NEWS
Training for the Future
by Presley Springfield The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a program that encourages students to become model citizens and provides them with great leadership opportunities. “JROTC gives Cadets the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities that instill discipline and improve their physical and mental condition,” according to Major Young, JROTC instructor. March has definitely been a busy month for North Central High School’s JROTC. Not only was the annual military ball on March 9, but there was also a competition on March 10. The JROTC military ball is an annual formal event attended by the cadets from first and second semester JROTC from North Central as well as Camden and Lugoff; cadets are also allowed to bring guests that haven’t been enrolled in the program. All guests attending the military ball are required to wear formal attire, such as suits and gowns. Guests are also to act with proper etiquette. During the military ball there are several events including: speeches, a meal, dancing, and much more. Lieutenant Colonel Jenny Rollins said, "There is nothing I didn't like about the night. I enjoyed myself thoroughly as if this was my last military ball." One thing Jenny realized was that the communications between the schools has gotten a lot better opposed to previous years. Jenny says she was capable of maintaining the peace by fast thinking during conflicts they faced while preparing for the ball. In the end, Jenny believes school collaboration is a great thing, and it is a good opportunity to work with people you wouldn’t usually work with, as well as meet new people. The day after the military ball, on Saturday, March 10, the JROTC participated in the Raider Competition against Lugoff. The Raider Competition is an athletic competition Junior cadets around the United States participate in. It is the JROTC equivalent of the Army ROTC "Ranger" competition in college, only far less dangerous, but very challenging! At the competition there were around 21 male teams and 8 female teams. Teams consisted of 2 people of the same gender. These groups had to complete many challenges that tested their reaction time, strength, perseverance, and most importantly, agility. Agility was the most important because teams were ranked based on how fast they completed the task. Cadet Robert Hilton said, “I thought the competition was exciting, and well worth all the effort.” Robert even completed 2nd place overall in the fireman’s carry competition along with his partner, Toby Bass. Aside from Robert, and his team mate, North Central High School did very well in the competition. The Military Ball and the Raiders competition aren’t the only things that the JROTC does. The JROTC also participates in other competitions, and events including the Blood Drive on March 29, Present Color Guard for Mt. Pisgah, have a drill demo on April 22, Provide Color Guard for The Wall That Heals on May 4 (Location- Camden). The cadets would be delighted to see some familiar faces. |
SPORTS
Our Baseball Team is a HIT!
by Olivia Walsh Hey, batter batter, swing! Baseball is one of America’s favorite pastimes and is full of action, food, and fun. Here at North Central High School, baseball is an essential part of some of the students’ lives. They have grown up watching it and started playing at a young age. Cameron Holley, one of NCHS’s varsity baseball players, is more ready than ever for the rest of this season. Cam started playing baseball when he was only four years old. Like many of North Central’s baseball players, he is dedicated to the game and would do anything to win. The team has been training hard for this season, and Cameron practices as much as he can outside of school. Holley states, “I have a batting cage at my house in my backyard, and I hit in it every day. My mom throws to me and also hits me ground balls.” Baseball is a challenging sport, and Cameron claims that the difficulty is one of his favorite parts. He enjoys pushing himself to work harder and spending time with his teammates, who are like brothers to him. When asked about his goals for the season, Cam answered, “My goals for this season are to play hard and win games. I want everybody giving their best. I want to make it to playoffs and see what we can do because we are a good team with a lot of potential. We just have to stay focused on baseball and we will be fine.” The baseball team is ready to play better than ever to win as many games as possible and make it to playoffs. Next year, Cameron will be playing baseball for the University of South Carolina Lancaster. He hopes that he will play well enough there that another school will want to recruit him for the last two years of his eligibility. After college, Holley’s ambition is to make it to Major League Baseball (MLB). His favorite MLB player is Derek Jeter. Cam states that he grew up watching Jeter and he wanted to be just like him because Jeter plays the game the way it is supposed to be played. Cameron’s favorite thing about baseball is the competition. He explained, “I am a competitor and I love being challenged.” Baseball is a very competitive sport, and all of the players take it seriously. Another thing Holley enjoys about baseball is being on the field with his teammates. “I am the leader of my team so I have to always work hard and be positive so others can follow me,” he remarked. Lastly, Cam’s favorite baseball related memory was last year, when North Central’s baseball team swept AJ. Holley stated, “I’ve been playing varsity since 7th grade, and last year was the first time that we’ve beaten them since I’ve been playing in high school. It was even better because my cousins were on the other team, so I had bragging rights that year.” North Central’s varsity baseball team is working hard to rise to the top this year. Each player has remained dedicated to being their best. Win or lose, North Central can still say that they tried their hardest and left it all on the field. |
EDITORIAL
Get Shot with Video Games
by Ivan Vallejo There are many critics and supporters of video games. Some people say they are what cause school shootings, bad grades, laziness and many more negative things. One positive thing people say is, “they simulate war and a real football or basketball game.” So, do you think violent video games cause bad actions and cause your mind to clash? However, other people say video games make you anti-social, but is all this actually true? Today we have Syon Stover with us telling us his perspective about video games. He says, "from what I see and experience, video game violence doesn’t cause school shootings." According to Syon it comes from where and how the person is raised and the environment of the person. He also includes that some adults say that video games make a person lazy. He responds to this argument with, "it doesn’t cause laziness, because I play video games enough and I don't even think of being lazy." Syon always puts school before video games. Video games do not interfere with education, Syon claims, because his grades are good and he plays video games 2-3 hours a day. After school he always plays video games with his two friends from school and cousins. Syon loves sports games, and his favorite is 2k18. However, when he gets really bored, he plays Call of Duty World War 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5 on xbox1. We asked him how long has he had his console, and he says he first got his console in 2012. He says he likes playing with his friends because he's familiar with their strategies and they can talk through the game and win more. Syon has always loved video games and has always been good at what he plays. His best memory is whenever he won the championship on 2k18, and that’s when he knew he was good at the game. He even thinks he’s good enough to go to 2k18 video game nationals and win a huge trophy for his strategic gameplay. Therefore, video games can be good because they can entertain and act as a fun pastime. They can also be educational and provide a source of joy. |