The Viking Press - Oct. 2011

New Year, New...

Teachers

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Policies Trends

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Volume 4, Issue 1 October 2011 www.thevikingpress.com

Kinston High’s student newspaper2601 N. Queen St., Kinston, N.C.

Editorial2 - The Viking Press - October 2011 www.thevikingpress.com

We Kinstonians must take back our cityOur Take

The Viking Press, for the purpose of allowing the voices of all students to be heard, be-lieves in complete, unbiased reporting and strives for hon-est, open dialogue in the KHS community.

Mission Statement

ReportersAkyra AllenKyle BrownResita CoxKenneth GeorgeMalasya GrajalesJulia GriffinAnna HillJevonte JonesKhadijah ThorneMegan ToweryTommy TsaoHayley VermillionAnniken Williams

AdviserMichael Moon

Viking Press Staff

The Viking Press2601 N. Queen St. / Kinston N.C. 28501

The Viking Press is the award-winning student publi-cation of Kinston High School and is published entirely by KHS students as a public forum.

Opinions expressed in The Viking Press are solely those of the writer whose byline ap-pears above each story.

Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of The Vi-king Press staff as a whole and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of any Lenoir County Schools employees.

Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspa-per Editors/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service.

Letters welcome

When will enough finally be enough?

Crime rates have been on a constant rise for the past sev-eral years, In fact, two years after there were no recorded homicides in Kinston, the city has mourned the loss of 10 citizens to violent crime so far this year -- a rate nearly 10 times higher than the na-tional average.

Yet somehow nothing seems to be changing in our city. One thing is certain: While the crime rates are go-ing up, the ages of the victims and killers are continuously going down.

During the summer, when a number of violent acts were committed, there were in-deed more cops patrolling our city. Yet weeks after the upheaval died down, so did the cops’ presence. Then the city acts surprised when yet another teenager dies or is placed behind bars. The problem will continue until our city becomes consistent in trying to find a solution.

But who can the blame ac-tually be placed on? There

is not a single answer to this question simply because we all must play a part in “taking back our city.”

The number of organiza-tions to keep our youth off of the streets can be counted on one hand.

Programs like The GATE, House of Esther and the Boys & Girls Club attempt to give

our teens a constructive out-let, and The Free Press has recently started offering re-wards for information lead-ing to the arrest of Kinston’s most wanted, but with so few organzations trying to help these children, they are going to keep doing whatever they want.

One of the biggest influ-ences behind these acts of vi-olence is misguidance. What the city of Kinston needs most right now is to come to-gether as a family and at least attempt to help our youth be-fore assuming they cannot be helped.

But it looks as though no one is trying.

Education is also a huge piece to this puzzle.

Actually, education is the missing piece to the puzzle. If we would fight harder to keep our youth in school they would spend less time in the streets. At this point, educa-tion seems to be the only sal-vation for our youth. But if the ages of these killers are decreasing, does that mean our system is messed up? If

a child is misbehaving, what good is it doing to simply sus-pend them from school and send them back to the streets that taught them how to mis-behave in the first place?

Yes, many problems start at home. But the next step is school, and our faculty and students must fight harder than anyone else to keep our classmates off the streets of Kinston. One day we are walking down the hallways with someone, and the next day they are dead. The cycle seems never ending.

But maybe there is a way we can break the cycle. As a school and as a community, let’s join hands and come up with meaningful solutions to combat the violence that is killing our youth. In order for this to work, we need every-one. It’s time to officially put an end to what has been go-ing on for so long. We can’t continue to ignore such a huge problem.

It’s time to fight back, but not with guns. With educa-tion, consolation, and unity.

The Viking Press welcomes letters to the editor. Submis-sions must be 300 words or less and must be signed by the au-thor.

The Viking Press reserves the right to edit letters for content and length.

By the NumBers

10

(Source: www.usa.com)

Homecoming planned for Friday, Oct. 7The annual homecoming

game is scheduled for Fri-day, Oct. 7, against Tarboro High.

As in the past, Kinston High students participated in Spirit Week activities in the days leading up to the game.

On Monday, students dressed in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Tuesday, students dressed in their nerdiest outfits, and Wednesday was set aside for college apparel. Thursday is scheduled for Flashback Day, and students are an-ticipating leg-warmers, bell bottoms and other “throw-back” gear.

Finally, Friday, as in the past, is reserved for Viking Pride Day, with students wearing plenty of green and gold. A pep rally is also scheduled at the end of the day.

(Art by senior Kyer Koonce)

On the WebFind us online at theviking-

press.com or follow us on Face-book and Twitter at twitter.com/thevikingpress.

DistinctionThe Viking Press and its staff

members have earned more than 50 scholastic press awards from the N.C. Scholastic Me-dia Association and N.C. Press Club in three years of publica-tion. We are proud to call our-selves back-to-back All-North Carolina recipients for our newspaper and website.

46.1

4.8

9.6

homicides reported iN KiNstoN iN 2011

homicide rate per 100,000

people iN KiNstoN (Based oN 2010 ceNsus figures)

homicide rate per 100,000 people iN u.s.

(Based oN 2010 ceNsus)

the homicide rate iN KiNstoN is Nearly

10 times higher thaN the NatioNal average.

guest illustratioN By seNior Kyer KooNce

Opinionwww.thevikingpress.com 3 - The Viking Press - October 2011

Something sapid withResita Cox

When news rang through the halls of Kinston High School that the water foun-tains had been “labeled,” one question ran through all of our heads: Is this a joke that was simply taken too far? Was it ignorance at its best? Or was it racism in its worst form?

In an apparent reference to Jim Crow-era segrega-tion laws, someone had used a marker to label two water fountains “white” and “col-ored.”

With Kinston High be-ing a predominantly African American school, this joke created a lot of controversy in our hallways. While the Kinston High administrative team never discovered who was responsible for the taste-less prank, one would think the culprit was likely a black student or a white student.

Should it make a difference who actually held the pen that wrote the words? Travel-ing back to the late 1800’s and the early 20th century, seg-

It was so funny we all forgot to laughregation was something that degraded all black men and women. So if the student was indeed black, the joke would actually be on them.

Regardless of who was ulti-mately responsible, the prank left the entire school torn apart, at least for a day.

While we are living in times where racism is suppos-edly dead, we are left to won-der how it is possible that we still run across issues like this during the school day.

Although the words were covered up almost immedi-ately after their discovery, the impact of the issue still sits with us today.

The entire belittlement, even though it was possibly only a thoughtless prank, led us to the one question that almost every student and staff member at Kinston High School often tends to ignore: Exactly how big are the ra-cial boundaries at our school? With the issue being such a touchy one, hardly anyone ever addresses it. But the is-sue shouldn’t be ignored.

It forces us to question our-selves about how we treat one another and whether minori-ty groups at KHS may be seen in a different way by some.

Offensive graffiti spotlights race at Kinston High

The drinking fountains were briefly labeled with racist graffiti before the offending words were painted over by school officials.

Contributed photo

The prank made us realize that there is still a noticeable line that divides our student body. And although many people tend to ignore it, it is something that we struggle with from the moment we enter the halls at 7:40 a.m. to the moment we leave at 2:40

p.m. While the prank may have

been full of ignorance and a very moronic gesture from someone in our student body, it shined light on a very im-portant issue of our school.

Instead of ignoring the ra-cial boundaries we artificially

tend to set with one another, we need to paint over them just as the custodians painted over the very words that still have the power to divide us today.

So which fountain will you drink out of: “Colored,” “White,” or “Human”?

The Great Gender DebateThe Male Perspective The Female Perspective

By Khadijah ThomasStaff WriterIn general, I believe

males are definitely more complicated then females. Females are much more open with their emotions than guys are.

Guys will say that we are too emotional but never explain why. That’s because they do not like to express their thoughts, especially to a woman. They would rather talk to their “boys” about problems only a female can help with -- mainly relationship problems.

Males think that showing emotions makes you “soft,” but that is definitely not the case. We females want to get into the male noggin’ and know what is going on up there. Guys will call that nagging but we females call

it trying to get to know and understand you more.

Males expect so much from a female but will never tell us what those expectations are. It is like they expect us to know what they are thinking.

Shows like “Basketball Wives” and “Bad Girls Club” give females a bad name. Yes, they are very entertaining but think about it ladies, is thathow males view us women?

Females are very caring individuals. Yes, not “ll of us are angels, but most of us have good intentions. Males think females are too emotional.Well, I personally think that males are not emotional enough.

By Jevonte JonesStaff WriterFemales without any

question are more difficult than all males. They expect too much from anyone or anything they are confronted with.

Females are illogical and confusing and do things using their feelings and not their brains.

Males and females are just different. They like to communicate with body language almost entirely, something that we males don’t do. They are like a conqueror. They tend to be over-bearing and push small situations into big situations. It is not so much that females give a bad vibe but the ways they go about things are not acceptable.

The three things females

love to do the most are gossip, criticize others and be drama queens. These three things are all outcomes of females hating on one another or just wanting to be seen. If they do not get attention it will be World War 3. That is the biggest issue with females. They feel that they have to compete with one another by looks, dressing and boys.

Yes females are a bit more emotional and a bit more sentimental than males but that’s not the way society has made them to be, just as society hasn’t made all males to be the tough, unfeeling type. It all comes with the way you want to carry yourself. Every female should carry themselves with respect and class. No man wants a female without those traits.

Akyra Allen/The Viking PressBrechae Batts (right) and Je’Vonte Jones (left)

News4 - The Viking Press - October 2011 www.thevikingpress.com

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Kinston High School adopted a new pro-gram called Peer

Group Connection for the 2011-12 school year.

PGC is a building program which is aimed at keeping first-year high school stu-dents on the track to gradu-ate. Peer Group Connection’s purpose is to build caring, safe learning communities where diversity is respected and celebrated.

It is supposed to motivate students to get involved in school activities, improve academic performance and make a life-long commitment to learning.

Teachers want to develop leadership skills that can help students to make positive changes in their school envi-ronment.

Thanks to a grant from Princeton Learning, with the

By KENNETH GEORGEStaff Writer

PGC counselors Joshua Cannon and Montel Gooding talk to their peer groups during a PGC seminar in Septem-ber.

(Anna Hll/The Viking Press)

PGC group places emphasis on peer leadership

help of two teachers and a group of students known as peer leaders, KHS can achieve these goals.

Teachers Jody Guttenberg-er and Jeannine Haigler are the teachers in charge of the class.

Guttenberger, who is also a Bible teacher at KHS, ex-

plained how excited she was before the class even started.

“I was excited about being able to help the ninth-grad-ers transition and the upper classmen become leaders,” she said.

There are 18 peer leaders in the class, which is made up of juniors and seniors. Joshua

Canady, who is a senior and peer leader, said the class has helped him grow as a leader.

“I’m really glad that we get a chance to spend time with the younger kids,” he said. “I wish I would’ve had someone to do all of this with me in the ninth grade.”

The group’s first Activ-ity Day was Thursday, Sept. 22. Although it was was an early out day, the peer lead-ers and freshmen in the PGC program spent the whole morning together. Students got to better know each other and get closer. There were a lot of different personalities in the program and Activity Day definitely brought them all out.

“We get to know upper-classmen,” freshman Treyvon Williams said. “We’ve just had a lot of fun so far.”

Many students are very en-thusiastic about the program and want to see it through as

much as the teachers.“I would love to see all of

my freshmen graduate,” se-nior Sherine Davis said.

Teachers had hoped such connections would be made, and PGC is expected to help the school improve its gradu-ation rate.

This is only the beginning of the program and with hard work and dedication, these freshmen can turn into peer leaders.

PGC Counselor Sierra Wood (right) speaks with Shaquana Outlaw.

(Anna Hll/The Viking Press)

Students from the four local high schools in Lenoir Coun-ty pose for a picture after acting as volunteers for the local recyclable fashion show at the Arts Center in downtown Kinston.

(Contributed Photo)

Kinston High students participate in ABC Fashion Show at Arts CenterBy JULIA GRIFFINStaff Writer

The ABC “Anything but Clothes” Fashion Show took place at the Arts Council in Kinston on Sept. 16.

The fashion show was to benefit the art departments at Kinston High, North Lenoir, South Lenoir and Arendell Parrott Academy.

Sixteen groups of four, with one person representing each school, competed. One per-son was the model and the other three people helped make an outfit made of 100 percent recycled materials such as newspaper, cardboard

and plastic. “It was a great turnout;

many people came out to support,” said junior Eliza Deaver, who helped with the decorations and refreshments at the show.

There was also an arts auc-tion, where local residents and students donated their artwork to be auctioned off. When the auction took place, many pieces of art were sold and the money that was raised by the auction will also benefit the art departments at each high school.

The entire concept of the event was organized by Pry-

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ankia Anand, a senior at Ar-endell Parrott Academy.

Deaver said that the show was a really good way of rais-ing money for each depart-ment since the art funds for each art department are low and each department is in need of new supplies.

Participants from Kinston High were primarily junior and senior IB students, most of whom are involved with the school’s art program.

Newswww.thevikingpress.com 5 - The Viking Press - October 2011

Hurricane Irene caught junior Ke-ontae Mewborn off

guard.“I had no idea it’d be that

devastating,” he said.Mewborn wasn’t the only

one blind-sided by Irene on Saturday, Aug. 26. When Hurricane Irene hit Kinston, tropical storm-force winds gusted up to 115 miles per hour along the coast and near 80 mph in Lenoir Coun-ty, and heavy rain came with them.

A considerable amount of damage was done to pub-lic and private property in Kinston. Though there’s no way to find an exact figure, the damage estimates are as-tronomical. Irene’s strong winds forced down trees, destroyed homes and power lines, and pushed debris onto roads.

In approximately 18 hours, sustained winds of 40-50 mph knocked out the power to more than 12,000 homes and businesses in Kinston—leaving most of the city in the dark.

Thanks to modern tech-nology, everyone was not completely disconnected from the world. Though many were without power, social networking kept those with cell phones and bat-tery-powered radios updated on the storm.

“We really used social net-working more than any oth-er time in our recent histo-ry,” said Mayor BJ Murphy, “(It allowed city officials to) connect with the community

To apply for government disaster assistance, go to www.disasterassistance.gov

If your office or business was damaged by Irene, call 252-527-1131 and ask for Laura Lee Sylvester.

If you know anyone who is without power, tell them to call the Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce at 252-527-1131 for assistance.

The Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce has more links to disaster relief help and other helpful informa-tion in one convenient place. Go to http://www.kinston-chamber.com/hurricane-irene-disaster-relief-resources

Irene pays Kinston a visit

By the

Numbers$8 million

damage to Kinston utilities

12,000homes without power

115 mphmaximum wind gusts

6days before power

was completely restored

0deaths in Kinston

FYI

By ANNA HILLStaff Writer

A Kinston resident walks past a downed tree on Queen Street. Hurricane Irene de-stroyed hundreds of trees and left thousands without power for nearly a week.

Contributed photo

even during a disaster.”This method of community

outreach informed people about conditions in Kinston, safe times to travel, and the sundown-to-sunrise curfew that was imposed for several days after the storm. Accord-ing to Bill Johnson, Director of Public Safety, there was “minimal criminal activity” during and after the storm. He believes the curfew had a lot to do with this.

“We didn’t just lock the city down,” Johnson said, noting that while power outages were widespread, people were allowed out of their homes after curfew to retrieve fuel, food, and other necessities.

Though most of Kinston had no power for up to 6 days after the storm, city workers were doing everything they could to change that.

“The whole process is to restore power to the great-est number of customers as quickly as possible,” said Rhonda Barwick, Director of Public Services.

Mewborn said his power was returned “about as soon as the storm left, which was Saturday night.”

Though Mewborn’s area had power restored immedi-ately after Irene passed, the majority of Kinston was left without power, and people needed supplies. Workers labored all weekend mov-ing trees and debris off major highways. They worked furi-ously to ensure people could obtain food, fuel, and ice. 90 percent of roads were cleared by Monday morning.

Kinston High re-opened a week after the storm, with students returning to class on Friday, Sept. 2.

Rochelle Middle, which was more heavily damaged, did not re-open until the fol-lowing Tuesday.

As soon as roads were cleared, sophomore Dona-than Bryant and his family packed up and headed to Bal-timore, Maryland. The first thing he did was take “a hot, steaming shower for almost an hour.”

Bryant said the hurricane showed him “what life used to be like,” when there was no power, hot water, or re-frigerator.

Sophomore Aaron Brown had similar sentiments. “We

had no hot water…and all that food got wasted,” he said.

Brown, like many others, didn’t realize how much we took power for granted un-til Irene hit. People without generators lost tremendous amounts of food after the storm.

Ice supplies were so low that Sanderson Farms Inc. handed out free ice at Grang-er Stadium Monday, Aug. 29, in hopes of saving food sup-plies for Kinstonians.

Though the financial im-pact is indisputable, not all the effects of this disaster were negative.

“It was a blessing in dis-guise,” Bryant said, “It brought jobs to people, like tree cutters, who might not have had work otherwise.”

With the nation’s economy still in shambles, job opportu-nities brought by Irene were more than welcome. Not only did the storm bring peo-ple work, it brought people together.

“We had a full house for a week,” said Mewborn, whose family took in relatives who were without power after the storm passed.

“Not having power made me appreciate the little things in life,” Bryant said, “because the hurricane brought our whole neighborhood togeth-er. It was the first time we really stopped to talk to our neighbors.”

Another bittersweet part of the aftermath was peo-

ple lending helping hands. Friends, families, and neigh-bors all worked together to clean up their area. Repair-ing the damage from Irene brought complete strangers together; workers and vol-unteers from all over came to aide the victims of Hurricane Irene.

“That satisfaction you get when you help someone who truly needs help…you can’t describe how great it is,” Ce-dric Rodebaugh, head of a church volunteer group in Raleigh, said. “More impos-sible to describe is how much it helps you.”

Though Irene plagued our area in more ways than one, she also taught us some valu-able lessons.

“It made me realize how much we take power for granted,” said Mewborn.

Bryant said the storm made him think about how lucky he was to be born in today’s world.

“Everything wasn’t at your fingertips (in the past),” Bry-ant said, “We should really appreciate all that we have. Irene showed me that.”

“


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Kinston High comes face-to-face with

‘The Wall that Heals’

History teacher Teri Connor didn’t remem-

ber her father’s first cousin, but that didn’t stop her from feeling an emotional connection.

She stood teary eyed, reminiscing about her father’s first cousin who was killed in Vietnam.

Connor joined the other history students and staff at Emma Webb Park on Friday, Sept. 16, to visit the replica of the Vietnam Memorial, also called the Wall that Heals.

Connor was remem-bering the young man that was like a brother

to her father, whose life was cut short, leaving behind a wife and four children.

The students slowly filed past the names of the 58,000 soldiers who were killed in the Viet-nam War, some touch-ing the letters as they went by.

Junior Tim Hargett engaged in a conversa-tion with one of the vet-erans who stood in at-tendance at the site.

“It was very touching. When one of the veter-ans was talking to me about his experience, he started choking up and I did too,” Hargett said.

The Traveling Wall was organized by Ja-son Cane, who lives in Washington, DC. The

purpose of the Wall is to educate others about the Vietnam War and the sacrifices the soldiers made for their country.

The Wall brings some measure of respect to the soldiers who fought in Vietnam. The Vietnam veterans received little recognition when they returned from fighting in that highly contro-versial war.

Some families sacri-ficed more than others during the conflict. KHS biology teacher Joseph Romig had six family members on his father’s side whose names ap-peared on the Wall.

“We need to celebrate the ones that give us freedom,” Mr. Romig said.

The Wall can even serve as an impetus to renew long dormant family relationships.

Connor would like to get in touch with the children of her dad’s deceased cousin who would probably be about her age.

Said Mrs. Connor: “I would tell them that my dad really loved your dad and I saw his name on the Wall and it made me think about you.”

Mrs. Teri Connor, Kinston High history teacher, reflects on the names found on the the replica of the Vietnam Memorial.

(Tommy Tsao/The Viking Press)

Flags were placed to commemorate the 58,000 soldiers killed in the Vietnam War.

(Tommy Tsao/The Viking Press)

By JULIA GRIFFINStaff Writer

When one of the veterans was talking to me about his experience, he started choking up and I did too.” - Junior Tim Hargett

Newswww.thevikingpress.com 7 - The Viking Press - October 2011

30

23

16

9

2524

1817

2Wendy’s Heisman App Due

11Deadline for PSAT

10

4IB night at KHS 6pm

3

1SAT at KHS

5

12PSAT at KHS

27

20Josten’s Cap/Gown Orders Due

28

21

13 14Josten’s Cap/Gown Meeting

29

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15Early Action Apps Due

6 7 8

26Senior Portraits

19Josten’s Ring Orders Due

October

Scholarships don’t come to you, you have to get them! -Mrs. Hollingsworth

Seniors: Check Your Se-nior Guide for Scholarships and their due dates.

Homecoming

31Halloween

And This Year’s Nominations go to...Andrew BensonNomination(s): The Park ScholarshipPlans to attend: NC State UniversityMajor: Computer Sci-ence and Networking

Daniel IrvinNomination(s): The Belk, Levine, and Morehead ScholarshipsPlans to attend: UNC – Chapel HillMajor: International Re-lations

Adrian PaezNomination(s): The

BrynnPlans to attend: Unde-cidedMajor: Engineering

Dillon PerryNomination(s): The LevinePlans to attend: UNC CharlotteMajor: Computer Sci-ence

Tommy TsaoNomination(s): The Levine and MoreheadPlans to attend: NYUMajor: Broadcasting and Communications

Hayley VermillionNomination(s): DAR Good Citizen Scholar-shipPlans to attend: UNC – Chapel HillMajor: Nursing

Caitlin WestNomination(s): The Levine and Park Plans to Attend: NC StateMajor: Engineering or Graphic Design

- Compiled by Hayley Vermillion, Staff Writer

Left to Right: Tommy Tsao, Hayley Vermillion, Daniel Irvin, Dillon Perry, Andrew Benson, Adrian Paez, and Caitlin West

At first glance, one would not guess Joshua Bridges, a first year teacher at Kinston High, had performed at Disney World. Not only is he passionate about teaching, but he has a passion to dance, one extracurricular activity he has devoted much time to.

After high school he attended Gardner-Webb University, majoring in mathematics. The new teacher has two regular Geometry classes and a single Algebra I class this semester.

“I’ve loved school since I’ve been in it,” he said. “I knew being in the classroom with


New cell phone policy gives students greater freedom

Kinston welcomes new administrators to team

Junior Eliza Deaver chats on her phone between classes.

Kenneth George Jr./The Viking Press

Tommy Tsao/The Viking PressMs. Harrell (Left) and Ms. Bryant (Right)

By KENNETH GEORGEStaff Writer

There have only been a total of six principals at Kinston High School. This summer, Ms. Angela Bryant became the newest of these principals.

Ms. Bryant has only been here a few months, yet she already has a lot of goals for the school.

She wants to raise academic success, raise test scores and build a sense of pride.

“I’d like to start seeing academics leading the way,” she said.

Even though Ms. Bryant is working here in Kinston she hasn’t moved to the area yet. She has been making the drive from Johnston County to KHS every morning and every night.

Even though this is her

first time as a principal, Ms. Bryant is no rookie when it comes to school administration.

She has been an assistant principle at both Smithfield- Selma High and Holly Springs High School.

When asked how it felt to finally make the move to principal she said it had been a goal for quite some time.

“I’ve been wanting this for a long time,” she said. “I had the opportunity to take the job at a different level but this is what I wanted.”

Ms. Bryant isn’t the only new administrator.

Ms. Audrey Harrell accompanied Bryant from Holly Springs, becoming a new assistant principal here at Kinston High School.

Ms. Harrell was an English teacher at Holly Springs High School.

She has a few goals of her own for the school, as she would like to see proficiency brought up in core areas, and students just enjoying their time. She says she has been really enjoying her time here.

“My favorite parts of being here are being able to interact with students, and heading in and out of classrooms,” Harrell said.

The new administration has already implemented a few new policies here at KHS.

Even though they haven’t been here very long, they have made it a point to make their presence felt.

“The new administrators have added a more structured learning environment than what we’ve had in the past,” senior Caitlin West said.

Teacher Feature: Bridges a man of many talents

Tommy Tsao/The Viking PressTeacher Joshua Bridges works out a math problem.

By MEGAN TOWERyStaff Writer

By KHADIJAH THORNEStaff Writer

This year, one particular policy change has Kinston High School students jumping for joy.

The new cell phone policy states that students are able to use their electronics in between the changing of classes and during the lunch periods.

Many teachers are adapting to the policy change also. Teachers like Clay Stilley are enjoying the new rule just as much as the students are.

“I like the new rule. It causes fewer disruptions during classes because they have the chance between classes to handle their business,” Stilley said.

The new policy eliminates the need to sneak to text.

“I rarely warn students about cell phone usage during class,” English teacher Michael Moon said.

However, since the new policy gives students time to text during the school day, the consequences of getting caught texting during instructional time have become more severe.

If students use their electronics during class, the items will be confiscated, and repeat offenders face discipline consequences, including ISS and suspension.

Overall, the new policy gives students a chance to handle the responsibility of texting during the school day, just not in class.

“I don’t think the old policy ever really prevented them from using cell phones in the first place, but the new policy lets all the teachers now say, ‘Oh, you have time to do that before class. Take care of it outside of class.’” senior Caitlin West said.

students is what I wanted to do.”

He had an inspiration to teach, but throughout school

he participated in some fascinating performances.

Bridges was mostly looking for an extracurricular activity to do when he was younger, and when he tried dance, he fell in love with it. He has taken several types of dance such as lyrical, jazz, tap, and gymnastics since third grade.

“Lyrical is my favorite because you’re getting to portray an emotion of a song. It has meaning behind it.”

He had the opportunity to perform dances at Magic Kingdom in Disney World at age 18.

“Since I had never been to Disney, my teacher decided to take us there, especially since I hadn’t been before and

I was a senior,” he said. The park allowed different

dance studios to do a show based on what they had learned throughout the year, lasting about an hour and a half.

The talented new teacher has also been to New York where he took dance classes from professional dancers that choreograph for Broadway.

Bridges, along with his dance teacher and one other member from his studio, attended this trip. His hometown studio was fairly small and everyone was very close. Along with Disney World and New York, he has traveled to Las Vegas to perform.

Entertainmentwww.thevikingpress.com 9 - The Viking Press - October 2011

G.A.G.E.Green And Gold Entertainment

By Kenneth George

Twenty-six years ago the movie “Back to the Future” stunned millions and left viewers wanting more.

In 1985 it wasn’t just the movie that left viewers want-ing more. “Back to the Fu-ture” unveiled a Nike shoe that could never be dupli-cated; the Nike Mags. They were sported by Marty Mc-

fly (Michael J. Fox) and were never intended to be released to the public.

To the surprise of many, 1,500 pairs of the Nike Mags were auctioned this year on Ebay starting on Sept. 8. These sneakers have been selling for ridiculous prices, ranging into the thousands.

Even though these prices sound insane, all auction pro-ceeds are going to Michael J.

Fox’s foundation for Parkin-son’s disease.

To many sneakerheads’ de-light, it is rumored there will be a 2015 “general release” to the public with a $250 price tag. While most would think a $250 price tag is too much, the technology on these shoes is definitely worth the ticket price.

The Nike Mags are the first rechargeable shoe Nike has

ever designed. The sneakers will illuminate for five hours per charge.

The Nike Mags are just a complete curveball from what most shoe fans are used to. Even though these aren’t equipped with power lacing from the movie, there is still hope for 2015.

With beautiful design and technology steadily increas-ing the sky is the limit.

What’s New?

J. Cole “The Sideline Story”

Release Date: 9.27.2011

The Lion King 3DRated G

Animation

AbductionRated PG-13

Action/Suspense/Thriller

DriveRated R

Action/Adventure

ContagionRated PG-13

Drama

MoneyballRated PG-13

Drama

Lady Antebellum“Own The Night”


Mindless Behavior“Number 1 Girl”


Jay-Z and Kanye West“Watch the Throne”Release Date: 8.8.2011

Lil’ Wayne“Tha Carter IV”


J. Cole - Cole World: The

Sideline StoryBy Kenneth George

Four years after his first official mixtape “The Come Up Vol. 1,” J Cole has finally released his debut album.

“Cole World: The Side-

line Story,” was released on Sept. 27, 2011, and it delivers as it was one of the more anticipated hip-hop albums of the year.

This album is well worth the wait. It be-comes very easy to for-get there is a skip but-ton while listening. It’s definitely an album that can be played with-out skipping to the next

song.Cole kept it consistent

and in a nice comfort zone for his debut al-bum. Nothing over the top, but at the same time he never fell below very high expectations. There are only four art-ists featured on the CD (Drake, Jay -Z, Missy El-liot, and Trey Songz), but considering the talent J. Cole has, he doesn’t

need much help.Cole is known to be

Jay-Z’s protégé and flagship artist for his la-bel “Roc Nation.” They do have a song togeth-er on the album entitled “Mr. Nice Watch”. It is one of the more upbeat songs on the album, and Hova and Cole’s collaboration is definite-ly a song that could be left on repeat.

“Cole World” is an al-bum filled with smooth hooks and solid verses. It is an easy buy, and sounds like his third or fourth album rather than his first. With his multiple mixtapes, EP’s and new album, J. Cole is quickly making his way to the top of hip-hop.

Mags-nificent!

humor helps the way he looks at life.”

And though he may love to mess around, humor isn’t the only thing this Viking is about.

Hood is on the KHS soccer team, is a pre-IB student, and is in the process of earning his Eagle Scout status. He’s go-ing to renovate the softball batting cages to make them more presentable and stable.

“Evan is very intelligent, creative and funny -- hilari-ous, actually,” said Joshua Pettis, one of Hood’s friends and classmates at KHS.

“I stay pretty busy, but whatever I do depends on how much homework I have that day,” Hood said.

Whether it’s entertaining his friends, running on the soccer field, or making the grade, he never backs down from the task in front of him.

Said Hood: “Whatever I’m doing, I try to give it my best, even if my best isn’t the best.”

Feature10 - The Viking Press - October 2011 www.thevikingpress.com

It’s easier to stand up to peer pressure if you have a clear idea of where you stand on issues and beliefs.

(Chicago Tribune/MCT)

Anti-bullying campaign picks up steamBy AKyRA ALLENStaff Writer

Bullying is a problem that every high school faces, in-cluding Kinston High.

It can go from someone calling a person a nasty name and it may escalate into some-thing more malicious, such as the victim being physically hurt.

According to the statistics from Family First Aid, about one-third of teenagers in the United States – nearly 13 mil-lion teens – have been in-volved in bullying, either as the actual bully or the victim of bullying, and the percent-age is consistently growing even though bullying is not allowed in schools.

“Bullying is a bad influence on everyone; it causes them to feel as if they are alone,” sophomore Alton Mclawhorn said.

There are many different types of bullying that are be-ing felt by students. There is verbal bullying, such as calling someone names and verbally harassing them; so-cial bullying, which may in-clude intentionally exclud-ing someone from a certain

group; physical bullying, which is causing physical harm to someone; and cyber bullying, which is harassing someone online, such as on Facebook and on other social networks.

Although a victim may not

openly admit that they are being harassed by someone, there are warning signs in which the person may act dif-ferently.

According to guidance counselors, a student who is being bullied at school may

appear sad, moody, angry, anxious or depressed when they come home from school. These students may try to avoid going to school or go to other activities that they usu-ally enjoy.

Even though there is not

a specific program that is of-fered at Kinston High School, there are bullying consultants and rules against bullying in the student handbook.

Counselor Brad Grampa suggests that if someone is being bullied at school, they should go to the administra-tion, go to a teacher, or talk to a trusted family member.

Grampa also encourages a person to do what they can when they witness a certain incident and try not to be confrontational.

“I think that if you are be-ing bullied, you should let someone know because if the person doesn’t, they will keep bullying you,” junior Kevi-ante Jackson said.

If this issue would become apparent to everyone, the number of students being bullied in high school may re-duce. People need to see how bullying is affecting those students who happen to be a target.

“People should try to put themselves in other people’s shoes when they decide how to treat others,” senior Kisto Ogbaugo said. “I honestly don’t think bullying would even be an issue then.”

Quirky Hood enjoys a good laughBy ANNA HILLStaff Writer

Sophomore Evan Hood takes time out of his busy schedule to prepare for a soccer game.

(Anna Hill/The Viking Press)

A great joke can make any situation less heated.

When Evan Hood sees ten-sions rising around him, he calms people down with his quirky personality and hu-mor.

Just one example of that quirkiness:

“What is two plus two?”“Fish?”It’s nonsensical. It’s cheesy.

It’s Evan. “I don’t care what anyone

thinks of me,” Hood, a sopho-more, said. “I make a fool of myself on a daily basis.”

Why does he do these things? To him, it’s a form of expression and if it makes someone smile, then that’s just a bonus.

His friends have noticed Hood’s unique personality.

“He doesn’t really get down on himself,” sophomore Nick Frankfort said. “If something bad happens to him, he gets right back up. His sense of

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802 W. Vernon AvenueKinston, NC 28501

(252) 523-9715

Free 16oz Soft Drink

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Offer Valid Thru 11/02/11

Sportswww.thevikingpress.com 11 - The Viking Press - October 2011

Record

@Jones Senior @South Lenoir North Lenoir Havelock@SW EdgecombeBeddingfield

Upcoming games

Tarboro (Oct. 7)Greene Central (Oct. 14)@North Pitt (Oct. 28)

W 28-13W 42-0W 43-7 L 37-22W 40-12W 20-13

By ANNIKEN WILLIAMSStaff Writer

The Kinston High defense lines up for a play against Havelock. The Vikings lost the game 37-22, Kinston’s only loss of the year. The Vikings are 5-1 on the year and 2-0 in the Eastern Plains Conference.

(Kyle Brown/The Viking Press)

Football team sits atop EP2A after 5-1 start

Quinerly hired to lead girls’ basketball

M. Ellsworth named new baseball coachBy RESITA COXStaff Writer

By RESITA COXStaff Writer

Last year, the Kinston High football team made its third straight trip to the state play-offs. This year, the team is off to another hot start, winning five of its first six games.

Coach Nick Anderson has the same high expectations for his team this year.

“This season I want to be conference champs, and I want to go far in the play-offs,” Anderson said.

At 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Eastern Plains 2A Confer-ence, the season and Coach Anderson’s aspirations seem

to be going as planned. “We have been playing

well even though we have had a couple of injuries,” Anderson said. “The boys are playing hard and prac-ticing hard.”

Anderson said the team can’t afford to look ahead to late-season match-ups. Instead, it has to take things one game at a time, as the cliché goes.

“The next game we play is always the most impor-tant, win or lose,” Ander-son said. “After that game is over, we focus on the next one.”

Tennis team eyes second trip to 2A playoffsBy ANNIKEN WLLIAMSStaff Writer

Right: Junior Eliza Deav-er serves the ball against Farmville Central during a recent tennis match. The Vikings are 8-4 (7-4 EP2A) and third place in the conference.

- Hayley Vermillion The Viking Press

REAd ThE fuLL STORy AT ThEvIKINgpRESS.COM.

REAd ThE fuLL STORy AT ThEvIKINgpRESS.COM.

T h e K i n s t o n H i g h b a s e b a l l team will play with-out coach Jason Wade for the first time in more than four years this spring.

Although Wade will be absent on the baseball field this season, the progression of the team will not come to a halt. Coach Michael Ells-worth will be picking up ex-actly where Wade left off.

Ellsworth is a first year math teacher at Kinston High School with seven years of baseball experience under his belt.

“To be honest, I’m just going with it right now,” Ellsworth said, “It’s a good opportunity to get into a position to motivate kids to win ball games.”

“The players are still go-ing to play,” senior CJ Brad-shaw said, “I still want to go out and get a conference championship.”

H u b u r t Quiner ly has always been a part of the girls’ basketball team, just not as head coach.

All that will change when tryouts begin next month with Quinerly as the new head coach.

Quinerly replaces Ira Jones, who will remain with the team as an assistant.

Quinerly believes his expe-rience will help lead his team to many victories, and possi-bly to a state title.

“Our goal is to win the state championship,” Quinerly said, “and whatever we’ve got to do to do it, we’re going to get it done.”

With five seniors return-ing for the forthcoming sea-son and many new comers expected at tryouts, Quinerly believes the team will be al-ready well-prepared for their tough schedule.

“We have a great group and we’re expecting a lot out of everybody,” Quinerly said. “The sky is the limit, and we’re expecting big things.”

Tryouts wll begin Nov. 1, and preseason workouts are already underway.

For the second year in a row, the women’s varsity tennis team is looking at the chance of making the state 2A playoffs.

Coach Michael Moon be-lieves that making playoffs as a wildcard is a realistic goal for the team.

“We are getting more com-petitive with Greene Central and Tarboro,” Moon said, re-ferring to the two perennial powers that finish not only at the top of the conference but at the top of the state rank-ings.

Kinston is 8-4 this year and 7-4 in the conference, with its only losses of the year coming to Tarboro (last year’s state runner up) and Greene Central.

“Our goal has not changed this year,” Moon said. “We wanted to finish in the top three in the conference and we are third. We want a wildcard in the playoffs, and we want to send multiple athletes to regionals. Both of those goals are in our reach.”

Sophomore Emily Benson said she is pleased with the way the team has been play-ing.

“I think we have played re-

ally well; however, Greene Central and Tarboro played better,” said Benson.

The prospect of going to the playoffs for a second straight year has the team buzzing with enthusiasm.

“I think it would be awe-some to make the playoffs and actually play in them this year,” sophomore Abby Sargeant said. “I am really ex-cited.”

A year ago, the team fin-ished 10-5 and earned a wild-card berth in the playoffs. The Vikings lost 9-0 to Reids-ville in the first round of the 2A state playoffs.

“It was disappointing to lose

the way we did last year, but we had a very success-ful season,” Moon said. “This year, we hope to take it a step further and see if we can win a few games in the playoffs.”

SportSThe Viking Press

Volume 4, Issue 1 October 2011 www.thevikingpress.com

A state championship cali-ber track program deserves a top notch track.

Kinston High’s track team would settle for a track to call their own this season.

Due to deteriorating con-ditions, including several large pot holes, the track at Kinston High can no longer be used, because it was re-cently labeled condemned by Principal Angela Bryant.

Bryant and Athletic Di-rector Wells Gulledge cited safety concerns as the reason for condemning the track, which prevents anyone from using it until it is repaired.

With the start of indoor track season less than a month away, that leaves some wondering whether the school will be able to field a team this year.

Gulledge cleared up the ru-mors quickly.

Falling oFF track

By kylE BroWnStaff Writer

Junior Denzel Keyes holds up a portion of the Kinston High School track. The track was condemned by school administrators over the summer, and school officials say repairs will cost more than $100,000.

(Kyle Brown/The Viking Press)

“Kinston High School will have a track team,” Gulledge said.

“We are taking a hard look at the track and have sent many letters to the county office asking for the funds to maybe purchase a new track,” he continued.

Gulledge said the decision is no longer in the hands of the school, which has pe-titioned the Lenoir County Board of Education for fund-ing on multiple occasions. Instead, county officials must decide whether to move for-ward with costly repairs.

Gulledge said a new track would cost anywhere from $100,000 to $160,000.

Funding would likely have to come largely from public donations. Timing is also an issue.

“If we were to get a new track, it would have to be in the spring or summer sea-son due to weather issues,” Gulledge said. “In the mean-

time, the track team may have to team up with North Lenoir High School and share their track for practice issues.”

Junior Debbie Martin is one of many athletes who are un-happy with the situation.

“I feel like something that I have put my dedication and hard work into has been tak-en away and it’s not fair be-cause this is something that I love to do,” she said.

The track team isn’t the only group suffering from the loss of their track.

Since the track is a multi-use facility, other groups like the weightlifting and physi-cal education classes, JROTC classes and Special Olympics that use the track many times throughout the year.

The track team feels like getting word out about the poor conditions may lead to a faster solution.

“So support the renova-tion of the KHS track,” junior Denzel Keyes said.

More than $100k needed to repair Kinston High track

Five-game winning streak keeps soccer team in playoff hunt

The scoreboard read 1-0 in the second half as Wil-liam French, junior goal keeper for the Kinston High men’s soccer team, prepared for a penalty

kick against North Pitt. “I think of everything I can to do break his concentra-

tion and I look for anything in his expression to help me figure out the placement of the shot,” French said.

Fortunately for Kinston, the strategy worked, and French saved the goal that could have tied the score at 1-1.

As a goalie, he feels as if he has the weight of the team on his shoulders when a problem like this presents itself.

“Generally PKs are in favor of the shooter so it was lucky that I saved the shot,” said French.

Luck aside, the Vikings ended up winning the game 1-0, which put the team in a tie for second place in the Eastern Plains 2A Conference.

Prior to a 2-1 loss on Sept. 28, the team found itself in the midst of a five-game winning streak and in position to capitalize on several of its pre-season goals.

“We want to make state playoffs, and we want to be con-ference champs,” coach Joseph Romig said.

That goal is still within reach, as the Vikings at 6-6 over-all and 4-3 in the EP2A. The team is currently in third place, one game behind Wilson Beddingfield.

The team’s recent success stands in stark contrast to its 1-5 start, but coach and players alike say a change in for-mation helped turn the tide for the Vikings.

“Our formation on the field is now more focused on de-fense,” French said.

Another reason for the change in this season may be because of the chemistry on the team.

“The team is finally starting to come together,” French said. “The team’s chemistry has been building up for a while, and now that it’s coming together, we are actually seeing good results.”

By annikEn WilliaMSStaff Writer

Soccer coach Joseph Romig talks to two of his play-ers during a match against North Pitt. The Vikings won the game 1-0 to keep pace with the top teams in the conference.

(Anniken Williams/The Viking Press)

Documents

The Viking Press - Oct. 2011