Felicitations à…

(from left to right) Madame Norris, Anna Wallace, Sophia Wolf, Shanite Waller, Frances Starn, Suzanne Schmalbeck, Isabelle Sinclair, Stéfanie Latreille, Judith Mendez Segovia, Meredith Harris, Elizabeth Hurley, Barabara Corrin Fleming, Sinclair Guthrie, Danielle Galdy, Mr. Hawks, and Madame Mendes. 

BY RENA CRAWFORD

  BY RENA CRAWFORD

 BY EMILY FERRELL

        It’s been thudding over in the corner for half an hour now.

       11:59 p.m.; one minute until your birthday, when you are finally allowed to open that box which contains the mysterious thudding. But all too soon, the box seems to be ripping to shreds from within. From a cloud of dust and a mass of debris strolls a lion cub; claws exerted from the “kill.”       If only I could actually own something like that, one might say. The idea is not that far-fetched.

       North Carolina law states that in order to own a skunk, fox, raccoon, ringtail, bobcat, North and South American feline, and a few other animals, one must have district approval as well as a permit from the state veterinarian.
       So, there are some restrictions. But they aren’t nearly as strict as, for example, Virginia, where one may not own any nonnative exotic animal, even with a permit (unless it’s for commercial or scientific use).
       Joseph Konvicka, a DSA student, has managed to snatch up three bearded dragons, four leopard geckos, four fire-bellied toads, and one hedgehog.
       “I'm not sure how exotic you would consider them, but none of them are that common,” Konvicka says.     Maybe the outlandishness is all in the eye of the beholder. But when it comes to Shelley Benson’s (an employee at Glaxo Smith  Kline) adopted animals, there are no ifs, ands, or buts.
       Benson and her husband have adopted an African lion named Maggie and a Siberian tiger named Jelly-bean. She sponsors them, and describes herself as a “proud mom.”
       “The money we give through our sponsorship helps CPT (Carnivore Preservation Trust) and CCI (Conservators’ Center Inc.) provide food, shelter, enrichment, and veterinary care for our adopted animals,” Benson says.

       Similarly to Benson, Ken Marsh of Raleigh has experience with wild cats- the lion.

       “We lived with an African male lion for 15 years in a neighborhood in Northern Durham when I was growing up. He weighed about 450 lbs in his prime,” Marsh says.
       Marsh also says that his views on caring for exotic animals like Tania (Marsh’s previously owned lion) are strongly influenced by his heritage as an American Indian, his experiences living in different cultures during his military career, and his religious beliefs. They were only able to keep Tania because a children’s museum backed out of their deal to take it in.
       “The supplier informed us he was going to put the cat down. In this case, we have to step up and save their lives.”
       Marsh also advises that one must have safe facilities, medical care and knowledge, proper diet, proper tranquilizing and capturing equipment, and a deep love and understanding for the animal to successfully own or care for an exotic animal.
       However, we all cannot just adopt immensely expensive tigers or lions. If you’re looking for an exotic cat, you might try to contact Connie Brugman from Texas, who is a serval breeder.
       Servals are cats, but they physically resemble something closer to a bobcat or a cheetah. They are also somewhat larger than a regular domestic cat, and have a longer life span, living up to 20 years.
       “Current laws in a lot of states lump them [servals] in with tigers and big cats, and this is ridiculous.  They don't eat people; they have flight rather than fight mentality.  They are considerably less dangerous than a dog who exhibits bad behavior,” Brugman explains.
       The major governmental issue is safety. Officials are afraid of what could happen if we let these animals loose. This is also a major issue with William Gray Rushin, a teacher at Cary Academy, who owns and breeds boa constrictors. He’s in favor of the other axis.

       “There has been a lot of misinformation in the media about the python's ability to spread northward and populate wide areas of the U.S. [referring to recent news of Pythons loose in Florida]. This is a tropical snake and will not tolerate freezing temperatures,” Rushin says. He still breeds colonies of boas and is actively involved in the business.
       When considering exotic animal ownership, Marsh says, “We, as humans, encroaching upon animals habitats and forcing them to live in our environment are responsible to take care of and love them. Not destroy them. . . we should not be taking them out of their environment for our own pleasure. But if one has these animals they must take care of them.”

BY BRISTOL BOWMAN 

            I woke up at three-thirty and stayed wide-awake on the bus. The whole time, I was thinking ‘This trip had better be worth getting up this early…’ I learned it was not the ideal way to start a class trip.

My mind didn't even process my excitement and anticipation until we were well on the way to D.C. The whole bus ride, I was numb. Rain and snow pounded on the bus roof, and I fell into a comatose state. Only when we reached our rest stop did I truly realize that we were free from school, from parents, and from responsibility for a whole two days.

When we finally reached D.C., there was a mad rush to claim baggage and find rooms, but not before we had to wait a half an hour to get our keys. Several people didn't even get their room keys and had to put their things in a large room for safekeeping.

There was no time to rest, as we hastily changed and headed to the metro. After a few minutes of cursing at and beating on the card-machines, we were finally able to head down a giant escalator and to the metro.

Watching and hearing the metro approach was something that I will never forget. Granted, it's an everyday occurrence for most of the people in D.C., but to me it was incredible. Riding on the metro, however, was not as wonderful an experience.

            After we got off the metro, we had to walk another mile and a half to get to our actual destination. The National Air and Space Museum was for people that enjoy giant aircrafts and torpedoes suspended from high ceilings, models of giant planets, and two-story gifts shops.

Of course I was ravenous around two-thirty, so I bought a regular number one combo at the McDonald’s inside. Glancing at their menu, it was about the cheapest thing; it cost me $9 to get a burger, a drink, and fries. Despite being slightly upset by the expense of my meal, I was able to sit and enjoy it for about ten minutes before we had to leave.

We rushed to the Holocaust Museum, as we were late for the first (and not the last) time. In D.C., I was able to get a look at some of the amazing architecture. When we finally got there, we explored the main attraction, which was an exhibit about Nazi propaganda. After that, we headed to the Natural History Museum.

The Natural History Museum was amazing. There was a huge elephant in the center of the museum as we walked in. Our group split and headed in four different directions.

While we were there, we covered a lot of ground in less than 45 minutes. My group saw exhibits including marine life, the evolution of man, geology and gemology, reptiles, and cultures that have developed over the years.

After we finished at the museum, we headed back to the hotel to change and eat dinner. Of course, the dinner was nothing short of twelve dollars, but then again, who’s counting…

We rushed to the Broadway show A Chorus Line and were almost late because of the confusing directions from a traffic cop; it didn’t really matter because the show didn’t start for another half hour.

A Chorus Line was a very long musical with no intermission. It was certainly interesting, as I enjoy Broadway productions, but the length diminished my overall fascination.

The show was over at 10:30, and a few of my group members were hungry by then. We headed back to the hotel and some of us bought McDonald’s on the way. Surprisingly, it was only about five dollars for a combo meal.

We came back to the hotel and went to out separate rooms. My rooming group watched a chick-flick and talked until about 2 a.m. And thus, our first day in D.C. had come to a close.

To get our bags on the bus, we had to get up bright and early. After a mixed breakfast of Starbucks and McDonald’s, we headed to the Metro again.

On Saturday, our group visited several monuments and (two or three) museums. We walked several miles round trip, and we were able to see the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and part of the World War II Memorial. I really loved seeing the different monuments and architecture while in D.C., and I especially liked the Lincoln Memorial because of its striking appearance.

We rushed back to the Metro in order to keep or reservation at the Capitol Building and barely made it in time.

When we did get to the Capitol Building, the people at the entrance required us to give up our food and then took our bags, electronics, and belts. (Of course I had forgotten I had an apple and in turn had had to run back outside and get separated from my group for five minutes.)

In the Capital Building there was an Imax-type theater, and we watched a movie that illustrated the progress the United States has made as a country and what rights we have now as citizens.

Throughout our tour in the Capitol Building, we learned about the construction of the building itself, about how Congress plays a role in our daily lives, and how our government was founded. I really enjoyed the tour, and the inside of the building is beautiful.

After the Capitol Building, we went to a really awesome food court. It was two stories and full of different restaurants and vendors. There were several types of food that were a little out of the ordinary, like Greek and Taiwanese, but there were plain things like bagels and burgers, too.

After getting to relax for about an hour, we headed to an art museum. Inside there were beautiful paintings and murals. On the second story there was a giant fountain with a statue in the center, surrounded by flowers. The whole museum was incredible and I learned a bunch about old art.

As the trip was coming to a close, my group headed back to the Museum of Natural History for one last look. I spent most of my time there with one of my friends standing in line at the gift shop. Eventually, most of the groups gathered at the front of the museum, then headed to the buses.

We left D.C. around four in the afternoon. On the way home we flooded a rest stop and held up everyone at Wendy’s. After that, we were truly on our way home.

I was extremely tired and fell asleep for the last half hour of the bus ride. We finally got back to school around 11:30 and then had Sunday to recuperate before coming back to school Monday.

Overall, I really enjoyed the sophomore class trip. It was a wonderful experience for me, and I learned a great deal about the history of our country. Many of the things I learned were relevant and made sense of everything I’m learning in Civics.

Most sophomores enjoyed the trip, but the consensus was that we needed more time.

“Strolling through Georgetown, touring the Holocaust Museum, and riding the Metro were my favorite parts,” said sophomore Teresa Tippens. “I wish we could have seen more of DC; there's so much more than just the monuments and pretty-on-the-surface museums.”

BY THEA GALLI

Walking to class, a sweat breaks out on your forehead.  Your head whips around and your eyes dart about, searching for your classmates.  A sticker is clenched in your fist, the glue almost completely worn off from your sweat.  Suddenly, just as you let out your breath, you feel a pressure on your shoulder blade and hear the shout, “Dead!  I killed you!”

            Life as an AP student is known to be stressful- hours of homework every night, working on essays for days at a time, and of course, the infamous AP exam in May.  But in AP Psychology they add to that workload- on purpose.  The game “Assassin,” in which students work to “kill,” or eliminate other students by putting a sticker on them without being seen, is not an uncommon game in Psychology classes.

            “Part of the Psychology curriculum covers the topic of stress and the biological and psychological reactions to it that people have,” Mr. Tom Magrinat, the psychology teacher here, says.  “Playing assassin creates a lot of stress for the participants, because you never know if someone might be hiding around the next corner with a sticker.”

            Though Assassin is limited to psychology students and Mr. Magrinat (they are the only ones who can kill and be killed), in some ways the game takes over the whole school.  The prize is a one hundred quiz grade added to your total, but many say it’s more about the glory. 

            “Tense shoulders and whiplash are common results of playing,” says one senior.  “Even though the prize isn’t that great, people get really into the game. It can be intense.”

            Mr. Magrinat, however, disagrees.  “I don't really find the game scary, its just fun.”

            Says another senior, “I’ll be sitting in class and the only thing I can think about is how I can get to my next class without dying.  I plan my routes through the hallways to avoid places where other seniors tend to be.”

            Some have been known to go as far as to drive to the houses of friends and hide, waiting to strike. 

            Younger students also are commonly involved in the game, usually as bodyguards.  In the game, if a student can say they have a “bodyguard,” they cannot be killed.  This is only allowed during the first few days of play- otherwise the game could go on forever.  It is not uncommon for a six foot tall senior to approach the smallest of sixth graders requesting a guard for their walk to lunch. 

            But even with a bodyguard, it is possible to get killed, and this year, within one week of the start of the game (six o’clock am on Monday, February 16), more than half of the players were dead.

When one senior died, the pain was clear on his face.  After releasing a string of profanities, he went on to try to describe his emotions.  “Say you won a race, got first place.  And just as you’re stepping up on the podium to get your medal they say, ‘oh, whoops.  Turns out you were fourth.’  Or no, they say ‘you got disqualified.’  I was top 25! I could smell that one hundred quiz grade! I just feel like crying right now, like crying.”

\