Volume 32, Issue 8 May 2nd, 2016

In thisIssue A letter from the

principal

Page Senior class looking back

Page

7Page Page

Roswell’s senior athletes

Page5 Words of wis-dom from alumni

84

Freshman vs. Senior year 2

16Photo Credits: Harriet Thompson, Kimoni Leak, Abigail Johanson, Elizabeth McDonnell, Sara Mahdavi, Nick Pizzuto, Katy Plant

News

[ ]News 2

The Sting

Senior class looking backby Anna Zeigler The class of 2016 has witnessed over a decade of cultural chang-es throughout their childhood. Here’s a list of historical and cul-tural milestones that shaped the nation in 2004, while the Seniors were still learning their ABC’s:• Teenagers laughed and cried alongside Cady Heron as she navigated the chaos of high school in “Mean Girls”.• “Spirit”, a NASA Mars Rover lands safely on Mars.• Ron Burgundy debuted as San Diego’s classist news an-chor in the original “Anchorman”.• The Statue of Lib-erty reopened after the Sep-tember 11th terrorist attacks. • Nintendo released the iPod Nano and handheld DS, and the Razr cell phone peaked in popularity. • Jimmy Fallon said good-bye to his spot on “Saturday Night Live”, followed by a de-but on “The Tonight Show”.• The Democratic National Convention nominated John Kerry for president and John Edwards for

Vice President; President Obama delivered the keynote speech.• Disney/Pixar’s “The In-credibles” was released and re-ceived two Academy Awards.• Harvard students gained the first access to Facebook, created by Mark Zuckerberg and friends.• “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” wins a record-breaking 11 Oscars at the 76th Academy Awards.• George W. Bush was elected to a second term of presi-dency, defeating John Kerry. • 52 million people gath-ered to watch the “Friends” fi-nale, arguably one of the most popular TV shows of the decade.

Feel old yet?

by Cami Schiappa

by Dani Carmody and Ellie Brill

Photo credit: www.popsugar.comThe cast of mean girls.

by McKenzie Glaze

UGA

KSU GC

GIT

UA

AUB

UM

USC

GSU

FSU

UGA

KSU

GITUNG

GPC

GSU

GA St.

UA

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Lifestyle

Lifestyle[ 3 ]

The Sting

New dorm room: tips and tricksby Gabrielle DuChateau When you’re starting school at a big open campus, it can be in-timidating, and you need a cozy space to call yours; just go to your dorm! You will need a few things to keep your dorm functional for doing school work, but still a fun and friendly place you can chill with your friends. For the design and look of your room, you will probably want to get things to match your style. For instance, find cute comforters in a color or pattern you like, but be-fore you buy anything make sure you know what size bed you’ll be sleeping in so you can get the cor-rect size. DO NOT forget a mat-tress pad because most beds in dorms are not the most comfort-able. You don’t want to wake up for your first day with back pains! You can also hang lights around your room (ask your roommate first) for a cool look and extra

lighting. Hang pictures on your wall of you and your friends, but leave space because you will most likely meet new people and have new pictures to frame. Something you will need but not realize is a shower caddy. Most freshman dorms don’t have bathrooms connected to the room; it will most likely be down the hall to share with the rest of the floor. A shower caddy is a plastic bin full of all your shower necessities like: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, a loofah, razor, etc. Also, don’t forget a towel on your way to the shower if it’s down the hall. You won’t want to wake up late for your classes and get behind so invest in an alarm clock to keep yourself punctual. Tip: set your clock across the room so you have

to get up in the morning to turn it off rather than being half asleep

and throwing your arm around hoping you hit the button turn it off. Keep in mind you will prob-ably have to walk from building to building on campus, so have an umbrella handy incase it starts to drizzle. Something that will be major must have is a nice, sturdy, func-tional desk. You will need this for studying, and doing homework. Have a cup full of pens and pencils on your desk so you have quick ac-cess. Also, you will save yourself so much stress and time if you try and keep your working areas orga-nized. Do what you need to do to keep yourself organized whether it be color coded or anything that makes sense to you. The biggest and most important advice I can give you is to do what works for you and don’t get frus-trated with trial and error.

Senior scooters: get yours today!! Feeling a little stiff? Are your overworked limbs fatigued? Has your age finally caught up to you? If you answered yes to any of these questions, here is a solution for you! These stylish three wheeled power scooters are perfect for get-ting around the house, taking a stroll down the street, or making a trip to a neighbors house. We have a scooter that’s right for YOU. We offer four scooter personali-ties: The Jock, The Plain Jane, The Double Trouble or The Outdoors-man. Call us at (800) 888-8888 for more information or to set up an appointment for a test drive.

by Lindsay Boyle

The Double TroublePhoto credit: http://dailym.ai/1GP9GRh

The Plain JanePhoto credit: http://bit.ly/1Sf5wtx

The OutdoorsmanPhoto credit: http://bit.ly/1Qc8E4P

The JockPhoto credit http://bit.ly/1VuwgKw

Here’s to taking the L: Top 10 best excuses for be-ing late to classby Alyssa Howard and Amanda Shadmani With graduation just around the corner, Senioritis spreads like wildfire and affects every Senior daily. So as the increase in tardiness begins, here are some easy excus-es you may or may not get away with using. Good luck, seniors.

1. I set my alarm for p.m. instead of a.m.

2. The line at Starbucks was too long.

3. I couldn’t find my other shoe.

4. I hate my first period class.

5. My car wouldn’t start.

6. My dog ate my homework and I had to wait for it to come out the other end.

7. I was finishing a project due today.

8. I forgot everything that was supposed to be on the test.

9. It’s my mom’s fault, I swear.

10. My car doesn’t like the cold.

Staff member Kasey Cwalina waking up on staff couch.Photo credit: Gabrielle DuChateau

The Sting | Lifestyle | May. 2, 2016

[ ]Lifestyle 4

High school graduation is the day you look forward to from the moment you begin kinder-garten, and the day your par-ents dread all throughout your childhood. After a brief summer full of goodbyes, bonfires, road trips, and heart-to-hearts comes your first day of college, a new job, the military, an internship, or even a gap year. There's no way to get around the uncertain-ty of this new phase you're about to enter; leaving is never easy, and starting over always comes with challenges, especially if you're away from home. As a junior, I have not experienced this transition yet, but I've talked to some seniors who are about to, and I've talked to some college students who have. Here's what you can expect:

Izzey DeCarlo, Senior: "It is surreal to be graduating in just seven short, but very cha-otic weeks. I have grown up in Roswell my whole life, so it is rather exciting to have the op-portunity to experience some-thing new at college. I am not thrilled about moving away from very sweet friends, some of who I have known since kindergarten. Despite this, we are all eagerly anticipat-ing walking across that stage, throwing our caps, and walk-ing into our next adventures." Tanner Nardone, Senior: "The thought of going off to college makes me feel this awk-ward mix of nervousness and excitement because I'm pretty much leaving behind the first 18 years of my life, while starting

what will probably be the most important stage of my life." Grace Hubby, Freshman at UGA: The transition from high school to college is messy, transformative, and beautiful. Transitioning to college is a process that is different for ev-eryone. For me, it was easy, but that is not typical. It can be a re-ally hard and emotionally trying experience, but my best advice is this: roll with the punches. Let yourself change and be open to whatever may come your way. Hang out with peo-ple who make you happy, and don't hang out with people who don't... Go out of your comfort zone, and most importantly, get out of your high school bubble!

Alex Wilhelm, Freshman at UNG Oconee: "College is so weird. You're on your own for the first time, and that can be a little scary. You learn to appre-ciate your mom's cooking 1,000 times more than you ever have before, and you have to relearn how to make friends. It becomes very tempting to skip your morn-ing classes... don't do it!! Coffee becomes your best friend, and life starts to move faster than ever. Learning becomes fun, and the memories you make are ones that will last a lifetime. College has been a wonderfully chaotic experience for me so far, and I'm loving it. Seniors, it is so important that you never forget who you are and where you came from. I can't wait to see where life takes all of you!"

From high school to college: messy but beautifulby Kayden Cann

Daily life of a senior What does a senior do every day? What are their jobs? Do they have plans that are more important than ours? So many questions, and they can only be solved by one answer.What does a senior do in his/her school time? “Work. We just work and [do] not rest until it’s finished,” Senior Ronald Me-drano said. Obviously they also go to class, work, and talk with their friends when they get the chance. They just do what we do Seniors have to apply for college. They have to work a lot more. They have to get good grades for a better col-lege. And yes, out of all the things they do, their main prior-ity is to graduate and get a job.Seniors also do different ac-tivities than freshmen, sopho-mores, and juniors do. For ex-ample, seniors are the top in priority to colleges and jobs. They’re basically focused dur-ing sport activities. So, that’s what seniors do in school days.

by Fernando Castillo by Ayla Gray

Freshman vs. Senior Year

The routine of an average high school student tends to differ among grades, but ev-eryone has one common goal: make it to school on time and be prepared for the day ahead. So, what exactly do they do to make sure that happens? Many freshmen weighted their bags to be eight to ten pounds, and Freshman Ar-mita Safaie even went so far as to guess that her bag is 12 pounds. The seniors said that their bags were light, Senior Darius Brown said, “My bag is super light. Even a little freshman could handle it!” How hard does the aver-age student try when they get ready in the morning? Senior Jazmyne Thompson said, “I like to try to look presentable, but on Mondays you’ll find me in sweats and a hoodie.” Freshman Orhan Eribac said, “I don’t really try that hard, but I guess it could be easier for guys to get ready for school.”

by Jewel Bass

Roswell High School 11595 King Road, Roswell, Ga. 30075 (770) 552-4500 The Sting

Opinion

Sting Staff 2015-2016Gabrielle DuChateau | Human Re-sources Director, Lifestyle EditorKayden Cann | Communications Direc-tor, Copy EditorNikki Cunningham | Publicity Manager

Sean Sweeney | Deputy Publicity Man-ager and Senior Page EditorAlyssa Howard | Business Director, Fundraising Manager, and Feature Edi-torMcKenzie Glaze | Deputy Business

Sting Staff 2015-2016Nolan Michael | Staff WriterMegan Volpert | Staff Advisor

Erica Maybaum-Editor in Chief

Email us at stingstaff@gmail.com or tweet us @theroswellsting

Opinion [ 51

Tell us what you think!

Director, Front Page Editor, Ad Sales ManagerKasey Cwalina | News EditorLindsay Boyle | Sports EditorKayla Avila | Opinion EditorAmanda Shadmani | Feature Editor

A letter from the Principal Dear RHS Class of 2016, It is with much happiness that I congratulate you for reaching this milestone in your lives. In a few short weeks, many of you will begin your adult journey -- col-lege, military, technical college or starting your career -- but it will be a journey that you will enjoy because I feel that Roswell High was your first instructor. I hope you feel that your teach-ers, counselors, coaches and ad-ministrators have prepared you for your next step in life. I am so ex-cited for you because I know that I will hear great things that you will accomplish. I’m so proud that you have studied hard, and some-times played hard, but it will all be worth it as you receive your diplo-ma on May 26, 2016. Make sure that you thank those who have helped you along the way; they

deserve your praise and apprecia-tion as you did not do this alone. So, no matter where you go from this point, know that Ro-swell High School will always play an important role in your life. Remember the friends you have made along the way. Remember the memories that were created as you walked the halls of this won-derful school. Remember to rely on those memories when times get difficult, and believe me, they will. It’s comforting to know that you had a building full of people who cared and nurtured you for four years. We will always be here no matter where you go and no matter what you do in life. Congratulations, Class of 2016, and remember: once a Hornet, always a Hornet!

Sincerely, Jerome Huff

Seniors share knowledgeby Lindsay Boyle Photo credit: Nikki Cunningham As the seniors prepare to embark on their journey, whether it be col-lege, a gap year, or a job, they be-gin to look back on their four years at Roswell and think about the experienc-es and mistakes they have made and maybe learned from along the way. Since they have a few years on the fresh-man and sophomores, they agreed to help out and share some advice about surviv-ing high school. Meghan Kelly decided to shed some light in the friendship category. She said, “Breaking up with your best friend is just as painful as breaking up with a boyfriend.” Friends are your main support system in high school. Make sure to pick them well and stick with them through thick and

thin. Respect and cherish them. Chris Heilmann said, “En-joy your senior year, but don’t let senioritis knock you out.”

Stay motivated and keep your goals and dreams in sight. Kiana Wolf said, “Take every opportu-nity that comes your way and make the most of it. Also en-joy it while it lasts because time flies.” Taking chances and

making mem-ories is an important part of anyone’s

high school experience. Have fun! To all the underclassmen at Roswell, take this advice and buckle up, it might be a bumpy ride. Hopefully the wise words from these seniors can help make the road a little less rough.

Meme of the month by Isabelle Williams Photo credits: Nia Smith and Isabelle Williams

Kiana Wolf a friendly advice giver.

Feature

Feature [6]

The Sting

Types of people you’ll meet in college

People who are late to class People who are still in the library at 4 o’clock a.m.

People who constantly eat during class

People who forget to turn off their phones

People who are always plugged in

Photo credit: Elizabeth Chan

Started from the bottom now we’re here: senior “glo-ups”

Photo credits: Kevin Luong, Sophie Goguichvili, Evie Chilton, Cam Whiteman via instagram

Evie Chilton Cam Whiteman Sophie Goguichvili Kevin Luong

by Alyssa Howard and Nikki Cunningham

People that join every club

by Elizabeth Chan

The Sting | Feature| May. 2, 2016

Feature[ ] 7

After many years of hard work and dedication to Roswell, some teachers have decided to retire. Three of those teachers are Major Weiss, Ms. Norman, and Mr. An-derson. Since 2006, Major Weiss has been a JROTC leader, a JV basketball coach, Rifle coach, and leader of multiple other JROTC re-lated activities. Sophomore Cielo Castro, JROTC Executive Officer and rising Pantaloon Commander, said, “As soon as I joined JROTC Major Weiss saw something in me and told me I was going to be in a leadership position. He helped me get there and also helped me become more open. Not only is he a teacher to me, he is a friend.” Although all of his students are slower than pond water, his impact on them has been unbelievable. Another departure from Ro-swell is Ms. Norman, an English teacher. She has been teaching since 2007, but has been at Ro-swell since 2011. Ms. Norman’s plan for after her retirement is to go to Candler School of Theology

Each year, masses of underclass-men crowd the halls of many high schools. At one time or another, most experience the overwhelm-ing awe of not only being new to a high school, but also meeting the seniors who share those same halls. As the graduating class prepares to leave, their schoolmates and friends often view the approaching milestone with mixed emotions. In some form, every freshman or sophomore admire those who will soon graduate if not for their other accomplishments, but for simply completing 14 years of school. The underclassmen look at the se-niors with an almost wistful glance. They see them as people who will soon leave and step into the "real world" and the freedom it holds. Many freshmen and sophomores admit that seniors taught them many things about high school ,but among those are friendships and other bonds formed between them. If the graduating senior is anything from a neighbor to a sib-ling of the underclassmen, there

College students return to Georgia Tech after Spring Break. Being a freshman in college can be daunting when you are sud-denly faced with new challenges

like learning how to be indepen-dent, and meeting faces you don’t recognize – all while maintaining good grades. Although college may seem intimidating at first, it is brimming with opportunities which will allow you to pursue a career you desire. Below is ad-

Hornets leaving the nestby Katie Roth

and she is going to get her Mas-ters of Divinity to be officially recognized as a minister in the Methodist Church. Ms. Norman’s legacy is in her ability to let stu-dents be who they are and want to be in her class and let them have a safe haven within the school. The school is also losing another valuable staff member, Mr. Ander-son. He is a World History teacher and has been teaching for 31 years, 3 of which have been at Roswell. After leaving Roswell, Mr. Ander-son plans on traveling,;he wants to see where the history he taught took place. Mr. Anderson said, “I want my students to remember that I introduced them to new ideas and facts that came to have mean-ing to them later in their lives.” Mr. Anderson wants to make a lasting impact in students’ lives. All of these teachers have had a huge impact on the school and student body; on behalf of the student body: good luck on all your future endeavors.

Words of wisdom from alumni who stayed in-state vice from current college students or college graduates with tips on how to stay on track with grades but have an enjoyable college ex-perience at the same time! “Col-

lege is a fresh start. You can ex-press yourself in ways that you weren’t confident enough to in high school, so do it, and don’t slack off! Every semester matters, so give it your best from the get go.” - Abdullah Darvesh, Georgia State.“Be unconventional; know-

ingly take some risks and be proud of the circumstances your deci-sions lead you to.” - Caroline Wu, Georgia Tech. “Connect with your professors outside of lectures;

email them, visit during office hours, stay after class to talk, etc., because it’ll show them that you care about their class, and they may be able to help you out in rough times!” - Steffanny Marcel-lina, Kennesaw State. “Sign up or apply for any club, event, or team

by Elizabeth Chanthat even remotely sounds inter-esting - you never know what you might fall in love with!” - Claire Chan, Georgia Tech. “Don’t be afraid to try something at least once.” - Runiya “Juni” Dasgupta, University of Georgia. “Don’t push yourself to plan for all con-tingencies… Just relax and have fun.” - Mohammed Saqib, Geor-gia Tech. “Take advantage of the possibilities you’re provided in college to really make the experi-ence to be your own - put yourself out there to meet new people, join clubs, talk to professors, network with people you never imagined you’d talk to, score internships or research positions, etc. - and of course, don’t forget to balance schoolwork first as everything else falls in line after that.” - Kevin Nguyen, Georgia Tech.“There’s a lot of opportunities at college and it’s definitely great to take advantage of all of them, but you have to learn to be efficient and budget your time well. That’s the best way to maximize your col-lege years.” - Ramya Prabakhar

Freshmen say farewellare somethings they will miss, “I will miss the seniors because they are my rides everywhere since I can't drive. My true ride or die,” says Freshman Kaelyn Roberts. Whether or not you were driven to school by a senior, you will still have a missing part in your daily school routine next year and a missing friend to confide in. “I will miss my senior friends next year” said Sophmore Wendy Whitfield. Relationships between the classes are a valuebale part of high school. These Sophomore Maryelle Michael said, “Thanks to all the seniors for helping me pave my way through high school and helping me learn the ropes.” No matter the feelings you have about the seniors: sad, ex-cited, or indifferent, all under-classmen would want to say thank you and good luck. Even though the Class of 2016 is leaving, we are all connected through this school we were able to call home at some point together. Good luck!

by Katie Roth and Nia Smith

Photo credit: Claire Chan College students return to school after spring break

Sports

Sports [ 8 ]

The Sting

Roswell’s senior athletes receive the spotlight by Sean Sweeney and Nolan MichaelMatt Gonda- Matt is a senior guard on the boys’ varsity basketball team who has had a solid season alongside Nick Pizzuto and Josh Sanders. He recently committed to play bas-ketball at Birmingham-Southern. "Playing at Roswell the last four years has been the best time of my life! I'm very excited to be play-ing college basketball at Birming-ham-Southern, and I cannot wait for what it brings to my future!"

Katherine Gough- Katherine is a senior guard on the girls varsity basketball team who has put up big numbers and had a stellar season.. She will be attend-ing the University of Tennessee to be a Volunteer. "I'm really sad that I will be leaving Roswell in the near future, but fortunately, I made a lot of good friends and have had a lot of great memories here. I will nev-er forget playing basketball on the Roswell court with the great girls that accompanied me on my team."

T

Tyson Spears-

Tyson is a senior track and field star who has had an almost un-real season with help from Sopho-more Aaron Goodwin. He is also a USATF All-American and on top of this, he still obtains Roswell's school record for longest long jump at 22 feet, 6 inches. Without his long jump record, Tyson still attains many unbelievable stats including a 100m of 10.42 sec-onds and a triple jump of 42 feet-8 inches. He is newly committed to Georgia Tech. “I feel like play-ing at Roswell was a really great

experience for me. We have a really supportive community for all sports and I've re-ally enjoyed and ap-preciated everything the fans and school have done for me. We have everything we need to stay as one of the best athletic and academic schools in Georgia. I'm really excited about running at the collegiate level and I plan on taking full advantage on all the opportunities it has to offer!”

Jack Koulokas- Jack is a senior slugger who pri-marily plays in the outfield on the varsity baseball team who

will be attending Georgia Col-lege and State University. "I will not be playing baseball at the col-legiate level due to the fact that I

want to focus more on academics. Nevertheless, the last four years have taught me a ton about not just baseball, but my relationships. The team chemistry and bonding that goes on will stick with me throughout the rest of my life." Jack Piggot- Jack is a senior who plays the middle position on the varsity la-crosse team and is a proud win-ner of back-to-back state titles. He recently committed to play lacrosse at the collegiate level at Lynchburg College in Virginia. "It has been an amazing experi-ence playing for Roswell the past four years! Being part of back-to-

back state championship teams is something that I will remem-ber for the rest of my life. I am very excited to be able to play at Lynchburg College for the next four years as they have a great pro-gram up there. I can't wait for it!" Austin Steen- Austin is a senior who plays the de-fensive-mid position on the varsity soccer team. He has recently com-mitted to play soccer at Fresno-Pa-cific University in Fresno, Califor-nia. "It has truly been an amazing experience here at Roswell the past

four years! From being cut freshman year to being a starter on varsity last year as a junior and of course this year. There is no comparison to playing an extreme-ly competitive game under the lights. Playing for Roswell brought out

a passion for the game unattain-able from any other. It is truly an incredible feeling of coming from being cut from the team to getting a full ride to play in college. Over-all, I am very excited for the road ahead of me and working hard academically and athletically!”Photo credit: http://maxpreps.comhttp://roswellbaseball.org