Royal News
The
Free
Single Copy Only
Volume XVI, Issue 3
WHY DID THEY LEAVE? P. 8-9
Visit trnwired.org to see the latest photo galleries and watch live broadcast events.
What’s Inside?
p. 4 Net Neutrality p. 13 A Christmas Carol p. 17 Winter Sports Heat Up
Photos of some of the 20 Prince George students who made the decision last year to spend their senior year at Richard Bland College and leave the high school campus. Photos contributed by Carlee Lively.
What is something you are most looking forward to this holiday season? *Twitter poll of 34 votes
- Winter Weather (3%) - No School(73%) - Presents (9%) - Time With Family (15%)
2 | THE ROYAL NEWS | FRIDAY 12.15.17
FRIDAY 12.15.17 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 3
OP/ED
America’s Next Top News Story
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theRoyalNews
O
ur 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 A2, or e-mail them to trnwired@gmail.com 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. Publication theft. A person commits the offense of publication theft when he or she willfully or knowingly obtains or exerts unauthorized control over more than three copies of an edition of a publication distributed on campus or in the surrounding community [with the intent to prevent other individuals from reading that edition of the publication]. A “publication” includes any periodical that is distributed on a complimentary or compensatory basis. In addition to the imposition of other campus disciplinary penalties, a person who violates this provision is responsible for compensating the publication for all reasonable costs incurred, including, where appropriate, the refund of advertising fees.
Illustration by Anna Mitchell.
Section Editors Front page: Wayne Coleman , Op/Ed: Anna Mitchell, Features: Kattie Iwanski, Doubletruck: Tyler Brock, A&E: Aaliyah Capers, Sports: Wayne Coleman
Writers Haleigh Horne - Claudia King Shelby Hayes - Masako Kaneko Molly Ashcraft - Sarah Schrum Daniel Battle - Carter Marks Maddison Shawkey - Harmony Thomas Taylor Anderson Editor-in-Chief Kattie Iwanski
Adviser
Chris Waugaman
Managing Editor Wayne Coleman
Professional affiliations & awards Columbia Scholastic Press Associations Gold Medalist 2008-2016 CSPA Gold Crown Winner 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 Virginia High School Association Trophy Class 2006-2017 Col. Charles Savedge Award for Sustained Excellence 2010, 2017 NSPA Online Pacemaker Winner 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 SIPA All Southern 2008-2015
The Royal News, PGHS trnwired.org
7801 Laurel Spring Road Prince George, Virginia 23875 804-733-2720 The Royal News is printed at The Progress-Index in Petersburg, Virginia
Climate Change Causes Chaos
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ccording to www.climate. nasa.gov, most climate scientists agree that the main cause of global warming is human expansion of the “greenhouse effect”. The greenhouse effect is the warming that happens when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space. Some of the most abundant greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons, and hydrofluorocarbons. Carbon dioxide is an extremely important element when it comes to trapping greenhouse gas, which is released through human activities such as burning fossil fuels and in natural processes such as volcanic eruptions. Carbon dioxide levels in the air are at their highest in 650,000 years at 407.06 parts per million collected on October 17, 2017. There are high chances that the temperature levels will continue to increase. The projection in the next century is a raise in temperature of 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. There are several government associations that have contributed to this
research including Climate Data Initiative, U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Climate Assessment 2014. There are multiple pieces of evidence that lead scientists to believe in the concept of global warming. One includes that sixteen out of seventeen of the warmest years, in a 136 year span with the exception of 1998, have happened since 2001. Also, that the arctic sea ice is now declining at a rate of 13.2 percent per decade, 2012 sea ice extent is the lowest in the satellite record. With the recent snow that Prince George has been witnessing, satellite readings have revealed that the amount of spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased and that the snow has been melting earlier. As the earth temperature is increasing, the ocean is absorbing most of the heat with the top 2,300 feet of ocean showing a heat increase of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969. Climate change is a growing situation that needs to be discussed more often and with more concern. As citizens, we need to help reduce the flow of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and adapt to life in a changing climate.
elcome back to America’s Next Top News Story! Today’s contestants are celebrity scandals, Donald Trump’s latest Twitter rant, and the controversies from Sunday’s football games. And the winner is…the news corporations! The losers…all the important news stories that go uncovered. It’s certainly not a new idea that Americans TAYLOR ANDERSON are obsessed with entertainment. Whether it’s a television show, NFL football, YouTube, or the latest Hollywood blockbuster, we are constantly keeping track of our favorite celebrities. Stars like Colin Kaepernick dominate headlines, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Americans care more about the royal family than the British do. News sources are well aware of this, and take advantage of it when deciding what stories to publish. The 2016 election essentially turned into a reality television show, with news coverage focused on who was winning, and “contestants” getting eliminated in the primaries (especially the Republican primaries, which featured a whooping seventeen candidates). Donald Trump used his experience in reality television to his advantage. Despite most of the coverage towards him being negative, it gave him media exposure regardless, and the same media outlets who were condemning him were inadvertently helping his case. This becomes a serious problem when the pseudo-news of the latest celebrity drama gains a wider audience than more serious news stories, or those that are positive. A perfect example is the lack of news stories about the impact of Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico. At the same time that Puerto Ricans were facing major power outages and infrastructure damage, major news outlets were covering stories like the NFL national anthem controversy and Donald Trump’s infamous “Rocket Man” speech about North Korea. Coverage has also been lackluster since the hurricane, and it may be a surprise to learn that as of Dec. 11 (almost three months since the hurricane hit), 64 people have died and thousands are still without power according to ABC news. This absence of coverage would be disappointing when talking about a foreign country, and even more so when the story involves U.S. citizens. In the end, it’s important to remember that the media outlets are businesses and focused on making a profit, so it makes sense that they would choose stories that will bring them the largest amount of readers. The question is, what important stories will get lost in the shuffle?
4 | THE ROYAL NEWS | FRIDAY 12.15.17
OP/ED
Should Net Neutrality Be Abolished?
Net neutrality ensures that internet service providers cannot in any way limit one’s internet usage. It prohibits slowing down or blocking any service accessed using the internet. On December 14th, the FCC voted on whether to abolish net neutrality or not. Is net neutrality truly necessary, or will the internet be a better place without it?
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he internet is a great place where ideas pave ways for innovation. It also gives people a platform for which they can speak out about their opinions. Net neutrality is the term used to describe the preservation of the right to freely surf and post online without being interference from Internet Service Providers (ISP) like AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, and others. Being able to have net neutrality is something that we shouldn’t take for granted and is a very good thing. Without net neutrality, ISPs would be able to pick and choose what websites you get to see and what sites you don’t. They would charge you different amounts of money based on what sites you want to use. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is a federal agency that regulates interstate communications through radio, television, cable, wire, satellite, and yes, the internet. The FCC wants to abolish net neutrality and let ISPs handle all of our data. Under net neutrality ISPs cannot block access and slow down service just because they don’t approve or like it. Another reason net neutrality shouldn’t be abolished is because it could help small businesses by saving money. The FCC wants to charge money on all different types of websites, applications, and all the content that you access. Bigger businesses that use elaborate apps and build their own websites to help advertise their businesses can afford to pay the petty payments of the ISPs. Small businesses also do similar things, and shouldn’t have to deal with these payments. Small businesses shouldn’t have to buy apps that aren’t as efficient as the ones that they were once able to use under net neutrality. Some of the bigger businesses like, Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, Century Link, and many others are also the biggest names in Internet Service Providers. Without net neutrality smaller ISPs will not be heard. If someone had Verizon as their provider, and wanted to change their provider to a provider that has better deals, they would be charged based on the sites they were looking at or the service would be slow. That customer wouldn’t have found the deal that smaller companies like Straight Talk and MetroPCS may have offered. This is just another reason why net neutrality is a good principle and shouldn’t be cast down because ISPs want to make more money.
PRO CON SHELBY HAYES
CLAUDIA KING
“Without net neutrality, ISPs would be able to pick and choose what websites you get to see and what sites you don’t.” “Without internet traffic the internet package that is chosen will be speedier and swifter than the entire plate of Google information shoved down the people’s throats before.” “If someone had Verizon as their provider, and wanted to change their provider to a provider that has better deals, they would be charged based on the sites they were looking at or the service would be slow.”
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et neutrality is the idea of having every application on the internet at the same speed, and paying one gross amount for everything online. One con to net neutrality is the fact that people have the same speed and slowness of internet for any application. That means dead MySpace pages will work just as fast as witty Tweets. Choices are made when entering the internet and net neutrality eliminates people’s choices. Net neutrality is an unbiased platform for internet providers giving all internet pockets and cubbies the same speed. Not all of the world’s internet use has to be neck and neck. There should be individual packages for individual uses. Without net neutrality internet traffic would be eliminated making life easier and cheaper. Without internet traffic, the internet package that is chosen will be speedier and swifter than the entire plate of Google information shoved down the people’s throats before. People become more responsible and knowledgeable when they chose what they are paying for. The people get to choose what comes out of their wallet for their access to the virtual world. That leads to knowing exactly what is being paid for and what is needed or wanted. If the people think open internet is the way to go, think of the speed and how traffic-free the internet is going to be. According to Greengarageblog, “There are so many other bandwidth providers that otherwise wouldn’t be able to help them accomplish this, but by having net neutrality, it means that the free market can sometimes go unchecked. This is where smaller competitors will get wiped out, and while some people could theoretically argue that this is a good thing, it overall isn’t the best way to really market a product or a service effectively.” The internet is a marketplace, and the whole concept of a market is choice. There is a clear need for network management and this is the way to do that. The congestion on the World Wide Web can be cleared. This is the obvious way to do it. Do not pay for the world when only a corner of the internet is being used and is needed. Clean up the lanes and be rid of net neutrality.
FRIDAY 12.15.17 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 5
THE WEEKS AHEAD Teacher Of The Month Casey Dabney
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rince George High School’s Teacher of the Month award goes to Casey Dabney. Dabney teaches Geometry and is a sponsor of the Beta Club. Dabney received the award for going above and beyond in the classroom, even doing cartwheels (literally). TOM Casey Dabney (Dec) Monte Williams (Nov)
Special Holidays During December
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here are many special holidays and events occurring throughout the month of December. Hanukkah/ Chanukah began on Wednesday, December 13th and will end on Wednesday, December 20th. The winter solstice is on December
21st. Festivus is on Saturday, December 23rd. Christmas is on Monday, December 25th. The Canadian holiday of Boxing Day is on Tuesday, December 26th. Kwanzaa begins on Tuesday, December 26th and ends on Monday, January 1st.
Winter Play Continues Over Weekend
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he PG Players’ performances of A Christmas Carol continues this weekend. The final two shows were originally scheduled for last weekend, but due to inclement weather, they have been moved to this weekend. A Christmas Carol at 7:30 PM in the auditorium. The final two showings are Friday, December 15th and Saturday, December 16th at 7:30 PM in the auditorium at PGHS. Tickets cost $7 and can be bought from any cast or crew member or at the door. Refreshments will be sold.
Schools Close for Winter Break
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uring the week of December 18th through the 22nd, students will only attend school on Monday, December 18th and Tuesday, December 19th. Prince George County Schools will be closed from Wednesday, December 20th to Tuesday, January 2nd. School will resume on Wednesday, January 3rd. Enjoy your winter break, Royals, and have fun!
Colonial Subaru Pet Adoption Event
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he Colonial Subaru on 2122 Ruffin Mill Road, in South Chesterfield will be hosting a pet adoption with the Prince George Animal Shelter event on Friday, December 15th from 1-4 PM and on Saturday, December 16th from 10 AM - 2 PM. Since Colonial Subaru is spon-
soring the event, the fee for adopting animals has been waived. Cats and dogs will be available for adoption. All animals have been spayed or neutered, received rabies and booster vaccinations, been given flea/tick preventative medicine and checked for heartworm.
6 | THE ROYAL NEWS | FRIDAY 12.15.17
FEATURES
BY THE
Toys Spark Joy In Teens Students Collect Donations For Teens In Hospital Harmony Thomas TRN Writer
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h e n teenagers wake up on a bright and cold Christm a s morning they rush downstairs to rip through their presents under the tree. There are other less fortunate teens however, who lie in the hospital without any presents to unwrap. As the upcoming holidays arrive, students have joy in their hearts at the fact that they are cheering up teenagers who are in unfortunate situations by giving them the gift of “toys”. Toys for Teens is a toy drive for the VCU Children’s Hospital in Richmond. This program is designated for teens only rather than children. “I wanted to do something that the high school students could get involved in, and maybe put themselves in someone else’s shoes, and relate to what it might be like to be sick at Christmas time and build some empathy,” sponsor Allison Heath said. Teens seem to get forgotten in toy drives because people mainly focus on children and get them toys, while the teens do not get anything. The reason why teenagers mainly get overlooked for programs like these is because people think that teens wouldn’t want toys because they’re older. People think they would rather want electronics rather than a plastic toy for the holidays. This year is the fourth year that the Toys For Teens drive was held at the high school. “We hope to collect 1,000 items,” Heath said “but that really depends on what the students do by the 12th.” Teenagers that stay at the hospital sometimes can’t get out of bed because they are too sick or they can’t move, so students were encouraged to donate things that might make them feel special or happy while they stay in for the holidays. “Anything that you might like to have if you were stuck in bed for a long period of time fuzzy socks,nail polish,card games,books,DVDs things like that,” Heath said. The materials that are donated are
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4 years ago the Toys For Teens drive idea was brought to the high school.
7,993 children have impatient visits at the children’s hospital.
179,908 children have outpatient visits at the children’s hospital. taken to the Assistance, Support, Kindness Childhood Cancer foundation headquarters in Richmond which is a non-profit organization. ASK helps deliver these donations to the teens that are sick at the Children’s hospital and they choose what they think the patients would like based on their interests and their personality. “So what they do is they collect the items and then they take them back to Children’s Hospital. Then they have this huge room where everything is and they either say you’re an inpatient or outpatient, you’re having a treatment or a procedure done. Then they’ll go... okay you’re having chemo today and they base it off of what they know about you personality wise and give you something from their goodie room,” Heath said. Teenagers get very overlooked in toy drives and it is important that people remember that these teens are still important just like the other children receiving gifts. This year students went out to buy gifts such as hats, blankets, movies, etc, that they thought teenagers their age would like to receive, and they put their donations in holiday wrapped boxes in their classrooms or in the library. Students and faculty find this program to be a great start to the holiday season and
Senior Michelle Berry donates an owl blanket to one of the Toys for Teens boxes in the library. The gifts will be given to teens in the VCU hospital. Photo by Harmony Thomas. to spark joy into people’s hearts. Senior Michelle Berry has donated to the toy drive to share in the happiness of giving and receiving gifts. “They’re in the hospital and they just stay there, and they can’t enjoy life as we would, so it’s nice to give back to them,” Berry said. “It made me feel happy on the inside but also generous because I’m giving to them.” This year teenagers at the Children’s Hospital will be filled with bliss as they receive their gifts and maybe turn a frown into a smile this winter break. “Watching the teachers and the students get excited about it [is my favorite part]. Sometimes we are really surprised by the students who get involved, and usually it’s because they’ve been touched in some way by cancer. Maybe somebody in their family or a friend who’s been sick and it doesn’t necessarily have to be cancer ,but it’s neat to watch students be moved,” Heath said.
220 children’s hospitals are located across the nation.
15 children’s hospital are located across Central Virginia.
Information collected from https://www.childrenshospitals.org
FRIDAY 12.15.17 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 7
FEATURES
BY THE
Small Businesses Offer Holiday Option Local Store Absolutely Southern Designs Gears Up For Season Haleigh Horne TRN Writer
28.8 million is the number of small businesses in the country.
S
oon after the Halloween festivities take place the holiday shopping ensues. Many people pack up and drive to the nearest mall or large outlet to seek out deals for the top presents on their lists. While some others like to stay in the comfort of their own home and search the web for all their hearts desire. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the most popular days to shop leading into the busy season. However there is another day just the same but for all the small businesses across the country called Small Business Saturday. It takes place the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This day is dedicated to support the small businesses and celebrate communities across the country. “We do have a lot of business during the holidays,” local store owner Samantha Previs said. “Typically business picks up about the end of October, the first week of November we will get very, very busy.” Previs owns the local store Absolutely Southern Designs. Her relatively new spot is located in Prince George County at 5722 Courthouse Road, and she has been there now for 20 months. She had previously been working out of her home. “We never really planned on opening a store,” Previs said. “We just sort of started as a hobby and more and more orders started coming in. We realized that there really was a need in the area for a monogramming business, and from that we grew into the gifts just as a way to give the community a local option, where they didn’t have to drive into Colonial Heights or Richmond.” Absolutely Southern Designs specializes in monogramming and embroidery. They also offer Simply Southern products, Scout Bags, Girlie Girl products, Lily Grace Products, Southern Couture products, Charles River outerwear, and some locally made items and much more. Previs and her two employees are open for
NUMBERS
40% is the percentage of retail jobs created by small businesses.
43% is the percentage of high tech jobs made up of small business.
suggestions and will order other items , or items they do not have for customers at request. But this local store is able to offer much more than just their products. “Right now we have a long list of people who come in and say ‘I really want this Simply Southern Shirt or that Simply Southern Shirt.’ All these places online are sold out but we are taking their names and we are actually ordering it for them,” Previs said. “And when the item arrives we reach out and let the customer know that it’s here.” Small businesses offer some things that huge chain stores lack because of some of the personal touches, the outstanding hospitality, and the customer service. When a customer walks into a small business the owners and employees strive to meet his or her needs and go the extra mile if needed. Whereas the large chain stores sometimes do not have that flexibility to do these tasks. Many customers will not return to a store if they are disappointed by the outcome of a product or they are displeased with the customer service.
Working at the register, an employee of Absolutely Southern Design begins to check the inventory. The store specializes in monogramming. Photo by Haleigh Horne. Each store has it’s qualities to keep their customers coming back for more. “I have been coming to her as long as she has been operating,” Jessica Lee said. “Her rewards system gives me discounts with x amount of dollars and monogramming is free with items bought from her.” Shopping at local businesses helps to ensure that some of the money you spend stays within that local community and that money is not outsourced to other places. Also, it is very important to shop at smaller businesses because they are local people trying to make a living. “I believe it is important to shop small during the holidays because the small business owners need revenue to fund their own Christmas,” Lee said. “And the personal connection with the owner helps me to make more choices for my items.”
250% more is donated by small businesses than large business to nonprofit and community organizations.
64% of new jobs in the U.S. between the years of 1993 to 2011 were created by small businesses.
Information collected from https://grasshopper.com/resources/articles/small-businesssaturday-statistics/
8 | THE ROYAL NEWS | FRIDAY 12.15.17
Why Did They Leave? Students Experience Senior Year At Richard Bland College Kattie Iwanski & Aaliyah Capers TRN Editors 1. Why did you choose to go to Richard Bland College for your senior year? Isabella Bennett: I chose Richard Bland because my parents went there and I wanted to get a head start on college classes. Chad Balch: I personally chose the route to go to Richard Bland simply enough to get a head start on college and experience a new environment. I enjoyed the high school, but I wanted to seek a schedule that would allow me to put more hours into my job and force me to adapt to the demanding college life. Dylan Carden: I decided to go to Bland my senior year because I wanted to be able to further my understanding of college life and increase my chances of succeeding in college. Peyton Glazier: I chose to go to RBC my senior year because the high school doesn’t offer any classes that benefit my future and I didn’t want to spend my senior year taking a bunch of random electives. Jakob Kennedy: I chose to go to Bland because I wanted to get a majority of my core college classes taken care off so I could focus on my specific major wherever I go. Megan LaValley: chose to go to Richard Bland for my senior year so I could get a head start on my college career. Combining my senior year of high school and freshman year of college will eliminate a year of school, but still provides all the criteria I need for my education. Carlee Lively: I chose to go to Bland because it was an opportunity to take all dual enrollment classes. It will spread out my college workload and I could possible graduate a 4 year school in 3 now. Maddison Quesenberry: I chose to go to Richard Bland so I can start my college years early to get them over with. Justin Spates: I chose to go to Richard Bland College for my senior year because I wanted to get a jump start on
my college career, as well as get most of my general education courses out of the way so I can focus on my major in a four year institution. Brady Taylor: I chose to go to Richard Bland for my senior year because I believe it was an incredible experience and that I am able to excel in my studies that would benefit me in my future college. 2. What do you think you are going to gain from going to Richard Bland College? IB: I’m learning a lot about how college classes work and it’s preparing me for when I go away next year. I’ve learned how to manage my time and be more organized with all the work that I have from school and extracurricular. CB: In terms of doing the Dual Enrollment program and its benefits, it gives me an advantage over many students. Most colleges seek students that are challenging themselves with classes and know that they can succeed in a tough atmosphere. Attending Bland for my senior year not only helps me get use to the environment and prove to colleges that I’m a hardworking student, but it also completely acts as my freshman year in college, and hopefully allowing me to graduate with a bachelor’s degree early. DC: I think I will gain valuable lessons on what it is like to take college classes and also enhance my study habits. PG: I believe I’m gaining a better understanding of material I’m being taught and I’m getting a year ahead of college which is good for me because I’ll be in school for a while. JK: Bland will put me a certain number of credits ahead of the game so I will likely graduate from college a year early. ML: I will gain the knowledge of being more responsible. In my opinion, being a college student is a lot more stressful than being a high school student. You have to keep up with certain dates and manage to keep up with multiple classes at once. CL: I have already gained more understanding of a college workload. My time management is a lot better because it has to be. College is not as hard as they say if you schedule times to study and
Senior Hunter Carden helps a fellow Richard Bland student with an assignment during finals week. There are 20 high school seniors attending Richard Bland for the school year of 2017-2018. Photo by Carlee Lively.
FRIDAY 12.15.17 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 9
Peyton Glazier stay on top of your work. I gained a mini college experience since I’m still at home and close to family and friends. MQ: I think I will gain mostly the first year of college will be done and I am already starting my college experience. JS: I will overall gain a cheaper and better education because my student to teacher ratio is better than what it would be in high school. BT: I believe that I will gain college experience and that I will have many college credits under my belt. 3. How do you think this experience at Richard Bland is going to help you when furthering your college education? IB: It will help me because I now know how to study and prepare for finals or how to take notes from lectures that are detailed to help me study. CB: I will have edited my study habits and learned my potential during my senior year before most students obtain their diplomas. I certainly believe that choosing this route will help me in the future because I am keeping solid grades in all of my classes and have gotten used to the different amount of hours needed for success. DC: I think it will help because it will help with my understanding of how to study in preparation for college exams and also learn how to take notes in preparation for the exams. PG: It’s helping me realize what it’s going to take to be a college student. Finals week isn’t a joke. ML: The experience at Bland will help further my college education because it provides many transferable programs. For instance, after I earn my associate’s degree, I am eligible for transferring to the Southside Professional School. There, it will help me get started on my career in the medical field. CL: Bland is going to help with whatever four year school I end up going to. The credits all transfer to all the schools I’m looking at, so I’ll basically
Isabella Bennett
be done with my first year of college by the end of my senior year of high school. MQ: I think being at RBC will help me in my further college career because I already have one foot in the door and I am one step ahead of the other students in my grade. JS: This experience will be used as a stepping stone to a four year college. I am still able to live at home, as well as experience college level courses. This experience will make me better prepared for when I go away for college. BT: I believe that it will prepare me for college and show me how professors are and the work that I will be given. 4. What do you miss the most about being in the high school? IB: I miss my friends the most because now I don’t get to see them as much since we aren’t at the same school. CB: The main asset about PGHS that I miss the most is seeing all of my old friends and feeling the high school mood. DC: The thing I think I miss most about attending the high school is I don’t have the chance to connect with friends. PG: Honestly, not much. I mean spirit week a little bit. I don’t regret anything about not going to the high school. My grades are great, I’m having fun with my friends, I have lots of time to work, and I love RBC. My senior year is going great. JK: I miss the high school feeling the most, being able to walk down the hallways and say what’s up to someone and eating with everyone at lunch. ML: What I miss most of all would have to be my friends. With me being at a different school, I don’t get to see them as often. It is also hard to hang out after class because of all the homework you have from your college classes. CL: I miss Royals Media the most. I still
Carlee Lively
see most of friends outside school but it’s the kids I never really knew well. At the high school you always see a familiar face, We’ve all been going to school together since elementary. I also miss my old teachers, I do not see them a lot but I still go to my favorites to seek advice about my future. MQ: The thing I miss most about the high school would have to be the pep rally’s and spirit week. JS: The thing I miss the most about the high school is being able to talk with my really close friends, but this experience has allowed me to meet new people and grow a better relationship with the other people that are taking their senior year at Bland. BT: I miss my friends most of all. It’s hard not being able to see your best friend but only on weekends and Friday afternoons. 5. What has been your overall experience at Richard Bland College through your first semester? IB: My first semester has been awesome, I really like Richard Bland. All of my professors are great and I’ve learned a lot about those subjects and college in general. CB: Through my first semester here at RBC, I have honestly enjoyed it much more than a regular senior year. I have been able to meet new people on campus and the class times are much more convenient considering I 100% created it. Overall, I would definitely recommend attending Richard Bland College to anyone that is considering it an option; it will not disappoint! DC: My experience at Richard Bland so far has been amazing, I have had the chance to meet new people and also learn the cultures of other countries, Along with that the classes are extremely interesting and diverse. PG: My overall experience has been great. I love my teachers and the education I’m getting from there. I’m having fun with the other kids that went to RBC and I’m learning how to do college. Everything has been great.
JK: Richard Bland has been the best choice I’ve made yet in my academic career through my first semester and would highly recommend it to any rising seniors. ML: My first experience at Bland was one I will never forget. Not only did it provide advanced knowledge, but it was also a fun journey to take. Bland has multiple events that happen throughout the year, such as the haunted barn, Pecan Festival, etc. CL: Although I do miss certain high school things, I do not regret Bland at all. I love the environment we learn in and all the new people I have met. I have my own schedule and I’m not weighed down with busy work or unnecessary things. Yes, college is stressful but I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to do it. I’m also grateful for my parents to let me do this experience since each student has to pay full price for Bland. Other high schools who offer this pay a portion, if not all of it, but Prince George does not. MQ: My overall experience has been very good, it can get a little stressful but in the end it is a great feeling to be done with all of your classes for the semester. JS: My overall experience has been amazing, my favorite part is the amount of time in class (9:30-12:15) and I’ve been able to grow closer with the people that go there with me. BT: Bland has been a great experience. I have learned so much about college and I have learned to work better on my own and use my time wisely. I have gotten through the first semester with all A’s and I believe that all the time that I put into studying and not into being in school all day helped a lot.
12 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 12.15.17
A&E
Dance Team Shakes It Up For New Season
Maddison Shawkey TRN Writer
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s football season ends and basketball season begins, both inexperienced and previous members of the Royals Dance dance team begin to practice for basketball season. For the 2017-2018 basketball season, the Royalettes welcome three new dancers. “For this season I am most excited about learning new dances and having the new members of dance team share the dance floor with us,” captain, India Richardson said. Richardson is a senior and has been dancing with the Royalettes throughout her high school career. Her favorite thing about the dance team is the connections the dancers have with one another. “The thing I enjoy most about dance team is how close we have become while doing something we love,” Richardson said, “It has become a second family for me.” The dance team welcomed new members to the team as well this season. Seniors, Nicole Peters and Aalaya Porre are two of these new members. Porre and Peters were on the football varsity cheerleading team, but they both decided to join the dance team rather than do basketball cheer.
“I wanted to broaden my horizons and try something new,” Peters said. Peters had previous dancing experience but waited until her senior year to join the dance team. “I have always admired from afar, but it hasn’t crossed my mind [to join the dance team] until now,” Peters said. However, Porre did not have any experience prior to this year. Porre explained that she had always considered joining the dance team, but she has put her love for cheer first. “When I️ heard tryouts were happening for dance basketball season I️ knew it was my first and final opportunity to do it so I️ said ‘why not’,” Porre said. Peters and Porre were both given a warm welcome despite them coming in middle of the season. “I enjoy the fact that the team has been welcoming considering it’s my first time dancing and have made me a part of the family,” Porre said To make the team more as a family, the team plans a Christmas party at the coach of the dance team’s house. There, they will exchange their presents they have gotten for their secret Santa. “I love doing secret Santa because it makes the other person happy and it brings us together as a team,” junior Mickiya Tatum said. “We may have had our differences and disagreements throughout the season but doing
things like secret Santa and taking a day to celebrate each other is gonna bring us together and kinda act like a reset button and it is gonna give us a chance to get to know the new dance team members and form a bond with them.” Even with new members, the team still continues to practice for competitions and other events such as senior night, for the basketball season. However, some dancers, who have been on the team in previous years, are a bit concerned. “I’m concerned that some of the new people, or that aren’t very experienced in performing, or being in a dance team,” said senior, Tina Fulmore. “It’s not like a studio where you get longer practices and time to perform everything. So I’m just concerned with the time we’re taking.” Despite these concerns, Fulmore does admit she is excited for this season. “Mostly because I’m a senior and it’s my last season, it makes it so much more exciting for me,” Fulmore said. “I get to experience everything for one last time, so that’s really exciting for me.” Fulmore has been dancing since her early childhood and has been with the dance team for a few years now. “I mostly enjoy performing,” Fulmore said. “It’s hard to explain but just the crowd and everything, especially the hype we get, is usually really fun for me.” Both Fulmore and Richardson have been
Senior Kayla Bailey dances at her last football game. As a senior dancer dancing for the basketball season, she has one last opportunity to perform with her Royalette teammates. Photo by Wessam Hazaymeh. on the team in previous years and this year they are seniors and are preparing for the Senior Night. They both admit, that this being their senior year makes this even more special to them. “What makes this year different from the rest for me is how close I’ve become with each person on the team,” Richardson said,.“Especially the seniors, because it’s our last year and we realized that we won’t ever be the same team again, which makes our bond stronger.” Members of the dance team are all excited for different reasons, from learning new dances to building new bonds. “I am most excited about learning new dances and having the new members of dance team share the dance floor with us,” Richardson said. With all the new changes and the addition of new members, the team has a lot to look forward to.
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A&E
Senior
A Christmas Carol
SPOTLIGHT
Annual Christmas Play Brings Forth Holiday Spirit Masako Kaneko TRN Writer
Abby Crosier
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aryl Phillips, the director of the play, runs around the theater making sure everything is good to go. The sets are in place ready to set the scene. The actors are in costume and makeup ready for their stage time. He peeks through the curtains of the stage to see the audience waiting in anticipation for the cast’s performance. It’s show time. On December 7th, 2017 the cast of A Christmas Carol performed their opening night. The theater was packed with people who had paid $7 for a seat in the audience. Due to the weather, both the 8th and 9th performances were cancelled. They have been rescheduled for Friday December 15 and Saturday December 16. “It is an iconic story,” Phillips said. Phillips had authority over what play the cast would perform for the month of December. He chose A Christmas Carol because of how well known it is to people. He also chose it because of how close the performance dates are close to Christmas. Phillips also has a fondness on doing classical plays. “It’s straight up the story it’s just slightly shorter but all the main ideas are in there,” Phillips said. The cast has been working for weeks to bring the play to life for the audience. Their take on the play will be recognizable to anyone who is familiar with the play. “I’ve done this script before and the way we are presenting, we are presenting it in sort of a reader’s theater style. So it’s like a series of stage pictures,” Phillips said. Phillips, director of the play has experience with this peculiar script. His approach for presenting the play to the audience. “I think it’s fun and it gets you more immersed into the lifestyle of the characters,” senior Eric Sykes who plays Bob Cratchit said. Along with using stage pictures,
How many plays have you been a part of? This would be my third play here at the high school. What do you enjoy most about performing?
Phillips also has the cast speaking in standard stage British and cockney accents. “The redemption that Scrooge goes through. The fact that he learns that as human beings we have a responsibility to take care of each other,”Phillips said. One of the best parts of the play in Phillip’s opinion is the concept that Scrooge makes a change in his behavior after the realization of how cruel his behavior can be. “The scene where Jacob Marley comes in is my favorite because we have these cool sound effects which makes the scene so fun to watch,” Kimberlyn Bobeau, the Ghost of Christmas Present, said. Although some may love how Scrooge learns a lesson others feel that the best characteristic of the play is how entertaining the sound effects that come in during the Jacob Marley scene. “Well, we all had fun and I think that we definitely learned from our mistakes
Choir performs in the Annual Christmas play. The carolers made their debut by singing, “It came Upon the Midnight Clear” Photo by Masako Kaneko. during rehearsal and made sure we did not make the same mistakes during the actual performance,” Bobeau said. “I think opening night went way better than I had anticipated,” Jacob Martin who plays Tom Cratchit as well as a caroler said. Although Martin believes that opening night was a bigger success than he expected, he also believes that there can be improvements made to the cast’s performance. Martin thinks one improvement that could benefit the play would be for the cast to play of another even better.
I love being able to portray different characters its super fun just to get on stage and act like somebody that you’re not but then when you’re done, you’re just yourself again and its really cool. But I also enjoy the relationships I’ve made while I’m there because I have become so close with so many of them and its just such a fun time With it being your senior year, how do you play to inspire the underclassmen that act alongside with you? Before every show, we have a circle and we do a bunch of warm-ups and we have these things called “Tokens” and mine is the “Happy quote” so every circle I’m in charge of saying something happy to get everyone inspired so that’s one thing I’m gonna use to help inspire everybody.
14 | THE ROYAL NEWS | FRIDAY 12.15.17
A&E
Gamer's Corner
Mario Odyssey Hits The Mark
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uper Mario Odyssey is an open 3D platformer with much to offer. This is Nintendo’s best seller yet, with its vast amount of levels and
more. The game starts out the same as any other Mario game, Bowser captures Princess Peach and Mario goes on a journey to save the beloved Princess. On his journey to save Peach, you play as Mario and he meets a magical hat called Cappy who needs Mario’s help to save his sister from Bowser as well. Cappy joins forces with Mario by becoming his red hat and the two set off. Cappy is the newest feature in the game that makes it shine. Cappy activates when you throw him at an object, then which you can control. Instead of playing just as Mario,
Daniel Battle
you can now play as objects such as tanks, goombas, chain-chomps, frogs, trees, rocks and more. The level design in the game is jawdropping, with its creativity and uniqueness in each level which should be appreciated. No single level feels or looks the same at all as each level has a different theme to it. One level you could be playing through a hazardous jungle and in the next level you could be playing in a foggy snowy mountain or an urban city. Some levels have a nostalgia to it as the game also includes 2D sections where you can play as 2D Mario. In order to go to from a level to the next you will need to collect Power Moons. Power moons are used to power the airship which is called the Odyssey to take you to different levels. There are a lot of Power Moons throughout each level, some in places you may never think to find them in. When you finish the quest saving Peach, the game doesn’t end there. The game has more levels to play which will never bore you.
Photo courtesy of Nintendo.com.
PH TOGALLERY
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Annual Christmas Parade Spreads Holiday Cheer Down ‘Main Street’ TOP RIGHT: Junior April Drevitch marches with the Royalettes waiting for the right moment to give out candy during the parade. Drevitch and the dancers performed their routine as they marched which is a bit more difficult than the normal halftime show. Photo by Wessam Hazaymeh.
Below: Santa Claus once again, rides in his sleigh at the conclusion of the parade. Santa is the highlight of the parade for most youth who come to watch the event. Photo by Wessam Hazaymeh .
Above: Marching Band auxiliary flag member junior Mia Stephenson twirls her flag in sync with the holiday tune. Marching band members participate in the parade every year. Photo by Wessam Hazaymeh. RIGHT: Geometry teacher Regan Brown rides on the Key Club float that took part in the parade on Sat., Dec. 2nd. As a sponsor of the club, Brown helps with supervising many of the yearly activities. Photo by Wessam Hazaymeh.
For more photos of the opening parade go to www. trnwired.smugmug.com
16 | THE ROYAL NEWS | FRIDAY 12.15.17
Starting Positions available in:
General Laborer With Advancement in:
Heavy Equipment Operation Pipefitting Welding
FRIDAY 12.15.17 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 17
WINTER SPORTS
Winter Sports Prepare For Start Daniel Battle TRN Writer
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ith the winter track season on the rise, the track team is looking to improve on this upcoming season than from the last. The track team this year is filled with a lot of young runners ready to dash to the finish line fast as they can. Head coach William Edward Stevens III is excited for this upcoming season and can not wait to see what these young runners are made of. He wants to help the young athletes to become the best they can. “This year we have young runners,” Stevens said. “We are going to work with them a lot this season to catch them up in speed.” The team has done well during the past season, but is looking forward to capitalize on some things for the upcoming season as well. With sprint do-
ing so well, some of the coaches want to focus on more than just that event. Some of the coaches want to focus more on some of the field events and also more on distance. “We have always been focused on sprint heavily,” Stevens stated. “Our coaches are really trying to get our field events going and our distance runners needs to start getting better.” This year the track team is going to be adding a new event also. This season pole vault will be added to the list of events and coached by Major William Mulkey. The athletes are excited for the new addition and look forward to competing in the event. “I’m excited for our new coach to be joining with us this year teaching young athletes something they aren’t really used to nowadays,” Stevens said. “I can’t wait to see how we do with this event at the meets we go to in the future.”
Sophomore Emma Mentzer prepares to hand off to the next sprinter in a relay event at the track meet at Dinwiddie High School. There is a large number of young runners on the team this year. Photo by Mady Degan.
Anna Mitchell Opinions Editor
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very day after school, the members of Prince George’s wrestling team practice at the fieldhouse, aiming for states yet again. In preparation, the eager young wrestlers started attending practices in late November. Since then, they have been working hard to grow stronger and more skillful as wrestlers. This year, the team has to work extra hard to overcome one major problem: the loss of many of its wrestlers from the previous year. “From last year we lost a lot of people, so [we’re] just trying to get more people to come out to the program,” junior Bryce Payne said. Despite its losses, the team has been working extra hard to prepare itself for rigorous, upcoming competitions, by setting and reaching various goals for each wrestler and by practicing for a total of two and a half hours daily. “This year, we’ve been drilling to
Senior Wallace Canada pins an opponent at a home match against Matoaca. Wrestlers are aiming to become stronger due to the team taking a major cut from last season. Photo by Chance Thweatt. find the best that we have in Prince George,” senior Caleb Roessel said. “We’ve just been drilling to work towards our weights and get to where we need to be.” One of the team’s biggest goals this year is to overcome its smaller size and take more wrestlers to their statewide competitions. “We’re trying to take more kids to state, because last year, we only took two,” said Roessel. “This year, we’re trying to take at least three or four.” As the season progresses and the boys work harder and harder, they continue to strengthen their already warm bonds. The wrestlers work harder and stronger, together- not only as a team, but as a family, as well. “We all get in there and [we’re] wrestling, just like a family,” Payne said.
18 | THE ROYAL NEWS | FRIDAY 12.15.17
Winter Sports
Student Managers: A Sideline Story Wayne Coleman Managing Editor
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igh school athletes gain their respect from their play on the field or on the court. However, there are other attributes that fuel the success of the team, mostly those who do their work behind the scenes. Coaches have been known to hire extra help, or “managers,” to keep the team organized. They offer the position to the student body. Some have friends in the sport and are asked to help out with the team’s activities, and others, like junior Lauren Peade, happen to stumble upon the opportunity. “I was talking to Coach Carr one day, and he just told me that he needed a manager,” Peade said. She says that some of their responsibilities include time management, and making sure the team stays hydrated. “For practices, we just run the clock and everything, and keep track of the time during their drills,” Peade said. “We fill up their water bottles so they have something to drink. During game days, we pack all the things they need, like the water bottles and the rags.” Other manager responsibilities are making sure that the athletes have a sanitary environment to practice their respected sport, like junior Mckenna Harbert. As a wrestling manager, she also keeps track of match points so athletes can see how they’re progressing over the season. “[What we do is] we keep score for all of the matches, we make sure the mats are clean, and we get their clothes ready,” Harbert said. Harbert says their part is important because it takes some stress off the coaches and their team. “The coaches can’t really keep score while they’re coaching so it helps them keep track of their record,” Harbert said. The players and managers are not just strangers that meet once at games and practices, there is a surreal family atmosphere among them. “It’s cool,” junior Joshua Howerton said. “They respect me, I respect them,
Senior
Spotlight
Kaliyah Potts
Girls Basketball What are your plans for the season? My plans for this season are to try to bring everything that I have learned over the years along with the things I’m still learning and showcase them. And to dominate the area that I️ am best known for which is the post. How are you feeling knowing this is your last year? It’s definitely bittersweet knowing this is my last year because I have been so close to all of the past seniors from the team, and always wanted to rush and be a senior but now I️ want time to slow down. we are kind of all friends, it’s not like I’m just some random person [that helps the team].” They may already have basic knowledge going into the job, but managers end the day with a better knowledge of the game, and the people playing it. “I actually know a lot more of basketball than I did before going into it,” Peade said. “I met some of the players, they’re really cool guys to hang out with, they’re really funny people.” The managers often walk away with fun memories and new friendships. “I used to not really know anything about wrestling, I know a lot more about it, [and] I made a lot more friends,” Harbert said. Some also gain a new perspective on team sports. “Watching them practice as a team and knowing how close they are as
Varsity boys basketball manager junior Joshua Howerton stands by during the media day activities on November 13th. Howerton worked as a liaison between the team and the media by setting up nameplates, prepping the interview area, and managing players during the photography sessions. Photo by Aaliyah Capers. a family made me realize how close teams are and how much it means to have each other’s backs.” Managers not only help with the organization of their respected team, but they keep the team centered. “It helps balance out the team, stuff that you [as a fan] don’t see, help them come together, I do things that other people don’t do,” Howerton said.
Do you want to further your basketball career? If so, where? No I don’t plan on playing basketball in college. I want to focus on my major which is nursing. Has anyone on this team motivated you? The two people on this team that have motivated me are Taylor and Kierra, because we have been together since we were in 7th grade and we have been through it all together. And they know me the best out of everyone I feel.
FRIDAY 12.15.17 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 19
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will be a Indoor track Winter >> There varsity wrestling >> has a meet at match on Sat., Christopher Sports Dec. 16th at Newport
UPCOMING EVENTS
Dinwiddie High School.
>>
University on Sat., Dec. 16th.
Varsity boys basketball will compete in a tournament at Hopewell High School between Dec. 27th-29th.
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Varsity girls basketball play at Hopewell on Wed., Jan. 3rd at 7:15 PM.
Girls Basketball Focused On Goals Carter Marks TRN Writer
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Senior Kierra Jefferson defends an oncoming offensive attack against Colonial Heights during the 2016-2017 season. Jefferson is one of the returning players that has stepped up as a leader for the team. Photo by Wessam Hazaymeh.
oming into her second season as head coach for the girls varsity basketball, Head Coach Shavohn Curley has her goals set to going to states and playing on her old home court. Curley played basketball for Virginia Commonwealth University from 19972002. She red-shirted one year due to an ankle injury which is the reason she stayed an extra year. Playing guard at VCU really allowed her to understand the game better which now contributes to her coaching abilities. “Our major goal of course is to make it to my home court the Siegel Center at VCU,” Curley said. “I try to get them focusing on reaching the smaller goals first but keeping the larger goal in the back of their mind.” Curley stated that Hopewell will probably be their toughest game in the regular season. Something she learned over her basketball career to prepare for her opponents was watching film, and that is something her and her girls are doing to fix mistakes and prepare for their opponents. “I like to use film as a tool to help prepare my players,” Curley said. “That was an effective tool in college for me and I share that experience with our girls.” Coming into the season, the Lady Royals have five returning seniors on the mostly underclassmen team. That being said, those five have a lot of teaching and mentoring to do so the seven new players coming up from junior varsity can adjust to the faster varsity pace. The speed of the game at the varsity level differs from the speed at the junior varsity level. Varsity players are not only stronger, but the game moves a lot faster. Additionally the girls have to adjust and learn Curley’s style of play. “They are required to learn new offenses and adjust to the speed of the
varsity level,” Curley said. “Majority of them are still trying to make those adjustments.” There is always those couple players on teams that can hop right in and automatically contribute good numbers to the team. Any coach is always delighted to have these players on their team. “Freshman Thaydn Harpin and freshman Savana Goodson have added a lot of much needed size in the post area,” Curley said. “They allow us to have more of a post presence this year.” Since having a young team, the seniors have to step up as leaders and mentor the younger players. Sophomore Molly Ashcraft stated that senior Kierra Jefferson has really done a good job taking all the younger players under her wing. “When one of us isn’t doing well, she is there to pick us up and our mistakes,” Ashcraft said. “She is an all-around player and does her best through it all.” Curley praised senior Nekevia Gause on her being the “mother” of the team because she always keeps the girls focused on the game and reminds them to keep their heads up. “Her nickname is the “mother” of the team,” Curley said. “She goes into “mama mode” pretty often in practice and off the court.” Over the offseason, senior Taylor Stevens committed to continue for athletic and academic career at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina. That does not mean Stevens is taking this year lightly, she has bigger goals she hopes to achieve. “I want to reach 1000 [points] by the end of my season but to also make my teammates better by encouraging them and passing the ball,” Stevens said. “Our goal is to get to states and compete for the state championship.” If you ask any players on this team, they will all say we want to go to states. However, in order to reach the final stage, they will have to focus on the smaller picture. “I try to get them focusing on reaching the smaller goals first, but keeping the larger goals in the back of their mind,” Curley said.