THE NORTHRIDGE

EST. 2003

The student voice of Northridge High SchoolFEBRUARY 6, 2015 VOLUME 12 ISSUE 5

REPORTER

AT A GLANCE

Northridge High School2901 Northridge RoadTuscaloosa, Alabama 35406

www.northridgereporter.wordpress.com

DANGEROUSDRIVING

BEAUTY WALK

pages 6-7page 10

Ferguson advocates return to block scheduleJAMES NIILEREDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A return to a block schedule looks increasingly likely, as principal Kyle Ferguson has been promoting its

benefits. “I think it lends itself to a lot more flexibility to address student needs,” Ferguson said. “Having longer periods with fewer preps allows us to foster what we are doing in education right now.” Ferguson said current innovations in education that lend themselves to a block schedule include the implementation of Common Core and project-based learning. He said the seven-period day has caused undue stress for students and teachers. “Your life becomes your coursework, and high school is more than that. You can’t do anything, hardly, in 47 minutes. It doubles the number of assignments teachers are grading. There’s evidence of teacher burnout. It’s a lot more stressful on teachers and students, in my experience,” he said. In a PowerPoint presented to the school board in October, several benefits of a block schedule were listed, including schedule flexibility; fewer tardies; improved collaboration between students and teachers; and better morale. Ferguson made clear, however, that a schedule is not “the most important factor” in student education. “There is no research out there that says students learn more under a block schedule than a seven-period schedule,” he said. “School schedules do not have a huge impact on learning.”

Rather, Ferguson said, it is the people that give the education that makes a difference in the way students learn. “The most important factor [in student learning] is the presence of a skilled and highly committed teacher,” Ferguson said in the PowerPoint. Jack Hubner, sophomore, said the seven-period schedule causes students “pressure.”

“You have all of your classes each day, and sometimes it gets overwhelming,” he said.

Hubner said he is looking forward to the block schedule being implemented and believes it will help with the AP classes he plans to take next year. “Classes are more spread out and you have more time to work

on homework if you don’t get it done that day,” he said. Xavier Jackson, junior, said he is opposed to the revival of the block schedule. “[In] the block schedule, you’re in class, and if you don’t like the class…you have to deal with the teacher or class that long a time,” he said. “Also, some students are easily distracted, so they might fall asleep in that area of time. It’s harder for teachers, too, because they need to make their lessons longer.” Carson Vines, English teacher, said a block schedule could create a better learning experience for students. “If teachers capitalize on the extra time per class, block

scheduling can be a very positive change. More time in class allows students to use classroom resources such as the teacher to their benefit while completing autonomous work,” he said.

Teachers need to plan well for a block schedule to be effective, otherwise it could “hurt classroom management and behavior” and “more fights” could result, Vines said. “If teachers don’t plan effectively, block scheduling will fill the school day with more empty space,” he said. Beth Allaway, science teacher, said she is “absolutely in favor” of a return to the block schedule. “For teachers, we have less students a day, because we’re teaching three classes a day instead of six. We have them for a longer period of time, which allows us to do several different things in a class period. For students, instead of juggling seven things at once, they have four, so they don’t have so much going on at once,” she said. Allaway said classroom problems would be significantly lowered with a block schedule.

“When we went to seven-period day, our failure rate doubled. On a seven-period day, students spend close to 60 hours in the hall [per year],” she said. According to Ferguson, the block schedule for next year consists of four main periods, with a “skinny period” attached.

He also suggested to the board that a break occur between first and second periods. “We’ll finalize a presentation in the next month” to show the school board about the issue, Ferguson said.

DOPE? NOPENATE HESTER STAFF WRITER

Beginning in January, the city board will put the “Tuscaloosa City

Schools Drug and Alcohol Screening Pro-gram” into effect.

According to the policy information packet, all “Activity Students” will be sub-ject to testing.

An “Activity Student” is any student who plays on a school sports team, possess-es a school parking pass or participates in any extracurricular activities through the school.

The policy has five main objectives, which include helping Activity Students overcome problems with substance abuse and creating a safe, drug-free environment for all students.

On Monday, Jan. 12, Northridge hosted a meeting to introduce the policy. It was made known that no Activity Student who

defies the policy will be penalized academ-ically.

Information will not be released to crim-inal or juvenile authorities without com-pulsion by valid state or federal laws.

John Wiley Edwards, history teach-er and assistant basketball coach, said the drug testing policy is a good thing to have.

“It keeps kids ac-countable for their actions outside of school,” Edwards said.

Junior soccer player Catherine Spence said the policy makes her angry.

“We are spending money on drug tests while we don’t have enough money to buy books for everyone,” Spence said.

Spence said she also thinks it is a viola-

tion of privacy.“If someone wants to ruin their future, I

think it is their business,” Spence said.Violation of policy rules will subject

Activity Students to discipline, including suspension from student athletics or other extracurricular activities and/or forfeiture of parking privileges.

In addition, students will be subject to varying amounts of com-munity service and even a possible re-ferral to Bradford Health Services, based on the num-ber of drug tests

the student has failed.If a student tests positive, his or her par-

ents will be notified, and the student must retake and test negative on the following

drug test.“I think the punishments are just right.

It gives students a chance to get right,” Ed-wards said.

Richard Nowell, art teacher, is also in fa-vor of the policy.

“I think the punishments are too light. I feel that failing any drug test should re-sult in losing your state driver’s license. The policy should also include all students not just students involved in extra-curricular activities,” Nowell said.

Marcus Jackson, junior baseball player, said he is neutral towards the policy.

“It really doesn’t bother me at all,” Jack-son said.

“I think it invades privacy for sure, but you take that risk when you decide to do drugs,” Jackson said.

The testing will be lab based urine test-ing, and the projected testing month will be March 2015.

78

We are spending money on drug tests while we don’t have enough money to buy books.

CATHERINE SPENCE, JUNIOR

“ “

““ I think it lends itself to a lot more flexibility to address student needs.KYLE FERGUSON, PRINCIPAL

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Drug tests to be given in March; reactions mixed

“The most important factor [in student learning] is the presence of a skilled and highly committed teacher.

“

KYLE FERGUSON, PRINCIPAL

Photo illustration by Rebecca Griesbach

OUR THOUGHTS

Journalist of the Year 2013 • Bailey Thomson Award for Editorial Writing 2013 • Rick Bragg Feature Writing Award 2009 • Pacemaker Finalist 2014 • NSPA 6th Place Best of Show 2013 • NSPA 5th Place Best of Show 2012 • NSPA 1st Place Best of Show 2011 • NSPA 5th Place Best of Show 2008 • NSPA 8th Place Best of Show 2008 • NSPA 9th Place Best of Show 2006 • CSPA Gold Medalist 2005-2013 • SIPA All-Southern 2003, 2005–2012 • ASPA All-Alabama 2003–2013

• NSPA All-American 2004, 2008, 2011 • Best SIPA Newspaper in Alabama 2003–2007 • NSPA News Story of the Year 2005, 2014 • NSPA Cartoon of the Year 2014 • SIPA First Place News Story 2007• SIPA First Place Review 2009

Northridge High School • 2901 Northridge Road • Tuscaloosa, AL 35406 • (205) 759-3734 ext. 295 *Denotes state, regional and national award winners

The opinions in The Northridge Reporter are those of the students and not of the faculty or administration of Northridge High School or the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education.

It is the policy of The Northridge Reporter to publish all non-obscene, non-libelous, signed letters to the editor, re-gardless of the opinion expressed in them. Submit letters

Editor-in-Chief *James NiilerManaging Editor*Rebecca GriesbachFeature Editor*Rebecca GriesbachNews EditorsDestiny Hodges, Mychi Tran

Opinion EditorBert McLellandSports Editors*Camri Mason*Jordan HutchinsonAsst. Sports EditorNate Hester

Entertainment EditorKathryn VersaceCopy EditorJacob MartinAsst. Copy EditorSujitha PeramsettyInfographics EditorKathryn Versace

Business ManagerSujitha PeramsettyPhotographers*Camri Mason, Carter Love, Jacob MartinWebmaster & Twitter Editor*James NiilerArt EditorMychi Tran

to Susan Newell in room 109 or email to snewell@tusc.k12.al.us.

Facebook & Instagram Editor*Rebecca GriesbachStaff WritersMayci Hartley, Carter Love, Thomas MullinsAdviser*Susan Newell

It is the official policy of the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education that no per-son shall, on the grounds of race, color, disability, sex, religion, national origin, age or creed, be excluded for participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subject to discrimination under any program, activity or employment.

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THE REPORTERNORTHRIDGE

est. 2003

The student voice of Northridge High School

Advertising and subscriptions: Contact The Northridge Re-porter at (205) 759-3734 ext. 295 or snewell@tusc.k12.al.us to advertise in or subscribe to our paper.

AGREE 20 DISAGREE 0

Block schedule good for students, school

Distribution ManagerJohn Mark McCleland

2 THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERFEBRUARY 6, 2015OPINION

For the past three years, the seven-period schedule has caused more problems than it was intended to fix, building nothing but resentment and stress among students and teachers.

Teachers are “burning out,” tired of grading hundreds of papers each semester. Students are burdened with seven classes, excessive homework, heavy backpacks and inadequate time to complete school and extracurricular activities.

This is why The Northridge Reporter commends Principal Kyle Ferguson on his advocacy for a four-period block schedule. Not only will it reduce student and teacher stress and workload, but should provide unprecedented educational opportunities for students who choose to take advantage of them. Teachers will be better able to assist students with their individual needs, besides having far more time to adequately teach their lessons. Students will have the opportunity to take eight classes per year but in a reasonable time frame and to advance through their assigned courses at a rate that is now practically impossible.

Although it promises to be of incredible benefit to students and teachers, the block schedule must be calibrated so no class time is wasted; potential behavior problems are addressed; and students’ various learning needs, especially those with short attention spans, are adequately attended to.

Despite these potential pitfalls, the four-period block schedule has worked well in the past; students and teachers strongly favor its return to both relieve stress and bolster academic achievement. A four-period day in which students receive more attention based on their individual learning styles is far better, in our opinion, than 47-minute periods where lessons are often left incomplete.

It’s time the board of education does what is best for students, teachers and parents and reinstate the block schedule at the beginning of the next academic year.

Art by Mychi Tran

BRRR! It feels like the temperatures have dropped nearly twenty or more

degrees outside since Christmas. People who drive to school say they are

cold now, but if you’re a bus rider, you’re constantly cold all the way to school.

Buses may have heaters, but they are much bigger than a car, so it takes a while to heat up.

My bus is one of the few buses that comes before 7 o’clock, and it is freezing outside.

I have to really bundle up in the morning or else freeze like a Popsicle on the bus ride to school.

One thing that any bus rider hates to hear on the news the night before school is that there will be a hard freeze.

When the bridges froze over last year, it was awful.

One of the worst things was witnessing out of control cars sliding off the roads.

Bus rides in winter miserableHaving to witness this, made the bus

ride home a scare and an adventure. There’s no way it is easy for a bus to navigate these conditions. It took over an hour to get home that day also.

Sometimes, I just want to beg my mother to take me to school when it’s cold.

Not only is cold weather a problem, so is rain. It is absolutely terrible when you dress nice for school, and it starts to rain.

The ground is muddy, and the wind is blowing. It’s a mess.

Yet nothing is worse than when we get back to school in August, and it is really hot outside.

People try to rush onto the bus to escape the heat. All the pushing and shoving onto the bus just makes you even hotter.

I really wish someone would invent climate controlled buses. It would be so much help because bus rides and weather do not mix.

CAMRI MASON • SPORTS EDITOR

“Small group canceled. We start back next week,” said the text from my

small group leader Brad Almond, the Sunday of my rescheduled haircut. It had been canceled. Again. But this time, no-body would believe me if I told them it was moved back again.

In November, I lost a bet with my small group leader, Brad Almond, on the LSU-Alabama game. The winner getting to give the loser the haircut of his choice.

After yet another cancelation, I realized I had to take measures into my own hands.

After realizing most barber shops are closed on Sundays, I began to worry about what I would be facing from my peers at school about another delay to this haircut. But then I had an idea…

One of my youth pastors, Brian Loper, has the baldest head in three counties. Who better to call to shave my head for me?

I texted him to ask if he would cut my hair, and he gladly obliged.

I arrived at his house to find a chair from his dinner table in his backyard and an ea-ger look on his face.

I sat down, and the buzzing quickly be-came real. With lock after beautiful lock of my hair falling to the ground and Brian enjoying every minute of it, I was quickly becoming a brand new person.

The haircut finally ended after what seemed liked hours. I went home thinking about what lie before me.

I arrived at school Monday not to hear annoying taunts as I expected. Rather, I heard some pretty nice things.

“Your hair looks better that way,” said many students.

All in all, the haircut wasn’t really that bad.

It is easier to wash, never falls in my face, and is somewhat freeing.

However, I have noticed that it is sig-nificantly colder outside than I thought it would be without hair.

Hester makes good on hair bet

NATE HESTER • STAFF WRITER

THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERFEBRUARY 6, 2015 3OPINION

A normal classroom setting consists of a student sitting at a desk,

surrounded by classmates with a teacher at the front of the room.

This could get boring. ACCESS classes or UA Early College

classes offer a relief to students.In an online class, students can work at

their selected pace. The teacher and the ACCESS

administration set a deadline for the student, so students just have to finish their assignments by the deadline.

The learning does not end at school.

Although tests should be taken at school, students are able to look at the textbook and all the information at home as well.

Also, most online teachers are helpful. In my online AP Psychology class, the

teacher holds WebEx sessions, or video meetings, every week to answer questions, go over the material, and get students ready for the AP exam.

Some online teachers however are not very helpful and may take a long time to reply to emails.

The material in an online class is sometimes harder than a normal class.

SUJITHA PERAMSETTY • BUSINESS MANAGER

JAMES NIILER • EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Deep in the Mexican jungle lie mys-terious blue pools called cenotes.

They are a beautiful aqua color and reach far, far down into labyrinthine subterra-nean chambers.

The Mayans believed cenotes were en-trances to the Underworld and regularly threw their human sacrifices into them. Recently the bones of a 12,000 year-old girl who drowned in one were found.

This, dear reader, is the original ‘aqua abyss.’

With all due respect to those who chose last year’s prom theme, it appears all the connotations of an ‘aqua abyss’ were not sufficiently explored.

To begin, aqua is a color most people associate with souvenir beach stores and perhaps Disney’s The Little Mermaid. A close cousin of teal, which departed the public’s taste a long time ago, aqua also has (perhaps undeservedly) a vague association with tackiness.

The ‘abyss’ has much darker connota-tions. Christians, who comprise the major-ity of the school, will recognize this as the place where the Devil is cast for 1,000 years in the book of Revelation.

Personally, I associate an abyss with a deep, damp, foul-smelling prison cell which rarely encounters light. I think most people, to a great extent, would be inclined to agree with me.

What is to be done, then, about this year’s prom theme? I believe I have the perfect solution: The Great Gatsby.

I can already hear the objection that this theme is an overdone cliché: every other school has done this, and Northridge must dare to be different.

Normally, I would agree, but some things are just too good to pass up. I am all for creativity and originality, but cer-tain classic themes seem to hold up re-markably well. The Great Gatsby is one of them.

The Great Gatsby transports us to a more refined and elegant time, when scandal lurked behind dashing chivalry and the wealthy threw fantastic parties while hav-ing well-dressed and attentive butlers.

Obviously, this resonates with us today; the success of the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and the enthusiastic responses about the book from those studying it in their language classes indicate The Great Gatsby’s themes are still as relevant, and ad-mired, as ever.

This will be my first year at prom, and for many it will be their last. I urge my peers on the Prom Committee to make the right decision and have this year’s theme be The Great Gatsby: teachers appreciate it, stu-dents love it, the whole school demands it, and demands it for a reason.

Between spending my time in a dark, watery hole or a fantastic party in 1920s Long Island, I know which option I would choose—don’t you?

Columnist advocates ‘Gatsby’ prom theme

ACCESS classes offer students a break from regular classesThe quizzes and tests ask more detailed

questions. Also, it is difficult because the student

cannot ask the teacher questions during the test. The teacher is not available to explain the question to the student.

Though the material is tough, the student actually learns in the class.

For example, because of personal experiences in the challenging Psychology class, I can name many of the neurotransmitters, parts of the brain, how the senses work and so on.

ACCESS classes and UA Early

College classes have their advantages and disadvantages.

Online classes are not for everyone. Some students can teach themselves and work better alone. Others work better in a group setting with a teacher and students.

All-in-all, a student’s success in ACCESS classes or UA Early College classes depends on the student’s mindset and abilities.

In order to be successful in online classes, the student needs to be self-motivated and interested in the subject as well as diligent and hardworking.

Art by Mychi Tran

...to be successful in online classes, the student needs to be

self-motivated...

““

What do YOU think needs to

be left in 2014?

Police brutality

“I can’t breathe” bandwagon

Terrorism

War in Ukraine

School shootings

Information compiled by Bert McClelland

4 THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERFEBRUARY 6, 2015NEWS

Prom dresses sold in Midtown Village for price of a pizza

New AC units

Ashlyn Toxey crowned Miss Northridge

STRUT Pete Wlson escorts LaKesha Dailey (Upper Left). Lucy Barnett answers a question (Middle). Winner Ashlyn Toxey and sister Anna Clare Toxey celebrate the win with smiles (Upper Right). Danielle Beville, LaKesha Dailey, Skylar Griffin, Patra Stallworth and Ashlyn Toxey. (Bottom).

Photos by Camri Mason

REBECCA GRIESBACHMANAGING EDITOR

The Student Government Association (SGA) crowned one of their own members, Ashlyn Toxey, Miss Northridge at the Beauty Walk on Jan. 15.

SGA member Morgan DeWitt, senior, said that while the class started planning the beauty walk in “early December,” there were a handful of members who were also competing in the beauty walk that had to be kept under a close watch.

“There was some excitement [about keeping some things secret],” DeWitt said. “They couldn’t see the questions or the crown during the planning process.”

Toxey, a sophomore, said she and her sister Anna Claire, a senior, volunteered to take part in the event despite a lack of pageant experience.

“Well, we did do one pageant...,” Toxey said. “But that was when we were like three,” Anna Claire said.

Alumna Jessica Procter, who held the title for Miss Alabama’s Outstanding Teen in 2013, emceed the event.

“I have a feeling that everybody is going to win,” she said to the audience before SGA members drew the curtains.

Juniors Mike Lee and Pete Wilson, also members of SGA, sported their suits and ties to escort the contestants across the stage.

Toxey, who sparked collective “awwww!” from the audience, won her title after her response to the question, ‘who do you most admire and why?’”

“The person I most admire is my older sister Anna Claire,” Toxey said. “Her wisdom and encouragement are so inspiring to me, and I really hope to be like her.”

Karis Lamb-Wilson, a fashion and lifestyle blogger, was one of the three women judging the event. She said contestants who are “confident and comfortable” stand out to her.

“I look for overall consistency, as in dress, poise and how they carry themselves,” Lamb-Wilson said.

There were ten contestants. Seniors Danielle Beville and Patra Stallworth and sophomores Toxey, Lekesha Dailey and Skylar Griffin made the top five. Homecoming Queen Antoya Searcy crowned senior Kelsey Fendley Miss Congeniality.

“It felt great being surrounded by all these beautiful ladies,” Wilson said after the event.

SUJITHA PERAMSETTYASSISTANT COPY EDITOR

With prom approaching (April 18 from 8 p.m. to midnight at the school), the fran-tic search for the right dress begins. How-ever, the perfect dress can be expensive.

House of Prom, a collaboration of Clear Channel Media and Midtown Village, is an annual sale that offers relief to students.

Brenda Harris is the founder of the Tus-caloosa Prom Closet, a different organization that collects used prom dresses for the sale.

“I began the Tuscaloosa Prom Closet in the summer of 2012 when I moved here from the Dallas/Fort Worth area,” she said.

Harris said the Tuscaloosa Prom Clos-et carries “long and short dresses for prom and banquets.”

She said dresses have been priced as low as $10 in past sales.

“I believe this will be the same in 2015,

but [it] is not sure at this time,” she said.Junior Maggie Porter said the cost of the

dress matters most to her.“Some dresses can be like really expen-

sive,” she said.Harris said the date for the sale is not

confirmed yet.“Tentatively, the 2015 House of Prom

sale is set for Saturday, February 28 at Mid-town Village,” she said.

Harris said the dresses are “first come, first served.”

“Last year we had over 300 shoppers from all over West Alabama come in for a dress,” she said. “We do limit the num-ber of dresses each shopper can buy, so that everyone in line will have a chance to get a dress.”

Wings of Grace, a disaster relief organi-zation, is another place where girls can find inexpensive prom dresses.

Terri Hibbard, director, said the dresses

are free.“We contact both school systems and

let them know the dates and times we are open for students to come and try on our dresses,” she said.

Hibbard said the event will be held from the first of March through the month of April.

“We are open to the public Thursdays and Fridays from 10 to 4:30 pm,” she said. “We also accessorize with shoes and jew-elry.”

Junior Sarah Kathryn Hughston said she doesn’t “want to spend a whole lot on a dress [she’s] going to wear once.”

Hughston said she would buy a used dress “if it was cute, and it fit well.”

An anonymous senior said she might buy a used dress depending on the style.

“I’m not picky, but I have preferences. I’m not going to spend $300 on a dress,” she said.

A senior said designer labels are not im-

portant to her.“I mean sometimes it’s nice, but that’s

not a must for me,” she said.Harris said the Tuscaloosa Prom Closet

is accepting donations.“We happily take donations of formal or

semi-formal dresses – long or short prom, banquet, wedding, and bridesmaid dress-es,” she said. “We continue to solicit for dress donations from all sources and have worked with the sororities at the Univer-sity of Alabama in dress collection drives.”

Harris said all the profits from the sale are donated.

“All proceeds are donated to Turning Point, a local organization that helps vic-tims of domestic violence and sexual as-sault,” she said.

Wings of Grace also accepts donations.“We accept donations on Monday through

Wednesday from 1 to 4:30 and also Thursday through Friday 10 to 4:30,” Hibbard said.

CARTER LOVEPHOTOGRAPHER

The large AC unit in math teacher Lytrice Wahington’s classroom was removed and replaced by a small no show unit.

Arnold Taylor, head maintenance, said it was an experiment to see how the new unit worked.

Washington said the new unit has a sensor that will turn the unit on when someone is in the room, and it turns off after a while when everybody’s gone.

“[The room] is quieter, and it gave me enough space to add an extra row (of desks),” Washington said.

Washington said the only problem so far was a bad smell when it was first put in. She said after telling this to maintenance, they fixed it, and the smell disseminated.

Greyson Wyatt, a student who sits right next to one of the large units in a class, said he wouldn’t notice a difference in the amount of space in the room.

“The new unit doesn’t run enough air,” Wyatt said, “It’s pretty hot in there [the room].”

THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERFEBRUARY 6, 2015 5NEWS

208 McFarland Circle N.Tuscaloosa, AL 35406

Office:(205) 345-7000For Appointments:(205) 345-2000

DESTINY HODGESNEWS EDITOR

A senior, who is a child in an Islamic family, converted to Christianity at

nine. She said growing up in a family that

practiced Islamic faith was hard.“The culture is different. Since my family

was born in Egypt… the rules they learned there, they throw at [my siblings and I],” she said. “I was raised here in the U.S., and I like doing things my own way.”

In third grade, she attended Covenant Family Church with her classmate and best friend Harrison Russell, who now lives in Little Rock, Ar-kansas. As she went to the church, she started hearing about Jesus and gave her life over to Christ.

“I thought whoa [ Jesus] is a pretty awesome guy,” she said.

Russell’s father was the pastor at Covenant Family Church.

Russell said that one day he found out his friend “didn’t go to church” and just couldn’t believe it.

“Being a pastor’s kid, church was my en-tire life, and I had no idea that some people didn’t go to church,” Russell said.

Russell’s family would pick her up on Sundays. He said he thinks the over-whelming sense of love and welcoming spirit of everyone in the church helped her see the true, genuine love of Jesus.

“I believe as a child, she understood that Jesus was the way, and she felt the love of God and the ultimate sacrifice on the cross,” Russell said.

Russell said he was and still is “ecstatic” about her conversion, and he thinks more people should convert to Christianity.

“I have felt the love and mercy of Jesus and couldn’t imagine life any other way,” Russell said. “I pray that more people start understanding that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and begin to give their lives to him, like [she] did.”

Russell is still friends with her today. Russell is now a worship leader for his stu-dent ministry.

“When I think of my childhood, she is a big part of it!” Russell said.

The senior said for her it was tough to convert at a young age because she had to hide it from her family.

“I didn’t think about me. I thought about pleasing my family,” she said.

She said she read up on Islam and Chris-

tianity before making the switch.“I read a lot of different things [about the

Islamic faith and Christianity]. The things that made the most sense were in the Bible, so I converted to what I knew [and know] is right,” she said.

Her older brother has also converted to Christianity.

“When my parents found out, they to-tally went against it and shunned him,” she said.

Before her parents found out about her brother’s conversion, she was allowed to go to churches with her friends, and it

“didn’t mean anything” to her parents. Since they’ve found out about her broth-er, they’re against it.

“Knowing we share the same faith makes our re-lationship (she and her brother) so much stronger,” she said.

Her parents are unaware of her conversion.

She said she doesn’t lie about where she’s going, but she doesn’t mention church.

“A lot of times, I’m not able to go to church, but I’ll read the Bible in my room

or put in my earphones and listen to Chris-tian music,” she said.

She said Muslims, or people who prac-tice Islamic faith, don’t believe Jesus was crucified and that God had a son. She said they also don’t believe that God forgives sins.

“Nobody’s perfect. [As a Muslim], if you haven’t sinned, you’re a liar, and if you have, you are not accepted,” she said. “They be-lieve Jesus was just a prophet, but he was more than that.”

Miller Fitts, a Christian senior who is her friend, said Christians believe that Je-sus is the son of God, who died on the cross for humanity’s sins, which are washed away by His love and His blood. She said they believe that Jesus walked the earth and conquered the problems dealt with daily.

“Christianity is having a relationship with Jesus. Having a relationship with Him is your one - way ticket to heaven,” Fitts said.

The converted senior said Christianity changed her life for the better.

“I hung out with the wrong people, al-though I didn’t necessarily do the wrong thing,” she said. “[Converting] was like standing outside of the earth and looking down.”

The Northridge Reporter did not reveal the converted senior’s identity as a means of

respect and confidentiality.

Child of Islamic family converts to Christianity

CAMRI MASONPHOTOGRAPHER

The school system purposed a new bell schedule for the bonus class for all three high schools.

Many teachers and students did not know when the re-scheduling would take place.

Kiana Little, senior, said she didn’t have a really big reaction to the news of having a new schedule.

“[The school system] is always changing things constantly,” Little said.

She said she does not like the idea of changing bonus period.

“We should just keep bonus,” Little said.Kyle Ferguson, principal, said one of the

reasons that the time was reduced in bonus is there has been too much free time.

“Kids get the mindset that it’s just a bo-nus class and don’t care,” Ferguson said.

He said having bonus two days a week will cut the number of class exchanges and tardies.

“[It is hard] getting kids to stay focused

when there is no real accountability… [Bo-nus] lost its purpose,” he said.

“[There is] not enough prep time to do anything effectively,” Ferguson said.

Now, bonus will happen only on Tuesday and Thursday.

“It’s just a small step to alleviate stress on teachers and [give us] more flexibility,” Ferguson said.

Carter Hill, English teacher, said he likes the fact that bonus is only two days a week.

“Except, the time should be added to all classes, not just first and second period,” Hill said.

Hill said that Tuscaloosa Career and Technology Academy (TCTA) should not drive the schedules of all three high schools.

Kenneth Smothers, guidance counselor, said he hopes the new schedule will be a positive experience and “improve student achievement.”

Ragan Ferguson, junior, said people need to stop being so dramatic and complaining about it.

“Just accept it and move on,” she said.

Bonus ‘too much free time’ for students

Security doors installed THOMAS MULLINSSTAFF WRITER

The school began installing a new set of security doors near the front entrance of the school on Jan. 20. The doors are part of a series of measures recently taken to im-prove security in the school.

“After coming through the front doors, visitors will be funneled into the front of-fice,” Rick Fountain, electrician, said.

Fountain was given the assignment of installing wiring for the doors.

According to Fountain, teachers will have a badge that can be swiped in front of a scanner installed in the doors, giving them access without being signed in at the front desk.

Reactions from students have been mixed.

Ragan Ferguson, junior, said the addi-tion of the doors could not hurt.

“Dangerous things can happen,” she said.Abbey Burnham, junior, felt differently. “I think they make the school look like a

jail,” Burnham said.Kyle Ferguson, principal, said the plan

for the doors is simply to make the school “super safe.”

“I’ve been in schools before where tres-passers have come in and caused violence,” Ferguson said.

“A few weeks ago, four non-students got into the school without being authorized. They managed to get upstairs before being sent out. While they didn’t seem to have any violent intentions, this is the kind of thing we’re trying to avoid. There’s always a risk,” Ferguson said.

PUT’EM UP Rick Fountain, electrician, installs new security doors in the front entrance. Teachers have badges that give them access without having to check with the office.

Photo by Nate Hester

Illustration by Mychi Tran

6 THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERFEBRUARY 6, 2015FEATURE

IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIORS CAN LEAD TO DEADLY CONSEQUENCES FOR YOUNG DRIVERS.IN AN INSTANT

REBECCA GRIESBACHMANAGING EDITOR

With a half-empty bottle of Pinnacle beer and car keys in

hand, a sophomore left the party scene and made an intoxicated journey back home.

“We was havin’ a party for my sister, right? So, we was, like, we was getting thown, you know what I’m sayin’, at the party. I had messed around. I was drinkin’ a lot, and I, uh... I had to drive home. And, uh... I had really liked what I was drinkin’, so I asked her if I could take it with me. So, you know, I had got in the car, crunk it up and had drunk one more swallow, and then laid it down... you know what I’m sayin’? So at this point, I’m kinda gone. And I just… take off. I mean, like, I did pretty good drivin’. I mean, I was swervin’, but… I made it home,” he said.

As he surveyed students walk-ing past him in the hallway, the sophomore said, “You know, there’s a lot of crazy people here.”

“A lot...” he started to say, with a faint chuckle showing his gleam-ing white teeth, “Yeah... a lot [of students] would drink and drive.” His smile faded as he leaned back into the wall.

Drunk driving is a “dirty lit-tle secret” among students, math teacher Scott Johnson said.

“…and as long as it continues to be a dirty little secret, kids are going to continue to do it,” he said.

For Johnson, the issue hits home.

was “excessively fast.” “He lost control of the car and

smacked into a utility pole, and he hit the pole hard enough that it tore the car in half,” Johnson said.

Adam was a gap-year student, he said. A year after graduating high school, Adam had plans to start classes at the University of Tennessee.

“A lot of these kids were mov-ing in; I think he went from party to party that night, come to find out,” Johnson said. “As a matter of fact, he was gonna crash at a friend’s apartment, and the friend that he was gonna stay with ac-tually made him give her his car keys; she was very adamant about him not driving. But sometime during the night, he got up and got his car keys and got in his car.”

Although Adam grew up with his mother, Johnson’s first wife, for “most of his life,” Johnson said his relationship with his son was “as close as you can be without living with somebody.”

Johnson said his and Adam’s conversations amounted to the “usual things parents would tell their kids,” like “‘Don’t make stu-pid decisions,’ and, ‘Try to think about what you’re doing.’”

“I always thought he had pret-ty good judgment. That’s why it came as a surprise,” he said.

Adam’s social circle, Johnson said, ranged from the “pretty re-sponsible” to the “probably not as responsible.”

“Your friends have influences, but it’s gotta be you that makes the good decisions,” he said. “In the end, it’s going to be your deci-sion that’s going to have an effect on what happens to you.”

Nevertheless, Johnson said all of Adam’s friends were “greatly saddened by what happened.”

“And for a while, [the accident] might have even changed them a little bit,” he said. “I don’t know how long it lasted; maybe it did make them think a little bit be-fore they acted.”

For “several years” since Adam’s death, Johnson said he tries to use the accident as a “teachable mo-ment to the kids.”

“I tell them, ‘here’s a kid that was raised by a good family and had a lot of good support both from friends and family, and I thought had good judgment,’” Johnson said. “But it only takes one bad decision.”

“If I can get a kid to at least think about what could happen if they made that bad decision - to just stop for five seconds and just think about what they’re do-ing - and keep them from making a bad decision like that, that’s all I’m trying to do,” he said.

“Pressure to conform” and less emphasis on the “nuclear family,” however, render “kids more sus-ceptible to [irresponsible behav-iors] than they used to be,” John-son said.

“A lot of these things they watch and listen to seem to con-done bad behavior and bad deci-sion-making,” he said. “And then you couple that with the erosion of the family, which we’re also seeing in society now. A lot of kids are being brought up in sin-gle-parent homes or no-parent homes.”

Building awareness to the issue, Johnson said, can only happen if we learn to recognize and address students’ short attention spans and “continually reinforce” efforts

Adam&MargieTwo students’ lives cut short by EMPTY BOTTLES, REVV of ENGINES

LIFE INTERRUPTED Math teacher Scott Johnson’’s 19 year-old son Adam was killed in a drinking and driving accident in the early morning hours of Aug. 23, 2006. Johnson said the speed limit was likely 45 mph, and Adam was going “90+.” Adam struck a utility pole while rounding a curve, which “literally tore his car in half,” Johnson said.

to make an impact.“You know, if you

park a car out front [of the school] that has been involved with an accident, [students] might remember it for as long as it stays out there,” Johnson said. “It’s not enough to say, ‘Okay, don’t drink and drive.’ That’s obviously not doing anything. It needs to be more, ‘if you drink and drive, this is what might hap-pen:’ this could be YOU, or

ON AUG. 23, 2006, at five a.m. on a school day, John-

son said he got a “phone call you never really want to get.”

It was a call about Adam, his son.

“It was a single car accident,” he said. “...all I knew at the time of the phone call was what time it had happened, what he hit, and that he had not survived.”

Upon arriving at the scene of the accident in Knoxville, John-son started to dig deeper. He said the speed at which Adam had turned a curve on Kingston Pike (a “pretty wide four-lane road”)

it could be your BEST

FRIEND or your GIRLFRIEND, or it

could be your MOTH-

ER.”

DO THE MATH The relationship between SPEED and force of IMPACT in a 45 mph zone, 3500 lb carInformation compiled by

Dr. Ria EvansInfographic designed by

Kathryn Versace and Rebecca Griesbach

photos by Scott Johnson

THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERFEBRUARY 6, 2015 7FEATURE

IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIORS CAN LEAD TO DEADLY CONSEQUENCES FOR YOUNG DRIVERS.

JACOB MARTINCOPY EDITOR

A junior’s narrow escape from death left him with greater insight into the dangers of texting while driving.

“One day I was textin’, it was raining, I have one hand on the wheel and one hand on my phone. And suddenly, I look up, and I am dangerously close to driving off the road, so I drop my phone, put both hands on the wheel, and swerve back on the road,” a male junior said. “I was goin’ sixty five.”

Another junior hasn’t experienced such a close call. He ex-pressed less care towards the issue.

“I drive with my legs, so I can focus all my attention on my phone,” a second male junior said. “[I text] every time I drive.”

Guidance counselor Kenneth Smothers said that texting and driving is “extremely dangerous” and “absolutely” a temp-tation for teenagers.

“Kids feel that they need to answer each text,” Smothers said.

He recommends that students consider the possible con-sequences of their actions if they feel they need to text while driving.

“I would just ask, ‘Is it worth losing your life or getting seri-ously hurt? Is it worth all of that?’” Smothers said.

Due to the obvious dangers of texting while driving, it is illegal in Alabama. According to the Code of Alabama sec-tion 32-5A-350, “A person may not operate a motor vehicle on a public road, street or highway in Alabama while using a wireless telecommunication device to write, send or read a text-based communication.”

Andrew Smith, prosecutor for the city of Tuscaloosa and Northport, said he has handled “a handful” of cases in which drivers have been caught texting and driving.

“This is a relatively new statute. At this point there have been approximately ten cases on both sides [that I have pros-ecuted or defended],” Smith said.

Some students may be unaware of minute details of the law.“[I text] only at red lights,” a third male junior said.Smith said most cases involved drivers stopped at red lights. “The most common thing in the world is when people are

stopped at red lights. [Texting] is something that has to be done in the presence of an officer,” he said.

Smith said there are three exceptions to the law.“One, emergency situations; two, when the car is parked;

and three, if you are using such a device as a GPS,” he said.Smith said there is a $25 fine for the first offense, a $50 for

the second and a $75 for the third.He said that even using a GPS in some cases could be con-

sidered an offence. The GPS must be pre-programmed, and the driver must not be operating the GPS unless the car is parked.

Despite the dangers and illegality of texting while driving, students continue to do so.

“Sometimes I hold the phone up next to the steering wheel, so I can see the road while I text,” a fourth male junior said.

“I only [text] when I’m going straight, and I use Siri to send the text messages,” a fifth male junior said.

“It’s not as hard as they make it out to be,” a female junior said. “I think it’s harder for older people to do since they’re not as good at texting.”

Dangerous habit brushed off by juniors

Glued to the screen:

“I drive with my legs, so I can focus all my at-tention on my phone.”

-Junior

Alex Brown, a Wellman, Texas, teen-ager, totaled her truck and lost her life in a texting related accident. Through their non profit organization, found-ers of “Remember Alex Brown” raise awareness of the dangers of texting while driving.

To help teenagers put the po-tential consequences of drunk driving into perspective, Cum-mings said she would ask them to “imagine their favorite person in the world” and place them in the shoes of Margie and her mother.

“You don’t want to be that [driver]. That’s not something you can get rid of,” she said. “Yeah, you can go to jail; you can serve your debt to society, but that nev-er leaves your conscience. You’re stuck with it for the rest of your life, and that’s a pretty heavy debt to carry.”

Though underage drinking is illegal, Cummings said she ac-knowledges the fact that high school students will “do it any-ways.” The “real danger” with this, she said, is when teenagers try to “cover it up.”

“They’re hiding it from their parents, and they’re hiding it from their teachers because they know they’ll get in trouble,” Cummings said. “...they want to get home on time before they get in trouble, so they drive because that’s ‘the best way to do it.’”

The best way to do it, Cum-mings said, “is not rocket science.” “Call a CAB. Call a FRIEND. Margie

Two students’ lives cut short by EMPTY BOTTLES, REVV of ENGINES

LIFE INTERRUPTED Math teacher Scott Johnson’’s 19 year-old son Adam was killed in a drinking and driving accident in the early morning hours of Aug. 23, 2006. Johnson said the speed limit was likely 45 mph, and Adam was going “90+.” Adam struck a utility pole while rounding a curve, which “literally tore his car in half,” Johnson said.

INSEPARABLE BONDSorority sisters, roommates and best friends Meredith Cum-mings and Margaret Johnson attend Gamma Pi Beta func-tions together, joined at the hip.

The consequences of an act as irresponsible as driving un-der the influence can devastate those left behind.

Pick up the phone and PRESS SOME NUM-

BERS,” she said.“I really believe any par-

had a McDonald’s cup or any-thing, and you move the straw up and down, and it goes, ‘Err Err Err Err!’ That’s how she laughed.”

Cummings said she thinks about Margie every day.

“I woke up this morning think-ing about her,” she said. “I woke up and I was like, ‘God, I would love to see the woman that she would have become.’ I would have loved to have seen the mom – You know, she was always gonna have lots of kids; she would have been a killer mom. And it just breaks my heart... I was robbed of that op-portunity to see… to hear… what magnificent things she would have done.”

On Dec. 23, 1993, just after the first semester of her junior year, Johnson and her mother were driving from a relative’s house on a two-lane road when a man came over a hill and hit them head-on.

“He just blew the blood-alco-hol level off the charts,” Cum-mings said.

The car behind them saw the whole thing. Margie’s dad, broth-er and sister were in that car.

“I wish I could come up with a 100% foolproof plan or pro-gram, so that I could make sure this never happened to anybody else,” Cummings said. “...but we’re all humans, and we’re not invincible.”

Cummings returned to Lees-burg, a place that she said was filled with great memories of her and Margie, to attend the funeral.

In the parking lot, there was a truck. And on that truck, Cum-mings said, written “really large,” in “that kind of paint like you do at homecoming,” were the words, “My friend was killed by a dumb, drunk jerk.”

“And that’s exactly how we all felt,” she said.

The driver died just before New Year’s, Cummings said.

“If I could be at the bar with him, I would ask him what the problem is in his life that [caused him to] care so little about him-self. That he would get in a car and drive drunk... Because, he did that. And, um... you know,” she started to say before letting out a sigh. “I am anti-death pen-alty, and I don’t believe in killing anybody, ever, but I gotta say, I wasn’t too sad when he passed away.”

MA R G A R E T J O H N S O N was her best friend.

“I wish I didn’t have to tell this story. I wish Margaret was here today, but she’s not. And it doesn’t get any better, it does last; it never goes away,” Mer-edith Cummings, journalism professor at the University of Alabama, said.

Cummings met Johnson, a native of Leesburg, Florida, in Tutwiler Hall their freshmen year. She said their friendship blossomed when they became sorority sisters.

“I called her Margie,” Cum-mings said. “And I remember so many wonderful qualities about her... Margie was so sweet; she was just a really kind and gentle person, would not hurt a fly, very devoted to her studies... She wanted to be a nurse – and that’s very much like her; she was a caretaker.”

From “one a.m. TCBY runs” to sorority formals, to extend-ed summer visits in “sunny and warm” Leesburg, Cummings said she and Margie “just had so much fun together.”

“I loved her laugh,” Cum-mings said. “When she laughed, the only way to de-scribe it is like, if you’ve ever

ent would rather get a phone call from their child who is com-pletely falling down drunk saying, ‘Come get me Mom or Dad,’ than get a phone call from the morgue. Any of us would.”

If he had known about Adam or Margie; if he had experienced someone close

to him pass away due to the con-scious decisions of someone else, the sophomore said he would have thought twice about driving home from his sister’s house.

“If you drunk, you cannot drive,” he said. “I wouldn’t ever do it again because, you know, I’m not that type of person to drink and drive. I know right from wrong. I admit, I shouldn’t have ever did it that night. ‘Cause, you know what I’m sayin’, usually I have a ride.”

By using the formula

Physics teacher Dr. Ria Evans was able to determine that the work required to stop a car is equal to the change in kinetic energy of the car.

,

“ENERGY TRANSFERRED FROM A MOV-ING VEHICLE TO A PERSON IS WHAT BREAKS BONES AND CAUSES OTHER DAMAGE TO A BODY,” she said.

Information compiled by Dr. Ria Evans

Infographic designed by Kathryn Versace

and Rebecca Griesbach

photo from the Remember Alex Brown foundation

photos by Meredith Cummings

photos by Scott Johnson

8 THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERFEBRUARY 6, 2015ENTERTAINMENT

What words do YOU wantto leave behind in 2014?

Graphic by Kathryn Versace

Which pop culture trends do YOU wantto leave behind in 2014? MOVIE REVIEW

Selma shows other face of Civil Rights movementJORDAN HUTCHINSONSPORTS EDITOR

The movie Selma, released on Christmas Day, tells a lesser known

story of the great Martin Luther King Jr.In our history textbooks, he is defined

as a civil rights leader, which he was, and a great pastor, which he also was.

Selma did a brilliant job of showing the already known side of King, while also showing his more sensitive side.

The character of King was played expertly by an almost identical twin of his, David Oyelowo. Oyelowo really captured the emotion and passion King had when he was leading the civil rights movement, while also perfectly conveying the fact that King lost hope sometimes too, and it was the people around him that had to tell him to keep his head up.

The rest of the cast was mostly great.

Oprah Winfrey did not play as big of a role in the movie as I thought she would; she did not have as many lines as I thought she should have had, and usually the only time you saw her was quick cut shots that only lasted for a few seconds. Winfrey played Annie Lee Cooper, a woman famous for being a civil rights activist and also punching a racist sheriff in the face.

I thought Tim Roth did a fantastic job of playing the extremely racist former Alabama Governor George Wallace. The way he spoke made me want to squirm in my seat. Roth did a great job of portraying

the evil yet calm nature of Wallace. It must have been hard to be the bad guy, but Roth really pulled it off perfectly.

Tom Wilkinson plays the grumpy President Lyndon B. Johnson, who comes off as a bit of a racist for most of the movie. However, Johnson does come through in the end and becomes a somewhat likable character.

The cinematography could have been better. At times I could feel the tension and really be immersed in the movie. Other

times a scene just went for too long or a silence became a little awkward. However, at certain points, mixed in with the movie footage, there was old footage of what really happened. It shows that Director Ava DuVernay studied this time period and really put in an effort to be accurate.

While music was rare, it added a nice touch. Most moments, usually the more tough scenes to watch, DuVernay let you hear everything instead of trying to mask over it with music or voiceovers. This technique really let the feeling sink in that there was no censorship of this time period, and that is what really happened. This can make the movie a tough watch as there is a lot

of violence involved, but that is the truth of what happened during those times.

Overall, I found the movie to be a fantastic watch for any race. It is a view into American history that everyone should know. It is not a tear jerker type of movie, but some scenes may make one tear up. It is very well done, and I will probably watch it many more times.

The way he spoke made me want to

squirm in my seat.

“

“

Photo from Entertainment WeeklyCHAINED Martin Luther King Jr., played by David Oyelowo, and his most trusted com-panions stand linked, arm in arm, as they march across the Edmund Pettuce Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

yeet [yeet] n “dance that goes along with the song Yeet, in the same family of the whip and tweaking” - Georgiann McCullough, FRESHMAN

bae-rrito [bey-ree-toh] n “when you wrap your significant other in a blanket (with meat and cheese)” - Shelby Castellanos, JUNIOR

fleek [fleek] adj “ghetto version of perfect” - Dajah Benson, JUNIOR

schmoney [sh-muhn-ee] n dance move when one must “‘drop’ (point to the ground) and tweak” - associated with the song “Hot Boy” - AJ Mayfield, FRESHMAN

turn up [turn uhp] v “having a good time” - Joshua Swann, JUNIOR

NATE HESTERSTAFF WRITER

The Walking Dead: The season 5B premiere will take place Sunday Feb. 8. After the tragic ending of season 5A, how will the group adjust to living without Beth? Where will they go after completing the rescue mission at the hospital? Tune in to AMC on Sunday to find out.

Better Call Saul: The premiere of “Better Call Saul” will be a two night event with episode one, “Uno” premiering immediately following the season 5B premiere of “The Walking Dead” on Sunday. Episode two, “Mijo” will be shown Monday night. This prequel of

the ever popular “Breaking Bad” chronicles the journey of the smooth talking, criminal attorney Saul Goodman and his life before he met Walter White. Previously viewing “Breaking Bad” will not be necessary to enjoy this show.

The Slap: Premiering Thursday, Feb. 12, on NBC, ‘The Slap” is sure to be an entertaining TV miniseries. Based on the book by Christos Tsiolkas “The Slap” is about a family that begins to fall apart when a man slaps another couples misbehaving child. The highly anticipated drama features talented actors such as Peter Sarsgaard and Melissa George and should be another popular show for NBC.

February TV Premieres:What to Look Forward to this Month

Graphic by Kathryn Versace

THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERFEBRUARY 6, 2015 ENTERTAINMENT

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9MOVIE REVIEWStory of bravery inspires reviewerCAMRI MASONPHOTOGRAPHER

Unbroken, a biographical movie about a World War II soldier and Olympian named Louis Zamperini, tells of a boy who was considered a troublemaker by the law. Since the city respected his family, he was never arrested.

Louis tried out for the school track team. His brother trained him to become stronger and faster, and he became the top runner. Years later, Louis went to the Olympics, running for the United States. It looked like he would come in last place. The crowd motivated Louis, and he came in eighth.

Louis fought in the war against Japan. Louis and other soldiers tried out a new plane; it crashed into the sea, miles from land. Louis and two other soldiers named Phil and Mac survived 47 days out in the ocean. The men suffered many hardships and trials. Later, Mac died.

Phil and Louis were eventually captured by the Japanese. The two men were questioned, abused and separated. When it was found out that he was an Olympic runner, the Japanese saw the opportunity to

use him to speak on the radio about Japan and use him to tell American secrets. Louis refused, despite the abuse he faced, because he respected his country.

Later on in the movie, the prisoners were sent to another camp with bad living conditions, and they worked with coal for long hours. The men were notified that President Roosevelt passed away. Along with the men, I was also devastated by the news.

One day, the commander tried to humiliate Louis but failed. This caused him to charge at Louis and beat him. Later the commander broke down in front of everyone, as he failed to break the young soldier.

Jack O’Connell played the role of Louis perfectly. He grasped the emotions and characteristics so powerfully, I felt like I was there with him.

I recommend you watch the movie to see how it all turns out. The details in the movie were graphic and sometimes uncomfortable. The movie taught me a valuable lesson of never giving up on hope. This movie was worth seeing. Unbroken allows people to see what it was like to be a World War II hero.

BOOK REVIEWThe Hobbit takes Tran on a whimsical journey

THROUGH THE RINGER Bilbo Baggins embarks on a journey through Middle-earth to the Lonely Mountain. On their way to retrieve the dwarves’ stolen treasure stored in the moun-tain, Baggins and company face trolls, orcs and giant spiders.

Photo from MCT Campus

MYCHI TRANNEWS EDITOR

Readers interested in the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) saga should read The

Hobbit by R.L. Tolkien first. It explains the origin behind the One Ring featured in the LOTR saga. The Hobbit is more humorous and easy to follow than the books in the LOTR saga.

The hero, a gentle-natured hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, professes his distaste for adventures. Despite this aversion to adventure, Bilbo secretly harbors a love for maps and stories of princesses and dragons. So, when adventure came calling, he cannot resist.

The Hobbit follows an archetypal hero’s journey. Bilbo goes to the Lonely Mountain with 13 other dwarves and Gandalf the wizard to help reclaim their kingdom. On the way to the Lonely Mountain, they make their way through woods, rivers and mountains. The Company battles monsters

and humans alike to reach their goal.Bilbo finds a ring (the One Ring) that

makes him invisible. This is helpful in his job was a ‘burglar.’ Although the ring helps Bilbo, it will be considered a source of evil in the LOTR saga.

The book is an exciting tale of pride, greed, bravery and friendship. It is about overcoming fears and having the will to fight for what you want.

Tolkien created a book with memorable characters. He proved himself to be a masterful storyteller, weaving together events and images and making readers believe they live in that world.

There is a lot of action in the book; however, the action can become quite predictable.

This book is so great it has been created into three separate films. However, nothing compares to reading the actual book.

The book is recommended for readers who love tales of adventures in strange lands, magic and fighting.

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FINISH LINE Un-broken portrays the life of Louis Zamperini, played by Jack O’Con-nell. He placed in the Olympics running the 5000m race. Later, he enlists in the war against Japan and is captured. After being sent to a camp, he was forced to work in harsh conditions.

10 THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERFEBRUARY 6, 2015SPORTS

SUJITHA PERAMSETTYASSISTANT COPY EDITOR

Blonde ponytail swishing in the wind and bright blue eyes set on

the moving soccer ball, sophomore Anna Maxson pushes players out of the way to defend the ball as she runs across the field.

“I started playing soccer when I was four years old,” she said. “I was super nervous when I first tried out. I was so nervous I couldn’t eat. This year I felt really prepared, and I wasn’t nervous.”

Maxson said her dad taught her how to kick the ball hard.

“[He told] me that the ball was [my brother’s] face. I kick the ball really hard now,” she said.

David Maxson, her father, said she has come a long way.

“That first season she would barely move. She would play defense normally and would pretty much just stand in front of the goal when she started out. If the ball came right at her she would kick it,” he said. “By the end of the season she would go to the ball and kick it away from the goal when it came near her.”

He said she quickly gained confidence in her abilities.

“She was fearless out there on the field. She played on coed teams where she would compete against some pretty athletic and

skilled boys. It didn’t matter to her, she was going to try to steal the ball from them and score,” he said. “I can still remember an opposing coach telling his players ‘She’s not afraid! She’s not afraid!’ as he tried to encourage them to challenge her when she had the ball.”

Maxson said she started playing soccer because she liked “knocking people over and playing against boys and beating them.”

Sophomore and twin brother Joshua Maxson said his sister has always been aggressive.

“She beat me up when I was three,” he said.

Soccer coach Carter Hill said Maxson is an extremely good player.

“She works very hard. She can have more confidence because sometimes she doubts herself,” he said. “She’s aggressive, but she has a sweet personality, so she’s not as aggressive as she could be.”

Hill said sometimes Maxson brings her nice personality to the field.

“You play against your friends [in practice],” he said. “You can’t be like ‘Hey, I knocked you down. I’m sorry,’ but she does that.”

Maxson’s father said he is proud of his daughter’s caring nature.

“We eventually taught her to just keep going if the ref didn’t blow the whistle, but I love the fact that she cared more about people than playing a game,” he said. “I believe this love for others comes from a strong faith in God. I hope her mother and I provided a good foundation to her life by teaching her to love God and to love her neighbor.”

Maxson, who grew up in Norcross, GA, moved to Tuscaloosa the summer before 9th grade.

“My dad wanted to preach here,” she said.

Maxson has two siblings: twin brother Joshua and younger sister Katie.

“I’m close to both of them,” she said.

She said her dad is her role model “because he is perfection.”

Sophomore soccer player Abby Hatfield said she thinks Maxson is a wonderful player who reminds her of her sister.

“[Maxson] has top notch defense,” she said. “[My sister and Maxson] are both defenders, so when you see them on the

field, it is really hard to tell them apart.”Maxson’s brother said she is really

passionate about soccer.“It’s all she talks about,” he said.Maxson said even though she likes

soccer, it “causes stress because it is a lot of work.”

She said her goal is to go to the state championships.

“[I loved] when we won state in Georgia. We were the best of the best,” she said.

Maxson’s father said his favorite memory of his daughter is when she showed character on the field.

“We were getting killed. We couldn’t score and couldn’t stop the other team from scoring. I could tell my kids were getting discouraged, and it was during a timeout on the field that I called Anna and Josh over to me,” he said.

Maxson’s father said he told them to keep playing hard until the game was over.

“Even though the rest of the team gave up, Anna and Josh continued to play and to play hard. It still makes me teary eyed to think about that game. It was their worst defeat, and yet I as a father felt like we won the game once it was over,” he said. “Some of the parents came over and complimented me on how my kids kept playing. My children had shown character, and of all of my soccer memories, that was my proudest moment of Anna.”

Soccer player becomes aggressive despite kindness

Photo by Mayci HartleyTAPOUT Daryl Pham, senior, grapples with his opponent in the County High wresting match that took place during seventh period on Jan. 22; however, he lost the match. Shane Ashcraft, wrestling coach, said the students being there helped the wrestlers’ performance.“Even though County High is a very good 7A team, having 800 students cheering for them helped their confidence,” Ashcraft said. Ben Wright, senior, won his match. Jack Gentry, sophomore, had the only pin of the match for Northridge. Will Tucker, junior, said the atmosphere was electric. “It was really awesome when Jack got that pin,” Tucker said.

WRESTLING TEAM IN ACTION

KICK IT

Photo by Mayci Hartley

ANNA MAXSON

Maxson set goal to go to State Championship

THE NORTHRIDGE REPORTERFEBRUARY 6, 2015 11SPORTS

“Renewable waste to energy”

LESTER SOLOMON, Agent4 Oakhill Court McFarland Boulevard EastTuscaloosa, AL 35405-1908Bus (205) 556-5363 Toll-free (888) 556-5363Fax (205) 556-5315 Cell (205) 394-2962lester@lestersolomon.com

Photos by Destiny Hodges

JORDAN HUTCHINSONSPORTS EDITOR

As the ball hits the net with a satisfying swish, students and parents cheer as if someone who had been gone a long time finally came back. That was exactly what happened.

After the first game of the season, junior center Ross Hardin contracted mono. This kept him out of game for an entire month before he could get back into the action.

“It was definitely difficult because I couldn’t participate in any physical activity for at least three weeks,” Hardin said.

During the time Hardin was out the team went 7-5.

“It killed me every day not to be able to get on the court and play,” Hardin said.

Hardin fought back against mono, a disease that makes a person tired and lose weight, but Hardin lost 11 pounds.

“It was the worst. I hated it, and I just wanted to get better. I had to rest until I could really play again,” Hardin said.

Coach Bob Brantley had to adjust to the absence of his starting center.

“We just had to learn to play without him,” Brantley said.

The players felt the impact of Hardin’s absence also.

“We lost a lot of leadership and were missing about fifteen points a game,” senior small forward Graham Limbaugh said.

Hardin did not just effect the team statistically but also emotionally.

“The atmosphere at practice was dead. He brings a lot of energy with him everywhere he goes,” Limbaugh said.

Although Hardin was cleared to play, he had to get fit again after being in bed for a month.

“We had to get him back in game shape before he got more game minutes,” Brantley said.

When Hardin came back, he returned to a cheering crowd.

“We were all happy to see Ross play again,” junior fan Pete Wilson said.

Center comes back from illness

Photo by Camri Mason

HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES Ross Hardin, junior, makes a shot at the free thrown line in the game against McAdory. Hardin said the senior night game against Homewood on Monday, Feb. 2 was awesome. “I had nine points and over ten rebounds,” he said. “All the seniors played well, and we beat a very good Homewood team to get out the 20th win of the season,” Hardin said.

MYCHI TRANNEWS EDITOR

Indoor track began on Dec. 6. at the Magic City Invitational. The boys team placed 3rd and the girls placed 13th.

Track coach Kristy Cooper said that indoor track is composed of all the schools in the entire state.

“With that said, 13th place isn’t much of an indicator of how well our school performed overall,” she said, “but, starting off in 13th place gives us a

chance to only get better.”Jade Johnson, freshman, said the score

was good for the first meet of the season.“It was pretty bad for us though,” she

said. “Some of us just weren’t ready for the events we were made to do.”

At the Holiday Invitational on Dec. 13 the boys placed 7th and the girls placed 14th.

The boys team was in first place and the girls team in second at the Ice Breaker Invitational. This is the best score so far this season.

On Jan. 19, the boys placed 4th and the girls placed 3rd at the MLK invitational.

Caleb Wright, senior, said they went against some pretty good teams at the meet.

“Now we know who we need to beat and how we need to improve based on the competition,” he said.

Overall, both teams are ranked in the top five in the state.

Jeff Sparks, track coach, said, “Guys are ranked third and girls are ranked fourth.”

Omar Johnson, sophomore, said they could have done better.

“First and second place get a trophy, third doesn’t,” he said.

The AHSAA State Championship will be on Feb. 6. and 7.

Cooper said she believes the season has been going really well.

“I’m really looking forward to the indoor state track meet on Feb. 6-7,” she said, “I hope everyone performing at the state meet performs at their potential.”

TRACK IS LIFE Sharmeria Simmons, freshman, strides on the leg of the 4x200. Chris Thomas, senior, completes his second phase of triple jump, winning first place. Zaahria Debuise, senior, clears a height of 5’2” . Debuise said she thinks the track meet went well. “We improved,” Debuise said.

Indoor track team has strong opening meets

The varsity boys basketball team won 55-38 against Homewood on Monday, Feb. 2. at Senior Night improving their record to (21-10). Senior small forward

Marquis Gray was the top scorer with 13 points.The JV boys won 52-49 and improved their record to 26-1.The varsity girls lost 71-40. K.C. Davis, junior, led the team with 17 points. Senior

Shameka Tubbs scored 8 points.

BASKETBALL SENIOR NIGHT

See basketball photos on www.northridgereporter.wordpress.com and on Facebook.

Information compiled by Sujitha Peramsetty

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m

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first

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first

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on

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she

said

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don’t

re

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rem

embe

r m

uch

abou

t it.”

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first

time

Wei

ner

does

re

mem

ber,

thou

gh, w

as at

age

five. “Th

ere

were

ba

lloon

s ev

eryw

here

, and

it

was

reall

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citin

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hen

it wa

s tim

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r us t

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t up

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alloo

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got

to h

elp a

lot

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eld t

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outh

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o th

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ould

get

into

th

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lloon

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d wh

en t

he f

an

was

blow

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in i

t, m

y gr

andm

a all

owed

m

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in

side

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ballo

on

and

run

arou

nd,”

she

reca

lls, s

mili

ng t

o he

rself

at

the

mem

ory.

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ot to

put

fire

into

it,

and

then

we w

ent u

p.”

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ner

said

that

her

sum

mer

s

have

bee

n fil

led w

ith s

cene

s of

co

lorfu

l ball

oons

in t

he s

ky a

nd

the f

eel o

f fre

sh ai

r on

her f

ace.

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view

is

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tiful

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e sa

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uttin

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stray

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t’s

som

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truly

am

azin

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r the

yea

rs, s

he h

as le

arne

d to

pre

pare

the b

alloo

ns fo

r tak

eoff

and

has l

earn

ed to

fly

a ball

oon.

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hard

par

t is i

nflat

ing

and

defla

ting

[the b

alloo

n],”

she s

aid.

Wei

ner s

aid

that

she

is pa

rt of

a

team

call

the

Seas

ons c

rew.

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team

flie

s ho

t ai

r ba

lloon

s wi

th

the s

hape

of t

he fo

ur se

ason

s.“W

e ha

ve a

sun

call

ed S

unny

Bo

y, a

daisy

call

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iss D

aisy

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snow

man

call

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and

a pu

mpk

in

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iss

Aut

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e sa

id. “

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e’s a

lso

a pu

rple

ballo

on

that

sta

rted

it all

ca

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Cha

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Wei

ner

said

sh

e en

joys

ev

ery

aspe

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of

ballo

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g. “L

ots

of p

eopl

e fro

m a

roun

d th

e wo

rld co

me t

o th

e U.

S. to

fly

and

go

to

festi

vals,

” sh

e sa

id. “

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very

inte

resti

ng to

liste

n to

ball

ooni

st fro

m o

ther

coun

tries

wi

th t

heir

acce

nts

talk

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abou

t ba

lloon

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in t

he U

.S. Th

ey t

alk

abou

t ho

w th

ey l

ove

ballo

onin

g an

d ho

w it’

s diff

eren

t in

the U

.S.”

Wei

ner s

aid

she e

njoy

s the

par

t wh

ere

all t

he b

alloo

nists

gat

her

arou

nd fo

r a b

alloo

nist

’s pr

ayer

.“A

pilo

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ll sta

rt off

tell

ing

a sto

ry a

bout

how

ball

ooni

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cam

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be.

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ill v

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with

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lloon

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go i

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pray

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goes

som

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long

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lin

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win

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u wi

th s

oftn

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sun

bles

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u wi

th h

is wa

rm h

ands

. May

yo

u fly

so

high

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so

well

that

G

od j

oins

you

in

laugh

ter

and

sets

you

back

into

the l

ovin

g ar

ms

of M

othe

r E

arth

’,” s

he r

ecite

d fro

m m

emor

y.Le

xi W

eine

r’s m

othe

r, Sh

erry

W

eine

r, sa

id r

ight

now

Lex

i is

ballo

onin

g fo

r fu

n, b

ut s

he i

s be

com

ing

mor

e ded

icate

d.“Th

ere i

sn’t a

nybo

dy to

help

her

[w

ith th

e ba

lloon

ing]

in o

ur a

rea,

but s

he is

wor

king

on

it,” s

he sa

id.

The e

lder

Wei

ner s

aid

that

they

do

n’t g

o ba

lloon

ing

as o

ften

as

they

use

d to

.“I

t’s u

nlik

e wh

en w

e liv

ed i

n Fl

orid

a. W

e we

nt

ballo

onin

g all

of

the

time

back

the

n. Th

ese

days

we

are

luck

y to

be

able

to

go a

few

times

a y

ear.

That

’s du

e to

wor

k an

d sc

hool

con

flict

ing

with

alm

ost a

ll of

the

ballo

onin

g ev

ents

and

ralli

es th

at a

re c

lose

st to

us,”

she s

aid.

The

youn

ger

Wei

ner

said

she

FLY

ING

HIG

HFr

eshm

an h

as p

assio

n fo

r hot

air

ballo

ons

love

s to

go b

alloo

ning

any c

hanc

e sh

e get

s.“U

nfor

tuna

tely,

be

ing

in

Alab

ama

does

n’t g

ive

me

a lo

t of

chan

ce to

act

ually

fly,

so w

e ha

ve

to g

o ou

t of s

tate

to fl

y an

d go

to

ballo

onin

g ev

ents,

” she

said

.W

eine

r sai

d th

at o

nce s

he tu

rns

sixte

en, s

he c

an w

ork

on g

ettin

g a

licen

se fo

r ball

ooni

ng. Th

is wi

ll all

ow h

er to

pilo

t a h

ot ai

r ball

oon

by h

erse

lf.

In o

rder

to g

et it

, she

will

nee

d te

n ho

urs

of fl

ight

, six

flig

hts

with

an

instr

ucto

r, tw

o fli

ghts

of

one

hour

eac

h six

ty d

ays

prio

r to

taki

ng th

e te

st, o

ne c

ontro

lled

asce

nt t

o 20

00 f

eet

abov

e th

e ta

keoff

poi

nt an

d on

e sol

o fli

ght.

“It’s

go

ing

to

be

diffi

cult

beca

use

ther

e’s n

ot m

any

pilo

ts in

the a

rea t

hat I

can

get c

ertifi

ed

with

,” sh

e sai

d.W

eine

r sa

id s

he i

s wi

lling

to

work

for i

t.“I

wa

nt

to

be

like

my

gran

dmot

her,”

she

sai

d. “

It’s

a gr

eat

rush

flyi

ng i

n a

hot

air

ballo

on. I

wan

t to

do

it fo

r th

e re

st of

my

life.”

Phot

o by C

arol

Wein

er

The v

iew is

be

autif

ul. I

t’s

som

ethin

g tru

ly am

azin

g.LE

XI W

EIN

ER

, F

RE

SH

MA

N“ “

RIS

ING

UP

Hot

air

ballo

ons l

ift o

ff at

the

2014

Alb

erqu

erqu

e In

tern

a-tio

nal B

allo

on F

iesta

in A

lber

quer

que,

New

Mex

ico.