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Volume XVI, Issue 2
HAMLET INSPIRES STUDENTS P. 7 p. 10-11 CADETS SALUTE THEIR NEW RECRUITS p. 13 TEACHERS ON TREND p. 17 SPECIAL OLYMPICS INSPIRES MENTORS
Who will win Powderpuff this year? - Juniors (Class of 2019) (33%) - Seniors (Class of 2018) (67%) *Twitter poll of 120 votes
Resource officer Anthony Hamlet thinks of his daily quote to write on the whiteboard in the commons. Hamlet writes inspirational quotes for the students everyday. Photo by Haleigh Horne.
2 | THE ROYAL NEWS | FRIDAY 11.17.17
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FRIDAY 11.17.17 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 3
OP/ED
Why You Should Be Reading the News
F
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.
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
Illustration by Anna Mitchell.
Boy Scouts Open Membership To Students Of Other Gender
I
n Prince George there are multiple boys and girls that participate in scouts. On Wed., Oct. 11, the Boy Scouts of America announced they would be allowing female students to join. This plan will be implemented in the upcoming year of 2018. Some members from both of the boy and girl scout companies are concerned about the change in rule. The girls will be placed in separate “dens” from the boys, meaning that the individual troops will still not be integrated. In 2019, the organization will also be allowing female scouts to reach the rank of Eagle Scout. This change in the organization is one of many in the past couple of years. In 2013 they lifted a ban against openly gay children, in 2015 gay leaders were allowed, and starting in 2017 transgender scouts can now participate. The Boy Scouts have an estimated
2.3 million members, which is low compared to 2.6 million in 2013. The Girl Scouts have been estimated to have 1.8 million members and 800,000 instructors. Scouts have been separated by gender for decades, but the curriculum of both organizations could be intertwined to create one group of non-gender specific scouts. This would allow the children to learn more vital skills that they would not normally be taught just participating in one corporation. If the organizations don’t come together, then the children should be allowed to pick what company and skills they would like to engage in and learn. The Boy Scouts are starting to mold to the changing times and circumstances of the modern world, and this change will leave a positive mark on the scouts of today and of years to come.
ake news. The term is divisive at its core, meant to cause distrust in the very establishments whose job it is to inform us. Fairly reasonably, people worry that if they can’t trust the source of the news they’re getting, then there isn’t anything they can trust beside their own intuition. While there is some truth TAYLOR ANDERSON to this statement, as a whole, journalists and the articles they produce are held to very high standards, and the recent election blew the situation out of proportion. If anything, this should be a wake-up call that Americans should be reading the news more, not less, in order to be able to identify whether what they are reading is credible. More importantly, they should be able to identify whether there is a certain bias attached to the news in question. More often than not, the news isn’t so much fake as it is spun to fit a certain narrative. Another problem is when opinion is presented as fact. This is especially common with cable news, which often has guest speakers who are stating their opinion, but are presented as if they are experts reporting the facts. In either case, the only way to confirm the authenticity of the news consumed is to be a frequent news reader. During the election, the media basically shot themselves in the foot. By constantly covering the claims and making it seem like a bigger deal than it was, they caused people to lose faith in the news and be less likely to watch or read the news as a result. However, journalists are held to higher standards than most people realize. Every major publication has a code of ethics that all their employees must follow, and the Society of Professional Journalists (an organization encouraging free journalism) has a code of ethics that many news organizations use as a basis for their own codes. In addition, organizations such as the Poynter Institute actively scour the internet for “fake news,” constantly fact checking and informing readers on those that are incorrect in their weekly feature “This Week in FactChecking”. News and journalism are a key part of our country, and without it we would become uneducated and easily manipulated. Despite the recent “bad press” about, well, the press, it’s more important than ever to stay up-to-date on the news, starting with local news like, I don’t know, maybe a school newspaper like the Royal News (hint hint). Rather than focusing on fake news, we should focus on how to make news.
4 | THE ROYAL NEWS | FRIDAY 11.17.17
OP/ED
Should School Start Times Be Delayed?
For the 2018-19 school year, every Chesterfield County high school will move back their daily start time to 8:30 AM to benefit students. However, this change can have some negative effects, as well. Will changing school start times truly benefit students, or will it harm them?
T
he average high school starting time in America is around 8 AM according to Livescience.com. Also according to Livescience.com, “Some children’s health organizations recommend that schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., to help teens get the sleep they need.” This is a chain every school should follow for many reasons. According to masterofartsinteaching.net, students need at least 8.5 - 9.25 hours of sleep and pushing back the school starting time will give students the needed amount of sleep they need. Not having enough hours of sleep has many negative physical and mental effects. Also according to masterofartsinteaching.net, several studies show that high school students are among the most sleep-deprived groups due to a combination of academic workload, sports, extracurricular activities and starting their day too early. Our neighboring school system, Hopewell High School, has recently delayed their school starting time by an hour. Instead of starting school at 7:50 AM, the first bell now rings at 8:55 AM and they get out of school at 3:15 PM. Prince George County and all the other surrounding counties should follow in their footsteps. According to the Mercury News, “fully rested teens have improved memory, reaction time, mood and athletic performance, according to researchers.” The article also notes that school administrators who support the change are hopeful that later school start times would improve attendance and reduce student involvement in traffic accidents. According to the Denver Post, “‘... a start time of 8:35 a.m. allows 57 to 60 percent of students to get eight or more hours of sleep, which is an important health benefit for a majority of students,’ Kyla Wahlstrom, director of the university’s Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, said in a statement. ‘Local school districts, school personnel, parents, and students need to understand the importance of sleep and to make choices using the knowledge from this and other studies.’”
PRO CON AALIYAH CAPERS
SARAH SCHRUM
“Several studies show that high school students are among the most sleepdeprived groups due to a combination of academic workload, sports, extracurricular activities and starting their day too early.” “The later release time would eliminate any extra time they [students] would usually use for homework.” “School administrators who support the change are hopeful that later school start times would improve attendance.”
M
ost students are calling for a change in the start time for the school, however this change could have a negative effect on some students. The change of school start times would affect the high school student’s schedule, as well as the schedules of the younger students in the elementary and middle schools. Schools like Matoaca and Thomas Dale High School have already started to make these changes. Next year, high school students will start to come to school at 8:30 AM instead of the current 7:25 AM arrival time. This means the school will end at 3:00 PM instead of the current 1:50 PM. The middle and elementary schools will start and end later also. Some of the elementary and middle schools will be released before the high school, leaving a time when the younger students are potentially home alone without supervision. This issue could be a hazard for parents who rely on their older children to watch over the younger ones. “Everyday after school I babysit for my younger cousin and if we get set back later then he will not be able to get off the bus and be watched for at least an hour,” sophomore Alixzandreia Wilson said. Parents could have to pay more for babysitting, leaving less extra change in their funds for emergencies. Some parents could have to try to leave work early to avoid expensive child care fees. This causes problems within the parent’s schedule making spending time with family harder than before. Any student who participates in extracurricular activities knows that staying after school is hard enough. With a change in the times staying after would be even harder for students who are already getting home late. The time they have for homework is not enough as it is and the later release time would eliminate any extra time they would usually use for homework. To most fully benefit students, the school start times should stay as is.
FRIDAY 11.17.17 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 5
THE WEEKS AHEAD Teacher Of The Month Is Monte Williams
C
ongratulations to math teacher Monte Williams for winning PGHS Teacher of the Month award. Williams was nominated by her peers and the honor was announced at the Nov. faculty meeting. This honor also includes several gifts, along with a reserved parking space in front of the
high school.
Jackie Bradley Jr. Hosts Event At Swaders
B
oston Red Sox centerfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., one of Prince George’s very own, will be returning to the county on Saturday, November 25th at Swaders Sports Park from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The esteemed baseball player will be hosting an
event in which county residents can attend and meet Bradley. Ticket prices are available starting at $35.00. For more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jackiebradley-jr-community-day-tickets37945018572?aff=aff0eventful.
PG Christmas Parade Returns Dec. 2nd
T
he annual Prince George County Christmas Parade has been scheduled for Sat., Dec. 2nd at 3:00 PM. The parade will begin at Beazley Elementary School and Scott Park and make its way through the county. Many clubs in the county will be showcased in the event. The event is an annual tradition for Prince George County residents of all ages. Courthouse Drive will be closed for hours preceding and following this event.
Schools Closed For Thanksgiving Break
S
tudents will not attend school on the dates of Wednesday, November 22nd, Thursday, November 23rd, and Friday, November 24th due to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Students, make sure to take the time to relax and give thanks over this 5-day weekend. School will resume on Monday, November 27th.
Community Police Department Graduation
O
ver the course of the past 10 weeks, several Prince George citizens have attended the Community Police Academy classes, offered by the Prince George Police Department. Students of the class have had the chance to learn about many different things, including
how the local police system works, the law, illegal drugs, crime scenes, and more. On Friday, Nov. 17th, at 2:00 PM, those students will be graduating from the program in the Board of Supervisors room at the Prince George General District Court on 6602 Courts Drive.
6 | THE ROYAL NEWS | FRIDAY 11.17.17
FEATURES
Chandler Manages Technology ITRT Assists With Internet, Office 365 Program Masako Kaneko TRN Writer
N
ealan Chandler has been working with Prince George High School as an instructional technology resource teacher since 2005. Before his job revolved around the school’s technology, Chandler taught with for 26 years as a physical education teacher. “I’ve always had an interest in computers. My whole family is in the computer business. So it was kind of everywhere. Even when I was a physical education teacher I was thinking how can I involve technology,” Chandler said. Although Chandler worked for many years as a physical education teacher, the world of technology has been his true calling. As the county began to introduce computers, the school board also created positions for instructional technology resource teachers. “I don’t get to work as much with students as I would like, but instead of just working with people and teaching them P.E. I can work with pretty much the whole school,” Chandler said. While Chandler enjoys his position as an instructional technology resource teacher, he admits that it presents new challenges every day. “I like the ever-changing world of technology. It’s kind of a double-edged sword, so I like it but it’s also hard to keep up with things because technology is always changing,” Chandler said. One of Chandler’s favorite aspects of technology is that it is always evolving. But his work also requires to be a resource for others in the school. “My main job here is to help with software related things. I’m here to help teachers learn new and innovated things in the classroom, not just helping with a broken computer,” Chandler said. Along with ensuring that the internet is working smoothly, Chandler also plays a key role in keeping the high school up to date with technology. He has helped out with the school’s student email accounts, Office 365. “Everything is on my calendar, I get emails constantly, text messages con-
stantly, I have a whiteboard behind me with things to do,” Chandler said. Chandler’s occupation also happens to come with strict deadlines and a busy schedule. He has constant reminders to ensure that he doesn’t miss a deadline. He uses his phone’s calendar feature. “The hardest challenge that I’ve had is when you have new technology or you have new things that you want to put into the classroom to help, knowing hey this will help whatever it may be, like when we got Office... it’s just a long process,” Chandler said. One of Chandler’s biggest struggles is the time consuming process of introducing something new to the students and teachers. “The hardest part is getting people to change because people don’t like to
Highlighting papers, Nealan Chandler keeps track of student computer logins. Chandler is the softball coach and the information technology resource teacher. Photo by Masako Kaneko . change,” Chandler said. When teaching students and teachers how to use a new program such as Office 365, it can prove to be very difficult. Chandler has to teach teachers how to use these new features. People do not change easily and it is hard to teach them something new when they would rather stick with the old fashioned way. “Computers are an ever changing profession. There are many jobs out there, and many high paying jobs for people who have computer skills,” Chandler said.
Hourly TIMELINE
FRIDAY 11.17.17| THE ROYAL NEWS | 7
FEATURES
Hamlet Inspires Others With Quotes Security Officer Posts Daily Motivation On Whiteboard In Commons
Molly Ashcraft TRN Writer
E
veryday Officer Anthony Hamlet fills the commons with different quotes from different authors. His purpose is that he wants to always let the students know that everyday is a new day and nothing is perfect. Hamlet sees students looking at them and looking up the author. Hamlet also puts the authors names so everyone can see what other quotes the author writes. It doesn’t take much time for him to pick out or put up new quotes. “I pick these quotes by the way I’m feeling or an event that has happened recently. I type in words based off my
emotions and then pick quotes similar to them,” Hamlet said. Hamlet wants the students to really understand these quotes. Some students may have never heard of the quotes. Sophomores Kailey Gifford and Drake Hannuksela really enjoy seeing these quotes everyday. Gifford looks at these new quotes and compares them to situations she deals with herself. Gifford said the different authors are very interesting to learn about as well. “The quotes have helped me in situations and not all the students get the opportunity to even read or see these quotes,” Gifford said. Hannuksela writes down some of the quotes so he can always remember them. Hannuksela also does research on these quotes to understand the context. He has written essays off of some of these authors and has learned more about them. “These quotes have affected me in
ways people could not have done. The quotes being up in the commons really makes me thrilled and I enjoy reading them,” Hannuksela said. Junior Anna Davis and Jamie Fields appreciate Officer Hamlet putting these quotes everyday. Davis’s favorite author is Anthony Anderson. Davis has used these quotes to help her solve conflicts and do school work. Davis has used these authors in essays and stories and she enjoys seeing new quotes everyday. “I take a part of these quotes and use them in times I need them. Officer Hamlet is nice enough to put them up there, so I am going to use them,” Davis said. Fields looks at these quotes everyday too. Fields has used them before. Fields helps others by sharing these quotes with people who may not have seen or heard of them before. Fields has thanked Officer Hamlet on occasion. “A lot of people don’t realize that Officer
Writing a quote in the commons , Security Officer Anthony Hamlet inspires and motivates the student body. Hamlet writes a new quote daily. Photo by Haleigh Horne. Hamlet doesn’t have to do this. He does it because he enjoys doing it and seeing how it affects the students,” Fields said. Senior Carlie Vaughan looks at these quotes as motivation. Vaughan looks at them every single day to see what new ones are on the board. Vaughan uses these quotes a lot because of the stress that comes off of being a senior. “With being a senior there are lots of roller-coasters along the way. But one quote can change my day from starting badly to being good,” Vaughan said.
8 | THE ROYAL NEWS | FRIDAY 11.17.17
William S. Grizzard, Jr. MD (Retired) Charles W. Smith, III, MD Edward Moschler, MD Keith M. Roberts, MD Joy J. Hogg, RN, MSN Certified Nurse Midwife
FRIDAY 11.17.17 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 9
FEATURES
Important
Common Application Appeals To Students Common Application Offers Several College Applications In One Place Maddison Shawkey TRN Writer
A
Jan. 1 is the deadline for regular decision for University of Virginia.
s November comes around and the pressure of college applications gets higher, over 1 million students use The Common Application to make
the process easier. The Common Application is an app that allows people who are looking to apply to several colleges to do so by using just one site. “I would definitely say that the easiest part about it is how all the colleges and everything that you want to apply to are all in one location,” senior Eric Sykes said. There are 751 different schools which all accept applications via The Common Application. “You search the colleges you want to apply to and scholarships you want to apply for,” Sykes said. “It will track your progress with your applications and your scholarship information.” On the website for the Common App, there are videos that help students understand how to apply to these schools. Guidance counselor Jocelyn Culver, the scholarship coordinator, does this in a more local sense. “As a scholarship coordinator, I research scholarships outside of what is posted in the scholarship handbook that we give to the seniors at the beginning of the school year,” Culver said. Culver helps find scholarship opportunities for students around the school. She goes online to different websites in search of what is available to applicants. “I will post the scholarships typically once a month or whenever we get new ones listed,” Culver said. Though Culver does not use the Common Application often, she does find the application process to be quite straightforward. “My view literally just lists all of my students that have applied through the Common App and there are check marks where I will know what I need to submit,” Culver said, “As I submit them, the check marks turn green and I know I’ve submitted them and we’re good to go.” Both Culver and some applicants said
DATES
Jan. 15 is the deadline for regular decision for George Mason University.
Jan. 15 is the deadline for regular decision for University of Richmond.
Jan. 16 that online processes such as Common Application are much easier. The app allows students to keep track of their progress, apply for scholarships and to schools, and submit teacher recommendations. “Basically you can get teacher recommendations and they can go online and use it for everywhere - every college you apply to,” senior India Richardson said. For applicants who may not understand how to use The Common Application, there are videos of virtual counselors on the site. The counselors answer commonly asked questions and post them into the website to assist the people using the app. As well as having counselors help answer your questions, the app also keeps the students in track with alerts and reminders. “It pretty much just helps you stay on track and helps you get everything done before the deadline,” Sykes said. One drawback however is the lack of validation of the applications according to some.
Senior Eric Sykes holds a phone displaying the Common Application App. The common application can be also be accessed from a desktop computer. Photo by Maddison Shawkey. “Since it’s technically not official with all colleges, any information that you give, like test score-wise, is unofficial,” Sykes said. “So they can see what you say your test scores are, but they won’t take that as your actual test score until you send it via an actual college website.” Overall, apps and websites, like the Common Application, make the college application process easier on both the applicant and the counselor assisting them. “I definitely think the online process is much easier than relying on the students to remember where they applied and coming to tell me and me mailing it out,” Culver said. “Often the schools won’t receive it in the mail or it gets delayed. So electronically, to me, is always the best way.”
is the deadline for regular decision for Virginia Commonwealth University.
Feb. 1 is the deadline for regular decision for Christopher Newport University.
Information collected from https://apply.commonapp. org/ca4app#!s/CollegeSearch
12 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 11.17.17
A&E All Choir Shoot For All District Spot
Sophomore Kimberly Bobeau
Shelby Hayes TRN Writer
“I enjoyed getting this experience with my choir family.”
H
earts thump in their chests and palms sweat from anxious nerves as choir students walk into the audition that could help shape their singing careers. “I felt about the same amount of nerves [during the audition],” France said. ”It’s still a bit nerve-racking because it’s an audition and you want everyone to like you.” Students like senior Sam Preece and sophomore Madison France have attended this audition before and are a little more prepared for what is to come. Preece has attended the auditions since her junior year. France first went as a freshman. “I feel like I did pretty good about my audition this year,” Preece said. ”It definitely wasn’t perfect but I think going the year prior really helped me keep from getting super nervous about it.” All District Choir is an event where students in the same district compete in Virginia for a spot in the district three choir. District three includes Petersburg, Dinwiddie, Chesterfield, Hopewell, Prince George, Powhatan, and Colonial Heights. Students from these counties compete against each other in auditions that score them. “Students are scored on many different categories like vocal quality, tone, projection, musicality, intonation, and rhythmic accuracy,” choir director Storm Burks said. “Musicality is very important because it’s how a person expresses his or her voice.” Burks prepares his students for auditions in late October. While choir students are auditioning, the judges sit behind with a sheet rating the students’ vocal talents. At the auditions for All District Choir, students sang the song “She Walks In Beauty” by Arthur Finer. This song has multiple high notes and strung out places that can make even the strongest
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Senior Sabrina Brown “Just getting to hang out with friends. Auditioning my 3rd time made it easier and the fact the I’m a senior added some nostalgia.”
Junior Nikaylah Brown singers out of breath. “The song was okay, it wasn’t my favorite but I understand why they chose it,” France said. Junior David Knipp attended his first audition this year and explained that the song chosen was very difficult. “It was very hard. There were a lot of highs and lows in the song,” Knipp said. Every student has a different vocal part, which means this song, with both high and low notes, was difficult for choir students like Knipp who is a bass. Other students like France and Preece have higher vocal parts like soprano one and two. Soprano ones have higher voices than soprano twos. After auditions, students wait to find out if they have made it into the All District Choir. The students that make it into the choir get to compete against other districts and then against other states. Achieving this is a great opportunity for students to benefit from. “All District is an opportunity for
Choir students perform for a holiday concert in 2016. This year the choir sent a record number of singers to audition for All District Choir. Photo by Wessam Hazaymeh. students who maybe don’t get to sing in solos that often, an opportunity to get their voice out their and see how they level out with other students from other counties,” Burks said. Other counties also audition with Prince George students for a spot in the choir. Which makes getting a spot in the choir that much more of a challenge. “It is a good opportunity for students to be there and be compared to students in other districts,” Burks said. The judges try to make scoring unbiased. Every judge has a different opinion on what they think sounds good. It is very subjective on what voices they do and don’t like. “It’s a great learning experience,” Burks said.
“I enjoyed how the conductor made everyone feel like one, and even though at first we were all strangers, we became like sisters.”
Senior Shelby Morales “What I enjoyed most about it was that all the people that came in there were just as nervous as I was. We just encouraged each other, and I was definitely relieved when it wasn’t as nerve racking as it was singing in front of the class. It was much easier just to get it over with.”
FRIDAY 11.17.17 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 13
A&E
By The
Teachers On Trend Students, Teachers Measure The Role Of Social Media And Privacy
94% of teenagers use social media in 20142015
Claudia King TRN Reporter
S
ocial media is a link used to express the individual. Scrolling shows people each other’s personal autobiographies. There are few boundaries for what people will share. From dinner plates to weddings photos, people choose not to hold back. “I use social media to express opinions, ideas, and meet new people,” junior Evan Monger said. “It’s a way to connect and in this day and age it’s a way we communicate,” chemistry teacher Hannah Moore said. The things that are shared on social media can be seen by not only fellow students, but also by faculty and staff. “That’s my business - I broadcast it to people I choose because my accounts are on private,” junior Kellynn Guisti said. “If I don’t want you to know it, I’m not going to post it,” algebra teacher Cathleen Cleveland said. The argument for students online life being in administrators hands is not all black and white. There are benefits and downfalls for such a look into students’ online life. “I think it could help, but I think it is such an intrusion it also hurts,” Guisti said. Monger thinks that the school has no right to push itself on the students’ online and social lives. The only thing he believes can be taken away from staff looking into students’ social media is preventing fights and drama. “I think there are draw backs and also positives. I think you can see what the good students are doing, but I also think sometimes the things that shouldn’t be seen tend to be seen,” Moore said. There are blurred lines between private social life and school life. “For staff it’s a little bit different, but for students I believe there’s a certain rapport you have to have in school but I think there will be a difference between
NUMBERS
71% of teens use more than one social media app
90% of young adults use social media
your school life and social life,” Moore said. “Students will talk about sports and other things that go on in the school which is a good thing, but then something bad will happen on social media and they bring it into the school and get arguing with each other over it,” Cleveland said. “I’ve got friends in school that I see outside of school, and then I’ve got school life, and then I have my friends as my social life even on social media. It’s like a good connector, because I see my friends in and out of school,” Guisti said. Guisti believes that school faculty should not seek to find problems amongst students, but take care of the problems if they are approached. Teachers and students agree that the staff does not need to know everything. “The thing is that the internet is public knowledge. Anything you put
Chemistry teacher Hannah Moore displays her smartphone where she uses social media. Moore believes there are both positives and negatives to using social media to broadcast one’s life. Photo by Aaliyah Capers. on there is public knowledge. But I do think in a sense it is invading on your personal life if you don’t want people to see it. I think it is an intrusion. I think you should use privacy filters so people won’t see it,” Moore said. Guisti expressed that she does not mind if the staff sees her social media and she does not want any discoveries to be exploited. “It’s a little weird (to have teachers see posts). It’s okay, but I prefer they didn’t. But it’s not going to change anything,” Guisti said.
68% of women use social media
62% of men use social media
Information collected from wersm.com
14 | THE ROYAL NEWS | FRIDAY 11.17.17
A&E
T
his year with the release of Call of Duty: World War 2 on Nov. 3rd, the Call Of Duty franchise took on a more
of a realistic approach from their previous games released in the past. Going back to one of mankind’s deadliest and bloodiest wars of all time. For the campaign, you play as Private Ronald ‘Red’ Daniels who is part of a platoon in the 16th Infantry Regiment who fights in key battles such as D-Day, the invasion of Normandy, Battle of Aachen, and The Battle of Bulge. Also in the campaign they have squad members that help with your needs such as health and ammunition or spot enemies during a stealth mission. With this year’s game there is no more regeneration of health, players will
Daniel Battle
Gamer's Corner have to rely on health pickups they find in the environment. The multiplayer is quite different from the others with the introduction of divisions, headquarters and some new game modes as well. Call of Duty has replaced its create a class system with divisions. Divisions have five classes you can choose from with its own unique skills, weapons, upgrades and play styles. These five classes are infantry, airborne, expeditionary, mountain and armored. New game modes arrived for the multiplayer as well too, such as war and gridiron. War is a teamwork objective where you either attack or defend a position you and your teammates are given and the maps are massive. With the mode Gridiron, your main objective is to score a goal by running across the map picking up a ball and running into the enemy’s base. In multiplayer there are no longer kill-cams instead the developers of the game came up with a concept called ‘Bronze Star’ where the best player will show the best kills at the end of every
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match. Though it only features on a few game modes such as Team Deathmatch, Gridiron, etc. The game added a new concept to the game called Headquarters. Headquarters is a social hub for players where they can play one on one matches with other players, open supply drops and test out their new weapons or score streaks. No Call of Duty game would be complete without a Photo courtesy of callofduty.com. zombie mode. This year the game’s This year in the zombies mode, zombie mode is called ‘Nazi Zombies’ there is a new addition of class system which has its own narrative set, class in which there are four classes. system and different types of zombies. These four classes are offense, support, There is a variety of zombies from control and medic and they all have an flying crawlers to big monster and unique ability. disgusting looking tanks.
FRIDAY 11.17.17 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 15
PH TOGALLERY Media Day Begins Basketball Season BELOW: Assistant Coach Donald Johnson smiles for a photo at the individual photo shoot. Photo by Emily Whitehead.
RIGHT: From left to right, seniors Jordaen Scott, Christian Chappell, Tevin Tucker, and Tynan Bassett pose while preparing to take question from reporters. The boys basketball team returns seven players from last year’s squad. Photo by Skye Powroznick.
ABOVE: The entire boys varsity squad pose for a group photo. The basketball team had their annual media day on November 13th. Photo by Emily Whitehead.
For more photos of the media day go to www.trnwired.smugmug.com
RIGHT: The senior varsity members pose for a selfie, taken by cocaptain Jordaen Scott.
16 | THE ROYAL NEWS | FRIDAY 11.17.17
Starting Positions available in:
General Laborer With Advancement in:
Heavy Equipment Operation Pipefitting Welding
WINTER SPORTS
Special Olympics Inspires Mentors Harmony Thomas TRN Writer
A
s the sounds of dribbling basketballs, laughter, and cheers of teenagers echo through the halls of the high school, teacher Anne Roberts walks through the gym doors to see students bonding with each other. Through the power of sports Special Olympics encourages students to get together with their peers and help them live healthier lifestyles by doing what they love and enjoy. Special Olympics is a worldwide nonprofit sports organization that allows students who have intellectual disabilities to participate in sports. Students in the high school volunteer with this program to help their peers compete in sports competitions. Roberts, who is on her fourth year of sponsoring Special Olympics, volunteers her time to interact with these students. “My favorite part is meeting all the nice folks, I enjoy the companionship and the friendships that are developed with our buddies and our athletes,” Roberts said. The goal of this program is to build selfconfidence of each person who competes and also to build strong friendships. Roberts’s goal for this program is for everyone to make a friend.
“I hope that it has made me a better person, that I think about the needs of students before I make an assumption, and I think it makes me think we could all have a challenge in our life and we just have to accept it and do the best that we can to move forward with it,” Roberts said. Special Olympics provides a variety of fun olympic-type sports for students every month to participate in, including bowling and basketball in the winter, and swimming and track and field in the spring. Adults who participate in Special Olympics also come to events to join in with our students by playing in fun activities. Second year participant senior Rachel Pitts partakes in the club to step forward to help her peers practice to compete in the Special Olympic games. “It has made me more well rounded and it opened me up to different types of people I’ve never met before,” Pitts said. “I enjoy helping out because of the really fun activities we do and I enjoy giving back to the community.” Students like senior Amelia Johnson and junior Georgia Adair also enjoy helping out their peers. “It makes me feel like a better person,” Johnson said. Special Olympics has made every student in the club feel very special and it makes them feel like they are helping out in the world. “My favorite part is making friends and playing sports, this is my favorite class,” Adair
FRIDAY 11.17.17 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 17
Senior Spotlight Jakob Kennedy
Wrestling
One of the Special Olympic Buddies warms up for a meet at Hanover High School. Special Olympics allows students with special needs to bond through Olympic-style events. Photo by Matteo Reed. said. Every week the Special Olympics club does a new sports activity for students to partake in. These activities let the athletes bond with their buddies so they can have a great time doing what they are passionate about. “My favorite part of this program is going on trips and the basketball games,” senior Gabriella Delgado-Castro said. Students who participate in the program get to compete in competitions. There are local events that the program partakes in, afterwards the club is eligible for the state events, then onto nationals. When Special Olympics does track and field in the spring they go to University of Richmond to compete, which is the biggest competition for the organization. This program has helped the lives of many students and everyone in the club hopes that upcoming students will help volunteer with the club. “Special Olympics means you’re helping out everyone in the world,” Adair said.
Why did you start wrestling? “I first started wrestling in second grade because my dad was a wrestler in high school and had asked if I had wanted to try it, so I told him I would and since then I’ve been wrestling for 11 years now.” What do you find so interesting about it? “I like wrestling because it is an individual sport with team aspects behind it, so when you lose it’s all on you and when you win you won yourself. However your team is always there supporting you.” What do you look forward to each and every practice? “Every practice I look forward to wrestling live, it really allows me to get that in-match feel for things and sharpen my skills and ability to scramble.” What is something you want to pass on to the underclassmen who are in the same sport as you? “One thing I would like to give the underclassmen is my mindset, the mindset to go out and battle with whoever they wrestle, even if that other guy is way better than them, and the mindset to just work hard everyday in practice and outside of practice.”
18 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 11.17.17
WINTERSPORTS
Seniors Reach Pinnacle Carter Marks TRN Writer
T
he boys basketball season started this week with scrimmages against Midlothian and Glen Allen. The team looks to improve on last year with 7 returning seniors. Also returning to the Royals are two all conference players. Senior Christian Chappell made first team All Conference, while senior Tevin Tucker made second team All Conference. But with VHSL’s new rules on conferences, there will be no AllConference teams anymore. There will only be an All Region team divided up by 15 teams. The tournament that concludes the season, only consists of the top 8 teams in the region. “I expect the list to be big, but also competitive,” head coach Travis Carr said. The team had a great offseason as they played their fair share of out of season games, so they should come into the season with a good knowledge of their opponents. “We have played 32 out of season games, so we know our opponents pretty well,” Carr said. Near the end of the offseason, one of the starting five from the previous season came up with a severe injury at a fall league game. Senior Jeffery Robinson tore his ACL and will not be back for three to four months. Robinson now has a new leadership role from the sidelines. “It’s like having another coach with us,” junior Jajour Lambert said. “He motivates us and fixes our mistakes, so we don’t make them again.” Robinson scored between 15 and 20 points mostly every game, so without that scoring in the lineup his teammates will have to step their game up. “Tevin has been more aggressive towards the rim and kicking it out to the shooters when he is not in a predicament to score,” Chappell said. “[Also, senior] Tynan Bassett has been a scoring machine this summer.” Having ample seniors on a team sometimes makes it difficult for leaders
to step out. So it is more difficult for younger players to learn how to be a leader if no one steps to the plate. From the squad that is returning from last year, seniors Tynan Bassett and Jordaen Scott are the leaders that stepped up. “They have been the most vocal players on the team,” Robinson said. “They point out the mistakes the team makes as a whole while playing hard every game.” One of the Royals go-to players is Chappell, towering over most defenders that go against him, standing at 6 feet 10 inches tall. Something unique about him is that not only is his post game one of his best attributes, but he can pop out to the corner and hit three’s too. Late last year, sophomore Johnny Soto transferred in from New York. Once he came out and practiced once or twice, the guys liked playing with him and Carr was impressed with his playing abilities. “The first time I met Johnny, he was ready to join the team,” Carr said. “He played on a varsity team as a freshman, even though that was in a different state with different teammates - he does have some experience.” Recently, Carr hired two new assistants to help coach his team. One of the coaches, Donald Johnson, is a Prince George High School alumni. “Donald Johnson is a former player back from 2003, and was a standout here,” Carr said. “It’s great that he is joining the staff from an alumni perspective.” Carr hopes to take advantage of his new staff and leadership from his players in their future game against Hopewell. “Hopewell is going to be tough [for the Royals this year],” said Carr. “Hopefully, we actually play them 3 times, the third time hopefully in the championship at the Holiday Tournament.”
Senior Jeffrey Robinson prepares for a free throw in a game against Dinwiddie. Robinson is sidelined with an ACL tear this season, but has found other ways to help his team. Photo by Breanna Rackley.
FRIDAY 11.17.17 | THE ROYAL NEWS | 19
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girls Winter >> Varsity basketball scrimmage Sports at Midlothian on Monday,
UPCOMING
November 20th, at 7:00 PM.
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Varsity boys basketball play Meadowbrook at home on Tuesday, November 28th, at 7:15 PM.
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Varsity wrestling has a tournament at Glen Allen on Friday, December 2nd.
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Indoor Track has its first meet at Dinwiddie on Wednesday, December 6th at 3:30 PM.
Royal Becomes Queen
Taylor Stevens Takes Talent To Next Level
Senior Taylor Stevens signs her formal commitment to Queens University. For more photos of scan this QR code.
Wayne Coleman Managing Editor
I
t is the final seconds of the game, and the score is tied. The crowd is glued to their seat, the atmosphere is tense as they wait to see which team will score next. Senior Taylor Stevens, then a sophomore, and her team are speeding down the court to set up offense for a fast score. Her teammate throws a pass in her direction, sweat flying off the ball with the extra force given to it. Stevens catches the pass, and with a calm and collected nature, steps past the defender and attempts to lay the ball in. As the final buzzer sounds, she celebrates with her team as the shot goes in, and the squad defeats crosstown rivals Matoaca. It is moments like this that Stevens says makes her love the game. Approaching her last season, she now has a chance to take on the next chapter of her athletic and academic career. This past Wed., she committed to Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, in a signing event for her and two other senior athletes. Stevens was honored and relieved to find out she had received the offer. “I was very grateful to receive the offer but I knew I needed to decide where to go so it was kind of stressful,” Stevens said via Instagram. Girls varsity basketball head coach Shavohn Curley shared in her player’s excitement. “I was excited. That’s what you hope for, for any of your players playing varsity,” Curley said. “You want them striving for a scholarship - that’s the main goal.” Queens offers her the chance to do something she always wanted: to study internationally, while having a chance to play the game she loves.
“I chose Queens because I can travel abroad and it won’t interfere with my basketball schedule,” Stevens said. “And my relationship with the coaches was unmatched.” Stevens contributes her opportunity to play at the next level to her vision and ability to spread the ball on the court. “I feel that my court awareness is very strong so I can pass the ball to open teammates,” Stevens said. “Also, when I drive I like to pass to the post player.” Curley says one of Stevens’ strongest attributes is her intelligence and her leadership ability. “She’s a natural leader, she leads by example on the court,” Curley said. “She gets her players involves and puts them in their spots. Off the court, she’s a heck of a student, like basketball, she is putting in that extra time, which is what paid off for her getting that scholarship.” Aside from her abilities on the court, she thanks her family for getting her this far. She says they are what push her to be a better player. “My family is what inspires because they always want me to do my best,” Stevens said. “If I don’t I feel like I’m letting them down.” Entering her final season playing at the high school level, she hopes to leave a lasting mark, not only in the record books, but by taking home some hardware. “I want to score a thousand points and lead my team to a state championship,” Stevens said. Curley is excited to see what Stevens will do once she steps into her role at the next level. “I hope to see her grow, I think she has a lot of room to get better, to learn more about the game,” Curley said. “Even for me, as I got older, I learned more and more about the game. I thought I knew a lot when I was in high school, but there is another part of game that she’s going to learn, and I’m excited for her to learn, and I’m excited for her game to step up to another level.”