Dukes' Dispatch November 2011

Katie Smith

Student Life Co-editor

Many see breast cancer and merely see a disease, not the effects of the disease. When they see a statistic of how many women are afflicted with it, they take no interest, deeming it merely a number with it in no way relating to them. They don’t see that the women in their life could be a possible victim. And even though it isn’t contagious, the cancer is spreading, the awareness continues to rise, ev-erywhere one looks there seems to be a victim…even in Gloucester. Virginia as a whole is aware of breast cancer and has a Virginia Breast cancer Foundation that is try-ing to put the stop of cancer as a state priority. Though, it wasn’t founded by a political of corproate group, it was founded by a group of women who were astounded by the lack of information about it and started the foundation. They go and speak to all whom are willing to listen, tell-ing them about how breast cancer is a growing epidemic and how people need to look into the causes of breast cancer, how to prevent it, and how to detect it, and unfortunately if you do get breast cancer, they also speak of the need of being educated on the treatments and the cure of breast cancer. Also, for those women who don’t have quality health care, they try to provide that for all women. They also work with other organizations to raise funding to continue breast cancer research. They want to unite Vir-ginia in the fight against breast cancer While the Virginia Breast cancer Foundation is spreading the word, the word hasn’t really hit Glouces-ter yet. Though some people in Gloucester have been aware of the spread of breast cancer, and being aware they set up stations in which those victims can go where there will be support and help for those who need it.

One of these places is where one would expect it to be, the Riverside Hospital. The Riverside Hospital doesn’t have a center necessarily just for breast cancer, but also offers support for other types of cancer victims, like prostate, lung, colorectal, and pancreatic. At Riverside, they offer services that help patients and their family along, understanding how they feel. They want to create an environment where the patients feel secure enough to have trust in the employees there. They aren’t all about diagnostics and treatments, although that is very important, like previously stated they are aware of the taxing emotional burden and also want to serve at a sort of therapy as well. Another location is also kind of obvious, the Red cross. Though may not think so since they are an emer-gency organization, the Red Cross can provide some support for cancer victims. They are very connected with the medical world. They mainly just point the victims in the right direction, of who to go to in the

sense of specialized doctors. Though it may not seem like much that’s at least a good push in the right direction to where they can go in hope

of ridding themselves of breast cancer. Another place most people over look

is their own community, friends, and family. Considering Glouc-ester is a small town, we a very close knit society and are will-ing to lend a helping hand to all those afflicted with Cancer. As

many of you know, Gloucester holds a Relay for Life which raises

money for victims of any type of cancer, breast cancer included. Also within the high school

there are small fundraises for breast cancer, like the pink game. Breast cancer, any cancer really, the victims are in a world without the funds and information to fully understand and to treat the cancer. The support groups help treat the burden of cacner of cancer and even help with the emotional stress, but that isnt enough. We need to be aware that breast cancer is all around us, and be active in the events that helps those who have it. We have to let them know that there is hope. •

Gloucester High School

Dukes’ Dispatch6680 Short Ln. Gloucester, VA 23061•[email protected], November 4, 2011 VOL 36 Issue 2

•Providing a pathway for student voice on campus and throughout the community•

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INSIDE

Student Life..................................1-4

Op-Ed.................................................5

Entertainment.............................6-7

Spotlight...........................................8

GHS playing for pink

November Events

1 – Board of Supervisors Meet-ing 7:00

4 – End of 1st Quarter

7 – Professional Day (No School)

8 – Professional Day (No School)

9 – Monthly School Board Meeting 7:00

Start of 2nd Quarter

11 – Veteran’s DayReport Cards Issued

15 – Board of Supervisors Meeting 7:00

21-25 – No School

23 – Basketball Home Game 6:00

December Events

2 – Wrestling Match at Gloucester 7:00

3 – Gloucester Christmas Parade

– Basketball Home Game 5:30





19-30 – No School

January Events

2 – No School






16 – Martin Luther King DayNo School



27 – End of 1st Semester

30-31 – No School

CJ Forbes

Reporter

College sports teams often do it. Professional sports teams often do it. But seldom do high school sports recognize October Breast Cancer Awareness month by wearing pink. However, the boy and girls volleyball teams did just that for their home game on October 11 against Hampton. Both teams have experienced successful and winning seasons and this game was no different. “I like all the excitement.” says Chris Hogge, who has gone to every home game. “The boys make it exciting on the bench.” GHS also recognized Breast Cancer Awareness on the Tuesday of Spirit Week. The pink game isn’t about the mo-ment where men wear a girly color, people wearing their least favorite or most favorite color, or a color that “shows off features”, said Cody Hansford. The game was all about raising money for the Giving Garden Foundation. “It’s for a good cause and we get to have fun and we raise money.” says Mckensie Fischer. “We sell raffles, 50/50 raf-fles, and bake sales.” Coach Nichols also sold additional raffle tickets during the game, for Maui Jim Sunglasses, free teeth whitening, and a Pandora bracelet. Obviously breast cancer affects thousands of people and their families a year. However, both the girls and boys’ vol-leyball teams have experienced breast cancer at a personal level.

“My grandmother had breast cancer and she beat it, so the fact that other people are raising money so other people can beat it means a lot, and I would do whatever I could to support this,” said Cody Hansford. On the girls’ side, Coach Wilson’s mother is a breast cancer survivor for sixteen years. The girls celebrated her many years of being cancer-free. In an emotional moment, they presented her with a surprise gift, a sash that read “sur-vivor,” a pink crown that also read “survivor,” and a corsage with pink flowers. “My mom has been a breast cancer survivor and has been for 16 years now, and it [the pink game] really means a lot to the cause. Plus it goes to the local charity, the Giving Garden Foundation where they help any cancer patient, not just breast cancer.” said Coach Wilson. Continuing, Coach Wilson said, “It means a lot. It affects a lot of people’s lives. I hope that whatever we are able to raise helps a lot of people.” When asked what the pink game meant to her Mary Beth Murphy, the coach’s mom and a school bus driver, said “It gives me goose pimples, the idea that young kids really getting in and being behind it. It’s a charity very dear to my heart.” Cancer often has a significant impact on their victims and their families. Such was the case with Murphy’s family, who has had many of her family members go through what she had to go through. “My daughter went to every single chemo therapy appointment with me, every single one of them. She was holding my hand while I was taking the chemo.” “It’s a curable disease, I will be a 16 year survivor this Christmas. It’s all about early detection,” says Murphy. •

Drew Anderson

Copy Editor

The environment is of un-equivocal importance. However, recycling is not all the Ecology Club has to offer; according to Raven, members of the club “make new friends and fun mem-ories. It’s a good place to come and chill out.” Many different types of stu-dents from all walks of high school life come to join. “There is a very diverse group of students [in Ecology Club],” says club sponsor Mrs. Wall. Everyone from athletes to drama students come together to help protect and benefit the environment. Even if you aren’t interest-ed in joining the club, there are many ways you can help the en-vironment in your everyday life. For instance, instead of throwing

that finished bottle of water into the trash, toss it into the recy-cling bin. Nobody likes to waste money, and what sense does it make to throw away a half-eaten hamburger? At lunch, only get what you are going to eat. Most importantly, if your family doesn’t recycle, encourage them to. It is best and easiest way to improve the environment, and if we don’t do something now, it will soon be too late. We all have an impor-tant role to play. So, if you’re interested in helping the environment or mak-ing new friends, the Ecology Club is a good club for you. It’s the best way to “Help your school and environment. You will have a lot of fun doing so,” says Mrs. Wall. To join, just head on down to A131 after school and tell Mrs. Wall that you would like to join. You won’t regret it. •

Raising the awareness in Gloucester

Huggin’ trees and recyclin’ debris

Free

Remember the ribbon:

CJ Forbes/Dukes Disptach

Pg.4

Check out the

JV squad and

their 6-1 record!

Pg.8

CJ Forbes/Dukes Disptach

Murphy gladly accepts her gifts from the girl’s volleyball team.

The volleyball team showing off their free gifts One of the many prizes that could be won from the raffles Ms. Murphy receives gifts from volleyball team

Homecoming

2011!pg. 3

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wareness Breast cancer

Photo: Mrs. WallA week’s worth of recycling for the Ecology Club

Student Life

Courthouse construction digs up past Lindsey McCuistion

Reporter

The Gloucester Courthouse construction has “dug up” more than just concrete. During the summer, many interesting things were uncovered by the construction, including three foundations and additional knowledge of our county. The Courthouse Circle has been under construction since late spring of this year. Construction is presently under the fifth phase of the Gloucester Main Street En-hancement Project to improve the area. According to the public works director, Garrey Curry, the construc-tion was originally set to run until January of 2012. New sidewalks and crosswalks are being built, as well as utility lines placed underground. The site stretches from the Court Circle to Justice Drive, whose intersec-tion with Main Street will also be redone to prevent people from scraping their vehicles on the curb. Two archaeologists from Fairfield Foundation, Dave Brown and Thane Harpole, were hired to monitor the construction in case anything was found during the project. According to Harpole, the workers were on the lookout for artifacts because of the historical sig-

nificance of the area. As soon as one of the workers discovered a foundation, they called the archaeologists to the site. According to Brown, it was built with 18th century handmade bricks, held together in an English

bond with oyster shell mortar. There were several items found with the foundation under the courthouse. Some of these artifacts were the bases, necks, and shards of glass wine bottles. Other artifacts found were the stem of a wine glass, and blue, hand designed pottery that probably originated in Eng-land. The building is believed to have been a wealthy house or a tavern. It was probably used during the early 18th century until it was torn down sometime before 1766, when the courthouse was built. Not much is known about the build-ings in Gloucester during the 18th cen-tury. There were several jails and two courthouses, some taverns, possibly a

clubhouse, and perhaps a few private homes. The foundations found in the courthouse circle, as well as the previous

discoveries from other excavations, might be able to answer some questions about the former buildings in the area. Further research is being con-ducted to find what significance these buildings had in Gloucester County. By learning about the buildings,

researchers can better grasp the history and develop-ment of our community. The excavation on the artifacts, along with some technical issues, delayed the construction on the courthouse. However, the construction was never completely stopped, as it continued in other parts of the area. Construction should finish sometime in De-cember, unless the weather hinders it or other discov-eries are made. •

Striving and striding

Signey

MilkS

FroM player to coach

After spending four years and graduating from GHS, then earning a degree in Nursing

from Lynchburg College, alum Signey Milks has retuned to GHS to become the assistant

coach of the Lady Dukes Varsity field hockey team.

After completing the “college years,” Milks moved on to work at the local Walter Reed Medical Center. Milks’s high school years consisted of sports, friends, and more

freedom. “I enjoyed playing so much while I was in high school and college,” says Milks, “so I was excited when they

offered me the coaching position and I was able to be a part of the team again.”

Ms. Riley/ Dukes’ Dispatch

Ryan Wheless

Editor-In-Chief

When people face adversity they generally claim, “That which does not kill you makes you stronger.” However, for Morganne Roundy this phrase took on a much more literal meaning when a devastating ac-cident threatened her life, challenged her to overcome physical limitations, and taught her to face every mis-fortune with optimism and determination. Currently Morganne Roundy is a senior at Glouc-ester High School, who has been a member of the cross country team for the past three years and is now a co-captain. However, just over two months ago Roundy endured an awful accident during Hurricane Irene that almost prevented her from returning to school and the team. As Hurricane Irene hit Gloucester, Roundy and her family faced a great deal of hardship. While driving home during the hurricane, a tree struck the Roundy family’s vehicle, leaving Morganne severely injured and unconscious. Immediately upon arriving at Medi-cal College of Virginia Hospital in Richmond, Roundy underwent life-saving brain surgery and remained unconscious for four days. After her first MRI and CT scan, her doctors predicted that she would not be able to talk or recognize anyone when she gained consciousness. However, her parents refused to be-lieve this and continued praying for their daughter. Remarkably, her second CT scan was completely normal, a miracle in itself. After additional surgery and multiple weeks in physical therapy, Roundy made a surprisingly swift recovery. When her doctors esti-

mated, however, that it would be months before she could run again, Roundy dismissed their predictions, knowing that running held too much significance in her life to abandon it for that long. “They told me I wouldn’t be able to run for six months...but I wouldn’t take their answer...I was de-termined that I would run again,” said Roundy. Running is much more than a means of exercise, but rather a way of life for Roundy, who has been a member of the cross country team throughout her entire high school career. With this passion for run-ning, she remained devoted to regaining her strength. After two weeks of physical therapy, she successfully improved her balance and was cleared to run. Proving her doctors wrong once again and defying medical odds, she took her first post-surgery run on Septem-ber 30, just one month after the accident.

“It was the best feeling ever being able to run again...I value [the ability to run] so much more now...sometimes you take it for granted...but when you have it taken away from you, you miss it so much more,” said Roundy. Her unwavering motivation to overcome this ob-stacle came as no surprise to her family and friends. “She’s always been driven to achieve what she wants. I knew between God and her determination she would be running again, before it was humanly possible,” said Megan Hogge, Roundy’s close friend and fellow cross country member. Continuous support from her family, friends, and members of the cross country team has given her strength through this challenging time. The success of the cross country team is not only measured by statistics and records, but also by the unifying bond that exists between its teammates. “The cross coun-try team is like my family,” said Roundy, noting the valuable relationships she has made during her time on the team. While the team served as inspiration for Roundy’s recovery, her determination served as inspiration for the team’s success.“Our cross country team has always been very sup-portive and encouraging of one another, but Morganne has taught every one of us to be more appreciative of each another,” said Hogge. Although Roundy could not be cleared to com-pete in any races this season, she contributes to the success of the team by attending each of the meets, providing tremendous support to her teammates, and offering positive words of encouragement before each race. “She is such a positive role model athletically, academically, and morally...as a captain of the team,

Morganne displays the highest quality of any leader by caring more about others than herself,” said Ben Dyer,

the assistant coach of the cross country team. Throughout this entire experience, Roundy has proven that with the right amount of faith, optimism, and determination a person can overcome a hurdle of any size and serves as a true inspiration to all. Ex-pressing how important it is to value each day, Roun-dy offers the following advice: “If you have the chance, take it. If the consequence is worth the prize, then take the chance and always give your best because today could be your last chance to give it.” •

Photo: Wendy Roundy

Present construction of the Courthouse circle on Mainstreet

Photo: Morganne Roundy

Morganne running with the team after her recovery

Cross country members (from left to right): Carrie Adams, Megan Hogge, Olivia Cross, Leah Procopi, and

Morganne Roundy


Layout: Susan Ortiz

A miraculous recovery inspires the cross country team

Student Life 3Friday, November 4, 2011 Vol. 36 Issue 2

HOMECOMING 2011

Pin

k Out

Mix It Up

Monday

Throwback

Thursday

Wacky Wednesday

SPIRITDAY

Layout: Susan OrtizPhoto: CJ Forbes, Ryan Wheless, Susan Ortiz/Dukes’ Dispatch

Logan George

Sports Editor

The homecoming game is the big-gest football event of the year. With all the hype built up from the pep rally and parade, all eyes are on the Varsity Dukes, everyone hoping for a victory. This year, they delivered big time. In a showdown with the Denbigh Patriots, Gloucester wanted to show fans that they could win important games. The game started off well with a GHS touchdown early in the first quarter. They missed the extra point so it was 6-0 Dukes. However, Denbigh struck back with an interception that led to a touch-down. When Aiden Thompson threw the pick, the crowd groaned as one and the tension was palpable. Just as the final seconds were ticking away in the second quarter, the Dukes scored another six points, putting them back in the lead. Coach Merchant wittingly tried for a two-point conversion to make it a three-posses-sion game. Unfortunately, the Patriots managed to stuff the two yard run, leaving the score 12-6. Once the clock hit zero for the first half, the band and color guard

marched out onto the field for the half-time show. Following the half-time performance, the winners of the homecoming court election marched down the track, arms intertwined. After all of the princes and princesses took their walk, the nominees for Duke and Duchess walked as the announcer de-scribed the candidates. After all the half-time excitement, the game resumed. The third quarter was primarily a battle between de-fenses. It was not until late in the third quarter that the Dukes managed to tack on a field goal, made by Jackson Lowther, adding to the lead. But as the game progressed, pen-alties became a major factor. Several false starts and the occasional pass interference calls were the two biggest obstacles in the Dukes’ strive for vic-tory. No one scored for quite a while af-ter the field goal, and victory looked to be secured. Suddenly, with only a few minutes left, Denbigh scored another touchdown. Luckily for Gloucester, they failed a second time at getting the point after (PAT). The scored was 15-12, with the Dukes still in the lead. Despite the lead, all the Glouc-ester fans were on the edge of their seats. Denbigh got the ball back with only about two minutes left. Several

penalties and missed tackles allowed Denbigh to charge down the field. This was the moment when the varsity Dukes’ defense really shined. Once the Patriots entered the red zone, Gloucester held them off for three consecutive plays. In a last gasp to steal away the game, Den-bigh’s quarterback threw an accurate pass to his wide receiver. Just when it looked like Gloucester was going to lose in the final seconds, the crowd stood as one and began to pound on the bleachers. Then, out of nowhere, Mark Greenaur made a diving deflec-tion, saving Gloucester’s win! At the moment of victory, the crowd went wild. “I stood up, ripped off my shirt and yelled,” said junior, Kyle Rowe. So with fifty seconds left, the Dukes assumed the victory formation, and after two quick knees, their record improved to 3-5, 2-5 in the district. Ryan Harris made a large con-tribution, scoring both of the Dukes’ touchdowns. “We hadn’t won a homecoming game since 2004,” says quarterback, Aiden Thompson. With this momentum, the foot-ball team is hoping to get another win in their final hame game this Friday, which will also be on Senior Night. So come out and support the Dukes! •

Success after seven

4 Student LifeFriday, November 4, 2011 Vol. 36 Issue 2

JV football team has a winning seasonLogan George

Sports Editor

Everyone is always talking about the varsity football team. “Did you see Aiden’s pass?” or “What’s a triple option?” Unfortunately, people forget about where all the stars started at: the junior varsity squad. This season, the JV team has stomped al-most all of their oppo-nents, winning all but one game! Their coach this season, Mr. Whenner, is very dedicated to train-ing his team of up-and-coming superstars. He works at another school, but he is willing to drive all the way to Gloucester High just to craft them into icons. His conviction for im-proving the team has paid off. The junior varsity team has a better record than the more experienced varsity guys. Why is that? It cannot be the players fault be-

cause they can only improve with experience. It is not the coaches either; they are well-educated in all things football. Most likely it is because other schools have more individuals trying out, so there are more people to choose from for both the JV and varsity squads. Our team runs a triple-option offense. I would like to correct myself from last year. I said the triple option is a passing play, but I have been corrected many times

over the past year, so now I know that it is, in fact, a rush-ing play. When the ball is hiked, the quar te r-back tries

to read the o p p o s i n g de f ense ’ s actions. Af-

ter analyzing what might be coming,he decides if he should hand the ball off to the running back, hold it for an extra moment and then pitch it to the running back,

or keep it for himself. All of these decisions happen in about a sec-ond. The triple-option is also famous because that is what 22nd ranked Georgia Tech runs primarily. The triple option is used at the varsity level. Coach Whenner is training his competitors for the play-ing style of varsity so they can have a smooth transition to more challeng-ing situations. Good idea on his part, because it eliminates the likelihood of an athlete dropping out because they would need to learn a new offense. One of the issues that the JV team has to struggle through is the lack of players to fill their roster. Many of the players have to take multiple roles on both sides of the ball, which can be very exhausting. For example, Corey Arnet, sophomore, has to play in two positions, offensive lineman and de-fensive tackle. However, all these ath-letes are conditioned well, so each one is capable of stepping up and pushing through fatigue in order to win a nail biter. Next year, many of the players will be moving up, taking the place of graduates Landon Smith and

Andrew Matney among many. With Coach Whenner’s skills and training, the varsity football will have several new additions next year that can help in a major way. I think all the football fans will be looking forward to the success these younger players will bring.•

Katie Smith

Student Life Co-editor

Many of us walk down the halls, overlooking the fa-miliar black sweatshirt that states: Gloucester March-ing Band .The Marching band, though large in size with 97 students participating in it, is not recognized that often. In fact even though marching band is tech-nically a sport, and when listing off sports most don’t even think about naming it, let alone actually saying it, even though the marching band is really good at what it does and have been that good since for several years. Though the blunder is understood since band always puts such a show on, always making their performances look effortless, that and because many just consider it a class, but, looks can be deceiving. Yes, there is band class, but they can’t fully practice in class since they need the whole band for the cohesive sound not just the broken up parts. Also within the class the band can’t practice their intricate marches, so they just merely fine tune their skills. The marching band also stays after nearly every school day practic-ing until 4:10. That’s makes an hour of practice after school, four days a week, not to mention they are also responsible of practicing at home. Do remember that with in that hour they are marching all the time no matter the temperature whether it be blazing heat or freezing cold. Though the practice does make for great perfor-mances at half time football game, they do do a great job at their school performances, like raising the school

spirit at the pep rally and putting an amazing show during the homecoming half-time, showing off their complex marching and cohesiveness with the color guard team, but they also are focused on competing in their district marching band competitions. This year the band started out strong with placing second in their first competition in Warhill, and contin-ued on with only not placing once at Hanover. They even got a 2, on a scale from 1-5, overall at their state competion with one being the best. The seperate sec-tions get their own score which is seprerate than the whole performance of the band. Though that isn’t the only competioton for band since they also compete for seats. The band competitions are often on a Saturday and so the Band would have to take out of their own time for the good of the band. The marching band is very loyal, disiplined, and committed to the good of the whole which could be why many of the students in band are honour roll students.Though, the march-ing band does put stress on those who have jobs or advance classes, only because of the time it takes, and it also puts some stress on the pocket book since they charge for food and uniforms.Though it may have these stresses and obligations, anyone in the band would say that it’s worth it because the band gives a sense of family and whole, also that and the fun they have together. Also, for any of those with younger siblings looking to go into band, thats actually a smart choice since not only does it build disipline, but also looks great on college applications since colleges look for qualities in their students that are often found the the participants of marching band.•

Logan George

Sports Editor

Armed with sticks, goggles, skirts and mouth guards, the Lady Dukes Field hockey teams, both varsity and JV, have done well this season. In fact, the varsity team went undefeated in their district, and recently captured the district tournament championship. Leading the offense is Courtnie Greene. If you have been following our field hockey team, odds are you have heard of this fantastic player. If Greene is not scoring goals, she is passing the ball up for assists. She is easily spotted when she is rushing through the opposing defense, flicking the ball over opponents’ sticks. Hannah Joyce is also a prominent scorer for the team and has received awards for her goal-scoring

capabilities. The Lady Dukes have a dominating defense to hold off charging forwards. The defense consists of seniors Rhiannon Miller and Amathyst Macey, in addition juniors Stacey Rhoades, Audrey Collier, Lili Reid, and Simone La Guardia, among others in the roster rota-tion. These girls are important for stopping the op-posing team from scoring, and they are good at their specialized jobs.

After finishing first in the district, the strong line-up went on to take on their opponents in the district tournament. In their first game against the Menchville Monarchs, the Lady Dukes came out victorious plac-ing them in the finals for the tournament. In the final round, the varsity girls went up against the Patriots of Denbigh High School. Although it was no easy game, the Lady Dukes managed to pull out a win, and the title of District Tournament Champions. During half time, the varsity team waited anxiously for the announcement of the girls that made the All- District teams. Hannah Joyce, Courtnie Greene, and Amathyst Macey all earned a spot on First Team All-

District. On Second Team All-District is Morgan Reed, Susan Ortiz, and Kayla Sadler. Breanna Fox came out with a spot on Third Team All District. The team has worked well together all season. Their bond has held them together through thick and thin, all of the hardships of the season. The Junior Varsity Lady Dukes have also upheld an undefeated season, which is a very impressive ac-complishment. Having completed the season, some of the younger players are looking forward to moving up to varsity next year, and the varsity team is looking forward to the new additions to the group. As of press date, the Lady Dukes are competing in the regional tournament held in Virgina Beach. •

Lady Dukes rock the district GHS Band: Overlooked GHS gem

Sophomore, Kayla Sadler, prepares for a corner.

The JV team marches off the field after an easy win.

Photo: Jordan Mosbaugher

Photo: Jordan Mosbaugher


The Junior Varsity team raise their helmets in pride with their victory.Ms. Riley/Dukes’ Dispatch

The offense and opposing defense line up right before the play.

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5Op-EdFriday, November 4, 2011 Vol. 36 Issue 2

Dukes’ Discourse

If you could create a new

Editorial Policy

The Dukes’ Dispatch reserves the right to select which letters to the editor are in each

issue. Letters to editor must be limited to ap-prox. 150 words and must be accompanied by the students name, contact information, and signature. The Dukes’ Dispatch will not print obscene, malicious, libelous or unsigned mate-rials. Letters must be submitted in an orderly and timely fashion. All opinions in the Dukes’

Dispatch solely reflect the ideas and beliefs of the author of the material whose name

appears in the byline; all opinions of letters to the editor are those of the author. The Dukes’

Dispatch does not discriminate in any way, shape, or form against the general public and the staff keeps an open mind while reporting,

editing, and reviewing information.

Dukes’ DispatchStaff

Sports EditorLogan George

Copy EditorDrew Anderson

ReportersCJ Forbes

Jessica GardnerLindsey McCuistion

AdvisorMs. Riley

Editor-In-ChiefRyan Wheless

Co-Student Life EditorsKatie Smith

Tatyana White-Jenkins

News EditorSusan Ortiz

Entertainment EditorDanielle Moore

Co-Layout EditorsDanielle Moore

Susan Ortiz

Unparalleled

Hipocracy:

The Protest

of Steve Jobs’

Funeral

Drew Anderson

Copy Editor

The Westboro Baptist Church is a small, Kansas based group that consists of 71 members. Most of the members of the “church” are the extended family members of Fred Phelps, the founder of the “church.” They are famous for protesting the funerals of soldiers and homosexuals. The “church’s” entire fortune was earned through lawsuits filed against people who react violently to their disgusting protests. The “church” has decided to protest the funeral of the recently deceased technological visionary, Steve Jobs. Margie Phelps, Fred Phelps’s offspring, tweeted the WBC’s reasoning behind their pro-test; “[Jobs] had a huge platform; gave God no glory and taught sin.” Exactly how Jobs taught sin was not specified, nor was how protesting his funeral was going to accomplish anything. The cherry that topped this ice cream sundae of bigotry was the fact that the tweet was sent via iPhone. The hypocrisy on display here is dumbfounding, jaw-dropping, and just shows how mind-numbingly out of touch Margie Phelps is with reality. The irony here could be detected by an infant, and it perplexes me how Margie doesn’t see how asinine her reasoning is. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with criticizing a corpora-tion or person while using their products or services. For instance, it is perfectly acceptable for a shopper at Wal-Mart to complain about the quality of service at the auto-department, then turn around and go to Wal-Mart for their oil change. This is because the person is trying to improve the quality of the product that Wal-Mart provides by pointing out why the product isn’t up to par. In a roundabout way, this complaining customer is helping the company by providing feedback so that they can improve their product and thereby increase customer satisfaction. Where it becomes hypocritical is when that same person, base-lessly or not, accuses Wal-Mart of using sweat shop labor to manu-facture their products, then turns around and continues to purchase their goods from Wal-Mart. When a person fundamentally disagrees with the actions of a company, yet continues to support that company through buying their products, they become a hypocrite. The Westboro Baptist Church has managed to make itself even more of a laughing stock than it already was, a task that I previously thought was impossible. Unfortu-nately for society, the “church” has caused much more than laughter; they have caused pain. Every fam-ily member of the dead soldiers can attest to that. It is profoundly disturbing that these people have tax exempt status just because they call themselves a church. Their only purpose in life is to force their fundamentalist, twisted dogma down other people’s throats. When those people rebel against them, they hide behind their lawyers. They say things like “God Hates Fags” and “Thank God for Dead Soldiers” to antagonize people into physical vio-lence. One thing is for sure though, if God exists, he would be a fool not to “hate” the WBC because all they do is use his scripture to oppress and offend people for virtually no reason. Unlike most Christians, they ignore all of the good, “moral” les-sons that can be found in the Bible and prop up passages that they can interpret to suit their barbaric, ignorant, bigoted agenda. It’s no wonder they only have 71 members. Hopefully, this ridiculous group will fade into obscurity sooner rather than later. •

Ignorance isn’t bliss

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Editorial Cartoon Illustrated by CJ Forbes

While finishing up the newspaper last month, some of our staff overheard a con-versation among students being asked their first opinions on certain words, groups, and important figures and their automatic as-sumptions on them, and to immediately write them down. “Barack Obama” was one of the first people named, and people automati-cally started to whisper between each other. “I hate Obama,” was one of the most said sentences, and then a student asked “Is Ba-rack Obama a democrat?” Upon the teacher answering the question with the appropriate “yes” the student fired back, “Okay, I hate him then.” The first thought that sprang to our minds

was, wow. Wow was about the only thing that could form in our brains. The idea of this article came soon after. In an age where most teens are influ-enced from the trash on television like Jersey Shore and The Real Housewives, we’ll give some people the benefit of the doubt and consider maybe they ignore the multiple news channels and outlets like MSNBC and CNN, or perhaps even the internet (And by the internet, we do NOT mean Facebook.) Being ignorant is almost next-to-impossible in this day and age, so if you choose not to listen to or know the current events and common political/social knowledge of this world, it’s on you. Keep in mind being ignorant and stupid are two completely different things. Although people often assume the correlation between the two, being stupid is having nil amounts of intelligence. Ignorance is lacking knowl-edge of a subject. We are born ignorant, not stupid. Through school and other outlets we slowly are able to strip away our ignorance,

yet some people choose to keep that charac-teristic of their life present. Trust us when we say, no one is stupid. Everyone is smarter in different areas and everyone varies. It’s the lack of the want or desire to be a more learned person that leads you down the path of ignorance. Teens are called the age of “me, myself and I” for a reason. We are selfish, and often only think about ourselves 99% of the time in any situation. Peer pressure is rampant, and that often leads us to do what is “cool” and “popular,” and that can often lead one into a world where you ignore everything that doesn’t fit that persona. Those unfit personas often include being a nerd, geek, or dork,

and yet the irony of this is that those people will be the political and economical leaders of the world. But the problem lies further with these questions: why is it funny or cute to act dumb or ignorant? Why do children not completely try to reach their full potential? The main and most important question is, however, why is the half-effort even accepted in an elitist world? As we delve deeper and deeper into economic troubles throughout the world, keep in mind putting forth a greater effort to learn now will help you when it’s time to be on your own. Educate yourselves on the issues that surround us; whether it is social, politi-cal, or economical. Don’t worry about what the status-quo tells you is okay and cool- try harder. Don’t speak before you think, and ultimately learn new things. Finally, believe us when we say: ignorance is NOT bliss. Knowledge and its appreciation is. •

Credit: MCT Campus

Corrections

The Duke’s Dispatch staff would like to correct our

factual errors. In the October issue, we misspelled the names of Ms. Finerfrock and Courtnie

Greene.

6 Friday, November 4, 2011 Vol. 36 Issue 2

The “Perks”of a good bookTatyana White-Jenkins

Co-Student Life Editor

Have you ever heard someone say that a book changed their life? Well, I had heard that multiple times but I could never truly understand how simply reading a book could completely affect your outlook on life, until this summer. While on the internet, I stumbled upon a few quotes that really intrigued me. I immediately looked up the author and found that the quotes came from the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I had never heard of this book be-fore but once I looked it up I was surprised I hadn’t. I read count-less reviews and testimonies from readers of the book describing how big an impact this book had on their lives. Because of those reviews and the hard hitting quotes I had read, I decided that I had to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower

before the summer was over. Now, I’m not the type of person who naturally enjoys reading books for fun, unless it’s a magazine of some sort. However, this book was different. Once I began reading the book, I literally could not stop. And surprisingly, I enjoyed it. Page after page my love and excitement for the book grew and I began to un-derstand why so many people were obsessed with it. Before I knew it, I had finished the book within a few hours. The story is told in a series of letters written by the main charac-ter, Charlie. The person who he is writing to is never identified. The book revolves around Charlie’s life as he is experiencing high school and the changes that come with it. Every letter Charlie writes goes into detail about the struggles him and other characters in the book, have with sex, drugs, alcohol, abuse, love, death, and the overall battle for identity. I don’t know any other word to

describe the book other than amaz-ing. I believe everyone who reads it will be able to identify with atleast one of the characters. Because of the simple, powerful writing and the believability of the issues the characters go through, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a book I will never forget. However, due to the simplicity of the writing, some may not be able to dig deep into the underlying meaning and

have an open mind. Many may think the book is just a simple story about a boy and his friends in high school, but it is so much more than that. It isn’t just a story about the popular football player everybody loves or the weird kid who sits by himself at lunch,

it’s about you. Charlie represents every teen out there. He symbol-izes what it’s like to be a teen, no matter what social group you be-long too. Shortly after finishing the book, I heard the news that they were in the process of turning it into a film. Hearing this made me both excited and uneasy. I’m excited to see how the directors transfer the book into a movie and if I will feel the same amazement I felt after reading the book. However, knowing the phrase “the book is better than the movie”, I am afraid that the powerfulness of the book may not translate well into the film. Whether or not the movie turns out to be good or bad, I highly rec-ommend you read this book. This book is for everyone, young or old. Everyone can relate to the feelings of a teenager that are expressed by this book. It really makes you think about your life, the good and the bad. And by the end, you will find yourself feeling “infinite”. •

overplayed

Paradise- ColdplayWe are the Tide- Blind pilot

underplayedAbility to “Rise” to the top

They are just a “bunch of dudes writing a bunch of tunes.” They are the drums that beat at your ear drums, the guitar that shreds your mind, the bass that pulls it all together, and the voices singing the message and pulling you in. Still I Rise was cre-ated like a phoenix rising from the remaining ashes of three of the former mem-bers of Beyond the Ruins: Cole Pearson, Zack Hors-ley, and Jose Rodriguez. They asked Carver Fisher to do vocals and Andrew Post to do vocals as well as rhythm guitar. “We didn’t want to stop making music even though we broke up, so we got together Carver and An-drew, and we all made Still, I Rise,” said graduate, Jose Rodriguez. Everyone in the band had al-ready been friends, although they

recently met Andrew, but he has already begun to become close to him despite his quiet nature. They all have respect for each other as well, even if they make fun of each other, (mainly Zack, according to Jose). “Carver’s got some pretty brutal screams that a lot of people and I

didn’t expect from him, Jose plays the drums like a god in my opinion, Cole can shred on his guitar like there’s no tomorrow. He’s by far the best guitarist I’ve known for the genre, and Zack keeps the music solid with his bass lines,” said An-drew.

The band started with their demo, “Waterface,” written by Carver Fisher and Andrew Post, is dis-played on their Facebook page. “I wrote it one night because I was fighting with my parents and they just came together. I try and write lyrics by staying true to myself and my personal experiences.”

The song is about being self-reliant and being able to break free and grow up. It is very relatable, especially in the teen demograph-ic. Even if the band has started in September, “Waterface” came out strong with consistent drumming, awesome guitar shredding, and vocals that weren’t expected from

either of the vocalists. While the former members of Be-yond the Ruins are used to playing for people, Carver and Andrew are new to live performances, espe-cially since both of the vocalist are shy and would never be expected to scream or sing by just looking at them. That doesn’t worry any of the band members about their first live show.

“No I’m not worried. I view this upcoming show as a fun practice show so the members of my band that have not played a show will help us get ready for our show at the NorVa and our tour in De-cember,” said lead guitarist, Cole Pearson. The band is planning to record their EP later this year with four other songs and a re-recording of “Waterface”. •

CJ Forbes/ Dukes Dispatch

TOP GROSSING MOVIES

AT THE BOX OFFICE IN OCTOBER

TOP GROSSING MOVIES

AT THE BOX OFFICE IN OCTOBER

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Entertainment

CJ Forbes

Reporter

ONLY locally-based driving school for all Gloucester residents!

“And in that moment, I swear we were infinte.”

-“Charlie,” Perks of Being a Wallflower

“Believe me when I tell you I can face the struggles of the word.”

-From Still I Rise“Waterface”

Trending topics in October

7EntertainmentFriday, November 4, 2011 Vol. 36 Issue 2

Rockin’ up the charts

Jack’s Mannequin a breakthrough piano-rock band that came to surface in 2005 with the release of their freshman album, Everthing in Transit, has been making waves in the muisc industry for years with their fresh, orginal sound. Made famous by their first single, “The Mixed Tape,” Jack’s Mannequin is perhaps best known in the mainstream world for their classic song, “Dark Blue.” But with the current release of their third studio album, People and Things, an album that is far from disappointing, and may even be their best album yet, Jack’s Mannequin has officially made their trium-phant return into our ears after a two-year hiatus. Andrew McMahon, the former lead singer of Something Corporate, formed Jack’s Mannequin as a side project in 2005 while living in South-ern California. After battling a stint with leukemia in 2006 and coming through strong after recieving a stem cell transplant from his sister Katie (See “There, There Katie” on The Dear Jack EP), McMahon and his band mates have been creating music that is both emoitonally-charged and touching, yet happy and gleeful at the same time. After Everything in Transit, there has been a lack of happy-go-lucky, sunny songs on any Jack’s Mannequin track list, and since The Glass Passenger’s release in 2008, the band made an emotinal transition into a far deeper and serious sound, much influenced my McMahon’s battle with cancer. People and Things is a great mixture of elements from both previous albums, with tunes like “Casting Lines” drawing back to critically-acclaimed The Glass Passenger and “Hey Hey Hey (We’re All Gonna Die)” bringing back the sounds similar to those of the fan-favorite Every-thing in Transit. The best songs on People and Things are definitely “Restless Dream,” “No Man is an Island,” and “Platform Fire.” All three songs are both catchy and magnificent, without being too sappy. Another song entitled “Televi-sion,” is also a great track, and it’s very different than from what I’m used to the band creating. Most of the songs on the album lurk on the subject of true love, and when asked about the band’s new favorite subject Andrew McMahon told AbsolutePunk.net, “I consider People and Things a relation-ship record. My goal with many of the songs was to strip away the flowery language and sentiment attached to new love and replace it with starker, less blinded language about more binding love.” For any true Jack’s Mannequin fan like myself, you’ll absolutely adore People and Things. It may be the best overall album in the alternative genre released this year. Buy this album as soon as you can; you won’t be sorry, or at least I sure wasn’t. •

It’s been three long, difficult years since Coldplay released their last album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. Despite this hiatus, Mylo Xyloto, shows that they haven’t lost their touch. Coldplay stated that Mylo Xyloto would be a concept album “based on a love story with a happy ending,” where the two protagonists are Mylo and Xyloto. It is definitely a new sound from Coldplay, which will potentially draw in new fans. However, it will not disappoint their long time fans. By having some of the songs from their new album parallel to those off of previous albums, it gives long time fans a familiar feel. The album’s lead single, “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” was released in the beginning of summer and was a great introduction to what was to come from Coldplay’s upcoming music. Mylo Xyloto is an amazing album. It has received mixed reviews from critics, and I have to disagree with those who were not pleased with the album. To me, Coldplay is one of the best bands out there. They never come out with things you’ve already heard; you can always expect the unexpected. Despite the pressures to come out with club hits and cheesy pop songs, Coldplay never lowers their standards to follow the trend of what other artists are putting out. They put out the music that they and their fans love and that’s what I love about them. Every song on the album is immaculate in its own way. “Paradise,” the second single released from the album, is one of the most epic songs off the album and may be their next iconic song. Sampling Phil Collins’ “Another Day In Paradise,” it incorporates a hip-hop beat infused with the typical Coldplay sound, making it one of the best songs from the album. Another favorite of mine is “Hurts like Heaven,” a song in which Chris Martin describes as being about “How when the pain of love is just too much, love itself is not enough.” Other songs like “Charlie Brown,” “Up with the Birds,” “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart” and “Princess of China” featuring Rihanna, are also great standouts from the album. The album greatly shows off Coldplay’s immense amount of creativity and ability to add random lyrics and beats and still make an incredible album. So would I recommend buying Mylo Xyloto? Absolutely. If you are a die hard Coldplay fan like me, I stongly believe you will love this album. Even if you aren’t exactly the biggest Coldplay fan, but are tired of the crappy music overplayed on the radio these days and would actually like to hear good music for a change, I believe Mylo Xyloto will be the escape you’ve been longing for. •

CJ Forbes

Reporter

CD Title: A Place Where The Sun Is Silent Artist: Alesana

Genre: MetalcorePrice:$9.99

Our Rating:

“Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. A story is about to begin.”-The Dark Wood of Error

Danielle Moore

Entertainment Editor/Co-Layout Editor

CD Title: People and ThingsArtist: Jack’s Mannequin

Genre: AlternativePrice: $14.99

Our Rating:

CD Title: Mylo XylotoArtist: Coldplay

Genre: Alternative RockPrice: $9.99

Our Rating:

Tatyana White-Jenkins

Co-Student Life Editor

“It’s funny how the words we never say, turn into the only thoughts we know.”-Restless Dream

Across

2. Homecoming6. cauldron8. Casper

9. werewolf12. football15. parade16. witch

17. broom19. black cat

20. Duke

The first year the Lady Dukes basketball team

made it to a regional tournament was in 1976.

“Written in graffiti on a bridge in a park, do you ever get the feeling that you’re missing the mark?” - Hurts Like Heaven

Dukes’ Dispatch TriviaLast month’s answer:

What former Gloucester High School coach is now a famous news broadcaster?

Come to Room C167 to see if your guess is correct!

First student to answer this trivia clue correctly will recieve a monetary prize!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

ACROSS 2. Machine invented to examine the inside of the human body that was created in November 6. President assassinated on November 22, 1963 8. This show debuted on November 10, 1969 featuring characters like Grover and Snuffy 9. The annual Thanksgiving Day Parade that takes place in New York City 10. Empire collapsed in 1533 12. This king's tomb opened on November 29 13. International ______ S tation opened in 2000 14. Inventor of basketball 15. Published "Origin of Species" in 1859 & is known for the idea of "survival of the fittest" 16. Atrocity against Jewish religion that started on November 9, 1938

ACROSS 2. Machine invented to examine the inside of the human body that was created in November6. President assassinated on November 22, 19638. This show debuted on November 10, 1969 featuring characters like Grover and Snuffy9. The annual Thanksgiving Day Parade that takes place in New York City10. Empire collapsed in 153312. This king’s tomb opened on November 2913. International ______ Station opened in 200014. Inventor of basketball15. Published “Origin of Species” in 1859 & is known for the idea of “survival of the fittest”16. Atrocity against Jewish religion that started on November 9, 1938

DOWN 1. Day to honor men and women of the military3. Reached the pacific in 15214. Delivered by President Lincoln in 18635. These explorers reached the Pacific in 18057. Scientist born on November 7, 1867 known for discovering the element radium11. This continent was discovered in 1820

Last Month’s Answers

Down

1. pep rally3. Oktoberfest

4. crack5. Amityville

7. Spirit Week10. costumes11. vampire13. autumn14. haunted

A new story is about to begin. Shawn Milke, the guitarist and vocalist for the band Alesana, usually writes stories and has incorporated those stories in his music. They are known to have their albums like stories which flow together melodically. With their new album, A Place Where the Sun is Silent they have created a sweet-core musical. Coming from Raleigh, North Carolina, they have really grown musi-cally and have experimented with their music in so many ways. The stories incorporated in every song and in their album as a whole will make any person like scream music if they don’t like it at all. The lyrics and the con-nection between songs are irresistible. Many of these lyrics come from Milke’s stories that he may have written a year prior to the actual creation of the album. The new album is known to be based off another story that is not from Milke. The epic The Inferno by Dante Alighieri was the basis of this album. Many might know it better from a game and many movies called Dante’s Inferno. The album separates half of the songs in acts such as a play would. The first act is called “The Gate,” opened by “The Dark Wood of Error,” and the second act is called “The Immortal Still,” opened by “Before Him All Shall Scatter.” The song “A Gilded Masquerade” was the first song to be released to the public to listen to on the Alternative Press website, and later they released “A Forbidden Dance.” Their single, “Circle VII: Sin of the Lion” was released into a music video in early October with live performance footage. The album starts off with a song called “The Dark Wood of Error” giving the idea of an auditorium being filled by people before a show starts and then a melodic piano enters along with a duet from singer, Shawn Milke, and an unknown female or a falsetto voice. It ends with a chorus of voices singing, “Can you hear them cry?” “Circle VII: Sins of the Lion” brings the mixture of their usual type of mu-sic and tying it in with a chorus of voices saying, “all the lions.” The song’s title correlates with the story The Inferno because of the 9 circles of hell. Which shows how much the album does relate to the epic. Stepping away from the metal-core “Vestige” is a sweet and short duet between the unknown female voice and the lead singer. Filled with piano and short verses of a violin, the music alone would be perfect for the part of a musical that shows a tragedy of two lovers. The best song for their style would have to be “Beyond the Sacred Glass,” starting off slow some of the lyrics as the music gets louder with every strum of the guitar. The song is about breaking out from the darkness. •

Famous days and events in November

8 SpotlightFriday, November 4, 2011 Vol. 36 Issue 2

FreshmanFreshman2015

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Dukes' Dispatch November 2011