Edition 3.2 - Spring 2014

GENERATION “Y”
The generation of people born during the 1980s and early
1990s. The name is based on Generation X, the generation
that preceeded them.
Members of Generation Y are often referred to as “echo
boomers” because they are the children of parents born
during the baby boom (the “baby boomers”). They are also
called millenials, internet generation, iGen, net generationBecause children born during this time period have
had constant access to technology (computers, cell
phones) in their youth, they have “changed the game” in
many, many ways.
New Year‟s Day is considered a day of renewal, of
birth. Millenials are the harbingers of our world‟s future.
This issue is focusing on the youth of today and
the...the..th-...zzzzzz…(snort)!... Commitment and raw energy they bring to make our world a better place for the
next generation. This edition is devoted to both the positive and negative attributes of Generation Y….
THE MILLENIALS
The Hawk’s Quill
Spring 2014
Inside this issue:
US
What is a millennial? “Millennial- a
person reaching young adulthood around the
year 2000” Props to Google for that vague
definition. There is so much more to a millennial than the year that they become a young
adult. Who are the Millennials? Well, it’s you,
me, and probably everyone else that you are
friends with. Sometimes we are even referred
to as Generation Y.
Millennials are usually
given a negative connotation.
We are most commonly
brought up when adults are
talking about a reliance on
technology. It’s very true. We
are “NOT tech-savvy. We are
tech-dependent” says Jason
Dorsey, The Gen Y Guy. We,
as Millennials, do not know
how to function without it. Let’s face it,
when do we not have our phones with us?
Hardly ever, unless it gets taken away by
our parents. Face-to-face conversations
have been cheapened due to technology at
our disposal. Instead of passing out flyers
or invitations to an important event, we
send out mass texts, tweet about it, or create a Facebook event so we can get the
word out quick. This isn’t a bad thing but
actual conversations are so valuable. IRL*
interactions definitely help gain social
skills in millennials. With all of this technology at our finger tips, it has also
caused us to be noticeably more impatient
than other generations before us, like our
parents (Generation X) and grandparents
(The Baby Boomers).
Another term used to describe us
is: open. We Millennials (generally speaking) have ideas that are more liberal
minded than previous generations, espe-
cially when it comes to politics. Now I
am not going to go into too much detail
about since some of us can’t vote, including myself, we still care about politics to a certain extent because these
things will affect us eventually. Anyways, our views are just so considerably different than those of our grandparents and maybe even our
parents. Our generation discriminates a lot less than
generations in the past.
Through the progress we
have seen in America,
we’re all able to come and
work together, regardless of
race and gender. Along with
our openness to race and
culture, we are open to innovative ideas. Generation Y is constantly coming
up with revolutionary concepts that is
taking everything we have to the next
level. With all of this innovation we
have created, Millennials are prospected to be the most educated generation
in American history. How neat.
In this issue of the Hawk’s
Quill we are investigating as many aspects as possible of Millennials and
what makes us so different from previous generations. Maybe this issue can
inspire you to become more productive.
I encourage you to consider what we
are sharing and see if you can relate. *
(for the less slang savvy) IRL- In Real
Life*(for the less slang savvy) IRL- In
Real Life
-Bailey Humphrey
US
1
North Lenoir‟s
6th Annual Art
Show
3
“We‟re the Mille- 5
nials”
“Perfect
Grumpy Garrett 6
Maddie‟s Mad:
College Disease
7
Was It More Acceptable in the
80‟s?
8
The Vibe of a
Narcissistic Age
9
Do It For the
Vine!
10
Remember
When...
11
North Lenoir
Speaks Out
12
This poem expresses both the positive
and negative aspects of being a millennial. His voice is insightful, and the poem
has gone viral on social media.
Our Generation
Our generation will be known for
Unless we turn things around
nothing.
That might be true,
Never will anybody say,
People thought we couldn‟t come back
We were the peak of mankind.
We knew that
That is wrong, the truth is
Was a joke.
Our generation was a failure.
Working hard
Thinking that
Was how we handled our problems.
We actually succeeded
Giving up
Is a waste. And we know
Is something we never did.
Living only for money and power
Changing our world for the better
Is the way to go.
Will not be easy, but we will try.
Being loving, respectful, and kind
Forgetting about that time,
Is a dumb thing to do.
Is a dumb thing to do.
Forgetting about that time,
Being loving, respectful, and kind
Will not be easy, but we will try.
Is the way to go.
Changing our world for the better
Living only for money and power
Is something we never did.
Is a waste. And we know
Giving up
We actually succeeded
Was how we handled our problems.
Thinking that
Working hard
Our generation was a failure.
Was a joke.
That is wrong, the truth is
We knew that
We were the peak of mankind.
People thought we couldn‟t come back
Never will anybody say,
That might be true,
Our generation will be known for
Unless we turn things around
nothing.
Now read the “Our Generation”
reversed.
Jordan Nichols
North Lenoir‟s Sixth Annual Art Show
Imagine a gallery full
of art made by our own students being premiered in its
own show; works big as a
doorway and small as a laptop. They would belong in a
museum, right? Wrong.
That‟s what happened on
March 6 at North Lenoir
High School. The 6th Annual
NLHS Art Show creatively
showcased the school‟s finest
pieces of art from our greatest artists. The show included many different art styles
such as paintings, drawings,
multimedia and more! The
show was hosted by NLHS‟s
two art teachers, Mr. Loftin
and Mr. Rigsby.
The formal event gave
out cash prizes for the best
pieces in the event. The
works that were seen in the
Art Show are displayed in
the school‟s front lobby next
to the front office. The artwork featured in the Art
Show can still be seen for
the remainder of March, so
get on down there! The large
diversity of the artworks allows people to have different
interpretations of the pieces
and makes for a more interesting approach.
The Art Show was a
great success. Many students entered their pieces,
showing a love of art across
many people. There were
many great pieces displaying
the hard work that went into
the painting, sculptures and
Spring 2014
Mixed Media:
1st: Anna Houston Mysterious Eyes
2nd: Garrett Yarbrough Rejection, Objection, Exclamation
3rd: Garrett Yarbrough A Little Rough Around the Hedges
3-D:
1st: Madison Sullivan In the
Palm of My Hand
2nd: Madison Sullivan Pandora’s Box
drawings.
Mr. Loftin and Mr.
Rigsby wanted the Art Show
to be a formal event, like a
real art show, so formal
dress was needed. There
were concessions available to
the visitors who came so that
they could enjoy great food
along with the vibrant pieces, not to mention the six
fabulous kinds of brownies.
Then when everyone was
wondering who would win,
the hosts called out the winners‟ names.
The winners were organized into the art groups
of paintings, drawings,
mixed media works, and
three-dimensional pieces. A
Faculty Award and a Best in
Show were also bestowed upon the best artists in the
show. The winners are as follows:
3rd: Madison Sullivan Jamaican Me Crazy
Painting:
1st:
Kiersten Joyner Nature’sNewDawn
2nd: McKenzie Heath Sea
Breeze
3rd: McKenzie Heath The Pink
Box
Drawing:
1st: Haley Weaver I Can
2nd: McKenzie Heath Falling
Leaves
3rd: McKenzie Heath The Pink
Me
The Best in Show was
awarded to Kiersten Joyner‟s
“Equine Illusion” and the
Faculty Award went to Madison Sullivan for her “In the
Palm of My Hand”. Next year
we can only hope that even
more artists will enter the 6th
Annual NLHS Art Show and
display their talent.
By: Garrett Yarbrough
Page 4
Perfect
We‟re The “Millenial‟s”
There is a two lane highway
With a new design
On which we all must stay
Still undefined
The Past is left – The Future is
Right
And unrefined
You may choose which one you
stray
Watch us take the world by
storm
And blow them X‟s minds
But you
and I, we
venture
right
Yes, We‟re Generation Y
Not sure
of any
destination
And someday over
time, we‟ll be generation bye
Generation Fly
Don‟t you want to
leave something behind?
Yet we
still kick
our feet up high
If so then let us decide
And move along, no hesitation
We‟ll be the…
We crank the radio up on loud
Invincible
And we sing every word to every
single song
Unconventional
There‟s a smile on my face and
a fire in my heart
Individual
For I know wherever we end up
we‟ll keep moving right along
Unpredictable
Unconditional
Millenials
We‟ll create the world we want
Why not? when the sky is nothing but empty canvas
And we can follow any dream we
choose
There is nothing to lose and no
one to stop us
The world is in your hands
“…we [the Millenials]
are also expected to
do the impossible, and
sometimes we can.” –
Brooke Mc Collum
While your hands are held in
mine
Isn‟t that what we are all
about?
Making this our time…
Yea were hopelessly fine
Hopefully blind
Seeing the world
In a whole new state of mind
No longer confined
A stray mark on a straight
line
Erased to create a line that is
unblemished
Perfect
Numbers jumbled together to
create anarchy
Moved around to create organization
Perfect
A spot always claimed was
taken
Now no longer taken but
claimed
Perfect
Everything even and perfectly
straight
Everything always exactly the
same
Perfect
Chaos creates uneven and
jumbled things
Someone who tried to help
but failed
No longer Perfect
Life's twist and turns goes to
disarray
No longer organized, no longer the same
Complete and utter chaos has
taken it apart
Now nothing is no longer Perfect
- Katlyn Varnell
-Holly Holder
Grumpy Garrett #3
Q: Is Miley Cyrus’ condition genetic?
A: Yes, I’m afraid so. Symptoms are usually late onset and are generation recessive.
That is why young Ms. Cyrus has succumbed to this disease, as is evident in her latest musical endeavors. I believe it is not polite to point out what she does because,
after all, she cannot help it; she’s a slave to her sickness. At the all to recent release
of Billy-Ray Cyrus’ (her father) “Achey-Breakey Heart 2”, his contraction of the disease has become obvious.
How can you help people like this in need? All you have to do is give two quarters a day and give it your attention. What is this horrible condition you say? This horrendous disease is known as being irrelevant.
Q: I can’t help but notice that a lot of “tw” words have cropped up in recent times. Words such as “Twitter” and
“twerk”. Where did these come from all of a sudden?
A: It’s about time you know the truth. The Twapocalypse is upon us. Two twits are prophecied to form the terrible twosome, send the world into a twilit realm. This is said to cause the time-space continuum break and
twangle from two twinset points in time. It will twinkle into nonexistence soon afterwards, twizzling into an
unrecoverable spiral. Anyway, sweet dreams.
Q: How do you turn up on your parents?
A: “Turning up” on one’s parents is a five-step plan. First, you need to have swag. Swag doesn’t come cheap,
so be prepared to fork over some cash. Next, you need to have a proper moment plotted in which the turning up will
occur. Thirdly, you need to have your turn up speech memorized. After all, it would be pretty embarrassing if you
fumbled
your words when you’re doing something important like turning up. Fourth, you need air horns. The
ones they have in c
lubs and rap songs. You can’t turn up without air horns. Lastly, proper funeral arrangements
need to be made. After y
ou’ve departed this world, you wouldn’t want to make too much trouble.
Q: If vegetable oil is made from vegetables and peanut oil is made from peanuts, then what is baby oil made from?
A: Mineral oil and a light fragrance. Most companies just squeeze it out of Dwayne Johnson.
Q: My parents keep telling me stories about how they had to do stuff like walk twenty miles to school barefoot and
how I wouldn’t last twenty minutes in their childhood. Why do they keep telling me stuff like this?
A: It’s because you’re still just a wee lad. Once you’re older you’ll understand. When I was a boy, I had to
wrestle a bear to get to school. If I didn’t put him in a hold fast enough, I’d be late! I don’t know what’s wrong
with you kids with all of your fancy “iProds” and “feelings.” My friends and I threw rocks at each other for fun,
we didn’t have “Netfleece.” The loser had to cauterize their own wounds! Yessiree, back in my day we had 9
planets…
Q: What happened to music in today’s world?
A: After moments of research I have found your answer. Aliens. Real music has gone the way of the dodo and
pop and techno have killed good ol’ rock n’ roll. Aliens are trying to communicate with their hybrid humanalien children on their Earth colony by way of dubstep and autotune. I know this is to be true because the Internet has told me so.
Q: What has happened to television? There is nothing but unrealistic reality shows.
A: As I outlined in my previous answer, I believe this to be the work of aliens. T.V. has become the focal point
of alien re-education. It has to be that or…something far worse…money.
Q: If every country in the world is in debt, where did all that money go?
A: Down the drain, obviously.
Q: Why do kids these days seem to speak their own language?
A: Na bruh, I smelling wat ur stepping in. Don’t agitate the gravel or u will mess with teh Original G. Legit,
bruh. Don’t believe me, see me in da paint brah! #YOLO #Real Swag
Q: If you could choose to either not wash your bed sheets ever again or not wash your bath towel ever again,
which one would you not wash?
A:
Maddie‟s Mad College Disease
because we truly want to flee
ing. So, in essence, when I agree
I‟m not really a runner, and I
what snatches the rug from un-
to the bonds of college, I‟m sacri-
suppose that is why I didn‟t run
der us, makes us catch our
ficing the state of mind that ex-
when I heard the words “senior,”
breath (literally) and what will
ists when I realize I am no longer
“college applications,”
catch us in the end; age. With
a scared, shy child. I do this in
“scholarships,” and “senioritis.” I
the passing of time, we get older
exchange for the slight possibility
really wish I were a part of the
and look fondly back on the days
that I may not even change the
cross country team, or at least
we walked around the house
world or my community, but one
knew how to keep my breathing
without pants and responsibil-
person. That is all that matters;
patterns regular while I flee from
ity… responsibil-
that I will change at least one
a four year (or more) college com-
ity....RESPONSIBILITY.
person‟s world, other than my
mitment, and what entails.
You know, they say col-
Whew! I am almost eighteen years old. I‟m almost old
own.
On the flip side, I‟m too
lege isn‟t for everyone. What
enough to change the world, and
“stressed” to do anything, right?
sucks is that they don‟t really
that scares the bejeezus out of
Isn‟t that what being a millennial
mean that. By “they,” I mean the
me. Can I use that word? See,
is all about? I don‟t think I can
older generation talking down to
that is the thing. Age takes away
handle this responsibility and
the millennials. They don‟t realize
what today‟s high school is like.
Studies show that students in
high school have the same stress
levels as patients in a mental
ward. What does that say about
“I consider our
„selfishness‟
self-be
Any
good musicasmust
expression
instead
with a
an innovation.
passion to follow our
-Les
Baxter
dreams
and make something out of our lives.” Holly Holder
commitment. If I decide not to
attend college (maybe it really
isn‟t for me), I have plenty of time
for Netflix and general unproductivity. And because nobody will
live with a jobless slob, there will
us? Maybe we are being forced to
your right to say things, possibly
be plenty of room for people just
grow up too fast, or maybe we are
offending anyone and say “I‟m
like me to visit. Only visit. Don‟t
forcing ourselves to grow up too
sorry.” Those two words won‟t cut
stay. That requires commitment.
fast for the glories of riches and
the mustard anymore. See, other
fame.
than running from age, I‟m runI think we wish to flee
from the college commitment,
ning away from the possibility
that my life will amount to noth-
By: Madeline Midyette
Was It More Acceptable In the 80‟s?
Through the decades, there have
been many pioneers and innovators in pop music, from Michael
Jackson to Whitney Houston,
Hansen, NWA, Celine Dion, Bon
Jovi, Wham, you name it! Some
lasted one year; others spanned
over multiple decades. And those
who lived through the days of
elaborate afro wigs, flared jeans
and studded handbands will tell
you that those were the days of
“real music” and that today‟s radio
waves emit nothing but trash compared to the tunes they relate with
on a nostalgic level.
Fast forward to the new millenium and you see a sonic boom of
record company cash cows such
as JoJo, Avril Lavigne, Nsync, Nelly, 50 cent, Destiny's Child, Christina Aguilera and the list goes on.
A lot of young people are taking
over the mainstream with popinfected radio hits and the occasional use of shameless autotune.
As the 2000's go on, we see rappers hanging up their massive gold
chains and tightening the belts on
their jeans, female singers are beginning to wear less and embrace
their bodies (which some feminists
actually see as devaluing the female body) and lyrical content has
also become very...whats the
word? Explicit.
Across the board of genres, one
thing that has really changed is
the use of explicit lyrics in songs.
Rap groups such as NWA brought
about the use of foul language into
the hip hop world and the notorious Madonna was one of the first
pop stars to market herself with a
provocative image that many have
followed: Britney Spears, Beyonce
and Christina Aguilera especially.
But there is a good side to this
lyrical freedom. Rappers such as
Macklemore have written frank
Spring 2014
and honest songs about the prejudices against homosexuals which
has given many people tolerance
and awareness. If he recorded this
song fifteen years ago, well, I'm not
even sure a record label would allow him to record it in the first
place.
Another major change is the use
of electronically made instrumentals. Now, contrary to popular misconceptions, disco and techno music is not simply made by “pushing
buttons” in a studio; there is so
much more that goes into it and
many artists are taking advantage
of this new style, but that also
makes it a problem when too many
singers are trying to sound like
Skrillex and Daft Punk without
giving it any thought.
Yes, many things have changed,
hairstyles have become less obnoxious, clothes are tighter, even
the personal lives of stars affects
Any good music must be
an
innovation.
the kind of music they make. The
new millenium has given music a
new face. With social media such
as Twitter and YouTube, it has
become so much easier for people
to become recording artists. The
biggest teen star in the world, Justin Bieber, was discovered on
YouTube by a label manager even
with low quality footage. It seems
like there‟s a never ending supply
of the same kind of singer nowadays, and every girl or guy on a
talent show is “sixteen with a
voice and a dream!!!!”. Easy exposure becomes overexposure,
and yes you might be talented,
but if the top 40 charts decide to
play your song every 15 minutes
your artistry becomes redundancy.
One major downfall of our
generation‟s music culture is
how disposable it has become.
Twenty years ago, you had to
physically buy records and albums if you wanted to listen to
your faves, which boosted their
career and what they work for.
Sadly, the digital age has given
us a gluttonous amount of power
to be able to rip, zip and torrent
music for absolutely nothing.
This also leads to a lot of plagiarism and copyright issues which
lessens the value of an artists‟
craft. It's like ordering a pizza
and then not paying for it. You
might be full, but the business
owner suffers.
So the next time you hear
your parents drone on about
how much better music used to
be, ask them if their parents
complained about them constantly trying to emulate the
thriller dance or if their Nirvana
phase was almost a call for an
intervention.
Different generations have different fads, trends and popular
music, neither is better or worse
than the other, just different. As
teenagers, music holds so much
value in most of our lives, it defines us in many ways and has
done so throughout the ages.
By: Chanel-Joy Seymour
Page 9
The Vibe of a Narcissistic Age
The generation
known as the "Millenials"
has also come to be known
as "Generation Me". The
world has come to view
these teens as narcissistic
and lazy.
The very
word millennial has
been given a
bad connotation; teens
in this age
and time live
up to the
terrible
things that
are said
about that
generation.
Teenagers
have become
absorbed in social media
and don't notice what's
happening in the world
around them. There have
been several people to say
that the "Millenials" will be
the generation that does
nothing. They are shown as
self-absorbed and not interested in other major
problems that encompass
the world.
Narcissistic derives
from the Greek mythology
about Narcissus, a human
who falls in love with his
own reflection in a lake.
The teenagers of this age
are known for their narcis-
Spring 2014
sistic tendencies, such as
grooming themselves in
class or making sure everyone knows about their social life. The fact that the
word "selfie", which is a
picture taken
of one's self
and used for
social media
purposes,
was the
number one
word of the
year for 2013
does not help
much in quieting the accusations
placed
against them.
With
all the technology that surrounds everyone's life every second of
the day, it is easy to see
how this generation has become self-absorbed and lazy. Teenagers rely on their
parents to pay for everything they want and that
they don't need to work to
support themselves. For
those that actually obtained jobs, they expect
others to the heavy lifting
while they sit back and
watch. The generations of
today have no work ethics,
they expect to just get by.
They don't notice the problems that face people, such
as those that are homeless
or those that are starving.
Even if they do notice they
choose to turn a blind eye
and continue with their
happy lives.
The "Millenials" are
known for being narcissists
and lazy; they only care
about "me". Being known
as a Millennial is not a
good thing, in fact it is the
exact opposite of what
someone would think if
they heard the term used.
They are the "age of me",
and the "age of doing nothing"; being self-absorbed
and narcissistic has allowed this generation to become centered around their
own social lives and completely ignore everything
else in the world. The
"Millenials" have given off a
bad vibe for this age. Instead of the "Millenials",
this generation should be
known as the Narcissistic
“… Millennial‟s
areyou
seen
“Remembering
where
as
lazy
just
because
other
came from every so often
keeps you in check.
It‟sseem
nice
generations
cannot
toto
stop
and smell the
understand
ourroses,
lifebut any one of them could
styles.” -Kimani Perry
have a bee in it.”
Age.
By: Katlyn Varnell
Page 10
Rebels without a clue, but with a cause.
While the world tends to see Millennials as incredibly self-righteous, self-driven and… well… self- centered, how
do we see ourselves? We, as writers at the Hawk’s Quill, feel that the reputation of Millenials is both deserved…
and completely misunderstood.
What about those who have done the extra-ordinary? People such as Malala Yousafzai. At the time of
her attempted assassination, she was fifteen years old and was already a large proponent for education. She
especially had a passion for those who do not have educational opportunities in Pakistan, like young women.
Her attempted assassination and eventual recovery sparked a worldwide drive to have every child in
school by 2015. Petitions in her home country led to Pakistan‟s first Right to Education Bill. The impact Malala‟s
personal life had on educational furtherance lead to her recognition as the “The 100 Most Influential People in
the World,” the first recipient of Pakistan‟s first National Youth Peace Prize, and a nomination for the Nobel
Peace Prize.
While we may not live up to what Malala has done in her sixteen years of life, it has come to my attention that the Millennials are radical about money giving, hipster owned businesses that give to those in need
worldwide. These businesses include those that have visited our area or reached us through the internet or other communication.
Even in our own school, we see a student body giving back through Invisible Children, Jeans for Teens,
Stop Hunger Now, among other organizations. Most of these programs are started up and entirely organized by
students. These students are empowered by not only what they can do individually, but with a support system
of over a thousand students.
We are not as frugal with our money as other generations would want us to be. And so what if we are
criticized for blowing $50 on our favorite shoes? Some shoe companies take half of this money and use it to put
shoes on someone who has never had foot protection before. So what if we spend $200 on a pair of hipster
glasses? Half of that money goes to vision care in third world countries. So what if we take couch change, and
can feed 6,000 with it? Is that not a cause that should be praised, instead of looked down upon as frivolous
spending by older generations?
We hear what the older generations have to say. And guess what? We are millennials. We don‟t listen,
remember? So, we will continue to blow our money on things we merely want, so others can get what they really
need. We will continue to give back as we find more ways to become even more self-centered yet even more world
-aware. Written from a millennial, I‟m okay with that deal. I would just like to ask the older generations to keep
their grumbling down while I do it.
Do it for the Vine!
Move over Keek!
When it comes to short videos it looks like you have a
little competition! That's
right I'm talking about Vine.
Vine is an app
that allows you to make
and publish a six second
video. "A video six
seconds long?" you wonder. Yes that is correct. Although these videos have
an outrageously short time
span, they can make your
emotions range from
happiness to sadness, and
to "What were they thinking
when they made this?"
Recently I walked
around the campus and
asked a variety of students who their favorite
viner was. Can you guess
who the person was? By an
incredibly large amount
of votes, this viner, a North
Carolinian himself, Nash
Grier was our
winner. Yes I am talking
about the guy with the extremely blue eyes and an
adorable little sister.
Nash makes a variety
of vines, but he became a
hit
when he began to post videos of him and his little sister singing. The most
popular vine of them by far
is Nash singing "Royals" as
his sister takes a
twist to the lyrics and sings
"you can call me green
bean" instead of "you
can call me queen B." Although Nash has uploaded
these vines of him singing
with his little sister, do not
mistaken him as an singer.
Vine. With more than five
million followers on the
app he is the number one
most followed person. In
the past months these
vines have tremendously
changed Nash's life. He is
very well known around
the world now, and has
even been in magazines
and interviewed by Good
Morning America!
In late 2013 Nash
joined a tour called
"Magcon." Magcon is a viner convention that stands
for Meet And Greet Convention. This tour consists
When it comes to
of Nash Grier, Cameron
his videos he definitely falls Dallas, Matthew Espiinto the comedy category. nosa,Shawn Mendes, TayFor instance, in a
lor Caniff, Carter Reynolds,
recent vine he did a reAaron Carpenter,Jack Gilinmake, with two fellow vin- sky, Jack Johnson, and DJ
ers, of the famous Titanic
Mahogany Lox. In the past
scene where Rose stands few months the tour has
at the front of the ship with become very popular, and
Jack behind her; where
is in high demand of many
Nash is standing in a
states. The tour will continWalmart cart with "Matthew ue this summer traveling all
Espinosa" behind him, as
around North America.
"Cameron
-Aneshia Murrell
Dallas" pushes the cart,
with the Titanic's theme
song playing in the
background.
With his popularity
any video he makes now
automatically goes
to the popular page on
Best of 2013: Youtube
Would you believe me if I told you
that a simple trip to a zoo with friends started one of the greatest cultural movements of
the last century? Or maybe it would be a
little easier to believe that one artists‟ music
video has been seen a billion times by people from every corner of the globe, that a
young kid posting videos online paved his
way to multimillion fame and success, and
that a single message you want to share has
the potential to reach millions of people over
night. This isn‟t magic but a more common
source we use every single day without even
thinking twice. Whether used for help on
homework, a need to laugh, or to listen to
that song stuck in your head for days now,
Youtube has become the most important
social media tool on the internet. Though
this website has been up and running since
co-founder Jawed Karmin posted his video
“Me at the Zoo,” in 2005, it seems that 2013
was the sites peak year. Many video viewing
records were broken and Youtubers, or video bloggers on Youtube, started gaining
views and subscription, boasting some of
them up to celbrity status. So many videos
went viral this year, it is hard to say which
ones were most important to our year, but I
have narrowed it down and I am counting
down the Top Ten Best of Youtube awards.
Let‟s get started…
relationship. Channels dedicated to pranks
can pull in anywhere from 400,000 to 5 million subscribers, making it a very popular
trend right now.
8. The Cup Song
If any song has been covered by
hundreds of Youtube bloggers, it is The Cup
Song. Originally sung in the motion picture
Pitch Perfect, this song requires only a cup
to perform. An easily accessed musical instrument and simple lyrics combine to form
the perfect formula for a viral video. So
many Youtube musicians have done covers
of this song, some sticking to the original
sound, others changing it up completely.
Many people kept the same cup rhythm but
added lyrics from another song, some
changed up the tempo or the rhythm itself.
No matter how you performed the piece,
whether on rooftops, in your bedroom, with
glass cups, plastic cups, or tap shoes instead, this song spread around to everyone
on Youtube.
7. Vevo records
fail videos. The most popular? A girl twerking before falling over and catching on fire!
Another popular fail video shows a girl
burning off her hair during a beauty tutorial! I am not sure why we find these videos
as funny as we do, maybe it‟s the people‟s
reactions, or maybe we‟re just glad it is not
only us these things happen to, but I have a
feeling we have not seen the last of Fail videos.
4. British Invasion
Vloggers (video bloggers)
have been popular for a while, but
it seems that lately more and more
of them come with an accent and
cheeky grin. That is because the
British Invasion has finally reached
Youtube, and aren‟t we glad of that!
I can sit here and list all the popular British channels such as Zoella,
JacksGap, Danisnotonfire, AmazingPhil, etc., but that would take all
night. All I know is that there is
something about the personality of
these vloggers that make them
simply irresistible!
2013 saw many insane videos being
posted, but some of the most viewed and
3. Tyler Oakley
talked about videos were just plain music
videos. In 2013 Vevo‟s record for most muIf any Youtuber had the
sic video views in 24 hours was broken
greatest year ever in 2013, it was
three times in one year. The first holder of
Tyler Oakley. Even though his vide10. Jimmy Fallon
this title was Miley Cyrus with her “We
os have been around for a while,
Can‟t Stop” music video which received 10.7
this past year made his name synThis popular late night talk show
onymous with celebrity status. His
host is very well known for his quick wit and million views in one day. That record was
broken when One Direction released the
channel has reached 3 million subhilarious comedy scene during his shows,
“Best Song Ever” video, bringing them 10.9
scribers and he has gotten to interbut this year three clips of his actually
view twice his all time favorite
made the list of the top 40 most viral videos views. But don‟t worry all you Miley fans,
band, One Direction. This loveable
in 2013. With close to 2 million subscribers this superstar came out the queen of
comedian‟s name and face is recogand videos reaching up to 30 million views, Youtube 2013, sweeping in and stealing the
nizable by almost everyone and he
he had to make this list for his most impres- record with “Wrecking Ball” which still holds
as of January 2014. I wonder who will be
has 2013 to thank for that.
sive breakthrough in online social media
this year. Fallon‟s friendship with megastar the next to break it? Will that happen in
2. What does the Fox Say?
Justin Timberlake proved itself quite popu- 2014?
You either love it or hate it,
lar when the duo‟s video “#Hashtag”
6. Creativity through Dance
but be honest… you just sang the
reached over 20,890,000 only four months
The most popular and creative videtitle, didn‟t you? The tune is catchy,
after being posted. Jimmy Fallon definitely
os in 2013 had one thing in common… their
the idea unique, the lyrics, well,
secured his spot this year as one of
use of dance. This genre of self expression
weird, but everyone has heard it at
Youtube‟s most popular TV host.
made its way to Youtube and found a video
least once. The music video for this
9. Prank Videos
that would appeal to almost every viewer.
song by Yivis has reached well over
Whether it was a lady made famous for
300 million views and was the most
2013 definitely proved to be the
viral video of 2013. That explains
years of laughs. Youtube was filled with sar- posting her resignation from a job in the
how EVERYONE knows what the
castic and funny videos that were viewed by form of a hip hop dance entitled “I Quit,” or
the Cup Song performed on tap by a class,
fox indeed says.
many over and over again. A very popular
comedic video happened to be prank videos. dance reached out and touched many peo1.Harlem Shake
Many of this year‟s most viral videos includ- ple this year. Marriage proposals using song
This by far was the most viewed
and dance were also quite popular. Whether
ed pranks such as the “Telekinetic Coffee
it was to make you smile, to spread love, or and most recorded genre of video in 2013,
Shop Surprise” prank based on the horror
and maybe even in the whole history of
flick Carrie. This prank pulled on customers to find a creative way to quit your job, it
at a coffee shop racked in 44,000 views as of seemed like people just couldn‟t get enough Youtube. These videos are short, creative,
and just plain weird but we all got addicted
of dance in 2013.
the beginning of 2014. Prank compilation
to them at one time this past year.
videos posted summing up the best of 2013
5. Fail Videos
have reached millions of views and countYes it is horrible to see people get
ing. Youtube channels have been dedicated
hurt, but somehow 2013 Youtubers found a By CJ Seymour
to this art form such as PrankvsPrank,
way to make it pee your pants hilarious. At
where a couple film the crazy pranks they
have pulled on each other throughout their least five of Mashable.com‟s 40 Most Viral
Videos of Youtube list could be considered
Remember When…
In the midst of all of
this “millennial” talk, people
are referencing things like
“innovation”, “progression” ,
and all of that phooey. Does
anyone truly remember the
good old days? I remember
them like they were just yesterday. The days when NSync was the epitome of
“fresh” and all anyone had to
worry about was cleaning up
after their dyspeptic Tamagotchi‟s.
we had “newspapers”. In fact,
some say that on foggy mornings, if you ventured far
enough into the forest, you
might catch a glimpse of the
once majestic Morning Paper.
Then again, that‟s just a legend. Even so, all the supposed “headlines” the Paper
had were just mullet wrapper
stories like “Vladimir Putin
Put in Power” and
“Accusations of China Stealing U.S. Nuclear Secrets”‟.
Yessiree, remember stuff like the little
phonographs you could carry
around in your pocket with
the little square records you
could pop in and out of them?
What were they called…oh
yeah! “Hit Clips”! That‟s it.
And you can‟t forget those…
things, you know, they had
designs on them and you
were supposed to collect
them, although no one really
knew what you were supposed to do with…? Ah,
shoot. I lost my train of
thought. It‟ll come back to me
eventually.
No ma‟am, real journalistic excellence was
achieved through the Great
American Novel. The best
books of all-time have been
products of the good ol‟ days.
Goosebumps, Animorphs, and
Roald Dahl‟s masterpieces
like Matilda and The BFG.
Politics weren‟t
much more than those vague
subjects that adults complained about. Nonsense like
“My tax dollars aren‟t being
put to good use”, or “I don‟t
think Clinton did anything”,
soon followed by “What‟s the
deal with ol‟ Dubya? He always has that glazed look”.
Before we had those smart
bricks that you could access
the infinite cumulative
knowledge of mankind with,
Spring 2014
“Remembering where you
came from every so often
keeps you in check. It‟s nice
to stop and smell the roses,
but any one of them could
have a bee in it.”
You can‟t mention Truth, Justice, and The American Way
without mentioning the most
„Merican author of all:
J.K. Rowling. She authored
the greatest American tales of
Harry Potter and Co. in the
fictional world of Britain.
Horror was also a different story in the times of
old. Nowadays, we have the
ParaNorman Activities and
the multifarious movies of demonic displays of destruction.
Back in my day, we didn‟t
look to the cinema for scares.
Books provided enough shivers to keep the sheet over
your head at night. The main
source of nightmare fuel were
the Scary Stories To Tell In
The Dark. Not only were the
stories petrifying, the illustrations look like they came out
of the darkest recesses of Alice Cooper‟s album covers.
Plus, the books also doubled
as laxatives because they
could make any kid mess
their drawers.
As I‟ve entered my old
age, I‟ve naturally come to reflect upon things. I‟ve noticed
everyone has their “olden
days”. Even if there is fifty
year gap between them, everyone‟s good ol‟ days contain
similar embellished memories. When young „uns listen
to me talk about the good
times, they chalk it up to
“senility” or “selective
memory”. Probably more of
the latter. Seeing anything
through nostalgia-tinted vision makes everything seem
better. You might think the
world today is a worse place
than it was when you were
younger, but it‟s exactly the
same as it was then. The
same play but with different
actors. Nostalgia is a good
thing, though. Remembering
where you came from every so
often keeps you in check. It‟s
nice to stop and smell the
roses, but any one of them
could have a bee in it.
Page 14
“If we can become a „we‟ instead of a „me‟ maybe, just maybe, this country will become a better place for the next generation”- Tyquail Jones
“… the rewards for small accomplishments are the cause of laziness in
the Y Generation… because the expectations for yourself decrease
when you have been rewarded for smaller accomplishments, which
leave them thinking that less effort is good enough.” -Katie Greene
“It doesn‟t help [the reputation of Millennials] that the word for 2013 is
„selfie.‟ -Katlyn Varnell
“Our generation strives to be average.” -Jaylin Lynch
“Millennial‟s are very open-minded people. With an open mind, there is
no limit to what we can do.” -Jallil Tune
“Being Millennial, I think you are able to see more gray than just black
and white. You are able to see things as more of a whole.” -Michaela
Meeks
“Our generation can live without their phones, but they can‟t survive
without them.” -Dominique Mitchell
“Technology has changed today‟s people for better and for worse; millennials are just a product of it.” -Callie Kesler
“We break away from the simpler, more conformed ways of our predecessors, in an age experiencing advances left and right.” -Kiersten Joyner
“I think that if people really look and open their eyes; there is more to
Generation Y than what meets the eye.” -Brianna Radford
To me, being a millennial means having a choice… past generations… always had to follow he norm.” -Katie Griffith
Journalism Staff
Teacher Advisor: Kimberly Parrott
President: Madeline Midyette
Vice Presidents: Chanel– Joy Seymour and Garrett Yarbrough
Secretary: Bailey Humphrey
Creative: Holly Holder, Katlyn Varnell, Garrett
Yarbrough and Kia Dunn
Human Interest: Madeline Midyette, Aneshia
Murrell and Katlyn Varnell
School News: Garrett Yarbrough
Tech Support: Jorge “Chico” Quidel and Garrett Yarbrough