- Stafford High School

The
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2008
GOOD
STUFF
moke
ignal
33 Stafford Indian Lane, Falmouth, VA 22405 www.shssmokesignal.com
Volume 64, Issue 6
VALENTINE’S D
AY IS FOR
DA
Y,
ROSES,
C
AND
CAND
ANDY
Relationships
LO
VE,
LOVE,
Photo by Jessica Byrd
Dexter McDougle signs his intent letter with varsity football head coach Chad Lewis watching.
Wide Receiver McDougle
signs letter for Maryland
By Julian Rivas
Staff Writer
In recent years the Indians athletic program has
seen a surge in the number of student athletes that
have committed to major division one football
schools. Former Indians Jake Johnson (Virginia Tech)
and Torrey Smith (University of Maryland) are some
of the few Indians that have gone to play at division
one schools over the last two years. Senior athlete
Teac
her
eacher
rescued from
burning home
By Dawnthea Price
Copy Editor
Theresa Storke, Literacy
Resource
teacher
and
former English teacher, was
hospitalized for smoke inhalation following a house
fire.
On Sunday, Jan. 11, a fire
began in an electrical outlet in Storke’s basement.
The fire burned up through
the floor into the living room
beneath her bedroom.
Her smoke detector
went off, but she originally
thought it was her alarm
clock, signaling the start of
another day. Storke awoke to
find that she couldn’t
breathe.
A call to 911 at about
10:37 p.m. led to the Bowling Green Volunteer Fire Department being alerted to
the fire. Chief Brad Thomas
and Engine 1 (driven by Captain Roger Kennedy) from the
BGVFD were the first ones
on the scene five minutes
after receiving the call.
Storke had since attempted to move to the window in her bedroom on the
second floor of the house,
but was only able to stick her
hands out of the window
before a dresser fell on top
of her legs.
After being freed by the
crew from Engine 1, Storke
was given oxygen and transferred to Mary Washington
Hospital’s Intensive Care
Unit for treatment. She was
released a day later, and celebrated her birthday the following Tuesday. Storke said
she was glad to have made
it.
Index
Entertainment. . . . 2-5
Fashion. . . . . . . . . . .16
Feature. . . . 8, 9, 12-13
News. . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Opinion. . . . . . . . . . 15
Sports.. . . . . . . . . . .8-9
Student Life. . . . . . 6-7
& KISSES
see pages 8 & 16
Class of 2013
previews SHS
Eighth graders were
able to preview classes that
they will be eligible to take
next year. The members of
the future Class of 2013,
along with their parents,
talked to teachers and current SHS students about the
different courses offered on
Monday, Feb. 2.
Both teachers and students from the different departments, athletic teams,
and schoolwide organizations represented their
peers and answered questions that the future freshman and their parents had.
See P
P.. 12-13
Dexter McDougle has raised the bar academically and
athletically for all SHS athletes.
On Feb. 4, McDougle signed his letter of intent to
play football at the University of Maryland. McDougle
was not highly scouted due to injury his junior year.
But with help form former Indian’s football standout
Torrey Smith and an eight minute highlight reel of his
senior year, McDougle jumped on the scouting scene
quickly. Espn.com reported McDougle as “one of the
Fees vvar
ar
aryy among local high schools
By Nina Gonzalez
Staff Writer
Amidst the endless collection
of fees and dues throughout the
year, none hold more important
than those at the beginning of the
second semester.
“Dues and fees are kind of
frustrating,” said junior Kyle
Littlejohn. “I’m pretty behind.”
Advanced Placement exam
money, class dues and money for
duel enrollment classes loom over
students throughout January and
February. The price of each AP test
is $86, guaranteeing triple digit
costs for students who plan on taking multiple AP exams.
“I have five AP tests to take.
That’s easily over $400,” said senior Liz Cozzati, “but the credit is
worth it.”
Following the completion of
first semester, class dues become
more important because they
serve as the primary source of funding for upcoming class activities.
“Only about 18 percent of juniors have paid their dues,” said
junior class sponsor Mrs. Wick. Junior dues are a main source of funding for prom. Students have to have
paid their dues in order to attend
the dance.
Class dues account for the funding of various class activities.
Freshman dues are $10 and sophomore dues are $15. The underclassmen dues are allocated toward
homecoming and other class
events. The cost more than
doubles to $50 for juniors. Junior
class dues make up the funding
for prom, which totals over $13,000.
The final and most expensive
of all are the senior class dues.
Seventy-five dollars covers the cap
and gown for graduation and other
senior class activities such as senior picnic. Chancellor High seniors pay $20, while James Monroe seniors pay $40.
Students must have paid their
dues by graduation. Those who did
Sadie Hawkins Dance
By Allison Skeer
Staff Writer
Homecoming has passed and
Prom is still a while away, but students at Stafford now have another
dance to get excited about—The
Sadie Hawkins Dance. Set for Feb.
21, the Sadie Hawkins Dance
hasn’t been present for many
years.
The most commonly known fact
about this dance is that, rather
than the traditional boys-ask-girls,
the girls get to choose the boys for
this night. But where did this all
start?
The idea of the Sadie Hawkins
Dance actually originates from a
1937 comic strip written by Al Capp.
The comic strip tells of a girl, Little
Sadie Hawkins who was the
“homeliest gal in all the hills” and
how she could never get a boy to
ask her to a dance.
Her father was an influential
person in their town of Dogpatch,
and was worried that Sadie would
be alone forever, so he announced
that there would be a day for all
unmarried women to chase the unwed bachelors through the town,
and marry the ones they could
catch. Sadie Hawkins was
a good runner and ended
up catching the man of
her dreams. They lived
half-happily ever after.
Only two years after
the comic was released
in Capp’s “Lil’ Abner” cartoon, there were Sadie
Hawkins Dances all over
the country. More than 200
colleges and universities
were having the dances in
1939, according to Life
Magazine. It was a step in
empowering women’s rights
before the feminist movement had been thought of,
and it was fun!
There were a variety of different ways to celebrate: Some
dressed up while others dressed
down. Some schools had couples
wear matching outfits so that everyone could tell they were together. Some went out to eat at
fancy restaurants and other
couples ate at McDonalds.
The spread of Sadie Hawkins
was rapid, and many schools have
a long standing tradition of Sadie
Hawkins Dances in memory of poor
not pay dues will not be allowed
to participate.
Harrisonburg High School is not
permitted to force students to pay
any dues beside class dues. Students are asked to bring their own
pair of black or blue shorts and
white shirt for gym. Stafford students are required to pay $19 for a
school gym uniform.
Aside from mandatory class
dues, parking passes may be the
highest student fee at Stafford
High that students face, but many
are still willing to pay up. The cost
of a parking pass has remained the
same for the past few years. The
$75 fee goes directly toward security of the lot, as well as the recent
repaving of the lot.
Stafford High’s parking fee of
$75 is right around what
Spotsylvania County students pay.
Chancellor High School has $80 fee.
In Fredericksburg, James Monroe
High School’s parking pass fee is
only $20.
top sleeper prospects in the country,” He received
offers from Virginia Tech and was looked at by SC.
McDougle chose Maryland after his first visit to
Maryland. “I chose Maryland because it’s close to
home and I get go to and from pretty easily, but it’s far
enough from home,” said McDougle. “Maryland is
building a great program, and has great facilities and
great academics.”
Many students and faculty attended McDougle’s
signing as well as speaking highly of him. Indians
varsity head coach Chad Lewis told the story of how
McDougle reached varsity his sophomore year.
“Coach Aziz and I were at a JV game and Dex asked
us about varsity before he was going to return a kick,
and we told him ‘lets see how you do on this play
right here, son. He took that kickoff for a touchdown
and ever since then we knew he would be something
special,” said Lewis.
Everyone was proud of McDougle, but no one was
as proud as his parents Dexter Barron McDougle Sr.
and Gina McDougle.
“Dexter was an athlete before he was born, all of
his aunts are over six feet tall,” said McDougle Sr. “I
have always pushed my son’s academics first and
sports second. Academics are always the most important.”
McDougle will be playing cornerback at Maryland
and he hopes that he can get worked into the offensive scheme as well.
“My intentions are to bring all my versatility to
Maryland, and I hope to fit in quickly and make an
impact for the team whenever and wherever I am
needed,” said McDougle.
While McDougle only played one full varsity season, his impact was great. He helped quarterback
Christian Monsivias break a 20 year passing record,
and was one of the top wide receivers in the district,
earning a spot on the All Commonwealth District
team.
McDougle will be missed at Stafford, but he now
provides a role model for younger Indians athletes
with his 3.5 GPA and his outstanding play on the field.
Younger athletes constantly say how they will be up
with Dexter at Maryland in a few years. For the Indians’ sake, they can only hope for another athlete
that is like Dexter McDougle, because players like
McDougle don’t come along very often.
Senior Dues=
$75
Parking Pass=
$75
AP Exams=
$86 ea.
Behind the Wheel=
$215
Freshman Dues=
$10
Sophmore Dues=
$15
Junior Dues=
$50
Total=$526
reappear
ter decades
reappearss af
after
Little Sadie Hawkins,
who couldn’t get a
date.
Some schools take
it upon themselves to dress
up in hillbillyesque attire
or
other
funny
costumes
for this particular occasion,
while other schools
stick with traditional formal
wear (less casual than Home-
coming, but still semi-fancy).
At Stafford, Sadie Hawkins was very popular but
unfortunately died out for about a decade. Stafford’s
SCA, with the help of Mr. Joe Lewis, principal, is trying to bring back this fun tradition for all students
and faculty to
enjoy.
2
ntertainment
The Smoke Signal
POLL
Have you seen The
Notebook?
49 %
Have you seen A Walk
To Remember?
47 %
Which one do
you prefer?
The Notebook45 %
A Walk To Remember18 %
New in
theaters
Stafford High School 33 Stafford Indian Lane, Falmouth, VA 22405
Valentine’s Day hits, classics
THE NOTEBOOK
By Mandy Sullivan
Staff Writer
When someone thinks of a
romantic movie, “The Notebook”
is a popular one that comes to
mind. However, it isn’t just a
movie, it’s also a book.
“The Notebook” is based on
the bestselling novel written by
Nicholas Sparks. It did so well
in stores that it was turned into
a motion picture.
“I would never get sick of this
movie,” said freshman Olivia
Shaffer. “It’s my all time favorite
love story.”
The movie is a love story
based on the story of two teenagers in the 1940s. It was directed by Nick Cassavetes. “The
Notebook” was released in June
2004.
“This movie is really sad but
it is one of my favorites,” said
sophomore Kendall Rayha. “The
story is so cute.”
The genre of the movie is
drama with a lot of romance.
“I cry every time I watch it because it ’s just so good,” said
freshman Rachel Rolando. “It’s
my favorite movie of all time.”
He’s Just Not That Into
You
Released date: February 6
Rated: PG-13
About: A hard-line advice
guy falls for a woman who
seeks him out because she
can't figure out the men in her
life.
Genres: Romantic Comedy,
Comedy
Taken
Release date: January 30
Rated: PG-13
About: Former government
operative Bryan Mills (Liam
Neeson) begins the longest 96hours of his life – and the hunt
for the fearsome organization
that has taken his daughter Kim
(Maggie Grace).
Genres: Action Thriller,
Adventure, Thriller
By Emily Smith
Staff Writer
In the classic romance movie,
“Titanic,” two people from different social classes meet onboard
the famous ship and fall in love.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jack
Dawson, a lower class artist that
falls in love with Rose DeWitt
Bukater, played by Kate Winslet.
After the ship collides with an
iceberg, the “Titanic” begins to
sink, leaving Rose and Jack fighting for their lives. Although Jack is
one of the last to get off the ship
The Uninvited
By Kelsie Judd
Staff Writer
True love is hard to define, but in the
movie “A Walk to Remember ”, starring
Mandy Moore and Shane West, it takes
on a new meaning. Two people with absolutely nothing in common falling in
love may seem impossible and this
movie it’s made possible. “A Walk to Remember” makes the perfect Valentine’s
Day movie that will make you appreciate a significant other so much more.
From the day “A Walk to Remember”
opened and up until now, it has touched
hearts.
“It was really cute and had a good
story line”, said junior Tory Babin. “You
really feel like you’ve taken something
important away from watching it.”
The chemistry between the cast members emits true emotions and feeling.
They also present the movie’s message
in a way that, although far fetched, is
relatable to real situations.
Not only is the acting and emotion of
the movie moving, but Moore’s voice during the song “Only Hope” during the
school play is absolutely beautiful.
“It wasn’t just the meaning behind
the movie of true love lasting through
the hardest times that was amazing,”
said senior Fabien Fletcher, “but
Mandy
Moore’s voice was fantastic. That
was the best part.”
Landon, played by West, is a rebellious and popular teenage boy who is
forced into the school play after a
prank goes wrong. In contrast, Moore’s
character Jamie is a conservative girl
who doesn’t care what others think
about her, and joins the play because
she loves it. However, Jamie is hiding
a terrible secret.
After many arguments through rehearsals for the play, dislike turns into
strong feelings, which quickly turns
into love. When Landon finds out about
Jamie’s secret, Landon must decide if
their love is strong enough to withstand
the worst.
“This is one of the cutest love stories that show how opposites attract
and true love overcomes everything,”
said freshman Allyson Belman.
On Valentine’s Day if you’re looking for the perfect movie to snuggle up
to, “A Walk to Remember” is a favorite
of many, with an amazing message to
go along.
T ITITANIC
ANIC
because he is a third class passenger, he and Rose stay together.
Like other romance movies, “Titanic” has a very sad ending that
left many people in tears.
“The ending made me cry,” said
junior Hunter Scott. “I don’t think
Jack should have died.”
Even though the movie was
made in the late 90s it is not much
different from the newer love stories.
If you’re looking for the perfect
romantic movie to watch on Valentines Day, “ Titanic” is a great
choice.
“It had everything in it- romance, action, sadness and it was
very interesting,” said sophomore
Christopher Rosa-Wood.
Some classic love stories and
newer ones are also based on two
people from opposite worlds
meeting and falling in love.
In “Titanic”, Rose and Jack fall
in love although they are very different from each other.
“‘Titanic’ is one of my favorite
movies,” said sophomore Jessica
Thorn. “I think it’s touching how
Jack and Rose come from very dif-
ferent social classes but they end
up falling in love.”
When “Titanic” was made, social class was a very important
thing and if the movie was remade
today, it wouldn’t be as big of a
deal.
Rose’s last words to Jack, “I’ll
never let go, Jack. I’ll never let go,”
touched many people and made
the movie even more romantic.
Although similar movies are
being made today, “Titanic” will always be one of the most popular
love stories of all time.
“Supernatural”reaches both extremes
By Wendy Cole
Business Manager
The television show, “Supernatural”, is starting
with season four on January 15. The season is bringing in questionable topics like, damnation, arc angels, satanic creatures, and the Holy Spirit.
“Supernatural” is about two brothers, Dean
(played by Jensen Ackles) and Sam Winchester (played
by Jared Padalecki), who are on a mission to destroy
the evil in the community. They want to restore the
society to the way that God created and intended it
to be.
This season will show the fight against Heaven
and Hell and if the force of good will win over evil.
The last season left watchers hanging, never answering the question about what the future held for
the Winchester boys. Ending the season with both
forces, angelic and demonic, clashing together and
separating yet again with no set mission of what
Dean and Sam are to do next.
The third season opened with Dean being pulled
out of Hell by an angelic figure and placed back into
the world with a mission from God himself. Dean
and Sam reunited and begin fighting the forces of
evil and gathering information about the demon that
sentenced Dean to damnation.
Dean is sent visions and hints from an angel,
who later shows his self to Dean and tells him what
he is supposed to do. The angel was sent from God,
saying that Dean Winchester was the one, who was
going to save the world from damnation and keep
Satan from being released.
After their mother is killed by a demon, Dean,
Sam and their father, John Winchester, start on a quest
of ridding the world of evil. John teaches each of his
sons the importance of their work and how to keep
their selves alive while in a battle.
Dean and Sam learn about the signs that hint
towards supernatural activity, leading them to travel
across the country. They help those people they can,
not giving up on anyone who stands the chance. Those
that can’t be saved are scarified, preventing the lost
of innocent lives in the future.
“The Secret Life” sets good learning example
By Emily Howsmon
Staff writer
All ages seem to love and enjoy one of the newest hit series “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”
Even though more teenagers can relate, older and
younger people seem to tune in to ABC Family every
Monday at 8 p.m.
“I love ‘The Secret Life’ because it’s about kids
Release date: January 30
Rated: PG-13
About: Anna (Emily Browning) returns home after spending time in the hospital following the tragic death of her
mother. Her recovery suffers a
setback when she discovers her
father (David Strathairn) has
become engaged to her mother’s
former nurse , Rachel (Elizabeth
Banks). That night, Anna is visited by her mother's ghost, who
warns her of Rachel's intentions. Together, Anna and her
sister (Arielle Kebbel) try to convince their father that his current fiancée is not who she pretends to be, and what should
have been a happy family reunion becomes a lethal battle
of wills between stepdaughters
and stepmother.
Genres: Supernatural
Horror, Horror
A WALK TO REMEMBER
The plot is about an old man
reading a detailed story to a
woman in a nursing home. The
story he tells is about a love affair
that happened between teenagers
Noah and Allie. They meet at a
carnival and hit it off right away.
Their love grows strong but then
becomes forbidden by Allie’s family because Noah comes from a
different social status.
Allie
moves away, never hears from him
for several years, and moves on.
The plot changes when she comes
to see Noah and his new life many
years later.
“It’s a heartwarming movie and
it makes me feel good inside,” said
junior Lauren Judd. “It’s always a
good choice.”
It received 11 wins and 7 nominations.
If someone is looking for a romantic movie to share with their
Valentine, “The Notebook” is a recent classic that is enjoyable for
everyone.
“It’s a sweet love movie and it’s
one of my favorites,” said junior
Emily Walz. “I love the story.”
Pink Panther 2
Release date: February 6
Rated: PG
About: When the world's
greatest treasures, including
the Pink Panther Diamond, are
stolen, only one man can solve
the mystery: Clouseau (Steve
Martin) . Together with his partner Ponton (Jean Reno) and a
team of international detectives, the bumbling detective
must catch the thief and retrieve
the artifacts -- without causing
too much collateral damage in
the process.
Genres: Crime Comedy,
Comedy
Feb. 10, 2009
our age, which makes it more real. I can relate, in
ways,” said junior Sammy Wholey.
The show is about innocent, goody-goody 15 yearold named Amy Juergens (played by Shailene
Woodley) who gets pregnant by pretty boy Ricky
Underwood (played by Daren Kagasoff) at band camp
over the summer.
“ The Secret Life” is about the consequences/
struggles of getting pregnant at a really young age.
Amy will have to deal with school, work, and trying to
raise a baby all at the same time.
Although Amy expects her mother to take care of
the baby while Amy attends to school, work, and other
life duties, her mother will not. The newborn child
will be Amy’s child and her responsibility; no one
else’s.
Amy will have to learn about parenthood sooner
than most teenage girls.
Other main characters are Grace Bowman, played
by Megan Park. Grace is a cheerleader, and the perfect student/daughter. She’s a super-devoted Christian and doesn’t break the rules.
Ashley Juergens is Amy’s 13 year-old sister, played
by India Eisley. She’ll be the first one to call Amy out
on anything and speak her mind. She’s actually a very
smart girl and quick to sense trouble.
Another character is Ricky Underwood, who is the
drummer in the school band. He’s portrayed as a freespirited bad boy who never follows the rules.
Another major character is Adrian Lee (played by
Francia Raisa) who is a majorette in the band. Her
mother is never around so she likes to break the
rules along with on-again, off-again boyfriend, Ricky.
She looks for a relationship with him more than one
night stands.
Lastly, Lauren Treacy (played by Camille Winbush)
and Madison Cooperstein (played by Renee Olstead)
are Amy’s best friends. They are the first to know
about Amy’s pregnancy, and the first ones to open
their mouths.
“My favorite people are Grace and Ashley,” said
sophomore Charley Johnson.
There is a lot of drama in this show: all the drama
involved in Amy’s pregnancy, along with everyone’s
personal drama.
“If there was no drama, the show probably
wouldn’t be as good,” said Johnson. “I also think it’s
ridiculous they start their life at such a young age.”
The show was probably put out to make all ages
realize how tough being a teenage mother may be.
Also, all of the drama that is tied in with Amy being
pregnant.
“[The Secret Life of the American Teenager] is a
really good show. It is intense and it really does teach
you things,” said freshman Allyson Belman.
This is only the second season, which started back
up on Jan 5, but a lot of people including sophomore
Eric Glover, seem to enjoy it a lot.
“I usually just watch [The Secret Life] with my mom.
I don’t normally watch it by myself. But it is a good
show. I have learned a lot, like the possibilities of
teenagers our age these days,” said Glover.
There are things to do with relationships, friendships, divorces, and of course teen pregnancy.
After every show Shailene Woodley, known as Amy
comes on and give a speech about teen pregnancy
and kids talking to their parents about sex.
“The Secret Life of the American Teenager” is intriguing and keeps people hooked and on the edge
of their seats curious to find out what happens next.
Overall, “The Secret Life” is a great show and has an
important life lesson.
ntertainment
March 4, 2008
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TheThe
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33 33
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High School
33 Stafford
IndianIndian
Lane, Falmouth,
VA 22405
3
Feb. 10, 2009
www.shssmokesignal.com
Don’t Judge a Book by its Movie
Pride and Prejudice
By Matt Cornpropst
Staff Writer
“Pride and Prejudice” by
Jane Austen, is a classic love
story that has been made into a
movie two times. Both the classic novel and the most recent
cinematic incarnation have
been well received.
The novel is about young
Elizabeth Bennet, who is searching for a husband. Well, Lizzy’s
mother is looking for a husband
for her.
Mrs. Bennet then finds
herself in an advantageous position when a wealthy young
gentleman, Mr. Bingley comes to
town. However, Mr. Bingley
shows interest towards the el-
dest of the five Bennet sisters,
Jane.
Accompanying Mr. Bingley is
his friend, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. To
Elizabeth, he seems arrogant and
unpleasant, and her first impression remains somewhat intact
throughout the novel. It is only at
the very end that Lizzy realizes that
she truly cares for Mr. Darcy.
Unfortunately, Lady
Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy’s aunt,
realizes that Lizzy has developed
an interest in Darcy. Lady Catherine
then tries to kill Darcy’s interest in
Lizzy, which backfires and results
in him liking her more.
“I love how Elizabeth
Bennet struggles with her love for
Mr. Darcy,” said senior Courtney
Buzzard, “because that struggle
makes the story real and easy to
identify with.”
The 2005 film, starring Keira
Knightly and Matthew MacFayden
Bennet
and
as
Elizabeth
Fitzwilliam Darcy, is almost the
same as the book.
There are only three major
differences: most of the time in
between events was shortened
drastically for the movie, several
of the minor characters were cut
out, and longer sections when characters reflected on events were
removed or shortened.
“I read the book and
thought the dialogue was pretty
clever,” said senior Sarah Pelham.
“Then I watched the movie and
liked it. I really liked the music and
the setting.”
A Walk to Remember
by Nicole Clyde
Staff Writer
The book “A Walk to Remember” is a romance novel that was
written by Nicholas Sparks. The
novel was later made into a
movie in 2002.
“A Walk to Remember” was
published in October of 1999.
The novel follows the narration of a seventeen year old boy
named Landon Carter. Landon is
the stereotypical popular boy: he
does not have the best track
record, his best friend is on the
football team and the most popular boy in school, and his family
is financially secure. The setting
takes place during the 1950’s.
“The book “A Walk to Remember” was different than the movie,
but not super different. It was a
good book,” said sophomore Zoe
Wuckovich.
Landon’s father is a congressman who is hardly ever home but
whenever he is home, he and
Landon are strangers. Landon’s father wants him to run for student
body president. Landon wins and
is in charge of setting up for the
upcoming school dance.
Those in the student council
are assumed to bring dates to the
dance. Running out of time and options, Landon asks Jamie Sullivan,
the preacher ’s daughter. When
Landon asks Jamie to the dance,
Jamie promises and long as
Landon promises not to fall in love
with her, a take he does not take
seriously.
Jamie is not a typical high
school girl. She is simple, believes
very strongly in religion, and always
wears the same brown sweater.
Landon is not thrilled that he
has to ask Jamie, but he figures
that it will only be one night. This
begins the relationship between
the unlikely pair that grows as they
work together on the town’s Christmas play about a man who has lost
his wife and realizes that his wife
is alive in his daughter.
“Yes, I’ve read the book and it
is one of my favorites. My favorite
part is when Landon goes with
Jamie to give presents to the kids
at the orphanage,” said sophomore Julia Colopy.
Over time, Landon develops
feelings for Jamie. The two battle
judgment from their peers, but,
their love holding them together.
Jam ie’s love changes Landon for
the greater good.
Sparks’ inspiration for “A Walk
to Remember” came from his sister, Danielle Sparks Lewis. Lewis
was dying from cancer and a man
insisted on marrying her, even
though he knew she was dying.
Sparks’ admitted at her funeral
that his sister is Jamie Sullivan.
said
sophomore
Madeline
Lovegrove.
When a person watches this,
they already know it will have a
happy ending, yet that doesn’t
make the movie any less entertaining.
There are sword fights that
also ensue throughout the movie,
along with other action. This will
keep the attention of the fans of
anything but romance.
“I love it. It was serious and
funny. I like the characters too,”
said senior Erica Wicker. “I haven’t
read the book yet, but I always like
to read the book before the
movie.”
Throughout the entire movie,
are quick witted lines in quirky
situations. Before a sword fight
occurs, one of the swordsmen lets
the other catch his breath and rest,
before they fight to the death.
There are many things like this
that happen that will leave the
person viewing laugh and say,
“that’s and odd thing for a person
to do.”
The Princess Bride is a perfect
movie to watch with a girlfriend or
boyfriend. It is one of those movies that will fill the fantasies of
both genders.
P.S. I Love You
by Amber Howell
Staff Writer
“P.S., I Love You” was first written by Cecilia Aherns. It is a romance novel about a woman led
on a journey with letters sent to
her by her dead husband Gerry. Not
only do all of the letters end with
“P.S. I Love You,” but they also all
lead Holly Kennedy on a journey
that opens her eyes to the possibilities life still presents her. Even
without the man who knew her
best, Holly realizes that she can
still live life to the fullest.
The book, published in 2004,
was released as the now well
known movie in 2006. The movie
follows the book almost directly,
with only a few insignificant dif-
ferences that don’t affect the plot
or overall theme of the movie.
“ The movie was completely
predictable, but what chick flick
isn’t?” asked junior Claudia Pare.
Not only was this book better
than then the highly predictable
movie, but the book was also
easier to relate to.
“The movie was a little creepy
because it kept flashing back to
[Holly remembering Gerry] alive,”
said junior Jihye Kim. “The book
was more understandable.”
Not only does the book wrap
the reader up in the love story, but
it also brings out the raw emotion.
Holly loses her husband to an
illness and feels like she can’t go
on without him. On her thirtieth
birthday, she is presented with a
present of a lifetime. Gerry writes
to her and tells her that he will be
sending her letters that she must
follow. When she finds his first
letter, the reader feels her emotion, along with her longing for the
next one.
“I liked the book more because
it had more details and was way
cuter,” said junior Tory Babin.
The characters, settings, emotions, and plot are better understood in the book than in the movie
because of the use of details.
“I haven’t read the book just yet,
but I hear it is rather fabulous,”
said Pare. “I will be reading it
whenever I get the chance.”
The book is a must read.
The Princess Bride
by Brandon Leatherland
Staff Writer
Unknown to many, “ The Princess Bride” was actually a book
before it became a big hit when it
was released in 1987. The book
written by William Goldman came
out in 1973.
“ The Princess Bride” is a romantic, action story that is entertaining and appealing to anyone.
Many romantic stories are aimed
primarily towards girls, but boys
will enjoy this as well.
“I like how at first it seems like
an average fairy tale,” said sopho-
more Emily Churchill, “but then the
farther you set into it, the more you
realize that they are just making
fun of stereotypes, but you still
like it just as much!”
What makes this story so original is that “The Princess Bride”
focuses more on the “Prince Charming” character who rescues the
damsel whenever she is in danger. It is also unique because unlike most romance stories, this one
isn’t full of heartbreak or extremely
sad moments.
“It is one of the greatest love
stories since Romeo and Juliet,”
Compare
CD prices
Downloading music
By Gordon Phillips
Staff Writer
CD RELEASES
By Kathryn Lenox
Staff Writer
* Best Buy-$9.97
* Wal-Mart-$9.72
* Target-$9.97
* Borders-$15.29
* Amazon-$9.97
* iTunes-$7.99
* Best Buy-$9.99
* Wal-Mart-$9.97
* Target-$9.99
* Borders-$15.19
* Amazon-$9.99
* iTunes-$9.99
DATE
2/3
2/3
2/3
2/3
2/3
2/3
2/3
2/5
2/10
2/10
2/10
2/10
2/17
Downloading
deals, steals
Jenny Pan
Assistant Editor in Chief
Music lovers no longer flock to retail
stores for new album release of Coldplay,
Conor Oberst or Kanye West. In compliance with the digital age, it’s all about iTunes,
Limewire, Rhapsody, and other online music
downloading engines.
The music downloading source is heavily
influenced by the type of music player one
uses.
While CDs can be converted into mp3 files
with virtually any of these sources, some music
downloading services work with certain music
players. For example I-tunes is only compatible
with the iPod and iPhone. Rhapsody only works
on certain mp3 players.
Users should check to see if the files offered
have digital rights management (DRM).
DRM protected tracks limit the use of the
track by allowing copyright owners to prohibit
the copying of the track.
Limewire has three membership types:
LimeWire BASIC receives the most downloads
since it’s free, LimeWire PRO has a $21.95 one
time fee, and LimeWire PRO extended costs
$34.95 per year. LimeWire Pro features technical support and updates for six months
and LimeWire PRO Extended includes
more refined search results, faster downloads, access to more sources, the
exlclusion of ads, and
technical support and updates for six
months.
Often a problem with downloading music websites, the newest version of Limewire
claims to be free of adware or spyware.
However, software from Gnutella, the filesharing network for Limewire, often contains viruses or malware.
While Limewire itself is legal, the sharing of copyrighted files is illegal. Shared
files are trackable, making those who share
files vulnerable to charges of copyright infringement. Critics also report that the
search engine often spits out unrelated results.
Presently, Limewire is working to improve the efficiency of their filtering system, which does not allow users to download shared files that are copyrighted.
Rhapsody offers two membership
plans. For $12.99 a month, members can
listen to an unlimited number of tracks. For
$2 more, songs can be downloaded onto
specified mp3 players.
Much like Rhapsody, Napster memberships are on a month-by-month basis for
$15.
eMusic offers both mp3s song and audio book tracks for a monthly fee of $9.99
for 30 downloads.
Since eMusic downloads are in MP3
format, users can transfer mp3s to most music players from the iPods to Zunes.
eMusic is recommended for older listeners
with a diverse taste in music.
Independent bands from various genres are well represented in
their music library.
Up to 5,000 audio books are available for download.
Users can add to their 30 downloads
with an upgrade to eMusic’s many subscription plans. Other plans include: 50
downloads for $14.99 per month, 75
downloads for $19.99 per month, 1
audio book for $9.99 a month, and
2 audio books for $19.99 per
month.
eMusic does not allow
rollover downloads.
Amazon mp3s are
also compatible with
all music players and
free of DRM.
Instead of a
monthly membership fee, Amazon
charges between
$0.89 to $.99
per song and
from$5.99 to
$9.99 per album.
ARTIST
The Fray
Bow Wow
50 cent
Willie Nelson
Dierks Bently
Kid Rock
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Sheryl Crow
Missy Elliott
Busta Rhymes
Bobby Valentino
Taylor Hicks
Lionel Richie
ut
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ri
Kar
By Writer
f
Staf
ALBUM
The Fray
New Jack City, Part 2
Before I Self Destruct
Willie Nelson at the Wheel
Feel that Fire
Rock N Roll Jesus
Lonely Road
Detours
Block Party
B.O.M.B.
Rebirth
[TBA]
Just Go
s
g
n
o
S
10
on
rks
a
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C
elly ects
K
is
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b
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Suc The A featu
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2. G st Da nd Me anye he Pu n It)
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3. J ou Fou s by K rt by Ring O
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4. Y eartle his Pa Put A Swift
(
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5. H Hate adies aylor ears
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6. I ingle L ry by ney Sp Perry
iTu
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7. S ove St y Brit y Katy
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8. ircu Cold
9. C ot N
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10.
Top
* Best Buy $13.99
* Wal-Mart-$9.97
* Target-$9.99
* Borders-$13.99
* Amazon-$8.99
* iTunes-$11.99
Teens pir
ate online
pirate
Lega
* Best Buy-$9.99
* Wal-Mart-$9.88
* Target-$9.99
* Borders-$13.99
* Amazon-$9.99
* iTunes-$9.99
54%
46%
Illega
lly
Do you download music legally
or illegally?
lly
* Best Buy-$9.99
* Wal-Mart-$9.88
* Target-$7.99
* Borders-$8.79
* Amazon-$7.99
* iTunes-$9.99
By Rachael Knick
Staff Writer
Piracy online is a thoughtless crime
many teenagers commit each day.
Copyright law protects music, picture,
videos, and movies.
When someone makes illegal copies of
someone else’s work, the person downloading is stealing and breaking the law.
“I download music constantly off of
Limewire and Screamer is easy and it’s free,”
said a junior. “I got my favorite jams and
that’s all I care about.”
Making copies of CDs, distributing
CDs, and sharing music files are also illegal.
Stealing music not only affects the artist, but also impacts songwriters, sound engineers, record label employees, warehouse
workers. The money that record companies lose forces them to drop potential artists, narrowing variety in music choices for
all listeners.
Regardless, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, more than 25 million songs are illegally downloaded each day. Roughly $4.5
billion worth of pirated music is downloaded
yearly.
The Recording Industry Association of
America (RIAA) protects a musician’s right
to compensation for their work.
“Getting sued is the last thing on my
mind when downloading the newest song to
my iPod” said an anonymous sophomore.
“Downloading is easy and a couple new
songs don’t faze me.”
“It’ll never happen to me” is the most
common thought most people who download illegally have, which is a myth.
According to the RIAA, a 30 year-old
woman in Minnesota was charged for $9,250
for each of the 24 songs that she downloaded illegally by six different record companies.
At least 500 students nationwide have
paid settlements to avoid being sued by recording companies. Individuals can be
charged up to $15,000 per illegally downloaded song.
With an estimated 71,060 jobs lost
yearly from the illegal download of music
by the Institute for Policy Innovation, piracy is hurting an already weak job market.
iT
unes changes prices
iTunes
By Gordon Phillips
Staff Writer
In April, iTunes users can no longer buy
a new hit track for $0.99. Apple announced
on Jan. 6, that they are changing the cost of
their songs. They will range from $0.69 to
$1.29, with the assumption that newly released songs will cost the extra $0.30.
iTunes also removed digital rights management (DRM) protection from six million songs in their 10 million song catalog.
According to iTunes, DRM will be removed
from all tracks by March.
DRM prevents users from copying
their files to different computers. With the
removal of DRM, users will be able to transfer songs to other computer media players
like Windows Media Player or RealPlayer.
To upgrade purchased songs without
DRM, users will have to have $0.30 per
song.
A song with DRM protection cannot
be used on any mp3 players other than iPods,
which is a huge let-down since iTunes has
the largest selection of any online music
store.
The decision to change song prices and
to remove protection from songs was a compromise between iTunes and record labels.
Raised iTunes song prices may promote CD
sales while removed protection allows users to have more freedom with their iTunes
files.
Services that still use DRM protection
include Wal-Mart Music Downloads,
Napster music store, and Sony’s digital music store.
Amazon’s online digital music store is
one of the very few that does sell their music without any kind of DRM protection,
but with only two million songs, they cannot compete with iTunes.
6
tudent
The Smoke Signal
ife
Stafford High School 33 Stafford Indian Lane, Falmouth, VA 22405
Feb. 10, 2009
Christina Sullivan takes a picture of the mural outside of the journalism.
Photo by Nate Carden
Sullivan snaps
pictures, wins award
Photos by Christina Sullivan
By Lexi Morello
Page editor
Photo by Victoria Jennings
French club
sells candy
for sweeties
By Iksu Oh
Staff Writer
The French Club will start to sell
candy grams for Valentine’s Day on Feb.
4 to allow students to buy treats for
loved ones and friends. “It’s a message of friendship,” said Jerry
Hunsberger, teacher and club advisor.
“Candy has a wider appeal.”
Candy grams are hand-assembled
packages filled with a variety of goods
such as traditional Candy Hearts and
Ferrero-Roche chocolates. The candy
grams also hang Valentine’s cards
through ribbons and transfer a special message in French. “It’s craftwork,”
said Hunsberger. “We also buy all of
our materials locally.”
To purchase a candy gram, students
need to order in the cafeteria before
school or during lunch shifts. This sale
will last until Feb. 12 and on Feb. 13,
the grams will be delivered during first
period classes. One candy gram will
cost $3.
Vice-president, junior Sarah Calpo
will be helping out. “It’s something fun
to do during Valentine’s Day,” said
Calpo.
Last year, the French Club only sold
about 200 candy grams, so they are expecting more to be bought this year.
“Our goal is to raise money for the
French club through sales,” said
Hunsberger. “We need to sell as many
as we can.”
Students are encouraged to buy
candy grams for their close friends. “I
will probably buy them for my best
friends and boyfriend,” said Calpo.
Students all throughout Stafford have different hobbies and pastimes that they engage in
while outside of school. Senior Christina
Sullivan’s hobby is photography.
She started taking pictures for fun when she
was younger but has become more serious about
it recently. She has entered her photos in contests and has been enlisted to take pictures for
other people. But most of all she takes pictures
because it is something she loves doing.
Sullivan has always been interested in taking pictures. She used to scrapbook and liked
having pictures as memories of things she had
done. Within the past few years she really
started to see photography as an art. She was
influenced by other people’s work that she saw
in magazines or online. Recently she has become more dedicated to her photography. “I
didn’t really get serious about it until December
of last year when I got my camera for Christmas,”
said Sullivan.
Nature started out as her favorite subject to
photograph, because it was the easiest to begin
with. “Lately I’ve really gotten into photographing buildings and urban scenes,” said Sullivan.
She also loves photographing people, but
doesn’t do that as much.
During the school year homework gets in the
way of her photography. “In the summer I spend
a lot more time on photography,” said Sullivan.
“Sometimes I spend all day taking pictures and
then touching them up on my computer.” She usually takes around 200 pictures at a time. Uploading the pictures and organizing them con-
tributes to the time she spends.
Earlier this year Sullivan entered pictures in
the PTSA Reflections Contest. She won first place
in photography. “That was really exciting for me,”
said Sullivan.
She has also entered pictures in the Free
Lance Star ’s Star Search contest, but winners
haven’t been announced yet. She has also sent
photos of her boyfriend’s car to a car magazine.
She is hoping they will be published. “It is nice
to know that someone besides your parents and
friends appreciate what you do, since your parents and friends basically have to,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan has also done a few photo shoots
for other people. Sometimes she asks her friends
or family to let her take pictures. There also have
been times when she was asked to take pictures for other people. “One was a friend of my
mom’s and the other was for my friend’s family
Christmas card,” said Sullivan.
According to Sullivan there isn’t anything she
doesn’t like about photography. She loves the
way something ugly or plain can be turned into
art. “It gives me a different perspective on things.”
She also enjoys the fact that there is so much
that can be done with photography. “I use it as
gifts for people, like making collages or having
pictures printed onto things,” said Sullivan. “I
also publish my pictures to a website.”
(www.csullivanphotography.blogspot.com)
In the future Sullivan would like to go to college and major in business so that she could
open her own photography business. “Realistically though it will probably remain a hobby on
the side,” said Sullivan. “But I don’t ever see
myself giving it up.”
Harding takes over
Cooper’s classes
direction of the class and decide what
By Julia Colopy
to learn next, so that we can underStaff Writer
stand and learn as well as we can,”
Mr. Joe Harding is the new govern- said Ahmed.
ment teacher as of Jan. 5. He replaced
“He wants to make it fun, like by
Mr. Jeff Cooper, who left in December watching movies,” said senior Liz
to work for the government.
Cozzati.
“I think he is doing well,” said seHarding is looking forward to wrapnior Sunan Ahmed. “He understands ping up their high school experience.
that this is a transition for us, too.”
“I’m excited for graduation and
The switch was demanding
seeing all of my students
of both Harding and his
graduate after I’ve taught
students.
them and gotten to
“He
acknowlknow them,” said
edges our situation
Harding.
without making it
Harding gradueven harder on us,”
ated from Stafford
said
senior
in 1998, then atCourtney Buzzard.
tended the UniverHarding
was
sity of Mary Washwell prepared when
ington.
he came into school
“It’s interesting
his first day.
seeing
how
I
“He had read the
roamed the same
entire government
halls, took
textbook over
the
same
break to preclasses, ate
pare,” said
the
same
s e n i o r
cafeteria
K r i s t e n
food as the
Photo by Paola Rivera
Zegeer.
kids that I’m
Harding
Harding took over Cooper’s classes after
t e a c h i n g ,”
had taught Cooper went to work at the State Department
s a i d
at
North
Harding.
Stafford and
He
reColonial Forge, before accepting his ceived his bachelor’s degree in hiscurrent job.
tory and American studies and
“It’s a little difficult coming in the master’s degree in education from the
middle of the year, but I like meeting University of Mary Washington. He also
all of my new students,” said Harding. received a master’s degree in Ameri“Everyone has warmly welcomed me, can history from George Mason Uniand I’m looking forward to having a versity and is currently pursuing a P.Hd.
year learning and teaching my stu- in American history also from GMU.
dents.”
“I think this will be a great learnThe seniors are getting used the ing experience for me as well,” said
difference in teaching styles between Harding. “I’m looking forward to helpCooper and Harding.
ing my students achieve their suc“I like how he lets us control the cess.”
Photo by Kerstin Felton
Junior Hunter Larson works hard on his art project for his 2-D Art 3 class.
Lar
son eexxcels in ar
Larson
artt class
By Suzanne Kincaid
Staff Writer
Junior Hunter Larson stands out in
his 2-D Art 3 class instructed by Mr.
Nicholas Candela. Larson has been
taking art classes since elementary
school and has learned to work with
multiple medias.
“I enjoy working with charcoal,
water paint, pencil, and most of all
acrylics,” said Larson.
In his past art classes he has been
working on self-portraits and a still
life.
“His charcoal self-portrait, which
he did earlier this year, was the first
complete image in the class, but what
made his work impressive was that he
spent the next three days reworking
the image,” said Candela.
Larson transferred to Stafford High
this year.
“The time that Hunter Larson puts
into his work makes his end product
fantastic,” said Candela.
“I have seen his artwork develop
overtime. I saw his profile from his old
school and since he started my class,
his work has developed with different
medias,” said Candela.
“It is essential that I make my work
the best it can be, even if takes more
time than usual,” said Larson. The
amount of time Larson puts into his
artwork makes it stand out even more.
The decisions an artist makes affects how the final art product turns
out. It is necessary that an art student
makes the best decisions in artwork.
“When Hunter starts working on an
image and reworks it, he makes the
right decisions to benefit his work,”
said Candela.
March 4, 2008
Smoke
TheThe
Smoke
Signal
Signal
tudent
Stafford
High
School
33 33
Stafford
Indian Lane,
Falmouth,
VA 22405
Stafford
High
School
Stafford
Lane,
Falmouth,
VA 22405
Stafford
High School
33 Stafford
IndianIndian
Lane, Falmouth,
VA 22405
Haynes plays cello,
competes at festivals
By Morgan Iannazzo
Staff Writer
As a freshman, Rachel Haynes sat
in the front row of the orchestra room;
she was seen as concentrating and
devoting to her passion in music.
“I like the cello because it’s low
and sounds pretty,” said Haynes.
She has been playing for six years
and her discipline had been noticed
by many of her classmates.
“She knows when people mess up
and understands their mistakes. She
then would help them fix it,” said freshman classmate Dylan Porter.
“I went to a private school in fourth
grade,” said Haynes. “My parents
wanted me to play the cello, so I tried
it out and have been playing it ever
since.”
Her devotion and her love for music were evident when orchestra
teacher Ms. Nash picked her without
hesitation or second thought for the
music profile.
“She practices a lot,” said Porter,
“and has a natural ability for it.” In
addition to Porter’s class, Haynes
takes lessons outside of school.
“Everyone in my family plays an
instrument,” said Haynes, “My brother
plays the violin and the piano, as does
my mom. My dad plays guitar and electric bass and my sister plays the flute.”
Haynes also plays guitar, piano and
does vocals.
Her goals for this school year are
to improve her tone on her cello along
with the overall sound. She plans to
carry on with music throughout high
school and into a career.
“I’d like to go somewhere to study
music because I really want to minor
or major in it,” said Haynes. Her favorite composer is Bach and she enjoys
playing with other people. During the
school year, she also loves competing
at the district festival.
“I just love the competitions,” said
Haynes, “and the pressure to perform
well for the judges.”
Photo by Jessica Byrd
Junior Chris Hall has been a part of the drama department since he joined
the improv team in ninth grade. He looks forward to all of the roles and plays
he will be in.
Hall ssttays involved in dr
ama
drama
By Erin Gallivan
Staff Writer
Junior Chris Hall can often be found
in the drama room with his friends,
either working on the next production
or just relaxing.
“It’s like a place to go when you
have free time,” said Hall. “It ’s our
domain.”
Hall first got involved in drama
when he was in the sixth grade. He
signed up for the drama elective and
enjoyed it, so kept doing it every year.
In the ninth grade he joined the improv
team and stayed with it.
“It’s fun, and a lot of my friends are
in drama too, so that makes it even
better,” said Hall.
Hall has been in some of the recent productions including “The Sound
of Music,” “Leading Lady,” and this
year’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile”.
“Picasso was the funniest and
most mature play,” said Hall.
His favorite role was Sagot from
“Picasso at Lapin Agile”.
“I enjoyed it because he was a really big character,” said Hall. “I had fun,
and could really play around with the
role.”
The role he least enjoyed was the
role he had in “The Serpent”.
“There is really no such thing as a
bad a roll, but I just didn’t enjoy that
one as much as I enjoyed the others,”
said Hall.
The thought alone of standing in
Photo by Jessica Byrd
Freshman Rachel Haynes plays cello in the orchestra. She
comes from a musical family and loves competitions.
His
Histtor
oryy given da
dayy ttoo shine
By Katrina Zurasky
Staff Writer
Who is Friedrich Engels? What was
so special about Nikola Tesla? What
influence did Johannes Gutenberg
have on the world? Ms. Margaret
Bridges and her 10th grade honor
classes are on a quest to find out by
participating in History Day.
Students will have to choose a contributor to history, well known or not
as well known, and research that person. They will have to make a tri-fold
presentation with information about
that person, write a process paper on
how they assembled the project, and
also put together an annotated bibliography.
There are many people in history
to choose from. Some examples on the
National History site include Jackie
Robinson, who broke the color barrier
in baseball, and Elizabeth Blackwell,
who was the first American woman
doctor.
“My partner and I chose the ‘Father of Chemistry’, Antoine-Laurent de
Lavoisier,” said sophomore Tiffany
Wright.
Students can enter their project into
the regional competition if they wish.
There is even a national competition.
Categories include Group Exhibit, Individual Documentary, Paper, and Performance.
The final thing that students have
to do is to come to Stafford High School
at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, February 18
to present their project.
“Students really get a lot out of this
because they come and they learn
things from other displays,” said
Bridges. “It gives them a chance to research.”
By the end of the project, students
will know much more about the influence of the individual in history. Maybe
they’ll learn that Friedrich Engels was
a philosopher, Nikola Tesla researched and pioneered in the fields
of electricity and magnetism, and
Johannes Gutenberg invented the
printing press.
“Athletic teams have games, chorus and band have concerts, and drama
has plays. This day gives history a
chance to shine,” said Bridges.
Left: Nikola
Tesla is just one
of the people
being featured
in this year’s
History Day.
Students get the
chance to
research
historical figures
and create
presentations on
them. The
project teaches
students about
the influence of
the individual in
history.
front of a large crowd of people and
reciting lines can make anyone feel
sick, others crave the attention. Others just get a little jittery.
“I get nervous before I get on
stage,” said Hall. “But as soon as I get
out there, I completely forget it and
just do my thing.”
Using methods to calm down can
help actors give their best performance. Hall uses something else.
“I don’t picture people in their underwear or anything,” said Hall. “I just
try to calm down and look over my
lines, but not too much, or you can
psych yourself out, and you’ll have a
bad performance.”
Hall also enjoys watching movies,
especially Adam Sandler movies.
“I like his range. He can do comedy or he can switch over and be serious. It’s fun to watch his movies.”
An acting career can be demanding but extremely rewarding, but Hall
isn’t looking into it.
“I don’t think I have a future in acting, I would love to do it, it would be
lots of fun, but it is really hard to get
into.”
Like a movie sets has directors,
drama classes have a teacher.
“I love Ms. Thomas,” said Hall. “She
is so great, welcoming, calm, and a
great teacher.
Hall will continue to be in productions for drama, and looks forward to
all the roles he will be able to be a
part of.
ife 7
Feb. 10, 2009
www.shssmokesignal.com
Bigoney
lectures
on ethics,
cloning
By Kathleen Gayle
Staff Writer
Rebecca Bigoney, MD, talked to the
Commonwealth Governor ’s school
sophomores Jan 9 about cloning because of their recent study of Aldous
Huxley’s “Brave New World”.
Bigoney is an ethics specialist at
Mary Washington Hospital. She works
with the doctors to evaluate what decisions are of ethics so that the hospital doesn’t get sued. She also works
to monitor the use of new medical technology so that it is used in the right
way. She has been speaking to CGS for
at least seven years.
“She draws attention to the fact
that she is really needed and the hospital needs to hire her as technology
gets more advanced,” said CGS English
teacher Winona Siegmund. “It’s also
really great that she helps the students
to understand that there is really a
need for people in that profession.”
The main reason she was brought
in was to connect the ethics of what is
going on today to the predictions in
the cautionary tale “Brave New World”.
“She has been volunteering for a
long time,” said Siegmund, “and she
does a really good job explaining cloning and the ethics behind it all.”
The novel takes place in a futuristic time where everyone is cloned to
make citizens and everything is
controled. There are no relationships
or emotion. People are completely
content with how they are living and
don’t question the morals of their
world.
“It was a really good connection to
the book,” said sophomore Krysta
Ward. “It really helped me determine
whether what they did in their special
world was wrong or right.”
The class talked about cloning,
stem cell research, and the ethical
problems associated with both. The
speaker also explained reasons why
people would choose to be cloned and
that even though it doesn’t seem like
it, we have the technology now to clone
a person.
“Hearing Dr. Bigoney talk about
cloning really helped me understand
the issues behind cloning and why the
author created this novel to warn us
against such a terrible thing,” said
sophomore Miranda Ritchey.
12
How much
money do
you spend
on
Valentine’s
Day?
By
Ashleigh
Powell
Staff photographer
“I spend $50.”
Logan Hayes,
senior
“About like $30.”
Chris Woolf,
freshman
Likes and Dislikes of
Valentines’s Day
The Smoke Signal
By: Kelsey Chestnut
Editor in Chief
The reactions to Valentine’s Day
are pretty simple—people either
love the holiday, or hate it with
an extreme passion. There is no
in-between.
The Valentine’s Day rituals have
certainly changed a lot for students over the years. In early
school years, students brought
personalized Valentines and candy
to school to trade with their peers.
Back in those days, the highlight of Valentine’s Day was going
to the store to pick out one’s favorite kind of Valentine’s Day
cards, whether it is their favorite
cartoon or superhero. Exchanging the Valentines to peers in
school was also exciting.
The definition of the holiday
has completely changed in the
high school world.
Now,
Valentine’s Day is all about the ro-
Stafford High School 33 Stafford Indian Lane, Falmouth, VA 22405
mance. Instead of running out to
buy Spiderman Valentines, boys
are going out to buy chocolates,
flowers, and even dinner for their
sweethearts.
The majority of people who enjoy Valentine’s Day are mostly in
the female category. Usually if a
girl despises Valentine’s Day it’s
simply because she doesn’t have
a guy to be her Valentine.
Guys, on the other hand, tend
to be easier going about having a
significant other, or the lack of
having one. If they don’t have a
girlfriend on Valentine’s Day that
simply means they don’t have to
worry about buying them chocolates or taking them out on a date.
Some people don’t care for
Valentine’s Day because it is a
lovey-dovey holiday. They don’t
want to have to buy presents just
to show their feelings for their significant other. They think that the
whole holiday is a huge waste of
time.
To some people, it’s just another reason to stress over what
their sweethearts would want. It’s
especially hard to shop for males
on Valentine’s Day because they
can’t exactly be won over with
chocolate or flowers.
However, the holiday does
have its benefits. Just like any
other holiday, Valentine’s Day has
its exciting paraphernalia associated with it that get people all
pumped up for the big day.
Chocolates, flowers (especially
roses), Sweethearts, and Cupid are
classic symbols of Valentine’s Day.
Most girls adore getting chocolates or flowers from their boyfriends, and Sweethearts are fun
to read and sweet to eat.
For the romantic types, this
holiday is extremely important.
It’s a whole day devoted to their
March 4, 2008
significant other, and could mean
a nice romantic dinner by the fire,
or a full bouquet of flowers with
kisses. For most girls with a boyfriend, Valentine’s Day is pretty enjoyable.
Overall, Valentine’s Day is specifically a couple’s holiday, especially for the adult population of
the world. A person’s like or dislike of the holiday is usually based
solely on the fact if they have a
significant other or not.
What’s the fun of Valentine’s
Day without having someone to
share it with? With no one to buy
chocolates or flowers for, or no
one to have a romantic dinner
with, it’s easy to see why some
people despise Valentine’s Day the
way they do.
One can also see the appeal
Valentine’s Day has to some
people, especially the female portion of the population!
What is the worst Valentine’s
Day gift you’ve ever received?
Jacqueline Stout
Staff writer
Senior William Tokalautawa
“A bear from some weird girl in 8th grade”
“It depends on
how much I like
the person.”
Caty Fendley,
freshman
Junior Alannah Paul
“My dad gave me a giraffe-shaped eraser”
Senior Jasmine Biggers
“A really ugly watch”
Junior Jill Gregory
“I got a little box of conversation hearts because he forgot”
Junior Michelle Mancari
“In middle school, I didn’t receive anything.”
Junior Alex Malecha
“In 4th grade when I got a bracelet with plastic football charms
on it.”
Junior Kyle Littlejohn
“A t-shirt with hearts that I have never worn.”
Senior Madison Jefferies
“I got a WWJD bracelet from a guy I didn’t like.”
Junior Cassie Garrett
“Ugly socks”
Junior Alexis Hastings
“$20 at the
most.”
Brandi Wick,
sophomore
“I’ve never gotten a bad gift.”
Junior Jeremy Bon…
“I got a ripped Valentine card.”
Valentine’s Da
its
Dayy Outf
Outfits
“Junior Kris Trowbridge”
“I got an empty box of chocolates when I was 12.”
By: Jarred Chavez
Staff Reporter
“$10 .”
Ononna Khan,
junior
“$10 maybe.”
Lindsay Thomas,
senior
“Like $100.”
Darrien Downing,
senior
“Depends.”
Deron Sheffieod,
junior
On Valentines Millions people get a
chance to share and express how they truly
feel about there loved one or significant
other. Some will surprise their valentine
with a dozen roses or maybe even a box of
chocolates.Whatever we recive on Valentines day its doesnt matter the vaule or if
its big or small. what matters most is that
your loved one was thinking of you. But
there are some who actually dress up with
matching T-shirts, hat, pants or heck even
a full matching ensemble . Sophomore Thomas Adams said, “ Couples that dress up
on Valentines Day are sweet and cute”.
These select few who choose to do so are
simply unique. They may dress to impress
with decorated Shirts that have quotes or
sayings symbolizing there valentine. However senior Heather Kincaid said, “ people
who do that are DUMB!” . Senior Bret Thompson says, “ That’s matching couples
are cute and festive”. Bret wants to dress
up with his Valentine this year. Enlgish
teacher Mrs. Carafiol, says it gives people
a sence of ownership, like when people
dress and match with thier dogs”. The
tables have turned and the gentalmen
seem to have a more spirit for Valentines
day rather than the women do. The boys
are deffitetly putting an effort in for this
Valentines day holiday,as we come closer
to Feburary fourthtinth maybe the ladies
will surprise us and change thier minds on
wearing cheesy matching outfits .
March 4, 2008
Smoke
TheThe
Smoke
Signal
Signal
potlight
Stafford
High
School
33 33
Stafford
Indian Lane,
Falmouth,
VA 22405
Stafford
High
School
Stafford
Lane,
Falmouth,
VA 22405
Stafford
High School
33 Stafford
IndianIndian
Lane, Falmouth,
VA 22405
9
Feb. 10, 2009
www.shssmokesignal.com
Photo by Terrence Antonio James/MCT
Photo by Michael Bryant/MCT
Barack Obama, with his wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha at his side, is sworn in as the country’s 44th president by Chief Justice
John Edwards, front, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Barack Obama, with his wife Michelle, and daughters Malia, and Sasha, right, wave to the crowd after
Obama took the oath
to Antonio
becomeJames/MCT
the 44th
Photoof
byoffice
Terrence
U.S. President at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.,
Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Inauguration viewpoint
Day that will go down in histor y
By Kurt Vinnedge
Staff Writer
“On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over
fear, unity of purpose over conflict
and discord.”
Facing more than two million
people, the forty-fourth president
of the United States spoke those
words on Jan. 20.
The whole country watched.
Most of the world watched. And for
those two million people on the
mall, they felt history.
Standing on the corner of Fourteenth Street and Independence,
it is possible to see the dome of
the capitol building, even with
hundreds of thousands of people
in front of this section of the mall.
Standing on tip toes, the balcony
where President Obama gave his
speech is visible.
That morning, it was cold. Hav-
ing to wake up at 5:20 a.m. for a
train that leaves at 6:15 a.m. was
not fun. Stepping off the train, it
was impossible to walk five feet
in any direction without stepping
on someone’s foot.
It did not matter. With a total
of almost four million people in
the district, there was no way that
anyone could find a calm place.
However, everyone was polite,
helpful, and generous. There was
no pushing, shoving, or yelling (excluding chants of “Obama! Obama!
Obama!”).
By 8:10 a.m., almost the entire
mall was covered by every culture,
nationality, and age.
Despite the cold, the wind, and
the tired limbs and throats, everyone was happy. People stood in
line for food for hours without complaint.
Jumbotrons showed President
Obama’s motorcade traveling to-
Photo by Brian Baer/MCT
wards the capitol. Every view of the
soon-to-be president brought
cheers and claps from everyone.
When President Obama stood
up, the cold, tired feet and numb
hands ceased to exist.
From the time the president
stood up to take the oath from the
time he finished his speech, two
million people stood still, quiet,
barely breathing, holding on to
every word he spoke.
“On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have
strangled our politics.”
Everyone that day saw history.
Everyone that day heard history.
“Thank you. God bless you. And
God bless the United States of
America.” This is what the world
heard on Jan. 20. It was a day that
will go down in history.
Dr. Branch attends
Obama’s Inauguration
By Kurt Vinnedge
Staff Writer
In Dr. Milton L. Branch’s classroom in the English hallway, students are most likely to see the
special education teacher helping
one of his students with homework
or a quiz.
But this is not all that Branch
has done in his eventful life.
Raised in D.C., Branch is a man
of education. With a bachelor ’s
from D.C. Teacher’s college, a
master ’s from Howard, a second
master’s from Virginia Union University, he has worked in the D.C.
public school system for seven
years. He has also studied abroad
in Japan for two years, Italy for six,
and England for two. He has a
masters in Divinity, and a doctorate.
Branch has been to many inaugurations, but he has never been
to one quite as historic as this moment in history that the country wit-
nessed on Jan. 20.
“It’s just amazing that in my life
time this happens. My father, who
is 82, and my sunt said they’d never
thought they’d see this in their life
time, ” said Branch.
Branch has been to inaugurations since he was a small child.
He has been to these events since
Eisenhower, and has seen others
such as Kennedy, Carter, and
Clinton.
He also has experience in politics himself. When he was in elementary school and high school,
he would attend inaugurations,
visit monuments in the district,
and was involved in the Young
Democrats in his school. In undergraduate school, he was the class
president his sophomore, junior
and senior year at D.C. Teacher’s
College.
In his room, the news is always
on. When asked why, one of his
students answered for him. “He
Former President George W. Bush looks out over the U.S. Capitol as
his helicopter departs Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, for Andrews
Air Force Base following the inauguration ceremonies for President
Barack Obama.
Photo by Eric Draper/MCT
keeps the news on to be informed.
He likes CNN the best,” said freshman Sean Brennan.
When this inauguration rolled
around, there was no way Branch
was going to miss it. “I received a
call from the Capital but I missed
it. Soon after, I found a message
on my Blackberry,” said Branch.
Branch had received blue tickets, which would put him on the
actual grounds of the capital.
Before the inauguration, Branch
attended the Maryland National
Democratic Ball, and a retirement
dinner for Walter Fauntroy. He
stayed at his friend’s home near
D.C.
At the actual inauguration,
Branch did not go to the parade,
but rather went for a private luncheon.
“I wish my grandma was alive.
She had friends who worked for
presidents. She died when she
was 89,” said Branch.
President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle make an appearance at the Western
Ballheld at the DC Convention Center in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Several thousand people from all over traveled to Washington, D.C. to watch the
inauguration.
Photo by Kurt Vinnedge
One voice for many
By Moriah Briscoe
Staff Writer
I think Obama’s presidency will
change the view on black people
by really showing the world that
we [black people] can do anything
we set our minds to, not just one
race but anyone from any race. I
believe that this really raises the
bar for us, before all we were was
basic citizens, the minority in everything.
But now with his presidency,
we won’t be looked at like that
anymore. Now we might turn out
to be the next doctors, politicians,
lawyers, and now maybe even the
president. I personally believe he
represents us well; he gives off an
impression that let’s you know that
he knows what he’s doing and saying, and that he’s well-educated
enough to make his own decisions.
With that, I assume that it will
inspire people to be just like him.
It will inspire kids to strive to get a
better education, teens will soon
try to be better role models for
little kids, and parents and guardians will seek to teach us teens
and kids better moral values as we
grow older.
“Starting today we must pick
ourselves up, dust ourselves off,
and begin the work of remaking
America,” Obama said in his Inauguration Address.
To me this means that we need
to work together to renew America
and make it a better place for everyone who lives here, and even
the people who don’t. Most everyone feels that Martin Luther King’s
dream has come alive through
Obama and his presidency. I
couldn’t agree more.
I feel that we have come a long
way from slavery and civil rights to
today. This means a lot to me because I know that my ancestors
have fought through a lot of things
to get to where we are today, and
with that, I can now say that I witnessed the inauguration of the very
first black president.
10
ports
The Smoke Signal
Stafford High School 33 Stafford Indian Lane, Falmouth, VA 22405
The boys varisty team pumps up before a game singing “We ready!”
Feb. 10, 2009
The girls varsity team held a breast cancer awareness event with a silent
auction and a knock-out contest to raise funds for cancer research.
Nothing but net
Mitch Young sets up a play in a recent varsity game.
By Julian Rivas
Staff writer
The boys’ varsity basketball team has
been on a roll the entire season. They have
compiled a 14-3 overall record, and an 8-2
record in the Commonwealth District.
The team continues to play possessed
at home, not losing a single game at SHS all
season. All three loses have been away
against quality opponents including a loss
to reigning West Virginia State Champions,
Beckley.
The Indians have a core group of seniors this season, which has helped them
remain calm and focused in tough games.
The seniors are not alone though. Great
play from juniors Jamal Wilson and Mitchell
Young have proven pivotal in clutch situations.
“We are successful because we have experienced seniors who can handle the big
game pressure,” said senior forward Blake
Grasso. “We rely on our juniors, too though.
They are as good as any of the seniors, and
really come through for us a lot.”
The Indians don’t plan on cooling down
at all and believe they haven’t reached their
maximum potential yet. Key moments that
were not taken advantage of in the Riverbend
and North Stafford game led to an Indians’
loss.
“We have not reached our maximum potential yet,” said Grasso. “We play well in
spurts but we haven’t put together a complete gain yet, but hopefully we can work a
bit harder in practice and reach it.”
The season is still going their way. They
have a few games remaining until the Commonwealth District Tournament, and hope
to improve to avoid another repeat of last
season’s first round loss to North Stafford.
“Our goal is to win regionals. We can
achieve this by working hard and remaining close as a family,” said senior guard
Darrien Downing. “We still have room to
improve no doubt, but I feel that we will
be ready to take it to another level when
playoffs come around.”
The team focuses on maintaining a
close group of guys, so that they can all
work together to reach the team’s goals.
The ‘team first’ approach they take will
guide them deep within the playoffs.
“Well, we are playing as a team, no
one is going out for themselves every
night,” said senior forward Dominique
Jones. “They make it a team game.”
With a core group of closely knit players, the Indians look destined to reach their
goals of winning the district tournament
and winning regionals. The team has yet
to play at their full potential and with hard
work and team unity; they are getting closer
and closer to a championship and a season to remember.
Maggie Jones looks for an open player during the
game against Mt. View.
Marina Fox makes a layup in the pregame warms up
at the “Think Pink!” game against breast cancer.
The girls wore pink all day.
Jamal Wilson dunks during pregame warm-ups.
Blake Grasso
grabs a
rebound in the
game against
Mt. View which
Stafford won.
Blake Grasso goes for the steal during the Mt. View game.
Marquel Davis drives the lane during a recent game
against Mt. View.
Hayden
Johnson
jumps at the
tip off
starting the
game
against Mt.
View.
The Blue
Wave, a
section of
seniors,
concentrate
on the
game.
ports
March 4, 2008
Smoke
TheThe
Smoke
Signal
Signal
Stafford
High
School
33 33
Stafford
Indian Lane,
Falmouth,
VA 22405
Stafford
High
School
Stafford
Lane,
Falmouth,
VA 22405
Stafford
High School
33 Stafford
IndianIndian
Lane, Falmouth,
VA 22405
11
Feb. 10, 2009
www.shssmokesignal.com
Gymnastics practices, sticks it
Indoor
earns rank
state, area
By TTysean
ysean FFord
ord
Page editor
Kourtney Colley makes her dismount off the uneven
bars during a recent meet.
Adriona Payne competes on the balance beam at an away gymnastics meet.
By Ashley Reed, Amber Huffman
Staff Writer
The gymnastics team is undefeated at the district competition
level, and they have a first and
second place at Invitationals.
The team is far from inexperienced. Many girls on the gymnastics team have been competing
and practicing the sport for years
at local gyms. Some of the girls are
on the cheerleading team.
“I have been doing gymnastics
for almost eight years,” said
sophomore Kendall Rayha. At
meets, Rayha usually does vault,
floor, and bars, but this year she is
also competing beam because she
wants to be in all around competition.
Competing all around at a
meet means to compete in all four
events: floor, vault, beam, and bars.
Rayha is not the only girl on the
team that competes in all around.
“Well, what I participate in during meets depends,” said sophomore Brandi Wick. “Most of the
time, it is bars and beam, but I also
compete in all around competition
sometimes.”
“I joined the high school team
mostly because I love the sport,”
said Rayha. “I also joined it to be
on a team with some of the girls
that I used to compete with when I
did club gymnastics.”
The gymnastics girls get a lot
of support from their coach.
“I have coached gymnastics for
two years,” said gymnastics coach
Ms. Janet Barham. “I chose to
coach because I love the competitiveness of the sport, and I enjoy
teaching the students on another
level rather than just an academic
one. My favorite part of gymnastics is that it is a team sport. The
girls are competitive, and when
they work hard, they can do well. I
enjoy seeing the girls accomplish
a skill that they’ve been working
Brandi Wick performs her routine for floor routine.
Photos provided by Wes Bergazzi
hard on, whether it be a full on
floor, a giant on bars, or a back
handspring on beam.”
A full is a back flip in a
stretched layout position, with a
full twist. A giant on uneven bars
is when the gymnast starts in a
handstand, swings downward past
the ground, and swings back up
into a handstand again.
A back handspring is a move
where a gymnast takes off from one
or two feet, jumps backward onto
his or her hands and lands on the
feet.
The back handspring is also
known as a “flic-flac” or a “flipflop”.
These are some of the skills
gymnastics teams must master to
be competitive in any district.
Stafford’s team seems to have
done just that this season.
February should be an interesting month as all winter sports finish their seasons with the district,
regional and state meets.
Kourtney Colley does her balance beam routine.
Kourtney Colley performs on the balance beam.
Katie Mitton performs her Floor routinewhich included a back tuck and a layout .
The indoor track team has athletes who are ranked with the top
athletes in Virginia. Seniors
Travaughn Baker-Johnson and
Todd Repass III along with juniors
Jacob Lysher and Matt Hazelgren
have a state ranking in the top ten,
a ranking that has been missing
for many years.
These athletes are ranked in
individual events. Baker-Johnson
is ranked tenth in the state, but
first in the region, in the 300 meter
sprint running a 35.85 seconds.
Repass is ranked first in the district, fourth in the region and ninth
in the state in shot put throwing
48 feet and 2 inches. Lysher is
ranked third in the Northwest Region in the 1000 meter run, running
a 2:36.80 which is twelth in the
state, second in the region and in
the district. Hazelgren participates
in the pole vault, jumping 14 feet 6
inches, which tiesthe 28-year-old
schoolrecord. He is first in district, tied with one boy from Forest
Park High School in the Northwest
Region, and ranks fourth in the
state.
“The 300 meter is my best event
and it’s the one I really want to
improve on,” said Baker-Johnson.
“Also we have a really strong 4 x
400 meter team. We run 3 minutes
and 32 seconds. I really enjoy running along side of them.” The 4 x
400 meter team is ranked second
in the district and second in the
region and fifth in the state. BakerJohnson, Lysher and Hazelgren,
and sophomore Tyler Oliver make
up the 4 x 400 team. Oliver is also
sixth in the region, fifth in the district with 4: 37: 85 in the 1600 meter
run.
“I’m very proud of these guys
and all of our track athletes for
what they have been able to accomplish so far this season,” said
coach Pete Augrom. “I’m looking
for even greater performances as
we get ready for our district meet
on Feb. 10 at North Stafford.”
Stafford girls’ team is really
coming on strong this year, too. The
4 x 200 meter relay is seated second in the district with a 1:53.48.
Members of the team are juniors
Kiah Zaremba, twins Kierra and
Cierra Butler, and freshmen Jasmine Thomas. The team is ranked
eighth in the Northwest Region.
Kierra Butler is third in the region with a 55 meter hurdles with
Zaremba is ranked sixth in the region in hurdles. Jasmine Thomas
run the 55 Dash in 7.91 6th in the
District
“Our 4 x 200 meter relay team is
becoming competitive with the
other teams,” said Kierra. “Every
time we compete in a race, our time
gets better and our personal
records get better.”
Todd Repass
SPRING SPORT TR
YOUT
S
TRY
OUTS
Softball
SPORT
Baseball
Soccer (Boys)
Soccer (Girls)
COACH
Mr. Harrison
Mr. Jobrack
Mrs. Jones
Mrs. Tobin
EQUIPMENT
*Baseballs
*Gloves
*Bats
*Cleats
*Shin Guards
*Running Shoes
Tennis (Boys)
Walk-ons
Mr. Green
*Sliding Gear
*Running Shoes
*Glove
*Softball Bat
*Tennis Shoes
*Tennis Racket
Tennis (Girls)
Walk-ons
Mr. Dorazio
*Tennis Shoes
*Tennis Racket
Lacrosse
Mr. Adams
*Helmet
*Mouth Guard
*Elbow Pads
*Cleats
*Lacrosse Stick
*Shoulder Pads
*Gloves
Track
Mr. Gorfida
*Running Shoes
*Water Bottles
*Cleats
*Water Bottle
*Shin Guards
*Running Shoes
*Cleats
*Water Bottle
Travaughn Baker-Johnson
Matt Hazelgren
Under the Influence: Teenage Relationships
When couples split, it hur
ts
hurts
Double dating can be fun
By Nicole Clyde
Staff Writer
Breaking down relationships
By Jenny Pan
Assistant Editor in Chief
Meet John and Sally.
They have nothing in common, bicker
constantly, and are miserable in their relationship. What made them get together in
the first place?
Attraction between couples may be the
result of more than charm and personality.
Affection aside, there are underlying reasons
as to why so many teenagers invest in relationships. Influences may range from social
norms and peer pressure to the media and
chemicals emitted from the body.
At homecoming, Valentine’s Day, and
prom, teenagers fret more than ever over not
having a special someone.
Even after high school, the burden of having a relationship reappears every February.
Eye-catching shades of crimson and pink engulf retail stores and act as a reminder of
love and relationships to consumers.
Younger children are expected to buy valentines for their friends and loved ones. At a
young age children are encouraged to send
candy grams to their crushes, smoothly and
subtly implying that they should be romantically involved. Ridiculous!
“There is the social stigma of school
dances where kids are supposed to have a
date,” said senior Mary Greeson.
Traditional rituals like the exchange of
the corsage and the picture in front of the
fireplace require the wrist and arm of a plus
one.
While lucky individuals may attend
dances with a group of friends, the less fortunate have friends who have all coupled off.
Pre-dance rituals are tricky, but not impossible to withstand without a date. However, the challenge continues when the slow
dancing begins, and it’s often back-to-back
towards the end of the night.
The pressure to have a date usually either leads to a rain check or the infamous
“set up.”
“Peer pressure is another reason teenagers date,” said psychology and sociology
teacher Mrs. Sherri Pierce. “A lot of dates
start with friends introducing friends.”
Matchmaking is often an temptation for
teenagers; matchmaking friends are armed
with the power of persuasion and the pressure that only good friends can successfully
apply. However, it’s not a foolproof method.
“People try to get me into relationships
all the time, said senior Chase Harrison, “but
I tend to decline them because I’m afraid that
I’ll get attached.
A smidgen of free-will is removed when a
set up is made. Although the ultimate actions
are controlled by the individuals who are set
up, peer pressure may alter the decisions
made.
The pressure to engage in romantic relationships does not end with friends.
“The media stresses relationships and sex
way too much,” said Pierce.
Popular television shows like “Gossip
Girl” and classics like “Boy Meets World”
feature characters who have a significant
other, or are striving to obtain one.
Millions of impressionable viewers tune
in to see plots that often revolve around the
journey of teenage relationships. Repeated
scenarios of the same plot become ingrained
into the minds of viewers and the situations
written as scripts for amusement are interpreted as real life.
Something that may be real, however, are
pheromones: chemicals released from the
body that scientists believe affect social and
sexual behavior between members of the
same species.
Pheromones have no color, odor, and travel
through the air, making their existence hard
to prove.
A study by Martha McClintock of the University of Chicago convinced a number of scientists that pheromones exist in humans.
John and Sally’s chances of avoiding the
pressures of having a relationship was very
small. Their status as single individuals will
remain intact only as long as they avoid the
halls of school, avoid friends, do not turn on
the television, and communicate with yardsticks between them.
Good luck John and Sally.
What is noticed ffir
ir
prising
irsst can be sur
surprising
By Kurt Vinnedge
Staff Writer
Walking around the school, there is something constantly going on; unannounced, barely
spoken of, secretive. It is present in the hallways, the cafeteria, the classrooms.
Judging. Not the judgment of character, but
the judgment of appearance. Boys and girls alike,
silently looking at and eyeing each other.
Everyone does it—looks at the opposite sex
up and down, deciding whether they are good
enough to flirt with. But what exactly do girls
look for? What do guys look for?
With both genders seeming to be most concerned with overall appearance, teens now have
to worry about every aspect of their body: their
eyes, hair, smile, face, their physique, and how
they look in general.
However, some students aren’t worried so
much by the pressures of physical beauty.
“I really don’t care how I look,” said junior
Michael West.
The whole point of this is because students
have one thing they look for. The only way to
Double dating is the notorious way to go on
a date with a crush without it being completely
uncomfortable, especially if the “fling” is relatively new. Of course, there are advantages and
disadvantages to going out with more than one
couple.
“Sure [I like to double date],” said junior
Hunter Young. “It makes [dates] more fun.”
For starters, it all depends on who is going
on the date. It’s always nice to bring a close friend
as the tension could be eased.
However, if the friend and their significant
other are farther along in a relationship, there
may be pressure to copy what they are doing.
On the other hand, dates may be on their best
behavior in front of other people so there won’t
be any need to worry about pressure from the
date.
Other couples with personality could lighten
up the situation as well. Laughing and enjoying
the evening will make the date successful since it
takes the pressure off of being one-on-one and
constantly supplying fun and conversation.
“[On double dates] I go to the movies,” said
freshman Ricky Martin. “It’s quiet, dark, and
intimate.”
If a lot of different couples who don’t usually associate go out, the situation may become
awkward and lack in good conversation. In these
situations, it would be a good idea to make sure
that friends of both parties are included in the
date.
Once the “date” party has been established,
the next step is to decide where to go. Dinner and
a movie is the traditional date sequence. Dinner
can be fun, especially if there’s a good atmosphere or group discount.
Movies can be intimate, but lack conversation. Making out in the theater may disturb other
moviegoers, and attempting conversation during
the movie could make others mad. It wouldn’t be
the best idea to get kicked out of the theater on
the first date.
After dinner, try bowling, mini-golfing, and
laser tag, or some other activity that involves
interaction. This gives couples the opportunity
to share some friendly competition, many laughs,
and the guys may even get to help their date
putt-putt.
“I like to double date,” said junior Bryan Elam.
“Last time we went to the movies and then out
for ice cream. It’s a chance to meet new people if
you’re out with your friend, his girl, and her
friend.”
Even if the double date isn’t the first date for
the couple they can be fun. Going out with other
couples is different than the usual routine, something a little different but a lot of fun.
By Dawnthea Price
Copy Editor
There are several different levels of a relationship: the potentially awkward pre-dating
stage, complete with awkward silences and funny
looks from friends. Then, there’s the just-starting-to-date stage, which may still have some awkward silences, a few lame hugs, and overall shy
(but cutesy) public displays of affection.
From there, it may progress to the reallylike-each-other stage where the PDA becomes
more frequent (and possibly more grotesque),
and every day just seems to focus on the parts
that include the significant other. However, as
adorable and teen romance movie-like this all appears, there are only two endpoints for relationships: marriage or breaking up.
“[Breaking up] stinks because you can’t talk
to that person the same way,” said junior Christian Bulloss. “You go from being really close to
someone to having this huge barrier between you.”
Even though it may mean changing the relationship status on MySpace and Facebook, and
sometimes it seems like Saturday nights aren’t as
activity-filled as they once were, a break up is
not the end of the world (even if it seems that
way at first).
“It’s always been kind of hard for me, no
matter what the situation,” said junior Rachel
Rochte. “I’ve been broken up with, and I’ve done
the breaking up, but some have been worse than
others.”
Break ups occur for many reasons, but the
technique to getting over it is keeping a certain
mindset: if the break up was mutual, there are no
hard feelings and nothing can be done, so it’s best
to just move forward. If the separation was onesided, however, it’s best to just say it’s ‘over and
done with’ and move forward.
How couples act around each
other can be silly
ar
d
silly,, awkw
awkwar
ard
By Gordon Phillips
Staff Writer
A high school relationship can be a fragile,
unpredictable, and incredibly awkward thing.
Whether it is called “being together,” “dating,”
“going-out,” “boo-luvin’,” or “seeing each other,”
every student that has ever been in a relationship
can call it one thing: challenging.
An essential part of any relationship is how
the two parties conduct themselves around
others. High school is all about peer pressure,
and high school relationships are no exception to
this.
A couple can be significantly affected by the
way their friends act in relationships. A person
may not know how to act around a significant
other, especially if it is their first relationship.
“I try to be myself, I don’t change my
personality for her,” said senior Todd Repass.
“She has to like me for who I am.”
This is a very mature approach to dating,
and is usually found among upperclassmen
couples or when two students that have been
together for a long period of time.
Some guys may feel as if they need to be
tougher or funnier while around their girlfriend
for fear of being deemed “unmanly.” This can
lead to the need to show off.
“I don’t change anything about myself,” said
senior Benjamin Howard.
Some boys are very loud and outgoing around
their friends, but feel as if they need to be quieter
or generally more subdued around their girlfriend.
Other changes in the way a person acts are not
bad, as a little chivalry can go a long way.
“I act like a respectful gentleman,” said junior
Mikey Blackburn. “I treat her the best that I
can.”
This goes both ways, as girls can feel as the
need to do the same things, but in different ways.
Girls may think that they need to flaunt
themselves to keep their boyfriends interested.
“I’m probably weirder around him,” said
junior Alannah Paule. “I talk like a baby
sometimes.”
Other couples feel that they have to make it
known that they are dating with excess PDA.
“We sometimes hold hands, but I think PDA
is overrated,” said senior Alycia Shaffer. “We don’t
have to prove to people that we’re dating by
showing affection.”
Shaffer has been in her current relationship
for over a year and is very comfortable around
her significant other. She doesn’t feel awkward
around her boyfriend and isn’t at all worried about
the way others view her relationship.
“I’m not intimate with my boyfriend in
public,” said junior Jihye Kim. “I’m more friendly
than mushy.”
Not all couples are this way. Some feel that
they need to hang all over each other in order to
be accepted as a couple.
There really is no remedy to this problem,
but with time and experience, nearly every aspect
of dating can become easier.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Calpo
Photo by Jenny Pan
High school is the
time when people
begin getting involved
in serious
relationships. A
common affliction in
high school
relationships is acting
differently in front of a
significant other to
impress them.
Photo by Jenny Pan
Photo by Dawnthea Price
Ex
cessive af
ts
Excessive
afffection disgus
disgusts
make everyone happy is to look good in every
way.
“I usually notice a girl’s body before anything,” said junior Rusty Baron.
Of 187 students polled, 52 girls said that
they appreciate overall appearance first, while
58 boys said that they pay attention to the same
thing.
The factor that received the second highest
number of votes varied between boys and girls.
Eighteen girls looked at a guy’s smile first, while
18 guys looked at a girl’s body type first.
Seventeen girls looked at a boy’s body type
first, while 12 boys looked at a girl’s smile first.
A person’s hair was the least voted for aspect of appearance noticed first. However, that
doesn’t mean that some students don’t notice
hair first.
“I notice a guy’s hair first,” said junior Kiah
Zaremba, “because I like curly hair.”
No matter how many dress code rules and
PDA rules the school enforces upon its students,
the administration will never be able to silence
the beauty of “checking out.”
By Dawnthea Price
Copy Editor
The school agenda states that outward displays of affection “beyond the holding of hands”
is not allowed while at school or during schoolsponsored activities. However, stating a rule and
actually enforcing it are two entirely different
things.
Before, during, and after school in the hallways, stairwells, and even in classrooms, young
couples can be found showing affection beyond
what is allowed according to the rules stated in
the school agenda. Sometimes, teachers tire of it
and intervene, but for the most part, these couples
continue to show…lots and lots of affection towards each other.
“It’s inappropriate and embarrassing,” said
Spanish teacher Mrs. Sherry Atkinson, “especially when it’s one of my students and I have to
say something. I wish it wasn’t happening.”
There are two basic categories for the PDA
that occurs in school: the cute, lovey-dovey, affectionate hugs and kisses, and the excessive mak-
ing out that causes everyone who walks by to
wish they had never seen that in the first place.
Unfortunately, it seems that only PDA from the
second category is seen everywhere.
“I don’t mind it if it’s restrained,” said senior
Nai Ware, “but there’s a difference between a
peck on the lips and all out face sucking. It’s
disturbing to walk down the hall and see someone engulfed in someone elses’ mouth.”
Probably because it’s so out of place in the
middle of a school hallway that students can’t
help but take notice.
“It doesn’t really bother me,” said junior Alex
Hammers. “Except when they’re in my way and
I have to go around them.”
Really, there’s nothing wrong with wanting
to show affection to a girlfriend or boyfriend, but
there’s a fine line between showing affection and
just being disgusting. People don’t want to see
couples attached at the mouth between every
class period.
“I don’t really care,” said junior Christian
Lisco, “as long as I’m involved.”
14
ports
The Smoke Signal
Stafford High School 33 Stafford Indian Lane, Falmouth, VA 22405
Feb. 10, 2009
Wrestling
Profiles
Michelle McConnell
Staff Writer
Joey Sorrentino
Grade: Freshman
Weight Class: 103
Photos of the
Varsity
Wrestling
Team were
provided by
Mimi Bopp,
photography,
540-899-6399
Connor Alford
Grade: Senior
Weight Class: 171
For how long have you been
wrestling?
Three years.
The varsity wrestling team managed to capture championship trophy at the Stafford Duals Meet.
What is your greatest wrestling
accomplishment?
Going to Regionals last year.
If you’re a senior, are you
pursuing wrestling further in
college?
No, I don’t know if I’ll be
good enough for college.
What’s your record this year?
Right now I’m 20-7.
Have you earned any honors or
distinctions for your wrestling?
I’m starting on Varsity as a
freshman which I consider a
pretty big honor.
What’s your record this year?
16-4 so far.
Have you earned any honors or
distinctions for your wrestling?
4th in districts last year, 2nd
at King George Invitational,
and I qualified for Regional
Tournament.
For how long have you been
wrestling?
I started wrestling in 7th
grade at Dixon-Smith, so this
is my third year.
Mike Lowery works to pin his man.
Lowery has a 16-7 record this year.
Connor Alford is set ready to being his
match. Alford’s record is 16-4 so far.
Spencer Bopp goes for the pin in his
match. Bopp’s record is 23-4 wins.
What is your greatest wrestling
accomplishment?
I just recently won the Nick
Mason Memorial
Tournament at King George.
Wrestlers win it on the mat
By Amber Huffman, Ashley Reed
Staffwriters
“I think people believe that wrestling is an underrated
sport,” said sophomore Spencer Bopp. “The team needs more
support because not many people come out to see us.”
The wrestlers compete in invitational matches, duals,
and district quads against other schools within our district
throughout the wrestling season. Over winter break, the wrestlers participated in the Richmond Wrestling Invitational.
The varsity team placed 14 in the invitational. Guys who
placed in the invitational were Spencer Bopp, Logan Jackson, and Kent (need last name). The wrestlers also partook
in the Perkins Duals over break. The varsity team placed
second, and freshman Logan Jackson was selected as the
tournament’s most outstanding wrestler. “Wrestling is an individual sport,” said sophomore Joe DuChane. “You go on the mat
and give your all for six minutes, and, win or lose, it’s all on you.
Your team mates can go on the mat to help you or mess you up;
you’re by yourself.”
People can go out to support the wrestlers at districts,
regionals, and states in February.
“If I could make a statement about my team as a whole, it
would be that they’re fantastic,” said wrestling coach Mr. DeVal
Williams.
Williams also coaches football, and he’s a paraprofessional
and a counselor for the Boys and Girls Club of America.
Spencer Bopp
Grade: Sophomore
Weight Class: 215
For how long have you been
wrestling?
For four years.
What’s your record this year?
23-4 so far.
Mike Lowery
Grade: Senior
Weight Class: 140
Have you earned any honors or
distinctions for your wrestling?
I’ve gotten a few articles in
the Free-Lance Star. I’ve
placed in fifteen tournaments
and won five.
For how long have you been
wrestling?
I have been wrestling for
nine years.
What’s your record this year?
My record this year is 16-7.
What is your greatest wrestling
accomplishment?
I wrestled for the Virginia
National Team last year.
Have you earned any honors or
distinctions for your wrestling?
“Most Improved Wrestler” my
sophomore year.
Are you pursuing wrestling
further in college?
Yes; University of Virginia and
Cornell are the main colleges
I’ve looked at.
What is your greatest wrestling
accomplishment?
Making it to Regionals.
Are you pursuing wrestling
further in college?
Yes, I am going to try and
wrestle in college.
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Kent Jackson
Grade: junior
Weight class: 152
What is your greatest wrestling
accomplishment?
Beating Roger Lorenzo in
regional tournament last year.
Are you pursuing wrestling further
in college?
No, I can’t stand cutting weight
(Next to the Stafford Wal-Mart)
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What’s your record this year?
28-4
SAVE
Logan Jackson
Grade: freshman
Weight Class: 160
For how long have you been
wrestling?
For five years.
(540) 288-1477
For how long have you been
wrestling?
For five years.
Have you earned any honors or
distinctions for your wrestling?
Captain of varsity team
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What’s your record this year?
34 - 7
Have you earned any honors or
distinctions for your wrestling?
I’ve received the most
valuable wrestler award at
the Perkins Duals this year.
What is your greatest wrestling
accomplishment?
Winning the county
tournament in seventh and
eighth grades.
Are you pursuing wrestling
further in college?
Yes, as long as my brother
does.
Smoke
TheThe
Smoke
Signal
March 4, 2008
The
Smoke
Signal
Stafford High School
33 Stafford Indian Lane
Falmouth, VA 22405
Phone: 540-371-7200
fax: 540-371-2389
sgill@staffordschools.net
www.stafford.high.schoolfusion.us
-EDITORS-IN-CHIEFN ATE C ARDEN :K ELSEY
C HESTNUT
-ASSISTANT EDITOR-IN-CHIEFJ ENNY P AN
-PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORK YLE F ALKENSTERN
-ONLINE EDITORSF RANCISCO G ONZALEZ :N INA
GONZALEZ
-COPY EDITORD AWNTHEA P RICE
-CARTOONISTSB EN J ENNINGS :H ANNAH
MELKUN
J ENNIFER O LIVER
-BUSINESS MANAGERW ENDY C OLE
-SECTION EDITORSA SHLEY B A UTIS
TA :A LLISON
UTIST
B RAD
Y N ICOLE C LYDE :H AILEY
RADY
E UTSLER
A MBER H OWELL :A NNA L INCOLN
L EXI M ORELLO :A MBREE P APA
M ANDY S ULLIVAN :K RISTIN
WOOD
-ADVISORS UE G ILL, CJE
Signal
pinion
Stafford
High
School
33 33
Stafford
Indian Lane,
Falmouth,
VA 22405
Stafford
High
School
Stafford
Lane,
Falmouth,
VA 22405
Stafford
High School
33 Stafford
IndianIndian
Lane, Falmouth,
VA 22405
Letters to the Editor
15
Feb. 10, 2009
www.shssmokesignal.com
Signed letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer may be submitted to
room W-206 or mailed to the school. Letters may be edited for grammar.
Authors of published letters are entitled to one free bag of cookies.
Dear Patrick Clark,
Editor:
First and foremost, I would like to thank the Smoke Signal for its
devotion to printing only the most pressing and important stories to
inform the student body of Stafford High.
With two ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a worldwide financial crisis, a worsening conflict in Gaza, the continued genocide in Darfur,
the melting of the polar icecaps from increased greenhouse gas emission, the systematic Islamic takeover of Western Europe, rising unemployment rates in the United States, increased terrorist activity in Indian and Pakistan, the collapse of American auto manufactures, North
Korean expedition to the depths of outer space, it’s refreshing to know
that one can turn to the Smoke Signal for a headline that doesn’t include any major story at all.
But perhaps I am thinking the wrong way; the security gate has been
in place in the north hallway since Pangaea and is vastly more important and relevant than any other issue in the world today. Again, I
applaud the Smoke Signal for its devotion to pressing issues, such as
the security gate’s daily “ups and down,” and its tireless effort to inform
the student body on such matters, even i the student body may find the
topic “not that big of a deal” and/or “kind of pointless.”
It is undeniable that wars, financial crises, global warming, unemployment, the automobile industry’s collapse, a historical inauguration, celestial expeditions, and various
foreign affairs are pressing and important issues.
However, the Smoke Signal is a monthly high school newspaper, not a daily medium to
the people of America. What this means is that the writers, editors, and advisor have no
authority to publish stories on which they cannot acquire information by direct means.
Perhaps you missed the front page story of our third issue, which was about students
helping other students who have intellectual disabilities. Also, on that same page, was a
news brief about our own students donating Thanksgiving meals to families who would
otherwise have no food.
In our fourth issue, we actually did write stories pertaining to your favorite issues,
recycling and bad economy. Maybe it’s unclear that we are required to directly connect all
of our articles to students in this school.
Although issues like the wars in the Middle East and the genocide in Darfur are
significant to all people, it’s impossible for one of our reporters to fly to Africa or Palestine
to interview families or soldiers and bring information back to write a 300-500 word article.
Very few high school students are even aware of the tragedies going on outside of America,
and if they aren’t reading the “real” newspapers to gain knowledge about these pressing
issue, it would be “kind of pointless” for a mere high school newspaper to try to force the
information on them or even explain it to them.
Peace and Love
Patrick Clark, junior
Sincerely,
The Smoke Signal
To Mrs. Sue Gill and The Smoke Signal staff,
I believe emphatically and unequivocally that the root of prosperity
and growth in any business or operation is the defined principle of
excellence. If there is any word that describes the quality of this month’s
issue, that word would be excellence. The staff has taken the paper to
another level. I especially enjoyed the section about the cliques, which
was a necessary topic for the youth of today.
As I am the editor-in-chief of The Youth Today Newsletter (“Real Talk
for Youth by Youth”), I speak from experience in saying that your staff
has taken the paper, and has transitioned from just “work,” or an “assignment” to their passion, and when you have a passion for something, it shows in your product.
I want to encourage The Smoke Signal staff to continue working with
such a spirit of excellence and rest assured that your labor is not in
vain!
PS: The gate between the gym corridor and the cafeteria was not in place 250 million years ago.
DRUM BEATS
By Ben Jennings
Staff Cartoonist
Best wishes & continued support,
Jude Betancourt
Jude,
Thank you for your kind words.
Sincerely, The Smoke Signal Staff
To Mrs. Gill and The Smoke Signal Staff,
You guys just keep getting better and better. Today’s paper is outstanding-so many neat articles I can’t list them all, but I really enjoyed
the exam time spread. It was very colorful, informative and eye catching.
I also thought the “tell me who your friends are” page was great. I got
several good laughs about your characterizations—they were right on
the mark. Again, keep up the good work.
Ms. Sandy Rosenthal, PE teacher
-N EW SP
APER S TAFF SPAPER
JOHN ALBERTO:BRIANNA ALETRASDUNN
MICHELLE AMEZQUITA:BRITTANY
BAILEY
ASHLEY BAUTISTA:MORIAH BRISCOE
LELAND BROOKS:ADAM BROWN
JESSICA BYRD:SEF CASIM
JARRED CHAVEZ:KARRI CHESTNUT
JULIA COLOPY:LIZA CONTRERAS
MATT CORNPROPST:CONNOR DUNBAR
DEVON DYE:KERSTIN FELTON
TYSEAN FORD:ERIN GALLIVAN
OLIVIA GARNER:KATHLEEN GAYLE
BRIAN GREEN:EMILY GRIFFIN
EMILY HOWSMON:AMBER HUFFMAN
MORGAN IANNAZZO:LEAH JENNINGS
VICTORIA JENNINGS:DOM JONES
KELSIE JUDD:MUHAMAD KHALID
SUZANNE KINCAID:RACHAEL KNICK
BRANDON LEATHERLAND:KATHRYN
LENOX
CANDICE LOUDIN:DONALD LUCAS
MICHELLE MCCONNELL:
NATALIE MCCULLEN
ELIZABETH MCMILLEN:SARA MEIR
ELIZABETH MENEGALLI:
ARIANNA MILLER-KEYES
KENDRA NEAL:IKSU OH
JENNIFER OLIVER
GORDON PHILLIPS:ASHLEIGH POWELL
ASHLEY REED:JENNIFER REED
JULIAN RIVAS:PAOLA RIVERA-MILBON
JESSICA SANFORD:ALLISON SKEER
EMILY SMITH:JJ STOUT
ALEXIS TINSLEY:ANDY TOLER
KRISTINA VARELA:KURT VINNEDGE
KATRINIA ZURASKY
T HE S MOKE S IGNAL IS A
CROSS - SECTION OF THE NEWS
AND OPINIONS OF THE STUDENT
BODY
OF
S TAFFORD H IGH S CHOOL .
IS PUBLISHED EVERY MONTH .
IT
E DITORIALS
REPRESENT THE VIEWS
Ms. Rosenthal,
Thank you for your kind words.
Sincerely, The Smoke Signal Staff
Dear Smoke Signal,
I enjoyed the article you did on the semester exams. The advice is
awesome and the article you did on how to prepare is very good. I am
studying for my exams this weekend. I also am trying to go to sleep
earlier so that I can make the bus on time and be well rested. I did
some studying over winter break as well and thought that the review
material that was handed out was a good way of studying as well. Keep
up the good work.
Sincerely,
Beth Streich, grade 10
Beth,
Thank you for your kind words.
Sincerely, The Smoke Signal Staff
Students still prefer
face-to-face over text
A+
Snow Day
For the first legitimate snow day in two years, it wasn’t
that bad. If only school had been canceled Thursday, too.
D
Exams
Late night cramming, after school review sessions, a few breakdowns, and lots of caffeine. These are what make exam weeks.
A
Varsity Football
A+ Inauguration
OF THE WRITER AND ARE NOT
Congratulations, you’ve just witnessed history.
NECESSARIL
Y THE OPINIONS OF
NECESSARILY
S TAFFORD H IGH S CHOOL ,
ITS ADMINIS
TRA
TION , OR S TAFF .
ADMINISTRA
TRATION
T HE S MOKE S IGNAL IS AN AWARD
SP
APER THA
T S TRIVES
WINNING NEW
NEWSP
SPAPER
THAT
ORM , EDUCA
TE AND
TO INF
INFORM
EDUCATE
A+ Winter Athletes
ENTERTAIN
THE STUDENT BODY AND
COMMUNIT Y .
S IGNED
Basketball, wrestling, gymnastics, swimming and winter
track are all doing well in the district. Keep it up!
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR
OF
250
WORDS OR FEWER MAY
BE SUBMITTED TO ROOM
W-206.
OR MAILED TO THE SCHOOL .
T HE S MOKE S IGNAL
RESERVES THE
?
Second Semester
RIGHT TO EDIT LETTERS
AND TO REFUSE ADVERTISMENTS .
And so it begins
By Leah Jennings
Staff Writer
Imagine a world without cell
phones and computers, a world
where the only form of communication is talking. As frightening as
it may seem, that world did exist.
Less than fifty years ago most
people had to meet face to face in
order to hold a conversation.
Technology is booming in this
era. Cell phones and internet access are available to almost everybody, and teenagers are particularly dependent on these devices
for correspondence with their
peers.
“ Texting is usually just small
talk,” said senior Chris Petriello.
Many students would rather
text because they believe it is more
efficient than making a phone call
and there’s less pressure if they’re
talking to someone important.
“I think people are just more
confident with themselves in text,”
said freshman Alana Tuttle.
Generally, people prefer texting
and email because they think they
are too awkward for a face-to-face
conversation.
“It’s easier to talk to the person you like when you can’t see
each other, because you don’t have
to worry about anything,” said
sophomore Christi Newton. “That’s
no excuse though. If you can’t talk
to your crush face to face, what relationship can you have?”
“ Touchy subjects are easier
through text,” said Tuttle. “It’s always easier if you don’t have to
look a person in the face.”
Although convenient, texting
and chatting online are not always
the best ways to communicate.
There are situations that demand
speaking face to face, particularly
when in comes to romantic interest.
“Asking someone out, breaking
up, or saying ‘I love you’ should be
said in person,” said Newton.
Petriello agrees that texting
cannot be the only form of communication in a relationship.
“If you can’t hold a relationship
without electronics, it isn’t worth
it,” he said. “You should be able to
talk in person about everything.”
Many have more respect for
people who can say things in person rather than online.
“I don’t want the guy to be
afraid to be around me,” said Newton. “Talking face to face is so exciting!”
“Talking in person is way more
fun than texting,” said Petriello.
“There’s barely anything romantic
about texting.”
“I hate it when the guy texts you
but avoids you in person,” said
Tuttle. “I want them to actually
hang out with me.”
Despite the advances made in
technology over the last few decades and the heavy usage of cellular devices, many people still
prefer communicating face to face
with each other.
16
The Smoke Signal
Darling Date Wear
Stafford High School 33 Stafford Indian Lane, Falmouth, VA 22405
Eagle Western
Shirt
from American
Eagle
Price: $39.50
Boys Fashion
Feb. 10, 2009
Sequin Heart
Black and White
Dress
from Macy’s
Price: $59.60
By Liza Contreras, Michelle Amezquita
Staff Writers
Abalone Cove
Khaki Pants
from Hollister
Co.
Price: $15.90
XOXO Red Dress
from Macy’s
Price: $34.50
Plaid Shirt
from Papaya
Price: $18.99
Cable knit Sweater
from Ralph Lauren
Price:$79.99
Black Skinny
Jeans
from Papaya
Price: $17.99
Red Polo
from American
Eagle
Price: $25.50
Dark Jeans
from American
Eagle
Price: $19.95
Girls Fashion
By Hailey Eutsler, Anna Lincoln
Page Editors
Sweet Smells
T here are many options to look and smell great this
Valentines day!
By Brianna Aletras-Dunn
Staff Writer
Men
Calvin Klein’s Euphoria Men; 3.4 oz. is
$42
Prada Man; 3.4 oz is $72
Versace’s Eau Fraiche; 3.5 oz is $68
Women
Juicy Couture; Viva La Juicy; 3.5 oz. is $85 Lacome’s Macnifique; 3.5 oz. is $85
M EN
M EN’ S ,
AND
W OMEN ’ S H AIR C OLOR
WOMEN ’ S AND CHILDREN’ S
H IGH LIGHTS
AND
LOW L IGHTS
H AIR C UTS
FOR
M EN
AND
W OMEN
Paris Hilton’s Can Can; 4.0 oz is $55