cnn`s tony harris interviews students

S I N C E
1 9 4 7
http://srt5.atlantapublicschools.
us/grady/
An upbeat paper
L Aa downtown
C R O S S school
for
BAND
Freshman group
rocks music scene
on campus
ECONOMY
Fire stations closed,
personnel laid off in
city’s budget cuts
THEN AND NOW
Is surge in student
activism a modern-day
civil rights movement?
p. 12
p. 10
pp. S1-S4
VOLUME LXII, NUMBER 5, Feb. 2, 2009
HENRY W. GRADY HIGH SCHOOL, ATLANTA
CNN’S TONY HARRIS INTERVIEWS STUDENTS
A
By Emma French
group of students spoke their minds last December, when CNN reporter Tony Harris visited
the school to interview them in what became a
series of broadcasts titled “Class in Session.” In the interview the
13
stud e n t s
voiced
t h e i r
thoughts on
the
economy,
education, race,
the war in Iraq and
President Obama’s
new administration.
“The main
reasons we wanted to talk to young people was because at that time President-elect Obama’s campaign
was very much helped by organized young people who
were very excited about the election,” CNN writer and
segment producer Amy Chillag said. “We thought that
it would make sense, once he was in office, to interview
high school kids and talk about what made them so
excited about him and what issues he needs to tackle
and prioritize.”
Four students—seniors Taylor Fulton and Mike
Robinson, junior Caroline McKay and sophomore
Michael Barlow— made such an impression in the
interview segments that CNN invited them to the
studio to film a live interview on Jan. 9.
According to Chillag, Grady students were
chosen to participate because “the school
is a historic place in Atlanta and has
the diversity [we wanted].”
see CNN page 6
ON IN FIVE: (From left to right) Sophomore Michael Barlow, junior Caroline McKay and
seniors Michael Robinson and Taylor Fulton relax before filming their Jan. 9 discussion.
Housing slump mars
local neighborhoods
Y
Contents
see DISTRICT page 9
comment
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: Better Mornings’ Corinna Allen models
with Charley in senior Taylor Fulton’s dress at the Jan. 16 show.
3 news
Lily Muntzing relates her
experience at President Barack
Obama’s historic inauguration
and taking part in history.
By Minh Lam
ho let the dogs out? Fashion design teacher Mr.
Vincent Martinez let the dogs out on his runway
for the second annual Doggies on the Catwalk fashion
show on Jan. 16. Doggies on the Catwalk is a project that
was created by Mr. Martinez to help his students improve
as designers while also raising money for Pets Are Loving Support––an organization that provides assistance to
the animals of critically ill and disabled Atlantans. About
300 people attended the show, which raised an estimated
$3000 for PALS.
“We brought together celebrities who have media contacts, which helped get our name out,” said Kevin Bryant, PALS executive director. “Even though we’ve been
around for 18 years, there are a lot of people who don’t
realize what we do and how we affect the community.”
W
lapse. After a growing number of homeowners couldn’t pay back banks
their mortgages, banks suffered substantial financial losses, dragging the
economy into a recession that affects
thousands of Atlantans.
“The bottom fell out [of the housing market] when we were finishing
up our new house,” Mr. Nicolson
said. “We put our originial house
on the market right when the bubble burst. The bank that lent us the
money to build our new home was
one of the first to crumble.”
Minh Lam
By Caroline McKay
earbook advisor and graphic
communications teacher Mr.
Paul Nicolson did everything right.
He and his wife saved to build a new
home in Grant Park for their twoand-a-half-year-old daughter Alana
to grow up in. They helped with the
floor plans. They picked out pink
and purple paint for their daughter’s
room and large, energy-efficient windows for the master bedroom. They
got a loan from a bank to pay the
monthly construction mortgage.
They had planned for everything
except for the housing market col-
Annual Doggies on
the Catwalk dazzles
5 people
After a student was mugged
in the school music wing last
semester, the administration is
working to improve security.
13
In attempts to lose weight
and improve their health, 36
teachers have started a semesterlong fitness competition.
see DOGGIES page 14
sports
18
Jake Martin criticizes students
for their lack of school spirit
at sports games and calls for
increased attendance.
2
comment
Since 1947
the Southerner
Feb. 2, 2009
Editorial Board
the Southerner
Sarah Bufkin
Perri Campis
Emily Emshoff
Kala Marks
Lily Muntzing
Gus Rick
Keely Youngblood
Subs deserve respect
We’d like to take this small amount of space to give a shout out to
a group of people that probabaly have never gotten one from students
in their lives. You’ve seen our faces, put up with our insanity and yet
we never seem to give you the respect you deserve. So, this editorial is
for you—the substitute teachers of APS.
We want all of our peers to understand that you, too, deserve respect. You, too, should be treated like human beings and not the inanimate, unintelligent soulless creatures that our disrespectful colleagues
make you out to be.
For some reason, the attitudes of students across America change
when they realize substitutes are filling in for their missing teachers.
Even the kids who display the utmost respect towards teachers at all
times turn into mischevious pranksters and those who cry at the sight
of anything less than an A-plus on their report card seem to turn into
slackers.
We lie to you. We tell you we have to go “make up a test.” We tell
you that we never have a seating chart. We tell you that of course we’re
allowed to turn on Days Of Our Lives in math class. When you try to
give us work, we talk above you. When you try to quiet us, we blatantly ignore you. Even more ridiculous, we’re not ashamed of looking
you dead in the eye and telling you that “Yes, it took me 20 minutes to
get water,” and “No, I don’t know where this hot Wendy’s hamburger
came from.”
Don’t get us wrong—whatever desire comes out in others to make
the lives of substitutes miserable, comes out in us as well. But we’re
taking a stand to put a stop to it. So, Grady students, let’s all remember that substitutes are people, too. p
Ready for ‘Change’
We’ve witnessed history. The first black president, Barack Obama, was
sworned in on Jan. 20 before our very eyes. We’ve cheered, we’ve cried,
we’ve sung “My President is Black,” and we’ve regained a sense of optimism
that had been crushed in the past eight years. So we say to you, Obama,
we’re ready for that change you promised.
First, we want regulation and control of the companies that were
previously allowed to run free with greed and topple our economy. We
want job security so that we can continue to be able to afford our groceries,
car payments and maybe even a vacation every now and then. And while
we’re at, what about health care? Give us a helpin’ of that, too.
As students, we also demand that you improve our schools. While that
last administration was busy looking behind us, they forgot about what lay
ahead: college and life. American schools are not effectively preparing us to
interact and compete on a global stage. As the “future of America,” it’s in
both your interest and ours that we be educated, not armed, to the teeth.
We want you to explore alternative energy sources, resolve the war in
Iraq, support recycling and other environmentally conscious initiatives,
ensure civil rights for all and continue the fight against prejudice that
persists even after your election.
We admit, it’s a tall order. But after months and months of excited
preparation for the president who vowed to fulfill a shift from the dated
ideas of the previous administration and millennium, we’re ready for that
change.
The party is over. It’s time to get down to business. p
C O R R E C T I O N S
In our Dec. 10 issue the article “Boys attendance sinks team,” (page 20)
incorrectly quoted David Bufkin as saying Grady has separate boys and girls
swim teams. The team is, in fact, co-ed, and according to Bufkin, that does
not hinder practice time or space.
The first sentence in the second column of “Planned center works on design
ideas with students,” (page 9) should have read “one of the participants in the
Dec. 8 meeting with Shipman…”
Generosity towards
fan kind, admirable
Dear editors,
I really loved the article about
Unk (“Homeless fan stands behind
Knights,” Dec. 10) because he is
such a part of Grady, but I never
really knew anything about him.
I’m so glad that Grady has adopted
Unk; it makes our school special.
When I read about all the things he
went though, it really encouraged
me to stay in school. I’m proud to
support Unk knowing now about
all the hard things he has faced and
gone through. It especially makes
me happy that Grady is helping
Unk with his alcoholism. What a
good cause! Go Unk!
Alix Youngblood
freshman
Lack of school spirit
is highlighted by fan
Dear editors,
I thought the article entitled
“Homeless fan stands behind
Knights” by Miles Gilbreath was
phenomenal. It was refreshing for
The Southerner to shift its focus
from the participants in sports to the
onlookers and those who support
and cheer on our Grady Grey
Knights. We must not forget that
the reason behind our successful
teams is the overwhelming support
they receive from the audience. To
know that a homeless man who has
endured many struggles has taken
time to come out and support the
Grady football team should truly
warm the spirit of the football
players. Furthermore, it should
also inspire Grady High School
students, who find excuses to not
come to Grady football games, to
finally come.
Bree Gray-Jordan
senior
Recognition of lack
of funding helpful
Dear editors,
I appreciate the article in
the previous issue of The
Southerner regarding the debate
team’s expansion and battle for
necessary funding (“Debate team
membership expands, funding
shrinks,” Dec 10). The debate
team does not get a lot of attention
around the school, even though
most members dedicate hours of
free time to practicing. Our debate
team attends a tournament just
about every weekend and brings
home trophies the majority of
the time. Any coverage in The
Question
“
Nick Miller
junior
Money well spent
on security cameras
Dear Editors,
I appreciate the article on the
security cameras received through a
grant from the American Society for
Industrial Security. (“Cameras secure
hallways, grounds remain uncertain.”
page 9) The article expanded on
the reasons for the state-of-the-art
cameras and why so much money
has been invested in security. Now,
no one can ignorantly accuse Grady
of wasting money on something
pointless. Yes, the cameras help the
administration catch skippers, and
yes, Dr. Propst can call your name
on the loudspeakers if you are do
something wrong. It seems like too
much, but in the end, the cameras
were set up to keep our campus
safe and to provide a better learning
environment.
Rance Nix
junior
of the month :
“
What are you looking forward to in Obama’s presidency?
“
The idea that he’s
going to bring
such diversity
to our country.
Mr. Pope
U.S. History teacher
For the recession
to get better.
“
Mori Russell,
junior
Seeing different
sources of energy,
besides oil.
Jordan Jarrett,
senior
Better school
systems for
American children.
Perrin Turner,
sophomore
Southerner Staff 2008-2009
Managing editors: Sarah Bufkin, Keely Youngblood
Design editors: Emma French, Minh Lam,
Gus Rick
Copy editors: Kala Marks, Lily Muntzing,
Olivia Scofield
News editors: Emma French, Isobel Robinson-Ortiz
Comment editors: Alexandria Cantrell,
Taylor Fulton, Olivia Scofield
People editors: Perri Campis, Emily Emshoff
Arts and Entertainment editors: Grace Brown,
Polly Zintak
Southerner about debate gives
the team as a whole the respect
they deserve, especially at such an
important time as this, where the
team is one of the largest in the
country but has so little funding
that it is a struggle to even get a bus
to take the team to tournaments.
“
His promise to bring
home the troops
in Iraq.
Lucy Leonard,
freshman
An upbeat paper for a downtown school
Sports editors: Miles Gilbreath, Kala Marks
Staff: Jane Beal, Lucy Beeching, Kate Belgum,
Mariah Burch, Leah Butterfield, Parker Carlson,
Rachel Cruz, Sarah Darrow, Elliott Erickson,
Judson Good, Micheal Goolsby, Morgan Gore,
Dean Jackson, Khalyn Jones, Noelle Jones,
Zack Klein, Amelia Kovacevich, Jackson Martin,
Caroline McKay, Madeline Roorbach,
Shelby Rudd, Nia Williams, Sidney Wise
Advisers: Kate Carter, Debra Hartsfied, Dave
Winter
Print staff: Alvin Hambrick, Harlon Heard,
Michael Jackson, Adlai McClure, Charlotte
Napper, Benjamin Shaw
The Southerner, a member of GSPA, SIPA,
CSPA and NSPA, is a monthly student
publication of: Henry W. Grady High School
929 Charles Allen Drive NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
To our readers,
The Southerner welcomes submissions, which
may be edited for grammar, inappropriate
language and length. Please place submissions
in Mr. Winter or Ms. Carter’s box in the main
office. Subscriptions are also available. For
more information, please contact Mr. Winter,
Ms. Carter or a member of the staff.
c o m m e n t
Feb. 2, 2009
3
Portrayal of women in advertising unrealistic, sexist
American
advertising
is
replete with skewed
standards of what
is socially accepted
of both males and
females. “Sex sells”
is the universal
Alexandria Cantrell theme. Advertisers
use alluring women
to sell products that are as removed from sex as
carpeting or tires. Think you aren’t susceptible
to these ads? According to social theorist Jean
Kilbourne, the average American views more
than 2,000 advertisements a day. Try to ignore
that.
Growing up as a female in a society that
stresses a materialism grounded in personal
vanity takes a greater toll than we might think.
The way that women think of themselves is
a significant enough cause for alarm without
figuring in the attitudes that men take towards
“the fairer sex” as well.
Women in advertisements are unnaturally
beautiful. They have flawless, perfectly
symmetrical faces to go with their perfect
little bodies. There is never a hair out of place,
a blemish on their skin or a wrinkle on their
faces. Conversely, men look far more realistic
in ads than women do. Men are pictured with
stubble, wrinkles and even the occasional butt
chin, creating a much lower standard for an
acceptable masculine appearance.
Open any magazine and you’ll find pages of
ads with scantily clad and suggestively posed
women. If they are clothed, they are pulling at
the fabric in an attempt to expose themselves
further. This is the image that society projects
to young girls and boys—flawless, rail-thin
women whose only qualification is to be found
attractive, sexy and well-liked.
Surrounded by this idea of women their
whole lives, boys hitting their teen years only
find stunningly beautiful women attractive.
But according to Kilbourne, only five percent
of American women are born with the body
type seen in magazines, movies, TV shows,
billboards, newspapers, posters and even
textbooks. Girls the same age feel worthless
when they don’t look like a page out of a
magazine. When they hit adolescence, their selfesteem plummets as a result of unrealistically
manufactured image expectations.
Fashion ads aren’t solely to blame. A few
months ago, I was flipping through a furniture
and decor catalogue for teen bedrooms.
Initially, I thought the rooms for girls were
cute, but after looking past the charm, I began
to notice that the rooms had “stereotypical
naïve girl” written all over them.
Pink flowers were painted on the furniture
and walls. Journals were stacked everywhere
(because all girls need to immortalize their
emotions). There was an innumerable amount
of “Think Green” items (since all girls are
environmentally conscious tree-huggers).
Pastel-colored birds and bunnies were stenciled
on the walls (of course, every girl is a devoted
animal lover).
After seeing this insulting “typical” girl’s
room, I flipped to the “typical” boys’ rooms.
Dictionaries and calculators lay all over the
floor (because all men are educated, intelligent
and hardworking). Periodic tables and giant
world maps hung from the walls along with
baseball cards and photos of athletes and
skateboarders (because every guy releases his
aggression through sports).
Moreover, the bulletin boards in the girls’
rooms were covered with magazine clippings
of shoes and supermodels, a reminder for
the “community garden fundraiser” and a
“sleepover guest list.” This wouldn’t have
bothered me had the reminders in the boys
room not been “Tuesday—study group with
Dayne and Keith” and a list of schools to
visit: Oxford, MIT, Princeton and Stanford.
Apparently, acceptance into an Ivy League
school is only for the boys. Girls, have fun at
your community garden fundraiser. I hope it
brings you lots of satisfaction.
Fortunately, we as women don’t have to buy
into this image of who we are or who we should
aspire to be. We don’t have to feel obligated to
dress up, have a boyfriend or constantly look
attractive. Real women are stronger than that.
Real women don’t let people tell them what to
wear or how to behave. We don’t all like ponies
and roses and hearts, and we’re certainly not
all waiting to rip off our clothes at the soonest
opportunity.
Next year when I go to college, I don’t want
anyone to see me as a physical stereotype. I
want people to see me as a person who has
feelings and dreams, goals and ambitions,
even quirks and peculiarities. Is that so much
to ask? Unfortunately, in this day and age, I
believe it is. p
Inauguration stirs spirits
Starbucks grinds out local flavor
With the prospect of seven hours
of quizzes, tests, notes and worksheets looming before the groggy
student, it is no wonder that most
turn to caffeine to make it through
the school day. While some students turn to their home coffee
Amelia Kovacevich makers to get a
java jump, many
visit nearby coffeehouses to get their caffeine fix.
For mine, I turn to San Francisco Coffee
located on the corner of North Highland
and Amsterdam avenues for my morning
latte and bagel. The Virginia Highland
shop was the first of three introduced to
the neighborhood with the second on
Blueridge Avenue. All three are run by a
local couple, creating a homey environment that will soon be in competition
with the latest outpost of Starbucks Coffee.
The opening of a Starbucks coffee across the street from
Grady in the Midtown Plaza shopping center will compromise not only the business of the neighborhood coffeeshops,
such as San Francisco and Aurora Coffee—another Virginia
Highland mainstay—but also the sense of a genuine, closeknit community that stems from those locally owned coffeeshops.
The Starbucks-to-local-coffeeshop-ratio is nearly 3-to-1
in Midtown and Virginia Highland. This disparity sym-
“
bolizes a disturbing trend in society that should raise some
concern. The new commercial development, particularly in
Midtown and Little Five Points, over the past several years
may add business, but it also takes away from the area’s individuality by ignoring the uniqueness of the neighborhood.
As many students turn to convenience over loyalty, the
personal service—an employee who greets you warmly by
name with your daily order ready—
will be lost, as well as the local flavor.
Many people, value the speed of their
coffee over its quality. We are accustomed to everything happening at
lightning speed, and, as a result, we
tend not to stop and savor things
like the smell of coffee beans in the
morning.
This corporate takeover is not
specific to coffee. I cringe when I
see classic old houses torn down to
build trendy condominiums for the
newly ITP—inside the perimeter—yuppies, such as the Inman Park Village development in the historical Inman Park
neighborhood. My heart aches when I see small, family-run
businesses like Highland Hardware gobbled up by large,
“big-box” corporations like Home Depot.
I applaud innovation and development but not at the cost
of a neighborhood’s personality. Starbucks Coffee doesn’t
add personal flavors to the neighborhood. In fact, while our
community is a vibrant double shot of espresso, Starbucks is
nothing more than steamed milk. p
I applaud
innovation and
development but
not at the cost of
a neighborhood’s
personality.
WASHINGTON D.C. — Even with temperatures hovering around the 10-degree mark, I
ignored the forecasts of historic gridlock and
headed to our nation’s capital five days before
the swearing-in of the 44th president of the
United States, Barack Obama, on Jan. 20.
In spite of the incredible cold, the crowds
swelled in anticipation of welcoming the first
Lily Muntzing
black man to the highest office in the land.
Traffic stopped; people grouped on sidewalks to sing self-composed ballads praising Obama; others broke into spontaneous cheers at the spotting of any Obama apparel, and National Guard units with enormous,
camouflage-covered Hummers decorated every street corner.
Even with all of the hype, the magnitude of the event that three million jubilant, like-minded people were about to witness with me didn’t
hit me until I was standing with the enormous crowd on the National
Mall ­— it was emotionally overwhelming.
While I and everyone around me had gotten to the Mall at least four
hours before the ceremony, we were all still nearly two miles from the
platform where President Obama stood. On my left was my sister, and on
my right was a toddler resting in a stroller, wrapped in a blanket, sound
asleep and unaware of the event about to take place. We relied on a giant
screen in front of us to play the events live that were unfolding ahead of
us. And, just like the five-degree wind chill didn’t seem to bother anyone,
the fact that we were witnessing the inauguration of our new president
on a TV screen was just as good as standing next to him on the podium
because of the mass-bonding that was taking place in the crowd.
The camaraderie of our tightly knit group only heightened as the large
screens displayed performances from the “We Are One” concert two days
before. When Garth Brooks paraded across the screen, singing “Shout!”,
we all shouted with him. When Stevie Wonder’s memorable dance
moves flickered across the monitors, we danced with him. When soonto-be President Obama appeared live on the screen, flashing his signature
smile, the reality and solemnity of the occasion flowed through us.
Though a few scattered boos skipped through the air when President
Bush’s face appeared on the giant screens, the resounding silence in anticipation of the president-elect’s arrival made it clear that Bush was not
the reason we were all there—his presence on screen simply boosted our
energy because it symbolized the monumental departure of our nation’s
most historical burden.
After spending the Saturday before the inauguration walking around
D.C., my sister proposed staying in her George Washington University
dorm during the inauguration ceremony. “We can just watch it on TV
and be warm!” she said to me. While I couldn’t deny that the idea of
avoiding the frigid winter temperatures sounded good, I quickly pushed
it aside after remembering that three million people were making a pilgrimage. How could I be in a situation that thousands, maybe millions
wished they could be in and not go and actually witness the event? I am
sure that if I had stayed in my sister’s dorm, watching the ceremony on
TV, that I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. The energy,
hope and relief that I felt as President Obama was sworn in was unforgettable.
For 12 years, I have studied the history, the speeches and proclamations of Abraham Lincoln, FDR and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. For
once, however, as I boarded my flight home in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, I realized that I had not only witnessed history. I had been
a part of it, and it was part of me. p
4
c o m m e n t
Feb. 2, 2009
STUDENT
The
Stance
George Holmes,
Noah Johnson,
junior
Junior
Gaza violent attacks
ruthless, unethical
mostly women and children, into
a building in the Zeitoun district
that had no running water or
food. Twenty-four hours later, that
building was bombed, killing 30
citizens and wounding 15.
After 23 brutal days of all-out war
between Israel and Hamas, a ceasefire was enforced by the United
Nations. While that sounded like it
would put an end to the casualties at
least for a while, it didn’t take long
before Israel deliberately ignored the
cease-fire and continued the offense.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
attempted to justify the attacks by
saying that Israel is disregarding the
U.N.’s decision because “murderous”
Palestinian groups would also break
the resolution. Israeli officials
also said that it was defending
itself from Hamas and preventing
the smuggling of weaponry into
Palestinian territory. But if anyone
is “murderous” in this situation, it’s
Israel.
This isn’t even the first time that
Israel has shown its power through
violence. In 2006 during the
Lebanon War, Israel responded
to Hezbollah’s attacks on its
soldiers by attacking civilian
infrastructures. The overall
death toll for the war was
more than a thousand
people, most of whom
were
Lebanese
civilians.
These attacks are
unforgivable.
It
makes no sense
that a country
founded on a
belief in peace,
love
and
kindness
would go
to these
efforts
to
prove
a point. Killing by the
hundreds and thousands
just to show how big their
guns are is not necessary.
Israel has gone too far. p
Israel was first
recognized as an
official U.N. state
on May 14, 1948.
SOURCE: cia world factbook
Israel held
the Gaza strip
under military
occupation for 38
years, ending in
2005.
Caroline McKay
In December of 2008, Hamas, a
Palestinian political party, bombed
Israel. In response, Egypt called
a meeting for another cease-fire
between Israel and Palestine, but
its efforts failed. Soon after, Israel
prepared its fighter jets and attack
helicopters to bomb the Gaza Strip.
About 300 Palestinians were killed
and over 1,000 were wounded
in one of the bloodiest attacks in
Gaza’s history. Hamas responded
to these attacks by firing missiles
in Israel that killed one person and
wounded about a dozen.
From the first few events of the
most recent Israel-Hamas conflict,
it was obvious who posseses the
stronger military. But having the
undeniable military advantage did
not stop Israel from flaunting its
power. Israel invaded Gaza to stop
all possible future attacks from
Hamas; they destroyed factories
that were possibly producing
rockets and bombs for Hamas;
they attacked office buildings; they
detained suspected Hamas leaders;
they reinforced blockades of Gaza
set up in 2007. Their missions
clearly reflected their desire to
obliterate Hamas.
This cycle continued for days.
Israel’s air strikes continued to be
lethal, killing both soldiers and
civilians. Some incidents, such
as the Dignity Incident, caught
the interest of the international
community. The Dignity was a
boat coming from Cyprus to bring
medical aid to Gaza. After refusing
to stop on its course to Gaza, the
boat was attacked by Israeli naval
fleets. Fortunately, there were no
casualties, and the boat turned
around immediately. Former U.S.
representative Cynthia McKinney,
Irish activist Caoimhe Butterly
and journalists from Al Jazeera
and CNN were all on board the
Dignity.
Even worse was the Zeitoun
Incident. According to Palestinian
witnesses and victims, Israeli troops
on Dec. 22 ordered 110 Palestinians,
Israeli and
Palestinian
conflict
SOURCE: Council on Foreign Relations
Hamas won
the Palestinian
Authority’s general
legislative election
in January 2006,
becoming Palestine’s
governing party.
SOURCE: times online
If you are interested in being
a guest writer for The Southerner,
let us know
at [email protected]
Israel’s reasons for
waging war rational
The current situation in Israel is
perplexing. Neither side is completely
right or completely wrong.
Something must be done, however,
lest these two factions continue their
descent down this slippery slope.
Over the last several weeks, the
Israeli Defense Force has launched a
military campaign against the Islamic
fundamentalist group Hamas. I
strongly favor pursuing diplomatic
options, but when diplomacy fails,
a military campaign must be waged.
Thus, I support the actions the Israeli
armed forces have taken in Gaza.
Since taking power of the
Palestinian government after the
elections in June 2007, Hamas has
posed a continuous direct threat to
Israel’s national security. Over the
course of 2007 and 2008, Hamas
fired 4,681 rockets and mortar shells
into Israeli towns and cities, including
civilian areas such as hospitals
and shopping malls. The United
Nations and the Israeli government
even have video footage of a rocket
being launched from a school where
innocent Palestinian children created
a human shield for the terrorists
mounting the attack.
Furthermore, Hamas has
created a culture in Gaza where
terrorism and anti-Israeli
sentiments are the norm.
As Hamas representative
Fathi Hamad said in an
interview on Al-Jazerra,
“for the Palestinian
people death became an
industry. Accordingly,
[Palestinians] created
a human shield of
women, children,
the elderly and
the Jihad
fighters against
the Zionist
bombing
machine, as
if they were saying to the Zionist
enemy, ‘We desire death as you
desire life.’” This quote is clear
evidence of the cultural stigma
that has been created by Hamas
and seeps into the culture of the
people of Gaza.
Israel has engaged in these military
campaigns against Hamas not
against the Palestinian people as a
whole. It has made numerous efforts
to communicate with the citizens
of Gaza by phone and also through
dropping leaflets by air before they
move in so that the civilians will be
out of harm’s way. Through all of
the rocket attacks, through all of
the times that Hamas has attacked
Israel, through all of the killings
of its citizens, Israel is still, as it has
always been, sending food and other
humanitarian aid through the Karni
and Keren crossings to Gaza.
I ask you to consider a simple
question: what action would the
United States take if its border were
constantly being bombed by either
Canada or Mexico? I can guarantee
you that, after all of the diplomatic
options had been exhausted (which
they clearly have been in Israel), the
United States would take the exact
same course of action to eliminate the
threat to its security. Israel has taken
an expected response and is fighting
these terroristic threats in the most
just and practical way possible.
If you are not convinced by my
reasons, there are a large number of
other ones.
First, the State of Israel must
survive as the only democracy in a
very dangerous area of the world. It
is surrounded by countries that are
ruled by dictators, many of whom
harbor terrorists.
Additionally, Israel is the most
advanced nation in that region in
terms of politics, economics, science
and culture. Scientists in Israel are
well on their way to developing a
vaccine against HIV. Israel is also
a true defender of the rights that
we, as Americans, hold sacred:
freedom, justice, liberty, equality
and civil rights for all people. If
anybody supports these rights, there
is no reason whatsoever that anyone
should withdraw support from the
State of Israel. p
What do you think about the conflict between Gaza and Israel?
“
I’m upset
[over] how the
Palestinians are
being treated.
Israel should let
the Red Cross in.
Hannah Mitchell
senior
“
I hear it on the
news a lot, but I
never really paid
attention to it.
Jalen Rideaux,
junior
“
Israel should be
defending themselves
but not killing
innocent people.
Iris Shaer,
sophomore
“
Israel bombing Gaza
isn’t moral. How
would Israel feel if a
bigger country came
and attacked them?
Aubrey Roberts
senior
News Briefs
the Southerner
Feb. 2, 2009
news
5
Teachers earn APS
awards in excellence
Scholarship-winning students in new Posse
PEC teacher Mr. Jake Hackett
and science teacher Mr. Graham
Balch are two of 11 APS faculty
awarded the Atlanta Families’
awards for Excellence in Teaching. Both were awarded with a
$5,000 grant.
By Amelia Kovacevich
For many seniors, the most
stressful part of their final year in
high school is the dizzying college
application process. With the
economy’s steady decline, the focus
has been shifted from working to
get into the nation’s top colleges
to scrambling to find a way to pay
for them.
The weight of that issue has
been lifted off the shoulders of
five seniors who received the Posse
scholarship. With a four-year, fullride scholarship from the Posse
Foundation, Demarius Walker will
attend Boston University, Malcolm
Perry will attend the College of
Wooster and Miriam Huppert,
Lena James and Hannah Mitchell
will attend Bard College.
The Posse Scholarship is different
than most merit or need-based
scholarships. Since 1989, the Posse
Foundation has offered a leadershipbased scholarship designed to
give students who may be often
overlooked in the application
process the tools and resources to
attend some of the best colleges and
universities in the nation. Atlanta is
one of six cities in the United States
with a scholarship chapter. Posse
Atlanta’s partner universities are
Bard College, Boston University and
College of Wooster.
In order to win the scholarship, the
five seniors had to endure a rigorous
interview process.The interviews, led
by Posse director Charisse Williams,
were based on group participation
but also included the traditional
one-on-one interview.
“The college application process
is two-dimensional—just a list of
achievements and grades on a piece
of paper,” Williams said. “The Posse
interview is three-dimensional; we
look at the whole individual, not
Sophomore serves as
cantor at MLK gala
Sophomore Jonathan Stone
represented Grady and the Jewish
community at the Martin Luther
King, Jr. Day interfaith celebration. Stone served as cantor at
the ceremonies, held at Ebenezer
Baptist church.
Student teacher wins
in beauty pageants
Ms. Chastity Hardman, who
taught as a student teacher for
the chorus last year, was crowned
Miss Georgia last summer and
proceeded to win first runnerup in the 2009 Miss America
Pageant.
Student involved in
accident on Monroe
Freshman Eve Brown was hit by
a car on Monroe Drive on Jan. 23.
She didn’t sustain serious injuries.
Other Posse Cities
Boston
Who are leaders in their high schools and
communities
Who are positive
Who are committed to their education and
demonstrate academic potential
Who are motivated
Los Angeles
Who are interested in teamwork
Who are talented
New York City
Who are interested in diversity
Who are ambitious
Washington, D.C.
Chicago
Students Who Made the Cut
Bard College
Bard College
Miriam Huppert
Lena James
just what’s on the list.”
The first interview was done
in groups and used unorthodox
techniques to illustrate students’
cooperation skills.
“[At the first interview], we built
with legos in groups, which [at first]
seemed odd but then made sense,”
Walker said. “By taking the interview
to a basic level, it showed how people
communicate in the simplest way.”
James felt more comfortable with
these group interviews because she was
used to the format.
“The first [group] interviews
reminded me of soccer tryouts,” James
said. “It was easier to open up and show
my leadership skills.”
The second and third round of
interviews followed the one-on-one
format more strictly, although they still
had very few requirements.
“The only requirement was to be
myself,” Huppert said. “[The Posse
Foundation] wanted to see how
comfortable you were in your own
Bard College
Boston University
Hannah Mitchell
Demarius Walker
skin, so I let my confidence outshine
my nervousness.”
Perry, the only student who chose the
College of Wooster, did so because of
his experiences on the school football
team.
“Wooster was the only one out of
the three to have a football team,” Perry
said. “It also just seemed like the right
fit for me.”
The choice of school was very simple
for Huppert, who had been looking at
Bard before even being nominated for
the Posse scholarship.
“Bard was always in my top list of
schools,” Huppert said. “It offers the
small, liberal arts environment that is
perfect for me.”
Mitchell, on the other hand, had a
more difficult time settling on Bard.
“The night before we had to declare
which school we were picking, I was
torn between Bard [College] and
Boston [University],” Mitchell said.
“[But] I looked at the Bard website
and felt an instinctual connection. I
College of Wooster
Malcolm Perry
Source: http://www.possefoundation.org/about-posse
Grady hosted its second annual
round robbin tournament, inviting
teams nationwide to compete
in eight rounds of Lincoln
Douglas debate. Sophomore Tyler
Olsen placed third. The Emory
debate program co-sponsored
the event.
minh lam
Jesters host second
annual tournament
The Posse Foundation Looks for Students:
knew that [Bard] was the right decision
for me.”
One of the aspects of the Posse
scholarship that makes it unique is its
required eight-month pre-collegiate
training.
“Scholars meet with the Posse
representatives once a week to work
on team building, cross cultural
communication and leadership
exercises,” Williams said. “There are
also on-campus mentorship meetings
for the Posse scholars on a weekly basis
[once they begin college].”
The support system that the Posse
scholarship offers students is reflected
in its success rate. About 90 percent of
Posse scholars graduate from college
and 60 percent go on to pursue
graduate degrees.
“When you become a Posse scholar,
you’re not just thinking about yourself
anymore,” Williams said. “You’re
thinking about the commitment you
made to the nine other people in your
posse to succeed in college.” p
By Alexandria Cantrell
Freshman Kyle Barry was mugged on the
music hallway one morning three months ago.
There was no one monitoring the area, nor were
there any staff members on the hall.
“I was walking down the hall, and I was getting
some water,” Barry recalls. “I turned around and
one kid jumped on my back and pulled me to
the ground and they started punching me. He
started going through my pockets so I kicked
him in the face. Then he punched me in the
chest and the two of them ran off.”
Barry’s experience is a clear indication that
safety falls short for this wing of the building.
Though Barry was fortunate enough to walk
away without any serious injuries, his experience
stays with him. Barry never goes into the music
building as a result of a trauma that many feel
could have been prevented.
“They put me in band [afterwards], and I tried
to get changed out,” Barry said. “I guess I just
don’t want to be there. It brings back memories
that I just don’t want to remember.”
This startling incident worries both students
and faculty alike. Orchestra director Mr.
Sergio Rodriguez says that the music staff has
been complaining about a lack of security
since the beginning of the year. According to
administrator Ms. Diana Porter, the problem
is not being ignored.
“We are well aware of the security problems
on the music hall,” Ms. Porter said. “[The
Alexandria Cantrell
In the unprotected music hall, misconduct abounds
HERE COMES TREBLE: The deserted music hall sits vacant of faculty or supervision each morning and after
school. With no supervisors monitoring the hall, students’ property is vulnerable to vandalism and theft.
administration] is working on ways to improve
the situation.”
But all Mr. Rodriguez wants is for the school
to be safe.
“We need to make sure that if students
are in the practice rooms, then [attacks] can’t
happen,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “It’s scary. Maybe
we aren’t doing a good job [of ] scanning kids
at the metal detectors each morning, but every
student is supposed to check in that way. Kids
come inside the music building and go up the
stairs to their classes without going through
the metal detectors and then don’t leave after
school is over.”
Violence isn’t the only issue that results from
the security issues. This school year, countless
items have been stolen from every room on the
music hall, including the scene shop. Students’
belongings have been stolen during concerts,
rehearsals and classes. Last semester, someone
broke into one of the practice rooms and stole
a $1,000 projector.
Fine arts chair Mr. John Brandhorst says that
the problems on the music wing are not solely
to blame on students.
“The perception is that the whole afterschool
crowd is bad,” Mr. Brandhorst said. “But the
reality is that [only] a few insist on doing the
wrong thing. All this effort has to be put into
place because very few people make this look
like a much worse environment than it actually
is. It’s an impossible situation.”
Administrators have developed several
methods to solve the issue, like hiring supervisors
to monitor the hall before and after school.
“We would like to pay supervisors, but
that money doesn’t exist,” Mr. Brandhorst
said.“Right now it’s up to the volunteering
spirit of whoever happens to still be on campus.
Without more eyes and more bodies, there is
no way to enforce [rules].”
Teachers have begun guarding the doors to the
music lobby before school begins. But keeping
students out of the music wing in the morning
poses problems of its own.
Senior Ariel Manning approves of the
measures being taken to make the music hall
more secure. She finds flaws, however, in the
new security measures for music students like
herself.
“People like to do stupid [things] in the
music building because they know that no one
comes down here,” Manning said. “I like [that]
the doors are locked because it keeps them out
of the building. The only problem is that [the
music students] get locked out too. It’s unfair
to the music students who are forced to be late
because they have to go from one opposite
end of the school to the other just to put an
instrument away.”
Until a solution is implemented, the
administration continues to work on solving
the issue.
“We have ideas, but right now it’s just a matter
of if [the rules] can be enforced,” Ms. Porter
said. “It’s a work in progress.” p
n e w s
6
Feb. 2, 2009
By Nia Williams
Due to budget constraints, APS
is revising its original plans for the
renovation of the stadium.
Originally the design included
a concourse that would have gone
from both sides to a new entrance
on 10th Street. The newer plan
eliminates the concourse and
focuses primarily on the renovation
of the stadium, including the
extra space underneath designated
for the JROTC facilities, which
currently do not meet federal
standards.
“The elevated concourse walkway
was going to be very expensive,”
said Jennifer Roorbach, a Grady
parent and the president of the
athletic booster club. “[APS] felt
that the concourse was not going to
be a good use of its money.”
The newer design calls for the
renovation of the restrooms and the
buildings underneath the stands on
the stadium’s west side—the side
adjacent to the student parking
lot. The JROTC facilities will
be expanded, the leftover room
near JROTC will be used for the
athletics department and there is
a tentative plan to make room for
the robotics club, the Gearbox
Gangsters, as well as for the planned
engineering academy.
“APS has basically said that
Grady can use the underside of
the stadium stands for certain
programs,” said Mr. Timothy
Wolfe, a science teacher and the
head of the Gearbox Gangsters.
“I would like to see [Gearbox
Gangsters] get part of that space
because if we don’t get any of that
space, we won’t have a place on
campus to do the robotics club
properly.”
As of Jan. 20, only the JROTC
has been officially promised new
space.
“They are going to renovate all
of the space [under the stadium],”
principal Dr. Vincent Murray
said. “There will be a squarefootage increase so that they can
accommodate a rifle range for the
JROTC.”
The west side will include two
elevators that will be built for
handicap accessibility.
The east side of the stadium will
also undergo a series of significant
changes.
“On the east side, they are
going to do a fair amount of
modifications,” Roorbach said.
“They are going to change the
configuration on Monroe Avenue,
create more ticket booths and back
them up into the area. They are
also going to widen the walkways
going down both sides so that
there is adequate space for people
to walk. The ground level will
have new concession stands, new
restrooms and locker facilities for
other schools.”
In addition, artificial turf will
replace the current grass fields.
The concrete will have new sealant,
rooms will be repaired to fix the
leaks in some areas and the fencing
will be upgraded so that it’s not
chain link fencing.
The athletic booster club has
been working in conjunction with
APS to ascertain that all necessary
renovations are made.
“APS has been extremely receptive
to our concerns and comments,”
Roorbach said. “Approximately
$8 to $9 million were identified
to renovate both the Grady and
Lakewood stadiums, although
how those funds will be allocated
between the two projects has not
been identified.”
The Grady stadium is 60 years
old and has never undergone any
significant reconstructions or
COURTESY OF JENNIFER ROORBACH
Renovations scaled back due to budget constraints
TAKE TWO: In order to bring Grady Stadium up to code, APS has allocated $8 to $9 million for the planned renovation. The design
has been retrenched to eliminate the original elevated concourse, which APS felt would require too much funding from the budget.
renovations.
“This is a district initiative,” Dr.
Murray said. “Grady’s stadium
hasn’t been renovated in quite a
while. The concrete’s cracking, and
we have JROTC housed under the
stadium. Water is leaking from the
concrete that is above them.”
As well as structural problems
that abound throughout the
stadium, there are some who feel
that the stadium needs a facelift,
not just an upgrade.
“[The stadium is] pretty ugly
now,” said Cliff Altekruse, a
member of the Athletics Booster
Club. “[The stadium] is big, heavy
and dark. It’s not kept up, and it’s
clear that nobody spends much
time there. All of those things in
an environment make you want to
go somewhere else.”
The stadium is not only
unattractive to some, but it lacks
access ramps, guardrails and
adequate facilities for handicapped
individuals.
“The stadium is out of
compliance with respect to the
current code regarding handrails
and ramp height,” Roorbach said.
Critics also complain that the field
is overused, that the restrooms are
poorly lit and unsanitary, that the
single ticket booth on the home
side causes lines that stretch down
an entire block on occasions, and
that the entrance plaza is too small
to comfortably accommodate the
crowds that come in.
“There is not enough sidewalk
space for what is a heavily used
street, and it’s not very functional
for people walking along,” Altekruse
said. “Building the plaza and filling
out the space under [the stadium]
will make it feel more like a part of
the community and will be more
convenient for everyone.”
APS also acknowledges that the
renovations are a priority and need
to be carried out.
APS’s budget for the renovations
stands at $8.7 million, and the
Athletic Booster Club hopes to
start the renovations at the end
of the 2008-2009 academic year.
The goal is for the project to be
completed by the fall of 2009.
“It’s a big job,” Dr. Murray said.
“[The renovations] will probably
be ready no later than the end
of the first semester. It could be
over the summer depending on
the number of people working on
that project.” p
CNN broadcasts students’ perspectives on politics
The broadcast was directed at people of
various ages and backgrounds.
“People find it interesting to hear young
people talking about the issues facing the
country and their generation,” Chillag said.
“We keep hearing about the Obama generation and the concept of change.”
The group interview, which was expected
to last no longer than 45 minutes, continued
for two hours. The group interview was cut
into six segments, which aired every Friday
for six weeks starting on Dec. 23.
“We picked magnet school students because we thought it would be neat to hear
what the best and the brightest have to say,”
Chillag said. “I was really surprised how erudite their comments were. I think that a lot
of those students’ perspectives on the issues
and their ability to grasp history in connection with today was beyond what a lot of
adults are able to think about.”
When Grady’s magnet coordinator, Ms.
Carrie MacBrien, received the call from
CNN requesting an interview with a small
group of students, she asked teachers to
compile a list of the students they felt were
intellectually and politically active.
“[The students] got really excited and they
took it seriously,” debate teacher Mr. Mario
Herrera said. “They realized it was a responsibility, and boy did they do Grady proud. I
taylor fulton
from page 1
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: A CNN cameraman relaxes prior to the filming of the first interview. A diverse
group of students were chosen to speak during a special opinion panel with correspondent Tony Harris.
talked to the producer after the live interview,
and she said that she has not seen that many
good responses to a segment they’ve done in
months. So not only does Grady love Grady,
but apparently the country does too.”
Among other things, the students discussed the economic crisis and what they believed should be first on President Obama’s
agenda. “The economy should be the first focus,
just to get everyone feeling stable again,”
Imes said during the filmed interview. “I
think that the benefits will automatically
trickle down into the other issues like energy,
health care and education.”
Harris spurred the students’ discussion
by asking the students if they thought their
generation was going to be responsible for
“the debt that has been accumulated in our
country.”
“To be honest, I don’t think my generation
really grasps the fact that this may fall on our
shoulders,” Imes said in the interview. “Even
for me, even though you’re saying that that
may happen, I’m thinking, ‘That’s not going
to happen. This problem is going to be taken
care of.’”
Some students, however, understand the
future situation all too well. In the interview,
senior Michael Robinson attested that previous generations had left us with “a nasty pile
of problems.”
“If we look at our generation, there’s a lot
of apathy,” Robinson said. “Barack Obama
has stirred a lot of interest in our generation of politics, but there are still all kinds of
problems that we have to deal with. I think
that once Obama takes office and people realize that things aren’t going to get that much
better for a while, people are probably going
to [become] disillusioned.”
The broadcast gave the public insight
about what the Obama generation is thinking,
“I have a former student in the Peace Corps
in Bulgaria who called me last week wanting
to know if I knew those kids on CNN,” Mr.
Herrera said. “It was really cool knowing that
they were being watched around the world. I
think everyone always tells teenagers ‘You’re
important and what you say matters,’ but
when it becomes real, it becomes something
completely different.” p
n e w s
Feb. 2, 2009
7
By Sidney Wise
“Jean Greenbaum was the world to my
children and me,” said U.S. history teacher Mr.
Lee Pope of an old neighbor and Holocaust
survivor who passed away in 2005. “She couldn’t
speak of the Holocaust because of the pain that
it brought her. She did tell me some of her story
but never finished. I will always regret not hearing
the entire thing, but I vowed when she passed
away that I would do whatever I could to pass
her story and the story of others on to those
who didn’t know about them. The Holocaust
should never fade into history.”
The Jewish Holocaust may seem like ancient
history to some, but according to Mr. Pope, the
repercussions of what happened during those
years still affects us today.
Mr. Pope’s musical theater program will
remember the Holocaust by performing the
musical Cabaret four times during the last
weekend in March. Holocaust survivors will
be attending one of the performances and
will speak to the audience and cast about their
experiences.
“Other than West Side Story, this is one of
my all-time favorite musicals,” Mr. Pope said.
“The story still has relevance today and speaks
to a wide range of people. It is all about hatred
and how the most innocent of people can be
hurt by organized hate.”
Written by Joe Masteroff in 1966, Cabaret
takes place in Germany during the late 1920s
at the dawn of Nazi power. The story centers
around a nightclub singer named Sally—played
by junior Amelia Kovacevich—and an American
writer named Cliff—played by junior Gabe
Scala­. Over the course of the musical, the couple
must decide whether their relationship is worth
the pain that the Nazis are inflicting upon both
them and society.
“I have been a supporter of Holocaust
education for years, and I believe the script of
Cabaret speaks to its memory,” Mr. Pope said.
“Cabaret is important because it teaches us all
to recognize hate when it begins to appear. It
speaks not only to those that might hold that
type of waste in their hearts but also to those of
Madeline Roorbach
Cabaret pays tribute to Holocaust; survivors to speak
JAZZ HANDS: Seniors Abby Deel and Alexandria Cantrell , junior Asha Farmer, sophomore Glory Nix and junior Tavia Parsons rehearse a scene with the rest of the “Kit
Kat Club dancers” for the upcoming performance. “[Practice] is going very smoothly, “ director and U.S. history teacher Mr. Lee Pope said. “It’s very professional.”
us who sit back and do nothing about it.”
According to Scala, the musical is still relevant
in today’s political and social climate.
“I think everyone can take away something
important from it,” Scala said. “It was a very
tragic time that does not get enough attention.
And with all the war in recent years [in the Middle
East], it’s very fitting for our time.”
For years, Mr. Pope has worked with the AntiDefamation League, which was founded 95 years
ago to combat anti-Semitism and intolerance of
all kinds. He firmly believes in its mission to stop
injustice anywhere in the world, particularly acts
against Jewish people. He feels that it’s part of
his duty as a person to get this message across to
as many people as possible. Putting on Cabaret
helps him accomplish that goal.
“If I can do anything to stop the pain of
one human being in distress, then I have
lived a purposeful life,” Mr. Pope said. “In the
end, all I really want is to be remembered for
loving strongly, caring deeply about others and
leaving the world just a little bit better than I
found it.”
Mr. Pope has planned for a unique
opportunity for his cast and the audience of
one of the performances in an attempt to help
people further remember the Holocaust. He has
invited several Holocaust survivors to come and
share their stories.
“We will have a reception in the main lobby of
the theater so that people can meet the survivors
and speak to them personally,” Mr. Pope said.
“The survivors will stand at the door with candles
and light the patrons’ candles [as they go into]
to the courtyard, and we will have a moment
of silence to remember those that perished at
the hands of the Nazis.”
Scala says that he and the rest of the cast are
eager to meet the survivors.
“I am anxious to hear the speakers,” Scala said.
“I think that what they say will shine a whole
new light on the musical. I’m not sure how the
audience will react.”
Although he shares Mr. Pope’s determination
to spread Holocaust remembrance, Scala has a
different, more personal goal as well.
“I’m most excited to be able to just belt it out
to an audience and see how they respond,” Scala
said. “It’s cool to get the spotlight and be center
stage singing something different in front of an
audience you don’t know.”
Mr. Pope’s intentions, on the other hand, are
simply to shock, amuse, intrigue and inspire.
“My goal is to leave the audience stunned
when they leave the theater,” Mr. Pope said. “I
certainly want people to enjoy the show, but the
idea is that they leave changed forever. I want
them to find themselves so shocked by the end
of the play that they leave in silence.” p
New park provides benefit for local neighborhoods
courtesy of atlanta beltline inc.
By Emily Emshoff
Watch out Piedmont Park! A new
park has been planned for the city’s
Fourth Ward neighborhood that
might present some competition.
Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.,
the Department of Watershed
Management and the Historic Fourth
Ward Park Conservancy have been
working together to develop the
first park that will be a part of the
BeltLine. Located on North Avenue
behind City Hall East, the park will
provide recreation, a solution for
the neighborhood’s water runoff
problems and other amenities for the
surrounding communities.
“From a BeltLine perspective, PIECE OF THE PUZZLE: The design for the Historic Fourth Ward Park shows the storm pond in the center. “When you’re walking
this is a model project on how the though the park, you won’t know [the pond] is a watershed,” said Joe Basista, commissioner for the Department of Public Works.
BeltLine as a whole should work,”
said Ethan Davidson, director of Historic Fourth Ward Park in 2005. [to the city].”
what they had originally anticipated
communications at Atlanta BeltLine, The DWM then got involved with
While this was a great opportunity – the storm water pond.”
Inc. “The public
the park’s central fortheOldFourthWardneighborhood
The storm water pond, located
and private
feature—a storm to have a park built in its area, the in the park, will collect storm water
The public and private water pond.
communities will
DWM also saw this as a chance to from an 800-acre area every time it
need to converge
“There have solve the storm water runoff problem. rains. The pond will never dry up or
communities will need
to create new and
been plans to They began planning a storm water overflow because of a dam and an
to converge to create
better amenities
double the city’s pond to collect water runoff.
outlet that will maintain the water
to the city.”
park space for the
“You had a watershed management levels at all times. It will occupy three
and new and better
The land
last 40 years, and project and a community that wanted acres of the 15-acre park area and will
amenity to the city.
was provided
we have finally a park, and the public sector was hold 9 million gallons of water.
Ethan Davidson gotten it done,” able to work together to make sure
by the Trust for
“The reason we were able to [build
Public Land in
Atlanta Beltline Inc. Mayor Shirley everybody achieved their goals,” a storm water pond in this area] was
2004, and the
Franklin said. Davidson said. “So the city came out that the land was being acquired
BeltLine Partnership made this land “Our plans, which are funded, will with a solution to their watershed by the BeltLine,” said Joe Basista,
a greenspace acquisition for the future add 1,200 more acres of park land issues that was actually cheaper than commissioner for the Department
“
of Public Works. “Watershed, at the
time, would not have been able to
do that. Something like this can only
work when there is opportunity for
the land to be acquired. It was a happy
circumstance [where a] neighborhood
envisioned this, the BeltLine [had
done] all its planning and the location
of this park was where we had a storm
water runoff problem.”
The storm water pond, a $30
million project, replaced a proposal
of an underground tunnel system, a
$40 million project, saving the city
$10 million.
“This [storm pond] is one piece
of a much bigger puzzle, but in this
800-acre area, it will make a significant
difference,” Basista said. “There will
be improved water quality, and we will
not have to add any capacity to the
combined sewer in that area. That’s
worth $10 million.”
Phase one, which includes the
storm water pond, some green
space and other amenities, will be
completed by the end of 2009 and
includes 15 of the park’s 30 acres.
According to Davidson, the
majority of the community is happy
with the development of a new
park.
“We had over 200 people there
for the groundbreaking,” Davidson
said. “There is widespread support
for the park.” p
Economy
woes
home
hit
the Southerner
8
Feb. 2, 2009
By Taylor Fulton
Morris Brown College, a historically
black university in downtown Atlanta, may
have to close its doors for good after 128
years of service to the black community.
The college’s past few years have been
characterized by the misuse of crucial funds,
a decline in enrollment and a debt of $25
million, leading the Commission of Colleges to revoke its accreditation in 2002.
“In 2006, the dean of Morris Brown College was indicted and plead guilty to fraud
charges,” said Stanley A. Pritchett, the college’s current interim president. “The misuse of funds during her administration put
the college in a situation that it had never
witnessed before.”
As Morris Brown fell deeper in debt, it
began rapidly losing students.
“In 2002, enrollment was around 2,500
students,” Pritchett said. “But when the
school lost its accreditation, enrollment
dropped to 2,000 in 2003 and then to 56
in 2007. [It] is currently at 200.”
It’s debt and the decline in enrollment
have made it difficult for Morris Brown to
regain a sound footing. Pritchett, however,
intends to rebuild Morris Brown financially
so that the school can prepare to reapply for
accreditation in the near future.
“To get [the school’s accreditation] back,
we have to prove that we are economically
stable,” Pritchett said. “The first step I took
was to get a financial audit done to show
the monetary status of the school.”
The audit confirmed the massive debt
of the school but also uncovered six, undecided lawsuits. By 2007, Pritchett and the
school’s interim board had resolved all but
one of the lawsuits. Pritchett regards the
successful resolutions as a “huge accomplishment.”
Morris Brown must still prove that it is
financially stable.
“To begin the first requirement [for proving financial stability], we went straight to
the state legislature,” said Kristal Ammons,
a 1974 graduate of Morris Brown College
and one of its board members. “We asked
for a law to be changed so that Morris
Brown could get state aid from the Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant Act and the
benefits of the HOPE Scholarship.”
Gov. Sonny Perdue signed off on a law
granting Morris Brown additional financial aid. As a result, the college was able
to recruit more students. The increased aid,
however, didn’t immediately resolve the
school’s financial crisis. Morris Brown also
had to gain certification from the U.S. Department of Education.
“There was progress [made],” Ammons
said, “but just not enough to overcome the
debt structure that was in place.”
Besides efforts to gain money from the
state legislature, Morris Brown also relies
on help from Big Bethel A.M.E. Church,
the institution responsible for the creation
of Morris Brown College over a century
ago.
Rev. Gregory V. Eason, the presiding pastor of Big Bethel and a 1974 graduate of
Morris Brown, makes sure that his church
family helps out where it can.
“Morris Brown is my alma mater,” Eason said. “Because I preside over the church
that built Morris Brown, I feel obliged to
help the school that made me who I am today.”
Big Bethel has a Morris Brown College
ministry responsible for keeping the church
informed of activities and events planned
to raise funds for the school. Eason also
asks the church on a weekly basis for an additional collection.
With prominent Morris Brown supporters and alumni like Eason, Big Bethel has
helped to decrease the college’s debt significantly.
“Just recently, the Morris Brown ministry
and the church’s health ministry teamed up
for a fitness walk,” said Delores Turner, a
Big Bethel Church member who participated in the walk with her family. “Each participant in the walk got a sponsor who to
donate money for every mile walked from
Taylor Fulton
Fiscal issues endanger Morris Brown’s future
WHERE HAVE ALL THE STUDENTS GONE? Before economic issues threatened to close Morris Brown’s doors, this
common area of the college’s campus was filled with the constant hustle and bustle of students.With a current
enrollment of 200 students, the student body is 10 times smaller than it was just six years ago.
the church to the Morris Brown chapel.”
Turner, who attended Spelman College, has dedicated energy to saving Morris
Brown simply because of what the school
represents.
“Morris Brown is much more than just
a college,” Turner said. “The school was
founded by blacks for blacks, and it must
continue to show the hard work and history
that led to its founding.”
In addition to community-raised funds,
Morris Brown also benefits from its location.
The 34 acres of land have been valued
at more than $93 million. Morris Brown
has used its prime location in the middle of
downtown Atlanta to attract events such as
the Battle of the Bands and other concerts.
“The movie Drumline was taped here,”
said Marla Williams, a 2003 Morris Brown
graduate and a dancer in the film. “The
school did receive money for the use of
Morris Brown students and land use, but
I guess it just wasn’t enough to help the financial situation.”
Pritchett, however, values the college
for much more than the land it was built
upon.
“The college has been here for more than
120 years, and it has always been privy to
the economy of the city of Atlanta,” Pritchett said. “Morris Brown is a place where
students can get a great education and experiences to prepare them for jobs in the
job market or to prepare them to be leaders
in their communities.”
As Morris Brown continues to tackle its
economic problems, Pritchett and the board
continue to stress the need for nationwide
acknowledgement of the school’s situation.
“It is incumbent for people to understand that Morris Brown College’s situation
is something worthy of the entire nation’s
[attention],” Ammons said. “We are just
beginning the fight to save our ‘Dear Ole’
Morris Brown.” p
Tuition and Fees (In Thousands)
Oglethorpe Tuition and Fees
25
$25,380
24
$24,442
23
$23,510
22
$22,300
21
$21,000
2004
2005
2006
Year
2007
2008
Source: www.members.ucan-network.org
By Shelby Rudd
Oglethorpe University may suffer the loss of its accreditation
if the school doesn’t resolve concerns about its finances that
were raised in a December report issued by the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools. Oglethorpe maintains,
however, that concerns over the report are overblown and that
the school’s financial problems aren’t significant enough to put
the school’s future at risk.
The school has suffered a variety of financial difficulties
in recent years. Now Oglethorpe’s accreditation rests on
the findings of a Dec. 2009 review by SACS, the main
organization presiding over the accreditation of southern
academic institutions.
Oglethorpe said in a statement issued on the university’s
website that neither accreditation and enrollment numbers,
nor student degrees and financial aid have been affected by the
SACS warning.
“As students, we know a lot about Oglethorpe’s financial
standing,” said Jen Riley, an Oglethorpe student and Grady
alumna. “They do a good job of keeping us in the loop
about things. They don’t hesitate to answer our questions and
respond to our concerns.”
Minh Lam
Economic troubles threaten fate of Oglethorpe’s accreditation
According to Riley, Oglethorpe University president Dr.
Lawrence Schall has an “open door” policy and welcomes
feedback and questions from the entire student body.
Oglethorpe was first given a warning about its financial
deficits on Dec. 7, 2007. They were also asked to provide
a report addressing the university’s operations with regard
to business, finance and financial aid. The school complied,
submitting a report in September 2008 detailing that they
had a positive cash flow for the year. They also reported
that there were no major discrepancies found during their
investigations and that they had no unaddressed financial
aid claims with the Department of Education. For now,
the school will remain on the warning list, at least until it is
reviewed again by SACS.
Both the university and students, however, remain
optimistic.
“I am confident that we will keep our accreditation,” Riley
said. “Dr. Schall held a meeting educating students on the
economic status and explainining why [the warning from
SACS] appeared as it did in the news. We are doing better
than how it appeared [in the media]. I feel pretty secure.”
Oglethorpe is a relatively small private university with
approximately 1,200 students. With today’s economic
conditions, a lot of smaller schools under the dominion of
SACS are struggling to pay bills on time.
Riley hopes that Ogelthorpe will regain its standing with
SACS.
“I picked OU because I liked the atmosphere of campus,”
Riley said. “It is laid-back [and] really diverse... I wanted a nice
well-rounded [school], and that’s exactly where I am.” p
e c o n o m y
Feb. 2, 2009
9
DISTRICT homeowners suffer from stagnant market
from page 1
Photos By Minh Lam
The bank, IndyMac, ended up freezing
our account so we couldn’t get any money
anymore,” Mr. Nicolson said.
Mr. Nicolson’s original house didn’t sell,
and his family is now forced to pay two
mortgages.
“I’m willing to pay my mortgages, but
having two mortgages is too steep to pay,”
Mr. Nicolson said. “[No bank] will allow
HOME ALONE: [Left] A four-bedroom house goes up for sale at the corner
us to refinance our new home because they
of North Highland Drive and University Drive in Midtown. The house
see we have a considerable debt [because of
was built in the 1930s and comes with an all-brick courtyard. (Above)
the accumulating monthly payments from
A row of condos are on display to be sold in Inman Park. [The property’s
the original home]. We can’t unload the
convenience to Morningside Elementary School, Inman Middle School
original home because the market is bad.”
and Grady High School increased its market value.]
None of the couples options are desirable
in the current economic climate.
“We don’t want to sell the original house
for significantly less than market price, but
DesWe’r
perae
we don’t want a foreclosure on [our] new Discount
Housing
CHEA
Forbes
Atlanta Real
te
P
dream house,” Mr. Nicolson said.
Percentage with
Top 10 Cities
Estate
Market
Although Mr. Nicolson believes he
No Mortgage
to
Buy
a
Home
at a Glance
simply took a risk in the wrong place at
40
the wrong time, he thinks that some of the
1. Houston
6. Dallas
Median
companies that are suffering have brought
Listing Type Number
Price
30
these problems on themselves.
2. Austin, Texas
7. Charlotte N.C.
Homes
for
28%
“I don’t think it’s fair to blame us,” Mr.
27%
10,644
$230,000
Sale
3. St. Louis
8. San Francisco
Nicolson said. “I think it’s unfortunate
20
luck. I don’t have a problem calling big
276
$246,215
New Homes
16%
4. Philadelphia
9. Jacksonville, Fla.
companies greedy because they got into
10
this mess themselves. I don’t think the
5. San Antonio
10. Atlanta
$128,000
Foreclosures 8,630
auto industry should get a bailout. We did
everything right; we just had bad timing.”
U.S.
Atlanta Georgia
Source: realestate.yahoo.com; newhomesource.com
Source: www.mortgage.nextag.com/articles
Unlike the Nicolsons, many Atlantans Source: www.forbes.com
are seeing their homes foreclosed, according
to local realtor and Grady parent Sally
“Homeless [people] and vagrants move
Westmoreland.
into abandoned foreclosed homes without
“There are close to 200 percent more electricity or water,” Kenney said. “So
do about prom. People want there to be a
By Caroline McKay
[foreclosures this year than last year,]” on a 17- to 40-degree night, a homeless
bailout of the auto industry, but where’s the
The
morning
bell
still
rings
at
8:15
am.
Westmoreland said. “Right now, there are person will likely try to start a small fire in
bailout of the airline industry?”
The
fire
alarm
still
goes
off
without
warning.
over 116 foreclosures listed with agents an abandoned home to stay warm. Many
Economics teacher John Rives explains why
The
freshmen
still
have
to
sit
at
the
bottom
in the Grady [district], and there are crimes of opportunity are committed
Delta
has been forced to lay off employees
of
the
hill
in
the
courtyard.
Though
many
probably twice that many that aren’t listed. by vagrants who are in an area because
and
how
that affects the Atlanta area.
aspects
of
life
on
campus
haven’t
changed,
But, listed or not, those property owners they’ve found a temporary place to live and
“[Delta]
has a lot of employees, and it
some
students
are
finding
themselves
in
a
are about to lose their homes. It’s a tragic operate.”
brings
a
significant
amount of revenue
dramtically
different
reality—a
reality
altered
fiscal epidemic.”
Even though burglary rates are higher
into
the
city,”
Mr.
Rives
said. “People aren’t
by
the
recession.
Westmoreland
holds
that
some this year than last year, Fulton County
traveling
because
disposable
income has
One
student,
who
requested
to
remain
homeowners have
senior assistant district
been
reduced
by
the
recession.
Delta is not
anonymous,
feels
the
affects
of
the
recent
played a hand
[The government doesn’t] attorney Todd Ashley airline industry layoffs every day.
experiencing
the
profit
level
that’s
appropriate
in
their
own
believes that crime rates
do
squat
about
easing
the
to
maintain
jobs.”
“My
parents
are
divorced,”
the
student
foreclosure.
won’t increase because
Another student, who recently lost his job
housing situation without of the economic said. “My mom is a flight attendant, and
“ M a n y
at
a local restaurant, has resorted to illegal
they
don’t
make
a
lot
of
money,
especially
[residents] made
situation. Instead, he
ultimately placing even
activity
to maintain pocket change.
now.
Last
week,
we
had
to
apply
for
food
their own beds
says that most citizens
more
burdens
on
the
tax
stamps.
On
the
other
side
of
my
family,
my
“I
used
to work at a restaurant on North
by
misleading
will obey laws despite
dad,
who
used
to
be
a
pilot,
is
unemployed
Highland,”
the other student said. “I wanted
payers.
lenders in quoting
economic turmoil.
and
my
step-mom
is
having
a
really
hard
time
to
get
a
new
job, but it’s hard because there
unrealistically
“People who do right
getting
consulting
jobs
because
companies
aren’t
any.
I
used
to sell weed on the side, but
high
income
Sally Westmoreland will continue to do
are
cutting
back
a
lot.”
now
it’s
the
only
thing I do for money.”
values for noright and continue to
Coldwell
Banker
Real
Estate
The
student
and
his
family
now
spend
Sophomore
Ben
Gittleson believes that
documentationfind a way to support
more
sparingly.
most
students
have
not
yet felt the full impact
required loans,”
themselves,”
Ashley
“We’re
having
a
really
hard
time
paying
of
the
economic
situation.
Westmoreland said. “Of course, the said. “You don’t go from an upstanding
for regular things,” the student said. “We’re
“I think that it’s probably going to get
mortgage industry is ultimately responsible citizen to a criminal overnight.”
spending
less,
and
we
don’t
turn
the
heater
worse
for a while but eventually get better,”
for allowing nonqualified borrowers to get
Before considering any impact on
on
as
much.
I’m
having
a
hard
time
[paying]
Gittleson
said. “Still, I think that we haven’t
away with lying about something so critical the crime rate, Westmoreland says the
school
fees—I
don’t
know
what
I’m
going
to
hit
bottom
yet.” p
to their financial health and future.”
government must first deal with the
Though some homeowners had a hand economic crisis. She says that the changes
in their houses being repossessed, some the government makes on high-risk housing $3.9 billion to both state, city and county
“We have taken a hit in the rate condo
had almost no control.
policies cannot not be minor if this issue is governments based on need. According to sales,” Lawrence said. “It is pretty clear that
“[Other residents] were literally set up to be resolved.
NSP data, the City of Atlanta has a 5.6 the new [condos] that have recently come
for failure through fraudulent cooperative
“The sad fact of the matter is that none percent foreclosure rate, compared to the online will be slow to fill, given the toxicity
efforts of realtors, lenders and attorneys of those entities can do squat about easing national and state average of 5.2 percent. of this segment of the market right now.”
whose greed led them to con innocent home the housing situation without ultimately NSP plans to give the city government $12
Despite the current housing trends,
seekers and homeowners with promises placing even more burdens on the tax million to aid homeowners.
Kenney is optimistic that the market will
that indeed turned out to be too good to payers,” Westmoreland said. “Just like
On the construction front, the economy turn around quickly in the city, regardless
be true,” Westmoreland said. “So, whether the rest of us, the local, state and national has not significantly hindered development of the policy initiatives or packages passed
they made their own bed or were set up, governments also need to learn how to live in midtown Atlanta.
by these state and federal governments.
these foreclosure victims now couldn’t get within their means.”
“Overall, only a few projects that
“I am optimistic for the Old Fourth
a new loan no matter how low rates get
Though the federal government will were on our scope have been postponed Ward [neighborhood] and intown Atlanta
because their credit scores are toast.”
map out major housing legislation in indefinitely,” said Nathan Lawrence, in 2009,” Kenney said. “I believe our future
Omar Kenney, a loan officer, realtor 2009, a few aid programs have already project manager for the Midtown Alliance. is bright because there is a trend of people
and homeowner from the Old Fourth been mandated.
“Most have just been pushed back a year or desiring an urban lifestyle. Many people
Ward neighborhood, noted that without
Congress passed the Economic Recovery two on their delivery date, pending market in the suburbs of Atlanta...will continue
anyone maintaining the foreclosed houses, Act of 2008 last July, which created the conditions.”
to move intown. I believe that when the
the city’s homeless take advantage of these Neighborhood Stabilization Program.
All the same, the urban midtown area housing market turns around, it will begin
properties.
The law designates the NSP to distribute has suffered from the economic situation.
in the city first.” p
Minh Lam
Minh Lam
Minh Lam
Attention Atlanta Shoppers: Great deal on homes in aisle down the street
Recession trickles down to students
“
e c o n o m y
10
Feb. 2, 2009
By Kala Marks
Homeowners on Durant Place have
felt the effects of reduced firefighter
staffing. A fire burned down a town
home located just a few blocks from
Grady, which initially began as a fire
contained in one part of the town
house. But since the fire department
had to eliminate firefighter positions
because of budget cuts, they had to
call in three alarms rather than the
usual one. Because the fire station
staffing was inadequate, the fire
spread throughout the building
before enough firefighters arrived.
Within the past year, the City of
Atlanta has suffered a series of budget
cuts stemming from its 2008 $140
million budget shortfall. With the
combination of the budget shortfall
and the current economic crisis,
Atlanta has had to reduce funding
for the Atlanta Fire Department by
$14 million.
In response to the budget shortfall,
the mayor went to the city council to
ask for a $44 million tax increase in
order to prevent further cuts to both
the fire and police departments. The
council, however, refused to pass the
tax increase and instead passed a $14
million tax cut.
“That $44 million tax increase was
going to be an average of about $30
for the average homeowner, which
would have been fairly modest,”
said Jim Daws, the president of the
Atlanta Professional Fire Fighters
Association, an Atlanta fire lieutenant
and a Grady alumnus. “I live in the
city, and I certainly would have
preferred to pay that then to have
police and fire services cut back.”
These second round of cuts, which
was another 5 percent budget cut,
are what forced the fire department
to eliminate fire companies, fire
programs and several firefighter
positions.
“[The implementation of the $14
million tax cut] was when we started
having to cut things that the citizens
would notice,” Lt. Daws said. “There
were a lot of programs that we had
that were cut.”
The fire department closed
Fire Station 7, decommissioned
Squad 4—the hazardous material
and technical rescue truck—and
eliminated about 119 positions by
firing the recruit class that was about
to graduate. It was then forced to
relocate firefighters from closed
stations and not replace firefighters
who leave the profession.
Reducing the fire staff poses an
increased safety risk because there is
a certain number of firefighters that
Kala marks
Recession terminates fire stations, decreases safety
BURNIN’ DOWN THE HOUSE: Flames destroyed a townhouse on Durant Place in northeast Atlanta on Jan. 1. The fire was called to
three alarms rather than one because of reduced staffing from recent budget cuts. The fire destroyed two of the four housing units .
are needed in order to handle a fire
properly.
“The result of [eliminating
positions] was that we went to three
firefighters assigned to each engine
and ladder truck, which is very bad
practice,” Lt. Daws said. “It’s at least
four, recommended five, [but] no less
than four. But three is outside of any
sort of accepted national standard.”
As the city worked to close the
$140 million deficit, the economic
crisis began, and there was about a
$50 million shortfall because the city’s
revenue was less than projected.
“We got sort of hit by a financial
tsunami,” Lt. Daws said.
The shortfall led to a second
round of cuts, which included
furloughs of the firefighters to
achieve an 18 percent decrease in
hours and the closure of Fire Station
23 in west Buckhead. Ladder Truck
12 on Dekalb Avenue may also
close if staffing drops too low. These
temporary closures are referred to as
“brownouts.” So far, there have been
28 brownouts.
Michael Wagoner, the president
of the Berkeley Park Neighborhood
Association and a resident of the
neighborhood where Station 23
is located, is concerned about the
station closing because it was one of
the few responsible for advanced life
support throughout the city.
“As one of only nine advanced
life support stations in the city, they
are not only tasked with responding
to fires but also car accidents and
medical emergencies,” Wagoner
said. “The firefighters which staffed
Station 23 have advanced paramedic
“Because of the closures, those
training and often backed up and trucks are having to come from
provided these functions for other farther away so it’s increasing
stations. Losing this function in response times,” Lt. Daws said.
our area creates a delay in response, “When the response times increase,
which can and will cause unnecessary the fire continues to grow, does more
death.”
damage and gets a bigger head start.
When choosing which fire The longer it takes to respond to a
companies to close, the city fire, the more firefighters you need to
considered several factors.
fight the fire. You have to get ahead
“[The factors] involved the number of the fire to keep it from getting
of calls that a company responded to, ahead of you.”
the ability for other fire companies
Lt. Daws says both firefighters and
in the area to cover their territory homeowners have already felt the
and the response time that closing effects of increased response times.
that station
“[The
A matter of two minutes
d o w n
increased
w o u l d
response
can be the difference in a
result in,”
times] have
victim’s survival.
Lt. Daws
resulted in
said. “But
a lot more
b a s i c a l l y,
Michael Wagoner p r o p e r t y
t h e r e
damage
President of the Berkeley Park and
[ w e r e n’t ]
a
Neighborhood Association less safe
g o o d
choices
operating
because Atlanta already had too few environment for the firefighters,” Lt.
fire stations.”
Daws said. “Because we’re dealing
One of the main issues with with bigger fires without adequate
the closures is that the number of personnel, we worry that it’s going
personnel needed to handle a fire to result in more fire deaths. We’ve
isn’t adequate, which oftentimes had what in the past would have
increases response times.
been small fires become big fires and
“Because we’re running with do a lot more damage. Right now,
skeleton crews, fires that we used because of the cuts, we’ve got the
to be able to handle with one alarm capacity to respond to four alarms.
[are] having to [go to] two alarms to If you use three on one little house
assemble enough people to fight the fire and then get another little house
fire,” Lt. Daws said.
fire someplace else, then you’re
Lt. Daws describes the increased through.”
response times as a “dynamic
Wagoner is also concerned
situation.”
about increased response times and
“
“
reduced staffing after hearing about
how fires that weren’t controlled in
time ruined entire homes.
“A matter of two minutes can be
the difference in a victim’s survival,”
Wagoner said. “We are also concerned
that the added delay in response to a
fire will make the difference in losing
the room of a house, losing an entire
house or even the spreading of a fire
to a neighboring house.”
Because of the reduced staffing,
the firefighters are having to respond
to more calls during a shift. As a
result, Lt. Daws says the morale of
the firefighters is the worst it’s been
in more than 20 years.
“They’re being asked to run a
lot more calls,” Lt. Daws said. “We
work 24-hour shifts, and we usually
end up averaging about 53 hours a
week during normal times. When
they set that up, it was understood
that you would have enough fire
stations and firefighters to where no
particular fire company would be
running more than six to eight calls
per 24-hour shift. But because of all
these staffing reductions and station
closings, during a 24-hour shift our
guys are running 12 to 18 calls, and
it’s running them to death. They’re
working the whole 24-hour period,
when they used to be able to take a
nap every now and then.”
Lt. Daws says all that’s needed to
relieve the furloughs and reopen the
stations is about $3 million. Raising
the money, however, is proving
difficult during the recession.
“We are big supporters of this
big stimulus package that they’re
talking about passing in February,”
Lt. Daws said. “It’s going to include
direct aid to cities for firefighter
salaries, teacher salaries and policeofficer salaries, so we can stop having
to lay people off and put people on
furloughs until the economy turns
back around.”
The plans to reopen the fire
companies and eliminate the
furloughs are all based on when
the economic crisis eases. Lt. Daws
sees these times as dangerous for
everyone.
“It’s a bad time to raise taxes on
people because a lot of people are
struggling just to put food on the
table and a roof over their heads, so
you don’t want to push taxpayers off
the edge,” Lt. Daws said. “But until
the economy turns around, it’s going
to be a very dangerous time. The
damage will be worse when fires do
happen because our capabilities are
limited, and unfortunately, more
people will be injured and killed.” p
By Noelle Jones
Nonprofit organizations all over Atlanta
have felt the brunt of the recession. Even
historic landmarks like the Margaret Mitchell
House, down 10th Street from campus, are
not immune.
The Atlanta History Center terminated or
reassigned seven of the eight full-time Margaret
Mitchell House employees on Jan. 6 and cited
the country’s economic woes to explain the
timing of the decision. The Margaret Mitchell
House is home to a museum, a gift shop and
daily tours of Margaret Mitchell’s apartment.
The Literature Center, which operated out
of the Margaret Mitchell House, sponsors and
manages the PEN/Faulkner Writers in Schools
program that has brought several prominent
authors to Grady since 2003, including Frank
McCourt in 2005 and most recently Bob
Zellner on Jan. 22.
The center also conducts youth and adult
writing workshops, summer camps and
author lectures. The literary programs are still
operating as scheduled, but they are now being
managed through the History Center offices.
The long-term future of the House and other
History Center projects is less clear. History
Center President and CEO Sal Cilella told
the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Jan. 6 that
additional cuts might be necessary in order
to resolve the Center’s current $1.4 million
deficit. The Center did not return calls from
The Southerner requesting a comment.
Former Grady parent Julie Bookman
worked at the Margaret Mitchell House until
Jan. 6.
“I really had a dream job [working with]
authors, books, reading and writing,”
Bookman said. “It’s heartbreaking, and I hope
that the wonderful programming we created
on 10th Street and Peachtree Street will find a
home somewhere else in Atlanta.” p
noelle jones
Budget cuts hit Marget Mitchell House
MY TYPE OF WRITER: A period typewriter just like
Margaret Mitchell’s secondhand Remington sits on
display in her apartment at the Margaret Mitchell
House. The actual typewriter on which Mitchell wrote
Gone With Wind is at the Fulton County Library.
e c o n o m y
Feb. 2, 2009
11
MARTA budget shortfall creates changes in system
1972
1968
$
MARTA created by the Act
of March 1965
1966
Fare
reduced to
15 cents
1976
A Look at MARTA through Time
Operation started to help
elderly and handicapped
1970
$
$
$
$
minh lam
$
1960
$
$
$
$
$
$
Preliminary engineering
on basic 21-mile system
completed with $125,000 loan
$
By Sarah Bufkin
Attempting to alleviate its budget
shortfalls the Metro Atlanta Rapid
Transit Authority is considering
adding parking fees, further raising
fares and ticket prices and cutting
back on its service hours on the
weekends.
“It’s already bad enough that
they’re raising prices,” senior Samiah
Blake said. “I don’t have a car, so
MARTA is my transportation.
[Without it], I wouldn’t be able
to go to school, go out on the
weekends [or] go anywhere.”
Although MARTA does not want
to make service cuts, Dr. Beverly
Scott, the authority’s general
manager and chief executive officer,
acknowledged at a Jan. 15 summit
of the state’s transportation board
members and other experts that
the funding crisis will make such
action necessary if drastic measures
aren’t taken. MARTA’s budget
woes coincide with a national
transportation funding shortage.
“The transportation problems we
face in Georgia are unprecedented,”
said Sam Olens, the board chair of
the Atlanta Regional Commission
at the Jan. 15 summit. “The funding
challenge is felt nationwide, but
it is felt acutely here in Georgia
because we have underinvested in
transportation for years.”
According to Gena Evans, the
commissioner for the Georgia
Department of Transportation,
Georgia has invested 45 percent
less in transportation than other
states over the last 10 to 15 years.
The financial instability created
by chronic underfunding has only
been exacerbated by the present
economic situation.
“This is a perfect storm,” Evans
said on Jan. 15. “So many things are
coalescing around transportation.
If we don’t do something now, it
will have a serious impact on [the
state’s] growth.”
Since its founding in 1971,
MARTA officials have known that
the transit system’s future depends
on adding new sources of revenue.
“That we don’t have enough
funding for MARTA and transit
has, candidly, been known for quite
some time,” Dr. Scott said. “Where
we are should not have been a
MARTA agreed to purchase
Atlanta Transportation
System for about $13 mil.
1971
secret to anybody. If you look at
MARTA’s 20-year forecast, there
was supposed to be state funding
that was supposed to happen.
MARTA was expecting new sources
of revenue by 2010.”
According to the January 2008
edition of MARTA’s monthly
bulletin, sales tax revenue accounts
for 52 percent of its overall
operating budget. That revenue
took a hit this year due to the
economic recession. In December,
MARTA announced a $60 million
revenue shortfall for the 2009 fiscal
year due to the prolonged economic
downturn, and after receiving an
updated financial forecast from
the Georgia State University
Forecasting Center, MARTA is
predicting an additional loss of $10
million in sales tax revenue in the
fiscal year 2009.
In order to cope with the revenue
shortfalls, MARTA officials have
relied on reserve funds to balance
the budget. At the Jan. 15 summit,
Dr. Scott warned that the reserve
will last only two years at most
before the system will operate on a
deficit.
While the economic downturn
could help the transit system by
increasing rider numbers, Dr. Scott
assured that the potential funds
generated by more riders could not
possibly solve MARTA’s financial
crisis.
“We get about 29 percent [of our
revenue] from our fares,” Dr. Scott
said. “There is not one system in
North America that pays for itself.
The best one is in Toronto at about
70 to 75 percent [self-sufficient].”
According to Scott, $145 million
automatically comes out of the
transit system’s capitol budget to
pay for its outstanding debt.
Even if the state legislature passes
1985
Began anti-vandalism
campaign.
1980
legislation this year to provide
MARTA with additional sources
of tax revenue, the money brought
in by those taxes wouldn’t reach the
budget until 2012 at the earliest.
In an attempt to offset the current
funding shortage before that date,
MARTA has been looking for other
ways to add money to the budget
and is considering revoking its
former “Zero Tolerance” policy
on selling food and drink inside of
stations.
Blake and Scott, however,
acknowledge that MARTA’s budget
woes will not be solved by small
measures like vending machines.
Scott insists that only state funding
will prevent severe service cuts and
employee layoffs.
“The bulk of [our budget] goes
into salaries and wages, energy and
fuel, materials and supplies and
insurance,” Dr. Scott said. “We’re
not a bloated transit system that is
out of control. There is not much
you can get to before you have to
start cutting service and then you
are cutting people.”
Cutting service hours would
be troublesome for portions of
Atlanta’s population, particularly
the youth. According to Dr. Scott,
53 percent of the system’s users are
between the ages of 16 and 34 and
46 percent of people on MARTA
have no alternative way of getting
to their destination. Grady would
also feel the effects if service rates
were cut. According to magnet
coordinator Ms. Carrie MacBrien,
73 students in the magnet program
depend on weekly MARTA passes
issued by the school to make it to
and from campus.
Students, however, aren’t the
only ones who would be affected.
Social studies teacher Ms. Minerva
Green also takes MARTA to school
First 100 buses covered
with ads take to the streets
New security policy forced
passengers to remain with
their luggage while traveling
2000
1990
Offered free ride day on all
buses and trains
1982
2003
1995
MARTA declared safest
bus system in the U.S.
1990
Technology installed to alert Bike racks installed
the blind of their locations on entire bus fleet
1997
2002
Source: www.itsmarta.com/howto/history.html
daily.
“If I didn’t have MARTA, it
would cause all sorts of confusion,”
Ms. Green said. “I’d have to walk to
work or my husband would have to
rearrange his work schedule to drop
me off in the morning.”
Like MARTA, the Georgia
Department of Transportation is
also feeling the adverse effects of
years of underfunding coupled
with a burgeoning economic crisis.
While Georgia is the third fastest
growing state in the nation, the
17th in job creation and the 23rd
in GDP growth, it is second to last
in the amount of transportation
resources per person. According
to Evans, the GDOT’s budget
problems were compounded by the
motor fuel tax’s declining revenue.
“[GDOT] had a decline in
revenue in 2009,” Evans said.
“With the price [of gas] going down
over the past four months, we see a
four percent decrease at the pump.
A four percent decrease in GDOT
motor fuel-based revenues has as
much as $50-million impact on
budget.”
GDOT has struggled to work
within its planned budget after this
year’s decline in revenue.
“It is pretty significant that we are
only halfway through the year, and
we’ve already been through around
75 percent of our budget in capital
outlay,” Evans said. “Without
an economic stimulus package,
$379,271 is all we have to spend in
these next five months.”
GDOT’s debt contracts have not
made that task any easier.
“Right off the top, $250 million
goes to debt payment—that’s 17
percent of the budget,” Evans said.
“By 2013, it will be $500 million
and 25 percent of our budget will
be paid to [debt payments].”
In order to offset the money spent
on its debt, GDOT is hoping that
the state will pass a tax to provide
the transportation systems with
additional revenue. Regardless,
the money from an additional tax
wouldn’t appear in the GDOT
budget until 2014. Until then,
GDOT needs to reconsider its
approach.
Like their MARTA counterparts,
GDOT officials believe that they
must look for long-term revenue
models if they are to keep up with
Georgia’s growth.
“The horse that we’ve been
riding for the last 50 years has
stumbled and fallen,” Dr. Scott
said. “We need to go in a different
direction.”
Both GDOT and MARTA are
looking for funding from the federal
government’s bailout package
to offset their current financial
situations. Obama’s administration,
however, has made it clear to state
transportation boards across the
nation that there will be certain
requirements that it will look for
when awarding funds, including
its environmental impact, how
readily it can be constructed and
how many people it will affect, Dr.
Scott said.
With local governments across
the country vying for what’s left
of the federal bailout package, Dr.
Scott believes that Georgia will
augment its chances of securing
funding for transportation by
presenting a unified front in
Washington D.C.
“The U.S. Congress needs to
hear one voice from Georgia and
from this region,” Dr. Scott said.
“If we go up there and all say our
own thing, we will be cannibalized
while the rest of the states go to the
bank.” p
Atlanta recycling budget crisis disturbs Grady’s own program
collection of recyclables to every-otherweek collection, but staff reductions made it
necessary,” Harrington said in an email.
Other than the change in collection
frequency, the program will largely remain
the same. The city will continue to collect
all paper, glass and aluminum products. In
addition to this, Harrington says the recycling
program will begin extending its outreach
in the community and lobby for larger
collections carts.
Harrington, who became the director of
the City of Atlanta’s recycling program in late
2008, was originally unsure as to whether or
not the current economic downturn would
precipitate recycling cutbacks.
“When I accepted this position, recycling
markets were strong, and while the economy
was slowing, we did not foresee the economic
meltdown that began in October,” Harrington
said. “Budget cuts weren’t anticipated in
August.”
Recently, Grady’s own recycling program
fell casualty to changing policies within both
the city and Dream Sanitation who were once
responsible for the school’s recycling.
“[Dream Sanitation] were the ones that the
city hired to pick up the city’s recycling,” Ms.
Ellis said. “They were obligated to help us,
which they did for free. When the city broke
their contract with Dream Sanitation, they
could no longer provide their service to us.”
Ms. Ellis reports that the school may have
to go to just recycling paper as opposed to
the current glass, plastic and paper program.
Collection currently costs $100 a month,
whereas the collection of paper recyclables
would be free.
“I had to shop around to find someone
who would pick up our recycling, and no one
would do it for free,” Ms. Ellis said. “But at the
beginning of the year, the gas prices were really
high. They said they would charge me just to
cover the gas. Apparently they’re charging the
bare minimum to cover transportation costs.”
Ms. Ellis remains pragmatic on the prospect
National Percentage of
Recycled Waste
Amelia Kovacevich and MINH LAM
By Isobel Robinson-Ortiz
Atlanta residents looking to do their part
through recycling may find their recyclable
piles growing higher in the new year. Mayor
Shirley Franklin’s new budget plan has slashed
funding for the city’s recycling.
Collection schedules changed from weekly
to bimonthly as of Jan. 12, 2009, and
neighborhood street cleanings will be reduced
from four a year to two.
“Recycling itself is in a state of disarray
because of the economy,” said Ms. Korri
Ellis, who teaches environmental science and
advises the school’s Earth Club. “Georgia’s
unique in that we have a few recycling plants
here. [Other states were] shipping their
recycling out [to foreign contractors], but
now it’s become too expensive. The market to
buy that stuff has gone out.”
According to the director of Atlanta’s
Recycling Program, Mary Harrington, the
cuts were unavoidable.
“We did not like having to go from weekly
32.5%
Source: www.sustainablog.org
of recycling making a comeback at Grady and
in Atlanta.
“What we need is the infrastructure,” Ms.
Ellis said. “We need recycling to become local.
You need money to establish the factories and
then in the long run it will be cheaper, but
until we get that initial stuff started, [it won’t
happen].” p
12
people
the Southerner
Feb. 2, 2009
Zingeser discovers home, adventures, friends abroad
WHERE IN THE WORLD HAS EERO ZINGESER BEEN?
Detroit
Denmark
Atlanta
Niger
Cameroon
Minh Lam and KT hinshaw
By Sarah Darrow
If home is where the heart is, then
sophomore Eero Zingeser’s heart belongs
in many places. Since his birth, Zingeser
has lived wherever his father’s job with
the Centers for Disease Control has taken
them: Detroit, Cameroon, Niger, Denmark
and Atlanta.
For Zingeser’s family, moving has become
a sport. Each place has brought different
memories.
While living in Africa, his blonde hair
proved to be a crowd pleaser.
“When I was little, my hair was platinum
blonde,” Zingeser said. “A woman snatched
me out of my mom’s arms and ran around
with me. Seeing a white person with hair
whiter than his body shocked everyone.”
Seeing new people and places has allowed
Zingeser to learn about human nature, and
he has enjoyed being exposed to a variety of
cultures. He’s also noticed that his interest
in politics and international issues grows as
his travels introduce him to people with a
wide array of views. “Because of my traveling, I feel like I need
to see things from farther than where I am
at that moment,” Zingeser said.
Even though Zingeser does not always
appreciate packing up and moving from place
to place, he understands that his experiences
are valuable and make him unlike a mere
sightseer visiting the country.
“It’s not like my family [travels] as
tourists,” Zingeser said. “It’s [almost] like
I’m an Army brat, except my dad’s not in
the Army.”
Out of all the places that Zingeser can
call home, Atlanta is the location that he
appreciates most. Although he was not born
in Atlanta, he lived in the city from 1997
to 2004, at which point his family packed
up and moved to Denmark. Zingeser lived
there until returning to Atlanta in 2007.
India
Living in Denmark only heightened the
love Zinegser has for this city.
“When I first moved to Denmark, I
missed Atlanta.” Zingeser said. “I missed
the smell, the taste, the emotions and the
glow of places.”
While many teenagers living in the city
have dreams of leaving the area as soon as
they can, Zingeser said he would consider
living here even after graduation.
“I would like to move to somewhere like
Portland after high school,” Zingeser said,
“but I would be content staying in Atlanta
Freshman band has
unique, fresh sound
“
Spanish teacher combines
passions through education
Minh Lam
By Kate Belgum
of the band a lot more, and I
Lotus Slide, a new student appreciate different qualities that
band, may not be on its way to each member has,” Brown said.
topping the Billboard charts, but “Those qualities really helped
the band is increasingly making make the band Lotus Slide.”
a name for itself. The band
Brown was given her honorary
performed at this year’s school status after attending many band
talent show after being together practices. Whenever Lotus Slide
for only a year.
needs an extra hand to play the
“Lotus Slide’s music has a very bongos, cowbell or tambourine,
unique sound to it,” said freshman Brown is their right-hand
Eve Brown, an honorary member woman.
of the band. “I really like the way
“We are all buddies, and we get
they put the music together, and along when we are not getting
I really like their lyrics and the on each other’s nerves,” Douglas
way they harmonize.”
said.
The band consists solely of
The band formed in January
freshmen: Jack Douglass and 2008 and has performed six since
Jack Webster who both play the times then.
guitar and sing, Luke Brown
“They
have
musical
on the bass and backing vocals, opportunities [at Grady] to
Steve Terry on keyboard and showcase their abilities,” Brown
guitar and Larson Collier on the said. “They also have a lot of
drums and the mandolin.
support from Grady students
“ T h e
and faculty.”
b a n d
According
to
They have musical
formed
Webster,
the
when Jack,
band tries to
opportunities [at
Larson,
practice at least
Grady] to showcase
Luke and
once a week and
I wanted
performs original
their abilities.
to
play
compositions,
music and
with
topics
have fun,”
ranging
freshman Eve Brown current eventsfrom
Douglas
to
said. “We
the mood of the
just got together and started band members.
playing in December of eighth
An average practice for Lotus
grade. When we noticed that our Slide starts off with the band
sound was empty, we added Steve sitting down for a snack—usually
[Terry] and we have been playing cereal. Afterwards, they perform
together ever since.”
a tuneup, which is then followed
The different members each by an oldies warm-up song,
have something unique to add to and then they start to work on
the band.
current songs.
“Over the years, I have
“We all write together as
gotten to know each member a group,” Douglas said. “We
too.”
Traveling, however, has helped Zingeser
realize “that the planet is a big, amazing
place.” As long as the moves are less
permanent, Zingeser looks forward to more.
He is considering ways in which he can
continue his world exploration.
“I love going places,” Zingeser said. “I
want to take a bus around the world.”
Zingeser, however, acknowledges that
moving so often also has negative effects.
He finds it hard to pick up, then abandon
relationships.
“I don’t look at moving as a bad thing,”
Zingeser said. “[But] I don’t always like it
because you take time to make relationships
and commitments, then have to leave.”
Zingeser’s family considered leaving
Atlanta again in 2008 but ultimately decided
against it.
“Last year, we were supposed to move to
New Delhi, India, but we didn’t,” Zingeser
said. “Now I have all of the required
shots.”
While New Delhi is no longer on the
destination list, Zingeser’s family is currently
considering moving to Rome much to his
dismay.
“I really don’t want to leave,” Zingeser
said. “I have friends and a life here that I
am really enjoying,”. p
HITTING HIGH NOTES: Freshman Jack
Douglas sings and plays guitar at the 2008
talent show with his band.They performed
their original song, “Perfect Stranger.”
generally will get a basic idea and
then all just add more and more
[to the song] until we are happy
with the product.”
The band finds influences in
rock and folk music from the
1960s to today.
“I personally am inspired
by many bands including Led
Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The
Rolling Stones and the Black
Crowes,” Douglas said.
Most of Lotus Slide’s fans are
friends of the band members, but
the boys hope to broaden their
fan base as they perform more
often and in more publicized
venues. For now, however, they
are currently focusing on writing
and recording new songs.
“We are all inspired by the drive
to make good music for people
to share and hear,” Douglas said.
The young band hopes to find
success in the near future.
“I think we would rather
not become stadium famous,”
Webster said. “But I would like
to have a record or two.” p
By Rachel Cruz
When you first see Mr. Enoch
Gill’s blond head amid the crowds
of students in the school hallway,
“Spanish teacher” isn’t the first
thing to jumps to your mind. But
when you get the chance to hear
his perfectly rolled R’s, there can
be no doubt that Mr. Gill knows
his stuff.
But the language teacher wasn’t
always fluent in Spanish. Mr. Enoch
Gill grew up in Waycross and didn’t
begin Spanish classes until he was in
high school.
“I love learning about, discussing
and teaching the Spanish language
and culture,” Mr. Gill said.
“Languages have always been a
curiosity of mine.”
He followed that curiousity
to Georgia Southern University
where he majored in Spanish and
international business. While at
Georgia Southern, Mr. Gill took his
first trip to Spain through a studyabroad program. In Segovia, Spain,
he took classes and stayed with a host
family for eight months. He later
went back to Spain and worked as
an assistant with the same exchange
program.
“I assisted with student housing
and the student-host family
programs,” Mr. Gill said. “I also
conducted a research project where
I interviewed individuals and
videotaped various situations to later
compile into a presentation. It was
a lot of fun.”
But he valued his months in
Segovia for more than just his work
with the study-abroad program.
“Spain especially helped me learn
to be fluent [in Spanish],” Mr. Gill
said.
But his interest in other languages
and cultures didn’t end there.
Mr. Gill has also visited England,
Portugal, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
“I have taken Japanese and
German,” Mr. Gill said. “But since
I enjoy languages and cultures, I
would also like to try French and
maybe an uncommon language
sometime. I would like to continue
with [the German] language some
time too.”
Mr. Gill also loves teaching high
school.
“Another passion of mine has
been working with young people,”
Mr. Gill said. “I enjoy working
with the high school students here
at Grady.”
In his classes, Mr. Gill often uses
wordplay, roleplay, music, movies,
food and total physical-response
storytelling, a method of learning
vocabulary that makes speaking the
language easier.
“I’ve taken about three years
worth [of Spanish],” junior Ana
Cunningham said. “He teaches us in
unusual ways, but he’s effective.”
Mr. Gill also runs the International
Club, which is a cultural, social club
intended to explore other cultures
by going to foreign films and eating
foreign cuisine. The club also takes
part in an annual community-service
project.
“Language and culture are my
passion,” Mr. Gill said. “Sharing
my experiences with the students
through dining and movies is a lot
of fun for me.”
Even when he’s not teaching,
studying a new language or planning
the next fiesta for International Club,
Mr. Gill tries to find new ways to
entertain his students.
“I enjoyed [watching] the Hispanic
TV series Rebelde and all of its crazy
antics,” junior George Holmes
said. p
p e o p l e
Feb. 2, 2009
GRADY CONNECTION:
13
For this installment of our school special, The Southerner takes a look at the
B.E.S.T. Academy, a single-gender school in APS.
APS school sets single-gender standard in education
Minh Lam
Awards and Recognition
Third place, robotics state competition
2008
First place in APS 2007-2008 district
academic fair, technology division
First place in Lights On! After School
Essay Contest, 2007-2008
Second place, ING Direct Run For
Something Better Campaign
Noelle Jones
By Khalyn Jones
As the soprano-pitched bell rings,
students hurry out of their secondperiod classes with buttoned-down
shirts and neatly creased slacks,
making their way down crowded
hallways. To these pre-adolescent
pupils, it’s simply a routine day at
school, but to many outside observers
their school day represents a unique
experiment that has become a
highly debated topic—single-gender
learning.
The
Business,
Engineering,
Science and Technology Academy,
or B.E.S.T., along with The
Coretta Scott King Young Women’s
Leadership Academy, is replacing
the
traditional
coeducational
middle school, Benjamin S. Carson
Middle School, with single-gender
academies. B.E.S.T., located in the
former Austin T. Walden Middle
School building, and was established
in August 2007 with one purpose in
mind—to have its students pursue
a top-level education and exemplify
excellence in a single-gender
environement
In October 2008, B.E.S.T.
students were invited to the Georgia
World Congress Center to discuss
their opinions on attending a singlegender school and how the school
will benefit them in the long run.
“They seemed surprised to see that
we knew what we were talking about
and [could explain] all our school
had to offer,” said Renico Fisher, a
seventh-grader at B.E.S.T. Academy.
“We discussed [the school’s]
improving test scores, remarkable
educators and the countless number
of clubs [that B.E.S.T. offers].”
STRIVING FOR THE B.E.S.T. : Two seventh graders compare their answers in math class at
B.E.S.T. Academy. “We’re all trying to go places in life,” said seventh-grader Renico Fisher.
Located in northwest Atlanta, the
B.E.S.T. Academy buses in sixth and
seventh grade boys from all over the
city. The school opened for sixth
graders in 2007. The school will add
a grade each year until the original
class graduates from 12th grade in
2014.
“I definitely didn’t want to jump
at the chance of coming to B.E.S.T.
once I heard it was a school for just
boys,” Fisher said. “My parents made
me, but I’m getting accustomed to
the atmosphere. I just wish I saw girls
more often.”
Even though some students
may wish for more interaction
with girls, B.E.S.T. literary coach
Ms. Zsa Boykins finds the single-
gender experience in the classroom
to be beneficial. She does, however,
acknowledge that there are
difficulties.
“It’s my first year here, and there
is a huge contrast when it comes to
co-educational schools and singlegender schools,” Ms. Boykins said.
“The teachers I observe have to be
very creative. Boys this age tend to
be very hyper and what seems to
work best is using many kinesthetic
activities.”
B.E.S.T. also has partnerships
with 100 Black Men of Atlanta
and Morehouse College. B.E.S.T.
offers its students a wide range of
extracurricular activities ranging
from golf to robotics to debate.
Source: www.srt4.atlantapublic schools.us
“Our school has plenty to offer,” said
seventh-grader Solomon McBride.
“From the basketball team to the
robotics team to track to Beta Club,
the majority of us can’t choose which
activities to be a part of.”
The school’s robotics team has
experienced success. The team won
third place in the middle school
division of the 2008 Robotics
Competition Championship.
“Robotics is something different
to be involved in,” McBride said.
“Not many students can say that
they actually know how to design
and operate a robot.”
Another up-and-coming team
B.E.S.T. now offers is the debate
team. Ms. Boykins, who also serves
as the debate coach, feels that the
debate team has great potential.
“The team members seem to be
working very well together, and
I’m excited to see how this positive
collaboration will affect our team’s
record in the debate tournaments,”
Ms. Boykins said.
B.E.S.T. staff and teachers
painstakingly place emphasis on
academic
and
extracurricular
achievement in the hopes of
cultivating the students’ potential.
“Here at B.E.S.T. we make sure that
every one of our students becomes
a well-rounded young man,” Ms.
Boykins said. “Our educators are
willing to do whatever it takes to get
the job done.” p
Faculty to compete to improve health, lose weight
17
18
3
highest percentage of total weight loss wins a
cash prize. Every few weeks [we put] money
into the pot and then at the end, the winning
team gets to split the money.”
Each weigh-in is conducted by Ms. Patricia Kendall, Ms. Carrie MacBrien and Nurse
Kim Carr.
“Ms. Souter and Ms. Porter asked me if I
would be involved in being one of the people
who checks the weight,” Ms. Kendall said.
“At [the] point [of the weigh-in] they want
to make sure that, since money is on the line,
there’s more than one person looking at the
scales. We’re supposed to be the impartials. It’s
4
pounds and develop a
healthier lifestyle.”
8
24
Geography and
citizenship teacher
Goal: “Lose 20 pounds of
baby weight.”
2
12
19
23
Name: Arnold Brinson
OCCUPATION: Counselor
Goal: “Lose about 15
9
10
pounds.”
Name: Susan Salvensen
OCCUPATION:
1
11
16
Name: Gloria Wright
OCCUPATION: Librarian
Goal: “Shed excess
and Debate teacher
Goal: “To win.”
22
Minh Lam and Rachel cruz
15
21
teachers in the race
Name: Mario Hererra
OCCUPATION: Speech
25
14
WO
RK
OU
T
13
20
By Perri Campis
This semester, administrators Ms. Diane
Porter and Ms. Shantay Souter proposed a
way for the faculty to get fit, get healthy, lose
weight and win money while doing it. Interested members of staff signed up and then
split into teams to begin the weight-loss challenge on Jan. 26.
After 36 faculty members showed interest
in Ms. Porter’s idea, they were split into six
teams of six.
“[The teams weren’t] randomly chosen, but
we didn’t get to pick our own teams,” said Mr.
Andrew Nichols, the chair of the math department. “I believe the way it worked was that the
organizers sat down and tried to do it as fairly
as possible so that there was one male on each
team because men usually lose weight faster
and easier than women do and [also] divided
[the teams] up by age and by race to spread it
out and make it fair and even.”
After the teams were announced, the groups
began to meet with each other to set their goals
for the semester.
“[My group is] planning on meeting once a
week,” said Ms. Korri Ellis, environmental science teacher. “[At our first meeting we] talked
about what we’re doing and talked, about possibly working out together and different strategies that we [plan to use].”
Every two weeks the teams will weigh in to
check their team’s progress.
“It’s actually a lot like The Biggest Loser, the
TV show,” Ms. Ellis said. “We weigh in every
two weeks, it is a contest and the team with the
5
6
7
fun, but at the same time they’re really trying
to be respectful of the rules of the game.”
Along with being motivated by money, the
faculty is also motivated by their own personal
goals and the desire to become healthier.
“First and foremost, I am doing [this] for
myself,” Mr. Nichols said, “for my health
mainly, because I’m going into my 30s and I
need to get my weight down so that I don’t
develop health issues that are related to my
weight. I also certainly appreciate the fact
that I will be setting an example for [my] students.”
Mr. Nichols feels that setting an example
for students teaches them important lessons
for the future.
“[Students] need to realize that, as an adult,
you can’t just eat anything you want and not
exercise and expect to have the same body you
had as a teenager,” Mr. Nichols said. “You have
to take care of yourself as you get older.”
Mr. Nichols has worked on his own weightloss goals for several months but feels that
working with faculty will be helpful.
“[My weight] hasn’t changed a lot for me
yet because I’d already been on a weight-loss
and exercise routine for the last six or eight
months, and so I’m just kind of continuing
what I have been doing.” Mr. Nichols said.
“[Being on a team] is more of a support structure. Having people you see everyday involved
in the same thing and facing the same challenges you have is very beneficial because,
when you have a bad day or if you feel like
things aren’t going well for you, you can always go talk to one of you teammates.”
Not only have the teachers found support
in their teams, but they are also having fun
working with each other towards a common
goal of weight loss.
“We all check on each other, watch what
everybody is eating and can ask each other,
‘Have you been drinking water? Did you exercise?’” Ms. Ellis said. “It’s a good way for us to
support each other. I think the fact that we’re
having fun and banding together, and showing unity amongst the staff is good for the
staff as a whole, and it’s a good model for the
students.” p
14
arts & entertainment
the Southerner
Feb. 2, 2009
from page 1
“It’s a great honor and opportunity to represent Miss Georgia USA
in this fashion show and to help out
the community and become a good
ambassador for [the cause],” Miss
Georgia USA Kimberly Gittings
said. “Any organization that helps
to better the community is always
great.”
The show also attracted Atlanta
celebrities. Project Runway season
three finalist Michael Knight attended the show and was invited on the
runway to give his expert opinion on
the students’ designs.
“I think the designs were really
creative—not only for the humans
but for the dogs as well,” Knight
said. “[The students] should just follow their gut, believe in what they
do and really study their craft to try
to be the best.”
Mr. Martinez described the show
as a multifunctional project that also
serves as a class project for his 11 senior designers. Each designer had to
create an outfit for the four-legged
models and, as a new aspect of the
show this year, for the accompanying models as well.
“I would tell the upcoming seniors designers to start as early as
possible,” senior designer Tawnie
Mason said. “It’s hard to make an
outfit for a person who you don’t see
every day. You have to guess at their
style.”
The designers met and fitted their
models at a kickoff party on Dec. 9
at the Shops Around Lenox.
“I met my model, Sara Diggins,
who is Miss [Outstanding] Teen Atlanta, at the kickoff party where I did
my fitting,” senior Bree Gray-Jordan
said. “She said that she loved it so
much that when she goes to one of
her conventions, she’s going to wear
it because I created something that
was ready-to-wear.”
Mr. Martinez helped his students
meet their deadline by scheduling
fittings with the models and giving
them technical advice.
“The outfits looked fantastic, and
I’m not saying that because I’m their
teacher,” Mr. Martinez said. “I am
blown away and so incredibly proud
of these designers. I cannot imagine being 17 or 18 years old and
designing a garment that was worn
by someone famous or really by any
adult for that matter.”
During the planning of the show,
the designers worked with celebrities, dog experts, journalists and
stylists.
“The students benefited through
the experience that they gained,”
Mr. Martinez said. “Any time you
take a student, whether in high
school or college, and you put them
in a professional arena, [they receive]
the best kind of teaching.”
In order to manage the show more
smoothly, Doggies on the Catwalk
also teamed up with Piedmont Bark,
a local doggie daycare, to take care of
the animals in the show.
“It seemed like a perfect fit because it was something that we
could get involved with by lending
our expertise in working with dogs
to [the show],” Piedmont Bark owner William Campbell said. “Prior to
the show, we met with all the students, and we gave them information on how to determine whether a
dog is stressed and how to make him
or her more comfortable to relieve
anxiety.”
With the expected large number
of spectators, this year’s show featured a larger runway and was set
in the practice gym. The U-shaped
runway displayed many doghouses
in the center, created by the students
in Mr. Jacob Dreiling and Mr. John
Brandhorst’s set-design class.
“The doghouse and the woodchips provided for a more immersive environment,” senior Bryson
Caproni said. “It got you into the
idea that it was a dog fashion show
and that it was supposed to be set in
a park.”
As with any show, everything
didn’t happen according to plan.
“During the show, one of [the
dogs] knocked over one of my hous-
MinH Lam
DOGGIES parade seniors’ designs at charity function
BOW WOW: Founder of CliqueAtlanta.com Tonya Ellerby struts alongside her escort,
Jay McCracken, and canine companion, Calli, wearing Vogue Lee-McWilliams’ designs.
es and one pooped on the runway,”
sophomore Kelsey Roth said. “It
made me feel a little bit sad because
our class spent a lot of time working
on it, but it was kind of funny.”
Doggies on the Catwalk presented
the senior designers with a glimpse
of what their show in May will be
like.
“[The show] prepares me for my
senior line because it shows me how
much work I need to start doing,”
senior designer JoDeanah Noble
said. “I still have eight more outfits
to do, which is a lot more work to
do in only three months.” p
Kooza mesmerizes Atlanta
Grace Brown
FAUX SNOW FO’ SHO’: Ten-year-old Noah Yates, at right, tubes down Snow Mountain. “It was really fun
going down at full speed,” Yates said. Snow Mountain, now at Stone Mountain, will close on March 2.
Snow Mountain a winter escapade
By Polly Zintak
During wintertime in northern places,
many people enjoy building elaborate
snowmen, sledding down driveways and
nailing siblings in the head with massive
snowballs. In Atlanta, we usually aren’t so
lucky. Instead, we’re typically wondering
why we’re wearing shorts and T-shirts on
Christmas and praying for just a single
snow flurry.
But this year, I found myself flying
down a snow-covered hill in an innertube,
right here in Atlanta. Snow Mountain,
Stone Mountain’s newest attraction, has
given snow-deprived Atlantans of any
age a chance to experience the powdery
magic.
I started my snow adventure off by visiting the “Little Angels” attraction for kids
48 inches and under. I saw a child, jaw
dropped, eyes wide, nearly drooling in utter
fascination at the snow-blowing machine.
Children were making snow angels and
sledding down the mini hill. Some just
simply chose to eat the snow.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t short enough
to join in. But for the rest of us giants 42
inches or taller and itching for a thrill,
there were six lanes to zip down on a 400foot hill in a single or double innertube.
Tightly gripping the handles of my tube,
I peered down the huge hill, tingling with
nervous excitement. I felt a big push and
as I went spinning down, I remembered
racing down the snowy golf course in my
neighborhood when it snowed when I was
in sixth grade. Tubing down Snow Mountain completely embodied that perfect
snow day that I remember.
I hopped off the hill at the bottom and
plopped down to observe the “Snozone.”
It was the perfect spot for families to build
snowmen, make igloos, or wage snowball
fights.
At the end of the day, I was so exhausted
that sitting around a campfire was just what
I needed. “Snofire Point” provided all the
materials to roast as many gooey, delicious
s’mores as I’d like. Of course there was a
price on the sticky fun, but who wouldn’t
pay $4 for four marshmallows?
With my press credentails, I was lucky
enough to get into Snow Mountain for
free and cut the lines. But without these
benefits, I don’t know if, as a teenager, I
would recommend it to others my age. It
was a little expensive, at $25 per person.
But for all of those desperate to walk in
a winter wonderland, Snow Mountan is
glistening. p
By Leah Butterfield
Throughout the performance, I constantly
The instant I set foot in the Grand Chapiteau, found myself blown away by the magical
I knew I was no longer in Atlantic Station. I was routines. A unicyclist peddled around the stage
no longer in Atlanta. I was no longer in Georgia. with a graceful woman balanced delicately on his
I had entered a world of sparkles and stripes, a shoulders. A juggler danced to sitar as he flung an
fantasy world that can only be described by a ever-increasing number of bowling pins through
word like “Kooza.”
the air. Contortionists warped their bodies into
Running at Atlantic Station until March 1, beautiful and twisted art. Men flung themselves
Cirque Du Soleil’s newest show, Kooza, is a daring through the air while powering “the wheel of
mixture of standard circus elements with modern death,” and a charismatic acrobat showed us the
dance, theatre and exotic music.
meaning of it all through movement.
The performance began even before the curtain
There were many other aspects that differentiated
was lifted as characters from the show wandered Kooza from a standard circus. The yellow-andthrough the audience. I glanced to my left as a blue striped tent was climate-controlled, wine
clown came towards my
and other fine beverages
section of the tent.
were offered in addition
The show also made me
“Have you seen
to soda and the snacks
the police?” he asked.
far from traditional
think, question my reality and were
“They’re after me.”
circus fare.
reevaluate my definition of
A woman sitting in
“There’s no cotton
the row behind me
candy?” I asked a
impossibility.
giggled and responded
vendor, “…but it’s a
that we had not, and the
circus.”
clown dashed off in another direction.
“I know, but there aren’t any lions and tigers
At that moment, my attention was drawn here either,” the man said. “It’s better this way. It’s
to the stage as a ballerina brought a young much less smelly.”
girl from the audience onto the stage, gave
Some aspects of the show were clearly similar to
her a tutu and taught her a dance. A chorus those in a regular circus. The dazzling performance
of “awes” rung out from the audience as the child was filled with human oddities and classic circus
spun whimsically in a circle, little arms flung into characters. There were the usual contortionists,
the air, the tutu fanning out from her body like human oddities and clowns. Their faces were
the blossoming petals of a flower.
painted and their costumes were outrageous, but
The performers had a honed awareness of the I was still never able to forget how unique the
audience that is unusual in any performance, and show was.
the interaction between the cast and the crowd
It was clear from the start that the performers’
completed the show. At one point during the main goal was to entertain us. The show consisted
act, a clown blew an audience member’s popcorn of breathtaking trick after breathtaking trick, and,
into her face. Later, a woman was brought on by the end of the show, there was not a single act
stage and, through the art of illusion, disappeared, that didn’t leave me stunned, unable to grasp how it
reappearing 20 minutes later through a trap door was possible. But, as does every worthy film or song,
on the stage floor. Although I can’t say that I was the show also maked me think, question my reality
genuinely concerned about her whereabouts, I was and reevaluate my definition of impossibility. In the
sad that she was missing the chance to watch the world of Kooza, all bets are off and the impossible
captivating show.
is not only possible, but expected. p
“
Sports Briefs
The boys baseball team has started
captains’ practices by working on
throwing and running on the practice
field. To participate, contact Coach
Douglas Slade about playing for the
team. Physicals must be turned in to
Coach Slade before tryouts begin.
Girls lacrosse team
to play on March 8
The new girls lacrosse team
begins its inaugural junior varsity
season with a game on March 8.
For many players, this game will be
their first competitive experience
with lacrosse.
Graduate plays for
top Ultimate squad
Class of 2008 graduate Max
Leonard now plays on the University of Georgia Ultimate Frisbee
team, Jojah. The Dawgs are currently ranked second in the nation,
behind the University of Florida.
Leonard was a founding member
and two-year captain of the Grady
Gauntlet, which placed fourth in
the state last year.
Feb. 2, 2009
15
15
Teams hope to dominate new subregion
By Jake Martin
After an offseason filled with
memories of missed opportunities
from the previous year, both the
boys and girls soccer teams are
getting back to work to prepare for
a new season.
Both teams had disappointing
ends to their 2008 seasons. The girls,
who were ranked as high as No. 2 in
the state, finished 11-7, including a
loss to North Hall in the first round
of the state playoffs. The boys were
never quite able to get rolling and
wound up missing the playoffs at
6-7. Both the girls and the boys
teams’ regions included two teams
who ended up in the AAA state
finals.
Region 5-AAA has changed this
year for both teams as Westminister,
Chamblee and Blessed Trinity move
to other classifications. The Knights
have also been switched to the
opposite side of the subregion from
Dunwoody and Druid Hills.
“The region is definitely easier this
year,” senior boys captain Andrew
Nonemaker said. “But it won’t be
easy.”
The new region brings new
challenges as St. Pius, whose girls lost
ZACK KLEIN
Captains’ practice
begins for baseball
the Southerner
sports
STRETCH IT OUT: Senior Captain Drew Hecht calls out stretches for the boys soccer team to perform before their tryouts on Tuesday
Jan. 27. Hecht isn’t participating during tryouts due to a knee injury but hopes to return to the team within the next two months.
last year’s AAAA state championship
on penalty kicks, moves down into
the Knights’ sub-region. St Pius will
most likely be the favorite to win the
region title in girls soccer, and will
be a contender for the boys’ crown as
well. Nonemaker, however, remains
optimistic.
“Even though [St. Pius] is in
our region now, this has become a
winnable region for us,” Nonemaker
said.
Taking on the new region will
be difficult for both teams. The
boys lost four senior starters to
graduation. In addition, senior
captain Drew Hecht has a severe
knee injury that will sideline him for
much of the season. The girls were
also hit extremely hard, loosing eight
seniors last season and loosing senior
captain Rebecca Garr to a season-
ending injury.
Despite these losses, both teams
are looking forward to the new
region and the new season
“Even though we lost a lot of
people, including [Garr], I think
we’ll do well this year,” sophomore
midfielder Kathleen Quillian said.
“We have a lot of young players, and
hopefully we can come together as a
team and have a good season.” p
Coach anticipates successful season
ELLIOTT ERICKSON
By Judson Good
The Ultimate Frisbee team, which placed fourth in the state
last year, is looking to a challenging upcoming season.
The team has a tough schedule and anticipates heavy
competition from powerful teams like Woodward and Paidea.
Coach Susan Mercer, however, maintains high hopes for her
team this season.
“If we play like I know we can, we will probably be one of the
top three or four teams in the state,” Coach Mercer said.
Emery Ozell, a three-year veteran player, plans on guiding the
team by using the experience he gained during last years state
playoff run alongside junior captains Madeline Roorbach and
Elliott Erickson. Ozell has set high standards for how well he
believes the team should perform.
“We have a possibility of making it to the state championship
game this year,” Ozell said.
Coach Mercer believes that the seven returning starters will
prove valuable as Grady fights to beat its rivals and make it to
the playoffs.
“I believe we will be one of the big boys this season,” Erickson
FLICK IT:Senior captain Emery Ozell throws a pass across the field during said. “Every game we play will be a hurdle for the other team,
Ultimate practice. Ozell is one of seven returning starters to play.
even for teams like Paidea.”
The team lost several key players to graduation, among them
Max Davenport, Max Leonard, Daniel Matthews and Sarah Smith.
Coach Mercer, however, believes that losing these players has
had a positive effect on the team because the loss has, ironically,
motivated the team’s remaining players to step up as a whole and
become better. Leonard now plays Ultimate for the University of
Georgia, which is ranked in the top five in the nation.
“[Max] will be a tough hole to fill,” Ozell said. “We lost some
good players, but I think we can step up and do the job this
season.”
The loss may be relieved by members of the freshman class.
Many of the freshman players have experience from playing at
Paidea summer camps, which makes the learning curve for the
high school game less steep.
“We didn’t get as many freshmen as I thought [we would]
this year, but the ones we did get are talented,” Coach Mercer
said. “Freshman Zach Mills has started to stand out at practice
to me.”
The Ultimate frisbee team is very optimistic about its season, to
the point where Ozell is willing to place bets about its chances.
“If we aren’t the state champions this season, I will dress up like
a girl for one day,” Ozell said. p
JAMES’ determination, perserverance buys her a ticket to play in college
from back page
“I spent the majority of my time
playing soccer as a defender,” James
said. “I initially switched when [the
previous goalkeeper] hurt her hand.
I officially decided to switch when
my dad told me that I could play
in college, that I had what it took
to be a good keeper. He was really
supportive of me.”
Because James started playing
the technique-heavy position so
late in her career, she had to try
twice as hard just to reach the level
of competition to which she was
accustomed.
“I was at a disadvantage because
I didn’t know the techniques,”
James said. “My methods were
very unorthodox. What I initially
did before was just gut instincts. I
thought, ‘There’s the ball, get it.’”
Even from her first games as
keeper, her gut instincts impressed
many. She helped lead the team to
its first-ever state semifinal berth
during her first season as Grady’s
keeper.
“It was easy to see that she had
such fire when she went for the
ball,” said 2008 graduate Jamison
Kinnane, who was a captain of the
team during James’ sophomore and
junior years. “She was fearless and
always went 100 percent for the
ball.”
Head coach Rodney Thomas,
who didn’t even know James could
play keeper before she volunteered
to step in, was both surprised and
impressed by her aptitude for the
position.
“Lena’s best characteristic is her
intensity,” Coach Thomas said.
“She’s very intense, competitive
and smart, which is a phenomenal
combination. If she’s going to do
something, she’s going to do it full
tilt.”
James knew that it would take
more than just sheer skill, however,
to get noticed by college coaches.
“I was playing for [the] Inter
Atlanta Football Club when I made
the decision that I wanted to play in
college,” James said. “I realized that
if I kept playing for them, I wasn’t
going to get exposure to college
coaches or be able to play in as many
tournaments. Alpharetta Ambush
and Concorde Fire had offered me
spots. The day before Concorde
tryouts, [Grady teammate and
senior] Rebecca Garr called me
and told me that they needed a
goalkeeper. I went the next day and
before the second day of tryouts,
the coach offered me a spot.”
But James did more to become
a college-bound player than just
switching clubs.
“When I made the decision to
play college soccer, I put out profiles
and sent out highlight videos,”
James said. “As soon as I found out
I got into Bard, I called the coach.
It was a very surreal moment. I
didn’t believe that after all that
effort over all the years, it was
done. I had an Internet recruiting
profile, and when I saw the words
‘committed to Bard’ on the page, it
was unbelievable.”
As one of a small number of
Grady alumni to sign to a college
soccer team, James still much to do
to prepare mentally and physically
for varsity College soccer.
“The speed of play will be the
hardest thing for Lena to get used
to,” Coach Thomas said. “She’ll
come up against 11 players each
game that can flatten the ball and
crack shots from 30 [yards] out.”
James is still unsure whether she
wants to or will be able to pursue her
passion for the game after college.
“I’m going to be realistic,” James
said. “I’m not All-American. I’m
not [an Olympic Development
Program player]. I’m not Division
One. If I’d started earlier, [perhaps
I could have been], but the reality
is that I’m not. I’m content with
a good team, a good coach and
a good level of competition. I’m
happy playing the game.”
Still a season away from her first
cap with the team at Bard, James
already has in mind what she wants
out of her tenure playing there.
“I want to look back and be
proud of my accomplishments,”
James said. “I believe that work
ethic is important. I’d like to look
back and know I tried my hardest,
gave it my all and never wimped
out because it got too hard. That’s
what I’d define as success.” p
s p o r t s
16
By Zack Klein
Coaching isn’t the only way boys soccer coach
Henry Musey helps young soccer players. Coach
Musey, who was born in Ghana, is responsible
for outfitting and supplying equipment to several
different soccer teams in Nigeria, Jamaica and
Trinidad through his nonprofit organization.
Soccer is a worldwide sport commonly played
in undeveloped and developing countries. Coach
Musey wants to encourage those who are talented
athletes but can’t afford to buy equipment.
“You don’t want someone with the potential of
becoming a professional player [to get their] first
pair of boots when they try out for [a] professional
team,” Coach Musey said.
Coach Musey is motivated not only by altruism
but also by the memory of his own experiences.
He loved to play soccer but couldn’t afford the
proper equipment when he lived in Ghana.
“I grew up barefoot,” Coach Musey said. “I
never got a pair of cleats until I came here to
America.”
Coach Musey collects used equipment from a
variety of organizations around the Atlanta area,
the majority from youth soccer programs.
“[Atlanta Youth Soccer Association] donates
soccer cleats, and I [organize] them in sizes,”
Coach Musey said. “Then I get shirts and then I
ship them to the teams in need.”
Youth clubs, however, aren’t the only soccer
organizations helping out. The Atlanta Silverbacks,
Atlanta’s professional team, occasionally donates
its old soccer jerseys.
According to Coach Musey, it’s too difficult
to supply individual players with gear, so the
nonprofit organization mainly focuses on supplying
ZACK KLEIN
Coach Musey
helps needy,
boot by boot
FROM THE SIDELINES: Coach Henry Musey gives boys varsity captain, Drew Hecht, input on the team’s training routine.
Coach Musey has coached the team for two years, and is good friends with the girls head coach, Coach Rodney Thomas
community teams of 22 or more players. Coach with] took the equipment [intended for] the team
Musey and his co-workers provide the teams but actually ended up selling it instead of giving
with much needed soccer cleats, balls, cones and the equipment to the team.”
He has a long process specifically designed to
anything else they need for soccer training.
“They tell us what they need, and we provide prevent fraud.
it for them,” Coach Musey
“[The people working with
said. “Sometimes they’ll call
me] have to bring pictures
I never got a pair of
back showing that they
back and say that they need
cleats until I came
more balls or something, so
actually gave [the supplies] to
we’ll get it to them.”
the team,” Coach Musey said.
here to America.
Coach Musey often
“The team has my address
assists teams he finds
for correspondence. That
Coach Henry Musey way it eliminates any type
through players like himself
who have immigrated to
head boys soccer coach of fraud. Some of the people
the United States.
donating to us are donating
“It’s all done through teammates,” Coach Musey in pure good faith, and I want to make sure the
said. “People will say, ‘Hey look, my high school equipment gets delivered and doesn’t end up in the
team back home needs some equipment,’ so I’ll wrong hands.”
get the equipment and give it to them.”
So far Coach Musey has enjoyed the work he’s
Coach Musey runs his nonprofit organization done in three different countries, and he plans on
along with five other trusted friends. He says it’s expanding to more.
hard for him to find people to work with because
“We plan on doing this as much as we can,”
Coach Musey said. “We can’t give everybody
of some difficulties he’s encountered in the past.
“There’re actually very few people that I trust,” a shoe, but we’re trying to help as much as
Coach Musey said. “The first person I [worked possible.” p
“
By Shelby Rudd
and later coached high school
There were clusters of boys and programs in Athens.
girls cramped in the JROTC room
Now Sheanshang has come
under the stadium bleachers on to Grady to coach the school’s
Jan. 1. The laughter of rowdy boys first girls lacrosse team, which is
buzzed, and clearly nervous girls also the only team in all of APS.
chattered among themselves.It was Sheanshang said she is honored to
the first lacrosse meeting, and there be selected and excited about the
was a new face among the coaches chance to build a new program.
standing at the front of the room.
“This is a great opportunity for
Kari Sheanshang didn’t comment us,” Coach Sheanshang said. “We
as much as the other coaches as are going to do amazing things with
they all laid down the ground rules. it.”
Instead, she stood twirling her
Team members share her
stick, her furrowed brow suggesting enthusiasm.
determination.
“It feels really good to be on the
Coach Sheanshang is not new to first APS girls lacrosse team, and
the game of lacrosse. This soccer- hopefully we can be an inspiration
turnedto other APS
lacrosse
schools,” junior
I am quite familiar
player picked
Hannah Jackson
with both the
up the sport
said.
“There’s
challenges and the
in
high
a
first
for
school in
everything, and
great rewards that
Cincinnati
I’m glad I can
come with new
in 1998.
say I’m playing
programs.
“I
a part in this
captained
one.”
the first
The modern
Kari Sheanshang
team my
sport of lacrosse,
girls lacrosse coach which is an
school ever
had,” Coach Sheanshang said. “I adaptation of a Native-American
am quite familiar with both the
pastime often referred to as The
challenges and the great rewards
Creator’s Game, first came to
that come with new programs.”
Grady last year when Coach Matt
Coach Sheanshang led her team Janke started the first boys team.
to two division championships
Many of the girls on the inaugural
and a national tournament roster have no prior experience
appearance. She played during playing lacrosse, but the team feels
college at the University of Georgia it has an advantage to counter their
“
inexperience. They share a rare
camaraderie that they believe will
make them strong contenders on
the field.
“It’s a completely new thing for
me,” Jackson said. “Almost everyone
is in the same boat as far as playing
skills. Hopefully we can work
together and grow as a team.”
The team, however, is facing
some major obstacles. They have
insufficienct funding and are in need
of sticks, mouth guards, protective
eye wear and other equipment.
In order to help raise funds, each
player has been asked to solicit two
individual sponsorships.
Coordinator Kim Janke is
optimistic about the fund-raising
efforts. She plans to have a block
party-style event at Grady complete
with a DJ in order to bring in
money.
The team hopes to arrange team
buses to carry players to and from
events. Team buses would be an
improvement over last year, when
the boys team had to carpool to
many of its events.
The lacrosse teams also have to
vie for practice space. Currrently,
both teams share a small field inside
the stadium.
Since the girls team is the only
one in APS, they will be competing
against mainly private schools.
Because of their inexperience,
both the girls and boys teams will
be competing in the junior varsity
division.
ELLIOTT ERICKSON
New lacrosse coach possesses dawged zeal
Ballin: Junior Kimbrielle Davenport is
learning to cradle the ball during practice.
“Our biggest obstacle right now
is that we are brand new,” Coach
Sheanshang said. “That, however,
gives us the opportunity to take
ourselves wherever we want to
go. I am very optimistic about the
upcoming season.”
This early optimism for the season
shows on Coach Sheanshang’s face
during practices.
“The girls are doing great so far,”
Coach Sheanshang said. “Their
efforts are already paying off; they
are picking up the game quickly.
My only expectations are that they
have a blast and that the team
becomes the best it can be.” p
Feb. 2, 2009
Season shows
promise, team
swims strongly
By Parker Carlson
Nearing the end of its season,
the swim team placed third out
of five teams in a meet on Jan.
24 against Our Lady of Mercy
Christian Academy, South Cobb
and the host team, Wheeler.
Sophomore
Jafa
Fielder
thinks that the meet went well,
despite a problem with “crappy”
attendance.
“The team did alright,” Fielder
said. “[Freshman] Shaun Kleber in
particular did really well. I did well
in my 100-yard freestyle event and
placed second.”
The team swam its way to
victory in their meet against North
Atlanta on Jan.13, topping off a
10-meet winning streak.
Senior captain Anja Griffin
thinks that the team has improved
dramatically.
“We are doing pretty well for
only our second year as a team,”
Griffin said. “The team is a lot
more committed, Mrs. [Jennifer]
Roorbach, [team parent and
sponsor], is coordinating more for
the team, and we’re working a lot
harder in practices.”
The team has come to rely on
several competitive swimmers
who have contributed to the
team’s success. Fielder, Kleber,
and sophomore Tyler Olson swim
year-round for the City of Atlanta
National Team.
“Swimming for the [City of
Atlanta] is a lot different than
swimming for Grady,” Fielder said.
“We swim around 6,000 yards a
practice. But it’s a lot of fun.”
The team attributes a lot of
its success to the changes Coach
Sandra Ukah has implemented
during practices. Coach Ukah has
the team swim between 1,500 yards
to 2,000 yards each practice, and
the more experienced swimmers
typically swim around 3,000
yards. This routine is a significant
change from last year, when the
team would swim approximately
1,000 yards a practice.
“Practices are very well-attended,
and we are benefiting a lot more
from practice this year,” Fielder
said. “We have improved a lot, but
we still have some work to do and
can work a lot harder.”
At the beginning of the season,
more than 50 people signed up
to be a part of the team. Now,
nearing the end of the season,
there are only 15 to 20 members
on the team.
“People [who joined] in the
beginning thought it was just
people playing in the water, not a
sport,” Griffin said. “When it got
down to actual swimming, they
stopped coming or quit.”
The team swam in a meet at
Westminster on Jan. 31. The
Knights didn’t place in the top 10
out of a total of 30 teams.
“The meet went okay,” Fielder
said. “Despite bad attendance
again, I placed first in 100-yard
breathstroke event and had a state
qualifying time. Westminster was
everything that we expected and
I expect to see a great deal of its
team at the state meet.” p
s p o r t s
17
Feb. 2, 2009
Knights turn tide on ‘09 season
MILES GILBREATH
“DRIVIN’ “THE HOLE: Senior Josh Simmons looks for an open player during the
second quarter of the game on Jan. 24 against Paideia. Simmons contributed 18
By Miles Gilbreath
After losing 11 of its first 13 games, the boys
basketball team rebounded to win four of its next
five.
The team’s only wins in the opening month of the
season came against the Jackson Jaguars, whom they
beat twice.
Following the team’s first win against Jackson, the
Knights went to the south side to take on AAA’s No.
1 team, the South Atlanta Hornets. Led by three allstate players including the nation’s top-rated prospect
(Derrick Favors), the Hornets trounced the Knights
80-40. Although the Hornets doubled up the Knights,
the players viewed the final score as a relative success.
“It’s never fun to get beat like that, but you have
to look at what they’ve done to other teams,” senior
center Ryian Leonard said. “They scored five times
as many points as Therrell, and Southside didn’t even
score 15 points on them.”
After the drubbing at the hands of South Atlanta,
the Knights lost three out of their next four games.
Coach Douglas Slade took full responsibility for the
losses.
“It’s my responsibility to know how my team plays,”
Coach Slade said “We’ve only been [beaten horribly
in] two games. When the games are close, it all comes
down to coaching.”
The Knights traveled to St. Pius to take on the
Golden Lions. Several members of the Pius student
section confessed that they expected their team to take
a beating at the hands of the visiting Knights, but the
Knights expected a tough battle.
“Although their record isn’t that impressive, we
know they are going to be well-coached,” sophomore
guard Desmond Morris said.
Teams start preparing
for new schedule, year
sophomore Davis Bishop said. “It’s
going to be cool to see how good
the returning members are against
higher competition, and hopefully
[we’ll beat] some private schools.”
Grady’s lacrosse team was the
first established in APS and is also
the only team in GHSA whose
members are mostly black.
This year, a girls team was also
established.
The girls have been practicing
throughout the winter and have
been working on mastering the
basics. Since this is the first season,
a majority of the girls have not
played before.
The boys team considers the
expansion of the school’s lacrosse
program as an advantage.
“I think it is cool that the girls
have a team,” Rideaux said. “It is a
little different from guys lacrosse,
and it’s really cool to watch.”
The boys are looking forward to
building on last year’s success and
*All caps denotes HOME TEAM
Region 5B-AAA Standings
School
Region
W
Riverwood
5
North Atlanta 4
5
St. Pius X
4
Carver
3
Washington
3
Grady
2
Therrell
Future games
Feb. 3 - Grady at WASHINGTON, 7:00
Feb. 6 - GRADY vs. Carver, 7:00
from back page
STONEWALL JACKSON: Junior goalie Jake
Martin blocks a shot during practice.
to competing with some of the
best teams in the state.
“We are looking to do better
than last season,” Bishop said.
“We want to win more games
and improve Grady’s lacrosse
reputation.”
The girls, on the other hand,
are looking to learn the game and
come together as a team.
“My expectations for the team
are to win a couple of games and
to get good at the game,” junior
Aja Syphoe said. p
“In all of our wins, we have
passed the ball very well, creating
easy baskets,” Coach Kelly said.
One of Coach Powell’s goals
for the team is getting those
easier shots.
“The goal of all of our offense
is to get good looks at the basket,”
Coach Powell said. “Whenever
we struggle to score, it’s because
we’re forcing shots and taking
low-percentage shots.”
Getting high-percentage shots
starts with getting the ball to the
post players, where the coaches
believe the team is strong.
“I am amazed at how much
improvement I have seen in
[senior] Nicole [Lowery] and
[junior] Madeline [Roorbach],”
Coach Kelly said. “I’m really
excited Madeline will be here
another year, and I wish I had
another year to work with
Nicole.”
knight watch
BOYS BASKETBALL
Grady 53, JACKSON 37
CARVER 40, Grady 39
Grady 58, ST PIUS X 53
THERELL 56, Grady 53
GRADY 51, Riverwood 38
GRADY 47, Paideia 42
Grady 47, N ATLANTA 37
GIRLS struggle to make apt
recovery from initial losses
ELLIOTT ERICKSON
By Elliott Erickson
The boys and girls lacrosse
teams are in the middle of their
preseason training and are hoping
to have successful seasons.
In order to get ready for the
upcoming season, the boys team
has been doing a combination of
track and technical workouts .
“The track should really help
with our conditioning,” junior
captain Jalen Rideaux said. “Since
we have moved up into [the
Georgia High School Association],
practices are a lot more serious.
We get a lot of work done in
practice.”
Last season, the team competed
in the North Georgia Lacrosse
League but has moved into the
GHSA’s junior varsity classification.
The team is looking forward to
better competition and to build up
the school’s lacrosse program.
“I’m looking forward to
seeing how much we improve,”
The Knights trailed by seven at the half but cut the
deficit to one point as the fourth quarter began. They
rode that momentum through the fourth quarter to a
58-53 victory.
The following Tuesday the team went to Therrell to
face the Panthers. Although the Knights trailed early
by 20 points, an 18-0 run helped the Knights tie the
game in the fourth quarter before eventually falling
56-48.
Though the team didn’t like the outcome, they felt
good about how they played.
“I’m not making any promises, but tonight is going
to be different,” said senior point guard Diedrick Hines
prior to the Knights Jan. 23 game against Riverwood,
the No. 1 team in Region 5B-AAA.
Hines’ prediction came true as the Knights relied on
a strong fourth quarter to beat Riverwood 51-38.
“This was by far the best game we’ve played all
season, and I feel that it is really going to spark a latesesason run,” Leonard said.
The following night, the Knights beat Paidea, then
14-4 and ranked No. 9 in the Class A, 49-42. Although
they won, the Knights’ played sloppily. After pulling
away in the fourth quarter, unforced turnovers kept
the game close in the final minutes, but the Knights
made their free throws in the end to seal yet another
win.
The following Tuesday, Grady avenged two earlier
losses to North Atlanta, beating the host Warriors 5851 to extend their winning streak to three games..
The team is ready for the final stretch in the season.
“We’re all really amped about the last month of the
season,” Hines said. “We’re starting to gain confidence,
and were going to be a tough team to beat by the time
the region tournament rolls around.” p
L
2
2
3
4
4
5
5
Diedrick Hines
senior point guard
JACKSON 55, Grady 30
CARVER 61, Grady 46
ST. PIUS 46 , Grady 27
THERRELL 51, Grady 32
GRADY 49, Riverwood 46
Paidaia 36, GRADY 27
Grady 53, N ATLANTA 38
Overall
W L
14 5
11 4
6
13
5
9
4
10
6
12
5
11
Player Profile:
Height: 5-foot-8
Weight: 157 pounds
Number: 22
Dec 20 at N. Atlanta:
18 points
Favorite Food: Chicken
Lowery and Roorbach, the
team’s starting forwards, provide
the team with excellent inside
defense and play a big role in
rebounding. Coach Powell thinks
the combination of these two will
prove instrumental in the team’s
turnaround.
“Madeline and Nicole play
very well together, which is very
important for inside players,”
Coach Powell said. “They play
hard [and] smart and listen to
the coaches. They are just true
athletes.”
If the team does manage to pull
it together in the next few games,
the girls could put themselves in
a great position for the region
playoffs.
“We can’t get ahead of ourselves
thinking of the playoffs when we
still have regular-season games to
play,” Coach Powell said. “We
have a long way to go, but I
believe in our girls. We just have
to feel it.” p
GI R L S B A S K E T B A L L
Region 5B-AAA
5-BAAA Standings
Standings
Region
School
Region
W
Carver
6
Therrell
3
3
St. Pius X
Grady
4
Riverwood
2
North Atlanta 1
0
Washington
Future games
Feb. 3 -GRADY at Washington, 5:30
Feb. 6 - Grady vs. CARVER, 5:30
L
1
1
1
4
5
4
3
Overall
W L
14 2
9
6
6
6
6
10
8
12
8
5
0
8
the
S PORTS section
U LT I M AT E
Frisbee team starts
practice after finishing
fourth in state last year
L A C RO S S E
Team prepares for first
season as GHSA
junior varsity team
p. 15
BASKETBALL
Boys’ winning
streak ignites
playoff hopes
p. 17
p. 17
the Southerner
HENRY W. GRADY HIGH SCHOOL, ATLANTA
Feb. 2, 2009
Elliott Erikson
ON THE BALL: Senior goalkeeper Lena
James snags a shot out of the goal during
one of the varsity team’s practices.
Sport guides
senior keeper
to Bard College
By Gus Rick
or senior Lena James, starting
goalkeeper on the girls soccer
team and future player at Bard
College in Annandale-on-Hudson,
N.Y., success has always been about
dedication.
“It was my decision to start playing
soccer [when I was 4],” James said. “I
did ballet for 30 minutes and [then]
gymnastics for 45 [minutes] and
decided that they were definitely not
for me. I went home and told my
parents I wanted to play soccer, and
they signed me up.”
The world’s most popular sport,
soccer has a global culture that
appealed to James.
“I like the people I meet, [and] I
like the coaches,” James said. “I love
that it’s a universal sport. I went to
Mexico and got to play pickup
games with the locals. It was cool to
connect with them like that [despite
the language barrier].”
For James, playing soccer not only
connected her with people from
other cultures, but the sport has even
strengthened the bonds within her
own family.
“My whole family is into soccer—
it’s what we do for 20 weeks of the
year,” James said. “It’s become part of
who we all are.”
Though she has stayed faithful
to soccer, James’ path through the
sport has been anything but straight
and narrow. After starting the sport
as a field player, James switched to
goalkeeper during her sophomore
year.
F
see JAMES page 15
By Dean Jackson
alfway through its season,
the girls varsity basketball
team is struggling with a
6-10 record and only three teams
beneath it in region 5B-AAA.
Assistant coach Michelle Powell
blames the team’s record mostly
on the players’ lack of competitive
experience, particularly their lack
of confidence handling the ball.
“The players don’t trust
themselves when we call on them
to handle the ball in a game,”
Coach Powell said. “I would rather
the players be cocky because then
they at least have confidence in
themselves. If we played like we
do in practice, we would have no
problems.”
Head coach Joretta Kelly
agrees that lack of confidence and
inexperience have caused the team
to struggle. The coaches feel that
the team has been psychologically
affected by losing many of its first
few games.
“When a team starts off with
a bad game experience, like this
group has, it is hard to shake
that and get back into a rhythm
of winning games,” Coach Kelly
said. “We as coaches are having to
teach them how to handle game
situations.”
The team is also suffering from
injuries. During a 27-46 loss at
Elliott Erikson
Girls struggle through region
H
ALL FALL DOWN: Senior point guard Tarnesha Platt fights for a loose ball in the 36-27 loss to Paideia. It was a hard-fought game
in which the Knights almost came back from a 10-point deficit. The girls have a 6-8 season record and an 4-5 region record.
St. Pius X on Jan.16, point guard
Tarnesha Platt sprained her ankle,
causing her to miss a week.
“When [Platt] is on the floor,
everyone plays more confidently
and just plays better in general,”
Coach Kelly said. “[The team] is
used to her being on the floor but
is learning to play harder without
her.”
The games in which the girls
have been successful, they have
kept turnovers down, worked to get
high-percentage shots and worked
together as a team, which Coach
Kelly views as imperative.
“We have to have good
movement to win games,” Coach
Kelly said.
see GIRLS page 17
Students lack support for school athletic events
A
t the basketball
game against
Paideia on Jan. 24, I was
one of the 10 or so Grady
students sitting next
to the overwhelming
majority of Paideia
students who turned
Jake Martin
out for the Fox 5 High
School Game of the
Week. Even though Grady defeated the previously
14-4 Pythons, the Paideia students never stopped
cheering and were genuinely excited to be at their
school’s basketball game. The Grady students,
however, couldn’t even be bothered to turn up
for a big game against a good team at their own
school. That handful of students may have been
loud and excited, but they were easily drowned
out by the large Paideia crowd.
The worst thing is that this isn’t an uncommon
scene at Grady. As students we have a pretty wellearned reputation of not showing up at our sports
games. When we do, we’re usually just there to
hang out. That doesn’t happen at other schools,
where students show up in large numbers, stand
up the whole game, cheer and jump up and
down while singing “Zombie Nation.” They sit
in student sections where they wave signs and
dance around in body paint or at the least, wear
their school colors.
If Grady students show up at all, they sit around
in different places, just chatting and not paying
any attention to the games. We are constantly
outnumbered and always outcheered by other
schools, even at our own home games. Granted,
our teams have been in a little bit of a slump for
the last 20 years, but basketball games are some
of the most enjoyable sporting events to attend.
We have a ton of the games right here at Grady.
It only costs $3 to go to see two games.
I know what most people say: “We’d go to the
games if our teams were any good.” That’s just
not true. I don’t know if anyone noticed, but our
football team was 7-3 this year. I went to nearly
every game, and there were barely any students at
the games. I still remember the 13-1 Georgia Dome
season, and even then, the students didn’t show
up nearly as much as they do at other schools. At
this year’s Riverwood game, Riverwood — a team
that went 3-7— had an entire section of 100 or so
students who stood up for their team through the
whole 12-3 loss, screaming and dancing the whole
time. Some of them were painted, but all of them
were wearing the blue and red of their school, and
they seemed to be loving every minute of it. I know
that it was easier to go to games when we played
eight out of 10 football games at Grady Stadium,
but even the four games at Grady this year were
very sparsely attended. Even the season-ending
game against rival North Atlanta barely had any
students in the stadium. Why? High school sports
are the most enjoyable sports to watch, and they
don’t cost much money to go to.
As bad as attendance is at football and basketball
games, our spring sports have it even worse. The
girls soccer team made it to the state semifinals two
years ago and were ranked as high as No. 2 in the
state last year, but no one ever came to the games.
Playing in front of sparse crowds of parents and
friends, the girls have dominated their opponents
for the last few years but have never enjoyed much
support from their school. Meanwhile, when
the girls go to play rival Westminster, the stands
are packed with green-and-white-clad students
brandishing signs and homemade noisemakers.
Grady students, please start supporting your
teams. There are six more home basketball games.
Soccer and lacrosse games are free, and there are
several at home. If you’re not doing anything else
on a weekday afternoon, come out and watch
your friends and fellow students play. Bring a
few friends. Stand up and cheer. Have fun. I
guarantee you that it’ll be more than worth the
price of admission. p
I
N
A
U
G
U
R
A
T
I
O
N
09
In light of President
Obama’s inauguration,
The Southerner takes a
look at student
activism.
“On this day, we gather
because we have chosen
hope over fear...”
“We will harness
the sun and the
winds and the soil
to fuel our cars and
run our factories.
And we will transform our schools
and colleges and
universities to meet
the demands of a
new age.”
“I stand here today humbled by the
task before us, grateful for the trust
you have bestowed, mindful of the
sacrifices borne by our ancestors.”
All text from president barack obama’s inaugural address, Jan. 20, 2009.
S1
All photos by Lily Muntzing
“We will extend a
hand if you are
willing to unclench
your fist.”
Obama brings ’60s activism full circle, inspires youth
By Keely Youngblood
Sophomore Demarco Nixon’s mother
bought him a Barack Obama t-shirt after he
first announced his campaign for presidency
in February of 2007. It stayed, folded and
waiting, in Nixon’s closet for months. On
Jan. 21, the day after President Barack
Obama stood at a podium and took one of
the most sacred oaths in this country, Nixon
wore his t-shirt for the first time. He walked
through the school proudly declaring his
support for a president he believes in more
than any other.
“I supported Gore and Kerry,” Nixon said,
“but I never had a shirt with either of their
faces on it. I truly believe in Barack Obama.
We’ve fallen in love with him. The whole
world has fallen in love with him.”
Nixon’s sentiments are not uncommon
in the school hallways. U.S. history and
Musical Theatre teacher Mr. Lee Pope saw an
unprecedented student interest in President
Barack Obama’s campaign and election.
“I saw more [student interest] than I have
seen in my lifetime,” said Mr. Pope. “People
at Grady generally supported Bill Clinton,
and there was some activity with Bush during
2000 and 2004, but with [President] Obama
it was just amazing.”
It has been proven statistically that
President Obama did indeed inspire an
unprecedented youth vote. According to the
Harvard Institute of Politics, 54 percent of
the 18-24 demographic voted in the 2008
election, which is a 19 percent increase from
2004.
Further statistics show that the youth may
very well have been a key factor in President
Obama’s victory. An estimated 2.2 million
more people between the ages of 18 and
24 voted in the 2008 election than did in
the 2004 election. Out of those voters, 68
percent voted for President Obama and 30
percent voted for John McCain.
Mr. Pope attributes some of the excitement
shown by the students to Grady’s diversity.
Sixty-sevent percent of enrolled students and
46 percent of faculty members are African
American. Mr. Pope feels that President
Obama’s election served as a powerful message
to the African-American community, and
that the entire nation has cause to celebrate.
“Anyone, liberal or conservative, who
cannot appreciate the poignancy of the
outcome of this election is blind,” Mr. Pope
said. “It took over 200 years to end slavery
and another hundred years for equality. This
is change and this is the way the future could
be.”
An annual national study on student
activism by the University of Califormia,
Los Angeles has shown a growing number
of politically apathetic and civilly disengaged
high school and college students over the last
30 years. Over the past year, however, the
numbers of have dramatically increased, and
many see the election of President Obama as
a culmination of the activism of the 1960’s
and activism today.
“You always see young adults as a force
in social movements,” said Doug Shipman,
the executive director of the Center for Civil
and Human Rights Partnership. “They have
a sense of idealism that is beaten out of us
as we get older. They’re willing to risk more,
• Civil rights activist Bob Zellner visits AP Journalism
class, see S2.
• Teachers share stories of past activism,
see S2.
•Rally urges greater action against the Darfur
genocide, see S4.
•Twins work with Project South to educate people
nationwide on social issues, see S4.
lots more. They have the time, and they don’t
have the economic constraints that older
adults tend to have. They also, particularly
students, spend a lot of time together in
groups with other students who care about
the same things they do. If I tried to get a
social movement started in my condominium
complex, it wouldn’t work. The interests
people have are too varied. But young people
can mobilize mass forces very quickly.”
The past fifty years have shown a
concentrated force of social movements and
civil progression.
see YOUTH S2-S3
S2
A Southerner
Special Section
Student Activism: Then & Now
Student Activism: Then & Now
S3
YOUTH activism increases with Obama campaign
Youth
Voter
Turnout
Through
History
Eligible voters (18-24) vs. Time
gus Rick
from S1
CIVIL “WRITES”: Junior Aja Syphoe and author Bob Zellner share a chuckle as Syphoe waits for Zellner’s autograph during his Jan. 22 visit to the AP Journalism class.
Civil rights icons, authors visit students
By Lily Muntzing
As students in Mr. Dave Winter’s AP Journalism class lined up to have their books signed,
civil rights activist and author Bob Zellner insisted on dating his signature as Jan. 20, 2009.
It was not, however, Jan. 20. It was Jan. 22,
but Zellner insisted on signing that date to celebrate the inauguration of the new president.
“[President Obama] is on the brink of greatness,” Zellner said. “In [the United States’ current] situation, the crises are very big, but the
opportunities are very big also. He has been
given a mandate by the people, and it’s tremendous.”
While Zellner applauds President Obama’s
historic run, he believes the country still has
not realized the ultimate goals of the civil rights
movement.
“[The past inauguration] shows two things,”
Zellner said. “It shows how far we’ve come in
the past 50 years and it shows how far we have
to go.”
Zellner would know how far the civil rights
movement has to go, because he has witnessed
firsthand how far it has come in the last 50
years.
After receiving a grant from the PEN/
Faulkner Foundation, Mr. Winter’s class received 20 copies of Zellner’s book, The Wrong
Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the
Freedom Movement, and the opportunity for
Zellner to come and discuss his book with the
class.
Zellner’s book recounts his adventures in
the nonviolent civil rights movement during
the 1960s. At age 20, he became the first white
field secretary for the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee and participated in
protests that resulted in 18 arrests in seven different states.
“The Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee was known as the young people
who were brash,” Zellner said. “If [it was] said
we couldn’t organize civil rights in Mississippi,
[then] that’s where we went.”
His purpose for writing the memoir, however, was to highlight a side of the civil rights
movement of which many are unaware—the
white South’s participation.
“I guess I’m a little bit symbolic of the fact
that the movement was white and black,” Zell-
ner said. “Sometimes we forget that it was an
integrated movement, but it’s important history and the main purpose is to get this to the
young people.”
Throughout his life, Zellner has overcome
resistance from his peers and colleagues in order to stand up for his beliefs. First, however,
he had to overcome his family’s past to be accepted in the movement.
“As southerners, we grew up in a totally segregated world,” Zellner said. “My father was
in the Ku Klux Klan and my granddaddy was
[too].”
Despite such a past, Zellner decided at a
young age that something about the world that
he lived in was not right. After being told by his
boss at a local country store that he could not
address any black person as “sir” or “ma’am,”
Zellner knew he had to stand up for what he
thought was right.
“I decided at a very young age that I’m not
going to live in fear,” Zellner said. “[I thought],
‘This is something I believe in and I’m going
to take a risk.’”
Students in the AP Journalism class asked
questions about facing adversity. As he spoke
about his willingness to surrender to arrest or
even death for the movement, he was questioned as to whether he ever felt the need to
give up his nonviolent tactics over fear.
“When I learned the discipline of nonviolence, I could be completely confident in my
physical ability to resist [the urge] to be aggressive and physical,” Zellner said. “This strengthened my dedication to nonviolence.”
According to Zellner, students in the U.S.
education system are ignorant of the nonviolent movement in which he participated, as
well as of other aspects of the civil rights movement.
“I find such a lack of knowledge on the movement [among students], part of it due to the
fact that schools and history books don’t talk
about racism, segregation and the civil rights
movement,” Zellner said. “For the generation
that’s coming up, there’s no written knowledge
of [the movement].”
Zellner hopes that his book will providewritten knowledge that future generations
need and is working on his second book to
continue with the educational process. Zellner
worked with President Obama in Selma, Ala.,
in March 2007 and joined his campaign soon
after. Zellner plans to pubish his experiences on
the campaign trail.
The new book, currently titled White Snow,
reveals many of Zellner’s ideas about our new
president.
“I hope Obama turns out to be a genuine
radical,” Zellner said. “It’s very important for
Obama to become a radical president for radical times.”
The radical times that Zellner refers to are
characterized not only by the economy but
also by the racism that continues to exist today. Constance Curry, who was also active in
the civil rights movement and is now a ffellow
at the Institute for Women’s Studies at Emory
University, co-authored and edited Zellner’s
book. She believes that racism persists into the
21st century and is not as easy to detect like it
was fifty years ago.
“We don’t have racists now, [but] we have
racism,” Curry said. “When Bob and I were
in the movement, it was a segregated world,
but it’s so hard for young people today because
[they] don’t know who the enemy is.”
Zellner hopes President Obama’s “nonviolent politics” will become the new norm to
combat racism and violence.
“[Obama’s] nonviolent politics takes the history of the freedom struggles of black people
for centuries and their white allies and it says,
‘As freedom fighters, we cannot demonize our
enemy; we cannot hate our enemy,’” Zellner
said.
According to Zellner, this decision to not
demonize the enemy is what makes President
Obama the founder of this new type of politics, and he hopes it can create new wave of
stong youth activism.
“Can you imagine the power created if
young people in a nonviolent army went, as
they have gone, to the Gulf Coast to rebuild
after Katrina or to Darfur?” Zellner said. “Go
with a nonviolent army of people prepared and
willing to die, and stand between those who are
murdering and those who are being murdered
and say, ‘Stop; no more.’” p
For a complete transcript of Zellner’s visit to
Grady, please visit http://srt5.atlantapublicschools.
us/grady.
55%
50.3
50%
52%
50%
49.2%
45.5%
45%
Amelia kovacevich and Gus rick
Students have heard firsthand accounts from parents
and teachers of the civil rights movement, the women’s
movement, the anti-Vietnam-War movement, the antiapartheid movement and the gay-rights movement among
others. The number of students engaged in activism today
is, however, comparatively small.
Shipman partially attributes this inaction to a change in
the lifestyle of the American student.
“If you talk to people from the ‘60s, they’ll say, ‘Well
look, we didn’t have computers, a lot of us didn’t have television and we didn’t have anything else to do but talk to
each other,’” Shipman said. “But now [the youth] have a
lot of other outlets for the energy that they have.”
Senior Sage Adams, a member of the Social Diversity
Club, agrees.
“In a culture of video games, music, computers, sports
and school, there are a lot of distractions from politics,”
Adams said. “There’s just so much to do that people don’t
care as much about issues.”
Shipman recognizes bigger forces in the face of changing
student activism also.
“I think that, certainly structurally, throughout American history, there were groups of American people who were
excluded,” Shipman said. “A lot of those legal barriers have
fallen. Young people are comfortable; issues aren’t in their
faces as much. It’s less obvious, at least from an American
perspective, what it is that should be a movement. [Also]
as the country has become more affluent overall, the per
capita income goes up, education goes up, and it becomes
more difficult for people to become motivated. Affluence
usually leads to less political activity. But the question I
have for young people is ‘are there really fewer problems
with society or have they just gotten more complicated?’”
Shipman anticipates a trend of international activism
among students over the next decade.
“This whole notion that what you buy will have an impact on people, especially in international trade situations,
is something that we’ve already seen young people become
extremely involved in, and we’re already seeing the effect of
that concern in stores,” Shipman said. “We’re also seeing
a huge surge of young people invested in being environmentally conscious, and I certainly think that the global
climate change will be something that the young will rally
around, especially as we begin to see impacts on specific areas.There are still problems with child labor, abusive labor
and slave labor in global trade—I think that is definitely a
frontier that young people will lead on.”
Steve Golden is a junior at Emory University and the
Georgia State coordinator for Youthocracy—a political
consulting organization—as well as the founder of Every
Student for Barack Obama and the executive coordinator
of Georgia Students for Barack Obama.
Golden noticed a definite increase in student activism
40%
41%
40.4%
48.3%
48.1%
42.9%
35%
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988 1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
SOURCE: www.dailykos.com
over the year.
“We saw a huge surge of younger voters and younger activists this year,” Golden said. “We saw kids [volunteering]
that were below the age of voting. I remember going up
to South Carolina with a kid who was fifteen and couldn’t
vote for three years, but he was still passionate about affecting the outcome of the election.”
He attributes much of this abrupt change to President
Obama.
“As a history major, I love thinking about [this fluctuation in student activism-levels],” Golden said. “I love
studying the ‘60s. I think it’s a great example of that [activism]. First of all, I supported Kerry and Gore back in the
past two elections, but I’ll be perfectly honest, they weren’t
particularly charismatic guys. They weren’t guys that people could get excited about. You saw a declining support
because the democratic youth supported Kerry, but they
weren’t going to go out and volunteer for him.”
Golden thinks that other, more concrete factors also
contributed to the interest President Obama sparked in
the youth.
“[President] Obama’s campaign brought in professionals
to capture the youth vote,” Golden said. “They brought in
my friend Hans Riemer, who was the first national youth
vote coordinator and the head of Rock the Vote, to work
as a professional to capture the youth vote. It’s not what it
used to be. The Obama campaign treated people our age
as equals, as people whose votes mattered and had to be
won.”
Golden thinks that other components of the campaign
have also sparked the interest of young Americans.
“Every time I turn on the TV, something is in shambles,” Golden said. “These headlines and dire situations are
bringing people into politics, not only as political activists
or campaign staffers but just as people who care enough to
be knowledgeable about what’s going on. Truthfully that’s
all we can ask—that people take a stand and are motivated
enough to care about what’s going on in their world.”
Golden is currently working to keep young adults politically engaged and civilly active after the glamour of the
Obama campaign. Golden thinks that it’s easier to motivate the youth in times of controversial political climate.
“It’s not that the youth in the ’80s or ’90s were stupid
or lazy,” Golden said. “Something didn’t happen to us biologically in the ’80s to make us care less about politics. It’s
that there was no real reason to care.”
Golden has made a career workin with youth who care
about politics by working for Youthocracy, which was
founded by Stephen Ratner, an Emory graduate in the
summer of 2008. Youthocracy is the first youth-lead political consulting orgnization in U.S. history. Junior Caroline
McKay is the Atlanta director.
“We had to harness this energy and political power that
we had when so many youths who weren’t interested in
politics before President Obama suddenly wanted to be involved,” McKay said. “I mean, he won Indiana and North
Carolina because of the youth vote. He won 67 percent
of the youth vote, which is higher than has ever been re-
ported. After the Obama campaign ended, we decided to
move forward with other campaigns.”
Golden believes that current technological innovations
are altering the way the student constituency is swayed.
“[Getting the youth vote] takes a lot of technological
savviness,” Golden said.”We all have a Facebook. We all
have a MySpace. Some of us are old enough to know what
an Xanga is. We have blogs and Twitter. In order to appeal
to youth and get your message out to youth, you have to
harness that technology. It’s imperative.”
Shipman partially agrees with Golden.
“Technology has enormous potential,” Shipman said.
“Facebook and all those things have the capability to very
quickly spread information and bring people together, and
I don’t think it’s been fully realized yet. [But] technology
requires a certain level of economics, and it is not fully universal. We forget that everybody does not have an iPhone
and that everybody does not have high-speed connection.
From a social activism perspective, it’s still somewhat an
upper economic echelon.”
Adams thinks that President Obama’s election may have
at least one negative effect in the area of student activism –
that it will serve as a reason for students to consider issues
of racism and diversity as no longer prevalent or problematic in our current society.
“The areas before—the ’60s and ’70s—were different,”
Adams said. “With a black president, people thinks the
job is done. But it’s not. Grady has problems with social
diversity.”
Mr. Pope agrees with Adams.
“We have self-segregation,” Mr. Pope said. “We don’t intend to. But when you look at the young people at lunch,
there are white kids up on the hill and black kids in the
courtyard. And it’s not that any of the white kids would
care if black kids came up on the hill or that any black kids
would care if white kids came down. It’s just that there is
this phenomenon that I’m watching and trying to make
sense of where we still self-segregate. When people are separated like that, they end up not knowing much about the
other group, and as humans, we fear what we don’t know.
Mr. Pope has made it a goal to work towards alleviating
this problem at Grady
It’s just my personal platform right now and something
I’m always thinking about. I don’t know how to fix it. It’s
not something anyone can force, because, as humans, we
hate to be forced to do anything. ”
Mr. Pope, however, predicts change in the future.
“It’ll be [this] generation of students that change these
problems,” Mr. Pope said. “It’s been a long time coming,
but it’s coming. Students at Grady now care more than
the students in my high school did, and I would say that
they care more than the students at my university did.
Maybe it’s just because I’m working with very metropolitan kids. But they’re just a heck of a lot smarter in this
generation.” p
Balch, Sartor lead lives as activists through protests, demonstrations
By the end of the year, he had collected more than
By Grace Brown
To many, an “activist” marches for civil rights, 40,000 pounds of recyclable material. Mr. Balch
boycotts certain companies to protest child labor also convinced the Atlanta Journal Constitution to
and ties himself to the occasional tree to combat publish a message on its front page promoting
recycling, making it the first paper in
deforestation. But after a life of less
the nation to do so.
visible confrontation, two teachers
He joined the Peace Corps in
– government teacher Mr. Louis
2001
to better address those
Sartor and science teacher Mr.
issues.
Graham Balch – have settled
“They say the Peace Corps
down at Grady.
is
the toughest job you’ll
“There are two ways to
ever
love, and it’s true,” Mr.
look at [the definition of
Balch
said. “It is incredibly
an activist],” Mr. Balch
hard.
I
ended up founding
said. “One [definition] is
the
largest
per capita library
[someone who] screams and
in
the
country
of Guatemala,
waves [signs]. If that is your
but
up
until
the
actual day it
definition of an activist, then
opened,
I
was
not
sure I could
I am not [an activist]. If your
pull
it
off.”
definition of an activist is someone
While in the Peace Corps,
who tries to change society, then I
Mr.
Louis
Sartor
Mr.
Balch discovered how closely
[consider myself to be] a powerful
activism
is intertwined with
activist.”
education.
Before Atlanta developed its recycling program,
“Ever since I [was in] the Peace Corps, I realized
a 15-year-old Mr. Balch noticed that people in
how
[much] education impacts [a community],”
Atlanta merely threw out their trash. He started
Mr.
Balch
said. “It’s like stopping a building from
recycling his neighbors’ trash every other Saturday.
burning. Education puts out a lot of fires before
they happen.”
Mr. Sartor became politically active in the
1970s after being inspired by his professors.
“When I was in college, I had some really
great professors who talked about [how] it’s one
thing to learn the theory [behind] political and
economic power in this country [and how] it’s
another thing to actually act on it,” Mr. Sartor
said.
After graduating from University of South
Florida in 1978, Mr. Sartor began working for
the activist group Association of Community
Organization for Reform Now. The association
consists of low- and moderate-income families
from around the country who work on economic,
housing and banking issues.
Both teachers have faced a little trouble with the
law over their years working in the community.
During a hike on the Appalachian Trail in
1995, Mr. Balch discovered a sign promoting
clear cutting, a method of forest management
that supposedly increased watershed flow without
erosion. Because he had learned that clear cutting
actually led to high levels of erosion that can
endanger local fishermen’s jobs, Mr. Balch
personally cut down the sign and threw it off the opposed the construction of a nuclear power
plant,” Mr. Sartor said. “I was one of 346 people
mountain. He was given a 250 dollar fine.
Mr. Sartor also faced legal troubles after that went over the fence [in protest] and got
arrested at this nuclear power site they
participating in a Service Employees Union
were building.”
protest.
After his arrest, however,
In 1989, he drove around the
the charges were eventually
airport and honked his car horn to
dropped.
support the striking workers at
Mr. Sartor believes that
Eastern Airlines. After catching
many issues the United
the eye of a police officer, Mr.
States face today can be
Sartor was put under arrest for
fixed its citizens.
impeding traffic and taken to
“We have a lot of changes
the Clayton County jail for a
night.
that need to happen, and
“As it turned out, the police
changes don’t occur because
officers were very friendly and
the government thinks
they were all union members
that change should occur –
themselves,” Mr. Sartor said. “I
it takes people pushing, the
remember the coffee was much
grass roots [movements],” Mr.
better than I expected. I only spent
Sartor said. “That’s the whole story
a couple hours in the Clayton County Mr. Graham Balch of the civil rights movement, the
jail. But you know, go to jail one time, you never
anti-war movement and the environmental
forget it.”
movement. It takes people in the neighborhoods
His activism was not limited to social issues.
and in the unions and different organizations
“When I worked for ACORN in Tulsa [in putting pressure on the government to do the
1978], I was part of an alliance of activists who right thing.” p
S4
A Southerner
Special Section
Student Activism: Then & Now
Local rally encourages resistance to Darfur genocide
Darfur
Urgent
Action
Coalition
of
Georgia
Rally
photos by madeline roorbach
By Madeline Roorbach
Bushara Dosa stood from
his seat in the second pew with
a dolorous expression. As he
approached the pulpit of the
Atlanta church, the crowd of
200 fell silent with the sounds of
downtown Atlanta providing the
only background noise.
“The [Sudanese military army]
Janjaweed came to my village,”
Dosa said. “They committed
crimes against my people; they
burned my village. My friends
were killed. I came to America to
fight against those who did this.”
Dosa’a story is not unique.
Since the 2003 escalation of the
Sudanese conflict in the Darfur
province, which the United
Nations classified as a genocide in
2004, upwards of 300,000 people
have been killed and 2.7 million
have been displaced from their
homes.
An immigrant from the Darfur
region of Sudan, Dosa arrived
at Central Presbyterian Church
on Jan. 25 to share his story to
participants of the fourth annual
rally for Darfur. The rally was
sponsored by the Darfur Urgent
Action Coalition of Georgia,
which aims to spread the word
about the genocide throughout
the state, according to chairperson
Melanie Nelkin.
The rally began with Rabbi
Elana Perry sounding the shofar,
a ram’s horn used in the Jewish
religion, by Rabbi Elana Perry
followed by a slide show that paid
homage to the Holocaust.
“[The Holocaust] was the first
time that the world recognized
something as a genocide,” Nelkin
said. “After the Holocaust, we
said, ‘Never again.’ If we said,
‘Never again,’ how can we have
the [Darfur] genocide in the 21st
century?”
After rally participants finished
reflecting on the horrors of the
attempted eradication of the
Jews in Nazi Germany, the event
turned its focus to the present.
Dosa recounted the Janjaweed’s
attack on his village and called
for people in the United States
URGENT CARE: (clockwise from top left) The crowd at the fourth annual Darfur rally at Central Presbyterian Church on Jan. 25. Sarah Odungo, an artist whose paintings were
for sale at the rally. Bushara Dosa, a Darfuri refugee. Rev. Emily Wilmarth gave the opening remarks before the rally. The keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Gloria White- Hammond.
to work towards the cessation of
hostilities in Sudan.
Dosa’s message was echoed by
the rally’s keynote speaker, Rev.
Dr. Gloria White-Hammond.
Dr. White-Hammond is the
chairperson of the Save Darfur
Coalition, which advocates both
in the United States and abroad
for an end to the Sudanese
genocide.
Having traveled to Sudan nine
times in the last eight years,
Dr. White-Hammond has been
fighting for the rights of the
Darfur people since before the
world even acknowledged the
conflict as a genocide.
She believes that the coalition
and its supporters have not
exhausted all possible options,
citing the historical success of
civil disobedience.
“We have not exhausted what
we can do,” Dr. White-Hammond
told the enthusiastic crowd.
“There is still civil disobedience.
I still have not been arrested for
civil disobedience. I’ve tried three
times—three times—and it still
hasn’t worked. But I promise you,
I will get arrested before this is all
over.”
The crowd responded to Dr.
White-Hammond’s calls for action
with rousing cheers. Nelkin said
that the SDC chairperson was
chosen for her magnetic oratorial
skills.
“[Dr. White-Hammond] is
a dynamic, colorful, articulate
speaker,” Nelkin said. “She
has stimulated the [Darfur]
movement. When she talks,
people listen. I have never been to
a rally she has spoken at when the
crowd didn’t get up and cheer.”
Much of Dr. White-Hammond’s
passion for the cause stems from
her trips to the ravaged region
over the past few years.
“In Sudan I saw the horrors of
war [and] of genocide,” the Dr.
White-Hammond said. “I’m here
to tell you that it’s not over yet.”
p
Twins’ similarities extend into community activism
educational activities.
By Lucy Beeching
While the general description may seem boring, Che’la said
Student activism comes in all shapes and forms, even douthe
workshop activities are interesting and specific.
bles. Seniors and twins Chelsea and Che’la Counts are active
“If
we did [a session] on sex, we might [use] a banana to
members of the Atlanta community. Since middle school,
show
people
how to properly put on a condom,” Che’la said.
Chelsea and Che’la have been involved in the Project South
Because
of
their participation in the program, the Counts
Institute for the Elimination of Poverty and Genocide—a
twins have traveled to different parts of the
nonprofit organization that aims to ameliocountry through Project South.
rate different problems in the urban comWhen
you
hear
the
“We get to see what other youth go
munity through education.
through,”
Che’la said. “[Some people] just
“We hope to educate as many people as
situations that other
we can,” Chelsea said. “Everyone’s not going
take things for granted. When you hear the
people go through,
to find out about this information [Project
situations that other people go through,
you realize that your you realize that your [life] is not that bad.
South], especially not African-Americans
and teenagers.”
[life] is not that bad. It makes me grow as a person [because] I
can appreciate more and connect more with
The girls got involved with Project South
people.”
after they attended an event called Black
senior
Che’la
Counts
According to Chelsea, the best thing
Youth Vote in Washington D.C and met the
about
becoming involved with Project South
woman in charge of Project South’s teenage volis
the
opportunity
to
give back to the community in meanunteers.
ingful
ways.
Che’la
agrees.
Although the Counts first found out about Project South
“When I help people, I just have a great feeling,” Che’la
in Washington D.C., the organization is based in Atlanta but
said.
“Even if I don’t know someone, I still want to help them.
holds workshops across the country to educate people. At the
That’s
the type of person that I am.”
workshops, participants are split into groups, where they hold
Chelsea
also loves the added independence that her role
organized discussions about social issues and conduct various
“
with Project South brings.
“I love the freedom,” Chelsea said. “[Our manager] tells us
what we need to do, and we do it. If we don’t do something,
it’s our fault. We’re basically teaching ourselves about things
that we don’t know about.”
Both Chelsea and Che’la say that being involved with Project South has changed their lives for the better, even going so
far as to improve their attitudes toward society.
“[I’ve learned to be more] enthusiastic,” Che’la said. “When
you’re not enthusiastic, the person that you’re talking to isn’t
going to be either. [I’ve gained a lot] of personal skills. I’ve
really grown [these past four years].”
Che’la said that her 2005 trip to New Orleans with Project
South to help Hurricane Katrina victims was the most meaningful experience for her.
For Chelsea that superlative is reserved for the time she
joined 10,000 activists in marching from the Atlanta Civic
Center to the state capitol in the United States Social Forum
in 2007.
“While we were marching, they were playing this music
that was so powerful,” Chelsea said. “I was crying; that’s how
powerful it was. People were just so nice and so loving. Everyone was there for the same reason—to make a change. That
was powerful.” p