the Sword & Shield

→ Spring Musical, “Once on this Island,” page 3→ Fashion trends for spring, page 7→ Just a Chat with Misty King, page 8→Best of Birmingham: BBQ Ribs, page 18→The debate over AP classes, page 20IN

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Vol. XLVIII No. 5 Mountain Brook High School March 21, 2014

News: 2-3 Features: 4-9 Sports: 10-16 Reviews: 17-18 Opinions: 19-20

Spartan Swag takes state page 10

See “Golf tournament,” continued on page 13

By BROOKE TUCKERStaff Writer

We all have those long- lost teammates from our tee-ball days that we have drifted away from throughout the years. Did you know that there are five Lady Spartan softball players that have played together since the first grade? They like to call them-selves “The Senior Cinco.” Through thick and thin, these girls have always stuck together when everyone else grew out of their softball stage. The members of this elite group are Anne Pey-ton Baker, Rebecca Blitz, Neil McDonald, Grace Morrissette, and Courtney Shea. It all started when these five girls played together in the Moun-tain Brook Recreational League as children. Most of them went to different elementary schools and softball brought them together. Ever since then they have created a friendship pact that will last a life-time. When everyone started to drop softball as an extracurricular activity, they continued their playing days together at the Junior High. “This is when we really started to become close,” said Morrissette. “Everyone started to lose interest in softball, but we all shared a common love for the sport which made it so much easier to get along.”

After a quick two years of playing softball at the Junior High, they are now in their fourth and final year as senior Lady Spartans playing for the High School team. The unique quality of the Senior Cinco is that

their friendship has expanded beyond just the softball diamond. These girls have built privileged relationships that not many teammates get to expe-rience. “What most people don’t understand is that for us, it’s not just working as a team and coopera-tion that bring us together,” said McDonald. “Even though our friendship started with softball, we all hang out other than softball too.” “We all have silly nicknames and inside jokes with each other,” said Blitz. “I’ve definitely had some crazy times with these girls. But there’s still more fun to come. It’s not over yet.” A few of “The Senior Cinco” have already com-mitted to playing softball in college. Blitz has committed to play at Indiana University. Shea has committed to play at Auburn University. Blitz and Shea are anxious to see what there is in store for them after they graduate high school. “We’ve been through a lot,” said Shea. “I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like without them after High School.” Even though the these girls are sad to know that their playing days with the ones they’ve always been with are coming to an end, they still have one more season to savor their time together. Stay tuned, “The Senior Cinco” promise a season to remember.

Beginning of the end for softball’s Senior Cinco

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth DeAtkineFrom left to right: Anne Peyton Baker, Rebecca Blitz, Neil McDonald, Grace Morrissette, and Court-ney Shea.

First 2014 mens golf tournament heats up after an icy start

By COKE MATTHEWSStaff Writer

The MBHS boys golf team had hopes for a hot start to the 2014 season, but the weather conditions at the West Alabama Classic, their first tournament of the year, made all starts ice cold. On March 3, the boys varsity golf team arrived at the par-72 Ol’ Colony course in Tuscaloosa to play a round of golf in 35-degree weather with a wind chill factor of a hand-numbing 25 degrees. The team started slowly as the cold weather affected their play, but rallied with a strong second round. “I’m really proud of how we bounced back from the weather in the sec-ond round. With 117 players at the tournament, only seven broke 80. We rebounded in the second round with the lowest team score, which really helped us,” explained Coach Benny Eaves. The Spartans began the second round of this annual tournament tied for fifth, but led by the low score of 71 by junior Michael Brown, the

team’s total of 297 propelled them to a third place finish for the tourna-ment. Only Spain Park and Auburn finished ahead of the MBHS team in the 25 team tournament. As for indi-vidual scores, senior Taylor Eyster, who has signed a golf scholarship at UAB, and freshman Ben Fuller led the Spartans, each with a two-round stroke total of 157. Brown also fin-ished with a 159, while sophomore Jonathan Eyster shot a 167 and ju-nior Wilson Simmons carded a 168. The team’s second competition of the season was held March 14 and 15 in Auburn at the Joe King Memorial Invitational. Once again the team started slowly, although Michael Brown’s opening round of 73 helped anchor the team. Taylor Eyster’s one-under-par, 71, led a second round rally as the MBHS team climbed back up the leaderboard to finish second to the powerful Spain Park team. Brown finished tied for sixth over-all and was named to the All-Tour-nament team, and after the round he said, “Our team score improved by

George Chamoun: MBHS’s very own techno-guru

Photo courtesy of Joseph ChamounGeorge Chamoun discusses the propect of a Birmingham NBA team with a local news organization.

By NATALIE JONESStaff Writer

While many MBHS students may look forward to a nice nap at the end of a long school day, relaxing is the last thing on junior George Chamoun’s mind as he leaves school. As other students hit the track or gym, Chamoun heads straight for the nearest computer. “Once school lets out, I am able to get back to working on designing websites,” said Chamoun. Chamoun admits to always being interested in technology, but it was

really his love for sports that allowed him to begin producing websites in the first place. “I’ve always wanted Birmingham to have its own NBA team, so I start-ed a Twitter feed based on the idea. Eventually someone created a web-site based on my Twitter account, and from there things really began to take off,” explained Chamoun. Chamoun’s Twitter account, @NBABirmingham, reached over 3,000 followers within the first week of its launch. Along with creating one of Birmingham’s most popu-lar Twitter feeds at the age of 15,

See “George Chamoun,” continued on page 6

2newsLetter from the editors

The Sword & ShieldCo-Editor-in-Chief: Olivia BurtonCo-Editor-in-Chief: Rick Lewis

Art & Photography Editor: Claire DavisNews Editor: Kary ReynoldsSports Editor: Alec Lewis

Features Editor: Ben JacksonOpinions Editor: Mary Nix Roberson

Reviews Editor: Brooks GloverBusiness Manager: Mathilde Sharman

Managing Editor: Sarah Michel

Staff Writers

Sponsors: Ms. Catherine Lowe and Mr. Peter Perez

Letters to the Editors PolicyThe Sword & Shield welcomes Letters to the Editors from its readers. We re-serve the right to edit any letters for grammar, length, or libel; however, the meaning will be preserved. Whenever possible, changes made with a letter will be discussed with the author prior to publication. All letters must be signed, but

names may be withheld upon request. Email letters to gosands@gmail.com.

The Sword & ShieldMountain Brook High School

3650 Bethune DriveMountain Brook, AL 35223Telephone: (205) 414-3800

Fax: (205) 969-8113

Printing made possible byAlabama Web Press

1793 Eva RoadCullman, AL 35055

Telephone: (256) 734-5104

John CooperWill Davis

Chandler GoryMargaret Heath

Natalie Jones

Scott LepleyCaroline LoweCoke Matthews

Frances HancockChamblee Shufflebarger

John SissonBrooke TuckerDaniel Bolus

Madeline MitchellMaddie Sheffield

Friday, March 21, 2014 The Sword & Shield

By WILL DAVIS Staff Writer

  Mountain Brook’s Relay for Life talent show took place on March 11 in the Fine Arts Cen-ter. The event is one of the key parts of the annual fundraiser, committed to raising money for the American Cancer Soci-ety. “This is only the third year that the talent show has been put on, but it has already be-come a huge hit at the high school.” Co-chair Catherine Kinney said. There were 18 total acts for this event. “It was for a really good cause,” commented sopho-more Kaylyn Greene, who performed and wrote the song “Lens of Eternity.” The acts con-sisted of a variety of different songs and performances. Most acts covered popular songs, while others were writ-ten by the participants them-selves. Some of the acts were “Ring of Fire,” performed by se-nior Sam Cochran and junior Sidnie Adair; “Alabama” by junior Bill Perry; and “Lucky” performed by juniors Mary Kathryn Parrott and Stephen Little. While the performances were entertaining, the main goal of the event was to raise money for a worthwhile cause,

which the show successfully ac-complished, raising $2,278 for cancer research. The final goal for Relay for Life this year is to raise $275,000. The money generat-ed from this event will go far towards reaching that overall goal. The Relay for Life event will take place on April 4 at Spartan Stadium.

Relay for Life Talent Show:an annual hit

Picture by Will DavisJohn Cooper performs a cover of “Say Something” with Lottice Taylor.

Lately, the weather has decided to play along to Katy Perry’s 2008 hit, “Hot N Cold.” One day the sun is out, the air is warm, and Spring waves from across the street; the next day is cold, clammy, and winteresque. It’s about time for nice weather. In fact, tomorrow you’ll probably be setting off to some exotic paradise on the other side of the globe, or you may just be chilling back in Birming-ham (it’s actually not as bad as it sounds). Members of The Sword & Shield staff have been putting their noses to the grindstone, working fastidiously to find the best eateries for ribs, the best spring break road trips, and the

best smoothies, along with many other interesting articles to peruse. But finally it seems as though spring has peeked its little head out of its warm, grassy burrow, like a Whack-Amole at the local Chuck-E-Cheese; yet, spring has been teasing us lately, retreating before the mallet slams down. In any case, we at The Sword & Shield wish you safe travels (or non-travels), warm weather, and even tans on all of your Spring Break adventures.

Thanks for reading, Rick and Olivia

3newsFriday, March 21, 2014The Sword & Shield

By FRANCES HANCOCKStaff Writer

The high school theatre hosts numerous shows during the school year, including the Relay for Life talent show, Unplugged, and the various choir shows. Now the theatre is preparing for yet another display of our school’s performers. Rehearsals for this year’s spring musical, titled “Once on This Is-land,” have already begun, and the students and faculty involved are hard at work to get ready. “I’m so excited for this year. It’s my final musical and I could not have asked for better people to be

surrounded by,” says senior Han-nah Mouyal. Tickets for the show will be around ten dollars. Running times for the musical will begin on Thursday, April 10 at 7:00 pm, fol-lowed by a performance on Friday, April 11 at 9:00 a.m. for elementary students. There will be additional shows at 7:30 p.m. on April 12, at 2:00 p.m. on April 13, and the show will close on Monday, April 14 at 7:00 p.m. “I think it is a very colorful show and has a great storyline; you get really involved when you watch it!” says senior Hannah Williams. “Once on This Island,” writ-

ten by Lynn Ahrens, is set in the French Antilles of the Caribbean Sea and chronicles the story and struggle of a young girl named Ti Moune, played by Mouyal, who falls in love with a boy of a higher social class named Daniel Beaux-homme, played by fellow senior Reid Parrott. “Our theme this year deals with multi-culturalism and diversity and dealing with the fact that the world would be a much happier place if we all got along and worked together,” says theatre teacher Mr. Jesse Tilton. The story follows Ti Moune as she travels across the island and

battles the social barriers in order to prove to Papa Ge, the Demon of Death-played by junior Hunter Stanley-that love is stronger than death. “I love being a part of the en-semble because it is a great group of people and I hope that everyone will come because it is going to be a great show!” added sophomore Sophia Giovanelli.

Not just another musical: Once on this Island

Photo by Frances HancockStars Hannah Mouyal, Coleman Escue, and Hannah Williams rehearse with other cast members for this year’s performance.

4Features Friday, March 21, 2014 The Sword & Shield

By DANIEL BOLUS Staff Writer

As others are journeying across America, or even across the world, on magical adventures through nature and history, some are not as fortunate. Some, like me, will be twiddling their thumbs at home just hoping they can find some outlet to cure their bore-dom. This article goes out to you. Here are just a few activities that might engage your fancies:

1. Learn how to write with your non-dominant hand

This activity will not only engage your brain, but will prove useful in case your dominant writing hand is amputated in the future. It will take a lot of practice, but you have all week and the benefits are limitless. If you have already perfected this task, try writing with both hands at the same time.

2. Start a week-long Business Whether for selfish motives or fundraising for Relay for Life, becom-ing an entrepreneur for a week can be loads of fun. Some ideas for “business-es” include selling duct tape wallets, babysitting your neighbor’s annoying kids, or even buying and reselling items at thrift stores.

3. Become a YouTube sensation Ok, maybe not the biggest sensa-tion, but at least work on a video that could have the potential to be one. You have all week to record and edit, an opportunity that few people of any age have. Seize the moment. I’m sure there are plenty of embarrassing things you can do that will cause people to laugh, including but not limited to waving to strangers on the interstate.

4. Sleep outside for a change Enjoy the stars. It may not be quite the wilderness adventure you may hope for, but there is plenty of beau-ty to our deciduous forest that many people often overlook. If you want to enhance the experience, build a fire pit and roast marshmallows. You can never go wrong with s’mores.

5. Baby your car You have probably not given it the attention it deserves during your busy school schedule. Take your extra time and baby it. Give it a nice car wash, clean out the interior, and find some air freshener that will keep your car from smelling like teenage angst.

6. Perfect your handstand ability

You never know when this may be useful in the future. Whether to im-press people at parties or some other unique opportunity, it’s always a good skill to have up your sleeve.

7. Job search I don’t mean jobs you can do as a teenager. I mean actually look at jobs that you might want to consider doing in the future, and take the time to re-search more about them. This way, you can better prepare for your future.

8. Take a three hour walk with your friends

Ok, it doesn’t have to be three hours, and it’s much more exciting than it sounds. By forcing your friends to go on such a long journey, you will immediately become more connect-ed and will find out a lot about each other that you might not have known otherwise.

9. Read long chains of Wikipedia articles on a subject of interest

Wikipedia is your friend on most occasions other than research papers. It has loads of useful information, and if you get on a string of articles that interest you, your learning opportuni-ties are boundless.

10. Learn a musical instrument Learning a musical instrument can lead to hours of self-entertainment and years of practical situations where you can apply your musical talents. For example, you never know when whipping out a guitar in the middle of the mall could lead you to becoming a superintendent (#drwilson).

Top Ten completely unusual things to do over Spring Break

Cartoon hastily scribbled by Rick Lewis

5FeaturesFriday, March 21, 2014The Sword & Shield

By CHANDLER GORYStaff Writer

Buying a car can be an exciting but chal-lenging experience. With many types of cars available now, it can be hard to decide which car is the right one for you. Some of the top-ranked vehicles offered today are reliable, safe, and get good gas mileage. For students getting their licenses and first cars, these fac-tors should be helpful as you decide what car you may be interested in driving. The Honda CR-V(1), a top-of-the-line SUV, is pretty fantastic. With abundant pas-senger and cargo room, a good fuel economy, and user-friendly controls, the CR-V is a great choice for a first car. The CR-V gets 23 MPG in the city and 31 MPG on the highway, it’s incredibly reliable (earning a score of 4/5), and it scored well on its crash safety tests. Not only can parents put their trust in the CRV, this SUV is enjoyable to drive. For a student, it would be an incredible choice for a first car. If an SUV doesn’t interest you, maybe a truck will. The Ford F-150 (2) is at the top of its class, with a compelling engine lineup and the largest selection of variations in this class. The Ford F-150 also includes numer-ous convenience features that make it nice to drive. Its MPG is 17/23 city/highway and it has an overall reliability of a 3/5. The F-150 also scored well in all of its crash safety tests. Because the F-150 is a safe and smooth ride, this truck a great choice for someone who is interested in having a truck for their first car. Are you interested in a sedan? Consider the Audi A4 (3), which gets an average MPG of 34/32 city/highway, scored well on crash safety tests, and has a rating of 4/5. The Audi A4 has a high-quality cabin, good fuel econo-my, and sporty handling. Not to mention, it’s less expensive than German rivals. This sedan would make an exceptional and trendy choice for a first car. The A4 not only looks nice, but it’s safe and efficient too. For someone interested in a hatchback, the Mazda MAZDA3 (4) is an excellent choice. It gets a MPG of 29/40 city/highway, and its reliability is an overall 3/5. This hatchback has precise handling, excellent fuel economy, quick acceleration, and refined interior with intuitive controls. Many advanced features are also available. On top of this, the Mazda MAZDA3 also scored well on its crash safety tests. This safe and efficient hatchback still

manages to look clean-cut and sleek. It would make a great choice for a first car, especially considering its fantastic fuel economy. The Mazda MAZDA3 would please both parents and students. Finally, the Toyota RAV4 (5) is a popular choice for those who prefer crossovers. With its MPG of 24/31 city/highway and overall reliability of 4/5, it makes for an excellent first car. The RAV4 crossover features a roomy interior for both people and cargo. It also strikes a good balance between a comfortable ride and sure-footed handling. The RAV4 scored well on crash safety tests, so parents don’t need to be concerned about safety. If you’re interested in a crossover, the RAV4 is a near perfect choice for a first-time driver. Hopefully, you were able to find at least one car on this list that seemed to suit you. All of the cars listed are high quality choices for a first car, though buying a car can be daunting. Of course, if your parents are buy-ing you a first car, they ultimately will decide what they want you to drive. On the flip side, if you need to buy your own car, many used cars can be great rides with excellent MPG and solid safety features. Various Honda and Toyota models are often affordable and great on the wallet. Whatever you drive, just remember to be safe and enjoy the freedom your car gives you.

Which car is right for you? S&S staff favorites

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Photo credits: 1. betterparts.org2. thetorquereport.com3. motorauthority.com4. autos.aol.com5. beachblvdofcars.com

6Features Friday, March 21, 2014 The Sword & Shield

Chamoun also received a lot of sup-port for his idea. “I was surprised by how much support I got from everyone, and my friends really helped me to spread the word around the community,” said Chamoun. Junior Sam Harmon helped Chamoun campaign for the idea by creating t-shirts and tweeting the @NBABirmingham Twitter account to get more people from the student body involved. “Chamoun had a really great idea, and it was fun getting to help him share his idea with the community” Harmon said. Chamoun continued to cam-paign, and media outlets from all over the Birmingham area featured Chamoun’s idea as more people from the Birmingham area expressed their support. “I met with Mayor William Bell to discuss the idea, and a couple of newspapers and local channels also picked up on the story,” said Chamoun. Even though debate over Bir-mingham getting its own NBA team eventually died down, Chamoun’s interest in technology and website layout continued to grow. From the techniques used to create his first website, Chamoun began to create more online sports pages. “A lot of companies saw my first website and asked me to create a

similar website for their sports blog. I gained more and more costumers with each website I created, and I have even had non-sports related companies asking me to create them a website,” said Chamoun. Chamoun has already created 5 official sports websites, and he is cur-rently designing a few new websites. Chamoun estimates his monthly profits to be about $1000 in revenue from all his websites combined. Looking towards the future, Chamoun hopes to continue to explore computer science technolo-gies while increasing the amount and variety of websites he creates. “It’s really amazing how every-thing started with something as simple as a Twitter account. I have experienced a lot of incredible op-portunities all because of my interest in both sports and computer tech-nology. I really hope my business continues to grow,” said Chamoun.

George Chamoun (p. 1)By ANNE PEYTON BAKER

Event Director TWO WEEKS from today is Relay for Life 2014! There is much to be done before the night of Relay comes our way! Yesterday the MBHS male faculty wore kilts in honor of reaching the “Luck of MBHS” fundraising goal: Mountain Brook now has a total of over 1,100 participants online along with a little over $50,000 raised online. While this is an exciting achievement, Mountain Brook Relay for Life still has a good bit of fundraising to do in order to reach the $275,000 event goal! What are some good, last minute fundraising strategies? It is certainly never too late to start fundraising, and there are several easy ways to keep up the fundraising even over spring break! 1. SEND EMAILS: Simply log onto your Relay For Life account, click the “Go Fundraise” orange button, select emails and eCards, and enter the re-cipients’ email addresses! Did you know that over $75,000 of our total profit last year came from email fundraising? Only 42/1,100 par-ticipants from Mountain Brook’s event have sent emails so far this year. Be sure to send your emails soon! Statis-tics show that donors give on average 60% larger donations online than offline- so not only are emails easier to send, they are much more profitable! 2. SELL LUMINARIA: Luminaria are displayed around the track and lit during the Luminaria Ceremony. Each paper bag ($10), engraved tiki torch ($100), and sky lantern ($50) is given in honor of someone who has had cancer. Any money earned from Luminar-ia sales goes towards your team and individual fundraising goals. **Sky Lanterns and Tiki Torches are not available to be sold online- forms for these options are available in the front office!

The Relay for Life Committee has an exciting schedule for Relay “Home-coming” Week.

MONDAY, MARCH 31: Powerbuff Volleyball! Be sure to come watch the guys compete in a volley-ball tournament starting at 5:30pm in Spartan Arena. Admission is $5 and, of course, all proceeds go towards our event goal!

TUESDAY, APRIL 1:Bank night! All team captains or another team representative MUST stop by the MBHS mall sometime from 5:00pm-8:00pm to turn in team money, collect team t-shirts and wristbands, and choose their team campsite for the night of Relay! WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2: Team Fundraiser Night! Be sure to go out and support any team fund-raisers happening this evening. If you have a fundraiser planned for this night and would like help advertising or finding a location for your fundraiser, please email mcguirek@mtnbrook.k12.al.us.

THURSDAY, APRIL 3: Wear purple to school!

FRIDAY, APRIL 4: Wear your team shirts to school and come to Relay for Life 2014 at 4pm! The Relay for Life committee and community is so excited about the Relay for Life this year! Our community has never ceased to amaze in standing up to cancer, and we know that this year will be no exception. As a community, we CAN finish the fight against cancer once and for all! See you April 4!

Relay for Life update

7FeaturesFriday, March 21, 2014The Sword & Shield

By MATHILDE SHARMANBusiness Manager

As the fashion world looks to Summer and Fall 2014 fashion, it’s time to get caught up on your look for Spring 2014. The powers that be in the fashion world spoke on the runways of the 2014 Spring Mer-cedes Benz Fashion Week in New York, and fashion editors suited up to give fashion zealots a running start into warm weather fashion. Glamour Magazine debriefed fashion trends after New York, reporting that pastels (yes, I know) are hip for spring. However, if you’ve spent your fashion life hiding from Eastery, pasty pastels, have no fear. Editors at Glamour recommended trying varying pieces to see the style and youth of a soft pastel. At New York’s Fashion Week, models played to the daring side of pastels in purple. Designer Rebec-ca Taylor paired a light blue pastel jacket with white cropped pants, which could easily be switched with your favorite white jeans to bright-en a spring day. Editors at Elle Magazine focused on sheerer pieces—a hot new trend for spring. But understand that the gals at NY Fashion Week made sure their sheer was more alluring than rude. Phillip Lim Spring’s brunette model worked an elegant yet won-derfully daring white frock. This piece is run-way worthy but won’t earn you a scowl from any disap-proving elders. New York Fashion Week went back in time with culottes, a French pant, following the wide leg pant trend of Spring. Harper’s Bazaar noted Designer Diego Zuko, who harkened back to a time of haughty aristocrats. Louis XVI of France was a fan of the pants Zuko has womanized and modernized. End-ing just below the ankles, these fun and sporty pants perfectly compli-ment the wedges you’ve been dying to wear. Best wishes as you advance into the warm weather fashion fun. From pastels to sheer to Louis’ hand-me-downs, enjoy the world of spring fashion before it’s gone. Junior Natalie Jones is ready to bring out her spring clothes and enjoy the Spring trends. “I’m excit-ed to start wearing brighter colors, since we’ve been wearing dark colors and heavier clothes with all the cold weather.”

Spring trends from New York Fashion Week to the mall

Top photos by Mathilde Sharman, bottom photo by Ann BalkovetzTop: Sophomores Mary Claire Ritchie and Maggie Hightower sport the spring trend of patterns.Middle: Ann Balkovetz looks forward to wearing her polka dotted sneakers as we move into warmer weather.Bottom: Senior Sophie Johnston loves her bold patterned pants in black and white.

8Features Friday, March 21, 2014 The Sword & Shield

By MADELINE MITCHELLStaff Writer

Despite her claim of a dull life, the Sword & Shield found out the strang-est thing to have ever happened in Misty King’s classroom, her favorite color, and more in an interview with Mountain Brook High School’s favor-ite AP Biology teacher.Sword & Shield: Hi Mrs. King! What were you like in high school?Mrs. King: I have always been some-one who loved school. I was a very good student and always did well. I always made it a priority to do well in school. I didn’t miss even one day of high school my entire four years that I was there. I actually got an award for that in the 12th grade. I also enjoyed extracurriculars such as cross country and various clubs at school. S&S: What is the strangest thing to ever happen in your classroom?MK: I once had a student bring her kitten to school in her purse. This did not happen here at Mountain Brook.S&S: Poor cat. What do enjoy doing in your free time?MK: I mainly enjoy being with my family, running, and reading a lot. I also enjoy being with friends. And I’m a diver. I’ve been diving all over the Caribbean. I enjoy traveling and being involved with my church. I really enjoy my small group with my church.S&S: Since you enjoy reading, what’s your favorite book?MK: My ultimate favorite book of all time is Pride and Prejudice. I read it in high school, and it’s my favorite thing that I’ve ever read. It’s just a beautiful story.S&S: What is your favorite food?MK: My favorite type of food is a toss-up between sushi and Mediterranean food. I really like anything from Tazi-ki’s or Nabeel’s, but I love them both.S&S: I’m with you on that. What was

your favorite subject in school?MK: I guess my favorite subject was science, but it wasn’t always my best. My best was always, for sure, literature. I still did well in science, but it wasn’t my best. It was the most enjoyable to me because it was probably my biggest challenge.S&S: What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?MK: Well, I really don’t listen to music all that often. I prefer talk radio or podcasts. When I do listen to mu-sic, I listen to a lot of contemporary Christian like NeedToBreathe kind of artists.S&S: What made you become a teach-er?MK: I never thought that I’d be a teacher. Ever. Even growing up, ever. I had [my career] planned out. I would go to pharmacy school and then work as a nuclear pharmacist. While at Samford I worked at a CVS for 2 years and decided that I could not work in a pharmacy for the rest of my life! I had an incredible professor once I changed my major to biology. Her name was Dr. McLaughlin. I had never enjoyed a class so much in my life. She really knew how to engage us, and we knew that she truly cared about our success. It really made me enjoy the actual aspect of helping others understand science. That was when I decided to get my master’s in education and be-come a teacher. I want to see students succeed and enjoy learning.Now that I have been in the classroom for a while, I can't see myself doing anything else. I never thought I would do it, but it’s been incredible. I love what I do.S&S: Why biology?MK: I chose biology as a major because I enjoyed learning about how things work. Whether that is organisms and their environment or how the human body works, I find it

interesting. Science has always been a fascinating and challenging subject for me. It is always changing so there is always something new to learn.S&S: From senior James Lott, what is your favorite color and why?MK: My favorite color is blue just be-cause I like it. Why did he ask me my favorite color?S&S: You’d have to ask him that one. Do you have any pets?MK: I do. I have two dogs and a cat. Mia and Bear are my dogs, and Luke is my cat.

S&S: What is the best thing that has ever happened to you?MK: I would say the best thing that’s ever happened to me was meeting my husband. That’s cheesy isn’t it?S&S: No! It’s sweet. If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of people, what would it be?MK: I would tell them not to take anything for granted. We have a lot to be thankful for. S&S: Always very important to remem-ber. Thank you for your time Mrs. King!

Just a chat with Mrs. Misty King

Photo by Madeline MitchellMountain Brook’s favorite AP Biology teacher also happens to be a skilled diver.

9FeaturesFriday, March 21, 2014The Sword & Shield

By MADDIE SHEFFIELDStaff Writer

Stuck in Birmingham for Spring Break? If you are just itching to escape the bubble but can’t, then daytrips are the thing for you. A road trip gives you all the enjoyment of going somewhere new and sleeping in your house the same day. Plus, the drive is not long or hard. If you are stuck at home this break, consider taking a road trip.

Stuck in town?

Unclaimed Baggage Center

Have you ever wondered where the lost baggage from the airport goes? It’s shipped only two hours and fifteen minutes from Birming-ham to 509 W Willow St, Scottsboro, AL 35768. The Unclaimed Baggage Center is like the ultimate thrift store. All of the things people think are important enough to take on a trip are found in this center. Everything from wedding dresses to expensive applianc-es to your favorite movies is for sale. On Monday through Friday, the store is open from 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., and on Saturday, the doors open an hour earlier but close at the same time. Senior Shirazeh Rogers says, “This place seems so cool! I can’t wait to see what I can find!” If you only have a little money and are prepared to search for hours for the greatest find, you needs must drive to Scottsboro, Ala-bama and dig through the warehouse of abandoned luggage.

Lookout Mountain and Ruby Falls

Did you ever know there was a place where you could see seven states at once? Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Alabama can all be seen from Lookout Mountain in Chat-tanooga Tennessee. Senior John Tully says, “I think I would really enjoy seeing all those states, and you couldn’t find that anywhere else!” After you’ve seen the view, you can go see the beauty that is Ruby Falls. Only a short walk away from the mountain, Ruby Falls is one of the ten most incredible cave waterfalls on Earth. If you want to see these two beautiful natural wonders, all you have to do is drive two and a half hours from Birmingham to just six miles outside the city of Chattanooga.

Cheaha State Park

Are you looking to enjoy the warmth and nature this break? If you are, then Cheaha State Park is the place to go. It’s located in Northwest Alabama and is only an hour and a half from Birmingham, twelve miles south of I-20 and off of State Highway 281. The park opens its gates at seven in the morning and doesn’t close until sundown, so you can have a full day’s worth of adventures. Plus, the cost is only three dollars per person. But, the best part of this trip is climbing the highest peak in Alabama. The mount looms 2,407 feet above sea level and is part of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Senior Mary Virginia Adams says, “Towering over all of Alabama is a feeling you can get nowhere else! It’s wonderful!” You can get the same feeling at this inexpensive and easy daytrip. There is no excuse for staying at home this Spring Break. Get off Net-flix; don’t start Breaking Bad. Instead, gather all the other staycation-ers and get in the car. There is shopping to do and wilderness to see.

The Sword & Shield’s top three Alabama day trips will keep you busy over Spring Break.

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BACK TO BACK

SWAGWINSCHAMPIONSHIPS60-57

BACK TO BACK

Photos by Ben Jackson, Layout and Design by Olivia Burton

By ALEC LEWISSports Editor

Bucky McMillan, the two time state championship winning coach of the Mountain Brook basketball team, is the man behind the madness that is Mountain Brook’s “swag.” Call it what you want. “Bucky ball,” “Swag ball,” and even “the full court press” are terms to define the tenacity that the Spartans display each time they take the court, but in reality, it’s just hard-nosed basketball. “We play fearless every time we step on the court; we don’t worry about what the per-son at school thinks if we miss a shot or what the city thinks of us on the court,” McMil-lan said. “We worry about being the hardest working, hardest playing, and most fearless basketball team.” Years ago, when McMillan played at Mountain Brook, he starred and was able to earn himself a scholarship at Birmingham Southern (which was Division 1 at the time). After his stint with the Panthers, McMillan coached AAU teams and hung around basketball, but he always had a dream of being a high school coach. Many fans of Mountain Brook basketball don’t understand the helter-skelter style of substitutions and press, but each move is calculated, which sets McMillan apart from all of the rest. “Back when I played, there were players that never got playing time, but you knew they were good at a specific something, such as three point shooting,” said McMillan. “So I remembered wondering why those guys would only play when we needed a three towards the end of the game, and that inspired me to do what we do, which is to employ the strengths that we have.” Coaches, players, and other teams rave about Coach McMillan. Even Dallas County’s head coach, Willie Moore, said, “We were ready for Madison County’s press, because we played Mountain Brook, and nobody presses you like Mountain Brook.” Recently, Coach McMillan was named as the 6A All State Coach of the Year, while while senior Patrick Keim received Second Team State honors. The press, the intensity, and the amount of effort have given the Spartans an identity, and with that identity the expectations will be raised, although Coach McMillan isn’t at all concerned. To Coach McMillan, the one quote which really defines Mountain Brook and Moun-tain Brook basketball and even provides hope to all people is the late Nelson Mandela’s statement that “It always seems impossible, until it’s done.” Two straight 6A championships should be enough to cement his legacy, but Bucky McMillan and the Spartans are hoping to continue building their newfound dynasty next season.

12Sports Friday, March 21, 2014 The Sword & Shield

By JOHN SISSONStaff Writer

On March 26, the reigning South-ern League Champion Birmingham Barons will play their toughest game of the season. The Class Double-A Barons will face off against their major league affiliate, the Chicago White Sox. The game starts at 6:00 pm at Regions Field, which is in its second year as the home of the Barons. The new state-of-the-art ballpark has wonderful views of the city skyline, and a great fan-friendly atmosphere. Junior Lindsey Kirk said, “The new Regions Field combines the luxury of a major league park with lower costs, less crowded stands, and a beautiful view.” The Barons roster is not set yet, but the talent in the White Sox orga-nization should produce a very com-petitive Barons team that could win a second straight Southern League title under Julio Vinas, who once

again leads the Barons as manager. Without a doubt, a night at the ballpark to watch the Barons could be a great date idea or could be fun for a group of friends. Attendance will surely be very high again as last year was a record breaking year for the Barons box office. The Barons lead the Southern League in atten-dance for the entire season. Tickets for the exhibition and regular season games are on sale with average pric-es around $14-28 dollars. Opening Day for Southern League games is April 9 as the Bar-ons take on the Jacksonville Suns. The Rickwood Classic at the oldest ballpark in America begins at 12:30 pm on May 28. On July 4, after the game against the Tennessee Smok-ies, fans can stay after and watch the fireworks over Red Mountain, or on Friday night games, there is a free fireworks show. If you love a good ballpark hotdog, Tuesday nights are the best games to come to as they feature 50 cent hotdogs.

Although Birmingham does not have its own professional team, the Barons provide fans with a very competitive team to cheer for. If you want to get involved in Birmingham and start a new activity, going to a Barons game and supporting the team is a great idea. The season lasts throughout the summer, and there are plenty of home games to see. Pick up a schedule online at milb.com; you and your friends will sure-ly enjoy yourselves.

What to watch for in the 2014 Birmingham Barons season

Photo courtesy of milb.comThe new Regions Park in the heart of downtown Birmingham will open on April 9 for its second season.

Sports13SportsFriday, March 21, 2014The Sword & Shield

By MATHILDE SHARMANBusiness Manager

The golf season is underway for the lady Spartans. The team started off the season on February 24th, traveling to Auburn, Alabama, for Auburn High School’s Invitation-al Tournament. The lady Spartans finished third with a 240, two strokes more than Hoover and three more than first place Auburn. Senior Tatum Jackson, sopho-more Grace Wann, junior Meg Mc-Calley, and senior Rhea Nathan shot 70, 81, 89, and 96, respectively. The lady Spartans have high expectations for the remainder of the season. Jackson explained her personal goals this season and her goals for the team in general. “My individual goals for this season are to win every tournament and to have an even or under par scoring average. As a team, I would love to win a fourth straight State championship.” Like teammate Jackson, Wann has her own expectations as a player. “I want to come out of every tourna-ment knowing that I gave it every-thing I had.” However, the lady Spartans un-derstand that goals cannot be blindly set. Junior Meg McCalley explained what has led to achievement for her as a team member. “One key to suc-cess is definitely practicing hard. The more you get used to different shots, the easier it is under pressure. It also helps to know your team. While golf is usually an individual sport, it’s not in high school, and you have to work together.”

Additionally, fellow team member and freshman Anne Lewis Simmons explained her perspective on the challenge of the game as a new mem-ber of the team. “I just moved from Lynchburg, Virginia to Mountain Brook this year. Being on the golf team has allowed me to make close bonds with all my teammates and competitors. Golf takes a lot of hard work and dedication to rise to the top—there aren’t any shortcuts in golf. It’s chal-lenging physically and mentally, but especially mentally. Golf prepares you for challenges in life; you have to focus on hitting it straight, avoid all the hazards, and keep a good mental state. In other words, life will take you in different directions, but you have to keep moving forward and make smart choices.” As the team advances into the sea-son, focus will be essential to achiev-ing continued success on the course.

Lady Spartan golf season underway for spring

Photo courtesy of Allison Brown Michael Brown (second from left) makes the All-Tournament team with his 159 at Ol’ Colony Golf Course.

Golf tournament (p. 1)

13 shots from day 1 to day 2 which is a pretty nice improvement.” The second place finish in this tournament, combined with the third place finish the week before, highlights the potential of this year’s team. When asked about the team’s prospects for the season, Brown said, “All of us are looking forward to the next few tournaments and we can’t

wait until the post season. We hope to make a state championship run.” The Spartans had no time to rest over the weekend, though, as they drove straight to Mobile from Au-burn to compete in the Azalea City Invitational in their hopes to ulti-mately earn a spot in the state cham-pionship at the end of the season.

Photos by Steve and Amy Jackson (above) & Mathilde Sharman (right)

Above: The Spartan girls hope to continue the sucess of previuos years. Right: Junior Meg McCalley warms up at practice.

14Sports Friday, March 21, 2014 The Sword & Shield

BY SCOTT LEPLEYStaff Writer

Both the boys and girls varsity soccer teams are off to strong starts this season with high hopes for state championships. The reigning state champion girls team is off to a 6-1-4 start and is ranked 5th in the state, while the boys team stands at 11-1-3 and is ranked 6th in the state. The girls team lost 11 seniors from last year’s championship squad but is still looking strong enough to compete for another state cham-pionship. Senior Liz Clutton captains the team while junior standouts AC Gillespy and Maggie Clemmons lead the team in points and freshman Heitho Shipp locks down the goal. Girls head coach Scott Flowers said, “We believe the leadership from our three seniors and strong play from our juniors can take us to another state championship.” Coach Flowers has won two state cham-pionships with Mountain Brook in just six full seasons. The boys team is off to a strong start as well after reaching the Final Four last season. Senior forwards Austin Garrett and Duncan Mat-thews lead the team in points while senior defensive backs Ian Ennis and Russell Cross lead the defense. Cross said, “If we play at the top of our game, we can beat everybody and take the state tournament. We’ve got great players all over the field at every position.” Last Friday, the boys fell at the hands of #1 ranked Vestavia in a battle of top teams with goalkeeper Paul Roth being injured in the effort. The boys will have a chance to redeem themselves in a re-match against the top-ranked Rebels on April 15. The girls also fell to Vestavia last Friday in a 0-1 defensive battle. This past Wednesday, the girls redeemed themselves with a 5-2 victory over #7 Prattville. Maggie Clemmons, Carlin Pitman, AC Gillespy, Lowry Neil, and Laney Smith each had one goal. The boys team ended their match with Prattville in a 3-3 tie, with goals coming from Duncan Matthews and Austin Garrett. Next on the schedule for the girls is a big matchup against #2 Huntsville in Huntsville April 1. The boys will return from Spring Break to face Shades Valley on April 7. Both boys and girls teams are likely favorites in April’s state play-offs. The boys team is looking for their first state championship, while the girls are seeking their third since 2008. Multiple Spartans are committed to play at a collegiate level as well. For the girls, Leigh Haynes is committed to Wake Forest, Ansley Joy Peacock to Auburn, and Clemmons to Vanderbilt. For the boys, Ennis is headed to Centre College.

Mountain Brook soccer teams seek state championship

Photos courtesy of Image ArtsThe boys and girls 2013-2014 teams pose for their team portraits.

By ALEC LEWISSports Editor

Although baseball and football are the U.S. leaders in played and watched sports, lacrosse is actually considered America’s first sport, according to many historians. And in recent years in Alabama, lacrosse has grown extremely popular, especially in Mountain Brook. Lacrosse first became a high school sport in Mountain Brook in 2004, and it has since become a popular college sport that is even televised on ESPN. Over the past three years, the area has produced multiple col-legiate lacrosse players, including current senior Matthew Casey, who will attend Emmanuel Col-lege in Georgia to play. “There were many aspects of Emmanuel College that interest-ed me, such as their great aca-demic programs and their very well-funded sports programs,” Casey said.

Casey, who first picked up the sport in fifth grade, was one of the first to take part in lacrosse at Mountain Brook, which is ex-tremely significant for the pro-gram as a whole. “Mountain Brook lacrosse means more to me than just my love for the sport,” Casey said. “The memories and people in-volved in all of my lacrosse years just mean so much as well.” Casey hopes his signing will inspire and instill a work ethic in others that hope to play collegiate lacrosse just like he did. “Because of the success and enjoyment I’ve had, I recommend lacrosse to really anyone I meet who wants to play a new sport,” said Casey. “The competition, the enjoyment, and being part of the team, is something I really enjoy, and I believe a lot of people would enjoy that as well.” This year, Casey and the Spar-tans look to have another success-ful year and ultimately compete for the state championship to send Matthew out with a bang.

Matthew Casey signs to play lacrosse at Emmanuel College

Sports15SportsFriday, March 21, 2014The Sword & Shield

Photo by Alec LewisSenior Matthew Casey recently signed to Emmanuel College for lacrosse.

America’s pastime is back in action as baseball hits area season

By ALEC LEWISSports Editor

With a fresh start and a new group of seniors, the Mountain Brook baseball team has created a new brand of baseball that has been missing at Mountain Brook High School for many years.Senior leaders Peter Berryman, Da-vis McDougal and Mitch Morrow have done a fantastic job of wel-coming in the new group of juniors, and their goals to compete and have success in the area and the state championships are set out. “I think our team has the talent and determination necessary to be a great team,” Berryman said. “We just need to work hard to sharpen our skills and remain focused as we enter area play to accomplish our main goal which is to win the area.” So far this season, the Spartans are off to a solid 13-6 start. With games against Gardendale, John Carroll, Chelsea, and others, the Spartans have seemed to challenge and really prepare themselves for area play which started this past week. “The season has gone well so far,” said Head Coach Lee Gann. “It’s still early, and we’re in our 6th week. We have some guys that are playing at a high level such as juniors Hunter Holcomb and Alan Hale, who are pitching well, and sophomore Burt Bellande, who has been a pleasant surprise for us.” This past week, the Spartans matched up against Ben Russell, who the Spartans defeated 6-0; Fort Payne, who the Spartans beat 8-2; and area opponent Shades Valley, who the Spartans handled 7-4. “Our team has been focused on winning area since we began work-outs last fall, and I think we have a great shot at it when we are playing our best,” said Holcomb. Over the course of this season, this year’s team has hit 9 home runs, which already is more than the last two years combined. Junior Jack McPherson has hit 4 of those, and juniors Holcomb and John Eagan have hit 3 and 2, respectively. Other juniors such as John Sisson, Parks

Shoulders, Drew Odum, and John David Kubiszyn as well as Tucker Ellis, Mac Harris, Bailey Shelfer, Andrew Autrey, and Sisson have added key at-bats and pitching throughout the year. At press time, the Spartans will have played Florida’s number 1 and undefeated Chiles team, and will have faced off against an area game against Shades Valley in what is now the most important part of the season. “Leading up until now we’ve been playing games to prepare us for the area season, but now that we are here, these are really the three big-gest weeks of the season,” said Gann.

Photo courtesy of Ben Breland Junior catcher, Jack McPherson (above), loads up as he prepares to hit a home run against Fort Payne while Tucker Ellis (below) warms up to play in the field.

16reviews Friday, March 21, 2014 The Sword & Shield

the best of Birmingham

By MARGARET HEATHStaff Writer

Are you tired of the winter blues? Are the constant weather changes getting you down? Well, try to brighten up your day with a smoothie. If you’re ready to hop into spring, try something with seasonal berries. If you love having the luck of the Irish or want a taste of Spartan Swag, try something green like spinach, kiwi, or even shamrocks. The newspaper team tried several smoothies and narrowed them down to 5 healthy and tasty recipes to try at home.

Photo by Margaret HeathBennett Johnston, Virginia White, and Allan White sample the Berry Blast Smoothie.

Springtime smoothies for the break.....

The Berry Blast Smoothie from www.springandkids.com

Number of Servings: 8 You will need: 2 cups blueberries 2 cups raspberries 2 cups strawberries 2 cups blackberries 1 cup 100% cran-raspberry juice 1 cup low fat blueberry yogurt 2 cups iceDirections/Staff tip: Put the liq-uid ingredients and ice in first to help blend this faster. A package of mixed berries replaces the laundry list of fruit if none of them are cur-rently in season, and add a package of strawberries separately.

The Paradise Freeze from www.springandkids.com

Number of Servings: 4 You will need: 2 large, ripe bananas 2 cups strawberries 1 ripe mango, cubed 2 cups cranberry juice 12 ice cubesDirections: Combine ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth. Staff Tip: Put in the ice and cranberry juice first to help the smoothie blend faster. Also cran-raspberry juice tastes great in this too.

The Pomegranate Berry Smoothie from www.eatingwell.com

Number of servings: 4You will need:2 cups frozen mixed berries1 cup pomegranate juice1 medium banana1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese1/2 cup water Directions: Combine ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth. Staff tip: When making this smooth-ie, put in the liquid ingredients first as this will help the smoothies blend together better. Also, stores sell mini containers of cottage cheese, so you do not have to buy a huge container and waste part of it.

17ReviewsFriday, March 21, 2014The Sword & Shield

the best of BirminghamB B Q R i b d e s t i n a t i o n s

Dreamland3.5/5

Located near Southside, Dreamland Barbeque is your typical barbeque restaurant. The minute you walk in, you can smell the food roasting on the large pit. Dreamland’s ribs fluctuate in quality from night to night. With our prior experiences, Dreamland seems to have been hit or miss. On the night we visited, our ribs were not as tender as they have been on other nights. Dreamland’s sauce is the hottest of the three and is the only vinegar based sauce we tried. Lighter and lacking the viscous attributions of tomato or molasses based sauces; vinegar sauces typically are more peppery. Coming out at the cheapest price, Dreamland’s half slab is $10.45 and also comes with several slices of bread.

Moe’s3/5

Moe’s Barbeque is conveniently located in the Lakeview District of Avondale next door to Slice. While primarily a barbeque restaurant, Moe’s atmosphere is more aligned with that of a bar. Moe’s ribs were the most tender of the three and paired nicely with the house sauce – a tangy, slightly sweet tomato based sauce with a little bit of heat. The ribs were obviously wood grilled but didn’t possess an overly smoky flavor. As opposed to the traditional, larger spare rib, Moe’s offers the smaller and more tender baby back ribs. While these were the most tender, the price to size ratio left much to be desired. At $13.00 for a half slab (six ribs), these were by far the most expensive and smallest ribs we tried. Had they been more affordable, the ribs would have received a higher rating.

Saw’s5/5

The small, cramped, southern dive-ish rib joint that is Saw’s can be found in the popular Edgewood neighborhood of Homewood. These ribs were by far the largest and most well rounded of the bunch. Saw’s ribs’ outer layers were charred to perfection, creating an unadulterated crust to seal in the unbelievably tender meat. Possessing a slightly smoky taste from the wood-fire pit, the ribs had a more complex flavor than the others we tried. Somewhat similar to both Dreamland’s and Moe’s sauce, Saw’s sauce is a sweet, vinegar-based sauce, not our favorite but definitely not bad. At $10.99 for a half rack of ribs, these are a steal because of their superior quality.

Birmingham. The Magic City is steeped in a history of steel and sauce. As we live in one of the South’s barbeque capitals, the Sword & Shield decided to take Birmingham’s best BBQ spots by force, eating all the ribs and taking no prisoners. From Avondale to Southside to

Edgewood we drove, smelling out each eatery and devouring a whole mess of half racks of ribs along the way. Below we have included our favorite rib joints, so sit down with us and partake in our culinary conquest, barbeque style.

Photos by Ben Jackson

18Reviews Friday, March 21, 2014 The Sword & Shield

By BEN JACKSONFeatures Editor

In 2011, under the guidance of lead vocal-ist Mark Foster, Foster the People’s hit single “Pumped Up Kicks” climbed the charts into the stratosphere—getting hundreds of thou-sands of hours of air-time across the globe. Everyone, everywhere, knew about the kids with their pumped up kicks, who’d better run, better run, better out run that gun. The single was immediately followed by the band’s debut album Torches, which brought other pop hits like “Houdini” and “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls),” which was used in a variety of TV-ads. And then, more popular than they ever could have imagined, the techno-pop band from LA all but disappeared. A few concerts here and there, but on the whole, quiet. And now, just as suddenly as their initial climb to fame, Foster the People is back with their new full-length album, Supermodel. The sound is familiar from Torches, yet less defiantly techno-pop. Far from a bad thing, this makes Supermodel far more palatable to most listeners. Supermodel, as an album, evokes images of sitting on an Australian beach at sunset as a dark headed surfer dude serenades a couple of wavy haired blondes

after a long party on the beach. It’s kind of dreamy. All of the evidence of the party is still there; tracks like “Coming of Age” and “Best Friend” are jam songs. They make the listen-er love life. But softer pieces throughout the 11-track list indicate that the party is some-times over, and worthy of serious reflection. The opening tune, another upbeat jam ripe for the party (though still less techno-y than anything on Torches), “Are you What you Want to Be?” sounds like a stylistic collabora-tion with Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig. It’s complete with a cheerful African drum-beat and obscurely upper-class geographic refer-ences that Ezra does so well. In fact, a variety of songs seem to borrow in style from other popular bands. “A Begin-ner’s Guide to Destroying the Moon” contains high-pitched lyrics accompanied by enjoyable electric guitar riffs reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys. By contrast, “Goats in Trees” has the more warmly pensive feel of Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea,” with an added Italian vibe. The cacophony of styles actually works, however, and helps contribute to that reflec-tive downtime that occurs right after a great party.

My personal favorite is, “Nevermind,” which has Mark Foster’s unique vocals, yet in-corporates a warm acoustic element not really found in FTP’s earlier work. If Supermodel really emulates some Aus-tralian beach party, I can promise you that it’s one I’d like to attend. The album is fresh and the tracks are different enough to keep you listening until the end. Let’s hope that Foster the People visits Bir-mingham sometime soon so we can host that Australian beach party ourselves.

Photo from www.b-sides.tv

Supermodel, better than the most Pumped Up of Kicks

The man in black is back: Johnny Cash’s lost album

By BROOKS GLOVERReviews Editor

Johnny Cash is arguably the most important country musician to have ever recorded. And with his death in 2003, the announcement of Out Among the Stars, his first posthumous album, should really come as no sur-prise. Artists with legacies spanning multiple decades tend to have amassed unreleased material over time, and now it’s Cash’s turn to have his lost tapes surface. Out Among the Stars is comprised of twelve songs recorded by Cash in 1981 and 1984. At the time, Cash’s la-bel, Columbia Records, began to push for more pop oriented country; how-ever, Cash refused and stuck adamant-ly to his more genuine country. Fast forward almost thirty years to Cash’s son, John Carter Cash discovering the master tapes and releasing them this time through Legacy Recordings.“She Used To Love Me A Lot,” a David Allan Coe cover, is the album’s lead single. Lyrically, the song matter is classic lovelorn country. However, it’s juxtaposed musically by Billy Sher-rill’s surprisingly modern production. Cash’s voice Out Among the Stars features two duets between June Carter and Johnny Cash, “Baby Ride Easy” and “Don’t

You Think It’s Our Time.” “Baby Ride Easy” embodies a classic Cash beat that drives Carter and Cash to another excellent duet between the two. “Don’t You Think It’s Our Time” shows Cash at his most reflective on the album as he and June Carter sing over bluegrass instrumentation. The title track, “Out Among The Stars” foreshadows his member-ship with country supergroup The Highwaymen. With a classic outlaw country sound, Cash recounts a failed liquor store robbery over his signature train-track rhythm.. However, this rhythm does get monotonous over the course of the album. “Out Among the Stars,” “Baby Ride Easy.” and “If I Told You Who It Was” all seem to be built on the same groove that can only chug on for so long. Even more so, the identical two note bass bounce plodding along cannot be infinitely interesting and the lack of variety of the songs’ foun-dations make the music colorless and flat. But be weary of my criticisms. This is coming from the perspective of someone who isn’t really all into the country scene. However, songs like “She Used To Love Me A Lot,” the Waylon Jennings duet “I’m Movin On,” and “Don’t You Think It’s Come Our Time” deserve to be placed along-side Johnny Cash’s greatest tracks.

19Opinions

By CLAIRE DAVISArt & Photography Editor

There is a problem at Mountain Brook High School, and it is not the sophomore parking lot or the seemingly persistent graffiti that decorates our lovely field house. It is a problem that we see every day, slinking behind parked cars as we stare listlessly out the window in class. It is the problem that makes the entire outside classroom reek of rotting food. It is the ever growing and increasingly annoying feral cat problem. Don’t get me wrong; I like cuddly cats just as much as the next person. But to have a band of feral cats that makes our cam-pus a slightly dangerous petting zoo is frankly a nuisance. Moun-tain Brook is known for its classy attitude and taste, and if we want to keep that reputation of being the best, the cats simply have to go. The problem is there’s almost nothing to be done about them.

They can’t be taken to nearby shelters because they’re feral, put-ting them down is inhumane and expensive for the dozen or so cats who live here, and no one is going to be willing to cart them across town so that there is almost zero chance of them returning (Besides, remember Homeward Bound?). The only solution, and I mean the only solu-tion, is to stop feeding them. I realize that it’s not necessarily students who feed them; communi-ty members need to stop exacerbating the problem as well. Food is the only reason they stick around the campus. If they know a person comes everyday to leave food out for them, then they’ll wait all day for that food. They may scarf down a chipmunk or mole in the meantime, but they will be counting on that free and easy food source that we keep providing. It’s a classic example of Pavlov’s Dog, except in this case it would be more appropriate to call

it Brookies’ Cat. Some of you may be think-ing that I am too anxious about the cats since they aren’t hurting anyone and just mind their own business. The problem is, they are hurting us. If a student spots one in class and tells the others, suddenly the teacher has lost half her class and has to get everyone back on

topic. They use the outdoor class-room as a litter box, ruining a nice facility that is now useless. That facility was made specifically so classes could take advantage of the weather or provide real life exam-ples. One cat even got in the main building last year, causing a huge problem and mess for the custodi-

al staff and 500 hall teachers who tried to get it out before school started. To let some random feral cats invade our given classroom space and feed them to boot just enforces the entitled rich Brookie image. We are saying that we can afford this destruction of a facility that took weeks, maybe months to build

because we can afford it. If the feral cats invaded the new field house, I’m sure they would be rounded up and carted away within hours. So why are we allowing them to ruin other parts of our campus? With these cats, our lives are margin-ally worse than they could be. Without them, we would hon-estly benefit. A out-door classroom area fit to use, a great lack of cat food trash and bowls, and the surety

that a cat won’t sprint in front of your car at night are a few of the many benefits that would occur. So I put the matter to you, Mountain Brook: should we continue hosting our parasitic friends or clean up our campus in a very definite way?

By CAROLINE LOWE Staff Writer

I know I’m the daughter of a teacher, and I don’t always follow the rules at home. That said, my mom would kill me if I were rude to my teachers or disrupted class in any way. Students at MBHS, however, repeatedly act up in class. Almost every day, students decide to have their conversations during class while their teachers are teaching. Students pull out their phones and look at texts or play games rather than listen to the teacher. That is unfair to teachers.

Behavior in the Mall is also disrespectful at times as students expect the custodians to pick up their trash. Students also leave their sports bags all over; they yell like they are at a party rather than in school. The solution is simple. Students should to be courteous of those who want to learn the cur-riculum that the teachers work hard to teach us. Every time a student disrupts a class, the teach-er has to stop and interrupt instruction. The purpose of school is to learn, but many students don’t seem to care and make it harder for those who do want to learn. One thing students do that teachers especial-ly don’t appreciate is saying that they are going to the restroom, but instead they go to the Mall to talk with their friends. When they complain that a teacher didn’t tell them something, they should blame themselves rather than the teach-er. If they are not listening, playing on their phones, or going to the Mall rather than the bathroom, of course they don’t know what is going on. Being disrespectful to a teacher is just plain wrong. Special Education teacher Mrs. Katrina McGuire points out that students “are learn-ing everyday life skills, and one day they will

have a job and will have to work collaboratively with people around them and these things will matter. Also, students who are respectful will get respect.” I am a student who wants to learn and tries to do my best in school, but it’s hard to learn while students in my classes are constantly interrupt-ing the teacher. When the teacher has to stop to discipline a student, this makes the teachers stressed out and frustrated. Teachers are here to prepare us for the out-side world when we graduate. English teacher Ms. Harlan Ponder shared her thoughts with the Sword & Shield: “I feel strongly that students should be respectful to teachers even if they don’t like them. They should respect all authori-ty figures.” Many students agree. Sophomore Eric Voigt says, “I feel like teachers need to be respected because they come to school to do their job; not to be ridiculed and disrespected. They are only trying to help.” Next time you are in your class be respectful towards your teachers. They deserve it.

Friday, March 21, 2014The Sword & Shield

Teachers and administrators deserve more respect from students

Mountain Brook’s #1 Problem? Feral Cats in the outdoor classroom

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION: The Mountain Brook School system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or age in any of its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries re-garding nondiscrimination policies: Dr. Dale Wisely—Director of Student Services (Title VI), (wiselyd@mtnbrook.k12.al.us); Mrs. Sylvia Harper—Personnel Director (Title IX), (harpers@mtnbrook.k12.al.us); Dr. Missy Brooks—Director of Instruction (Title II), (wildman-brooksm@mtnbrook.k12.al.us); Mrs. Shannon Mundy—Special Education Director (Section 504), (mundyl@mtnbrook.k12.al.us). Contact Information: 32 Vine Street, Mountain Brook, AL 35213, 205-871-4608.

20Opinions

By KARY REYNOLDSNews Editor

“Why would you do that to your-self?!” has become one of the most common questions I’ve heard at MBHS this year. No, not about dat-ing, clothes, or that ton of Christ-mas candy you ate; this question is about next year’s schedules. Whether the focus is calculus, physics, a language, or an elective, the variety of AP classes offered at MBHS can lead to some pretty terrible looking schedules and the occasional late-night study session, so a lot of students ask if it’s really worth the extra time and effort. As a senior looking back, my answer would be yes. In modera-tion. There is the obvious benefit of college credit if your school accepts AP scores (I will never take a his-tory class again), and just because a college won’t accept credit doesn’t mean the class is useless either. If a college doesn’t accept credit, chances are you will end up in a large freshman course, so having a head start on the information might help make your college life a little easier too. Other students will be drowning in a sea of terrible calcu-lus integrals while you float by on your yacht of knowledge. It’s true the classes can be chal-lenging, but if you spent your high school career trying to avoid an all-nighter, you’ve completely missed out on a part of high school culture that you’ll never repeat! Plus, at two in the morning, all the work you have left becomes so much less important than sleep.

It really helps you focus on what’s important in life. Teachers aren’t completely heartless either. There is actually a surprising amount of coordination to avoid having too many tests on one day, and if you are struggling, talking to them can earn you more time to finish an assignment or cause them to postpone their tests. Don’t expect it every time, obvi-ously, but as long as you mention it ahead of time, teachers will be a lot more understanding than their cur-rent students make them out to be. Even in high school, AP classes offer a challenge to students and a way to gain a more in-depth per-spective about a subject you enjoy. My best advice would simply be to know your limits. For over-achievers, packing your schedule with the letters AP might not guarantee an acceptance letter to your top school, but it will cer-tainly stress you out. So take classes you think you will enjoy, ones that challenge you, and get some sleep. You can study in the morning.

By CHAMBLEE SHUFFLEBARGERStaff Writer

It’s midnight. You’re getting to be so tired that the 20 minute cat naps you’ve heard are so effective have stopped helping you stay up. There are few ways left to fight the exhaustion, but you still have homework to do. Most teachers reading this will scoff and claim that the students still doing homework at midnight are the ones who spent all after-noon watching YouTube videos or simply goofing around. But most kids don’t get home shortly after the bell rings at 3:19. A lot of them are involved in extracurricular or have jobs that take up a few extra hours of their afternoon. Not to mention the class load many take. Pick just about any college tour, and you’ll hear the same spiel about how every student that managed to get in had great test scores, a high GPA, loads of extracurriculars and challenging classes. Challenging classes. That’s why most of us take all the APs, isn’t it? Many students make the deci-sion to enroll in 5 or 6 AP classes in order to impress these colleges not taking into consideration the amount of work that will actually require. In reality, many AP classes require hours of work on home-work and even more for studying or working on projects or papers. After a 7 hour school day, that load can seem unmanageable.

With a workload like that, all sorts of things tend to fall through the cracks be it friends or family or, most likely, sleep. In this, students also lose a key part of learning that, truthfully, the education system it-self seems to lack these days: learn-ing. Instead of students pursuing comprehension in a subject, they do the work and studying neces-sary in each class in order to make the grades. It’s a simple question of depth or breath. When taking many challenging classes, students are not able to delve into the informa-tion they are learning, but instead pursue shallow understanding in everything they can. As a result, students are able to get through the tests and assignments and prompt-ly lose that information once they move to the next topic. Straining to learn it all only forces them to understand each topic less. The problem, however, is not the individual teacher’s assignments or the student’s activities. The root cause of student’s overextending themselves in school is the over-achiever culture when trying to compete for a higher class rank or a spot at a university. This idea that a college will reject a student for not taking that one extra AP class or being in that one extra club, forces students to do it all and leaves no time left to breathe. The simple solution is that students seek out their challenges in moderation. But, in all hones-ty, every student knows that that answer is not as simple as it seems because it too has tradeoffs. So when next year’s seniors continue the longstanding tradition of taking an inordinate number of challeng-ing classes, my only advice is that at midnight when you still have more work to do, just go to sleep.

Friday, March 21, 2014 The Sword & Shield

opposing viewpointsA P c l a s s e s o v e r l o a d ?

AP classes are worth the occasional late-night study session

Don’t overload on unnecessary classes just because you can

Photo by Brooks Glover