Tatyana White-Jenkins

Co-Student Life Editor

The beginning of this school year brought about many changes for the students of Glouc-ester. After the tornado destroyed Page Middle School, 600 Page stu-dents had to finish out the year at Peasley Middle School. Members of the county had to make a quick decision to figure out where the Page Mid-dle School students were going to be relocated to for the new school year. Many options were sug-gested but the final verdict was to move the students alongside the high school in module buildings. The eighth grade students of Page and Peasley Middle School came together this year to learn in these module buildings. It was a big change and will take a long time to adjust to but so far, things are going as expected. Mr. Burns, the Principle of Page Middle School, said, “I would say our transition has been a huge success…Change is difficult. However, our students and staff have acclimat-ed quite well…”

Having to make this great change has had significant impacts on the staff and students. Teachers have had to adjust to the new build-ings, classrooms, and schedules. However, they are doing their best to make the transition run smoothly. “… I have to credit the teachers for all of their hard work in preparing classrooms and lesson

plans for students. We have a wonderful staff of committed educators at Page.” said Mr. Burns. Along with the staff, the students of Page have been reacting positively to the change as well. The students are adjusting to the many changes brought on by the relocation quite well.

“I also have to extend a kudos to our stu-dents.” comments Mr. Burns, “Our students are absolutely fantastic. This is the best group of 8th graders in the Commonwealth”. One of the main concerns from the students about the change is about the overall appear-ance of the buildings and classrooms. Looking at the modules, you may notice that they are

a bit dull looking; however, they serve their purpose. “Some students have complained about the gray colors of our hallways and classrooms.” comments Mr. Burns. Although this may seem like a permanent problem, the staff is planning on ways to give the students the warm atmosphere they are looking for. Looking closely at the classroom windows from the out-side, you can see there has already been an effort by teachers to add their own personal touches by adding pictures and other items. Also, on the doors

of the modules, Page Middle School Eagles stickers been placed for students to see as they walk through the doors. “…we are brainstorming ideas on how we can make our campus warm and more inviting for students. I have a few surprises in the works and think students will be quite pleased.”

Gloucester High School

Dukes’ Dispatch6680 Short Ln. Gloucester, VA 23061•dispatch@gc.k12.va.usThursday, October 6, 2011 VOL 36 Issue 1

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

News Briefs

LOOK ONLINEwww.dukesdispatch.orgALSO

www.twitter.com/dukesdispatchwww.facebook.com/dukesdispatchwww.issuu.com/dukesdispatch

INSIDE

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

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

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

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

Gloucester’s newest Duke

October Events

5 - Cross Country Home game (Beaver Dam

Park) 4:00Volleyball Home game

5:00Field Hockey Home

game

10 – Columbus Day (No School)

JV Football Home game 6:00

11 – Monthly School Board Meeting 7:00

Volleyball Home game 5:00

Field Hockey Home game

13 – Field Hockey Home game

14 – Football Home game 7:00

18 – Board of Supervi-sors Meeting 7:00

19 – Volleyball Home game 5:00

Field Hockey Home game

21 – Football Home game 7:00

27 – School Board Work Session 5:30

31 – JV Football Home

game 6:00

November Events

1 – Board of Supervisors Meeting 7:00

4 – End of 1st Quarter

7 – Professional Day (No School)

8 – Professional Day (No School)

9 – Monthly School Board Meeting 7:00Start of 2nd Quarter

11 – Veteran’s DayReport Cards Issued

Ryan Wheless

Editor-In-Chief

Throughout the past seven years, Gloucester High School has developed a tradition of recognizing a select senior whose academic career and personal character have set them apart from the rest of their peers. The student who best represents these qualities is named the Duke of the Year and joins an elite group of alumni who have received this award in past years. Now, with the start of the new school year, it is time for a senior from the Class of 2012 to receive this honor. “Duke of the Year is the most prestigious award that we give to any of our students and is the highest compliment that we can pay an individual. It represents the very best that Gloucester has to offer,” said Dr. Beverage, as the senior class settled into their seats and anxiously awaited to hear whose name would be called. As the lights began to dim and the spotlight shone throughout the audience, Dr. Beverage finally spoke the words that everyone was waiting to hear, saying, “We are proud to announce that the Duke of the Year for 2012 is... Christopher Morgan!” As the audience began applauding, Morgan excitedly joined his parents, grandparents, and nu-merous relatives on stage to accept his award. “I would like to thank all of my teachers and family. I want to thank my mom and my dad for instilling [character and leadership] in me and I would really like to thank God. This is going to be the best senior year that this school has ever seen,” said Morgan, after receiving his Duke statue and Josten’s watch.

“I think he represents the high school really well by be-ing a well-rounded student...He shows a lot of respect to the staff and the administrators. He’s just Christopher,” Mrs. Morgan said lovingly about her son. Dr. Beverage also expressed admiration for Morgan’s character, saying that “honesty, compassion, leadership, and courtesy are just a few of the adjectives” that describe him. Filling his free-time with athletics and countless activities in the high school and throughout the community, Morgan is very active and outgoing. During his time at Gloucester High, Morgan has been inducted into the Beta Club and Na-tional Honor Society and was the president of the W.E.B. DuBois Honor Society during his junior year. Not to mention, Morgan has been the SCA class president of his class for three years and the captain of the varsity basketball team for two years. Within the community, Morgan is also volunteers as a summer counselor at the Jamestown 4-H Club and a tutor at T.C. Walker Elementary School. In addition to his involvement with numerous extracurricular activities, Morgan remains dedicated to his schoolwork and holds a high GPA in Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses. “He’s a very hard worker. When I had Chris in my class, he was a very good student and was always very focused. He always had very high standards for himself and he gener-ally met those standards,” said Ms. Finnerfrock, one of Mor-gan’s previous teachers. As for the rest of his senior year, Morgan said, “I am really looking forward to all of those last moments here and the experiences that I’ll never forget.” Once he graduates, Morgan will attend Holy Cross on a scholarship, in which he has verbally committed to playing Division I basketball. •

Drew Anderson

Copy Editor

The Key Club is a relatively qui-et group of Gloucester High School students that devotes itself to serv-ing the community. The Club itself started at Sacramento High School in 1925 and has since spread to 5,000 different high schools in thirty countries around the world. Because the Key Club is a pri-marily student-run organization, it provides great community ser-vice while simultaneously teach-ing its members good leadership skills and bringing them closer to the community in which they live. The GHS branch of Key Club has participated in many local charity dries and has played a significant role in keeping the community, as well as the school free of litter. This year, the club is participating in a food drive called “Stop Hun-ger Now.” The unique thing about this particular food drive is that the food collected and packaged by students and distributed to interna-tional countries, not just to Glouc-ester County.

A new Page to a new chapterKeying Along

With Key Club

See “...turning over a new leaf” on p. 2

CJ Forbes/ Dukes Dispatch

CJ Forbes/ Dukes Dispatch

Tatyana White-Jenkins/ Dukes Dispatch

See “brighter future” on pg. 2

Student Life

Calling all GHS Alum!

Katie Smith

Co-Student Life Editor

Advance placement, AP, courses, are often associ-ated with insane amounts of difficult work, stress and thinking. Those who assume that, would be correct. Advance placement is advance and is expected to be of higher thought and work. One of the reasons the course seems to have so much work is the limited amount of time to do the work. Ms. Sharp gave her English 11 AP students summer work to set the pace of class, so that the students know what to expect from the class and have a bit of a jump start. Same thing with Mr. McGovern, in fact his AP US history class is two weeks ahead. The students are expected to take on the rigorous curriculum and not necessarily excel at it, but comprehend it. The AP class is preparing the students for the AP test, therefore the class needs to be difficult enough for the students to be prepared for the test, realizing that the test is created by the Col-lege Board and is of college curriculum. So, the work is not a burden, though many would think that, but more of a progress of knowledge making it so that the student is fully equipped for the college curriculum in the AP test. As stated before, the AP classes aren’t neces-sarily classes for the sake of learning. They are for a test and it is with that test that you recieve the college credit. However, you do learn quite a lot, unlike Dual Enrollment, where the class is registered as a high school and a college class. You will have to retain the curriculum enough to be able to apply the skills needed to do well on the test, and the best way to re-tain the studies is to practice. That’s why your English teacher constantly gives you timed essays and pas-sage analyzes, it’s because they know that students struggle with the essay portion of the test, or when

your math and science teachers constantly drill prob-lems. Teachers understand the parts students have the most trouble with and will prepare them to the best of their ability, especially since the AP test have been steadily getting more difficult and even for some been changing their focus of grading. The test is different for each subject, obviously, and not all the AP tests have essays, but all of them are graded on a 1-5 scale. Most colleges don’t accept scores lower than three and depending on the college and your major you may need a four to receive the college credits. Even if an AP subject might not be part of your major, and you think that it is going to rip your hair out with stress, it would benefit you to take the course and do well on the test because the college that you apply to would be impressed with the fact that you took on college level courses in high school, and did well. The same can be said about Dual Enrollment classes. So, even though it is intimidating and difficult, it is manageable, and it is worth it, especially during this time and age with the economy. With the college credits, you naturally don’t need to take the college class, which would cost a lot more than the AP test, and save you and your parents a lot of money. Many think that you’ll just take the Dual Enrollment class, be over and done with the credits, and not have to pay for the college classes, and the test, and perhaps, that is a good and efficient plan. However, I suggest to keep in mind that not all colleges accept Dual enroll-ment credits, though most of Virginia’s private institu-tions do. All colleges, on the other hand, do accept AP credits, and before you take the Dual enrollment class check ahead of time to see if your dream school accepts those credits. In some cases, Dual enrollment credits often count more than AP, so making sure your chosen college accepts them is a smart choice. And for those who have decided to take the chal-lenge on, work hard, think creatively, fight through the stress, and good luck. •

The main cause of concern for parents, students, and staff was the location of the “new” Page being alongside the high school. However, it seems as though its location has more pros then cons.“The fact that we are able to use the resources of the high school eliminates many of the cons. We are of-fering more elective classes to our students this year such as Drama and Creative Writing. We aim to of-fer more in the not so distant future.” commented Mr. Burns. Another concern about being next to the high school was the transitions of the students. Because of the middle school students having to go to the high school for electives and lunch, there has been much effort to time the transitions correctly without any missteps. “Our students and staff are handling the morning transitions between elective classes at GHS and core classes quite well. The high school students have been very cordial to our students.” said Mr. Burns The Page staff members has been working extreme-ly hard to accommodate the schools with the materials it needs. The use of great technology has helped make the new year more exciting.

“I am excited about how our students and teach-ers are responding to the new technologies we are using to enhance curriculum delivery.” commented Mr. Burns. “Next week will begin the process of equipping

classrooms with two computers for student use…We also have a classroom set of Kindles. Mrs. Freyberg-er, one of our Language Arts Teachers, agreed to pilot the Kindles and she is doing some amazing things in

her classes with our leveled reading resources. . We plan on bringing in an additional set of Kindles for stu-dent use. Our Language Arts teachers are anxious to get their hands on these resources.” The Board of Supervisors are still deliberating on whether to build a 6 through 9th grade school on TC Walker road. Until then, Mr. Burns expects that Page will be in its current condition for three to five years. The success of Page Middle School’s transition could not have been done without help from the teach-ers, students, and also the citizens of Gloucester.“I also credit the parents and our community. It is amazing how folks in our community can come to-gether and unite toward a common cause. On behalf of our staff I extend my gratitude to the citizens of Gloucester for their kind words and support.”Seeing as how the transition of being in a school to being in module buildings is very difficult and challeng-ing, the staff and students of Page are handling it very well. There will always be small problems when you are making a change but, as the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” That is ex-actly what the members of Page Middle School have been doing since the tornado hit on that gruesome day. We can only expect more success in the upcom-ing of the new Page Middle School. •

Continued from front page

...turning over a new leaf

Tatyana White-Jenkins

Co-Student Life Editor

Fashion has been evolving ever since the beginning of time. It seems as though there is always a new fashion trend to try out. But are these trends really “new”? Af-ter all, in fashion “Everything old is eventually new again.” Styles from the 90’s, 80’s and even as far back as the 30’s have come back into the clothes we wear to-day. The fashion industry never seems to make a full step towards a new fashion trend. Everything is taken from a style from the past. Although many of the trends from “back in the day” make comebacks, only a few of them stick around for the long run. For example:The Leather Bomber Jacket:

This trend has come back and isn’t planning on going anywhere. The jacket debuted during World War II and eventually caught on during

the 80’s.Plaid:The trend of wearing plaid has been around for a while. After be-coming popular in the 40’s, this trend seemed to die down but quickly picked back up and be-came a look many people love. Skinny Jeans and Leggings:

Although many seem to think this trend started with our generation, they are very wrong. Tight jeans and leggings have been worn as far back as the 80’s. These trends seem to always reoccur in the world of fashion because of their versatility.High -Waisted Skirts: This 1930’s trend has never seemed to completely fade away. Whether it is worn long or short, this trend has been stylish ever since it was first introduced.Shoulder Pads:The revival of shoulder pads is one of the most loved and hated of them all. No matter how many people dislike this trend, it always

seems to make its way back onto the runway. Animal Prints:The beginning of the animal print trend is mainly identified with the 50’s and 60’s. Although is most-ly worn now with subtlety, back when it was first introduced it was worn as much as possible to make a bold statement. The Boyfriend Look:This trend popularly made in the 1950’s has come back over the past couple of years. Whenever

you put on your “boyfriend jeans” and an oversized cardigan or blaz-er, you are simply bringing back the trend that took over the 50’s. So when you wear these “new” trends, keep in mind that all you are doing is bringing back the past. Designers simply travel back in time and borrow ideas from the past to include in the new looks of the present and future. •

Fashion history repeats itself

Teachers and staff, did you spend your high school years in the halls of GHS? Do you have children that graduated as Dukes?

If you or anyone you know used to be a student here at GHS,

then we, the staff of the Dukes’ Dispatch, would like to put

that former Duke in the newspaper.

Do you know an alum that is...unique?

involved?interesting?

just an all around good person?

Then, let us know!

Contact Ms. Riley in room C167 with any interests of being a feature article next

month!

AP: appropriately painful

...towards a brighter future

In addition to providing students with a way to help the needy and become involved in their communi-ties, joining the club will open up new opportunities for students to obtain scholarships. Not to mention being in the Key Club looks really good on a college application. It is not hard to join the Key Club, but it is a commitment once you do. “It’s a great club,” says Mr. Al-exander, the club’s advisor, “[and] you don’t have to be in the top 10% of your class to get in.”

Mr. Alexander has been the advi-sor of the Key Club for three years and says that he loves being involved in

a club that “promotes leadership and community sharing” among its members. If you want to join Key Club, all you have to do is show up to one of their meetings which are held every Wednesday after school. As with most things in life there is a fee, but no worries! It’s only fifteen dollars for a whole year which is a small price to pay to take part in such a great cause. •

Continued from front page

Photo: Tatyana White-Jenkins

Photo Credit: Google Images

Photo Credit: Google Images

Photo Credit: Google Images

Student Life 3Thursday, October 6, 2011 Vol. 36 Issue 1

Susan Ortiz

News Editor/Co-Layout Editor

For the second consecutive year, Gloucester High School has failed to meet its Adequate Yearly Prog-ress requirements. However, students were suc-cessful in meeting benchmarks. Although Glouces-ter County Public Schools failed to meet AYP, they still received accreditation. At the end of each school year, public schools must measure their AYP based on scores from stan-dardized tests. When minimum standards are met, schools are considered to be “meeting benchmarks,” but this is based on a broad outlook. On the other hand, AYP is measured more closely and must be met by all subgroups, which includes white, black, Hispanic, limited English proficient, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged. Public schools must meet 29 benchmarks, but failure to do so in just one subgroup could cause a school to miss the mark for AYP. The measurement of test scores at the conclusion of each year allows the government to see growth, or mishaps, in the school’s program. The required evaluation of AYP was put into place as a part of the No Child Left Behind Legislation, but many believe there to be many flaws within the program.

Patricia I. Wright, Superintendent of Public In-struction for Virginia, believes that the accountability system made under NCLB has “outlived its usefulness and should be overhauled.”

Wright strongly wants to have a waiver put into place to cut ties from the unrealistic, impractical re-quirements from NCLB. “Accountability is not advanced by arbitrary rules and benchmarks that misidentify schools,” states

Wright, “…I will begin a discussion with the state board on creating a new model for measuring yearly progress that maintains high expectations for student achievement, recognizes growth- overall and by sub-group- and accurately identifies schools most in need of improvement.” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, with the help of Wright, is trying to find ways to relieve schools of the improbable requirements. At the same time, they must come up with other ways that will sufficiently measure the progress of Virginia’s public schools. Students must be tested in English, history/so-cial science, mathematics, and science, and they must score a 70% or more in all fields. If the students do not achieve this goal, the school is not considered “fully accredited.” However, as long as a school is not a Title 1 school (GHS is not), lack of accreditation will not call for school improvement sanctions. But, when a school does not meet AYP requirements, develop-ment workshops are set up for teachers and faculty. Officials try to set up programs from students to learn outside of school, get parents involved in the work of their children, and identify possible things that inter-fere with students’ learning abilities. As for GHS, all subjects were passed with per-centages as follows: 94 in English, 95 in science, 85 in history, and 81 in math. Math has been the lowest scoring subject for past years, but as a whole, GHS failed to reach a high enough percentage to meet

AYP. GHS was given accreditation, but did not meet their goals; rather they met standards closer to the minimum, which allowed them to meet benchmarks. Eventually, schools are going to be expected to have 100 percent pass rates in certain subject areas, but this does not determine specific growth individual-ly. The 2010-2011 school year was the second year consecutively that the state of VA did not meet AYP goals, for some subgroups did not meet the bench-marks in reading or mathematics. In an attempt at improvement, GHS has made many efforts to help students. Tutoring is available, for most teachers are making it a point to stay after to give extra help when necessary. Also, the library has extended hours; they remain open until four o’ clock on Thursdays. Since the teachers and staff of GHS are making efforts to better students’ knowledge of standardized test material, then it is now up to students to take advantage of their opportunities. A lot of the blame is placed on teachers when AYP requirements are not met, but the students have to take some responsibil-ity; however, it is the teachers that have to face the repercussions of workshops and possible loss of ac-creditation.•

(Information based on Virginia Department of Educa-tion News)

AYP is not where it’s supposed to be

Election energizes entire areaLogan George

Jessica Gardner

Sports EditorReporter

It’s that time again. Signs and billboards cover every square mile. Every four years, the Gloucester County Election booths set up for the citizens of Gloucester County to cast their votes in the General Election for their Board of Supervisors, Treasurer, Commissioner of Revenue, and Sheriff. Residents of Gloucester are encouraged to vote and participate in the local govern-ment that leads our community. After experiencing recent changes in our area due to budget cuts in the school system and tornado after-effects, many are vy-ing for positions in this year’s November 4th election to make the adjustments they feel would better suit Gloucester County. This year, candidates have been campaigning in every possible way to win the votes. In case you guys are not aware, the Board of Su-pervisors plays a pivotal part in how our county func-tions. It is made up of five districts with one elected supervisor for each along with two supervisors at large to oversee the whole operation. The five districts are Petsworth, Ware, Abingdon, York, and Gloucester Point. While the School Board and their Supervisors ar-range matters of education, the County Supervisors are busy with many other matters. According to the current Supervisor-at-Large, Mrs. Ressler, the county supervisor’s jobs entail “Passing ordnances, dealing with concerns, looking at road plans, looking over fi-nances, and addressing citizens’ concerns. We basi-cally run the county.” The candidates for this year’s at-large position include Ashley Criscoe and Patricia Cowan. This year, the competition is fierce. Chris Hut-son and Andy James, among several others, are two candidates for supervisor positions, Gloucester Point and Ware districts, respectively. Andy James, as you probably know, was recently in a car crash and was left with terrible injuries. Luckily for him and his family, he has made an excellent recovery, and is now healthy enough to run. Gregory Woodard, the former Supervisor of Ware district, has decided to back Andy James since Woo-dard is not seeking re-election. Mr. Woodard decid-ed not to run again because he promised his family, friends, and church that he would only run for one term, or four years. About his term, he said, “I am proud of spearheading an effort to keep taxes low. I ran saying no to tax raises because it is important to not raise taxes.” Woodard claims that raising taxes

would not fix anything for our economy. As you know, last year the school schedule was cut by twenty days due to lack of funding. The Board of Supervisors claims that we could have salvaged those days by raising taxes 1%. Woodard states that this isn’t his area; the School Board handles that. Mr. Woodard’s main comment was the fact that the county had an additional $100,000 to spend which could have been directed at edu-cation, preventing the cuts of learning. Instead, he says, the money was di-rected towards hiring an extra assistant Superintendent, and the money went to his salary. When we spoke about education with Ms. Ressler, she told us “I sent emails to Dr. Kiser (the current Super-intendent) asking how much it would cost to reinstate the lost twenty school days. They basically said they weren’t interested in looking at the option.” Another candidate seeking a su-pervisor position is Chris Hutson for the Gloucester Point District, who has a son who goes to GHS. Logan Hut-son, a major rower for the crew team, is very proud of his dad and is cross-ing his fingers for the win. Hutson is running against Bobby Crewe, a current supervisor who is looking to be re-elected. The competition will be stiff to represent this district made of 7,400 residents. Mr. Crewe has lived in the area his entire life and believes he knows the residents well enough to repre-sent them. He describes himself as a “problem solv-er… trouble-shooter.” He has been able to establish a relationship with the people in his district by holding town hall meetings every other month at Abingdon El-ementary School and says it’s best to use the people as the “go to.” Crewe is running as an independent stating that “everyone should be an independent at the local level.” If elected for a second term, Crewe hopes

to improve software used in the Commissioner of Rev-enue and Treasurer’s offices. He also wants to make the County a more business friendly place by working with developers to stimulate growth here in Gloucester. As for the competition, Mr. Crewe says, “Bring it on, it brings out the best in both sides.” Another office on the ballot is Gloucester Sher-

iff. Our county Sheriff has an even more involved job than those of other areas, being one of nineteen in the commonwealth to hold a full service position. In other words, they are in charge of everything including man-aging the jail and all of its programs, Fire and Res-cue dispatch, the courts, the DARE program, SRO’s, corrections, narcotics and most importantly, working within a mere $7.7 mil-lion budget for all of these programs and more. Steve Gentry has done a respectable job during his time in office and hopes that his actions have been enough to win over the citizens of Gloucester for another term. Of course, it won’t be that easy. Oth-ers have their eyes on the prize including Larry Ri-lee, Ted Koehl, and Clar-ence Bowser. The current sheriff Mr. Gentry says he likes hiking the campaign trail. “It is fun, you get to see people you haven’t seen in a while,” says Gentry. Since he has been serving in law enforcement for over 25 years, Gentry knows how the county works and what it needs. “Elections give direc-tion. It tells us what we need to work on.”

Under Sheriff Gentry, the county has had many innovations, including Ancomm, narcotics busts, and a new bikes squad, who were specially trained by York County. The bike squads are going to be useful to “bust drug dealers. A bike can easily patrol and sneak up on criminals, while a cop car can’t,” Gentry says. If elected for another term Gentry hopes to get high

school students more involved with the Sheriff’s Office. After all, he says, “The biggest require-ment to run for sheriff is the trust of the people” including us here at GHS. Another very important position on the bal-lot this election is the Commonwealth’s Attor-ney. This is the top prosecuting position in the county’s court system. This person is in charge of other prosecutors in the court as well. This year, Holly Smith is a contender for the office. Ms. Smith has over a decade worth of experience since she graduated from Wil-liam and Mary Law School in 1999. Although she has lived in Gloucester County, Smith has been practicing in Newport News for the past few years. She says her experience working in the city prepared her well for the position because she has “tried every kind of case in high volume”, but is now ready to prosecute in her own county. Smith believes holding crimi-

nals more accountable and seeking tougher sentences will improve Gloucester. She hopes to give victims of crimes more voice in their cases. She also hopes to bring more modern and innovative programs to GHS in order to raise gang and drug awareness as well as internet safety. Ms. Smith is accompanied on the bal-lot by Robert Hicks.

As you all can see, the actions and decisions of these folks affect us here at GHS much more than we thought. The best way to make changes is to get involved. We know everybody has an opinion, so voice it! If you just turned eighteen, you can register to vote at the following loca-tions: Voter Regis-

trar’s Office on Main Street, DMV, Gloucester Library Main Branch, or Gloucester Library Point Branch. The last day to register is Monday, October 17. Voting will take place on November 4 from 6am-7pm. If you have any information you can visit www.gloucesterva.info and click on the voting link on the left hand side.•Photo: Jordan Mosbaugher Photos: CJ Forbes

Stan

dard

ized

Test

ing

Subj

ect

Reading

Writing

Math

Science

History

70 75 80 85 90 95 100Achievement Levels

for 2010-2011(all students)

91

81

84

95

93

CJ Forbes

Reporter

The boys Volleyball team is a confident, tight group of misfits even though many of the members recently joined the team. Whether these boys are waiting for tennis or wrestling season, dreaming about Quidditch from Harry Potter, singing a song, or…dancing, they always manage to have a good time. On their way to a match they sing songs (out of pitch, but proud) as a team, with skills ranging from Lady Gaga to Taylor Swift to the National Anthem. While they are waiting on the girl’s team to finish their game, they become the main cheering section with their addicting dance move: “The Bernie.” Some of parents and friends seated next to the boys next to the boys are always waiting for this dance move as the girls score. The rule is; in order to earn the right to Bernie, “you have to hit hard!” says Coach Nichols. According to Daniel Osborne, you also “have to block hard!” Osborne is a junior who transferred last year and has made a great addition to the team. So, what is a Bernie? It is a dance move originating from the 80’s movie “Weekend at Bernie’s” and was recently remixed into a music video. It can be described as waving your arms by your side like you are running in place, stick-ing your tongue out, while leaning your head back “like you’ve got a nosebleed,” says Junior Cody Hansford. Coach Nichols says that it started as a joke that the boys started doing, but it became a real deal that the coach starts off by raising his hands in the air like a choir conductor.

In all seriousness, the team is composed with a few new starters that only started playing this year, and many people waiting for their respective sports to be in season, such as basketball, tennis, and wrestling. It leaves the team open to anyone that would be inter-ested in joining. It would help a basketball player jump higher, and the team is humorous, friendly and great to be a part of. Just remember the wise words of Coach Nichols: “The Bernie is not a dance, it’s a way of life.” •

CJ Forbes

Reporter

To some people, the decision to play sports comes from the influences of family. Even though it’s a sport’s team, the girl’s volleyball team treats each other like family. This year they are confident that they have a good team. Despite losing veteran players from previ-ous years, their closeness brings them together into a close-nit team of sisters. Coach Wilson, who has been coaching for three years, said, “I have some old remarkable members: Elani Paredes, Samantha Coates, Coleen Lemay [and] Kelsee Oliver.” The girls won’t let anything stop or distract them from their schoolwork. The team members find ways to manage their volleyball time with their school life and keep it all under control. The Seniors of the team say that they will not let anyone or anything stress them out in their last year of high school Many of these senior players have been playing since their freshmen year and still love playing for the team because of their sisterly bond. While they play, they always give high-fives to each other, chest bump, and do secret handshakes of some sort. Since the girls are a team of sisters, that would make Coach Wilson the mother. She listens to the girls’ problems and gives them advice when they ask for it. “I always tell them that I love them like my own especially since I’ve known most of them since they

were toddlers.” The team’s Libero (defense specialist), Elani Marina Paredes, who sports the white jersey to be different from the rest of her team. She said that “It’s fun when [I] play with one of [my] best friends like Coleen and Deni-sa.” On the other hand, Elani has actually had sis-ters on the tea m in the past that in-

fluenced her to play Volleyball. “I’ve been playing for four years because my sisters have been playing since 2005.” Says Elani Paredes. The team may be really close, but it doesn’t mean they won’t have any room for any new mem-bers for next season. Why wouldn’t someone want to join when you have so much fun and have a family of sisters at school? “You definitely should [join the team] because we’re like a family and it’s awesome to have sisters wherever you go,” says Mckensie Fischer (Junior). •have sisters wherever you go,” says Mckensie Fis-cher (Junior). •

4 Student LifeThursday, October 6, 2011 Vol. 36 Issue 1

A drive to stay undefeatedJessica Gardner

Reporter

Our Lady Dukes field hockey team has always dominated in the district. Last season they were 10-2 and although they hoped to earn the title of unde-feated, they still did a tremendous job finishing out the season. While this season is just beginning, the hopes remain high for our Lady Dukes who have a powerful starting roster including top goal scorer Senior Han-nah Joyce, Seniors Morgan Reed, Rhiannon Miller and Sophomore Courtnie Greene. Coaches Mike Miller and

Signey Milks work hard to make sure the Dukes reach their full potential in demanding practices. This year the team is led by captains Hannah Joyce, Morgan Reed, Amatheyst Macy, and Breanna Fox. So far the Dukes have proved that they yet again, have what it takes by defeating opponents Jamestown, Lafayette, Poquoson, Bethel and Heritage. The biggest face-off came, however, when the Lady Dukes went up against their rival school, Kecoughtan on September 20th. The crowd was intense through-out the entire game, and both parents and supporters from both teams came out to root for their ladies. The teams made it an agressive battle in the first half where it was all defensive skill. Stacy Rhodes be-gan powerfully on defense, but was substituted out because of an injury. After recovering, Stacy was put

on offense and went on to score the first goal of the game in the begining of the second half, assisted by Courtnie Greene. Having given the team momentum, the girls charged ahead in full force against the Warriors for the rest of the second half. Courntie Greene went on to score two more goals, with Hannah Joyce assisting her on the second. When the referee blew the final whistle, the Lady Dukes let out a cheer for their victory against their most competitive rivals in the district. This wasn’t their closest game, however, the Lady Dukes had an epic sudden death overtime showdown against Denbigh High on September 29th. Instead of the usual eleven-on-eleven roster, both teams were restricted to just seven players each. The game-win-

ning goal was scored by Hannah Joyce, who had an assist from the ever-present Courntie Greene. Coming off several tough wins, the ladies have the drive to stay un-defeated for the remainder of the season. Our Dukes are marching their may to the district tournament with their heads held high and hope in their eyes. •

Fantasia Wells

Reporter

Keyano Turull, a junior, holds the varsity positions of safety, linebacker, and line-man guard. He says he is very happy that the Gloucester Dukes won their first home game of the 2011-2012 year. Keyano started playing football when he was in 7th grade and actually made the JV squad as an 8th grader. Since then he has grown to love the game, and loves it be-cause it challenges him. He has also made many friends because of the sport and that the team is like a “second family” to him. He plans to attend college and major in either Sports Medicine or Veterinary Medi-cine. Regarding football he says that his “injuries might hold [him] back a little” but he still hopes to play. Keyano says, “We always go into a game with a good attitude. It’s always good to think good of yourself.” Although Turull was injured in the first quarter, the Dukes managed to pull out a win 27-25. Full-back Ryan Harris scored a 10-yard run with six minutes left in the game. As a host, Gloucester Dukes beat the Granby Comets 27-25 Friday, Sep-tember 9, 2011. It was one of the most competitive results on a night when Penin-sula District teams went 6-0 against rivals from the Eastern District. Aiden Thompson passed for 172 yards, completing 13 of 21. The Dukes led 21-7 in the first half, getting a 20-yard run from Ryan Harris and a 17-yard scoring pass from Thompson to Jarrell Bennett. Harris ran for 118 yards and Ben-nett had 101 receiving yards. •

Logan George

Sports Editor

The thud of a metal club. A pock-marked ball soaring in the air. The pearly golf ball sinks to the bottom of a hole, and the crowd claps daintily. Just another day on the links. The Dukes have been hammer-ing golf balls down par fives all sea-son, and all the practice is paying off. For the past three years, the golf team has won three, count ‘em, three district tour-naments in a row! With Zach Robb and Zach Kounse at the head of the tournament spear-head, they esaily took first place in the district. Both Zachs and Kyle Rowe got first team all-dis-trict, and they hope to just as well in the regional tournament. Practice is a key part of the golf team’s discipline. Hitting the ball at the Gloucester club is more than just practice, however. The level of performance demonstrates to the coach who is ready to participate in the tournaments. Of course, just because on player does not qualify

for one tournament does not mean they will not play again. Say a player was one shot shy of making it into a small time event. He might sit out one competition, but after showing off his skills at the Country Club, the player may be the hero of the District Tournament! And as everyone knows, no one would play a sport if they did not have fun. After all the hard work, El-

liott Theuerkauf says, “The best part is that play gives you a chance to develop your skills every day. You can practice playing under pressure. It’s just a lot of fun.” Another fun part of by on the golf team is getting to par-ticipate in the

tournaments. Not only do the ath-

letes get represent their school in a county-wide competiton of skill and technique, they also get the privilege to miss school for a day, playing what they love. Talk about perks! It sounds like playing golf comes with a lot of bonuses. For any of you aspiring golfers out there, Coach Morgan can check out your skills next season. •

Golf-

A team of sistersSpiking, winning, and bernie-ing

Daniel Osborne serving the ball

The boy’s doing the Bernie

Photo Credit: Sydney Early

Coach Wilson coaching from the sidelines

Kelsee Oliver serving the ball

Photo Credits: Jordan Mosbaugher

The Co- Captains

CJ Forbes/ Duke’s Dispatch

CJ

Forb

es/

Duk

e’s

Dis

patc

h

Co-Captain Carver Fisher

GHS wins first game of season

Gloucester Dukes 2-3 overall, 1-3 in Peninsula District:

How do they compare?

Phoebus Phantoms

Gloucester Dukes

Denbigh Patriots

Rushing Yards Passing Yards Total Points

854

607

261

5-0

2-3

0-5

357

481

139

62

811172

5Op-EdThursday, October 6, 2011 Vol. 36 Issue 1

Dukes’ Discourse

How have you changed

Editorial Policy

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

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

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

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

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

editing, and reviewing information.

Voice Box

We want to hear your voice.You can submit any letters to the edi-tor, art/photo contributions, or other

articles by dropping them in the Voice Box on the bulletin board across from room C167. Include your name, grade,

phone number or email.Letters to the Editor must be within 150 words and school appropriate.

Dukes’ DispatchStaff

Sports EditorLogan George

Copy EditorDrew Anderson

ReportersCJ Forbes

Jessica GardnerLindsey McCuistion

FantasiaWells

AdvisorMs. Riley

Editor-In-ChiefRyan Wheless

Co-Student Life EditorsKatie Smith

Tatyana White-Jenkins

News EditorSusan Ortiz

Entertainment EditorDanielle Moore

Co-Layout EditorsDanielle Moore

Susan Ortiz

“Success,” what is it?

Drew Anderson

Copy Editor

What is success? This question has been asked many, many times by many different people. Ben Sweet-land, author of Grow Rich While You Sleep once said that “Success is a journey, not a destination.” In other words, Sweetland believes that the often tough road that one will take to get to their goal is more rewarding than actually achieving it. It is while traveling this road that we learn the most about ourselves; we find out who we are and what we can take. After all, “It’s not about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.” You can thank Rocky Balboa for that one. As with most philosophical ques-tions, there is more than one an-swer. Edward Simmons once said that “The difference between failure and success is doing a thing nearly right and doing a thing exactly right.” Simmons was an early 20th cen-tury painter and on most accounts a perfectionist, famous for his im-pressionistic, American Renaissance style and his murals. His is a more concrete view of success; either you do it right, or you don’t, success or failure, the journey means nothing if the end result is not “exactly right.” I’m willing to bet that most people would be inclined to disagree with Simmons, especially high school students. It’s frightening to think that all of your efforts could be in vain. It’s only human to want a safety net or a back-up plan, but some people throw themselves so completely into a goal that they find that there’s not much left if they do not achieve all they set out for. Now, I could sit here and throw quotes and theories about success at you until I die of old age, but I re-ally don’t see what the point of that would be. Everyone has their own vision of what success is to them. It doesn’t matter what some ancient philosopher or early 20th century painter thinks it is. The fact is, we all have our own goals and all choose our own paths to achieving those goals. If the first path that we take doesn’t take us to where we need to be, then we try another one, and keep trying until we are happy with our positions. I don’t think that there is any such thing as “failure” in life, because we can always learn from our mistakes and strive to make our lives better. The point is, don’t ever let anyone tell you that you “can’t.” Because you can, you just have to apply your-self. We, as humans, and especially as students should grow and learn the most from our failures because out of failure, we achieve our own personal successes. •

Lowering the bar The 2001 No Child Left Behind federal leg-islation, requiring 100% graduation in 2014 could essentially produce graduates who can-not process information and make rational and independent decisions, cannot apply knowl-edge, and cannot synthesize information; for that matter, produce graduates that do not even know the definition of synthesize. For students, NCLB requirements are actu-ally diminishing the integrity of our high school diploma. Not only is it not preparing us for competition for today’s global market, but it is not even preparing us to be productive and communicative citizens of our own country. The world does not require that we bubble in test to prove acquired knowledge. It requires that we perform to standards proven through applica-

tion, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.Think about it. If we are to graduate 100% of this year’s sophomore class in 2014, then we have either astonishingly created a utopian so-ciety or we have successfully lowered the stan-dards enough in order to fit everyone into the same mold and on the same time schedule. Last year, GCPS adopted the 10-point grad-ing scale. What used to be an “B” is now an “A,” which is a significant change to the GPA’s of many students. Not only does this lower the required standards, at the same time, it less-ens the initiative students take when complet-ing their work. Although the recently adopted grading scale has increased the names on the honor roll list, it is decreasing the overall de-termination of students. Public schools are so concerned with meeting benchmarks, making the mark for AYP, and earning accreditation, that they are willing to diminish the abilities of students. Don’t get us wrong, we’re not saying that it’s okay if students don’t graduate from high school. What we are saying is that we were not all created to be the same identical people. Life happens and life gets in the way; as a re-sult some of us may not graduate in a four year window, but we will graduate and we will be successful adults and citizens. In the same way, some of us might not graduate from col-lege in a four year window. Some of us may receive college degrees, but there is a pos-sibility that we never use that degree as we originally intended. Not all kids care about school, nor do they care if they even graduate. Forcing a system like NCLB on America’s schools and expecting it to flourish is not possible. Some students

aspire to work in fields that do not require a set amount of education. Instructors push students to stay in school, go on to college, but that is not the ideal plan for everyone. High school is a stepping stone for many, but it is not always

a smooth route for all those on its path. The different levels of learning abilities are why there are different level classes for sub-jects, yet NCLB expects all of those lower and

higher levels to be equal. The idea of equality in this sense is contradictory; we are taught to be unique, strive to do our best, not the best that the people around us can live up to. Life happens and what we need to learn is, as it does happen, how do we adjust to that, what decisions do we make based on rational thought and research, how do we analyze this information to make informed decisions, and how do we meet the curve ball out front and still hit it out of the park. Fortunately, for the majority of us, we have teachers that believe teaching us how “to think” is much more beneficial than teaching us to memorize information and bubbling in the an-swers correctly. Fortunately, we have teachers that want us to be communicators, problem-solvers, and creators. Fortunately for us, we have teachers that believe raising the bar and helping us to reach and go beyond that stan-dard is much more important than lowering the bar and just sitting back as we step over it. We would like to hear your thoughts on this. Administrators, teachers, students, and any-one who reads our paper and wants to express an opinion, we encourage you to use your First Amendment rights and write a letter to the edi-tor. You might not learn how to correctly bubble in a test from this process, but you will learn how open, intellectual, rational, and proactive conversation is beneficial to the success of our society and our school.•The Dukes’ Dispatch staff has decided that editorials will be opinions of the staff, and not individual opinions as in the past. A discusssion was held in class and this editorial is a collab-orative effort in response to our opinion.

Editorial Cartoon Illustrated by CJ Forbes

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“Life happens and what we need to learn is,

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Photo credi: UM. Site maker.t: SIteMaker

6 EntertainmentThursday, October 6, 2011 Vol. 36 Issue 1

-1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix

-1 pound black shoestring licorice

-1 (16 ounce) can white frosting

-48 pieces candy corn

-48 cinnamon red hot candies

-1/4 cup orange decorator sugar

“The Help” stirring the social potDanielle Moore

Entertainment Editor/Co-Layout Editor

Kathryn Stockett grew up in an upper-middle class white family with an African-American maid. Her novel, The Help, chronicles the lives of two black maids living in the Deep South who team up with a wealthy farmer’s daughter to write a book that would send shockwaves through their Jackson community. I thought that sounded like a boring plot line, but that thought oddly didn’t deter me from purchas-ing the $20 book with the pretty cover in the front section of a Barnes & Noble. Little did I know, how-ever, The Help would lead me to see the world and our past differently, and better comprehend the mis-takes and challenges of America’s predecessors. When I first opened the novel, I was a little con-fused. The harsh Mississippi dialect threw me for a loop, and by page 35 I decided not to continue read-ing the book because I found it difficult to read and honestly boring. But by the middle of the summer, The Help had turned into a media firestorm. Being the

type of person that I am, I decided to ignore the con-troversy for fear of a spoiler, and I soon started to read again the book that everyone was talking about. As I came to about page 100, I became rather up-set with myself, why did I ever put this book down? I was mesmerized by each page, and with ev-ery detail given about the harsh civil-rights era my eyes were opened to something I had al-ways heard about, but never truly understood.

I decided to Google Stockett, and as I was brought to her Wikipedia page I was completely shocked to what I saw in front of me… she was white. I hadn’t ever imagined that such an openly honest story could have been written by someone with her background. That small fact might have enamored me even more, and it was not long before I fin-ished the book. By the time I was done, people were still talking about the contro-

versy with The Help, and to be honest, it baffled me. Some critics say the book is inadvertently racist, which is understandable. It probably is a little unrealistic, but I wouldn’t really know, and unless you lived in the South during the Civil Rights Era, I don’t think you actually could. I do know that white people didn’t go out of their way to do something extraordinary for African-Amer-

icans in the 60’s 99% of the time. It truly was a shameful

period in America, yet, we still must consider the fact that there were blacks and whites

who were willing to cross boundaries and who wanted

to make a dif-ference, and the way the main characters came together in the novel is representative of how Martin

Luther King Jr. made his mark on this country, he brought people together and demanded change. His impact on the social differences made by the color of one’s skin changed the track of America, just as the main characters in The Help were willing to do. The Help is a novel that can open your eyes to just how

bad things were not too long ago, and then make you look at the world now and have a little sense of pride. It made me realize just how far we’ve come as America, and I was even happier that I don’t have to live in a time period like they did. I loved this book, and I honestly can’t understand how it can be dissected as a racist story. The Help, no matter how you feel about it, is a feel-good book that conveys a positive message. Learn from what Stockett writes, and realize how lucky you are to be in a country that is free, fair, and far different than it was fifty years ago. •

overplayedparty rock anthem- lmfao

last friday night- katy perrylucky now- ryan adams

HOlocene- Bon Iver

underplayed

1.Prepare cupcakes according to package directions. Let cool completely.

2.Cut licorice into 3 inch sections. Work-ing with one or two cupcakes at a time, so the frosting doesn’t set before decorating, frost the cupcakes with the white frosting. Insert licorice pieces into the outer edges of the cupcakes to make the legs of the spider,

3 legs on each side (4 takes up too much space). Place two pieces of candy corn on

the front of the cupcake for fangs and use

SPIDER CUPCAKES

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Halloween is almost here! if trick-or-treating doesn’t fulfill

your sweet tooth, this recipe surely will!

ingredients

Directions

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Trending topics The Lion King 3D - $62,696,591

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“By the time I was done, people were still talking about it.”

“It made me realize just how far we’ve come as America,”

7EntertainmentThursday, October 6, 2011 Vol. 36 Issue 1

Rappers topping the charts

As soon as Kanye West and Jay-Z announced that they would be coming out with a collaborative album, the bar was set. Not only by fans and critics, but also by Kanye and Jay-Z themselves. They knew the expectations for their new album Watch the Throne would be especially high. Bringing two of the finest hip-hop artist together into one album could either be a masterpiece or a complete disaster. But both Kanye and Jay-Z never seem to disappoint when it comes to their albums, and their collaboration on Watch the Throne was no different. Production of the album began in November of 2010. They recorded and produced the album all over the world, stopping at recording studios in England, France, Australia, Hawaii, and New York. After eight months of hard work, Watch the Throne was finally released. Fans were ecstatic once the album was released, due to Kanye and Jay-Z’s choice not to reveal the album release date. Critics and fans have given the album generally positive reviews. Many say it’s the best album out there, but others say it was a bit of a let down. I happen to disagree with both of those thoughts. Although I do not believe this is the best album that has come from either of these artists, I do believe it is a great album. In a time where happy pop songs are constantly overplayed, listening to Watch the Throne is a very refreshing experience. The album reminds you that everything isn’t always bright and happy, but that’s okay. Both Kanye and Jay-Z contribute their creative lyrics and sound to the album to show two different sides of themselves. “Otis”, a single from the album that samples Otis Redding’s “Try A Little “Tenderness”, is an example of the confident and slightly materialistic side of Kanye and Jay-Z. But this doesn’t last throughout the whole album. After hearing many loud and flashy songs in the beginning of the album, you hear “New Day”, an ode to Kanye and Jay-Z’s unborn sons. This is one of the most honest songs of the album. It shows a softer and more emotional side of the two rappers and hearing it is like a breath of fresh air. Another standout song, and one of my favorites, is “Why I Love You”. With a great beat, a smooth hook sung by Mr. Hudson, and lyrics about paranoia, backstabbers, and reluctant feelings towards fans, the song is an instant hit and is a perfect way to close the album. Watch the Throne is a very ambitious and creative album. The com-bination of Kanye and Jay Z’s great music taste (shown by their col-laborations with artist like Beyoncé, Mr. Hudson, and Frank Ocean) and ingenious lyrics make this a great album. I agree with the critics who say that it is one of the best albums of the year. •

It’s been over a year since New Orleans-based rapper Lil Wayne re-leased his album Tha Carter III. The album did substantially well, and went on to sell over 3.5 million copies in the United States alone. Since Tha Carter III’s success Lil Wayne has gone on to establish himself as one of the most popular rappers of recent times, and with the release of Tha Carter IV, he’s well on his way to becoming one of the most famous rappers of all time. Taken Wayne had a lot to live up to after two critically flopped al-bums and a Grammy-winning Tha Carter III, the fourth install-ment of the “Carter” albums isn’t exactly bad, it’s just not that great. Wayne has been teasing his fans since December of 2010 after he released “6 Foot 7 Foot” and the upbeat tempo and beats in the song put the rapper at the top of the charts for months. Again, in June of this year he dropped the track “How to Love”, and the song became an over-night hit and skyrocketed him to number one on ITunes. For months you couldn’t turn on a radio station without hearing one of Weezy’s hits. “How to Love” is truly a pop-ish love song, but even though the rapper cannot sing to save his life the heavily auto-tuned hit is catchy and kind of sweet. The album features Bruno Mars in the sad, yet quite repetitive reprieve “Mirrors”, which is an insight into Wayne’s mind and struggles. As he raps, you can believe he is remorseful for his mistakes, which in the past year has been filled with the drama of prison stints and arrests, and he acknowledges how the past has shaped him, “I see the scars that remain, I see you Wayne,” is one of the most poignant lyrics on the whole album. Tha Carter IV does, however, have a few bright spots. “Nightmares at the Bottom” and “Outro”, (which ironically, “Outro” doesn’t even feature Lil Wayne but the likes of rappers Nas, Bun B, Shyne and Busta Rhymes) are the best songs on the entire track list. It is similar to the original style the rapper emerged into the musical world with over a decade ago, and compared to the other songs, it definitely brings back a sense of nostalgia. Wayne definitely has taken a different musical approach as of late, and one that is more heavily induced with a rock/pop-style genre. It’s not for fans of his older mixtapes and original heavy rap tracks, but more for the ones who enjoy the pop-induced mainstream music you’ll hear on the radio. Taken, I’m slightly biased because Lil Wayne is far from being my favorite rapper, and his often grotesque lyrics are too clichéd for me, but I think many true-blue Wayne fans could agree with me that this album leaves you with a feeling of indifference. I’ll recommend Tha Carta IV to you if you liked I Am Not a Human Being, but if you wish Lil Wayne would just quit his skateboarding and rocker antics, save your money and quite frankly, save your time too.•

Danielle Moore & Tatyana White-Jenkins

Entertainment Editor/Co-Layout Editor, Co-Student Life Editor

CD Title: Island In the SunArtist: Shwayze

Genre: Hip-Hop/RapPrice: $9.99

Our Rating:

“The great sound reflects the freedom that the artists feel, and Island in the Sun is far better than the sophomore Let it Beat.”

Tatyana White-Jenkins

Co-Student Life Editor

CD Title: Watch The ThroneArtist: Kanye West & Jay-Z

Genre: Hip-Hop/RapPrice: $13.99

Our Rating:

“Love don’t live here and it don’t even visit.”-President Carter

CD Title: Tha Carter IVArtist: Lil Wayne

Genre: Hip-Hop/RapPrice: $13.99

Our Rating:

Danielle Moore

Entertainment Editor/Co-Layout Editor

“See, I just want him to have an easy life,not like Yeezy life, just want him to be someone people like.”- New Day

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Crossword clues

ACROSS 2. Dance in October6. Potions are created in these8. The “Friendly Ghost”9. Howls at a full moon 12. Game involving safeties and punters15. Marching celebration 16. Ding! Dong! The ____ is dead!17. What a witch flies on 19. This is said to bring bad luck when crossed20. GHS mascot

DOWN 1. Gathering of students to show school spirit3. Annual famous German Festival4. Don’t step on one of these, or you’ll break your mother’s back 5. Famous haunted house in New York7. Week including “Wacky Day” 10. Worn on Halloween night11. Dracula is one of these13. The season when the leaves change 14. A ghost lives in one of these houses

Dukes’ Dispatch TriviaWhat year did the Lady Dukes Basketball team make it to their

first Regional Tournament?

The first student with the correct response will receive a monetary prize!

Trivia Rules:

1. Answers must be submitted in person to Ms. Riley in room C167.2. Answers will only be accepted during non-instructional hours,

(i.e.before or after school, lunch blocks.)

Aaron Smith, better known as Shwayze, has been an original artist on the rap front since the summer of 2008. Famous for “Buzzin’” and “Coro-na and Lime”, Shwayze is fresh off the heels of creating his EP, The W’s, which was released earlier this year. It has been two long years since his last official album, with the recently-released Island in the Sun being pre-ceded by his freshmen CD, self-entitled Shwayze, and Let it Beat. Born and raised in Malibu, California, Shwayze is famous for his beachy attitude and laidback sound. After working in a Starbucks in his home state, he met former Whitestarr front man Cisco Adler at a nightclub. Adler, the son of famous music producer Lou, has contributed his vocals on each of Shwayze’s three works, and is credited as co-writing and cre-ating the three albums with the rapper. After the joint release of the title track “Island In The Sun” and “You Could Be My Girl” to ITunes, fans of Shwayze anticipated the final release of the album. “Island in the Sun” sets the tone for what the overall theme of the album would be: summer flings and summer love. The album is still the cool, summery Shwayze his fans are used to hearing. Besides Adler, the album features Sky Blu of LMFAO, singer Sophie Stern, and underground rapper Kendrick Lamar. The duo claims that this time around Island In the Sun is free of a label, with Adler being quoted as saying, “no label, no pressure,” commenting on the tensions with the group’s last record label. The great sound reflects the freedom the artists feel, and Island in the Sun is far better than the sophomore Let it Beat. Cisco is still sounding breezy with his catchy and fresh choruses, and Shwayze is better and more serious than he has been before. The best song on Island In the Sun is “Keys to My Heart,” a song which the duo breaks away from their typical “summer fling” songs and draws back on a love that is still longed for. “Butterflies” and “Golden Dreams” are also great tracks. “Over and Over” has the best beat on the whole album and takes a more serious look on life and love. The only truly dis-appointing song on the album is “Drunk Off Your Love”, which sounds too much like what is always heard streaming through radio speakers. Shwayze and Cisco are still as original as ever, but without having strayed far away from their roots. Although some tracks off the album are a bit repetitive in terms of the “summer” theme, this album is still refresh-ing compared to mainstream hip-hop music, and it is definitely a good and worthy buy. For fans of Shwayze, buy this album if you already haven’t. If you don’t know who Shwayze even is, still buy the album. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. •

8 SpotlightThursday, October 6, 2011 Vol. 36 Issue 1

Plays Guitar!Plays Guitar!

Hilarious!Hilarious!

HigH ScHool Quarterback!HigH ScHool Quarterback!