students in the past who suffered far more permanent harm after taking spice than the senior.
“I’ve known of two students,” Ferguson said, “that suffered irreversible brain damage from smoking synthetics. It’s very tragic to have known those kids before they took the drugs and to see what they were reduced to.”
Ferguson said he encountered one of the two former students in a McDonald’s on his last visit to Thomasville.
“He talks to me like a five or six-year-old now,” Ferguson said.
The cases of his two students, Ferguson said, demonstrate the irrefutable dangers of smoking synthetic marijuana.
“Marijuana’s bad enough as a gateway drug,” Ferguson said. “This stuff is killin’ people, and quick. It’s not a gateway drug, it’s a dead end drug.”
HORROR STORIES: Synthetic marijuana more than just frightful experience, can cause irreversible damage
ALREADY KNEE-DEEP INTO THE DANGEROUS WATERS OF RECREATIONAL DRUGS, THE SENIOR AND TWO OF HIS CLASSMATES SAID MARIJUANA IS WHERE THEY STARTED, TOO.
His dependence on antidepressants, THE THIRD SENIOR said, is rooted in a volatile relationship with his father, who introduced him to marijuana before he even hit the third grade.
“I was seven years old,” he said. “My dad was very deep into drugs, and he did drugs all his life, so I smoked weed with him. Then, when I was eleven, that happened...”
He hung his head and fidgeted with his hands.
“That had nothing to do with drugs,” the second senior said to him.
“Yeah, it did...” he said back.“Alcohol?” she said. “I was on drugs, too…” he said.
“I was crossfaded for the first time.”
“It was with my best friend at the time,” he said. “...his dad and my dad were both drug dealers. One day [he] invites me over for drinks, and I was eleven, so I didn’t know what he meant by drinks; I thought he meant like sodas, orange juice and chocolate milk or something like that.”
There were party favors, too. Just not the kind he thought there would be.
After walking in to find a “big pack of Heineken” on the table, the boy and his friend welcomed
Cocaine is like ten.”Cocaine, Baggett said, is “right
up there with meth” as far as the level of damage it can do to a user’s body.
“The heart, breathing, lung capacity [can all be affected],” she said. “And it’s very addicting.”
Although that was his first and last time with cocaine in particular, the senior said his recreational drug use did not simmer down until his dad was “out of the picture,” too.
“It happened in 2013,” he said. “We owned [a restaurant]… He ran out of money, because he spent all his money on drugs,” he said. “...so he decided he was going to go to [the restaurant] and steal like a box of shipments, so he could sell it for 100 bucks. So he did that, and he got caught on camera, and that’s when we lost the restaurant.”
The senior said his dad’s drug use did not cease after the incident.
“He really... he needed drugs, cause he couldn’t... he was gonna suffer from withdrawals, and he didn’t want to do that,” he said. “So he eventually started selling all of our – all of my stuff.”
“I decided to stay at [a friend’s] house,” he said. “And then, two days before Christmas, I came home... and I noticed that he was
GATEWAY DRUG paves life of experimentation, substance abuse for THREE seniors
gone, and that my dad’s friend was there. He said, ‘Oh, your dad left for New York... this morning. He took the bus.’ He didn’t call me or tell me that he was leaving.”
“...My mom comes back [from visiting relatives] and sees everything that has happened,” he said. “You know, this house that no one’s lived in, and the rent’s due. It was late. We had to pay for it still. Dad’s gone. We lost the restaurant and everything, and I’m not at the house anymore.”
“My parents kinda ditched me, and I was forced to become... a young adult and all,” he said with a sigh. “I was f***ing sad about that whole thing; it gave me depression and all that.”
The senior quietly chuckled, his fingers fidgeting with a toothpick, and then went silent.
“I used to smoke weed a lot. I would do hard drugs...” he said. “I completely stopped that whole junior year, because of what I saw with my dad.”
It wasn’t too hard for him to stop, the senior said, because he “wasn’t addicted,” but he still managed to have some slip ups during his senior year.
“I did shrooms at the beginning of the school year, and [in January], this person and I, we snorted molly,” he said.
an older girl inside. Clasped in her hand was a bag of marijuana.
“And I didn’t know crossfaded was the term for what... I was gonna go... into,” he said. “I was very dizzy. I felt like I was going to puke. I had this massive headache, because your mind is going like one way and the other. It’s like – it’s weird. And everything was like spinning for me.”
The effects of mixing a “huge amount of alcohol with any kind of drug,” such as the experience described by the senior, can be deadly, Baggett said.
“...Whether it’s Sudafed, Tylenol... birth control [or] anxiety medication, just the combination of how much alcohol you drink and how many pills you’ve taken on top of it... It could be a lethal combination, without [you] even realizing it,” she said.
He sat on the couch, crossfaded. “My head hurts…” he said. “I want to puke, but I don’t want to puke…”
He was eleven. His best friend was twelve. By the time he reached the girl’s age, he would be into much harder drugs.
He was just fourteen when he “snorted a line of coke.”
“That was the last time I did that...” he said. “Basically, molly is like taking five [Adderalls].
Principal Kyle Ferguson, who has worked in public and inner-city schools all
over the state, said that bringing these habits into a school environment is “not unique to Northridge.”
“Kids do drugs,” he said. “It will kill you. It will destroy you. It will knock you off the tracks of life, no doubt about it.”
Life’s too short to just learn from your own mistakes, Ferguson said.
“You gotta learn from other people’s mistakes…” he said. “If you throw away your last two years of high school because you made some poor decisions, it’s hard to get that back.”
”
Information from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and John Mark McCle-landInfographic designed by Kathryn Versace
So say you walk outside, you see a very sunny day, rainbows everywhere, and a second later, DARK CLOUDS COME OUT, it’s raining, it’s thunder-storming, you feel tired…You just lay back and con-template about life. It’s not really happy, it’s just neutral and unhappy, in my opinion. YOU CAN’T REALLY BE HAPPY AND CRASH AT THE
SAME TIME.
AMPED ON ADDERALL
Read James Niiler’s full article on the websitewww.northridgereporter.wordpress.com
“
“Graphic designed by Kathryn Versace
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8 THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERMARCH 13, 2015ENTERTAINMENT
BERT McLELLANDOPINION EDITOR
In an intense epic of trial and discovery, The Imitation Game tells the story of WWII hero Alan Turing’s attempts to crack the unbreakable Nazi Enigma code and win the war.
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This film is an emotional roller-coaster ride as the viewer is intrigued by Turing’s fascinating character, enthralled by his struggle, elated at his success and then appalled by an ending more tragic than any writer could invent.
Incessant wit, moving substance and masterful performance make The Imitation Game the must-see movie of the year.
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The school’s music program first started with band and choir, choral music teacher Beth McGuire said.
Band teacher John Cain said band’s participation has gotten better every year.
“The quality has increased,” Cain said.Cain said he started to see the work put
in by band members paying off.“We are able to play higher [music]
literature now,” he said.Band now has two concert groups,
instead of one.Cain has been directing band for five
years.“It has had its ups and downs over the
past five years,” Cain said. “I’ve seen a larger percentage of students who care about being in band.”
Science teacher Beth Allaway, who has been here since the school opened in 2003, said the band started out with 20
to 30 students when the Tuscaloosa City Schools separated into three different high schools.
“They were beginner students, and I don’t think they marched at all,” Allaway said.
Allaway, who was at Central High School before coming here, said when the students came from Central, they did not have a chance to play with the band because there were so many students who tried out.
“Only the best could make the band,” she said.
“When the
Music program has expanded and improved since the school’s foundingschools separated, most band members were beginners at playing an instrument.”
“When Cain took over band, everything changed,” Allaway said. “He is a great musician, teacher and organizer. When he took over, the band and sound changed; it was amazing.”
Allaway said the band is well established and has really good marching skills.
She said the band has a lot of consistency now, and she knows what to expect.
McGuire has been the choral music teacher since the school opened.
ONE-AND-A-TWO Band director John Cain conducts a practice with his fourth period class. The Middle School Honor Band held a concert on Saturday, March 7 in the audito-rium. “Some middle-schoolers from around the area performed,” Cain said.
Photo by Kathryn Versace
She said the biggest change for choir was going into a seven period day.
“It allows my students to take choir throughout the entire year,” McGuire said.
Roughly two or three years after the school opened, McGuire added Musical Theater because of her interest in it.
“I’ve done [musical theater] for years,” McGuire said.
She said she taught in New York.The strings program began ten years ago. Allaway said the strings program is
incredible.Sophomore violin player Jack Powell,
who is part of the strings program, joined the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra and the All-State Orchestra.
“[ Joining those groups] helped me expand my techniques to play harder music and to take my skills I learned and use them in the school’s [orchestra],” he said.
“If you go to the concert, it’s like going to a professional symphony,” Allaway said.
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With gold-plated teeth spitting rhymes inspired by his idols Tupac, Jeezy, Boosie and Biggie, sophomore Marcel Mays is
on his way to pursue a future in the entertainment industry.
“I can really do everything,” Mays said. “Rap, sing, act - I would want to make a career out of all of ‘em.”
Mays’ U.S. History teacher John Edwards said that while typically soft spoken, Mays talks with him on a regular basis, discussing music and everything in between.
“He says he’s got some pretty good lines,” Edwards said. “[He’s a] funny guy, a funny guy...”Marc Mays, Marcel’s dad, said
his son “grew up around music his whole life.”“He would always blast the radio
and bob his head like he knew what he was listening to,” Marc said.
Mays said his musical path began “back in 1998,” when Marc got
convicted for possession. “[Marc] started rapping in jail,”
Mays said. “He started rapping about trying to become a better human being... about overcoming his problems.”
After a year and a half, Marc was released from prison. It was then
that he started to share his newfound interest with his son.
“Every time I used to go up to his
he will eventually, Mays said with a wink. As for now, Mays “doesn’t really worry about females.” Instead, he’s focused on “making it big.”
“I like rappin’ about comin’ up, possibly makin’ it rich,” Mays said. “I love money.”
Through his father’s eyes, Mays’ dream could indeed come true.
“I see him going far because I know that anything is possible with him if he puts his mind to it,” Marc said. “And of course, nothing is possible without having faith in God; that is something I truly believe in.”
In October of last year, Mays said he met his producer Bama Flamez “through a homeboy.”
“We had talked and stuff and connected on so many levels,” Mays said.
While his son’s future in music seems promising, Marc said that he urges him to finish school and strive to “be independent.”
“I think he will make it into the industry simply because he’s very talented and, need I say, very lyrical,” Marc said. “Marcel is a good son with lots of ambition, and I love him along with the rest of his siblings, with all of my heart.”
Although he said he’s closer to his mother and sister, whom he has lived with all of his life, Mays said he shares something special with his dad, as he is “the only [son] that does music.”
“Never forget where you come from. Always remember who did stuff for you and who didn’t,” Mays said. “That’s the kinda thing I like to rap about.”
Rapper begins rapping about ‘Spongebob’ at eighthouse, he used to just spit freestyle,” Mays said. “And I’d just be like, ‘Man, that was tight!’”
The two continued to spend their visits rapping together, and at eight, Mays started to write his own raps.
“Golly, I used to rap about crazy stuff, man,” Mays said. “Like, I had a song called ‘SpongeBob.’ Really! I was just writing to it, like all of the different episodes, and I would just put stuff together.”
By the time he hit seventh grade, Mays said the focus of his raps changed from Rugrats to relationships.
“I started rapping about females, you know?” Mays said.
This shift wasn’t sparked by any one girl, Mays said with a laugh, his shiny set of grills catching the light.
“There was a lot of ‘em...” Mays said, still chuckling, reveling in the thoughts of his middle school pursuits. “I don’t discriminate.”
One girl, though, stuck out to him, but not in a way Mays said he wants to remember.
“… So I was chillin’ with my homies, and she came to my house! She came over there, and she was yappin’ off at the mouth. I was like, ‘I don’t want you over here,’ so I just walked off. But then she got in her car and zoomed onto the sidewalk, so I jumped in the yard. I nearly took off runnin’,” Mays said. “She like, ‘SCRRRRR!’ like, took off. She tried to run me over with her car!”
He hasn’t written a rap about her yet, but
““ Never forget where you come from. Always remember who did
stuff for you and who didn’t.
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Senior William Walker, who signed with UAB to play golf on Nov. 12, said he hopes the golf team will win state.
“The season started out pretty well, and it’s really early,” Walker said. “We still have time to prepare for bigger tournaments like sectionals and state.”
The team finished 5th in a tournament in Fairhope on Feb 16 and 17.
“I didn’t play too well because it was really windy,” Walker said.
The team placed 7th in the West Alabama Classic on March 2 and 3.
“The first day I shot a 70, and the second day I shot a 76,” he said. “ I was happy with the scores because we played in the rain.”
Walker said he and his grandfather have a special bond because of golf.
“My grandfather gave me my first set of clubs when I was two years old,” he said. “My grandfather is a really good golfer, and I have always wanted to be like him.”
Walker said he has learned that one can succeed even against skilled opponents.
“My highest moment was when I beat
Bobby Shelton, who was number one in the country at that time,” he said.
Walker said he couldn’t play the way he wanted to during the summer.
“I learned that I just need to be patient, so I took time off, so now I’m fine,” he said.
Golf coach David Akins has been Walker’s coach throughout high school.
“I met William before his high school career began, and I knew that we were getting a tremendous player,” Akins said.
“William was bad at [overcoming]adversity in the beginning, but now he has gotten better at it and can overcome it well,” Akins said.
In order to be a great player, “you have to be self-confident and have a will to work hard, and [Walker] has all of those characteristics,” Akins said.
“I was watching William shoot a 67 at the Azalea City Classic in Mobile; it was one of those days when you could tell he was having fun and relaxed. He was fun to watch that day,” Akins said.
Akins said Walker is a tireless worker, a tremendous young man and Walker has enjoyed watching him become the golfer he is today.
MAYCI HARTLEYSTAFF WRITER
Senior wrestler Ben Wright, who has been wrestling since freshman year, placed second at sectionals, qualifying him for state.
“State has been a goal since freshman year. You’re among the best of the best at state, and because of placement, I might have a chance,” Wright said.
“Don McNabb [the wrestling coach at the time] pulled me into wrestling freshman year because I was the smallest one [on the football team]. I wasn’t getting very much playing time, and he asked me if I wanted to wrestle,” he said. “He told me I would be wrestling people my size, and I was in.”
Wright said he manages all of his extracurricular activities the best he can.
“It can get overwhelming, but my friends and family keep me balanced,” he said.
Wright said the wrestling practices involve lots of running.
“We have some of the most grueling practices. We run as much as the soccer team, go work out, then we go and wrestle,” he said.
Shane Ashcraft, current wrestling coach, has been coaching Wright for two years.
Ashcraft said Wright is always improving.
“He has gotten more focused and patient,” Ashcraft said.
Wright is one of three students throughout the wresting program to go to state.
“This shows that [Northridge] is consistent in taking people to state and how hard the team works,” Ashcraft said.
Ashcraft said the wrestling season went well.
“There were lots of matches and everyone got better every match,” Ashcraft said.
Donna Wright, Ben’s mother, said she encourages Ben to never give up.
“At state Ben was sick—[he had to go] to the doctor and get a shot—and still did well. I was very proud that he didn’t give up and represented the school well,” she said.
She said most kids start young, “so for him to be able to go to state and compete against athletes who have been competing since middle school, I am exceptionally proud.”
Wright goes to state
Photo by Beth AllawayPINNED Senior Ben Wright pins down his opponent during the in-school wrestling match against Tuscaloosa County High. “I worked on making state for four years,” Wright said. “It was the culmination of all my hard work.”
Golfer overcomes adversity(2/20) Charles-Henderson L 5-4 (9)(2/20) Dothan W 1-0 (9) (2/21) Goshen W 15-1 (5)(2/21) Northview L 2-1(2/24) TCHS W 3-0(2/24) TCHS L 2-1(2/28) Vestavia L 2-0 (2/28) Spanish Fort L 4-1(3/3) TCHS W 1-0 (11)(3/6) Lawrence County W 4-0(3/6) ACA W 12-2 (6)(3/7) Demopolis W 9-2(3/7) ACA W 6-0
BASEBALL SCORES
Photo by Camri Mason
WALKER
THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERMARCH 13,2015 11SPORTS
MAYCI HARTLEYSTAFF WRITER
Senior varsity center midfielder soccer player Lee Almond has a family full of soccer players. Her family is where she gets her inspiration.
“I started playing soccer because my grandfather was a soccer coach,” Almond said. “My older cousin is who I get my inspiration from because he has played all his life and is a former assistant coach at Newberry.
“I tried out for a spot on a state team, but I didn’t make it. A few months later I tried out for a national team, [Birmingham United Soccer Club ECNL 97 (BUSA)] and made it,” Almond said
She said she loves what professional soccer player Mia Hamm said about soccer.
“Somewhere behind the athlete you have become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back. Play for her,” Hamm said.
She said conditioning is for everyone but not everyone likes it.
“My lowest moments are during fitness testing and conditioning,” she said. “I have learned that I don’t like running, that I like soccer.”
Coach Hill has coached Almond all during high school.
“My first thoughts of Lee were when I
met her at Shelton State nine years ago; she was great then, a really good kid and likable,” he said.
He said that Almond has a leadership quality to her.
“Even though Lee took on a leadership role when she was a freshmen, she has become a stronger and very good leader,” Hill said.
He said Almond’s personality is what makes her such a great person.
“Lee is likeable, personal, a hard worker and has an inner drive to do better in athletics and academics. It is personal drive,” Hill said.
He said Almond is one of those people who will motivate you to do more than you have done.
“I was training for a half marathon and would text Lee about how much I ran, and she would text back how much more she had ran; in the end, she beat me,” Hill said.
Almond said she is not going to be playing soccer in college.
“I don’t want to play in college. I want to be normal student and not play soccer. I will still love soccer though,” she said.
Courtney Mobbs has played with Almond for two years.
“I think Lee has lots of talent on the field and is a great player,” Mobbs said.
Mobbs said that Almond helps keep them motivated.
“Lee pushes us during practice and yells
encouragingly, she makes the practices fun but keeps us concentrated,” Mobbs said
Lee Almond’s father, Judge Brad Almond, is supporting Lee this year with being the team manager.
“In years past, before high school her mom and I let her play in Birmingham on a league there. This allowed her to play with different teams and get her going,” he said.
Almond’s father said that it is hard to make someone fall on their back.
“Several years ago, playing on a boys team, 13 year old Lee made a boy fall on his back. All the parents were standing up cheering for her because a girl knocked a boy on his back,” he said.
Photo by Mayci Hartley
Family’s love of soccer inspires senior
SUJITHA PERAMSETTYASSISTANT COPY EDITOR
At the end of every weekday soccer practice a loud cry of ‘Jags!’ can be heard across campus. The five soccer teams huddle together, as pride and spirit come through, and they daydream about victory.
As of March 9, the varsity boys record is (7-3-1), the varsity girls record is (6-4-1), and the JV boys record is (3-4). The JV girls record is (0-3). The freshman boys record is (1-2).
The freshman, JV, and varsity boys started their season playing against Vestavia, the 6A State Champions. The JV and varsity girls started their season against Hoover.
Coach Carter Hill said all five teams started the season with difficult games.
“We are playing two of our toughest matches to see how good we are,” he said.
Hill said having five different teams is “very, very good for the program,” and he is “very lucky to have good help.”
JV soccer player Owen Schreiber, sophomore, said they did “lots of running, sprinting and repetitions with the ball to prepare for the first game.”
Terry Millsaps, sophomore JV soccer player, said the running “kills” her.
“I’m so sore, but it does whip us into shape,” she said.Despite the varsity boys loss, varsity soccer player Mason
Mitchell, junior, said they have a good team this season.“Physically, we got in shape,” he said. “Skill-wise, we
worked on what we didn’t do well last year, so we can do well this year.”
Schreiber said the JV game against Vestavia was a loss, but it was a good loss.
“Only losing 4-0 to the best team in state by mistakes that are easily fixed is a good situation,” he said.
The freshman boys also lost.Mitchell said it was a good start to the season though it
was a loss.“We played hard against a good team. We need to work
Soccer season begins with wins, losses against tough opponents on team chemistry and communication,” he said.
The JV girls lost their game. Millsaps said the JV girls season is going well so far.“Our record isn’t great, but we’re improving quickly and
doing well for a new team,” she said. “We definitely need to work together as a team more, but we’re doing really well figuring out our new positions.”
Although the varsity girls lost their first game, they won against ACA, Bryant and Hillcrest.
The varsity boys won against ACA, Bryant and Hillcrest.The JV boys won against Bryant, Hillcrest and Pelham.The varsity boys won the Tuscaloosa Metro Tournament
Championship.The varsity girls lost to Holy Spirit, placing 2nd.Schreiber said he expects good things overall for the
soccer season.“We have a lot of good players and good team chemistry,”
he said. “I really hope to see lots of fans just like at the football games.”
OLE OLE Sophomore JV midfielder Ethan Armstrong gets ready to take a shot against Vestavia on Feb.9. “The game was diffuicult, but helped us realize what we need to work on,” Armstrong said. “We only lost 4-0 to the best team in state. We could fix those mistakes and practice more,” Owen Schreiber, sophomore defender, said.
Photo by Camri Mason
SPORTS COLUMN
IN IT TO WIN IT
Soccer needs cheerleaders
INSPIRE ME Senior midfielder Lee Al-mond “fights for every ball and does not give up. She is really aggressive,” senior soccer play-er Isabella McVeagh said. She said she has helped this year by keeping everyone on the team positive.
JORDAN HUTCHINSONSPORTS EDITOR
Part of the allure of football and basketball games is the cheerleaders.
They pep up the team and the fans in a way that only a squad of high school girls can.
If football and basketball can have a pep squad like that, what about soccer?
If soccer were to have cheerleaders, it would bring in more fans of the male gender, in which our audience is lacking because of all the girls who love to watch the boys play.
For the girls it would bring more guys that would acknowledge how good they look playing soccer.
Having cheerleaders would also give the guys on the bench something to look at if they are not involved with the game. It would get rid of the complaints about playing time as all the guys in the bench would be entertained.
The soccer team would also have a big advantage over anyone who came to Northridge because the other team would be distracted by our cheer squad, and we could score as much as we wanted. We would be guaranteed to win a state championship.
The list of positives go on and on. The only downside to having cheerleaders would be that less people would actually watch the game. But as long as they pay admission, it doesn’t matter if they watch or not.
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Stud
ents
par
ticip
ate i
n G
low
Run
S
UJI
TH
A P
ER
AM
SE
TT
YA
SS
ISTA
NT
CO
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ED
ITO
R
Wea
ring
neon
sh
irts,
craz
y lig
ht-u
p su
nglas
ses,
wild
ha
ts wi
th g
lowi
ng t
enta
cles
and
glim
mer
ing
face
pai
nt,
runn
ers w
aite
d pa
tient
ly at
the s
tarti
ng li
ne.
They
wer
e rea
dy to
ligh
t up
the n
ight
in th
e G
low
Run
whi
ch r
etur
ned
to T
usca
loos
a on
Fe
b. 21
.Th
ough
the
wea
ther
con
ditio
ns w
ere
not
idea
l, H
ollie
Sm
ith, o
pera
tions
man
ager
for
th
e run
, sai
d th
ere w
as a
good
turn
out.
“It’s
win
dy. I
t’s k
ind
of c
old,
but
we
had
800
peop
le sti
ll sh
ow u
p to
nigh
t to
run,
” she
sa
id. “
I th
ink
that
reall
y sa
ys a
lot a
bout
the
Tusc
aloos
a co
mm
unity
. I
thin
k th
at r
eally
sh
ows
the
dedi
catio
n of
the
peo
ple
down
he
re.”
Smith
sai
d th
ey tr
ied
to s
tay
ahea
d of
the
weat
her.
“Of c
ours
e, ev
eryo
ne’s
safe
ty is
our
num
ber
one
prio
rity.
We
don’t
wan
t an
yone
who
is
runn
ing
to f
eel
as t
houg
h th
ey a
re i
n da
nger
with
any
kin
d of
wea
ther
. We’v
e be
en
work
ing
with
the
polic
e de
partm
ent a
nd th
e em
erge
ncy
med
ical s
ervi
ces,
and
we’re
doi
ng
our
best
to s
tay
one
step
ahea
d of
wha
teve
r wo
uld
happ
en,”
she s
aid.
Ken
dall
McK
one,
fresh
man
, sai
d sh
e sti
ll ha
d a g
reat
tim
e.“Th
e G
low
Run
was
stil
l am
azin
g ev
en
thou
gh th
e wea
ther
was
nas
ty,” s
he sa
id.
Fres
hman
Gab
bi F
erna
ndez
sai
d sh
e di
d th
e run
last
year
.“[
Last
year
], a h
uge g
roup
of u
s - 3
0 fri
ends
-
went
,” sh
e sa
id. “
We
got a
ll gl
ow s
tuff
and
deck
ed o
ut. Th
e con
cert
and
the D
J afte
rwar
ds
were
fun.
”M
cKon
e sai
d sh
e also
did
the r
un la
st ye
ar.
“I d
idn’t
reali
ze w
hat i
t was
. I d
id it
bec
ause
all
my
frien
ds w
ere
doin
g it,
” she
sai
d. “
The
way y
ou li
ne u
p is
the p
eopl
e who
wan
t to
run
are
in th
e fro
nt a
nd p
eopl
e wh
o do
n’t a
re in
th
e bac
k. It
was
upb
eat a
nd h
appy
.”Fr
eshm
an M
orga
n C
all sa
id sh
e jo
ined
the
run
beca
use “
it su
ppor
ts a g
ood
caus
e.”Th
e G
low
Run
sup
ports
Tus
calo
osa’s
One
Pl
ace,
a fam
ily re
sour
ce ce
nter
.Je
an
Ryk
acze
wski
, m
arke
ting
and
job
deve
lopm
ent c
oord
inat
or a
t Tus
calo
osa’s
One
Pl
ace,
said
the
orga
niza
tion
supp
orts
fam
ilies
in
nee
d in
diffi
cult
times
.“W
e pr
ovid
e cla
sses
, an
af
ter-
scho
ol
prog
ram
, an
d do
co
mm
unity
ou
treac
h,”
she
said
. “W
e wo
rk w
ith c
hild
ren
and
thei
r fa
mili
es.”
Smith
said
it is
impo
rtant
to h
ave
a ch
arity
pa
rtner
at e
vent
s.“W
hen
we c
ome
here
, we
wan
t to
giv
e ba
ck lo
cally
bec
ause
the
loca
l com
mun
ity h
as
been
giv
ing
so m
uch
to u
s thr
ough
all
of o
ur
regi
strat
ions
, thr
ough
all
of o
ur v
olun
teer
s,”
she s
aid.
“The f
act t
hat T
usca
loos
a’s O
ne P
lace
does
so m
uch
for l
ocal
fam
ilies
mea
ns a
lot t
o
us, s
o we
wan
t to
supp
ort t
hem
in e
very
way
we
can.
”Sm
ith sa
id a
porti
on of
the r
ace r
egist
ratio
ns
goes
to th
e org
aniz
atio
n.“I
t’s a
lot o
f fun
for t
he b
oth
of u
s bec
ause
we
bot
h wo
rk r
eally
har
d to
pus
h th
ose
regi
strat
ions
,” sh
e sai
d. “Th
e mor
e peo
ple t
hat
we h
ave
run,
the
mor
e we
’re a
ble
to g
ive
back
to
them
, whi
ch is
reall
y a w
onde
rful f
eelin
g.”
Fern
ande
z sa
id
ther
e is
a re
ward
fo
r pa
rticip
ants.
“We a
ll go
t thi
s hug
e med
al no
mat
ter h
ow
fast
we ra
n,” s
he sa
id, c
reat
ing
a circ
le th
e siz
e of
a g
rape
fruit
with
her
han
ds to
con
vey
the
size o
f the
med
al.Fe
rnan
dez,
Call
and
McK
one
said
the
y wo
uld
do th
e run
agai
n ne
xt ye
ar.
Smith
said
she
certa
inly
hop
es to
brin
g th
e ru
n ba
ck n
ext y
ear.
“It’s
one
of
thos
e th
ings
whe
re t
here
’s a
lot
of l
ittle
det
ails
that
go
into
hos
ting
thes
e ru
ns, a
nd e
very
thin
g ha
s to
go p
erfe
ct
in o
rder
to
mak
e it
happ
en,”
she
said
. “If
ev
eryt
hing
goe
s acc
ordi
ng to
pla
n, w
e w
ould
lo
ve to
[brin
g ba
ck th
e ru
n.]”
RE
AD
Y, S
ET
, GLO
W
Parti
cipan
ts in
the 2
015
Glow
Run
5K
gath
er a
t th
e sta
rting
line
prio
r to
th
e rac
e. Th
e Glow
Run
is
a cha
rity r
ace f
or T
usca
lo-os
a O
ne P
lace,
an
orga
-ni
zatio
n w
hich
sup
ports
loc
al fa
mili
es in
nee
d. Th
is ye
ar’s
run
attra
cted
800
parti
cipan
ts de
spite
th
e les
s-th
an-i
deal
wea
ther.
Phot
o by S
ujith
a Per
amset
ty