The halls of St. James hold incredibly bright futures for their students. Of the many achievements and goals our school has met, there is something special to be said for one of the most dedicated group of hard workers on campus.

The St. James ROTC division is a devoted and impressive group of students working toward a common goal of respect and honor that can be gained through dedication and discipline.

The students involved in ROTC take part in many events throughout

the year. They hosted the Veterans’ Day Ceremony in November, while also participating in many events and drill competitions throughout the year.

It should come as no surprise that as the JROTC cadets striving toward their goals, they come back with numerous awards from these competitions.

These competitions prepare all the cadets for a possible future in the the branches of the United States military. After being trained by Colonel Cellucci and Sargeant Currie, these diehard students are ready for anything that will get thrown at them.

One of the most successful

groups within the JROTC program is the FANCY rifle division. The members practice drill routines to nail them to perfection. These impressive performances include skills that range from formation to presenting arms to working as a team.

The JROTC class is split up into three divisions by the blocks during the day. Among these divisions, the students have their own set of ranks in which they ascend as they become more trained and adept in their field of action.

This gives everything a sense of competitive sportsmanship and also an incredible amount of pride for students who excel and rise

above what’s expected of them.That’s exactly what ROTC

is about: setting and meeting expectations students have for themselves. These future leaders are in good hands here at St. James, learning everything they need for their futures in the military, college, or any walk of life.

The St. James JROTC program is wide-ranging and expansive. The group is constantly growing and reaching out to many other students. With a diverse range of programs to be involved in, there’s nothing to not like about ROTC. Around 250 students are involved in the program now, and more are expected to come along in

upcoming years.With such diversity, it makes

sense that so many students would want to join, especially considering nearly every week JROTC is winning something or receiving special recognition.

With a broad spectrum of awards displayed throughout our school and an impressive ropes course built for this year, it’s clear that JROTC is headed for even more success.

The St. James JROTC program is among the strongest in the state. Those students involved show excellent behavior and are a perfect example of the dedication students at St. James demonstrate on a daily basis.

FEATURES Miss St. James 2012, Josie Thompson, is seemingly involved in everything around school this year.

OPINION Driving can be infuriating, especially around inexperienced drivers trying to rush out of the parking lot.

ENTERTAINMENT The St. James Drama Department is preparing to present the musical “Hairspray” from March 22-24.

SPORTS After winning the 2011 state championship, St. James baseball will try to repeat this spring.

3

The Newspaper of St. James High School

March 2012

www.sharkattackonline.com

Murrells Inlet, South Carolinashark attack

St. James JROTC serves school and country

5 6 11

Josh Royce

online editorclass of 2012

Tuxedos, dresses, gowns, heels, nails, hair, spotlight, dancing, music, limo. What do these words all have in common? The 2012 St. James Prom, of course.

As all students know, prom is a night to let high school dreams come true. For the whole year, juniors and seniors have been waiting to dance the night away with classmates and friends. March 30 is the night you’ve been anticipating.

Mr. Phillip Armstrong puts in a tremendous amount of time to plan the prom every year. He helps organize, sell prom tickets, design the location, and much more.

His students help to sell prom tickets during lunches, starting in December. As the weeks go on, the price increases, so if you didn’t this year make sure next year you purchase your tickets early.

This year’s theme is “A Night of Elegance.” Everyone is anxious with anticipation about who’s going to ask whom and who’s going to wear what.

While chatting with sophomore Alyssa Robbins, she said, “I’m really excited about my first prom next year and going dress shopping with all my friends. I think my favorite part will be getting dressed up and fancy and it’ll be fun because you get to share that special moment with your friends.”

Although Alyssa is excited

and can’t wait for her first prom, some people don’t always have the “time of their lives” at prom.

Senior Carson Kriener said her experience at prom was nothing like she expected. “Well, I thought it was going to be better than it was. I spent a lot of money and it wasn’t worth it. The place was nice, but it was so small, and there were a lot of people there. It’s at the same place this year, which is why I’m not going.”

Even though Carson didn’t think prom was everything that it is cracked up to be, Carolanne Solis thought it was still fun. She said, “Although the theme wasn’t that great, and the place was small, they had awesome music and good food. It was fun, but it could’ve been better.”

When purchasing your

extravagant items for prom night, make sure you keep in mind that the dresses for the ladies must not show cleavage nor have body parts exposed that would be considered immodest. So basically, keep it classy.

And for the fellas, no baseball hats are to be worn. Now for the ladies and gentlemen, make sure that if you bring a guest, he or she must be in 9th grade or older, and no one over 21 years old may accompany you either.

And gentlemen, always remember that Shark Attack sponsor Formal Wear of Myrtle Beach offers $50 off their prices if you show them your school ID.

If you remember these few restrictions and tips, then your prom is sure to be a memorable one. Have fun and be safe!

Stephanie panoS

staff reporterclass of 2014

shark news2 March 2012

The “Xclusive” steppers entertain the crowd as they perform their routine at a varsity basketball game. Staff photos by Jake Wentz

You may have noticed them in the hallways, with their black jackets and blue writing. You may have seen them at pep rallies, or even at halftime of the varsity games. They’re “Xclusive,” but what does that mean? Who is this elusive Xclusive?

Xclusive is the St. James step team, and the students involved definitely represent their name. Xclusive steppers are a creation of unity among all demographics.

They believe that individuals should join together in order to support and encourage others academically, socially, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

The X in Xclusive symbolizes direction, force, power, the path-way of breath and the life force called the “heart line.”

Xclusive is a very positive team, and many of the students who are a part of it consider themselves as a, “big happy fam-ily that encourages each other to do what’s best.”

“Each step routine generates enthusiasm by using meaning-ful themes related to overcom-ing obstacles and making good choices in our daily lives,” said sponsor Mrs. Tiffany Vargo.

The step team hasn’t always been so Xclusive. In fact, this whole Xclusive concept is new. Although St. James has had a step team for a number of years, the group has only recently been given the title of Xclusive be-cause this name comes with the great, positive attitude they have stepped into.

Stepping their way right through St. James, they could be leaving as soon as they got here. Mrs. Vargo has been the spon-sor for four years but is stepping down from her sponsor position.

The team will be in search of a sponsor for the 2012-2013 school year. If you know someone who might be interested in taking over, please contact St. James Athletic Director Paula Lee.

“I feel that the step team has improved over the year, and I’m glad to be a part of it,” said senior captain Fabien Moody.

Maddy heavener

staff reporterclass of 2014

An ‘Xclusive’ report on the step team

Prom 2012: ‘A Night of Elegance’

Seniors Laiken Howard and Charlie Sabella dance the night away at last year’s prom. Staff photo by Wayne Huggins

Shark Attack is proud to be the leading high school journalism pro-gram in our county. However, we are always looking to improve on all as-pects of our publications.

Shark Attack is the only high school journalism program in the county with a daily TV broadcast,

and a student newspaper webpage with over 100,000 views, but we are not stopping there.

With the help of the student body, we hope to exceed our current achievements.

So your part of this is to give us feedback, positive or negative. All feedback is good for the purpose of learning.

In only two short years, Shark At-tack has more than tripled its output

of media to the St. James commu-nity, but we want to do even more.

We could not have to strengthen our publication if the student body did not demand new designs, mate-rial, and stroies.You have an opportunity to run

your writing in an issue of Shark At-tack, so put that pen to paper.

Send in letters to the editor and tell me what you would like to be covered, changed, or instituted.

In a crowded field of amazing participants, sophomore Josie Thompson has been crowned the 2012 Miss St. James.

“It feels great to be chosen out of all the beautiful and talented contestants,” said Josie, or as we should say for the next year, Miss St. James.

As a sophomore, Josie has great involvement in school as a varsity cheerleader, a dancer, a soccer player, and a member of the FCA club.

She feels St. James is a great school but doesn’t think others are able to express themselves like they should.

She encourages students who are

coming into high school to not be afraid to be themselves and to “let your light shine.”

Josie plans to spend her last two years of high school by becoming captain for the varsity cheerleaders, the lead in a play, and hopes to make a difference in others’ lives.

She has big plans for after graduation; she is planning to attend college in New York while majoring in theater, and she wants to make it to Broadway and eventually get married and have a big family.

When Josie is performing on stage, she sometimes fears that she will forget her routine, but hey, that’s everyone.

She has had some embarrassing moments, but didn’t want to mention them; instead she said, “I’ve said a lot

of stupid things I wish I never said.” Josie has recently begun collecting

sock monkeys. She has collected up to five.

Josie is like any other school-involved teen.

“Josie has always been a good friend of mine, and she is so talented. I was so excited when I saw her crowned Miss St. James,” said senior Cody Dean.

She has embarrassing moments, fears, happiness, and even a unique talent such as touching her nose with her tongue.

So there you have it, Josie Thompson, a cheerleader for our school, a soccer player, drama lover, and a student just trying to make a difference.

shark features 3sharkattackonline.com

Josie Thompson, the reigning Miss St. James, performs her talent at the pageant. Josie loves dancing for an audience and is both a dancer and a varsity St. James cheerleader. Photo courtesy of Kate Golden (Yearbook)

Thompson lets her light shineMary Elliott

tv editorclass of 2012

We want to hear from you!

Do you love us? Do you hate us?Tell us about it.

We print letters to the editor. Submit your thoughts in Room E-225 or e-mail them to jmoore004@horrycountyschools.net.

Send your letters to the editorJakE WEntz

editor in chiefclass of 2012

shark opinion 4 March 2012

It’s called cuffing season for a reason For those of you who don’t know,

cuffing season is the time of the year, typically when the weather gets cold, that males and females look for a mate to spend the long, cold winter with.

Most of these flings last until about a month or so after prom and end with the same mantra: “I want to be single for the summer.”

For seniors, their relationships are ended by an unavoidable subject: college.

It all seems like a bunch of mess to me. Why, as a senior, would you commit yourself to someone knowing you’re going away in the fall?

I realize that not all relationships

are doomed for failure just because you go to college in a different town, but your freshman year will just be that much more stressful, especially if you have a mate still in high school.

History teacher Tracina Schmaus said, “Relationships in high school are a good stepping stone, but most aren’t strong enough to survive college.”

College is a completely different world and you’ll be surrounded by entirely new people, so having a jealous, overbearing mate back at home will only add to the stress of your 8 a.m. classes.

While making the tough decision on where to go to college, seniors in a relationship will always have their significant other in the back of their mind.

Senior Jaime Bolduc said,

“Relationships shouldn’t affect your decision on where to go to college.”

Unfortunately not everyone is as wise as Jaime. I’ve heard of many people who aren’t going to their dream college because they don’t want to be far away from their beau.

Why would you put your dreams on hold because you want to sustain a relationship that probably won’t last past the first semester?

I realize it’s mildly cold outside and you want someone to cuddle with, but think realistically seniors; do you really want to deal with the sticky mess of a break up three weeks before you go to college?

Or spend extra time arguing with your boyfriend/girlfriend because you can’t come home every weekend?

Julianna natali

staff reporterclass of 2012

When pictures become too provacative

When I wake up in the morning and log onto Facebook, the first thing I see is a picture of a 14-year-old that could easily be published in Maxim Magazine.

Facebook is supposed to be used as a place for friends to communicate, not a place for teenagers to show off their “goods” to the entire social network.

What exactly is the reason for young girls to post inappropriate pictures? Seniors Morgan Conley and Erin Brown both believe, “The girls are just fishing for attention.” This seems to be a very popular response from both seniors and underclassmen.

Everyone has different views on how to classify a picture as being too “racy.” For instance, Freshman Andrea Garvey says, “When I see a girl taking bathing suit pictures in the middle of winter, I consider that to be a racy photo. Even though I think it makes the girls look easy, it doesn’t change my opinion of them because it’s their personal choice.”

When sophomore Jenny Breeden was asked what she thought about racy pictures she said, “It just shows that the girls taking them have no respect for themselves, they just look trashy and easy.”

It seems to me that everyone agrees that girls are downgrading themselves with the pictures they choose to post.

So why do it if you’re only making yourself seem classless?

Junior Tara Costello said, “It is unacceptable for girls to be posting pictures with too much exposed; all it does is make it look like they are seeking attention from guys.”

What girls fail to understand is that they’re getting negative attention when they post provocative pictures on the Internet. They’re not getting all those “likes” on their photos because they look absolutely amazing in them. They’re getting them because everything is hanging out.

Honestly, is that something you really want anyone on the social network to be able to see? Because in reality, we never really know who is creeping on our pictures.

Kelsey Friedman

staff reporterclass of 2012

shark opinion 5sharkattackonline.com

Jake Wentzeditor in chief

Matt Martelprint editor

Josh Royceonline editor

Kaylei Knappshowcase editor

Mary ElliotCody Dean

broadcast editors

Shelly Quintanabusiness manager

Gage DavisBryan Dean

Kelsey FriedmanMaddy HeavenerJohnny MatthiasJulianna Natali

Savannah PhillipsJacob WilsonJack Younanstaff writers

Jerry Moorefaculty sponsor

The Shark Attack staff attempts to inform and entertain the student body of St. James High School. All opinion columns reflect the opinion of the individual columnist. Letters to the editor, story ideas and advertising inquiries may be e-mailed to jmoore004@horrycountyschools.net. Letters must be signed to be considered for publication. The Shark Attack has the right to refuse advertising that is deemed inappropriate; advertisements do not necessarily reflect opinion of the staff.

The Official Newspaper of St. James High School

Volume VIII, Issue VMarch 2012

St. James High School10800 Highway 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

Contact: jmoore004@horrycountyschools.net

sharkattackonline.com

shark attack

Shelly Quintana

business managerclass of 2013

Note: This article is not directed to all seniors.

I have come to the conclusion that school isn’t hard work paying off any-more. It’s turning into people babying other students and helping them pass all of their classes.

I will just say it: the majority of the graduates are not really true gradu-ates. Granted there are the students who have worked hard from the be-ginning of their school years to reach this moment of achievement. The one paper (otherwise known as a di-ploma) they get to keep for the rest of their lives states something they have earned: they are high school gradu-ates.

But for others, this paper only means, “I slacked all four years to get this paper saying I finally graduated even though I don’t deserve it. Dang, I hope McDonalds is hiring.”

Walking into my English III class, I realized that not only were there juniors in that class but also return-ing seniors who had failed that class, too. My English three course was with Mrs. Andrea McKelvey.

Mrs. McKelvey doesn’t hand feed her students like many are used to.

She gives a challenge that makes it worth the grade you earn.

You would think that the seniors in that class would be eager to get that credit to pass them on to English IV, especially considering their diploma depends on it. Students usually are not allowed to take English IV w i t h o u t t a k i n g E ng l i sh III.

It is p r e t t y o b v i o u s that you need to pass the previous course to move on. From what I saw, which may or may not be the case in other classes, but with Mrs. McKelvey we are told, “If it is to be, it’s up to me.”

The quote itself means you work hard to earn your grades, “If it is to be…” If the grades are exactly what you were expecting, then it was up to you, and what you did to achieve them. “It’s up to me.” I liked this quote so much I asked Mrs. McKelvey why she had used it.

She said, “I gave my students this quote at the beginning of the school year to not only motivate them in my class but also in life. We must work hard for what we want in life. It’s not typically handed to us. I wanted them to know the feeling of working hard and tasting success at the end.”

It states the obvious when you read it thoroughly, and it’s also a great quote to

motivate you. In my class and many others, there were stu-dents who didn’t do anything be-

sides mess around and sleep in the whole 90

minutes they had to learn.

Many of them failed. Not to mention their first block,

which is 90 minutes, is often wasted on Apex, the online make-up classes. Many seniors who had failed were still on the sophomore classes. They end-ed up failing English III, so how were they still allowed to take English IV?

Why? I think it’s because everyone wants them to pass this year to gradu-ate. It seems pretty clear to me that

they don’t care about passing their classes if they failed again and again. The bigger question is, if they couldn’t do a simple research paper in English III, what makes you think they would do their actual senior project?

It’s not fair for the students who are not seniors trying to get into English IV early, but they can’t because people are wasting their time trying to put those failing kids in a class they don’t want to be in.

“If it is to be, it’s up to me,” goes the saying. It’s clearly not to be for them if they don’t care about their grades. Let the seniors who pass their classes move on to classes they deserve, but stop wasting time on the kids who are still in Apex in the mornings and failed even more classes their senior year.

Let them repeat this year and real-ize how badly they messed up. They deserve to graduate a year later than the rest of their class. It would teach them a valuable life lesson.

School is for people who care, and if someone doesn’t care about school or their future career, then why bother wasting time trying to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped?

It’s just not right to the seniors who passed everything on time. If you’re trying to graduate, kudos. You’re not a complete loser!

Kaylei Knapp

showcase editorclass of 2013

Teenagers always wonder why adults say they can’t drive. This is not for all of you teenage drivers but for most of you. You wonder why you all have such a bad reputation for the way you drive, but yet you still drive like idiots. If you don’t want a rep, prove those adults wrong.

Every morning on the way to school and leaving, I feel like some-one from this school is going to kill me with his or her vehicle.

For instance, the other day I was leaving school. I’m a senior, and I enjoy the fact that I can leave at 1:30. Well, the other day, I got the bejesus scared out of me by some idiotic driv-er leaving the school. Pulling out of the parking lot, she was already tail-gating me the entire way to the light on Salem Road about to turn left onto 707. When the light turned green, I

was in the process of going, and she laid on her horn. Like seriously? Are you in that much of a hurry?

Junior Tucker Davis said, “I think students are in such a hurry to get out of the parking lot every day to beat traffic, and yes, I think it’s safe.”

Well anyway, I continued on my way to Holmestown Road, hoping and praying that the idiotic driver would go straight while I was going right. Nope, she was also going right. Great. So I accelerated to 55 and put my cruise control on because the speed limit is 50, so I go about five over to try to make everyone on the road happy, but apparently not her. She was not at all pleased with me. I was already going five over and she had to at least be going 15 over. She sped around me and took off.

The humor I got out of all of this is was the fact that she beat me to a RED light on the end of Holmestown. I was going a safe but suitable speed, and we still made it to the same light.

Imagine that. She may have beaten me, but guess what, we still had to wait for the light to turn green, and I got the green left arrow first.

Of the top 25 causes of car acci-dents, according to http://seriousac-cidents.com, “Speeding is number two on the list, reckless driving is number four, teenage drivers are number eight, and tailgating is num-ber 14.”

U.S history teacher, Mrs. Amanda Donner said, “What people don’t re-alize is that what they’re driving is

basically a weapon. What people do need to realize is that by driving ir-responsibly, you put your life and ev-eryone else’s in danger.”

What do you get from driving like a bat out of hell? Maybe having your license revoked, or possibly even killing someone and going to jail for vehicular manslaughter. Whether you’re driving at the speed of 40 or 80 mph, it can still kill someone. Driv-ing a vehicle is a huge responsibility, so don’t put yourself, or everyone else on the road, in jeopardy.

Teenagers take their rage to the road

This spring, the St. James Drama Department will perform

the widely known adaption of Hairspray, a musical based off a film

from 1988. The proformance dates in the auditorium are March

22, 23, and 24 at 7 p.m.St. James will be the first high school to

perform it in this area. The

majority of the

cast includes the Musical Theatre group: Cody Dean, Matt Martel, Brittany Ficklin, and Chris Smith. Tryouts for Hairspray were held in February, and rehearsals soon followed.

Ms. Howard, director, had somewhat of a challenge bringing everything together.

“There’s a lot that goes into making a play. I had to pay for the royalties and scripts, assemble a cast, hire a choreographer, and constantly rehearse. It’s a lot,” she said.

Hairspray itself is a very demanding challenge for the Drama Department, which makes it that much more rewarding. Being the biggest production of the year,

it will be interesting to see how it all works out.

The original Broadway production of Hairspray

in 2003 received five Tony Award

n om i n at i ons and eight

w i n s ,

including Best Musical and Best Original Score. The play was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews.

The story of Hairspray is set in the 1960s during a time of racial discrimination in Baltimore, Maryland. The main character is the “pleasantly plump” Tracy Turnblad, an aspiring young girl who wishes to be a dancer on a widely popular (fictional) show known as The Corny Collins Show.

After first being denied a spot on the show because of her weight, she is taught some new dance moves by Seaweed J. Stubbs, an African American who already dances for the show. She later meets Corny Collins himself while attending the Sophomore Hop and, after showing him her newly acquired dance moves, gets a part on his show.

Later, in 2007, a film version was released starring John Travolta, Christopher Walken and Amanda Bynes. The movie, just like the theater production, was a success critically and commercially, earning over $200 million.

“The show is about a girl wanting to be a dancer, but as you get closer to the climax, you realize it’s much more about

the racial side of it,” said Ms. Howard. She hopes the moral of Hairspray will reach the audience and move

them to make a positive difference in the world.

shark entertainment6 March 2012

Johnny Matthias

staff reporterclass of 2012

Singing,Dancing,Hairspray

(Above) The bass and tenor sections of guys for Hairspray run through the finale number “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” Staff photos by Jake Wentz

(Left) The cast of Hairspray graces the stage as the choreographer works with musical patterns to map out phsical dance steps. (Above) The alto section of singers go over musical numbers with Ms. Howard. Staff photos by Jake Wentz

shark entertainment 7sharkattackonline.com

(Top left) Sophomore Josie Thompson is crowned Miss St. James and awarded her trophy by Miss St. James 2011, Emily Martel. (Top right) Miss St. James princesses (from left to right): Katelyn Funderburk, Mica Francis, Josie Thompson, Alexa Falvey, Macy Mikolajczyk. (Center) The contestants of Miss St. James pose at the end of the opening number, Fire-work by Katy Perry. (Bottom) Master of ceremonies Cody Dean and Jake Wentz interview Hannah Malony, Miss Society Hill. Staff photos by Jake Wentz

The Annual Miss St. James Pageant featured contestants from each class with a wide variety of talent. Some sang, some danced, and some even played instruments. However different, the one thing they all had in common was that they all wanted the title of 2012 Miss St. James.

There were 11 talented and beautiful girls who performed in the show, which was organized by Mrs. Beth Mitchell, Mrs. Janice McBride, and Mrs. Angela Howard.

After a great show with tremendous talent on display, sophomore Josie Thompson was crowned Miss St. James. Mica Francis was named most talented.

The Miss St James Pageant took place later this year then it has in the past. With only a couple weeks to spare, the pageant had to be rescheduled from Feb. 4 to Feb. 11. Even with the date change and relatively short time the girls had to practice for the show, by all accounts it was the best ever.

On the night of the show, the doors opened at 6 p.m., and tickets were sold at the door for $7. “Let Your Light Shine” was the theme this year. The theme was quite creative and allowed the participants to show their true selves when performing.

Junior Alexa Falvey performed her talent, dancing to the song “Fever” by Celine Dion.

“My goal this for this year’s pageant is to win Miss St. James,” said Alexa. “I also would like to

win Best Talent again this year.” Alexa, like all the girls, felt the

pressure this year because the competition was tight.

For the freshmen class, two girls competed: Kaitlyn Funderburk and Antoinette Wise. Kaitlyn sang a song for her talent, and Antoinette danced.

Sophomores this year were Mary Mikolajczyk and Thompson, who both performed a dance.

The junior class had the most participants. Claire Collins and Natalie Lance showed their talent by singing. Falvey performed a dance, and Brianna Barnes performed a monologue for her talent. Nelda Glaze played a song on the violin.

The senior girls this year for the pageant, Taylor Patry and Francis, both sang for their talent.

Stars shine atMiss St. JamesSavannah PhilliPS

staff reporterclass of 2014

shark humor8 March 2012

Did somebody say graduation? Because I think I heard you say that, St. James, and that’s good enough for me. Now, alas, graduation might, be a couple of trimesters away, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring it down to mama on the fourth. Mama knows best St. James, regardless of what your therapist/uncle may tell you.

Now, a day for the winner is the winner for a week. Gandalf said that, and he’s twice the accountant the Beibs would ever be. In other news, graduation is upon us. I know what you’re thinking, and yes Wayne, it is real Gucci.

The next phase in everyone’s mind is, simply put, “gonsta.” What is gonsta, you ask? Well, lemme lay down some law for you, Christina Apple-HATE, what throws around, slum dog millionaire, thrums back around. Zephyr mage, count to three: One! Two! Adventure!

Thanks to some strong prescribed medication, we’re back St. James, and better than ever. Harder hitting that is. Or not? Bazinga!

Graduation: Grad-U-Ation, Noun, Thou arth of thy graduating in thar sectra la graduate viva la vida riva con lar. Every year, over

200 students graduate from high school. That’s basically a fact.

St. James has seen its fair share of graduates over its many centuries, and there’s no telling how many quads will graduate in thar sectra this year.

The only problem, Veronica, is that there is none left, not one. That’s why we have to go find them, all of them. Every last one. But don’t fear St. James, they won’t find us. No matter how hard they try. We’re safe.

Seniors are all worried about graduation this year: the cap and gown, the ceremony, the diseases and, worst of all, senior project! It’s one sticky situation fo show, dawg. But with the help of several black market tools, we can un-sticky this problem. Don’t even get us started on the problem St. James …

The problem, St. James, is one terrible conundrum. To the skies! (Cuts to Concerto in A minor, scenes of the proud race of bird-folk, known only as the Kawww, circling the golden tower of Ran-tee.

Then, our Truckee hero, Jackson McLoud, emerges from the genesis vat. He stands against the fjords, spear in hand, the fluid dripping from his tassels. He looks up and whispers to himself, “Not today.”

McLoud is not one for theatrics thinks the elder fungus. But what does he know? Right St. James? He lost his kingdom to only a mere squant. Har, the ramifications!)

Graduation is upon us. What do

you think about that? Not too spicy I hope, because we only have an outhouse because indoor plumbing is too conformist because we’re hipsters here at St. James because that’s what’s in now. That’s why, because I can ride a bike with no handlebars because out of necessity as a child I was given no handlebars. Why you ask? Because.

Well Saint James, looks like you’re instigating, we’ll I swing with a 5/5, a 4/4, and a 4/4 flying. Alright, whose blocking it? Okay? Well I lighting bolt that joker. Now what? Oh Fog, reallll mature. I’ll just get you next turn. Doom blade that sucker. Jerk.

That brings us to our next … you know ... whatever. (McLoud plunged his spear into the heart of Malakar the fralid, spraying his glistening typhoid caliber essence all across his body.

McLoud panicked, even though he had successfully destroyed Malakar, the butcher of sanctity. He was now infected from the very fluids that purged from his now lifeless husk and had to find fresh water fast.

Upon cleansing his body from nightmare, he looked down at his hands and had a solemn, terrifying revelation: Malakar didn’t have his snakes.

Jackson McLoud slowly gazes up at the camera and says with barnacles pouring from his lips, “Jackson McLoud’s the name; graduation’s the game.”)

Graduation.

Johnny Matthias

staff reporterclass of 2012

Graduation for brosCody siberious dean

broadcast editorclass of 2012

http://theweek.com/article/index/224765/crossword-puzzle---march-2-2012

Crossword PuzzleJust do it above!

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The Shark girls basketball team waits for a rebound from a missed Cane Bay free throw. Staff photo by Mary Elliott

Sharks wrestling suffers bitter end to great season

shark sports10 March 2012

The St. James wrestling team, ranked No. 1 in AAA for the entire season, suffered a heartbreaking one-point loss in the lower state championship.

It was a tough pill to swallow, but what the Sharks wrestling team accomplished this season was amazing. They made it to the lower state finals for the second year in a row. And three Sharks won individual state championships.

Austin Brown won the state championship in the 220-pound weight class. John VanSlooten is the state champion in the 145-pound class for the 2nd year in a row. And Jaime Bulduc won the 132-pound championship.

Gregg Johnsen and Derek Rothermel were state runners-up in their weight classes. Sharks John Delbianco, Codi Rohermel, and Mason Elliott also turned in great performances this season.

“We worked really hard this year. I’m very proud of our team,” comments Senior John Delbianco.

At St. James the wrestling team

has gained quite a fan base, with the Frenzies and others filling up the student section for the few home matches they had.

“The wrestling fans at St. James are the best fans than any sport I’ve ever been a part of,” said senior Hunter Brandon.

With the fans on their side, the Sharks became the No.-1 AAA team in the state.

“It amazes me how the program has grown. I’m proud of my boys,” said senior Gregg Johnsen.

The team will be losing some key wrestlers next year, such as Jaime Bolduc, Gregg Johnsen, Mason Elliot, John Delbianco, Codi Rothermel, Derrick Rothermel, Nick Juretic, Hunter Brandon and Austin Brown.

The seniors played a big role these past couple of seasons leading St. James to their best finishes in its history. It will definitely will be a tough group to replace.

“This season we went to a lot of individual tournaments. I loved every team tournament and, of course, the van rides there with all the senior guys. We had great times this season,” said Senior Nick Juretic.

Jack Younan

staff reporterclass of 2012

Senior Hunter Brandon dominates his match on the mat. Staff photo by Jack Younan

Both St. James varsity basket-ball teams turned in impressive seasons, especially the girls, who set a school record for wins.

The Lady Sharks basketball team was phenomenal this year, with a regular season record of 20-4 and a region record of 9-1.

The Lady Sharks lost their only region game at home against Myrtle Beach, but that came af-ter defeating the Seahawks earlier in the year. The Lady Sharks also went out and beat the Socastee Braves 58-41.

Coach Stan Patterson was named region coach of the year after leading the Lady Sharks to their first 20 win season in school history.

Also the Lady Sharks won the region championship for the first time in school history, and they went farther into the playoffs than any other Lady Sharks team in the past.

Keyanna Rutlege and Stephanie Roberts were named, 1st-team

All Region. Monica Smalls was named 2nd-team, and Brianna Dickerson is on the 3rd team.

Senior Stephanie Roberts led the team with 13 points, 9 re-bounds, and 3 blocks per game.

Stephanie was a dominating force on the team, and another player that was tremendous on defense was Monica. Monica only averaged 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks per game

The Lady Sharks won their first-round playoff game at home against Cane Bay high school 49-22. Then they lost a tough sec-ond-round gameagainst Lower Richland 57-49.

Congratulate the Lady Sharks on an awesome season, and the best season in school history.

The boys finished with a regu-lar season record of 11-10 and a region record of 6-4. The Sharks played Lake Marion in the first round of the playoffs but lost 74-53. The Sharks had a good team and made a good run against an awesome opponent but couldn’t pull out a win.

Last year, the Sharks went to the second round of the playoffs

and lost to Darlington by just a few points. But the Sharks are not a team to back down and give up. They are going to keep fighting and keep giving their all.

Last year, coach Monty Carr was named the region coach of the year. This year, the Sharks had an up-and-down season but did well to again qualify for the playoffs.

The Sharks were led by junior Caleb Duggan, who played great this year, averaging 20 points, 3 assists and 5 rebounds per game. Caleb has already scored 410 points for the Sharks. Caleb was named 1st-team All Region.

This season another power-house for the Sharks was senior J.C. Cavin. J.C. has done awesome in his high school career in the Shark Tank. Earlier in the year, J.C. was recognized for reaching 1,000 career points at St. James.

J.C., in his final year as a Shark, averaged 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. J.C. was named 2nd-team All Region.

“It was an awesome season, and we had a good run at it, but it ended too soon.”

GaGe Davis

staff reporterclass of 2013

St. James basketball teams make playoff runs

As spring sports get underway, excitement and great expectations are found of the new tennis season and what the team can accomplish. Team members have already begun to practice and reshape their technique for the best possible season.

Even though many players from last year’s team have graduated, this year’s team is sure to be a hit. Their first match is at home on March 6 against Waccamaw.

As the opening game of the season draws near, the tennis team holds afterschool practices to sharpen their technique and

strategy. “Hard work beats talent if

talent doesn’t work hard,” said coach Lee Cannon. Many of the tennis players are newcomers but are hardworking and dedicated to the game.

This new tennis season offers the chance to rebuild the team with an all new head coach and brand new faces to freshen up the roster. The competition will be fierce and exciting.

So many new players have come forth this season, bringing a new kind of energy that is vital in order to obtain victory. With this drive and constant practicing, this season should be a success.

“This season should be fun. We have a lot of beginners but

it will be a new experience for everyone,” said Critt Gore. Having an attitude like this will definitely create a positive and fun environment.

One way the tennis team really finds there top seven players is by holding challenge matches and raising the bar of competition. This can create a fun, competitive environment among the teammates and simulates actual matches.

Conditioning also prepares the team physically and mentally for the constant running and physical toll of playing tennis matches. With the training and new addition to the tennis team, this season will be one to remember.

shark sports 11sharkattackonline.com

It’s baseball season, St. James. The varsity baseball team, last year’s state champions, are back for another run at the title.

Expectations are high after winning the AAA state champi-onship. However, how the team handles those high expectations will determine whether the Sharks will become back-to-back state champs.

There are a lot of new players on the team this year, due to sev-eral seniors graduating last year, such as Tanner English and Carl

Buddin. With so many new fac-es, people may wonder, does this team have it in them to win their third consecutive state champion-ship?

When I asked if he thought they had the talent to win the state championship, senior Trey Merritt said “I think we do. There are a lot of new guys, but once we get ev-eryone on the same page, we can beat anybody out there.”

It’s the seniors like Trey that will provide the leadership need-ed for another strong playoff run. This team is still confident and excited for the season. Leadership will also come from a constant in the Sharks’ dugout, coach Robbie

Centracchio. When asked if this team could

win states this year, Coach Cen-tracchio remained confident.

“Obviously, we have a lot of new guys this year, so it will be differ-ent from last year,” he said. “But I think this team can play just as well as last year’s team. I’m confi-dent in the guys we have this year, and I think we’ll be just fine.”

With leadership of that quality coming from the coach, this team will play up to Coach Centrac-chio’s expectations. No one knows this team better than Coach C, and if he thinks they can win the state championship, then everybody at St. James should be a believer.

Sharks look to repeat as state champs

Bryan Dean

staff reporterclass of 2012

Matt Martel

newspaper editorclass of 2012

(left) The tennis team stretches before a tough practice. (above) Junior Kyle Burkhart volleys with a teammate during practice. Staff photos by Bryan Dean

St. James boys’ tennis causes a racket

photo frenzy12 March 2012

The St. James Drama Department produced the winter comedy “Dearly Departed” in Febuaury. The show featured a veteran cast including names as Cody Dean, Chris Smith, Robyn Sackett, Brittney Ficklan, Joey Chucchi and Claire Collins. “Dearly Departed” is the story of a modern southern family that experiences the death of the paternal figure, Bud. In an effort to get ready for the funeral, the drama delves into the lives of fizzled out southern belles, hard working redneck men, and the daily problems they encounter. Photos by Bryan Dean, photo story by Jake Wentz

Dearly DepartedThe St. James Drama Department presents