Amanda Pryor

Staff Writer

Susie Díaz, an advocate for Lifenet Health and Donate Life Virginia, visited Gloucester High School’s Anatomy and Physiology students, this November, to inform them about organ donation and all of the possibilities a single donation can bring to its’ recipients. Three months after your fifteenth birthday you are able to obtain a learner’s permit through the De-partment of Motor Vehicles (DMV). During this process you are asked, with parental consent, if you would like to become an organ donor. Some teenagers are not donors ei-ther because their parents do not give them permission to become a donor or because they are not in-formed about organ donation. Díaz came prepared to educate the students about organ donation. She shared her story about how she came into the world of organ donation. About ten years ago Díaz lost her 19-year old daughter, Ma-ria Díaz, in a car accident. At the scene of the accident she was pro-nounced brain dead and her Father remembered that Maria had always wanted to be an organ donor. Be-ing brain dead meant that only cer-tain organs were still usable. Their decision of making Maria an organ

donor gave sight to a young boy and a man. Her daughter strongly believed that, “If you have something you do not use anymore, then you should give it to somebody else.” Anybody can be an organ do-nor. Donation does not discriminate against race, age, or health. Professionals will determine what is donat-able and what is not. To match organs, doctors look for people with the same blood type and the same body size. The per-son receiving the organ has to be closely matched with the person who donated the organ be-cause of the risk of the body reject-ing the new organ. In American, 90 percent of the people say that they support organ donation, but only 30 percent take the essential steps to become an organ donor. To become an organ donor you can either become a do-nor through DMV or going to Do-nate Life Virginia to sign up. Also at this website you can pick and choose which organs you do and do not want to be donated. Almost 100,000 people are

waiting for a life saving organ trans-plant, of these people, 89,000 of them are waiting solely on a kid-ney. About 18 people die every day because of the lack of avail-able organs for transplants. About three of those 18 deaths are resi-dents of Virginia. It is said that one

donation can save about 9 lives. The organs that are dona-table include the heart, the liver, the pan-creas, a small part of the in-testine, both kidneys, and both lungs. Although you cannot donate

some of your organs while you are still alive, you can donate certain organs. They label these donors as a “living donor.” A living donor is a person who donates blood, bone marrow, a kidney, or a part of their liver. In fact some students are considered “living donors” because of their participation in past blood drives. Although organ donation today is not like the movie Seven Pounds, its effects on the lives saved are just as astronomical. Most people label organ donation as the “final act of charity.” •

Gloucester High School

Dukes’ Dispatch6680 Short Ln. Gloucester, VA 23061•dispatch@gc.k12.va.usMonday, November 22, 2010 VOL 34 Issue 3

•Providing a pathway for student voice on campus and throughout the community•

Donate life

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INSIDE

Student Life..................................1-4

Op-Ed.................................................5

Entertainment.............................6-7

Spotlight...........................................8

Give life, save a lifeLogan George

Staff Writer When someone mentions the Gloucester High School foot-ball team, the word most used is “sucks.” While it is true that the Varsity team has had its struggles in the past years, next year could be very different. Junior Varsity, the “future of Varsity football,” had a spectacular season this year (6-3), and with many of them moving to Varsity next year, people might stop saying the team is ter-rible. One reason JV had such a good year is because of the sophomore quarterback Aiden Thompson. In jersey number sixteen, Thompson has scored ten rushing touchdowns and five passing. With stats like that, I can’t help but think of Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy win-ner from Florida University. Since Varsity quarterback Zach Tarpey is in his senior year, the new team will need a new quarterback next year. Aiden could be just the man for the job. But the team doesn’t revolve around one player. In many cases, some players take many roles on the field. “We don’t have as much depth as Varsity (not as many players), so a lot of players play both sides,” says Aiden Thompson.

Katie Smith

Staff Writer

Gloucester high students lately have been complaining about the amount of homework they receive, not having any time for their lives. Some students even have a job with homework, studies and their lives. How about working without any profit except the good feeling you get? Usually people volunteer for honor societies being forced or else they’ll get kicked out. Jer-emy Ornstein, a junior, is one not of those people he just volunteers for the fun of it, he is a volunteer referee for basketball for Parks & Recreation. Many would think him crazy not getting paid and all, but as most people focus on the salary when searching for a job, Jeremy is more concerned about the quality of working with the community than the weight of his wallet. He first started to think about refereeing when his brother started to talk to him about it. Originally Jeremy loved basketball since he was six, but started playing at eight, so he thought it would be cool to referee for basketball. Billy Moore, program director for the Gloucester Parks & Recreation Department, contacted him since his brother refereed for Mr. Moore before him and Mr. Moore trusted his brother, and hence began his

volunteer career. Monday through Friday Jeremy goes to either Bethel or Botetourt elementary to referee basketball for young kids. Usually Jeremy works two games back to back at night making his hours usually six to eight or seven to nine. You would expect that it would interfere with his studies, but fortunately enough he had no hindrance to accept-able academics last year. Though this year the job might affect his grades, he plans to persevere so he does not have to drop his volun-teer job. Jeremy plans to continue volunteering next year. “I probably will…until college.” He does have to keep in mind of his grades because if his grades drop too much then he might not be able to volunteer next year. Other than his brother, an-other key factor why he chose to ref basket ball is simply because he loves the game. Every time he refs it brings back memories when he was eight years old and started playing the game. “I remember when I was that young playing ball, and it is just fun to watch the kids play and im-prove.” Though he has extra work with-out pay and he has less time for his studies and his life, Jeremy plans to continue watching the kids he referees improve and have fun be-cause he truly loves what he does, and the kids are probably also grateful for his contribution. •

Giving back

How to deal out a tasty vegetarian thanksgiving

Pick a card...

Page 3

Staff Writers Logan George and Taylor Clarke review Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Page 6

JV dominates

JV Football has record-setting season

Continued on page 4

Reviews of Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and Taylor Swift Page 7

Jessica Edington

Staff Writer

The Gloucester-Mathews Gazette- Journal recently published an article announcing that the top 10 percent of the Class of 2011 will not receive their diplomas first in the graduation ceremony, an honor that has always been bestowed upon Gloucester High School’s honor graduates. The vast majority of those who saw the article are asking, “Why?” What exactly is the point of changing the graduation proce-dure? The implied intention is that the current practice gives too much attention and “special treatment” to the honors graduates, and breeds resentment and “feelings of inferiority” in the other 90 percent of the class. The school board wishes to change the traditional graduation ceremony in order to give the same amount of recognition to every graduating student. But take a look around. Ask the 435 students who will not be graduat-ing with a gold tassel (the traditional mark of an honors graduate). Most of them don’t have an opinion, or simply don’t care either way. The overwhelming opinion is, “As long as I get my diploma, I don’t care who goes before me.” Of those who do have an opinion, almost all of them disagree with the new decision. They feel that the top 10 percent of the class earned this small recognition. They recognize the hard work and achievement of their fellow students, and do not resent them for the acknowledgment. So, essentially, the new practice is not making much of anyone any happier. It is, however, causing a lot of anger and controversy among the honors graduates, their parents, and many other members of the community. Leading the graduation procession is a traditional honor bestowed upon Gloucester High School graduates that make it into the top 10 percent of the class. It has never upset people in the past, and it is obviously not upsetting anyone very much now—so why is it being changed again? Oh, yes; because it is “special treatment.” Yes, it is special treatment. But the honors graduates have been working especially hard for the past 6 years (as many of their high school careers actually began in middle school), taking on high school level classes in 7th grade and college level classes in 10th grade. Not only have they put in the extra effort, but they have also succeeded in these endeavors. They have gone above and beyond not only what is expected of them, but also what the average high school student accomplishes. They deserve just a bit of special treatment. Honors students are never publically recognized in any other fashions throughout their entire high school careers. There are no Honor Roll assemblies, a tradition that the elementary and middle schools embrace. Even elementary schools, which recognize the value and talent of every student equally and never place one student above another, allow students who excel academically to be acknowledged. At the high school level, however, these ceremonies are abolished, along with most other “celebrations of excellence” that can be found in schools across the country. Other awards and recognitions are generally given and accepted in private, rather than announced to the student body—the honors students accept these customs humbly, without protest, and never ask for more anymore ceremony. Allowing these students to graduate first is the only real public congratulations these stu-dents receive.

Taylor Clarke

Staff Writer

Graduation! The day we have been waiting to see for over 12 years, it’s finally here. Families are flying in from different parts of the country to watch you receive your diploma. This is a day for everyone,

and no matter how long it took you, or how hard you tried, to be happy. You’ve accomplished something that a

lot of people, sadly, have not. This is a special day for you; you deserve just as much of the spotlight as any other person there. However, some kids are unhappy with this change—ten percent, actually. Certain circumstances have come into play, and things have changed. Different students have different struggles to face throughout their high school career. Some aren’t lucky to be as wealthy as

some; therefore they balance schoolwork with job time. Some of us aren’t as fortunate to have parents always there to back us up and sup-

port as through all of our work. Lastly, there are others that have been brought into this world with a highly gifted mind; while others struggle to read a simple book. This is a celebration for receiving our proof of education. We all proved ourselves worthy, and no one should be better than anybody else. The top ten percent want to be congratu-lated? They will be when time for college acceptance and job opportunities come around. But for some of those that are going straight into work after school this is all they have left. This is a celebration of the times we had in high school; a day for everybody to be proud and a day to remember. Some could say that this is an early opportunity at turning schools into a socialistic utopia. Others could say this is a step we need to take to make things fairer. Most prob-ably just don’t care. This doesn’t apply to ninety percent of the kids here, so is it really a big deal? No. If these kids are really as smart as they wish to be perceived as, they wouldn’t care about a little more attention at a Gloucester High School function.It depends on how you look at it, but in the current times that we live in, equality is an es-sential characteristic that people wished applied in as many situations as possible; due to the fact that most of us are on the bottom of the totem pole. So who are really the smart ones? The ones taking advantage of what is giving to them, or the one’s complaining about this one little thing missing in their life, attention. Some would say that the “implied intentions” of this change have to do with too much “special treatment.” I would argue against that. Of all of the schools in the district, only a small few actually walk their honor students first. Just like the improvements in the grading scale we were behind. Former graduates of Gloucester would tell you that it wasn’t always like this. Somewhere between 1982-1886 we changed our policy. Present day we are

back to where we started and for good reason too. College is the exact same way, alpha-betical aligned and their “honors” still announced. It’s not that the administration is forgetting about the hard work that countless kids have put in since the 7th grade; it’s the fact nobody deserves to outweigh anyone else on gradation. The first kid to be called graduating without

honors would be devastated. All of you may say that it’s no big deal, but it is to some. In that few seconds when you should “deserve” to be proud of yourself, you begin to think about all the

things you could have done, should have done, like you’ve not done good enough. I may be over exaggerating just a tad, but the feelings are factual.

See “JV football’s historic year” on page 4

See “Graduation Battles” on page 2

Is cheerleading a sport?The debate rages on.Page 4

Both sides of the story

See “Graduation Battles” on page 2

Student LifeGraduation Battles

Continued from front page

Artist of the Month

As opposed as the school board is to the special treatment of academically gifted students, they don’t seem to have much of a problem with recognizing other students for their achievements. Sports teams and athletes have their names called out over the announcements every morning for the entire school to hear of their accomplishments, and have special banquets held in their honor at the end of every season. Is this not special treatment? Does this not make others feel inferior compared to the “winners,” from the athletes that sat the bench and watch their teammates play to the students who have physical ailments and can’t participate in sports teams? If ev-eryone is a winner, which is what it seems they want us to believe, why is acceptable to celebrate some achievements more than others? After all, the main goal of attending school is to gain an education: all of the other wonderful and enriching extracurricular activities are only in addition to classes and instruction. Schools are given ratings, awards, and even sometimes funding depending on the success of their students. Those students who are in the top 10% of their class are also those who have helped GHS to receive its recognition as a great school through their test scores, awards, and personal successes. The least the school could do is return the favor. It’s a known fact that the “real world,” or the compi-lation of experiences we encounter after high school, is not exactly fair or equal. Those who succeed will be recognized for their success, and those who do not at first will be inspired to try harder so they, too, can succeed. This is what the entire “American Dream” is based on: the ability of anyone, regardless of origin or class, to put in the extra work and hours make a success of themselves. Those who come first and do well motivate those who follow after. This is how our society runs. This is not, apparently, how our high school runs. Ironically, graduation is supposed to be the final transition between high school and the rest of our lives, but instead it is now one final illusion that gives students the impression that when they leave, they will all be treated with the same level of respect and recognition, regardless of the level of effort they put into their work. Some, who are inexplicably in support of the change to graduation procedure, don’t understand exactly why it is that so many people are upset about this. It’s such a tiny thing, and they’re still going to have “Honors Graduate” called after their name, right? What’s the difference? Aren’t honors students supposed to be humble?

Well, it’s not exactly the change itself that so many are upset about. It’s the principle behind the change. Taking away recognition for academic suc-cess is doing much more than just making the hon-ors graduate with the last name starting with a “W” wait longer to graduate. It’s taking away a respect of achievement and individualism that is crucial in a healthy society. Now, I’m not trying to be an extrem-ist and say that not allowing the Honors Graduates to walk first will eventually disintegrate into a collectivist society like the dystopian world in the classic Anthem in which neither individuals or the word “I” exist. No, that’s a bit too far. But it is taking an unfortunate step in that direction. Equal treatment cannot be given to everyone, or else people cease to be individuals with individual talents and achievements. Every student that crosses the stage in June has something unique and exceptional to contribute to their community; for some, it is outstanding academic success, and a graduation is the place to finally recognize it—at the pinnacle of their high school education. To take this away, in an effort to not offend other students who are not the same as them, is to do everyone a grievous injustice. When Gloucester High School takes away the privilege of the honors graduates to graduate first, it is rather like saying to them, “Yes, we appreciate all the hard work you’ve put in all these years, we respect your achievements, and we’re very proud of you… but not proud enough to give you your brief moment in the spotlight.” Then what happens when these students realize that all of their extra work, all of the long nights and days they spent pouring over books and notes, all of the times they dedicated their lives to academic pursuits, means no more to the school than the work of everyone else who might not have put in as much effort? How does this at all encourage excellence, which is what the school claims to want out of all of its students? When you do not recognize or commend success, it ceases to be success, and hardly any are motivated to try any harder than they have to. Yes, when compared to the massive controversy this issue is causing, and the implications the act of taking away the traditional practice has, the actual privilege of the Honors Graduates to lead the gradu-ation procession is a tiny thing. But, if it is so tiny… then what’s the harm in giving it to them? •

Mr. Lord: “I actually think it’s a good idea. The students should

just be put in the order that they’re in. They’ll be designated with different color tassels and I just think their honors are within the program and so it’s actually something I’ve been fighting for

since I started working here twelve years ago. So I’m happy it’s hap-

pening.”

Kelsey Bowser

Why do you enjoy art? It’s a relief.

What are classes have you taken

at Gloucester High School?

Art Foundations, Graphic Design, 3-D Arts and Crafts, and I’m in AP Portfolio

now.

“The diploma shows that you received a well rounded education and are pre-pared to go wherever life takes you,” says Principal Dr. Beverage. I can honestly say I couldn’t agree with this statement anymore. I believe that that the people are taking this change completely out context. All in all, graduation is still some-thing to look forward too. It is a day to celebrate and begin the climb to the next step in our life. The faces, ex-pressions, and of course your diploma will sum up your entire high school career in one sitting. It may very well be one of the last times you see many of these faces. This is to those who go off to be astronauts, to travel the world, play football, or even go straight to work, all of you can look back and have one thing in common, one of the most important things of your life. Where you came from and how you got to where you were. As the class of 2011; I’ll be looking forward to seeing you all of graduation day! •

Lauren Peck: “It’s wrong that they’re taking that away from them. Seriously, it has been that way every year and now they’re changing it our year,

that’s disgraceful. I’m not even

Kristina Watkins: “It’s not fair because the people who did that extra work should de-

serve to go up first because they did a lot more.”

Katelyn Stroup: “I think they should walk first

because if they’re going work their butts off through

the school year, they should at least have the

recognition of walking first so everybody knows those

Carl Dudley: “I feel that it’s wrong because they’ve worked harder than most

people, so therefore I believe that they have the right to be recognized first for their

achievements.”

prosCONS

Steven Dubois: “It doesn’t make much of a difference to me.

They’re not any better than any-one else; they just tried harder

than the rest of us.”

Ryan Toms: “I think that the top ten percent of people will be mad that they’re not walking first, but everyone else isn’t really going to care. They just want to go through it because it’s a long drawn out ceremony anyway.”

How old were you when you realized that art was something that you were naturally good at?In kindergarten I got extra time at the art table because I was the only that ever drew any thing, everybody else just scribbled.

Fun Fact! Kelsey’s favorite artists are two brothers that go under the name “Os Gemeos”

What is your favorite artform? I would have to say painting

Student Life 3Monday, November 22, 2010 Vol. 35 Issue 3

Can you pass the tofu?

Free MoneyFaith Pollard

Staff Writer

The possibility of receiving free money to help pay for the substantial size of tuition for vocational school, two or four year college, interests everyone. The less debt a student has when leaving college, the better. The resourceful Counseling Department has set up a useful scholarship website accessible from the Gloucester High School site. Furthermore, they hold the College Plan-ning Series sessions in the library. The scholarship website lists national, state, local, and college scholarships that are available to be applied for. Another useful tool on the site is the one application that applies an applicant for twenty eight different scholarship opportunities. The scholarship money ranges from 25,000 to 1,000 dollars. Also, some of the places offering scholarships have multiple scholarships that are available. Some of these scholarships have specific deadlines while other deadlines have not been decided upon yet. Deadlines, however, are coming quickly so be sure to start filling out applications now. Remember to look at the qualifications of the scholar-ship before going through all the work of applying. A large amount of Virginia colleges have scholarships available for students to receive. Some popular Virginia colleges offer-ing scholarships are Christopher Newport University, James Madison University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and George Mason University, but there are too many colleges to list. A scholarship application is very similar to a college ap-plication. There is the usual general information area which includes name, grade, school, etc. Then the next section is the list of activities and achievements which the student has participated in and earned. In addition, some applications require an essay and a reference letter also. To some students filling out a scholarship application is a lot of work and takes up a lot of time. But, receiving money for submitting an application will make it worth it. Scholarships are just as important to a student as college applications. Any students who have questions about scholarships, go to the school Counseling Department for assistance. •

A Struggle for RespectTatyana White-Jenkins

Staff Writer

A definition of a sport is “an organized, com-petitive, entertaining, and skillful physical activity re-quiring commitment and fair play, in which a winner can be defined by objective means.” Now, when you think about a sport, does it follow these characteris-tics? Is football organized? Is soccer skillful? Is golf entertaining? Well, when you ask questions like this, the answers could go both ways, and that has been the basis for the popular debate over whether cheer-leading should be classified as a sport or not. For years, there have been numerous debates about cheerleading. Whether it .be gender and per-sonality stereotypes, uniform criticisms, or just all around judgment, cheerleading has been a huge topic for debate. Although there are many focuses for argument regarding the matter, the main debate is over whether it should be considered a sport or not. This dispute has been going back and forth for decades and seemed to have died down, until re-cently when a federal judge officially ruled cheer-leading not a sport. Since the ruling, there have been numerous debates in attempt to try to change the decree. Cheerleaders around the world felt hurt, of-fended, and highly disrespected by this ruling, but how do the cheerleaders of Gloucester High feel about this? Well, the federal judge who made this ruling said that cheerleading is too “underdeveloped and disor-ganized” to be considered a sport. However, others seem to disagree. Varsity cheerleader, freshman Rilee Jackson com-ments, “I personally do consider cheerleading as a sport. Sure, it may not be the hardest sport in the world but it is dangerous and full of hard work.” “Everyone has their own opinion,” JV cheerleader, sophomore Alyssa Crone says. However she does say “… the federal judge obviously has never been a part of a competi-tion cheerleading team before to know all that they go through.”

This seems to be the basic mind set of cheerleaders everywhere. Everyone agrees that we are all entitled to our own opinions, including the judge. However, things seem to change when someone’s opinion af-fects the way you are looked upon. “Disorganized?” commented Varsity cheerleader, sophomore Jessica Gardner, “There are hundreds of cheerleading competitions held all over the country each year. I don’t think a judge has the right to decide that.” Many say that just doing cheers and toe-touch-es isn’t enough to be credited as participating in a sport, and that is where some debates really heat up. Some say that there is no way cheerleading can compare to football, baseball, or many other popular sports. However, on the other side of the argument people ask, how can things like golf, bowling, NA-SCAR, and other similar activities be considered a sport? Some say that ‘sports’ like these don’t really require a lot of physical activity. But if you talk to any cheerleading team, you will here about their long, grueling practices and how physically fit you have to be to be a cheerleader. “It does require skill and physical strength. Like the stunts for instance, the bases, backs, and flyers all have a job to do… it takes work and practice.” Alyssa Crone comments. “Whether people think so or not, you always get bruises and scars from cheerleading; even breaks and sprains. And us cheerleaders are told to suck it up… which means our only option is to wrap it up, suck it up, and we try our hardest to, then we end up doing just that.” said Rilee Jackson. However, on the other side of the debate, people say that no matter if it is physical or not, it should not be considered a sport. But, what some people on this side of the argument don’t realize is that there two different “types” of cheerleading. There’s recreational, also known as side-line, and there is competitive cheerleading. Side-line cheerleading is your basic standing on the side at football or bas-ketball games cheering on your team, and when half time comes along, you show off your routine. How-ever as the years have gone by, side-line cheer-

leading has developed in many ways, which draws the question of why a federal judge would say it’s “underdeveloped”. Since cheerleading first started, they have added stunts, tumbling and the cheers have broadened since the “Give me a G, Give me an O” days. But in the world of competition cheerlead-ing, the stakes are extremely raised. The stunts are higher, the tumbling is more advanced, and when it comes to cheers well, there are not many, but com-petition cheerleading is more focused on the stunts and tumbling then the cheering.

Rilee Jackson comments, “They both require hard work, motivation, and sportsmanship. Sideline, every muscle in your body has to be perfectly tight, while having some type of facial expression on your face. ...while you’re yelling as hard as you can over the loud crowd… both take a lot of dedication, sweat, and sometimes tears.” Although these debates have many different effects on cheerleaders, the main impact it has left cheerleaders is the feeling of disrespect. Cheer-leaders everywhere feel like they are not respected. Even the Gloucester High School cheerleaders feel that way. When asked whether she thinks the GHS cheer-leaders are respected Jessica Gardner said, “In the community, I don’t think so. We aren’t recognized like the other sports are.” “Our team has to be the most disrespected team as a high school,” Varsity cheerleader, sophomore Mike’a McMillan comments, “… regardless of how we fight back to show people what we do, we are still disrespected.” But although the harsh criticisms cheerleaders face is hard to deal with, the cheerleaders of GHS do not let them affect them in a negative way. So in the end, nothing changes. The judge’s ruling is still the same and cheerleaders still do not feel respected. But as we all know, we can’t change people’s opinion. We can only stick up for what we believe in and not let negative comments affect us. And that is exactly what the cheerleaders of Glouc-ester High have been and are continuing to do. •

BEFUR

free SAVE Animals!When most people think of Thanksgiving, thoughts of the tradition-al meal of turkey, ham, and chicken come to mind, but you would be surprised to know that not everyone engages in this “traditional” feast. There are people who actually do not eat turkey for Thanks-

giving…yes you heard me...they DO NOT eat turkey…or any meat for that matter. So, what do they do? Do they

eat just sides then? Do they even celebrate Thanksgiving? If you are asking yourself these questions...have no fear because I am here to help answer them! Vegetarians are capable of celebrating Thanksgiving, even if there isn’t any turkey pres-ent! Actually, most people will

be surprised to know that the first Thanksgiving contained little to no

meat at all, so really the original “tur-key day” was turkey less, ironic right?

People sometimes believe that being a veg-etarian or having a vegetarian Thanksgiving would

be very blahh, but not only is it a healthy alternative, it is also a way to pay homage to the originators of the original harvest feast. So, after all this do you still think a vegetarian Thanksgiving is bad idea or do you think you’re brave enough to actually try it? Well, if you are willing to switch this holiday up and make it a vegetarian one…here are some recipes. Now that you have these recipes it is time to put them to the test and hopefully making these can change some minds about what it is like to be a vegetarian, especially during the holiday!

Tofu Turkey

Ingredients•2 blocks firm or extra firm tofu, well pressed

•3 tbsp soy sauce•1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil•1 1/2 tbsp dry sherry

•3 tbsp water•1/4 tsp black pepper

Preparation:Freeze the tofu overnight. Allow it to thaw, and then press well to squeeze

out all the extra water. Place the tofu blocks in a lightly greased loaf pan, squeezing them as close

together as possible. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour about 2/3 of this mixture over the tofu, and refrigerate the remaining 1/3. Cover the tofu in the pan, and allow to marinade overnight, or for at least 4 hours.

After marinating, pour the remaining soy sauce mixture over the tofu, then bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, basting the extra marinade over the

tofu once or twice. Remove the tofu from the oven and carefully flip it over. Bake for another

45 minutes, basting occasionally. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Vegetarian Stuffing

Ingredients•1 package pre-toasted bread cubes (14 - 16

ounces)•3 tbsp butter plus extra

•2 tbsp olive oil•1 large yellow onion, diced

•1/2 red onion, diced•1 cup celery, diced

•3/4 cup cranberries, chopped•4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

•1 cup wild rice, pre-cooked•2 tbsp fresh sage, minced•2 tbsp fresh thyme, minced

•2 eggs, beaten•2 tbsp poultry seasoning

•1 16 ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

•salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large skillet and add 2 tablespoons but-ter and oil.

Add onions, celery and cranberries and cook on medium-high heat until soft, about fifteen

minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil.

Place toasted bread, rice and herbs in a large bowl, stir in eggs. Pour hot liquid mixture into bowl; add poultry seasoning, beans, salt and

pepper and mix. Grease two 8-inch pans with butter, pour mix-ture, dot with extra butter. Cover with foil and

bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes more or until

top is crisp.

Rec

ipes

from

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abou

t.com

By: Michele Johnson

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Rising up

Larkin Stone

Editor-In-Chief

Winter is right around the cor-ner, and that could only mean that it’s time to finally cut the score-board back on for basketball. How-ever, the Dukes are hoping that this scoreboard shows them win-ning even more this season. The Dukes made strides last year, picking up multiple wins in their regular season for the first time in years. Many believe that this year’s team will be even bet-ter, including junior, Chris Morgan. “I think this year’s team will be bet-ter than last year’s because we have a very strong chemistry on and off the court. Our outstand-ing chemistry and offseason work should add to a more successful season,” explained Morgan. Chris should be right on the money with these words. Even though the top scoring threat on the team, Shawn Smith, graduated last year, there are many returning players. Seniors, Shamar Marsh, JB Bennett, and AJ Hamilton, as well as juniors, Chris Morgan and Davont’e Smith, will be leading the team this season. Also, there are a few talented JV players rising up to the varsity level this season. Another factor that will be as-sisting the Dukes to a great season this year is not a particular player, new equipment, or anything of that nature. No, this advantage comes straight from the halls of GHS. The atmosphere of the gym is intimidat-ing to the opponent, and is sure to rattle the visitors this season.

In fact, HRVarsity.com had a poll at the end of last season, and GHS was voted as the toughest gym to play in for visiting teams, due to our student section. This is known as the “sixth man” ef-fect, meaning that the intensity of the home crowd gives their team a spectacular advantage. Basically, the home crowd at Gloucester High is so ridiculous, the team might as well have a sixth man on the court. It is obvious that the fans take pride in helping GHS win, and that trend is sure to con-tinue this year, hopefully in even greater force. “The fans will have a great effect on us this year. They get ev-eryone hyped, creating a college atmosphere, and they mentally ef-fect our opponents,” says Morgan. The basketball program at Gloucester High School has seen tough times, but clearly it is on a rise now. Coach Morgan and his players have been working hard for the last couple of years, especially this off-season. Hopefully they will get to see their efforts materialize this season. •

Lady Dukes desire to defeatSusan Ortiz

Copy Editor

Lady Dukes’ girls basketball practices every season to achieve wins on their record. As they en-ter the 2010-2011 season, they hope to make some changes to in-crease their amount of wins. The “newbies” to the team will provide fresh, new input and skills to the team, while the upperclassmen will keep the team’s morale up by helping them to remain strong and inspired. There is a lot of talent among the individuals on the Varsity and JV teams, whether reflected by the scoreboard or not. “We all have the potential to lead our team to victory,” tells

sophomore, Karsyn Wass. Yet, it is not a lack of teamwork on the court. The girls work well together; it is just a matter of com-ing into their own and racking up points against their opponents. Although the talent and skill can vary, the spirit does not. The older and younger players do their best to keep the others motivated. “The older players have to lead by exam-ple,” says sophomore, Jessica Jones. They also are re-sponsible for helping younger athletes get used to the atmosphere and making sure they know they have their support. In return, the younger players are encouragers because they assist the older players during rough mo-

ments. “[The new players] bring mo-tivation to the team,” says junior, Colleen LeMay, “and they show dedication that everyone can learn from.” As a team, though, everyone is looked upon equally. All play-ers are seen with the potential to

be leaders. As long as the team can come together and bond, they always have a chance. “...it’s not all about hard work.” says Wass, “ We need

team chemistry and to have fun.” The Lady Dukes may be gain-ing new b-ballers, but they must fill the positions of those seniors lost at the end of last season. “We had great players last year,”

says Karsyn Wass, “but the seniors have passed on their knowledge to us returning players.” Those that graduated last year will be missed, but that cannot get in the way of their current season. “I don’t think we could ever replace the seniors from last year, but we have enough strong players to make this happen,” says Jones. Not only are the girls trying to be successful for themselves, they are trying to break the trends among Gloucester High School sports. Whether they win or not, they get something out of it. A win equals a “natural high” for Karsyn and brings energy to Jessica. But a loss provides Colleen with moti-vation to try harder to prove they can beat their opponent. “After a loss I’m usually upset, but more mad,” tells LeMay, “and

ready to play that team again to show that we’re better.” Within the trophy cases that line the school’s hallways, the trophies are mainly from the same teams that consistently have winning re-cords. Girls basketball feels that it is time for a change; they want to win and make it so that room has to be made for the rewards they have been longing for. •

Vroooom!

Elle Reid

Managing Editor

Most people move on from Gloucester High to pursue degrees, master a trade, and start a career. Some start families and use the lessons they learned in high school to begin a new life. One person, Steve Wilson, chose a different path. Gloucester High alumni Steven Wilson has lent a hand in saving a former NASCAR racetrack in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. His efforts were bounced off from New Yorker Rob Marsden. Mars-den created Save the Speedway after driving by the track. He then started a website devoted to re-opening the track. Wil-son found the website and contacted Marsden, and together they grabbed more sup-port and obtained a lease to buy the track. The track closed in 1996, and for the first time in fourteen years, it was open on September 4. Steve Wilson graduated Gloucester High in 1999. At only sixteen, he had enough cred-

its to graduate early. Wilson opted for summer school to gain the last credits he needed, and graduated that summer. Wilson participated in Latin Club as a freshman, and during his sophomore year here at GHS, he played the junior varsity football team. From there, he attended Rappahannock Community Col-lege and obtained a certification in Information Technology. Wilson took dual enrollment classes his junior year and spent two more years at RCC. He worked part time for Gloucester County in the IT department from 2002 to 2005, and took up a permanent career in Williamsburg-James City County’s IT department. Wilson, now 27, is in charge of Public Relations of Save the Speedway. He is also the treasurer and webmaster for the company that was responsible for re-opening the track. Wilson has combined his love of technology and his passion for NASCAR in Save the Speedway. “It has also given me the oppor-tunity to build and maintain website for a NASCAR Champion and his businesses,” says Wilson. •

Sprints and stridesLogan George

Staff Writer

Track is a year-round sport. In summer, athletes can run and jump in track and field; in autumn, cross country plays the part. Now, in the winter, indoor track keeps runners warmed up. Track is one of the most popular sports in the high school; the cross country team has a large squad. Indoor track also has a big team, about the size of the track and field team. “Our team has many healthy athletes, with very few excep-tions,” says Jacob Cheatham, a sophomore. They run sprints and long distance races indoors. To get ready for the upcoming season, everyone is on the track each day. Some players do it to stay in shape for spring sports, or keep running for the fun. Coaches Perrin and Sujansky lead the boys and girls teams respectively, pushing the runners to their limits.

One of the main events in win-ter track is the mile run. However, it’s not like the one you do in gym class; it is a lot harder. Jacob says, “Winter track is very competitive. Someone is constantly on your tail.” Jacob did track last year, and is planning on doing it again this year. Last year, Cheatham quali-fied for districts and got 5:29 on the mile, and he wants to do it again or do better if he can. Logan Pitchford, a junior, had

a good year in indoor track last winter. He got on the first team on the district squad. Logan also made the All-District team in cross

country, along with Cameron Cross and several others. This year, however, Logan is not taking part in competitions, so he will be cheering them on from the stands. Even though some players are not returning, the team still gets an im-portant new addition. “I think the coaching staff is going to shine,” says Coach Per-rin. “We have a new addition, Mr. David Boyd. He was a former head

coach at Hampton University. He has come up with new, consistent workouts to exercise the team. That’s important to train them for all three types of competition: sprints, distance races, and relays.” Coach Perrin works hard to help runners push their own limits. By practicing every day, the whole team improves to become one of the best teams in the district. When it is time to compete for a real meet, the team leaves for the Boo Williams Sportsplex. They have a big track built specifically for large, competitive sports events. “The Sportsplex is a good place. It has a good surface. It’s not the best, but I’m glad we have it,” said Coach Perrin. “We have possible invitational events at Virginia Tech, CNU, and maybe and New York. We will need to work hard.” Most of the regular events are at the Sportsplex. It is a short drive from here to Hampton, so go out and support our speedsters sometime. Conditioning has just started, so if you want to try out for the team, start going to get in shape. Anyone can try out, but it will take a huge effort and tons of commitment to stay on the team. •

JV Football’s historic year

“Our outstanding chemistry and offseason work should add to a

more successful season.” -Chris Morgan

“Our team has many healthy athletes, with very

few exceptions.”-Jacob Cheatham

DUKES

GHSGIRLS

BASKETBALL

2010-2011

FIRST HOME GAME AGAINST HAMPTON:

DECEMBER 3

“We all have the potential to lead our team to victory,”

- Karsyn Wass.

One player may start as the running back but also play as a safety and punt returner. By doing this, Head Coach Ryan Wenner helps round out the players’ skills for when they move up to the Varsity level. The coaching staff has also done their fair share with the future superstars. In the locker room before games, the coaches give mo-tivational speeches. “[Coach Wenner] tells us that other teams are in our way to mak-ing history,” tells Robert Leso, a sophomore. With inspiration like that, it is no wonder that Junior Varsity has had their best year in a long time. Motivation is key in any sport, from soccer to tennis to golf. Without a reason to try and win, why play? Coaches work to improve skills on the field, but they also work to in-

spire players to try their hardest and push their limits. Cross Country shirts say, “Hap-piness is pushing your limits and watching them back down.” This applies to anything in life: sports, school, and anything else. The Junior Varsity team thrives on good coaches, great players, and an unlimited amount of inspiration. Some games were harder than others. “Our toughest game was the Heritage game,” says Thompson. “We had to come back 18 points in the second half.” This just proves that even if a team is down, they are not always out (remember that, people who say that our team “sucks”). Also, just because a team wins a lot doesn’t mean they are invincible. For example, several years ago, the New England Patriots were the first team

to get a 17-0 regular season record, and stayed unbeaten through the playoffs. Over the course of the season, the Pats had a few close calls, but managed to pull through. But as the clock ticked down in the Super Bowl’s game clock, the New York Giants scored a

touchdown to win the game. So yes, the Pa-triots were unbeaten in the regular season and playoffs, but they were not invincible. The play they run the most in practice is the triple option. Basically, three receivers run routes while the QB watches the field. If a receiver gets open, the QB can pass it to him. When the defense is busy applying tight coverage, leaving no receiver open, the QB can scramble out of the pocket and run. “This play makes up about 75% of our playbook,” says Thompson.Since JV dies not have a playoff tournament or any kind of postseason, their year is done. Most players, however, return to football each year, so expect to see some familiar faces in newspapers for years to come. And next year, things will be different. •

Continued from front page

4 Student LifeMonday, November 22, 2010 Vol. 35 Issue 3

Katie Smith

Staff Writer

Recently, morals have been unapparent in schools, let alone in America. How long has it been since you said please or thank you? We are starting to assume that everything people do for us, they do for their pleasure and that it does not impose on them. How many of you thank your teachers when they hand out work-sheets or even your classmates when they hand the work sheets back? When we were smaller we always were expected to be polite and respectful, but as we grew up in the American environment, our morals that we held so highly, rapidly fell. Now, most use please and thank you less than impolite crude cuss words whcich are quite the opposite. Not only are manners nonex-istent, but cussing and rude behav-iors in public are tremendously increasing. Due to all the violence, nudity, and harsh language on television, music, and other media, we deem it cool to copy them because they make a lot of money

and are famous. Also, because of that money and the status of fame, we hold celebrities so high that they are practically gods and that everything they do we must copy, including the scandalous affairs and illegal drugs that they do pub-licly so they can make more money and have more fans. Having no care on how it would affect those that they inspire, only thinking about their own profit. Great role models, huh? Take for example, that on any school day going from one class to another, you can probably hear seven different people using profanity quite obnoxiously relating what some actor/actress said on some movie or TV show they saw recently. Another reason someone would be cussing is that they are insulting someone behind their back, which is rude by itself, but adding cussing to that is just horri-ble.Its not only the verbal profanity thats bad, have you looked at our bathroom stalls recently? I mean if you take the time to write a insult at least be original about it. Have you ever tried to seriously insult someone without cussing? We are so used to cussing that most of us probably heard our first cuss word in our elementary years. I remember when my peers started cussing; it was in seventh grade, and when we entered high school we started to cuss even more, trying to show our maturity when really it was showing our immaturity. When we entered high school we also started cussing because it is expected of us from our peers since most of them already started, and we often cuss

for the fact that we want to be part of the herd. But wait, isn’t that going against our original thoughts of being unique? The truth is that a person who does not cuss is more unique than anyone who opens their mouth and just cusses up the wall. How many people do you know that doesn’t use one bit of profanity? Basically all of uses at least on cuss word per week, and you wonder why the elderly fuss at us to start acting mannerly. Morals have been rapidly on the down fall, if you look back to the 40’s you will see that not many people would curse, and if someone did it was taken much more seriously than today. If a person our age was caught using profanity they probably couldn’t sit right for a few days. Whether you are in school or not, it doesn’t matter, cussing is just a crutch to cover up ignorance and the fact of having no manners is just uncouth. When it comes to rude behavior you should keep it at home. If you don’t have the control to not cuss in public places then please cuss quietly, most people don’t appreciate it when some-one starts yelling cuss words in public. In fact if you start cussing profoundly in public then you can be charged for a class 4 misde-meanor. Also, remember that you should start to try to be more polite because in about 10 years you’re going to have kids and you don’t want them to be heathens because you raised them in a crude envi-ronment.•

5Op-EdMonday, November 22, 2010 Vol. 35 Issue 3

Please and thank you?

Stop complaining

Dukes’ Discourse

-Brianna Lee, Junior

-Austin Farina, Junior

-Audrey Jolly, Sophomore

-Dez’re Maynora-Peters, Sophomore

-Forrest Eversole, sophomore

Upon arrivalRyan Wheless

Layout Editor

College has been my destina-tion since the day everyone started talking about my “future,” long before I had given it much thought. Luckily, with a lot advice, I was able to make a detailed list of the things I needed to accomplish up until the point of getting into col-lege; however, the advice started fading there. I realized that even after all of these preparations, I’m still left with a great deal of uncer-tainty and one important question: what exactly happens once I get there? By the time we entered high school, those of us who were college-bound had been trained, in a way. After listening to our counselors, teachers, and parents, we were sure of two facts. The first being that college was the inevita-ble next step following high school. And the second being that it was going to require a certain amount of academic effort to get there. With these two rules in mind, we filled our schedules with as many honors, Dual Enrollment, and AP classes as possible, took part in the extra-curriculars that would make our applications shine, and attempted to be the well-rounded

young adults that colleges expect us to be. (Personally, I cannot count the number of times I’ve used the phrase “because it looks good on college applications” to explain why I took a certain course or participated in certain activities.) And till now, I have been content following these procedures I have learned to perfect. But now that I’m entering the second quarter of my junior year and I can see my the end of my high school career fast approach-ing (the light at the end of this long tunnel), just knowing how to get to college is not enough. I need to know what it is going to be like once I get to this place that I’ve been working so vigorously to get to for the past three years. I need a new set of guidelines to study and prepare for. Of course, I know the basics of college and have a very broad idea of what it will be like; the same vision other high school students most likely have. I know I’ll have more freedom, be living on my own, juggle even more strenuous and involved classes, and meet many new types of people, but how exactly am I supposed to tran-sition from the life of a high school student to a collegiate lifestyle. For the typical high school student, the past eleven or twelve years have followed an expected and manageable pattern that has not yet been broken. With the same familiar surroundings and peers, the start of each year of school gradually gets easier and more predictable. College destroys this pattern. Foreign places, strangers for neighbors, and new expecta-tions make this transitioning period

all the more challenging, probably even more so than getting there; yet, no one warns you or gives you instructions on how to deal with these dilemmas. It’s really easy to tell someone what the requirements are to get a bachelor’s degree or recommend which classes to take, but what happens when you cannot deal with it emotionally. So when I’m realizing that the housing depart-ment clearly assigned me a ques-tionable roommate purely for their own amusement, or I’m lost in the middle of campus trying to learn my way around, who do I turn to when the people I trust most are hundreds of miles away experienc-ing the same exact things? I highly doubt that someone will be handing out Worst Case Scenario: College Edition pamphlets on move-in day, so what exactly is the answer? Experience it. I suppose that would be the most logical answer possible. Although it’s not the solution I had hoped for, I now realize that the reason no one ever stopped to explain this part of the journey is because in these situations “results may vary.” No two people have the same experi-ences, and therefore I must sit it out and wait until it’s my turn to experience it for myself. Unfortu-nately, anxiety isn’t something I’ve mastered yet. In the end, I guess it’s all part of that growing up thing that I’ve been trying to avoid, but truly can’t put off any longer. It’s time to learn things without instructions and start making decisions based on my own judgments. And although I re-alize this now, a “College Prepara-tion” course would be nice. •

“Where would you work, and why?”

Larkin Stone

Editor-In-Chief

Walking through the halls on a typical day, I hear complaints, and plenty of them. Said complaints vary from day to day, but they all center around one thing, which is Gloucester High School. I will be the first to admit that in times of frustration I have done some complaining in the time that I have been here, but what really do we have to be upset about? Some typical remarks might be that the lunch food is no good, our teachers are too hard on us, the system is lowering its standards for us, the school is overcrowded, and that overall, our school is just terrible.

If you have ever had these concerns, or any for that matter, let me pose a question. How many high schools have you attended? How many high schools have you even visited? As for the common beliefs I mentioned earlier, let’s think about what GHS has actually done for us. Our lunch ladies serve us good food every day with nothing but smiles. Try making small-talk and being polite; it really goes a long way, and you might just make someone’s day. Our teachers, counselors, and other administra-tors are the same way. People choose careers involving education because they want to help you, and 99% of teachers will give you extra help any time you need it. On top of that, our counselors have any resource you could need at the ready, and want nothing more than to see you succeed. On top of all of this, our facilities are really noth-ing to complain about. If you have ever been to any other schools you know what I’m talking about. Sure, A-Hall gets crowded with all of the freshmen running around between classes, but our school itself is

very nice and is kept well by our custodians. Personally, I care deeply about Gloucester High School. It has its faults like anything will, but it has done more for me than I imag-ined it would walking in the door four years ago. It has shown me something I love (the newspaper you are reading this very moment), I have met many friends here, I have had some excellent teachers, and have made memories that will last a lifetime. What I’m trying to say is that for all of you seniors out there, your last year is only a quarter of the way over. I personally guaran-tee that many of you will see June roll around, and you’ll be sad that you didn’t do everything you could while in high school. You only get these four years once in your life. Make every day worth it, and try anything and everything you might want to do. So, in conclusion, you still have time! Seniors, you still have a good seven months here. Everybody else, you have a year or more. Just make your high school career worth it, and appreciate what good ‘ol GHS has done for you. •

Editorial PolicyThe Dukes’ Dispatch reserves the right to select which letters to the editor are in each issue. Letters to editor

must be limited to approx. 150 words and must be accompanied by the students name, contact informa-

tion, and signature. The Dukes’ Dispatch will not print obscene, malicious, libelous or unsigned mate-rials. Letters must be submitted in an orderly and

timely fashion. All opinions in the Dukes’ Dispatch solely reflect the ideas and beliefs of the author of the material whose name appears in the byline; all opin-ions of letters to the editor are those of the author. The Dukes’ Dispatch does not discriminate in any

way, shape, or form against the general public and the staff keeps an open mind while reporting, editing, and

reviewing information.

Voice BoxWe want to hear your voice.

You can submit any letters to the editor, art/photo contributions, or other articles by dropping them in the Voice Box on the bulletin board across from room C167.

Include your name, grade, phone number or email.

Letters to the Editor must be within 150 words and school ap-

propriate.

Student Life Team

Taylor ClarkeAmanda Pryor

Tatyana White-JenkinsMichele JohnsonDanielle Moore

Layout Team

Jessica EdingtonJordan Cheresnowsky

Editor-In-ChiefLarkin Stone

Print Managing EditorElle Reid

Online Managing EditorAmber Phelps

Layout EditorRyan Wheless

Copy EditorSusan Ortiz

Web Design Team

Drew AndersonFaith PollardKatie Smith

Logan GeorgeJermey Humphrey

Staff AdvisorMs. Riley

Dukes’ Dispatch

“I want to work in the waste management place because I want to help

my community picking up trash...”

“I would like to work in the music industry

because I’m an amazing rapper.”

“I think it’d be really fun to work at the Short Lane ice cream shop...I think it would be really

cool.”

“I want to work in New York for fashion, in the

fashion industry, because I love fashion, and I would enjoy it.”

“I want to work at a cafe place when I get

older because I want to make smoothies.”

6 EntertainmentMonday, November 22, 2010 Vol. 35 Issue 3

A shot in the darkBlack Ops comes out on top

A phenomenon comes to an endAmber Phelps

Managing Editor

It’s been twelve years since the re-lease of British-native J. K. Rowling’s book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Lit-tle did Rowling know then, but her story about the boy who lived would become a worldwide phenomenon and end up defin-ing a generation. Harry Potter has become

so much more than a book character that exists purely for entertain-

ment purposes, but he has

become a part of worldwide cul-

ture. For twelve years, the boy with

glasses and the lightning shaped scar

has sparked the imagination of millions and with the release of the first half of the seventh movie this November, Harry Pot-ter still remains to be a dominator in both literature and film. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, first released as Harry Potter and the Phi-losopher’s Stone, was Rowling’s big break into the literary world. The story follows the life of an eleven-year-old boy named Harry Potter who lives with his aunt, uncle, and bossy cousin after the death of his mother and father. His life takes a drastic change when Harry learns that he has been in-vited to attend Hogwarts, a school for witches and wizards. From that point on, Harry learns the dramatic demise of his parents who were killed by the Dark Lord Voldemort. The next six books of the Harry Potter series expose hidden secrets, dangerous adventures, and brings the three friends of the series, Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, closer than they were when they first had their awk-ward meeting.

There are few films that follow their book counterparts as well as the Harry Potter movies have been converted from page to screen. Part of the success of the films can be accredited to the change of directors throughout the past few years. Each film has a different aspect than the previous one. Chris Columbus, the director of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Se-crets, had a very different look and feel

than the third film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azka-

ban, which was directed by Alfonso Cuarón. But miraculously, although most of the films do have different directors,

they all mesh together very well.

Harry Potter’s life has been anything but

subtle over the past 11 years that he’s been a part of the lives of ev-

eryone in the world. He went up against Lord Voldemort in his first year of school at Hogwarts and proceeds to confront the Dark Lord throughout his teenage years. But even though most people find it hard to relate to using the powers of a magic wand to ward off deadly wizards, J.K. Rowling made sure that Harry still retained those stereotypical post-puberty traits. As Har-ry moves towards adulthood, he has the awkward experiences that come with first love. From his first kiss with Cho Chang to the start of his romance with Ron’s sister, Ginny, it has become obvi-ous that in a world of fan-tasy does have some realistic traits. The connection that this gener-ation makes with the Harry Pot-ter series is one of mutual un-derstanding. Although Harry is often in the grip of death, he understands the hard-ships of school work along with trying to

maintain the close friendships that he has made over the span of seven years. But growing up with the world is not the only thing that Mr. Potter and his legacy have left on people. The evidence of the series can be seen everywhere. Children still dress up as Hermione and Ron Weasley, the books’ acclaim is still widely known, the movies are, presently, the highest grossing series films in history, and more recently, college campuses and certain high schools have incorporated a Quidditch program, in which students can participate in a similar version of the game. Minus the broom-sticks, of course. So what will the world do without the most famous wizard of all time? After the

release of the last movie next summer, Harry’s story will be complete and

the characters will all become a part of history. But one thing that will never change is the impact that J. K. Rowling’s masterpiece has had one everyone who encountered this remarkable story. •

Giants snag series

Taylor ClarkeLogan George

Staff Writers

Many things can be said about Call of Duty: Black Ops. What started off as a solid WWII game has trans-formed into what some would say is the best-selling game series of all time. Call of Duty: Black Ops is the new installment to the series. It has been highly anticipated, considering 5.6 million copies were sold on the first day. This is a big number; Modern War-fare 2 sold 4.6 the first day. Also, Black Ops has set a new profit record: $360,000,000 in the first day of sales. But despite all the new records, is Black Ops worth it? Call of Duty: Black Ops highly resembles MW2, almost to the “T.” There is no change in graphics and nothing was revamped. On a good note, the Campaign portion of the game does the job over and over again. This could easily be the best storyline that Infinity Ward (the developers of the Modern Warfare series) and Treyarch (the developers of this game) have ever made. With all-star voice actors, including Sam Wor-thington (Avatar), Gary Oldman (Book of Eli), and Ed Harris (Radio), the characters show extra depth. The plot gives you the feeling of running a covert operation in Vietnam or Korea. There are twists and turns in the plot and some lev-els are better than others. Sometimes the plot seems to get bogged down and slightly disjointed during the middle. But unlike MW2, Black Ops does a good job at tying up loose ends by the finale. Since it is based on real events, the plot is easier to understand. Even though the plot is easy to follow, the level design isn’t. On one mission, called S.O.G., the game doesn’t plainly state where to go; it is really easy to get lost and misdirected. Most levels, however, are good and well composed. Now I know most of you out there are interested in the online play. I’ll tell you, Black Ops doesn’t dis-

appoint. However, the system itself might be a little overwhelming at first, especially if you are a noob. The most significant change is the introduction of CoD points. They are money used in multiplayer to buy guns, perks, killstreaks, attachments, emblems, and more. CoD points are earned by leveling ups, do-ing challenges called Contracts, and getting kills and winning certain game types. Be careful what you buy; there are no refunds, so choose wisely. The designers did this so people gain skill with certain guns.

One more addition; there are fifteen levels of Prestige. To Prestige, you must reach a cer-tain level then choose to Pres-tige. A rumor is going around that every time you Prestige, the game adds five more levels until the next Prestige. For example, to reach first Prestige, you need to reach level fifty. Then to reach the next Prestige, you must get to level fifty-five. However, this rumor have proved false. When

you Prestige, you lose all your guns and attachments and start over at level one, but most players agree that it’s worth it. The rating of this game from gamers, however, shocks. Black Ops was rated lower in all categories compared to Modern Warfare and its sequel. The rea-son is probably due to little visual changes and a dif-ferent, more complex, multiplayer system. Most play-ers at GHS agree that it lives up to the hype (I only know two people that didn’t like it). So all in all, the game is worth the $59.99. •

Danielle Moore

Staff Writer

Both of last year’s World Series contenders were out of the running after two surprising victories made against the New York Yankees and The Philadelphia Phillies. The San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers, teams that often fly under the radar, made a historic appearance in the 106th World Series Champion-ship. The Giants eventually came out on top with a 4-1 win, and scored their first Series since 1954. While both teams played well, the superb pitch-ing skills of the Giants is the reason behind what ultimately won the team their victory. Game One was a com-plete mess. Both teams made several errors throughout the game. However Rangers’ pitcher Cliff Lee gave away too many runs at the beginning, seven, making it difficult for the Rangers to catch up. Many of Lee’s pitches were wild, hitting the outside of the base too many times. While Giants’ pitcher Tim Lincecum didn’t fare much better, how-ever he was the major benefi-ciary to the offense. The Giants came out on top, winning the game 11-7. Game Two continued in San Francisco and to say the least, the Rangers didn’t do too well. The score was 1-0 Giants at the bottom of the fifth inning, and eventually San Francisco scored another run due to a walk in the seventh. By the eighth inning, Darren O’Day was sent in to relieve Texas pitcher CJ Wil-son. After two strike-outs, Giants rookie catcher Buster Posey singled up the middle, and subsequently O’Day was taken out and replaced by Derek Holland. Holland then walked both Nate Schierholtz and Cody Ross, loading the bases. He then walked Huff, who forced one RBI increasing the Giants lead to 3-0. After two

more pitchers relieved Holland, the Giants scored six more runs, only two earned, ending the game a 9-0. For game three in Texas, the Rangers fared a little better. Each RBI earned in this game was scored by homeruns. After a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth for the Rangers, Neftali Feliz was sent in and pitched a perfect ninth inning to secure the Rangers’ only victory. The fourth game continued in Texas and the Gi-

ants started with rookie-pitcher Madi-son Bumgarner against the Rangers’ Tommy Hunter. Bumgarner did a

spectacular job for San Francis-co, pitching eight shutout

innings and only al-lowing the Rangers to make three hits. Ultimately the Gi-ants made an im-

pressive win with four runs made Aubrey Hoff,

Buster Posey, and Andrés Torres. Game Five started with

the pitching match of Game one, Cliff Lee against Tim Lince-cum. The Rangers needed this

home win to survive in the series since they were already down two

games. The prospects looked good until after the sixth, with both pitchers shutting out hitters each inning. At the top of the seventh, Giants Cody Ross and Juan Uribe singled and made two base hits. After Lee struck out the next two hitters, Giants

shortstop Edgar Renteria became an unlikely hero af-ter hitting a home run, putting the Giants up 3-0. In the bottom of the seventh, Ranger Nelson Cruz scored a solo home run that cut the slump to 3-1. However Tim Lincecum ended the inning with two strikeouts. In the eighth inning, both pitchers ended with no gains. The Giants sent Brian Wilson in to relieve Tim Lince-cum who struckout Josh Hamilton, Vladmir Guerrero, and Nelson Cruz, ending the game. San Francisco made a spectacular triumph over the Rangers, making Texas the first team since 1966 to be almost completely shut out during the World Se-ries. •

“The San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers, teams that often fly under the radar, made a historic ap-pearance in the 106th World Series

Championship.”

7EntertainmentMonday, November 22, 2010 Vol. 35 Issue 3

Musical musings

On the cover of Man on the Moon II: the Legend of Mr. Rager, Kid Cudi is slouching over in a chair. Rightfully so, he’s been a slave to the recording studio for the past several months. It’s been a little over two years since the rapper’s hit Day’n’Night hit the main stream, and with this follow-up to the first Man on the Moon album, Cudi is proving that he’s back and original as ever. Dreams and nightmares were the focus of Cudi’s last album. However in his new one, he maintains his attention on the reality of those dreams and nightmares. Both of which probably pertain to the untimely death of his father and uncle, who both succumbed to cancer, and his major drug habit that he recently has claimed to beat. Throughout the album Kid Cudi is attempting to reach reason again, and Mr. Rager questions the fact of whether or not Kid Cudi has escaped his problems sane. The “lonely stoner” makes it clear that he’d rather follow the beat to his own drum than be the protégé of conventional hip-hop. Most of the album’s production line-up lies squarely on the shoulders of Kid Cudi favorites from the start of his career, Plain Pat and Emile. But fear not Kanye fans, the outspoken rapper is featured in the debut song, Erase Me. Unexpectedly, the song jumped to the top of the charts. And honestly, the fact that Kanye is in only one song is the biggest disappoint-ment. Man on the Moon II isn’t exactly the old Kid Cudi I was expecting, but the mix of hip hop and alternative gives his music a much more inter-esting sound. The physcadelic mix of background beats drains out over the words he raps in each and every song. “Mojo So Dope” and “All Along” are the best racks on the set list. “The End” is unfortunately a hint to what may make the Legend of Mr. Rager Kid Cudi’s last hip hop album for a long time. In recent interviews the rapper admitted that he no longer gets “that high” of rapping and now has a passion for singing, which he makes obvious in his guitar-driven debut single. • However Kid Cudi is known for his amazing style, so it’s certain that whatever he comes out with next will be great. •

From the moment the world heard Kanye West was coming out with his fifth studio album, the anticipation rose. And as singles for his album were released, the expectations started to climb. Kanye West has always been known to push the envelope with his albums, and his new album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is no different. With his last studio album, 808’s and Heartbreaks, he rose above the death of his mother and used his pain to inspire him, which is very similar to what he did for this album. He put his past behind him and took a break in Hawaii to get his act together and focus on the music, and it certainly helped. The first single for the album, “Power,” definitely set the tone for what was in store for the upcoming album. The single was without a doubt im-pressive and showed that Kanye was definitely back. It immediately rose to the top of the charts and some believed it was one of his best singles yet. The second single for the album “Runaway” was debuted at the 2010 VMAs. Following the single, a thirty-five minute music video/short film was released, which is included in the deluxe edition of the album. Like the album’s opening track “Dark Fantasy” and other great songs like “Devil in a New Dress,”, “Gorgeous” featuring Kid Cudi, and “Mon-ster,” which he collaborates with Jay-Z, Rick Ross, and Nicki Minaj. The short film and album closes with the song “Lost in the World,” which is probably one of the most beautiful songs on the album. And that’s not something you usually hear about songs in this genre, which shows how great of an artist Kanye West truly is. So should you go out and get Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? Well, I would highly recommend it. If you are a Kanye fan and have liked his past albums, then you will definitely love this one. And even if you aren’t a Kanye West fan, this album is very different in terms of sound which gives it a unique feel so it is very likable. It is a great album and it certainly breaks boundaries, but that is what you would expect from Kanye West. •

Taylor Swift claims her new album, Speak Now, is a musical diary of the past few years of her life, and it shows. Her past two albums, Fearless and her self-titled debut, Taylor Swift, have been wildly successful and embraced by the young demographic. Of course, she was young when she produced these albums, only 16 when Taylor Swift was released and 18 when Fearless came out. All of Taylor’s albums are characteristically autobiographical, and at the age of 20, this is the most adult album yet, with far less of the playful and youthful undertones. For those who were a fan of Taylor’s old music, this album will most likely come as a surprise. Swift has been straddling the fine line between country and pop for a while now, and it seems as if on this album she has finally decided to abandon the boots and hat. Only one track on the album, “Mean,” has even a vaguely country sound, which is good news for the those that wish Taylor would drop the “country girl” act already, but will upset those who enjoyed and respected the artist sticking to her roots. Of course, an overwhelming majority of the songs on Speak Now are about relationships, Swift’s favorite topic. These range from classic love songs to laments about relationships lost, along with Taylor’s charac-teristic angry revenge song (aptly titled “Better than Revenge”) and the catchy tune in which she begs some boy to leave the mean, evil girl he is with. On the last album, this was the widely played “You Belong with Me,” with the story set in high school; this time around, it’s the title track, “Speak Now,” the tale of a girl who barges in on a wedding and speaks her peace. Again, the distinct division between youth and adulthood is evident. Also included are some apologetic songs, a fairly new genre for the proud Swift. All of the songs on Speak Now are incredibly personal, and come straight from influences in Taylor’s life. They don’t have quite the univer-sal appeal of much of her older music, but then again, it is a much more honest look into the singer’s life, which many listeners may appreciate. •

Danielle Moore

Staff Writer

CD Title: Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. RagerArtist: Kid CudiGenre: Hip-HopPrice: $15.99

Our Rating:

“Not exactly like his first album, but his blend of hip-hop and alternative is something purely original. Kind of creepy, but something about his

words are profound.”

“It is a great album and it certainly breaks boundaries, but that is what you would expect from Kanye West.”

Tatyana White-Jenkins

Staff Writer

CD Title: My Beautiful Dark Twisted FantasyArtist: Kanye West Genre: Hip-Hop Price: $9.99

Our Rating:

“All of the songs on Speak Now are incredibly personal, and come straight from influences in Taylor’s life.”

CD Title: Speak NowArtist:Taylor Swift

Genre: Pop Price: 13.99

Our Rating:

Jessica Edington

Staff Writer

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8 SpotlightMonday, November 22, 2010 Vol. 35 Issue 3

Sports Star:Runs cross country and plays soccer with the Wisk Men’s Team. He is on the wrestling team, and will try out for the GHS

soccer team.

Future Plans:Wants to go to UVA, but unsure of what to major in. He may possibly have a focus in English or History. Pitchford does not

plan on being on any college sports teams.

Favorite Movies: Inception, Gangs in New York, Lost in Translation

Favorite foods:

Bread, Pasta, Starbursts, Apples, Raisins

Favorite TV Shows:Tosh.O, Fantasy Factory, Man v. Wild

Favorite Musicians:Inucubus, B.O.B., Death Cab for Cutie,

System of a Down

Compiled by Jordan CheresnowskyPhoto Credits: Google Images