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WESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOLBlythewood, South Carolina

Dec. 2014/Jan. 2015Vol. III, No. 2

“Forthefirsttimeinforever,nothing’sinmyway!”Youcouldpracticallyheareachofthecontestantsminds’screamingastheycrownedthewinnersoftheMissWest-wood2014FrozenPageant. Senior Baili Byrd won the overall title of MissWestwood.AlandriaHayeswonMissSeniorwithZakiyaHarris earning runner-up. Senior Ekklesia Hawkins wascrownedMissCongeniality,andseniorAlyssaCastelluc-ciowonMissTalent.JuniorSarahLeeJenkinstookMissUnderclassmenwithjuniorKristenLincolnasrunner-up.JuniorSamaryaJenkinswonMissPublicity,anewtitleforthispageant. The opening number of “Do you wanna build asnowman?”hadtheaudiencefallinginlovewiththesetal-entedyoungladies. Byrdsaid,“Thefunniestparthadtobepracticingtheopeningdancenumber.Ican’tdanceatall,soweallhadfunlaughingatmyattempts.” Lincoln said, “Iwould likemore time toactuallyprepareforthepageant;Ifeltlikeeverythingwasdueandhappeningsofast.” “WhatIwanttokeeparoundforthecontestantsinthefutureisforthemtokeeptheirconfidenceupfordo-ingthispageantandexploringtheirhorizons,andlearningfromtheirexperiences,”saidHaynes. Thegirlsseemedtoenjoybeinginthepageant.“Iwantthepublictonotbeafraidtoputyourselfoutthere,”Haynes said. “This pageant is a confidence booster. It’snot about themost expensive dress or themost glamor-ousshoes;it’saboutyourconfidenceandcouragegoingupthereandhavingfun.”

by Brianna Brooks, staff writer

Nothing is in Miss Westwood’s way

Pictured:MissSeniorAlandriaHaynes,MissSeniorrunner-upZakiyaHarris,MissWestwoodBailiByrd,MissTalentAlyssaCastelluccioandMissCongenialityEkklesiaHawkins.

Activists responding to police killings see potential for new civil rights eraNEWYORK _The chants are angry, butsimple:“Ican’tbreathe!”“Handsup,don’tshoot!” “Black lives matter!” They haveechoedfromtheAmericanheartlandtothecoastsinthewakeoftworecentgrandjurydecisions that cleared white policemen inthedeathsofunarmedblackmen. Now, activists are counting on theragebehindthosewordstospuramovementthatwouldforcethecountrytoconfronttheinterlockedissuesofraceandpolicingandpressthegovernmenttoautomaticallytakecontrolofcasesofallegedpoliceabuse. “They’reaskingforsomethingsim-ple.Theywanttobetreatedthesame,”NewYorkMayorBilldeBlasiosaidofprotestersThursdayashesoughttocalmacitywheremanywereseethingoveragrandjury’sde-cisionnottoindictDanielPantaleo,awhiteofficer,inthedeathofEricGarner. Largely peaceful demonstrationsbrokeoutinNewYorksoonafterWednes-day’s announcement of the Staten Islandgrand jury’s decision. Protesters blockedmajorroadsandgatheredatlandmarksites,includingTimesSquareandGrandCentralTerminal. Police made 83 arrests, mainlyforminoroffenses. “Itwasamurderonvideoandtherewas no justice,” said Mickey Thomas, a21-year-oldHunterCollegestudent.“Idefi-nitely thinkwe’ve had enough. I feel likethereisanewcivilrightsmovement.” Lastweek,violence,arsonandloot-ingeruptedinFerguson,Mo.,afteragrandjury declined to indict Darren Wilson, awhite policeman, in the shooting death of

by Tina susman, Los Angeles Times

MichaelBrown.MarcheshavebeenalmostdailyoccurrencestheresinceBrown’sshoot-inginAugust. At a Thursday news conference,black leaders, includingAlSharptonof theNationalAction Network and Marc Mori-al,presidentoftheNationalUrbanLeague,sought to draw protesters from around thecountry toWashington for aDec.13eventaimedatpressingforfederalinterventioninexcessive-forcecases. “Marchesandboycottsledtothe‘64CivilRightsAct,”Sharptonnoted.He saidthatjustasfederallegislationledtochange50yearsago,similaractionisneedednowtoensurethatprosecutorsnolongerhandlecas-esinvolvingtheirownpolice.“That’swhat(Dec.)13thisallabout,”Sharptonsaid. Holder has launched federal inqui-riesintoseveralpolicedepartmentsinrecentyears,andmanyhaveledtheJusticeDepart-menttomandatereforms.Butthoseinvesti-gationsoften followyearsofabuseclaims,andtheyareneverguaranteedtotakeplace.ThedemandmadeThursdaywastoautomat-icallyputinfederalhandscasesinwhichlawenforcementofficialsfacepossiblecriminalchargesarisingfromciviliandeathsorinju-ries. The visceral impact of Garner’sdeath,whichwascapturedonvideo,andtherecentdeathofTamirRice,ablack12-year-oldshotdeadbyClevelandpoliceinaninci-dentalsocaughtonvideo,couldhelpgalva-nizeprotesters,expertssaid.

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Wishes of Westwood brings hope, help for the holidays WishesofWestwood,akaTheElfDaysofGiving,started off with a bang atWestwood Night at Chipolte.Raising over $1,600,Student Governmentused the proceeds tohelpfundthepartyforthe 74 foster kids theWestwood family ad-optedthisyear. The Redhawkspiritofgivinginclud-ed:

eCanned goods-sponsoredbyFCAeNewspapers/blan-kets for the local an-imalhospital-sponsoredbyNationalHonorSocietye Clothes forTricia’sTrunk - sponsoredbyRedhawkHelpingHandse ToysforRichlandMemorialHospital-HOSAe Gentlyusedshoes-LeoClub

After aweek of holiday giving, the assembly onDec.12hadeveryoneinthemoodforwinterbreak.

e Sadie HawkinsWinter Ball e

e e

January 15Westwood Cafe

8-11pmSemi-Formal

Who are you going to ask?

SadieHawkinsDayisapseudo-holi-daythatoriginatedinAlCapp’sclassichillbillycomicstrip,Li’l Abner.Thisinspiredreal-worldSadieHawkinsdances,wheregirlsaskboysout.

Did you know?

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S Ebola:aninfectiousandgenerallyfataldiseasemarkedbyfeverandsevereinternalbleeding,spreadthroughcontactwithinfectedbodyfluidsbyafilovirus(theEbolavirus),whosenormalhostspeciesisunknown.AlsoknownasNOTthereasonyoushouldraidyournearesthospitalorSam’sClub.ThisisnottheZombieApocalypse,butratheroneofthemostfeareddiseasesintheworldrightnow. WhythepanicwhenonlyninepeoplehavebeendiagnosedwithEbolaintheU.S.andeighthaverecovered?TheonefatalitywasthefirstEbolapatienttoeverentertheU.S. We’renotreallyinmuchdanger,especiallycomparedtoothercountries.Africaisthehardesthitcontinent.AsofDecember,Liberiahasalmost7,000opencases,andSierraLeonehasover5,000caseswithanearly90percentfatalityrate. Nottodownsizetheseverityofthisdisease,butlastyearalone,wehadover108pediatricdeathsofseasonalinfluenza,akatheflu.Whyarepeoplefreakingoutoveranon-airbornediseaseratherthanprotectingthemselveswithaflushoteveryyearsotheydon’tbecomeoneofthemanylivesthattheinfluenzatakes? Maybeit’sbecauseofthemediaorapoliticalagenda.Althoughthemorelikelyreasonwouldbebecausethisdiseaseisnewandrelativelyunknowntopeo-plehereintheU.S. ThemainthingyoushouldknowaboutEbolaisithasyettobecomeair-borne.Thismeansithastobetransferredbyfluidsfromaninfectedpersoneitherby touchor throughconsumption.So,unlessyouhaverecentlybeen incontactwithanEbolapatient’sfecesorvomit,thelikelihoodofgettingEbolaisslimtonone.

ThefourthseasonofthehitseriesScandalkickedoffonSept. 25.The show definitely received some competitionwhenHow to Get Away with Murderstarted,whichisashowalsocreat-edbyShondaRhimes. Ithinkthattheseasonstartedoffabitslow,butdefinitelyendedwithabang.WelostHarrison(hisdisappearanceanddeathhaven’tbeenverydetailed,butweknowthatPapaPopehadsome-thing todowith it).WesawTomforced intoa falseconfessionaboutthekillerofFitz’ssonJerry,andthenwesawOliviamanip-ulateTomintospillingtherealconfession. So far this season,Olivia is still stuckbetweenFitz andJakeandcan’t seem tomakeuphermind.She looks like she’sleaningmoretowardsJake,butinthemidseasonfinaleshestatedthatshewantstobeinVermontwithFitzaswellasstandinginthesunwithJake. Andcanwebelieve thatOliviawaswilling tokillPapaPope?Shepulledthetriggerinherowndiningroomonlytofindthatthegunwasempty.Tome,thishadtobethebiggestbetrayaloftheseason. Let’s not forget about Cyrus, who has been absolutelywild.WiththedeathofJames,hehasn’thadacompanion,soheturnedtootherresources.Unfortunately,hewasexposedbythefemaleheadoftheRepublicanPartyandwasthelaughingstockofthemedia.ThesaddestscenewaswhenCyrusturnedinhisletterofresignationtoFitz,butitendedupbeingbetterwhenOliviawasabletoturnthesituationaroundforthebetter(likealways). Lastbutcertainlynotleast,WHEREISOLIVIA?!?!Shewentmissinginthelastfivesecondsoftheshow,whichendedupbeingareallygoodcliffhanger.ThecountdownuntilJanuary29,2015isonGladiators!#WheresOlivia

TherevealingofanongoingacademicscandalattheUniversityofNorthCarolinaChapelHillhascausedmanytoquestiontheintegrityoftheschool.Ithasalsocreatedanationaldiscussionofhowcollegesshouldtreattheirathletes. Forthepast18years,morethan3,100studentstook“paperclasses”,themajority ofwhich took place in theAfrican-American Studies department.Theclassesrarelymet,werenotsupervisedbyafacultymember,andonlyrequiredthesubmissionofasingleresearchpaper. Fouremployeeshavebeenfiredandfivemorehavebeendisciplinedduetotheirrolesinthescandal.Oneformeremployeehasalsohadtheirhonorarystatusremoved. While unethical, there is nothing criminal about the actions of those in-volvedaccordingtoOrangeCountyDistrictAttorneyJimWoodall,althoughthereport,whichhasbeensharedwiththeNCAA,couldresultinseveralimplicationsfortheuniversity,includingtherevokingofseveralnationalchampionshiptitles.Bycomparison,a2009academicscandalatFloridaStateinvolvedsixty-oneath-letes,afarcryfromthenumberofthoseinvolvedatUNC.

by Ashli White, staff writer

Wait...Do I have Ebola? Probably not.What’s the Scoop on Scandal?by Brianna Brooks, staff writer

UNC’s fake class scandal unethical

To send a letter to the editor: RedhawkTimesWHS@gmail.comTo advertise: mbrebner@richland2.org or 803.691.4049 x36072

Editorial Policy � e purpose of the Redhawk Times is to inform the students, faculty and community of Westwood High School of events and issues which a� ect them. � e paper also serves as a communication link between the students of WHS and the community at large. Editorials re� ect the opinions of the sta� and/or individual journalists and do not necessarily represent the views of the faculty or administration. � e Redhawk Times welcomes submissions, which may be edited for grammar, inappropriate language and length. Please email submissions to mbrebner@richland2.org. Subscriptions are also available. For more infor-mation, please contact Ms. Brebner or a member of the sta� .

STAFF: Brianna Brooks, Baili Byrd, Channing Cross, Nathaniel Cruz, Ryann Felder, Alandria Haynes, Monique Holland, Katie McCarthy, Abigayle Mabey, Maysia Miles, Anisah Reed, Angel Salley, Jordyn Seibles, Mya Singleton, Ashli White, Carmen White, Rebekah Williams, Arianna Wilson, Delaney Woodham

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Ilayzia Brown, Aaliyah Sabree, Lynn Washing-ton

FACULTY ADVISOR: Mary Brebner

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WASHINGTON_PresidentBarackObamaonMondaydovehead-firstintotheheatednetneutralitydebate,urgingtheFederalCommunicationsCom-mission toadopt“thestrongestpossible rules toprotectnetneutrality”byaggressivelyregulatingInternetserviceproviderslikeVerizon,ComcastandAT&T. “WecannotallowInternetserviceproviders to restrict thebestac-cessortopickwinnersandlosersintheonlinemarketplaceforservicesandideas,”ObamasaidinavideopostedontheWhiteHousewebsite.Obamacalledforan“explicitban”onpaidprioritization,whichwouldallowthedeeppocketsoflargeservicessuchasGoogle,SkypeorNetflixtopayforbetter,fasterstreamingforitsusers. It’salucrativedealforthebigInternetcompanies,butonethatoppo-nentssaydiscriminatesagainstsmallerandnewerservicesthatwouldnevergetofftheground. “Noserviceshouldbestuckina‘slowlane’becauseitdoesnotpayafee,”Obamasaidinthestatement.“Thatkindofgate-keepingwouldunder-minethelevelplayingfieldessentialtotheInternet’sgrowth.” Hisoutlineof“common-sense”steps forserviceproviders tokeeptheInternetfairandopenincludesnoblockingoflegalcontentbyserviceproviders and “no throttling,” saying companies should not “intentionallyslowdownsomecontentorspeedupothers.” FCCChairmanTomWheeler’soriginalnetneutralityproposalallowsInternetserviceproviderstoengagein“commerciallyreasonable”deals,in-cludingsomeofthepaidprioritizationcriticizedbyObama. Thepresident’sstatementcomesamidintensedebateamongInternetserviceproviders,technologycompaniesandlawmakersastheFCCtriestodraftnewnetneutralitylawsthatwillstandonsolidlegalfooting.TheyarereplacingtherulesthatwerestruckdownbyafederalappealscourtinJanu-ary,onthegroundsthattheFCCdoesnothavetheau-thority to regulate Internetcompaniesthesamewayitdoestelephonecarriers. The president’sstatement was applaudedbyonlineadvocacygroupsandquicklydenouncedbyInternet servicegiants andtheirsupporters,whoarguethat theFCClackstheau-thority to get involved intheirbusiness. If the FCC heedsthe White House’s state-mentbyenacting“onerousgovernment regulation,” itwould be a “mistake thatwill do tremendous harmtotheInternetandU.S.na-tionalinterests,”AT&Tsaidinastatement. ThepresidentemphasizedthatthefinaldecisionisuptotheFCC,anindependentagency. Wheelerhassaidhewantstovoteonnewnetneutralitybytheendoftheyear,butwiththeWhiteHouseandothersweighinginandpressurefromallsidesastheagencytriestocraftacomplicatedhybridproposal,thatlooksincreasinglyunlikely.

(c)2014McClatchyWashingtonBureau

Thisyear,marchingbandhasmadeittostateandplaced15th,animprovementfromlastyear’s19thplace. SophomoreJamesSalmondsaid,“Iknewwhereweweregoingtoplacerankwise,andIknewthatsomeoftheotherbands,someofthebestbandsinstate.”Hebelievesthatnextyearwillbeevenbetterfortheband.“Basically,everytimewemakestate,wetrytogetahigherrank-ingthanwedidtheyearbefore.Sonextyear,wewillhopefullycrackthetopten.” “Ourperformanceatstatewasn’tourstrongest,norwasitourweakest.Alotofimprovementcouldhavebeenmade,”saidseniorJoelCelestaine.“Ihonestlywasn’tsomuchintimidatedasIreallywantedtoseetheotherbandsthatwereperforming.Iwasenthusiastictoseewhattheirshowsweretobe,andhowtheywereputtogether” Astothefutureofthemarchingband?Celestainesaid,“Despitemaking it tostate, itdependsmoreon theworkethicof thestaffandstudentsalongsidetheenthusiasm.Also,thecominggenerationofbandstudentswillrequirealotmorehypetohaveanykindofdetermination.”

InOctober,sixofWestwood’sStudentSenatorswenttoAtlantatoattendthe80thannualmeetingoftheSouthernAssociationofStudentCouncils,whichencompassesschoolsfromfifteenSouthernstates. At the conference,Westwood placed second in four differentcategories,winningmoreawardsthananyotherschool inattendance.Theseawardsinclude:CommunityServiceinFundraisingfortheHun-gerGames activity,CommunityServiceOutreach for theSeniorCit-izens’Prom,EnvironmentalAwareness forLitter-Free football gamesandMembershipMotivationandDevelopment. The next conference that Student Senators will attend is theSouthCarolinaAssociationofStudentCouncilsconference,heldnextsemester.Beonthelookoutformorefromyouraward-winningstudentcouncil!Tochecktheseawardsout(andmanymore),stopbytheStu-dentActivitiesroom.

By Vera Bergengruen, McClatchy Washington Bureau

ConnieRice,acivilrightsattorneyandfounderoftheAd-vancement Project inLosAngeles, said that if themainly youngmarchers takingpart in current protests harness thosedemonstra-tionsintopoliticalaction,“we’llseearesponsethat’smorethanlipservice.” “It’sacontinuationofaveryoldcivilrightsera,”Ricesaidofthelatestcriesforchange.“It’snotgoingtolooklikeitdid,butthatdoesn’tmeanit’snew.” TheNewYorkPoliceDepartmentsaidThursdayitwasmov-ingforwardwithaninternalreviewofofficerPantaleo’sactionsonthedayGarnerdied. Pantaleoand thepoliceofficersunionhavedenied thatheused a banned chokehold onGarner,who died as police tried toarresthimonallegationsofsellingillegalcigarettes.Pantaleowillfaceanadministrativetrial,whichcouldbringarangeofpunishments,in-cludinghisterminationfromtheNYPD,saidLt.Col.JohnGrimpel,adepart-mentspokesman.

(c)2014LosAngelesTimes

Obama: ‘Protect net neutrality’ on the Internet

continued from page 1Around the ‘Wood

Student Government wins again

Marching Band at State

Set100yearsago,StrangeWarfareisbasedontheeventsoftheChristmasTruceofWWI.Thisproject-based learningproductionwrittenandperformedbydramastudentsalso featured thechorusandstringquintet.WithmusicwrittenbycomposerPeterDutilly, theproductionwasfundedinpartbytheSTEAMgrant,DistinguishedArtsProgramGrantandtheStateDepart-mentofEducation.DramateacherAnneRichardsonsaid,“Iamproudoftheworkofthesingers,musicians,andactorswhohavebeenworkingonthisproductionsincethebeginningofschoolinAugust!Thishasbeenagreatopportunityforourstudentstoworkwithsomanyprofessionalartistsinpreparationforthisshow.”

Drama writes, performs Strange Warfare

Redhawk

1.Youcan’trememberifyouhaveanyhomeworkorifyouforgottenallofit.Oops.Maybeshouldhavewrittenthatdownsomewhere.2.You’rewalkinginacrowdedhall,andsomeonecallsyournamebutyouhavenoideawhoorwheretheyare.Youtrytoplayitoffandjustshout,“Hey!”andkeepgoing.3.You’retakingamathtest,andeverybodyisusingarulerandyouhavenoideawhy.Didtheylearnsomethingwhileyouwerenapping?4.You’retakingnotesinclass,andtheteacher starts erasing the notes so youhave to yell out “Wait!” to get her tostop.5.You’replayingwithyourpenorpen-cil, and it flies out of your hand andlandsontheothersideoftheclassroom.Hopefully, it doesn’t poke someone’seyeout.6.Your teachermakes a joke, and thewhole class falls silent for a minute.Goodeffortbut...no.7.Yougetatest,andyoudon’tknowanythingexceptyournameandthedate.Hopefully,theteacherwillbegenerousandgiveyoupointsforthat.8.Somebodyfromyourclassseesyououtsideofschool,sayshiandyouhavenoideawhotheyare.(Evenworsewhenit’sateacher.)

That Awkward Moment When...8 Times We’ve All Been Caught Slippin’By Ryann Felder, Staff Writer

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By Abi Mabey, Staff Writer

New emojis let you tell it like it isBroken-hearted?Feelingblue?Needtofullyexpressyouremotionalstate?Thisyear,250newemojiswereunveiled.Onethingmissing?Peopleemojiswithdiffer-entskintones.Onlytwoemojisrepresent-edpeopleofcolor.Nearly5,000peoplesignedapetition,andApplesaidit’swork-ingonasolution.

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1.Ididn’tdoitbecauseIdidn’twanttoaddtomyteacher’salready-heavyworkload.2.Weranoutoftoiletpaperatmyhouselastnight.3.Ihaveasolar-poweredcalculator,anditwascloudy.4.Iwasuplatetakingcareofmysickgerbilthatmygrandmothergavemeasapresent.TheonlythingthatcouldrelieveGerbilBob’spainwasasoftbed

ofnotebookpaperandtheonlypieceofpaperin thehousewasmyhomework.GerbilBobthanksyou.He’sdoingmuchbetternow.5.Igotsoapinmyeyesandwasblinduntiljustnow.6.Itspontaneouslycombustedandvaporized.7.Thedogateit.(Aclassic!)8.Ihadacoldovertheweekendandsneezedall over mypaperswhileI

wasdoingmyhomework.Ididn’twantyoutogetsick,soIdidn’tfinishit.9.TheACinourcarwentout,andthewindblewitawaywhilewedrovewith thewin-dowsdown.10.MylittlesisterwantedtoproveshecouldshootanarrowaswellasKatnissEverdeenanddecidedtousemyhomeworkasthetar-get.

6 Classic Tweets (and ReTweets) of 2014Top 10 (Worst) Reasons You Forgot Your HomeworkWhen you just wanna chill...

5 6This classy guy trying to avoid being caught.

Mr. Young would have a fit if this happened.

4 ‘Cause you’ve gotta have the hot swag.

3 *headdesk*

2 Kitteh knows when he’s done good.

1 Throwin’ shade at the school down the street.

By Abi Mabey, Staff Writer

New emojis let you tell it like it isBroken-hearted?Feelingblue?Needtofullyexpressyouremotionalstate?Thisyear,250newemojiswereunveiled.Onethingmissing?Peopleemojiswithdiffer-entskintones.Onlytwoemojisrepresent-edpeopleofcolor.Nearly5,000peoplesignedapetition,andApplesaidit’swork-ingonasolution.

By Ashli White, Staff Writer

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ers At the State Football Coaches As-

sociationAwardsBanquetonDec.4,HeadVarsityfootballcoachRodneySummerswasnamedtheStateCoachoftheYear.Hewasalsonamedthe4AUpperStateCoachoftheYear. “It’s an honor to be chosen as TheStateCoachoftheYear.Wecouldnothavebeensuccessfulwithouttheassistantcoach-es’ and players’ hard work and dedicationthese past three years.We look forward tonextyearinhopeswecanimproveandbuildachampionshipprogram,”saidSummers. Just three seasons ago, Summersstarteda3Ateamfromscratch,workingwithhisplayersandassistantcoachesonthefieldandintheweightroom.Thisyear,histeamendedtheregularseasonwitha10-1recordandmadeittothesecondroundoftheplay-offstofinishtheseason11-2. DefensiveendBradleyCarter,senior,said,“CoachSummersisagreatleader,mentorandcoachtous.Hemotivatesustodobetteronandoffthefieldeachandeveryday.CoachSunmershasmademywholehighschoolfootballexperiencethatmuchbetter.We(hisplayers)practiceandworkhardduringtheweekandonFridaysbecausehehasinstilledinusthatyoucanachieveanythingthroughagoodworkethic.Hedeserveseveryawardhereceives.” AthleticDirectorJasonPowellsaid,“We’reveryproudofCoachSummers.He’sdoneatremendousjobleadingourteam,andweknowthereareevenbetterthingstocome.” “Congratulations,CoachSummers!Idon’tknowanyonewhodeservesthishonormore!Yourcommittmentanddedica-tiontohardworkisevidentbythewayyourteamperformedthisseason,”saidTerryDozier,headboysbasketballcoach.“ThefutureisbrightfortheRedhawkFootballprogrambecauseofyourleadershipandcommittmenttoexcellence.Again,congratu-lations,andIhopetoaccomplishsimilarfeatsasyouduringmycoachingtenurehereatWestwood.” “ThankyouallagainforyoursupportofWestwoodFootball,”saidSummers.

The State Coach of the Year

Football teams bring the pain, break records

Varsity: 11-2 JV: 10-0 B Team: 7-3

The football team had a strong season,endingtheregularseasonwiththerecordof10-1andearningaspotinthestateplayoffs.ThefirstroundwasheldNov.14againstColletonCounty,winningithandily34-10.Afterthewin,theyac-celeratedtoroundtwo.Unfortunately,theywereknocked out of the playoffswith a shut-out toGreenwood16-0. “I feel we have had a great season tomakeitthisfar.Wehaveopenedupalotofpeo-ple’s eyes thatwehave averygood team, andeverydaywe try togetbetterandbetter,” saidwidereceiverMontreMiller,freshman. Despite thewinning season, theplayersstayed humble. Safety Tyler Gallman, senior,said,“Throughout theseasonourcoacheshavealsokeptushumbleaftereverywin,remindingus that justbecausewewon lastweek,doesn’tmeanwe’llwinthenext.” Quarterback Nick Leveretter, senior,said,“Ihonestlyhopethatthenextteamwillbeabletokeepthewinningtraditionaliveandsur-passour10-1markandgo15-0.”Headded,“Wehave a lot of outstandingplayers this year thatwillreturnnextyear.” Millerfeelsthatsincedayone,theteamhasworkedhard,leadingthemtowheretheyare.Millerencouragesanyathleteswhowishtoplaynextyear toworkhardduring theoffseasonasfaras lifting,conditioning,andperfecting theircraft.

by Maysia Miles, Journalism IContributing writers: Mya Singleton & Channing Cross, Journalism I

Running back Andrew Plante, junior,takes the leadwhen conditioning. Someof theguysgohomewithPlantetoworkoutafterprac-tice while during practice, they use individualdrillsforspecificpositions. Conditioningwasoneof themostchal-lenging parts of the season, according to theplayers. Nose guard Deundhray Steele, junior,said,“Ithinkweconditionmorethananyotherschoolsdo.” “Somedaysyouwakeupandtellyour-self, ‘I can’t dothis anymore’but somehow, Ifound myself outof bed every dayandcoming,”saidGallman. Va r s i t yfootball coachRodneySummerspushes his teamfor the best, es-pecially in thingssuch as funda-mentals. He be-lieves that foot-ball is a chancefor individuals tocompete together

asateamandtoachieveacommongoal.Whenitcomestodevelopingatrustwithteachers,par-entsandplayers,hehasanopen-doorpolicy. JV player Shane Harkness, junior, isproudofhisteam’ssweepoftheseason(10-0),buthehasbigplansforthefuture.“IwanttogoallthewayandbecomeStateChamps,”hesaid. Movingupto4Aprovidedalltheteamswithtoughercompetition.“Wemovedupto4A,so we had better competition,” said B-TeamcoachGaryWaller.

Redhawk Football undefeated against Richland Two teams on every level

VarsityrunningbackAndrewPlanteworkshismagic,dancinghiswaythroughIrmo’sdefense.PhotoCredit:Lifetouch

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Aftermoving from 3A to the 4A division, cross country had astrongseasonwithboththeboysandfirst-yeargirlsteamseeingsuccess. “Thisyearwasalotbetter,wegainedmoreexperience,”saidsec-ond-yearcompetitorMarcusMcNear.Thisyear,hispersonalrecordforthe5kwas18minutes,10seconds,andhehopestocontinuerunningafterhighschool. JuniorrunnerBlakeRisherranapersonalrecordof17minutes,10secondstobeatMcNear. SophomoreMasonEastandseniorsDeAngeloShannonandEreckLewishadgoodshowingsattheStateXCChampionshipsNov.8.AthleticDirectorJasonPowellsaid,“TheyrepresentedWestwoodreallywell...andhadagreatseason.” LewiswasalsoselectedtotheStateXCShrineBowlTeam.The2014ShrineBowlRunteamwasannouncedfollowingracesattheSouthCarolinaHighSchoolLeagueChampionships. The run,whichstartsat theShrinersHospital inGreenvilleandfinishes atGibbsStadium inSpartanburg, takes place onDec. 20.TheShrinersuse therun toraisefundsfor thehospital.Runnersarechosenbasedontheirtimesatthestatemeet.Theexceptionisaseniorischosenifheorshewinsanindividualstatetitle. “TheLadyRedhawksgaveit110percentandweareveryproudofourfirstseasontogether,”saidCoachKimberlyTaylor.“Theseasonwasexactlyasitshouldbe.” Sheadded,“ThecommitmentfromthegirlspaidoffasmostoftheirtimesqualifythemforWestwood’sGirlsXCTop10.” SophomoreMasonEast said, “This seasonwas alright.Practicewasalwaysfun,andwehadplentyofmeetstogoto.” Asfarasimproving,Taylorsaid,“I’mnotsurethereisanathleteor coach out there, regardless of the sport, that doesn’t think, in hind-sight,thatmorecould’vebeendone.”Sheplanstoimproveandcontinuetobuildtheteambasedonstrongrunnersandestablishastrongfoundationthroughspringsportsandsummerconditioning.

Thevolleyballteamwrappedupa5-5seasonwithalossatT.L.Hanna.TheLadyRedhawksfoughttheYellowJacketsallthewaybeforesurrenderingwithanunfortunateloss. SeniorJordanJonessaid,“ThemostchallenginggamethisyearwasawayagainstDutchFork.Therefswereterrible,acoupleofourplay-erswereoutforeithercollegevisitsorinjuryandinthelastset,oneofourgirlsgothurt.Allofthosethingsputusinsituationsthatwehadneverpracticedbeforeandtherewasalotofchaos.Intheend,westillpulledoutthewin,whichjustshowshowwearegoodatadaptinginbadsituations.” AjiaLong,senior,said,“MymostchallenginggamethisseasonwaseveryoneofourgamesmyjuniorandsenioryearbecauseItorebothmyACLs,andIdidn’tgettoplayany.Butthankfully,Igottoplayalittlemyseniornight and thatwas thehighlightoftheseason.” “Whenever our team experi-enced a loss, it motivated me to be-comebetterthanhowIwasandtolearnfromeachmistakeofmycontributionsthatmade us lose,” said seniorKelseyKeesee. “However, I think overall, theseasonwentprettywell.Weallbelievethatwecould’vehadbetterresultswithall of our games, but we had ourmo-mentswherewe truly showedheart. Ifweweretotalkandplayasateammoreoften, thenI’mmore thansure thatwewould’vehadbetterturnouts.” TaMia Williams said, “I thinkour relationship on the courtwas the same.Wewould start off gettingalonggreat,butthenafteracouplemistakesorafterwegetdownbyacou-pleofpointswegotdownonourselvesandourchemistrywasn’tstrongatall.”Williamsadded,“Inthelastthreeyears,Ibelievethatthechemistrybetweenusoffofthecourtgrewtremendously.Wegotalongalotbetterthisseason.” Withtheseasonending,itwon’tstopJones,whoiscommittedtoMoreheadStateUniversityinKentucky,andseniorJamilaMinor,whoiscommittedtotheUniversityofNevada,fromcontinuingtheirpassionforvolleyball.

The girls tennis teamfinished their seasonwith eightwins andqualifiedfortheState4Aplayoffs,breakingtheirpreviousrecords. “I’mreallyproudofourteam,”saidseniorplayerTaylorBronson.“Wehavedrasticallychangedforthebetterandbecauseofthosechanges,wemadeittotheplayoffs,andI’mjustthankfulfortheopportunity.” Tennishelpstoimprovepersonalskillsetsandbuildathleticism,asprovenbythegirlstennisteam. “(We)startedoutlosingalot,butgotbetterandgainedmoreskillsastheseasonwenton.”JuniorAnnaBramlettesaid.“Thehardestthingaboutplayingtennisisdevelopingyourskillandtryingtogetaconsistentswingtobeabletokeeptheballinboundsonthecourt.” “To prepare for these opponents, the girls get asmuch practicetimeastheycan,”saidtenniscoachRamonaGonzalez.“Playersgainedskillsbytheendoftheseason.” Intennis,playerspracticeagainsthigher-rankedopponentstohelpbuildtheirskills.Theyworkedonbuildingupperbodystrengthandkeep-ingtheballinplay. “Thehardestthingaboutplayingtennisisconsistencybecauseyoumaybeabletohitwellbutifyouarenotconsistent,thenyouwon’twinamajorityofthepoints,”saidBronson. The teamalsoproved that tenniscanbeanenjoyable sport thatbuildsintegrityandsportsmanship. In the high school league, the players must referee their owngames,whichgivesthematasteofhonesty.Gonzalezsaid,“Theplayerswereverygoodatmakingcallsandplayingwithintegrity.” Buthonestyandintegrityishardtoobtainwithoutcompromise.JuniorRebekahHollimansaidthatthereweren’tanymajorarguments,but“tensionaroseifthecallisquestionable.” Gonzalessaidshewasproudofhergirlsformakingittotheplay-offsandimprovingtheirrecordfromlastyear.Shelooksforwardtoimple-mentingmoreplaytime,lessonsandcampstoprepareforthenextseason. “In the end, I thinkwe had a great season, andwe are lookingforwardtogoingfarthernextseason.”Hollimanadded,“Wehadagoodtime.”

by Nathaniel Cruz, Carmen White & Arianna Wilson, Journalism I

Ladies tennis finishes strongRecord eight wins takes them into playoffs

by Anisah Reed, staff writerContributing Writers: Jordyn Seibles & Angel Salley, Journalism I

XC team gains runners, winsEreck Lewis heads to state Shrine Bowl

Thegirlsbasketballteamvolunteeredtheirtimetoserveascoursemonitorsforthe24thAnnualPalmettoHealthFoundation’sWalkforLifeandRaceforLife.Ascoursemonitors,theywerestationedalongthe5Kand10Kcoursesandcheeredrunnersandwalkersontomakesuretheymadetherightturntostayonthecourseandmadesurethatcarsdidnotcrosstherunners’path.

by Monique Holland, staff writer

Volleyball wraps challenging seasonRecord eight wins takes them into playoffs

JVplayerJasmineBrown,freshman,setsuptheballforawickedserve.

GregoryBauldrick,girlsvarsityandJVbasketball coach,hopesthatasteadytrainingplanandabiggerteamwillprovokethegirlstogetmorewinsthisbasketballseason. Thisyear, thegirlswant toup theirgameand leadership factor.Thegirlshavebeenoff-seasontraining,followingthroughwithdifferentconditioninglikeshuttledrillsandsidelines,andtheyhopetohaveamindsetofjustwinningthenextgame. SeniorvarsityplayerMikeyaMatthewssaid,“Ineedtopushmy-selfmore.” Eventhoughthegirlshaveastrongsenseoffamily,Bauldricksaidhehopesthegirls“bringaspectsoffamilyattributesintoplay.” Moregirlstriedoutand,thisyear,thereare12girlsonvarsityand10onJV.Withabiggerteam,thegirlshavemoretoaccomplishand,asa4Ateam,faceharderopponents.

by Delaney Woodham, Journalism I

Girls Basketball: Bigger team, bigger goals

Volunteers.Activists.Champions.Westwoodstudentsareknownbymanynames,butthesedays,they’reproudtoalsobecalledanother:Modern-DayAbolitionists,atitletheyearnedasthefirstschooltolaunchtheGlobalize13initiativewiththeFrederickDouglassFamilyInitiatives(FDFI). Globalize13andFDFIservice-learningprojectsworktopromoteawarenessthatslaverystillexistsinthemodernworldandpresentlessonsabouttherealitiesofchildandforcedlaborthatexistsallovertheworld. Aftermonthsofstudyingslaveryinavarietyofcontentsandcul-tures, on Friday, Nov. 17, students shared their learning and promotedawarenessofmoderndayslaverythroughavarietyofprojectsandpresen-tationsduringanassemblyandwalk-througheventintheLearningCom-mons. KennethB.MorrisJr.,thegreat-great-greatgrandsonofabolition-istFrederickDouglassandthegreat-greatgrandsonofBookerT.Wash-ington,attendedtheeventandspokewithstudentsandaudiencemembersabouttheundertaking.Heurgedstudentstobecomeavoiceforthevoice-less.AccordingtoMorris,helearnedalotfromthestudents,aswell. Headed by English teacher Stacey Plotner, the initiative beganwhen, after reading“TheNarrativeof theLifeofFrederickDouglass”,PlotnerdiscoveredFDFIonlineandcontactedMorris.Afteraskypeses-sionwithMorrisandFDFIvicepresidentRobertBenz,thestudentswant-edtodomore. “Afterward,thestudentswerereallyinspiredandtheydidn’twanttostopwiththeirpaperandpresentation;theywantedtostartacampaign,”Plotner said in a interviewwithTheState newspaper onNov. 30. “Westartedananti-humantraffickingcampaignatschool.” Theprojectevolvedfromthereasstudentscreatedpublicserviceannouncements and documentaries and conducted interviews andmoreSkypesessionswithotherorganizationsinvolvedinthefight.TheythensharedtheseprojectsduringtheGlobalize13event,whichwasbroadcastliveonRedhawktv.org.

The world needs to give out more helping hands and try to make it a better place. -Dasha Miller, Junior

Mission: To advance freedom through knowledge and strategic action.

Modern-dayabolitionists:FrederickDouglassFamilyInitiativesPresidentKennethB.Morris,PrincipalRalphSchmidt,ProjectLeaderStaceyPlotnerandFDFIVicePresidentRobertBenz.

Human trafficking needs to be talked about more. -Uriaha Smith, Junior

Photo Credit: Ilayzia Brown and Aaliyah Sabree, photojournalism