EDITION 1 |
NEWS
iSpanish Club Coming to North Central!
by Olivia Walsh In a country where the population of Spanish speaking people is rapidly growing, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to communicate in Spanish. Only a small number of Americans can fluently speak Spanish as a second language. Mr. Cogdill, North Central’s Spanish teacher, is trying to help change that. Students who join the Spanish club will participate in games, movies, field trips, and fiestas. They will develop the linguistic skills needed to speak the Spanish language and learn more about the Spanish culture. The club is only open to students who are currently in or have completed Spanish 2. The Spanish club meetings will be held during learning center on the third Thursday of every month. Mr. Cogdill started teaching at NCHS in August 2017. He learned Spanish while he was a missionary in the Dominican Republic. During his time as a missionary, he developed a passion for the Spanish language. He lived in the Dominican Republic for two years and taught English. Cogdill says, “I like the connection you have when you speak to someone in their language.” He feels that he is more connected to humanity when he is learning another language, and Mr. Cogdill hopes to give students these authentic experiences through the Spanish club. Many students are enthusiastic about joining the Spanish club. Senior Lauren Hendrix says, “We’ve never had a club like this before, so it will be exciting to be able to learn more about Spanish.” All in all, Mr. Cogdill believes that the Spanish club will do well. He states, “I think it will be successful because of the invested interest that students at North Central have to expand their horizons.” Cogdill wants members of the club to develop a bond with one another through the Spanish language. Although the Spanish club is a new development at North Central High School, it is an exciting way for students to advance their knowledge of the Spanish language. With the help of the students at NCHS, the Spanish club will be a great success. |
FEATURE
Shooting for Better Security
by Presley Springfield Recent actions around United States' schools have been made in an effort to ensure school security after recent violence. One example is the shooting of a 6-year-old boy inevitably resulting in the boy’s death back in September 2016, leaving a mark on everyone around him. However, this isn’t just about the little boy. This is about the safety of everyone else, and how to keep things like this from happening again. School shootings have been around for years, putting fear in the eyes of a lot of students and parents. Many will argue the fact that the shootings in the area are directly linked to South Carolina’s known to be poor gun laws. Others will argue that South Carolina’s gun safety is perfectly fine, and people will get ahold of weapons and commit crimes no matter what. However, both could hold true. The school officer, William Sowell, agrees more on the first argument. Officer Sowell states, “Everyone has a gun in their house. It doesn’t matter if people make it harder to get them. People will always find a way.” Although Sowell doesn’t think the gun laws are to blame, he also doesn’t agree with the main belief of shootings being linked to guns. He believes that shootings are on the rise because of the publicity on social media. Shootings and violence being public gives kids and young adults these crazy ideas that they can do violent things and it is acceptable, or that if they do things like that it will get a point across. For some, it could even fuel their need for attention. In many cases, you cannot argue that this is completely wrong either. Just like there is no way of keeping it off of social media, it seems there is no real way to keep violence from happening other than for people to keep an eye on those around them. If you feel someone may be a threat, address it. If someone is threatening to do something irrational, or if you know of someone carrying weapons on campus, please address this information to a faculty member. There are many cases of violence where people heard about them or suspected it beforehand. To further ensure your safety, be sure that you and your peers are aware of your classrooms' safety procedures for intruders. Another way to ensure our safety is working towards a better and updated security system. Plans for this are already in motion. |
SPORTS
The Colossal Athlete
by Ivan Vallejo Winter is coming to an end, and spring is swooping right in. It has been a very sickening, optimistic, and astonishing season. Here we have the experience of Noe Herrera. This young man is a sophomore at North Central High School. Noe is a heavyweight wrestler; his weight class goes from 220 to 285. He is 244 pounds, and his overall record is 17-5. A little background of his career as a wrestler is that in his past years, he was the middle school heavyweight champion, Virginia Mountain Man state champion, and North Carolina tournament champion four times. His best experience is when he got out of wrestling, and then, suddenly, he came back. They rushed him into a match, and he dominated his opponent. They almost won state that year until they got “cheated out” by Hartsville. In addition, Noe has a few goals for this year and the rest of his high school years. He wishes to never lose another wrestling match, and he hopes he goes to college for wrestling. He also wants his team to win region and win state competitions. His motto is “Mess with the best, lose like the rest”. |
EDITORIAL
How can T.E.A.M. Really Help our Students?
by Rhashade McCollum Here at North Central High School, the goal is “Partnering with our community, we will empower students to become competent, responsible, lifelong learners who will be productive citizens in a global society”. Weekly, throughout the year, the school has meetings for students on Fridays. These meetings are known as advisories. During the time of advisory, the students are to work diligently while interacting with the teacher in order to get ready for life after school. Teachers and students participate in activities that are necessary for school. However, during advisory, there is less of a focus on the transition that is about to take place in the lives of the juniors and seniors. It is a controversial subject that I have noticed a lot of students ponder over. Many students, including myself, feel that the advisories are set in place with great intentions, but are not reaching the needs of the student body. Every Friday, I find myself contemplating if I am working hard enough for my future. These “T.E.A.M” meetings are set up to give the students guidance as to what direction to go in once they are no longer under the supervision of the school. It has come to my attention that many of the student body feels as if the Friday advisories are not doing as much as they could be. I hear comments like, “We need more information on how we can assure ourselves comfort for the future”, or “I feel that we don’t have enough assistance from the faculty”. These voices should not go unheard. I will say that I have had many great experiences during my T.E.A.M. meetings. During my search for information, Mr. Dawson, the school’s personal finance teacher and basketball coach, gave a few opinions on the T.E.A.M. meetings. "I enjoy any moment that will lead to a teaching moment because I love teaching." The only thing that causes me, as a senior, to feel unrest is the fact that the meetings were put in place to make things a lot more accessible for when I left school. I say this meaning that the whole point of these meetings is helping students prepare for independent life after school. I am now realizing that it hasn’t done that to the extent that I would like. Mr. Dawson also said on the subject, “I feel that the meetings should be more relevant to the lifestyle after school." He says that this time that the students and the teachers spend together should be spent “preparing these kids for the real world”. That in itself is a really strong sentence with a solid meaning. He also stated that the advisories were not engaging life for individuals as efficiently as they could. I believe that we could do things to modify the way we go about these meetings. We need to be more proactive as a school to ensure that the lives of our students will not be discombobulated. We need to be proactive. These are our futures. |