FEATURE
Get Jazzed About Band
by Ivan Vallejo Band this year has been astonishing and has some amazing musicians. Julio Tamayo is a tuba player and has been in band since 6th grade. He says he has enjoyed it very much, and marching band has positively changed his way of doing and seeing things. He also says over the past few years he and all the band members have become so close they are like a family. Julio loves this group and will always support his fellow band members, no matter what. The marching band group has accomplished many hulking events. Band took first place at the Hartsville Tournament of Bands, third place at the Irmo Esprit de Corps, fifth place at the Upperstate Band Championships, and seventh place at the South Carolina State Championships. This is an enormous success for the band program since they were proved in South Carolina as part of the top 10 marching band. Mr. Nix, the Director of Bands at North Central says, "We are also projecting to have around 80 students in the marching band next season." Julio says they practice by doing warm-ups and exercises out of the band book. "Afterwards, we tend to do scales, and after that we practice our concert band music," states Julio. The band has a count of about 64 people in the program. The only problem, according to Julio, is that it is way too crowded. As a result of the lack of space, he says that he knows a lot of people who are interested in band, but cannot participate. However, changes are being made to help with the growing numbers. According to Mr. Nix, “Mr. Branham is working very hard to accommodate the size of our group, and we’re making good headway in the district.” Julio Tamayo's upcoming goal is to play sousaphone or tuba and to get a higher ranking in state. Also, Julio wants to get first place throughout his next two years of high school. His motivational saying is, “Awards are earned at practice and are picked up at competition”. Make sure you take roll in the marching band this upcoming season. Don't miss out on being #1 this season coming up that will be full of events and so much excitement. Fun Fact: Did you know that The Beatles wrote in their contracts for American concerts that they would not play in front of segregated audiences? (Source: The CNN Wire Staff) |
SPORTS
New Year, New Coaches
by Presley Springfield The new season has started off as a struggle for North Central High School's soccer team. The girls have dealt with completely new coaches, having to change where the soccer games are held, and the usual troubles that they have had in previous years. However, this hasn’t put the team on halt. They are still practicing hard, and putting forth plenty of effort in order to ensure a season of many wins. New coaches may not seem to be a hardship to many, especially when factoring in that the team changes coaches almost every year; but the constant changing of coaches can, and has been, a major setback for the team. New coaches can mean new strategies to get used to, new practice routines, and so much more. Not to mention the players have to form completely new bonds with the coaches as well. Another main hindrance the girls are having to encounter this season is that they can’t play on the football field this year, so all home games will have to be done at the practice football field as opposed to the proper place. This is all due to the school flattening the football field. Several players believe this is a bad decision, and some of the students say so as well. Many people believe this should have been done over the summer. However, they will admit that flattening the field will be beneficial in years to come. The girls will just have to work through the discomfort of the practice field, as the field doesn’t equal the success of the games. It just may look a little informal. According to Daisy Noyola, “Our main problem is a lack of interest for the team. We always have a hard time getting players to join and stay. Most of our games are played with at most one or two substitutes which isn’t ideal for a sport that requires so much running.” This year the athletes are worried that they won’t have enough people for a JV and a varsity team. This could jeopardize middle school players' chances to participate if there isn’t a JV team. Although the future for the season is untold, the athletes are ready to do whatever it takes in order to prepare for the upcoming games, even if that means hours of practice and hard work. Just like Colin Powell said, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” In the past North Central hasn’t been too notorious for their soccer team, however, “The new coaches have a good understanding of where we stand as a team and what we need to improve on,” says Daisy. This season, the team could be drastically improved. Daisy also states that in the past the team has lacked some of the basic fundamentals of soccer, and the coaches have done a great job at teaching the new and returning players. Hopefully Daisy is correct and this season will be outstanding. However, what is the point in the girls doing well if they don’t have recognition? Therefore, keep up with the soccer schedule and attend the games to support our lady knights! |
EDITORIAL
Uproar in Utah
by Olivia Walsh In December of 2017, President Donald Trump ordered the decrease in size of the Bear’s Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah to use the land for commercial reasons. He mandated the cutting of the Grand Staircase-Escalante in half and downsizing the Bear’s Ears, which was previously 1.3 million acres, by 85%. Many Americans, including myself, are outraged by this decision. In my opinion, Trump should not encourage the downsizing of national monuments, especially those containing places and objects of cultural and historic importance. These national monuments are home to tens of thousands of sacred Native American sites and artifacts. By reducing the size of the monuments, Trump is putting these historic sites at risk of being destroyed and lost forever. Mrs. Hough, North Central’s A.P. United States History, A.P. Human Geography, and U.S. History teacher states that it is important to protect our national monuments because, “They are something that we as a society have deemed important; therefore, they need to be preserved. They have some kind of cultural, religious, or societal importance.” Personally, I agree with Mrs. Hough. Our national monuments should be protected no matter what. The group that could be affected the most is the Native Americans. The Natives have tens of thousands of ancestral sites and artifacts on the land protected at Bear’s Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, and those places could potentially be destroyed by commercial industry. In the past, it seems that the Natives have always been stepped on and ignored, and the trend is continuing. Instead of respecting their land and culture, government officials are taking the little bit of land that they have left. Because of the Antiquities Act of 1906, five Native American tribes and conservation groups are planning on suing the administration to stop the reduction of these national monuments. How can we reach a balance between commercial industry and national monument preservation? Mrs. Hough states, “I think you have to do it in a sustainable way. There are products that we need as a collective, and the way to get there is through our natural resources. However, I think that you have to be smart about how you use your land… so you’re not just stripping it of all its value and natural resources.” By opening the land at Bear’s Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante for commercial use, we are risking ruining the land, resources, and history that lie within. As for the long term effects, Hough says that it depends on how the land is used; if they open the land up for mining, that will have a larger impact than something like forestry. Hopefully, these areas will not be used for anything that would produce permanent negative effects. It is a sacred place that holds value to many Americans, and they do not deserve to have their culture destroyed. When asked how students could help, Hough explained, “Since most students are not eighteen, your options are limited. However, there are certain things that you can do to make your voice and your opinion known. You can contact your local representatives and your national representatives and send in your opinions… when large numbers of students send in their opinions, the representatives are supposed to listen.” Even though it may not seem like you are making a difference, every voice counts. Speak out about things that matter to you and help make a change. |
STUDENT SECTION
In anticipation of spring break, where is your favorite place to vacation?
9th Grade
Florida Keys
|
10th Grade
Virginia
|
11th Grade
Bahamas
|
12th Grade
California
|