Mae Rose Tyson crowned MBHS Homecoming Queen 2013

Spartan pride: Mrs. Peggy Faircloth

2013 Homecoming Attendants

SeniorsCaroline Bramlett

Lucy Neal

JuniorsMary Seldon Andrews

Emily Owen Mendelsohn

Sophomores Adele Bird

Carlton Cooper

Please see “Queen”Continued on page 24

Photo courtesy of Image ArtsMae Rose Tyson was crowned Mountain Brook High School’s Homecoming Queen at today’s pep rally.

Celebrating four decades of dedication

News: 2-4 Features: 5-11 Sports: 14-18 Reviews: 19-21 Editorials: 22-23

Photo by Olivia BurtonMr. and Mrs. Faircloth enjoy the halftime show during the game against Shades Valley on September 6. Athletic Director Terry Cooper says that you can always look up to the top of the stands on the 50 yard line and count on seeing the Spartans’ biggets fan.

By OLIVIA BURTONCo-Editor-in-Chief

You might go to the thrift store to buy overalls the night before overall day. Maybe you bring your own shakers to the football games. It’s also possible that you plan on attending every single football game during your senior year, even if it’s all the way out in Tuscaloosa. But you haven’t attended 465 con-secutive Mountain Brook High School football games. That is, unless you’re Mrs. Peggy Faircloth. Mrs. Faircloth began attending Mountain Brook football games in 1973. The game against Shades Valley on September 6 marked the culmina-tion of Mrs. Faircloth’s incredible 465-game, four-decade streak. “It’s actually an interesting story,” she said, explaining how she was intro-duced to Mountain Brook football.

“A friend of ours had a son, Bill, who played on the team. We called him ‘Western Union’ because the coach would give him the play on a piece of paper, and he would go into the game and give it to the captain.” “Anyway, when we went to the game, they won, and they hadn’t won in years, so my friend said we had to go to the game next week because we were good luck.” The following week, Mrs. Faircloth skipped a beach trip so that she could go to the next game against Erwin, now known as Center Point High School. “They played Erwin and won,” she said, and for the next few hundred games Mrs. Faircloth continued to cheer on the Spartans from the stands. Mrs. Faircloth never made the deci-sion to keep coming back. At first, she

Varsity cheerleader Mae Rose Ty-son spends most Friday nights cheer-ing for the Spartan football team. Tonight, however, the crowd will be cheering for Mae Rose as she walks onto the field to be crowned Moun-tain Brook High School’s Homecom-ing Queen for 2013-2014.

At the end of the Homecoming pep rally in the Fine Arts Center this morning, Mae Rose learned that she was this year’s Homecoming Queen. This afternoon, Mae Rose will bring up the end of the traditional 2:30 p.m. Homecoming parade.

Mae Rose’s parents, Lissa and Marc Tyson best describe their daughter when they say, “Mae Rose never com-plains but rather looks on the ‘bright side’ of every situation. She faces each day with joy in her heart, and it is rare that her genuine joyous disposition gets derailed throughout the day.”

Her optimistic attitude has not been lost on her peers. Mae Rose’s classmates selected her as Class Favorite and Homecoming attendant both her sophomore and junior years.

Anyone who knows Mae Rose first notices her broad smile. As her parents say, “Mae Rose brings out the best in everyone. She has a conta-

the Sword & Shield

→National Merit Semifinalists announced, page 2→Meet new security guard John McMicken, page 7→Just a Chat with Toula Froemelt, page 9→High School football update, page 14→Birmingham’s best study spots, page 20IN

SID

Egious smile and looks for the silver lining in every cloud. Mae Rose has a transparent demeanor—there is no hidden agenda—what you see is what you get.”

A young woman who values oth-ers, her parents say that she has her priorities in order. “Mae Rose is pas-sionate about serving her Lord. Mae Rose’s faith, family, and friends are what matter most to her,” her parents say. “We are proudest of Mae Rose’s personal and spiritual growth as a Christian.”

Vol. XLVIII No. 1 Mountain Brook High School October 4, 2013

Please see “Football”Continued on page 7

Sword & ShieldCo-Editor-in-Chief: Olivia BurtonCo-Editor-in-Chief: Rick Lewis

Art & Photography Editor: Claire DavisNews Editor: Kary ReynoldsSports Editor: Alec Lewis

Features Editor: Ben JacksonOpinions Editor: Mary Nix Roberson

Reviews Editor: Brooks GloverBusiness Manager: Mathilde Sharman

Managing Editor: Sarah Michel

Staff Writers

Sponsors: Ms. Catherine Lowe and Mr. Peter Perez

Letters to the Editors PolicySword & Shield welcomes Letters to the Editors from its readers. We reserve the right to edit any letters for grammar, length, or libel; however, the meaning will be preserved. Whenever possible, changes made with a letter will be discussed with the author prior to publication. All letters must be signed, but names may

be withheld upon request. Email letters to gosands@gmail.com.

Sword & ShieldMountain Brook High School

3650 Bethune DriveMountain Brook, AL 35223Telephone: (205) 414-3800

Fax: (205) 969-8113

Printing made possible byAlabama Web Press

1793 Eva RoadCullman, AL 35055

Telephone: (256) 734-5104

2 Friday, October 4, 2013 The Sword & Shieldnews

John CooperWill Davis

Chandler GoryMargaret Heath

Natalie Jones

Scott LepleyCaroline LoweCoke Matthews

Frances HancockChamblee Shufflebarger

John SissonBrooke TuckerDaniel Bolus

Madeline MitchellMaddie Sheffield

Front page: football courtesy of seeyalater.org, spartan head courtesy of clker.com.

By KARY REYNOLDSNews Editor

Last week, the school welcomed 23 National Merit semifinalists of the senior class on September 4, when the students’ names were announced over the intercom. “We are very proud of our semifi-nalists,” said MBHS college counselor Karen Svetlay. “This year’s scores were above our school’s average, which is an achievement in and of itself.” National Merit semifinalists are chosen based on their PSAT scores, with students who qualify entering the running to become finalists. In order to be to be recognized as finalists, semifinalists must first com-plete a further series of tests, including SAT scores and an essay. The extensive application and review process allows the National Merit Corporation to select finalists from the pool. While there are over 16,000 semi-finalists each year, only about 8,000

will win a scholarship. Becoming a finalist is a prerequisite to eligibility for these scholarships, which total over 35 million dollars. Individually, these scholarships fall into three categories: the National Merit $2500 Scholarships, Corporate-Sponsored Merit Scholar-ships, and College-Sponsored Merit Scholarships. Many schools offer the College-Sponsored scholarships, which can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. Some schools like the University of Alabama even offer full tuition payment for students who earn the title. While this year’s 23 semifinalists at MBHS are six people short of meet-ing the record number of semifinal-ists set last year by the senior class of 2013, Principal Amanda Hood said, “I couldn’t be prouder of these students, who have once again led the state in the number of National Merit semifi-nalists and PSAT scores as a whole!”

Counselors announce National Merit semifinalists

Photo courtesy of Andy MeadowsThe National Merit semifinalists from the class of 2014 pose in front of the Fine Arts center. With 23 semifinalists, Mountain Brook has the most in the state.

Letter from the editors

Summer is over, school has started, and wow, it’s already Homecoming! So far the year has been flying by, but with eight months to go, we’re here to let you know what’s going on and how you can be a part of it. In our first issue of this year we’ve focused on school spirit, changes within the school, and what you can do to improve your academic career. See page 20 for our suggestions on the best places to study in Birmingham. You can check our news section to catch up on what’s been changed while you were gone during the sum-mer, including a piece on Mrs. Hood, our new principal, on page 8. In the reviews section, we’ll give

you a look at what apps might just give you the extra help or study resources you need to get that A in AP Chemistry (we’ve been there), how Janelle Monáe’s newest album sounds, and what the changes to High-way 280 mean for you. For all you anxious seniors out there, we know your college pains. Check out the opinions section for a piece on just how demanding and controlling the college admission pro-cess is over your life on page 23; then relax, you’re almost out of here. With that all said and done, thanks for picking up our first issue, and happy reading!

Olivia and Rick

3newsFriday, October 4, 2013The Sword & Shield

By MARY NIX ROBERSONOpinions Editor

August 19, 2013, marked a significant change in the MBHS community: it was the first official day that Mountain Brook had a Gay-Straight Alliance operating within the school. It wasn’t until September 2, however, that the club met for the first time in the choir room with an attendance of over 50 students, as well as the support of a few faculty and staff, including sponsors Dr. Angela Stowe and Mr. John Kincaid. Dr. Stowe, in response to the support the GSA has received this year, said, “The attendance at meetings has been unbelievable and membership has reached a level that we couldn’t have expect-ed for our first year as an official club. Our officers are commit-ted to having a club this year that raises awareness and promotes respect, acceptance and embraces diversity. I am proud to be part of such a special group.” Officers Mary Nix Roberson, Lewis Fitzpatrick, Kate Powell, Hampton Adams, and Michelle Wu all expressed their enthu-siasm for the upcoming school year. They introduced themselves and shared the general mission of the GSA: “to provide a safe and accepting environment for all students, regardless of sexual-ity, gender orientation, advocacy efforts, and personal beliefs. We promote love.”

Since the first meeting where they outlined the purpose of the GSA, they have revealed plans for their Homecoming float, Pride Day activities in October, and several meet-ings that are going to be open to all members of the MBHS community during the first semester. In addition to these events, the club will soon have information cards providing students with allies within the commu-nity whom they can reach at any time and a list of national hotlines aimed at assisting individuals struggling with LGBTQIA issues, as well as address-ing general concerns. “Our goal is to make everyone feel as comfortable as possible with themselves, and with their place within the community,” said Wu. In February, the club hopes to hold its own educational work-shop on issues regarding gender and sexuality, and in April, the club plans to sponsor a Day of Silence to honor individuals who have lost their lives due to bully-ing. In addition, the club plans to propose a revision of Mountain Brook’s nondiscrimination state-ment to the Board of Education, hoping to add gender identity and sexual orientation to the policy.

The GSA is off to a busy start in its first year as an official club and hopes for social progress within the school are high. Powell agreed, “We’re thrilled by the support we’re receiving from students and faculty alike. It should be a great

year, and we look forward to all the people we’ll be able to help.”

Gay-Straight Alliance holds first official meeting in Mountain Brook

Photo courtesy of Gabi GoldfarbLeft to right: Michelle Wu, Lewis Fitzpatrick, Mary Nix Roberson, and Hampton Adams.The Gay-Straight Alliance promotes a safe and accepting environment for all students.

4 Friday, October 4, 2013 The Sword & Shieldnews

Choir “sets fire” to the MBHS stage

By MADELINE MITCHELLStaff Writer

Once again, Mountain Brook High School’s choirs are sweating it out. And not during PE. The four choral groups are learning songs and chore-ography as they prepare for their fall show entitled “21st century Brookie.” This year’s show theme is music from the 2000s including recent hits such as “Let’s Get It Started” by the Black Eyed Peas, Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger,” and “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele. Mr. John Kincaid directs the choir and chooses the show theme and songs with the help of choir president Austin Russell, a senior. Mr. Todd Underwood has returned as choreog-rapher for the show, and students are excited to work with him. Junior Ann Thomas, excited about his return, says, “Todd is one of the best choreographers I know. Everyone loves him because his choreography is great, and he’s an amazing person!” Mr. Kincaid met Mr. Underwood in college, and Underwood began cho-reographing choir shows at Mountain Brook two years ago. This year, Kincaid and Underwood entertained many show themes such as country, the Beatles, and one- hit- wonders, before choosing the current theme. Kincaid and Underwood se-lected songs that students would enjoy and “gravitate to which helps them get into [the performance].” Underwood says that they also chose songs that “relate to each other and try to tell some type of a story”. For example, the women’s choir performs selections that tell the story of a woman becoming independent of a man. “Most of the segments try to run some type of theme within them-selves,” Kincaid says, “most of those are either self-empowering songs or about relationships.” Kincaid also ad-mits that there are “a few funny ones

thrown in to lighten the mood like ‘Gangnam Style’ and ‘Stacy’s Mom’.” The costumes for the show will follow a black and gold color scheme. Underwood chose these colors be-cause the show theme “conjured up this black and gold idea, and gold is a Mountain Brook color” that is “flashy and sparkly.” The students decide what their costumes will be, and Under-wood says that “they often come in with some really cool looks. . . They’re very creative when it comes to cos-tumes.” Besides the choirs and their staff, multiple classes and clubs contribute to the production of the choir show. Mr. Gary Weatherly, Mr. Jessie Til-ton, senior Trey Lockett, and the stu-dent stage crew organize the technical aspects of the show, and a multimedia class is designing the graphics for the show backgrounds. All of the choir students are excited for the program and look forward to showing it off. “The music is great and the dancing is a ton of fun. Everyone is working so hard, and I can’t wait to see the finished product!” junior Harper Alexander says. “21st century Brookie” will be showing October 15, 16, and 17 at 7:00 p.m. and on October 19 for a 2:00 p.m. matinee. Tickets, which are available beginning October 2, are $12. Those for the first three performances will be available through any choir student; however, tickets for the final show will only be available through chamber choir students. Proceeds from the tickets sold for this show will help fund the chamber choir’s spring trip. Tickets typically sell out quickly and are usually not available at the door, so Kincaid urges everyone to buy tickets soon. With all of the hard work, time, and sweat put into the show’s preparation, the MBHS choirs are ready to “set fire” to the Mountain Brook High School stage with “21st century Brookie.”

Photo by Madeline MitchellMBHS choir students rehearse their latest choreography.

By MATHILDE SHARMANStaff Writer

With nose blowing and itchy throats upon us, it’s time to focus on ways to stay healthy. Your source for valuable health tips this season: Nurse Barbie Sanak. Nurse Barbie stressed that avoiding illness goes beyond warm water and soap. From tables in the Mall to today’s practice, Nurse Barbie wants students to understand there are many places to avoid illness. “Wash your hands, don’t sit in crowds . . . spread out a little bit. Don’t let people share off of what you’re drinking or eating. Don’t let people pick off your food. Don’t ask to take the last swig of somebody else’s drink.” Habits—good and bad—will affect your health this cold and flu season. “Most viruses get into your mouth or your body by touching. So quit touching your face. Wash your hands, get good rest, eat a balanced diet, and drink fluids that are going to be good for your throat: hot tea, honey and lemon, juices.” While Nurse Barbie wants students to focus on steering clear of illness, she

addressed ways to combat cold symp-toms. For instance, consider alterna-tives to the cough drop regimen. “Lots of people think citrus juices are really good for sore throats. Pep-permint works just as well. Everybody comes in here and asks for cough drops. We’re not big on passing out cough drops, because there’s medicine in cough drops. If you’ve read the back of the cough drop packages, it says one every six hours. People want to take a handful and put them all in their mouth.” Wondering if the flu shot is worth the trouble? Nurse Barbie’s call: pay it forward. “I would much rather get the shot than get the flu and lose up to two weeks worth of work or school. And you’re so ill . . . so ill.” Nurse Barbie wants students to understand a flu shot may prove ben-eficial months into cold and flu season. Kicking a virus in October may not be the end of your troubles. “I think people who get the flu seem to catch other viruses easily, so they’re in here for a good four or five months telling me how they don’t feel good all the time. . . all the time.”

Dodge fall’s sick days with Nurse Barbie

Photos by Mathilde SharmanTop: Claire Norris follows Nurse Bar-bie’s health tips by washing her hands.Right: Robert Waudby visits Nurse Barbie to ask for some tissues.

5Friday, October 4, 2013The Sword & Shield Features

By JOHN COOPERStaff Writer

Seven MBHS students have recently received a rare award in scouting. This summer, junior Will Byrne and seniors Olivia Burton, Murray Manley, Lottice Taylor, An-nie Sheffield, Maddie Sheffield, and Mary Glenn Waldrop earned the Triple Crown of High Adventure. The scouts belong to Venture Crew 2010 which is chartered by Canterbury Methodist Church. Venture Crew is a co-ed branch of the Boy Scouts of America which emphasizes camping and spending time in the outdoors. The Triple Crown, as it’s called, is awarded to the Boy Scouts or Ven-ture Scouts who brave the wilder-nesses of all three BSA High Adven-ture Bases: Northern Tier, Philmont Scout Ranch, and Florida Sea Base. Northern Tier is a journey back in time on the boundary waters between Minnesota and Canada. Scouts canoe through the lakes, tracking the paths traveled by fur traders of the late 18th century. At Philmont, scouts trek more than 70 miles through the high desert of Northern New Mexico in less than two weeks. Philmont offers several unique programs such as horseback and burro treks, but most scouts hike on foot. Florida Sea Base offers scouts rare opportunities which most people never experience such as sailing on an 87 foot schooner for a week. Scouts spend 6 days sailing, snorkel-ing, and scuba diving in the Florida Keys. Everyone takes a different part of the trip home with them. “I liked getting to know the different guides on each of the trips,” said Annie.

“In Canada, we were truly in the wilderness. Other than the people in the crew, the only people we saw in ten days were two fisherman,” added Maddie. “Each trip was different,” said Lottice. “Each had its own set of challenges. Bugs on the first trip, the weight of my backpack on the second, and not getting sunburned on the third.” “The canoeing trip had very dif-ferent struggles than the sailing trip,” added Annie. Though each trip has unique challenges, the different environ-ments and activities complete the makings of an incredible trip. “One of my favorite parts about the high adventure trips is that I got to go with my friends on all of the trips. I basically got to go on a senior trip each year of high school,” said Lot-tice. Most of the High Adventure Bases have a long waiting list or a limited number of crews, so it is rare that group of friends is able to attend all three bases together. A small percentage of scouts make their way to a single High Adventure Base, and an even smaller percentage ventures

to all three. In July, Lottice returned to Philmont for a second trek. “Be-cause of my experiences getting my Triple Crown, I was inspired to try Rayado.” Rayado, a program offered to scouts that have completed a previ-ous trek, intensifies the Philmont experience. Scouts hike more than 150 miles hike over three weeks, and they see many of Philmont’s 137,500 acres.

Few people can brag that they earned the Triple Crown. “I feel very accomplished to have earned the Triple Crown because not many women have earned it,” says Annie. Triple Crown holders often speak their journeys. They tell others about the incredible and challeng-ing time on their treks. They never forget the experiences at the High Adventure Bases.

Mountain Brook students earn Triple Crown award

Photos by Olivia BurtonLeft: Seniors Olivia Burton, Annie Sheffield, Maddie Sheffield, Murray Manley, and Lottice Taylor take a break at the top of Mt. Phillips at Philmont. Right: The crew unloads from a float plane in the boundary waters of Canada.

6 Friday, October 4, 2013 The Sword & ShieldFeatures

By CHANDLER GORY and MARGARET HEATH

Staff Writers

The Last Great Hope for Western Civilization: “We didn’t start the fire. No we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it.” Ok, ok, we all know the lyrics to Billy Joel’s famous “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” and I’m sure you’re all singing along in your head now, right? We know the band is. The Mountain Brook High School Spartan Marching Band, led by the illustrious Drum Major Daniel Bolus and his trusty side-kick, Band Captain Trey Lockett, has much to offer with this year’s new halftime show. Rather than using a custom-arranged show like in years past, the band is playing what’s titled “Piano Man: The Music of Billy Joel,” arranged by Jay Dawson with the Arrangers Publishing Company. The seven-and-a-half minute marching spectacular includes famous hits such as “Piano Man,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “Only the Good Die Young,” “My Life,” and “Just the Way You Are,” as well as one less known piece: “Air (Dublinesque).” The music, Lockett says, “really does show how great of a musician Billy Joel is.” The show also features solos by Lockett on trumpet, junior Reese Williams on french horn, and Drum Captain Harrison Jones leading the percussion section. Now, Billy Joel may not be the music of your decade, but like Bolus says, “it’s old enough to where it brings back good memories but not old enough to where I can’t remem-ber it.” Plus, the band is giving new

life to these 1980s hits. Dr. Frank Blanton explains, “Marching band comes from the approach of almost creating a miniature theater piece on a stage that is 100 yards wide.” The Dorians, led by Captain Dana Kahn and Co-captains Laura Stagno and Holly Struthers are especially shaking it up. They jazz run down the field with new outfits (“sparklies”) and props like “12-foot long streamers, dowel rods, and swing flags,” according to team member Kate Dorsten. “I’m a little afraid of streamers,” Dorsten admits. “You can end up with it wrapped completely around your body and unable to move.” Sounds intense, doesn’t it? Like the Dorians, the Colorguard, led by Captain Anne Grey Cook¸ are also trying out new props. With one of the largest squads in Moun-

tain Brook history, the girls are a force to be reckoned with. Their flag soloist Bre Lippeatt is just one display. If this doesn’t have you already bursting with excitement, maybe Bolus and his fabulous conducting will. While he may claim to “just have a shiny cape and a crooked podium,” we all know that’s not quite true. He’s also got a dazzling

white uniform and a winning smile to match. So, next Friday night when you’re checking Instagram and taking selfies with your friends, you should take some time to turn your attention to the field and tune in your ears. And yes, Bolus’ swinging hips still apply. He says, “my hips will never lie.”

The Spartan Marching Band presents the music of Billy Joel

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Broder-Jones PhotographyThe MBHS Band marches to “Piano Man: The Music of Billy Joel.”

7FeaturesFriday, October 4, 2013The Sword & Shield

says, she went because her son, Jack, was playing on the team as a tight-end. Even after he graduated in 1979, however, she continued to be a presence in the stands. “It’s so easy because you get to know the parents of the players. It all be-comes one big happy family.” Having been to hundreds of games, Mrs. Faircloth has many fond memories of Spartan football. One moment, however, stands out in her mind: “I think probably win-ning the State Championship in ’75 after so many years. It meant a lot to those boys.” Recently, Mountain Brook Ath-letic Director Terry Cooper and Coach Chris Yeager announced that Spartan Day would be forever known as the Peggy Faircloth Spar-tan Day in honor of her dedication to the team. Spartan Day, which oc-curs about a week before the Jam-boree, is a public event in which the Mountain Brook football teams from 7th grade up scrimmage and then take a massive group picture, which now includes Mrs. Faircloth in the front and center. “She loves her Spartan foot-ball,” said Coach Cooper, who has known Mrs. Faircloth for almost as long as she has been attending football games. “Every game, she’s going to be on the 50 yard line

towards the top in her green and gold.” Coach Cooper also said that Mrs. Faircloth makes an excellent lemon ice box pie. Principal Amanda Hood com-mended Mrs. Faircloth for her support: “Very seldom do you find people today with so much dedica-tion, perseverance, and commit-ment to something greater than themselves.” “I think many times not just football, but athletics in general supports the culture of our school. It gives people a reason to be united for one event, on one day, at one time for a common purpose, and it unites people that maybe would not socialize in the same circles,” she continued. Mrs. Faircloth also claims that Mountain Brook’s sense of com-munity is the main reason she kept coming back to the games for four decades. “It’s the friendliness,” she said, “and the caring, and look-ing after our community and the people that live within it.” Although the student body of Mountain Brook has changed throughout the years, one aspect of the Mountain Brook football pro-gram remains the same, according to Mrs. Faircloth. “One thing that has impressed me about the team through all these years is that they never give up. They keep trying, and they make you proud of the fact that they give it their all.” “That’s part of what all of us that are fans do is encourage them. It’s not about me, it’s about those kids and how important they are to their parents and to the city for what they do.”

Faircloth (p. 1)

Photo by Olivia BurtonMrs. Faircloth points out her son’s picture in one of the many football programs she has collected over the years.

By BEN JACKSONFeatures Editor

Walt, long-time Security Guard of Mountain Brook High School, has retired, leaving behind a lega-cy of Roll Tides, genial demeanor, and conservative talking points. When Assistant Principal Jeremy Crigger went to Security Engineers, Inc., looking for Walt’s replacement, he had no way of knowing that Mr. John McMick-en, Mountain Brook High School’s new front-lot guard, could carry the torch to new heights. McMicken’s presence in the guardhouse has an updated but fa-miliar feel that is making students and parents alike feel welcome on the high school premises, a goal that Crigger has stressed as a top priority for the year. “We have to maintain a safe environment that’s conducive to education,” says Crigger. “World-wide events continue to open our eyes and show us that we can’t be complacent when it comes to security. What we’re really doing this year is reinforcing the re-sources that we already have.” McMicken is a true asset, to be sure. He is responsible for logging every car that enters and leaves the school grounds in an effort to maintain high levels of campus se-curity. McMicken is serious about his work, and seriously good at it.

However, like Walt, behind the uniform is a man many are grow ing to love. Senior Lane Allen, who leaves after 6th period for Co-op, interacts with McMicken on a daily basis. “He’s always friendly,” Allen says, “and he’s always wearing a smile.” That smile is an outward ex-pression of how McMicken feels being at Mountain Brook High School. “I love every minute of my job,” he says. When asked his favorite part, he responded with-out hesitation: “The people. The people here are the best in world.” When he’s not busy guarding the students of Mountain Brook, McMicken enjoys Alabama foot-ball, and he predicts another title game this year. Complete with a mustache, McMicken resembles the beloved Walt in more ways than one, but he declines his status as “the new Walt.” “When people ask me if I’m Walt’s replacement, I tell them no, because I can’t replace Walt. I’m following Walt.” McMicken is excited about the years to come, and we as students can trust that we’re in good hands. The next time you’re rolling out the gates, roll down the window and shout out a “Roll Tide!” You might just get one back.

Where’s Walt? Meet John McMicken, new security guard

Photo by Ben JacksonNew security guard John McMicken says hello from his guard house.

8 Friday, October 4, 2013 The Sword & ShieldFeatures

?If you could go anywhere in space or time, where would you go and why?

Justin Ransom, Special Education and Wrestling: I would like to travel back to the 70s. It was the greatest era of music, rock ‘n roll, and legendary concerts; plus I have always had a crush on Stevie Nicks.

Candice Holley, Special Education: I like the 20s because I like the clothing.

Matthew Perry, Math: I would like to go forward into the future, like 20 or 30 years, because I want to see what kind of progress we are making in terms of civil liberties, equali-

ties, curing illnesses, and social justice.

Kristina Noto, Math: Senior year of high school because it was the best time of my life, and you

can’t relive them. I met my husband that year, and you form friendships that last.

Greg Wald, English:

I would go to the late 19th century France to hang out with my favorite painters and composers.

Tessa Childs, Social Studies: The 1920s. I like the jazz music.

Jackie Hayes, Special Education: The Roaring 20s because I would like to see how they lived, and it looked like

a glamorous lifestyle.

Brooke Hawkins, Career Tech: I would go on the Titanic.

Sonya Jordan, Librarian: The library of Alexandria because I think it would be cool to see one of the

first libraries.

Annalisa Keuler, Librarian: The 1920s in New York City because I really like F. Scott Fitzgerald, and I

would like to see what the life of a flapper would be like.

Dana Page, Anatomy: I would go back to the Renaissance in Europe because I studied abroad in college, and it would be cool to see that part of the world during that time

period.

Rachel Rich, English: I would go back to the 90s, so I could keep Jesse Spano from taking caffeine

pills.

Lynn Faulk, Science: I would go back to when (the scientist) Louis Pasteur was alive.

Q&A with this year’s new teachers

By MADDIE SHEFFIELDStaff Writer

Over the summer, while everyone was lounging as far from the school as possible, a change in leadership occurred at Mountain Brook High School. Most students have heard that the Hartselle County School Board chose Dr. Vic Wilson, MBHS’s previous prin-cipal, as its new superintendent. Mrs. Amanda Hood was quickly selected to take over as principal for the High School. As the principal of Mountain Brook Junior High this past year, Assistant Principal at Mountain Brook High School two years ago, and Academic Assistant Principal at Spain Park High School previously, Mrs. Hood is no stranger to leadership or the Mountain Brook school system. However, the junior high is very different from the high school. Mrs. Hood recognizes the difference in students’ maturity level. “When work-ing with high school students, one of my favorite things is being able to see a dream that was born in elementary or junior high become a reality,” she explained. Mrs. Hood is the principal of this sophomore class for the second con-secutive year. Emily Howell and Cary Krumdieck said, “She gives us more freedom at the high school but is still very supportive of our sports teams.” The teachers of MBHS are also ex-cited for what Mrs. Hood has planned. Mr. John Binet said, “She is bringing her own style of leadership, and her energy which is something I appreci-ate. She is optimistic about everything I bring to her.” However, Mrs. Hood did not begin her career in administration. Rather, she taught and coached cheerlead-ing at Oak Mountain High School. “I taught everything from Algebra 1-A to Precal,” said Hood. “When I was teaching, I was very involved in our school in a lot of leadership and school improvement, looking at our school as a whole.” Hood’s experiences at Oak Moun-tain inspired her to become an admin-istrator. “I had a passion beyond the four walls of my classroom,” she said. However, in order to work in adminis-tration, she had to go back to school. Teacher by day, University of Mon-tevallo student by night, Mrs. Hood achieved her masters in educational administration along with an educa-tional specialist degree in educational leadership. However, her education is not finished as Mrs. Hood anticipates earning her doctorate in education in the near future.

Overall, Mrs. Hood is excited about the new school year. She revealed, “The things I’m most looking forward to are reconnecting with high school students and teachers and creating an environment where high school stu-dents feel challenged and comfortable.” The changes Mrs. Hood is making are aimed at preparing students for their college educations. She said, “The new ideas I am bringing to the high school are for when you think about what y’all need in the next five years.” Mrs. Hood’s impact can already be seen in the library. The new media center and furniture are similar to common work places in many col-lege atmospheres. Learning to work in such spaces now will help students in their future education. Mrs. Hood surely will make a positive impact as principal of the Mountain Brook High School.

New principal, new year: Mrs. Amanda Hood takes over at the Brook

Photo by Maddie SheffieldMrs. Hood takes a break from her busy schedule for a quick photo in the newly updated school library.

9FeaturesFriday, October 4, 2013the Sword & Shield

By DANIEL BOLUSStaff Writer

As I turn the corner into the creepy hallway that extends to the left of the 500 Hall, I begin to dread talking to a teacher I have never met before. Worse, I don’t even have a clue how to pronounce her name. All I know is that she teaches Forensic Science, and she is rumored to have worked at an archeological dig a few years back. But as I enter the room, Mrs. Toula Froemelt smiles and begins to chat as if I have known her for years. We laugh for no reason and begin our casual banter: Sword & Shield (me): I hate to be stereotypical, but I must ask how to pro-nounce your name and where it comes from. Mrs. Toula Froemelt: It’s pronounced “from—ult.” Although my family is Greek, the name actually comes from my husband who is German. S&S: Cool. I hear you like to dig? What got you interested in this? TF: I love to travel. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to visit many beautiful countries such as Greece, Italy, and Egypt. In fact, I have even taught internationally in Cyprus and in Mexico. I especially found it fasci-nating to learn the history of Egyptol-ogy and always saw archeologists and students digging for artifacts at the different places I went and decided I could try it myself. S&S: Fascinating. I’ve been to Greece as

well, and it’s truly beautiful. Can you describe when and how you decided to help at an archeological dig yourself? TF: About three years ago, I looked online for a place to go to—I really wanted to go abroad. So I came across an archeological dig that the Uni-versity of Tennessee was doing in a place called Mitrou, Greece. It was the perfect opportunity to visit my fam-ily in Greece and also learn about the process of digging for artifacts. S&S: Can you describe what you learned at this archeological dig? TF: You know that first episode of “CSI” where that guy picks up a bone and sees if it adheres to his tongue? Well it’s true. Because a bone is porous, it will stick unlike rocks. I also got to meet a colleague of Dr. Bill Bass, who is credited for starting and running the Body Farm in Tennessee. He was there to study records to determine the eat-ing habits, etc. of the civilization. S&S: Wow. What was your role specifi-cally? TF: By the time I got there, they had really already done most of the dig-ging. My job was looking through bags and bags of dirt that they had in a storage house and trying to find small pieces of artifacts. It was hard. It was beautiful, and everyone was passion-ate, but it was a lot of work with long hours and rough living conditions. S&S: What was your greatest find? TF: We found some small gold beads. That was probably the biggest thing we found.

S&S: How long were you there? TF: I was there for about 3-4 weeks, and then I hung out with my Greek family after that. S&S: I enjoy hanging out in foreign countries too. Just out of curiosity, what inspired you to become a science teacher? TF: I enjoy studying all things about life. I didn’t know what exactly I was going to do in science, but my sister convinced me to consider teaching. I volunteered first at Hoover High School and had an earth-shattering moment when I helped a student who was struggling. It shifted everything, and I found that teaching gives me a purpose.

S&S: Wow. That was deep. What is your favorite memory as a teacher? TF: When I picture a past student in my mind, I smile—those are my best memories. S&S: Truly inspirational. What do you enjoy doing besides teaching and traveling? TF: I am always trying to learn anoth-er language. Right now I’m struggling to learn German and Spanish. Thank God I know Greek. S&S: Yeah… I need to learn more languages myself. Do you have a funny joke we could end on? TF: I really don’t tell jokes. I just laugh. Life is good, and we need to remember that.

Digging deep: Just a Chat with Toula Froemelt

Photo by Daniel BolusMrs. Froemelt examines an online artifact from the archaeological dig in Mitrou, Greece.

By NATALIE JONESStaff Writer

Student bands from all over the Red Mountain area gathered on October 3 at Mountain Brook High School in order to raise money for Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital. The night began at 7 and lasted till 9 with ticket prices lowered from last year’s $10 to the bargain price of $7. The night was orga-nized by Mountain Brook’s Key Club, aided by Key Club sponsor Jesse Tilton. Rick Lewis, Key Club Co-Pres-ident, believes this year’s Brook-stock was a tremendous success as people from all over the commu-nity came out to “have a great time and support a wonderful cause.” While there were a few return-ing bands from past years such as Parker Flores and the Jaggy Snakes, new bands joined this year to add to the excitement of the night. Among these new bands was the junior band Driftwood, includ-ing juniors Scott Britton, Tucker

Deaton, Cain Poynor, Andrew King, and Stephen Little. Other highlights from the night include a duet between seniors Lottice Taylor and John Cooper as well as a performance by TUSK, headed by sophomore Hugh Rowe Thomas. One of the most original performances of the night was by the band Burning Peppermints from Spain Park. Music plays a central role in the activities of the night, yet many attend Brookstock simply in order to spend time with friends and eat delicious food. Junior Mary Keller Greene said, “My favorite part of last year’s Brookstock was the food truck!” Whether you came for the food, musical entertainment, or both, Brookstock surpassed expectations in becoming an enjoyable night for all.

Brookstock brings local bands to Mountain Brook

Photo by Natalie JonesLocal high school band TUSK performs at Crestline Rocks.

10 Friday, October 4, 2013 The Sword & ShieldFeatures

By CAROLINE LOWEStaff Writer

During the summer, most teen-agers spend time at places like the beach, the lake, or just chilling with friends. But some teenagers volun-teer at the Birmingham Zoo, Chil-dren’s Hospital, or Sawyerville Day Camp. What do all these all these volunteers have in common? They all spent their summer working with children. Sophomore Meredith Featherin-gill, who began volunteering at the Birmingham Zoo over two years ago, worked with both children and animals this summer.She said, “I have a passion for animals, and I thought it would be fun.” Featheringill's responsibilities this summer at the Birmingham Zoo varied. She said, “First you have to be there on time. You get to do Biofacts which is where you get to show skulls and pelts of some of the animals, and you get to work with zoo camp.” “What I enjoyed the most about volunteering was doing something special that not many people can do. I got to watch the giraffes and make a pie chart of their height,” she said. Sometimes zoo visitors ask vol-unteers strange questions. Feath-eringill recalled, “Someone asked me what the circumference of a gorilla's neck was.” "One of my favorite memories from volunteering this past summer at the zoo,” she said, “was when I was with Caroline Lowe, and we got to work with zookeeper camp. We got to make fishsickles for the river otters and drop them off the top of the exhibit.” While some MBHS students were volunteering in Birmingham, others ventured farther away. This summer was the first time that senior Kathryn Oakes volunteered at Sawyerville Day Camp, in Hale County, Alabama. “I decided to volunteer because I really like children, and all my friends said it was the greatest thing ever,” Oakes said.

For the past 20 years, teenag-ers from the Episcopal Diocese have spent part of their summers at Sawyerville working with children. Most of Oakes's responsibilities volunteering there had to do mostly with helping the campers. “I was a small group leader with a small group of kids, and we were there to help them out. And when the kids left, we had to do different chores to keep the place clean. I got to do laundry,” she said. "What I enjoyed the most about volunteering there was getting to know that the kids by the end of the week loved me.” In fact, Oakes said, "One of my campers asked me why I was so nice." “My favorite memory," Oakes added, "was singing a One Direc-tion song in the halls with some of the girl campers.” Senior Austin Russell volun-teered at the Children’s Hospital from June to August this summer, citing his desire "to work with children as well as get a feel for the medical field.” Russell had several responsibili-

ties at Children’s Hospital. “I was left in charge of insuring that both the patient and his or her families were as comfortable as possible,” he said. "I also was given access to my ward's pantry where patients would receive any food or drinks they needed.” “What I enjoyed the most about volunteering at Children’s Hospital was getting to interact and witness all of the optimism,” Russell added. Russell said that though vol-unteering at Children's Hospital began as a combination of a college resume- filler and an interest, his views quickly changed. “How it looked on my resume soon became obsolete, and the experience was all that really mattered.” Of course some volunteer op-portunities such as Sawyerville are available only in the summer. Oth-ers, such as the Birmingham Zoo, often accept teenage volunteers year round.

Mountain Brook students volunteer over the summer

Photos courtesy of Caroline Lowe and Kathryn OakesLeft: Caroline Lowe gets a kiss from a sea lion while volunteering at the zoo.Right: Kathryn Oakes enjoys another day at Sawyerville Day Camp.

How to apply:*Children’s Hospital: begin the process with applying on-line, submitting both a resume as well as a recommendation, and then setting up a date for an interview. Go to www.chil-drensal.org/volunteer-services for more information.

*Sawyerville Day Camp: print off an application and fill it out. The application may be found at www.sawyerville-workproject.org

*Birmingham Zoo: the zoo is not taking any new fall vol-unteers until further notice. The process is changing at the moment. Go to www.birming-hamzoo.com for updates.

11FeaturesFriday, October 4, 2013The Sword & Shield

By CHAMBLEE SHUFFLEBARGERStaff Writer

While the heat may not seem to be giving up its battle with seasonal weather, Labor Day has passed, fall is here, and weathermen are swearing up and down that cool weather will eventually find its way to Alabama. With fall come new trends for the most styl-ish MBHS fashionistas to sport around the school. Many students already have their eyes on the latest styles to make sure they avoid the pieces that are “so last season.” Junior Natalie Jones is watching the transition of colorful pants into a new season. “Last year, jeans were neon, but this fall there are more neutral and darker colored jeans like dark red,” Jones explains. However, not all students were as enthused about jeans this upcoming year. Senior Austin Russell says, “White jeans confuse me. I feel that trends should have variation, and there cannot be variation with only white jeans.” If Jones’ prediction is correct, however, it will be out with the old, bright colors and

in with more muted tones. As the brights from spring and summer fade, mixing and matching patterns and textures seem to be the new way to create interesting ensembles. Senior Lizzy Donald explains, “Last year’s color blocking is over. This fall is monochrome, but it’s all about mixing patterns like plaid with stripes.” Senior Mae Rose Tyson agrees: “I think mix-ing textures will be big.” As girls make outfits more interesting by mixing patterns and textures, colors remain more muted. Greys and darker colors seem to be more prominent on the runways for fall. The muted tones leave last years’ bright colors as more of a spring or summer option. With fewer bright colors, new trends have pre-sented themselves, like new military inspired attire. Lizzy predicts “leather jackets and army pants” for big new trends for fall 2013 as well as more edgy and dark tones that were greatly lacking in 2012. Colors also seem to have retreated from trends in hair as Ombre goes strong leaving colorful streaks in its wake. With Ombre, girls merely highlight the bottom of hair instead of all of it, but many are look-

ing for more natural colors than pinks, purples, and blues seen in hair earlier in the year. Many students, however, have embraced more workout gear for school attire after long nights of studying or sports practice. Most enjoy the trend, like junior Caroline Dunn, who explains, “You can look good and feel good at the same time!” Yet others are concerned with where the trend will lead this year. Many girls are outraged at the running tights and leggings worn by many with T-shirts, sweaters, and sweatshirts. Junior Coco McKay says “leggings are not pants,” further stating that students should not wear leggings with shirts or sweatshirts but only under dresses. Yet, as female fashion changes season after season for drastically new styles each year, male fash-ion remains rather constant. Many sport jeans or khakis with T-shirts, polos, or button downs. Some, however, take male fashion above and beyond like seniors Rick Lewis, Ben Jackson, and John Horton (pictured above) who show that every day should be a classy one.

Hallway fashion trends turn over a new leaf this fall

Photos by Chamblee ShufflebargerLeft to right: Juniors Alex Ball and Coco McKay model this fall’s trend of patterns and textures; seniors Ben Jackson and Rick Lewis show off their stlye in the 200 hallway; another model shows off her patterns with boots and white jeans.

Congratulations, Homecoming court nominees!

s e n i o r s

J u n i o r sS o p h o m o r e s

Friday Night Lights

From left: Mae Rose Tyson, Lottice Taylor, Caroline Bramlett, Lucy Neal, Annie Sheffield

From left: Cate Harmon, Virginia White, Lucy Gardner, Emily Owen Mendelsohn, Mary Seldon Andrews

From left: Kennedy Schwefler, Carlton Cooper, Sara Carr, Charlotte McRae, Adele Bird

It’s great... to be...

A BrookSpartan!

Mountain

S c h o o l S p i r i t

14 Friday, October 4, 2013 The Sword & ShieldSports

By WILL DAVISStaff Writer

At the halfway point of the sea-son, the Mountain Brook Spartans are 2-3. The season begam with a tough game against Tuscaloosa County, resulting in a loss by a score of 13-6. Senior running back Gene Brom-berg began by taking advantage of an interception by senior linebacker Buddy Pell, to give Mountain Brook a 6-0 lead. Tuscaloosa County re-sponded with two touchdown and took the victory. Next on the schedule was Shades Valley. The game featured a lot of of-fense, and was eventually won 42-28 by the Mounties. Trailing 21-7 midway through the third quarter, Mountain Brook made a valiant comeback attempt. A 77-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Will Brewster to senior wide receiver Hunter Branch cut the lead to 21-14. Another Brewster touchdown pass, this time to junior receiver Drew Odum tied the game at 21. However, the Spartans comeback at-tempt eventually stalled, and Shades Valley came away with the win. Although the Spartans lost the game, Coach Chris Yeager had an optimistic outlook on the rest of the season. “The big thing you have to do is you have to control the things you can control,” Yeager said. “We want to make the most out of practice and as people and as a team, we want to reach our maximum potential.” Mountain Brook then traveled to Gardendale for the third game of the season. The game featured terrific defense, but the Spartans came up short, falling 14-9 to a Gardendale team that improved to 3-0. Up until the fourth quarter, the Spartans looked poised enough to get the victory. With a strong effort by Bromberg, the Spartans had put themselves in safe territory up 9-0 However, after an efficient drive by Gardendale, Mountain Brook was in trouble and was then put away in the 4th quarter when the Rockets scored late to seal the win.

Next, Mountain Brook defeated Woodlawn 51-6 for its first win of the season. The Spartans opened the game with a punt return for a touchdown by Odum. After the game, Odum said, “We finished drives really well. “The team went 100 percent until the whistle.” Forty-two second quarter points blew this game open for the Spar-tans who led 49-0 at halftime. “The team’s goal as well as my goal is to go out there and win,” wide receiver Hunter Branch said. Branch added that the team hit a “rough patch early on, but now we feel good about where we are. Odum echoed Branch’s senti-ments stating, “We have great chem-istry, we are playing for the men next to us.” The Spartans prevailed over Buck-horn15-14 forthe 5th game of the season. Though Buckhorn raced out to a 14-3 lead in the second quarter, those points were all they were able to score as two Branch touchdown receptions from junior quarterback Jacob Carroll gave the win to the Spartans. The Spartans head into Home-coming week with two straight wins and theri focus on Carver.

MBHS football gains speed after a slow start

Photos courtesy of Image ArtsTop Left: Jacob Carroll breaks through the middle in a tight game against Tuscaloosa CountyTop Right: Linebackers Anderson Aldag and Hunter Lucas get to the quarterback to make the sack.Right: Drew Odum cuts up the field after breaking a tackle against Shades Valle

15SportsFriday, October 4, 2013The Sword & Shield

By SCOTT LEPLEYStaff Writer

The 2013 college football season kicked off this past August with many big games that had national championship implications on the line. Perhaps the most important game of the season so far was #1 Alabama vs. #6 Texas A&M on Sep-tember 14. The Crimson Tide traveled to College Station, Texas, to avenge their lone loss last year against Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel and the Aggies. Manziel totaled 562 yards of offense and 5 touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough as the reigning national champion Alabama Crimson Tide defeated Texas A&M 49-42 in an offensive shootout. Tearing apart defenses has not been the only thing Manziel has done this season though. He was the subject of an NCAA investigation that claimed Manziel was selling autographs. After a hectic offseason, the superstar was forced to sit the first half of A&M’s season opener against the Rice Owls, even though the NCAA had no proof that these allegations were true. Another huge game with championship im-plications took place September 28 in Athens, Georgia, as #9 Georgia beat #6 LSU between the hedges in another high scoring matchup. LSU’s offense, led by quarterback Zach Mettenburger, put up 41 points on the Bulldogs, but fell short as Georgia came out with a 44-41 win. Mettenburger had one of the best games of his career, throwing for 372 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no intercep-tions. However, Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray tossed 4 touchdowns for 298 yards. The story of the game was Georgia dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, as they held LSU to 77 rushing yards and ran for 196 yards themselves. Georgia has a favorable sched-ule the rest of the way and looks to be the favorite to win the SEC East for a third straight year. Across the SEC, the season has had little sur-prises and no major upsets. Ole Miss has jumped into the conversation of SEC contenders after having a top recruiting class in 2012, but was shutout by Alabama after a 25-0 loss. Good news for Auburn fans, it took Auburn only four games to match their win total from 2012 with their 3-1 start. The SEC Championship will likely be Georgia vs. Alabama, since nobody looks to be slowing down the top- ranked Crimson Tide. Georgia has escaped the tough stretch of their schedule, which included playing three top 10 teams in the first four weeks.

If Alabama continues to dominate and Or-egon doesn’t slow down out west, the final BCS National Championship will likely be Oregon vs. Alabama. The road to the 2013 Heisman Trophy kicked off with a few early favorites, such as South Caro-lina’s Jadeveon Clowney, Ohio State’s Braxton Miller, and reigning winner Johnny Manziel. However,, Clowney and Miller have both been dealing with injuries and have fallen out of the race. Since then, more candidates have emerged, such as frontrunner Marcus Mariota of Oregon. Mariota and the Ducks have been scorching de-fenses with the best offensive attack in the nation. UCLA and star quarterback Brett Hundley may be the toughest test for the Ducks this season in their journey to the National Championship Game. Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron has also put his name in the race after winning back-to-back national championships for Alabama and

taking down fellow candidate Johnny Manziel and the Texas A&M Aggies. On the other side of the SEC, perhaps the best running back in the nation, Todd Gurley of Georgia has been running all over defenses, but had his Heisman hopes hurt due to an opening loss to Tajh Boyd and the explosive offense of the Clemson Tigers. Another early favorite and likely top NFL draft pick, Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, is sure to light up the scoreboard the rest of the year, but Louisville’s poor strength of schedule could cost him in the Heisman ballot. Will Johnny Manziel become the first two-time Heisman Winner since Archie Griffin in 1974-1975? Can Jadeveon Clowney become the first all-defensive player to win? My prediction is Oregon QB Marcus Mariota, who has Oregon looking at another National Championship Game.

Powerhouses Alabama, Oregon, headline Top 25

Photo courtesy of cbssports.comOregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota set a career-high in passing yards in the game against Tennessee on September 14 with 456 yards.

16 Friday, October 4, 2013 The Sword & ShieldSports

By ALEC LEWISSports Editor

Goals such as having a team average of a 3.5 GPA, getting to the Elite 8 in the state tournament, and winning at least two tournaments are rarely seen in high school athletics, but this year’s Mountain Brook volleyball team wants to achieve that and much more. One unique aspect to this team, which is very different from the past, is that Claire Gorman is the only senior on the team. “Claire never gives less than 99 percent,” Coach Haven O’ Quinn said. “She’s just made to work hard and to get better and having a senior like that really helps hold everyone accountable and it keeps everyone focused.” The Spartans started the season off on a solid note beating Bayside Academy for the first time in school history. “To beat Bayside, a team that Mountain Brook had never beaten or taken a set off of, was huge for us because they truly are a dynasty,” said Coach O’ Quinn. After the Bayside win, the Spar-tans took on the likes of Grissom and Vestavia and beat them both handily. “In the Vestavia game we had high energy and we played a great defensive and offensive game,” junior libero Julia Smith said. “We’ve really been focusing on bettering the ball each contact we make, and I thought we did a great job with that against them.” Following the Vestavia game the Spartans faced off against Spain Park, Chelsea, and Hoover, as well as a tournament in Tennessee, the Brentwood Invitational. After the successful finish in the

tournament, Gorman said, “I’d say the strength of our team this year has been our versatility. We’ve had play-ers get hurt or be sick for a game or two, but another player always steps up to fill the void.” The Spartans are looking forward to playing in the Blaylock Invitation-al, another tournament this weekend, and hopefully this tournament will lead them to their goal of competing in the state playoffs and making it to the Elite 8 which will take place October 30-31.

Team chemistry stands out for Spartan Volleyball

Photos courtesy of Image ArtsTop: Abby Garrett slams a return across the net.Bottom: Kendall Crumbaugh gets set up for a slam against Spain Park.

Seniors ‘14 dominate at Powderpuff Football

By BROOKE TUCKERStaff Writer

Who says football is just for boys? This week, MBHS girls proved skeptics wrong. On Tues-day, October 1, girls in MBHS’s sophomore, junior, and senior classes met at 5:30 p.m. at the Spartan Stadium for the annual Powder Puff football game. The first teams to face each other were the sophomore and junior class. Before the game started, many of the youngsters were shaking. “I was really excited because it was my first Powder Puff game ever, but at the same time I was also really nervous about playing the juniors,” said Maggie Beasley, a sophomore, as she was getting ready to play her first game in the traditional slugfest. As the sophomores anxiously hud-dled together trying to come up with a way to beat the juniors, the juniors on the sidelines were laughing and joking around because they knew they had this one in the bag. “I was definitely more confident in our grade this year because we were more experienced and we knew what to expect” declared junior Mary Sel-don Andrews, “but to be honest, the sophomores seemed like they knew what they were doing, so we were all had to see how it ended up.” As the first contest began, the sophomores and juniors took the field. Through their faded eye black and their frizzy hair, the juniors dominated the sophomores with an easy 14 to 0 shutout and advanced to play against the seniors. Before the second game, senior Grace Morrissette said what was on most of her teammates’ minds. “It’s sad that it’s my last year playing Pow-der Puff with all of my friends, but we know we have nothing to worry about. We are going to destroy the juniors. This game will for sure give them something to remember us by!”

As the seniors tore through the huge paper sign and sprinted onto the field to take their positions, the look on the juniors’ faces was priceless. “I felt like winning, just to prove everyone wrong because everyone expected the seniors to win” said junior Mary Pat Rodrigues, “but at the same time I was scared to death to play the seniors.” Finally, after a long game with pieces of turf flying everywhere and a few broken nails here and there, the seniors secured the championship, winning 20 to 8. “It was definitely not an easy game. They gave us a run for our money,” said senior Neil McDonald. Anna Catherine Gillespy made the play of the game by knocking senior Collier Ogilvie to the ground so that junior Caroline Kennedy could make a touchdown. “It was fun! It really pumped up both teams and made for a great game!” exclaimed Gillespy. Even though the juniors did lose, Neely Francis, Caroline Barber, and Kennedy all made touchdowns for the junior class. The majority of touchdowns for the seniors came from Ogilvie. “It was fun!” she gushed. “I think all of the girls enjoyed it and winning was just the cherry on top!” The senior class was more than ex-cited to come out with a win for their final high school Powder Puff game. Senior Dana Kahn said after the game, “It’s sad that it was my last year, but we dominated like always so it was a good way to end. SENIORS ‘14!”

Photo by Alec LewisJunior Caroline Kennedy makes a break for the end zone with senior Collier Ogilvie close behind in pursuit.

17SportsFriday, October 4, 2013The Sword & Shield

By ALEC LEWISSports Editor

Everyone knows Mountain Brook has a history with linemen. William Vlachos, Tyler Love, and Nate McManus all played big time college football, and now Ken Thompson will follow in their footsteps. Growing up in Mountain Brook, students have many oppor-tunities and resources to be suc-cessful in athletics. In senior nose-guard Ken Thompson’s case, hard work and a great deal of commit-ment have led him to his ultimate goal of playing college football. “I’ve known since 4th grade since I stepped on Crestline field for my first game that I’ve wanted to play college football, and now that I am committed to Samford, it’s pretty crazy.” Thompson has been a starter for Mountain Brook for the past two years, and in both years he has been playing noseguard. He will change positions when he goes to

Samford, however, switching to offensive lineman. “It might take some time, but I’m not going to doubt him. I have never seen a player that is able to adapt like Ken,” Coach Yeager said. Over the years, Coach Yeager has produced numerous college linemen, and according to Ken, the staff has been instrumental to his success along with the others that came before him. “The coaching staff has been fundamental in my progression as a football player. We have the best coaches in the state, and it’s truly awesome that we get to work those guys each day.” The choice by Thompson to head to Samford was made not only because of the school’s great program, but also because head coach Pat Sullivan and offensive line coach Brandon Herring are superb instructors. “I knew that Samford was the place for me from just being around the staff and people around

the program. I feel completely at home there, and they’ve been look-ing at me since the end of last year when a coach came to the school to visit with me.” Although Ken is committed to Samford, he is focused on turning this year’s Mountain Brook team around.

“The goal for us is to ultimately win a state championship. I know that our team will bounce back from the two losses, and use it as motivation to get better and im-prove week to week.”

Senior linebacker Ken Thompson signs with Samford

Photo courtesy of Image ArtsKen Thompson gets to the quarterback to make the sack in the first game of the year against Tuscaloosa County.

18 Friday, October 4, 2013 The Sword & ShieldSports

By CLAIRE DAVISArt and Photography Editor

Last weekend our cross country team traveled across the nation to run against new teams and new competition in New Jersey, of all places. But why the far-away meet? “We like to find meets that meet dates that we can manage and al-low our teams to compete,” said Coach Greg Echols, the head cross country coach. “We look for meets that have a JV meet, good competi-tion for both teams, and a really fun town nearby. We chose the New Jersey Six Flags because it is both fun and historical. It was also in the Northeast, and we haven’t run there before, so why not?” The meet was held at the New Jersey Six Flags, where teams ran through the park by the African and American zoo exhibits. Both teams got to run early in the morning, leaving them the entire afternoon and night to celebrate their accom-plishments in the park, staying in the park for 15 hours. The race itself was very differ-ent from others the teams had run before; almost half of the course was in land that is normally animal enclosures and the animals them-selves had been relocated to the enclosures around the course. “It was really cool, but odd,” senior Elizabeth Haberstroh said. “You’d be running along and suddenly a herd of llamas would appear near the fence.” The other animals were turkeys, which would

pop out unexpectedly, scaring run-ners. Both teams ran well despite these distractions. The girls and boys varsity teams finished third, while the JV teams placed first. As the only team not from the North-east, the runners got to compete against and meet many others from New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. This year’s team is noticeably different from last year’s team. “We graduated a lot of seniors who were used to being leaders on the team. Now, especially with the boys, they have to become the scoring runners and don’t know how to handle it,” Echols said. Senior Emily Bedell, junior Jessica Molloy, and freshman Ana McArdle have been the leading scorers for the girls this year, while seniors Stewart Hawk and Davis Kelly have filled the gap for the boys. The runners themselves have noticed the change as well. “We’re racing more as a team now, not as individuals,” Molloy said. In the days before the meet, however, the team focused on a different part of their education. They visited both the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution were voted into ac-tion. The U.S. Mint and the Eastern State Penitentiary were also desti-nations of choice, where the run-ners saw coins being made and Al Capone’s cell. They ate in Reading

Terminal Market, a former train station converted into a very lively and confusing mall. Junior Dmitrius Dworek enjoyed the hustle and bustle. “It was an exciting adventure to push through the crowds, overwhelmed by everything going on,” he said.In addition, the team visited Villa-nova and the University of Penn-sylvania and ran at their facilities. Molloy especially appreciated these visits, commenting, “It was nice to see some colleges in the North because we often only see southeastern colleges. It’s good to get some references while visiting these schools.” At Villanova, the team was privileged to tour the campus with Marcus O’Sullivan, a four-time

Olympic athlete and head coach of the cross country team there. The team returned this past Sunday, tired and anticipating the make-up work. As senior Alex Schultz put it, “Everyone now is more stressed about homework than the race itself.”

Cross country runs with the animals in New Jersey

Photo by Claire DavisSenior Davis Kelley edges to the front of the competition in New Jersey.

19ReviewsFriday, October 4, 2013The Sword & Shield

Make your smartphone work for you at school

Looking for a quick and easy way to search and reserve books

in our school library? In case you haven’t discovered it, Des-tiny Quest is the go-to student resource app. Not only can you

check out your favorite book wherever you want, but a top 10 list also shows you the most pop-ular books among fellow MBHS students. It makes getting school resources quick and easy, so why

aren’t you using it?

If you didn’t already know, Khan Academy is one of the big-gest steps forward in education history. With lessons ranging

from American History to Cal-culus, simple lectures help make subjects that have you scratching your head easier to understand.

Signing up for a free account lets you review study plans and track your progress. If you can take the time to watch a couple of five-minute videos, you just

might see a dramatic increase in understanding. It’s worth a shot.

With all the work we accu-mulate at school, it’s not hard to lose track of things. Google

Drive is the best way to quickly have every document in your

account at your fingertips. After loading the app for the

first time, I could see all of my assignments from my Eighth

Grade Computer Apps Class up to my latest English homework assignment. Not only that, you can also create new documents

and spreadsheets, revise old ones, or share files with friends.

Even though Quizlet comes from Quizlet.com, one of the

best language learning sites on the web, it’s not a well known

app. With flashcards and simple games to help you quickly

memorize words, it’s a godsend. Afraid there won’t be any lessons in your native Klingon tongue? No problem. There are over 21 million flashcard sets with over 30 languages. What sets it apart from all other language apps is

that the flashcard sets are available offline, so they are

always accessible.

By Coke MatthewsStaff Writer

QuizletGoogle DriveKhan AcademyBehance.net Commons.wikipedia.orgTrikeapps.com Quizlet.com

Destiny Quest

Chances are, you have a phone in your pocket right now. Whether it’s for school or for fun, electronics fuel our lives. Because MBHS is a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) campus, we are encouraged to use our phones every day, which drastically changes our school experience.

“We at Mountain Brook believe in choice. There are lots of apps that can be helpful or not. It all depends on what is the best way to keep the student engaged,” said Ms. Joani Kay, Technology Coordinator. With mil-lions of apps to choose from, here are some of my favorite free ones.

20 Friday, October 4, 2013 The Sword & Shieldreviews

the best of BirminghamH o m e w o r k d e s t i n a t i o n s

By MARY NIX ROBERSON and CHAMBLEE SHUFFLEBARGEROpinions Editor and Staff Writer

Loca

tion

Church Street

OctaneEmmet O’Neal Library

Little Professor

The Red Cat

Sum

mar

y

Whether you like the atmo-sphere of an eclectic book-shop or a friendly neighbor-hood café, Church Street is the place to go for studying.

Their grade A caffeinated beverages and infamous

break up cookies make this shop a destination for high schoolers and community

members alike.

For those ready for a productive afternoon of

studying accompanied by the perfect cappuccino, this is the place to be. Octane prides itself on its made to

perfection caffeinated bever-ages and delectable array of pastries. While the parking and table availability can be limited on busier afternoons,

the shop remains a good location for studying with some background noise.

Need to avoid distrac-tions? The library offers a quiet environment with

a great deal of table space and rooms made

specifically for group study. They also have free coffee for an extra boost that won’t break

the bank. Snacks are not available regularly, but

this is made up for by the serene surroundings that let students get down to

business.

If you’re looking for a place where you won’t run into

anyone to distract you, head to Little Professor. Whether you just need to get some reading done, or work on a

project, the café space within can accommodate. Quiet

without feeling intimidating, this quaint little bookshop allows for maximum pro-

ductivity without the hushed atmosphere of a library.

Willing to venture downtown just to change up your homework

scenery? Check out The Red Cat, located in the middle of

Lakeview’s Saturday Farmer’s Market on 2nd Avenue South. A

good place to visit if you’re a cof-fee purist, this was voted the #1 spot to study by UAB students.

Mus

ic Varies depending on who’s working, but it’s consistently

tolerable, if not excellent.

Pitchfork’s favorites. Every-thing played has at least a 8.0/10.0 stars on their web-site. We think it’s amazing.

Others may disagree.

It’s totally silent here. Eerily silent. Somewhat

uncomfortable. You might want to bring earphones.

Pleasant, but I’m not putting any of it on my iPod.

There’s good, there’s better, there’s best. This place’s music selection varies between better

and best.

Food

If you don’t like what you get—and I don’t care what

you get—you probably should see a doctor for your

defective taste buds.

They serve the same brand of coffee as Church Street, so not much variation there. A smaller variety of bever-

ages and pastries is offered here than at most coffee

shops, but the smaller se-lection is made up for by the

quality of the products.

BYOS. (Bring your own snack.)

It’s a bookstore’s café. Certainly no Starbucks, but

it’ll do the trick.Perfect. No other comment.

Crow

d Immediately after school? Packed. But on a weekend afternoon, you can usually

find a space to settle in.

Yeah, Birmingham hipsters practically live here. Good luck getting a table if you come at the wrong time.

Usually not bad. Mostly older individuals take

advantage of the library’s computers.

Um… do people even know there’s a café back here?

Typically contains a decent crowd of college students, but it’s never

overwhelming.

Tabl

e Spa

ce Round tables downstairs can usually be made into work spaces for up to 5 people. Upstairs, there’s one larger table capable of handling a few more, but snagging it is

hard.

Very. Limited. One larger table has pull-down power chords for computer plugin, but this is usually occupied.

Plenty of private rooms specifically for group work! This is our top recommendation for

group projects.

Plenty, due to the lack of hu-man life forms present

It’s available, but not abundant. Not the ideal spot for large group work, but with 3 or 4, you can get

manage to find a spot.

Distr

actio

n Fa

ctor

Downstairs, you’re going to be distracted. Whether it’s by the glorious snack options, the friendly baristas, or your

next door neighbor coming in to grab a pick-me-up. Work upstairs, however, and there

are far fewer distractions—it’s the place to go if you really

need to get work done.

Less than other coffee shops in the area, but

distractions are still present. You’re likely to see your friends visiting Steel City

Pops next door.

None. You’re practically forced to be productive here. Again, it’s slightly

uncomfortable and reminiscent of school.

Ew.

We like big books and we cannot lie. But unless you’re like us and are distracted by the wealth of literary opportu-nities surrounding you, you’re

not going to be distracted.

None while actually in the coffee shop, but the abundance of cool

stuff you’ll pass on your way downtown will probably make you

wish you weren’t headed to do homework.

coffe

ehan

ker.c

om

21ReviewsFriday, October 4, 2013The Sword & Shield

Smash smash, bang bang: Janelle Monàe’s “The Electric Lady”

The new 280: needed improvement or utter disaster?

By BROOKS GLOVERReviews Editor

Janelle Monáe, the tuxedo-clad R&B and soul singer, emerged as a rare pop artist whose 2010’s “The ArchAndroid” led to success in both the mainstream and indie audiences. By combining elements from genres as broad as funk, sci-ence fiction, and jazz, her music is just as much James Brown as it is David Bowie. Conceptually, Monáe is just as ambi-tious as her music. Inspired by the 1920’s film “Metropolis,” her album tells the story of the dystopian Metropolis oppressed by the Great Divide and Cindi Mayweather, the android who hopes to free Metropolis’ citizens. Monáe’s newest offering, “The Electric Lady,” continues her grandiose direction with the help of many collaborators. “The Electric Lady” is divided into two halves, each being introduced by segueing over-tures. “Suite IV Electric Overture” begins the

first half cinematically, providing an atmosphere that wouldn’t be out of place on any spaghetti western. However, “Give Em’ What They Love” quickly asserts itself with many of the several funk rock elements that continue throughout the album. Monáe’s collaboration with Prince is “The Electric Lady’s” first highlight: a groovy, funky duet concluding with one of Prince’s sig-nature guitar solos. The succeeding track, “Q.U.E.E.N.,” featuring fellow R&B star Erykah Badu, serves as an an-them for the weird and eccentric. Monáe boast-fully asks, “Am I a freak for dancing around?” while Badu asserts, “This melody will show you another way.” However, it’s Monáe’s surprisingly aggressive rap verse that absolutely steals the track in the last. Other first half highlights include the sleek Pixies sampling Miguel duet, “Primetime,” and arguably the best song on the album, “Dance Apocalyptic,” whose bouncy rhythm forces it to be an irresistible pop gem. In contrast with the energetic and upbeat first half, Monáe finds herself failing to escape from languidness in the second half. While these songs aren’t terrible and range from disco to reggae, they don’t match the exciting and unpre-

dictable qualities of “The Electric Lady’s” first half. “Sally Ride,” a tribute to the late American astronaut, proves itself to be the highlight of the lengthy second half. Ironically, it is the lack of a groove that separates the song from the other-wise static second half. Apart from a lackluster latter half, “The Elec-tric Lady” certifies Monáe as pop’s funkiest star.

By RICK LEWISCo-Editor in Chief

As I set out to review the new Highway 280, I was a bit ap-prehensive. Would my bias as a Mountain Brook resident affect my assessment? Would my previ-ous experiences with 280 color my new findings? Would I still want ALDOT (Alabama Department of Transportation) Director John R. Cooper to trip into a sinkhole? I had many questions and only one highway that could answer them. 280. So let me speak on the capable and sometimes perilous nature of the new Highway 280. First, I tried to locate places where traffic lights had been re-moved to observe any change in traffic speed. There were a couple of missing lights, including, the Cherokee Road intersection and the light at the intersection next to the Wendy’s. So was traffic any faster whatsoever? Yes, indeed it was, by a mile. It’s definitely not the old, grid-locked, snarling tragedy that it used to be. The horrendous backups that once plagued the entire length of 280 are far fewer these days. Lights along 280 are more intuitive ac-cording to ALDOT, meaning that

280 traffic has longer greens and shorter reds to contend with, maxi-mizing both speed and mobility along the highway. But this change comes with a colossal price. Now, getting onto 280 is more like fighting off a pack of wolves that can run as fast as cheetahs and weigh as much as elephants; that is to say it’s nothing like merging onto the old 280. New acceleration lanes, like the one outside of Whole Foods, require you to absolutely floor it to even have the chance to merge onto the highway, if you’re even able to even get to the accel-eration lane. I timed the intersection at Whole Foods to see how long the arrow stayed green. Four seconds. Count ‘em. One, two, three, four, done. That’s it, that’s all you get. Traffic is now backed up to Green Valley Road because of it. And who doesn’t love the new U-turn signals? Now that you can’t go straight across 280 from Chero-kee Road, ALDOT has installed U-turn lights to help you out, ALDOT really, really cares. But just when you thought the situation couldn’t get any worse, there’s the new Grandview Medical Center (Trinity Hospital’s new loca-tion, coming 2015). While the hos-pital will certainly be a plus to the area, it has the potential to cause even more traffic pandemonium, i.e. ambulances, families speeding

to the emergency room, etc. All in all, my experience on the new 280 was more fright filled than fun filled. Cars going 80mph on a 55mph road, turn lights that stay green for a nanosecond, U-turn lights, deleted turns, and removed lights all added up to an exhilarat-

ingly annoying venture. I think many drivers will feel my pain. For all its drawbacks I have to give the “new 280” a one-star review. Sorry ALDOT, except, not really.

beatsboxingmayhem.com

geekalabama.com

****

*

22 Friday, October 4, 2013 The Sword & ShieldOpinions

By JOHN SISSONStaff Writer

Every year when football season begins, sports radio hosts and TV analysts bring up a looming ques-tion for the NCAA: should college athletes be paid for their involve-ment in sports? The clear answer is no. NCAA President Mark Emmert, addressing the money issue with reporters shortly after his appoint-ment in 2010, said, “Student athletes will never be paid as long as I’m president of the NCAA.” Three years later, fans of all sports are still debating the issue. Even though Emmert asserted that no athletes would be paid under his watch, times seem to be changing. Coaches, presidents of universities, and fans throughout the country are pushing for a change in NCAA rules. Recently, the NCAA investigated both Oklahoma State and Auburn regarding allegations of pay for play. In the Auburn investigation, no evidence was found to convict the Tigers. The Oklahoma State case is still open. However, many people are tired of these investigations and are ready for athletes to be paid.

In order to preserve the competi-tion and integrity of college sports, student-athletes should not receive stipends for their performances in athletic events. Paying these students is unnecessary as they already receive plenty of benefits that regular students do not, and most athletes do not have to pay for tuition, room and board, textbooks, and other miscellaneous items. Payment does not necessarily mean cash. Student-athletes re-ceive many benefits that are better than any monetary compensation. First, these young men and women receive superior educational oppor-tunities at prestigious universities. Four years of college can cost as much as $200,000 for some stu-dents, but many of these athletes pay close to nothing at all. Athletics also provide better school oppor-tunities than would be available if these students did not play a sport. Most universities will admit athletes with low test scores and low grades if they are recruited to play a sport in college. Second, the athletic department provides benefits for the players that add up. Instead of having a meal plan, many athletes use a completely free trainer’s table where nutritious foods and snacks are abundant. Thus, the athletes benefit financially, and their performance in games often improves. Besides the food, players receive thousands of dol-lars worth of gear each year. Shirts, pants, shoes, and other equipment are completely free for these players. Third, athletic departments do not have enough money to pay all of their players. Most college ath-letic departments make no profits. Only bigger colleges like Ohio State, Alabama, and Auburn can make enough money to pay all of their players justly, and paying players would give these powerhouses an advantage over smaller schools. The extra revenue at large schools raises another question because recruits will tend to favor schools that can pay them more for their play. Thus, bigger schools will have more talented players. As a result, some schools will be loaded with talent, while others will barely have any talent. Consequently, games would be less interesting, the same teams would win, not as many people would watch games, and the NCAA would lose revenue. Pay for play may seem like a perfect idea for some fans of college athletics, but allowing it would lead to the NCAA’s demise.

By SCOTT LEPLEYStaff Writer

A widely debated topic today is whether or not collegiate athletes should be paid to play. The only sensible answer is yes. There are billions of dollars coming to the NCAA from the obsession over collegiate athletics. The coaches are paid, the trainers are paid, and the officials are paid. The players who make the game happen? They get an education, some books, and a place to live. They do not receive any kind of spending money, but at the same time, they can’t get a job. They dedicate themselves to their sport, which takes up too much time for them to have a job. These players practice all day, nearly every day. They go out in public and see their names being marketed for thousands of dollars. Hundreds of people buy jerseys, photographs, and autographs of them and they receive nothing in return. The television networks are profiting also. CBS and the NCAA Basketball Tournament have a broadcasting deal that gives CBS the right to the air games for $10.8 billion. NCAA football and mens basketball bring in over $ 1 billion annually in just ticket sales. That is more than professional football, baseball, basketball, and hockey combined. Professional players have league minimums of half a million dollars annually, with some players receiving salaries up to $30 million annually. Paying college athletes hun-dreds of thousands of dollars is too much and a little absurd. But giving them a few thousand for spending money does not seem outrageous. Some say only Division I foot-ball and mens basketball deserve to be paid, but there is so much

money in collegiate athletics that all of the athletes deserve to be paid. However, paying the athletes should be up to the discretion of the school. If a university feels they do not have the money or want to pay their athletes, then they do not have to. Of course, this means many schools will not give stipends to players. However, the players who have worked harder than the rest to achieve their dream and play at a prestigious athletic school will

be rewarded. Schools with football and mens basketball teams generate plenty of revenue to go to every athlete for all their competitive collegiate teams. Athletes who bring in more money than others, such as foot-ball or basketball stars should get paid more than unknowns such as the backup goalie on the mens soccer team. If every player got a small stipend, maybe a few hundred dollars per month or even per se-mester, then they would finally see their hard work and dedication finally start to pay off.

Pay for play: the downfall of the NCAA?Never!Pay them!

Courtesy of Getty ImagesJohnny “Football” Manziel mocks the NCAA after throwing a touchdown.

“Hundreds of people buy jerseys,

photographs, and autographs of them

and they receive nothing in return.”

23OpinionsFriday, October 4, 2013The Sword & Shield

By FRANCES HANCOCKStaff Writer

If you walk through the halls of the school, you will notice that the majority of students have one thing in common: almost all are carrying smartphones. It seems as if modern technology has acquired a subtly addictive quality that makes it nearly impossible to pry them from the fingertips of enthusiastic teens. Because of this addiction, most students have taken to walking the halls of the school with their smart-phones glued to their palms and their eyes fused to the screen. A few years ago, students caught with their cell phone during class received an immediate detention. Today, students are not only al-lowed to have their cell phone, but

in many classes they are encour-aged to use them. Several teachers have embraced the new technology and have be-gun to form parts of their lessons around it. Smartphones in class eliminate the hassle of laptops for simple research and make it faster and easier to look up information while keeping the students engaged in the lesson. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Not necessarily. Although smartphones can be valuable resources for both students and teachers, those who do not have smartphones are at serious disadvantage. If a teacher tells students to take out their phones to research some-thing, people lacking smartphones either have to get the information from a friend or run and find a laptop (if one is available). Even if a laptop is available, that’s no solution because the school laptops are painstakingly slow. When you use a laptop, you have to wait for it to turn on and load your log-in information (which usually takes about a year) as opposed to the speedy smart-phone (which seemingly loads at the speed of light). Then you have

to allow enough time at the end of class for it to shut down and put it back in the cart. This results in some students

having significantly less time to work on their assignments and in-duces a massive amount of aggrava-tion towards the dawdling process-ing speed of the school’s laptops. Comparing the school’s laptops to smartphones is like comparing the turtle to the hare; except in this situation, slow and steady does not win the race. In a quick survey of a small sample of students in the Mall sev-enth period, I learned that out of 40 students, only two people did not have smartphones, meaning that the majority of students at Moun-

tain Brook are spared from the snail-like processing speed of the laptops. So, naturally teachers uti-lize the technology that will benefit the most students. But the minority of students who do not have smart-phones are left behind. Maybe the solution is for teach-ers to give a survey to find out who in their classes have smartphones and who do not. Then, based on that information, they can plan ahead and have a few working laptops ready for students to use. Maybe the school should purchase a few iPhones or iPod touches for each of the classrooms so that students can borrow them for the class period if needed. Or, maybe the school should just invest in new laptops. Whatever the solution, some-thing needs to be done, because after all, iPhones aren’t cheap! iPhones can cost hundreds of dol-lars, which some parents cannot or may not be willing to pay. It is not fair for some students to be left behind just because they are not up to date on the latest technology.

Students without smartphones at disadvantage

Apply or die? A different perspective on college applicationsBy MARY NIX ROBERSON

Opinions Editor

The girls who share a table with me in Art 1-A peer over my arm to look at my landscape sketch, mur-muring their approval. “Mary Nix,” one of them asks one day, “don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re here. But why are you in Art 1-A as a senior when you obviously love art so much? I feel like you should be in AP.” I shrug and put the pencil down. The answer is simple, yet deplor-able. “College. Academics had to come first for me. I have to get into college, and I didn’t think art would get me there.” Starting in ninth grade for some, and earlier for most, you are told to focus on one thing: college admis-

sions. You are sorted into a group with others similar to you, and put on a track, whether it be sports, academics, theatrics, fine arts, or volunteer work. Whatever you’re best at, that’s what you’ll attempt before the college application pro-cess begins. And what if you’re mediocre at lots of things, but not great at anything? It’s regrettable, society will tell you, but it’s likely that you won’t be able to go to an exemplary institution unless you stand out to admissions directors. You’d better take that mediocrity and channel it into something, like building bird houses, because according to every college advisor ever, mediocrity won’t get you much else in this life. In truth, the college application process dehumanizes students. We are forced to become someone who looks great on paper, but may be miserable in real life—all for the sake of impressing someone hun-dreds of miles away whom we’ll never actually meet. And if that isn’t absurd—trying to impress some faceless, nameless person who holds our fate in their hands—

I don’t know what is. Most of our junior high and high school lives are dedicated to that single person, if you think about it. The person who reads your application is the one you’ve been working to please for the past few years.

But really, who are admissions representatives to judge us for our numbers, rankings, or activities? Who are they to place more value on a student with a 4.0 GPA, per-fect test scores, and no community involvement than a student with a 3.0 who spends 15 hours a week volunteering? Who are they to decide what clubs are more worthy causes, and which ones seem to be superfluous?

In reality, numbers say nothing about the strength of character, the conviction of mind, or the dedica-tion to self-improvement. Numbers say how well you test. And a re-sume of activities may tell an ad-missions counselor what you care about, but more likely than not, it will tell an admissions counselor what you thought they would care about. Sophomores and juniors: please, take it from a senior. Take the time to decide what you really care about and want to spend time do-ing. And if it isn’t what you’re doing now, change that. But if you’re a senior who is in the midst of the college application process, don’t feel disheartened. Just remember, when reading over your resume, don’t simply think of how a college admission representative would feel about your accomplishments and activities—think about how far you’ve come, and all you’ve done—and take pride in who you are in real life, not just on paper.

“In reality, numbers say nothing about the strength of character,

the conviction of mind, or the dedication to self-improvement.”

“Although smart-phones can be valu-

able resources for both students and teachers, those who do not have smartphones are at a

serious disadvantage.”

Best All Around:William Cole

Lucy Neal

Most Likely to Succeed:Jack Royer

Everette Dawkins

Most Intellectual:Daniel BolusOlivia Burton

Most Active in the Community:Rick Lewis

Anne Peyton Baker

Best Personality:Patrick Abele

Max BlackAdelaide Cochran

Most School Spirit:Wayne IngramVirginia Jordan

Most Athletic:Will BrewsterCollier Ogilvie

Most Talented in Writing:Han Bowers

Adelaide Dunn

Most Talented in Music:Frank Phillips

Deanna Medina

Most Talented in Drama:Austin Russell

Hannah Mouyal

Most Talented in Art:William Norris

Mary Maude Crenshaw

Best Looking:Mills Poynor

Mae Rose Tyson

Cutest:Jacob WeinackerAnnabelle Sims

Best Dressed:Ben JacksonLane Allen

Friendliest:Russell Galloway

Camille Smith

Wittiest:Christian AndersonAmelie Shallcross

SeniorSuperlatives

Class FavoritesJuniors:

Stephen LittleCate Harmon

Sophomores:Alex Debruge

Adele Bird

Mae Rose’s commitment to her faith and dedication to others is evi-dent as she serves in numerous orga-nizations within both her school and church communities. Her priorities include prominent service-oriented positions. At the high school, Mae Rose is a Relay for Life Sponsorships Chair for the Interact Club. She also belongs to First Priority and the Outreach clubs and will be the cho-reographer for the Miss Olympian Pageant staff.

Beyond the school community, Mae Rose attends Donna Greene’s Bible Study and has participated in summer mission trips with Canter-bury United Methodist Church. Her faith has also led her to participate in numerous volunteer activities including Habitat for Humanity, Hope Lodge, Alabama Forever, Bir-mingham Belles, Feed Hunger Now, Urban Kids, and the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure. She received the 100 hour service award in 9th grade.

With all of her commitments, Mae Rose still manages to be on the Honor Roll and maintains member-ship in the National Honor Society.

Mae Rose plans to take her en-ergy, faith, and commitment to oth-ers to the University of Alabama next year where she will pursue a career

in nursing. Attending the Univer-sity of Alabama is important to Mae Rose, particularly given her love of family.

“Mae Rose loves her family, and she is devoted to her siblings Lissa Handley, Mary Harmon, and Paul,” her parents say.

Lissa Handley and Mary Harmon are students at Alabama; both also served as Mountain Brook High School Homecoming Queens: Lissa Handley in 2008 and Mary Harmon in 2011. As the only girl still at home, Mae Rose has been a wonderful big sister to her younger brother Paul.

Mae Rose’s connection to the Uni-versity of Alabama goes much deep-er, though, given her admiration for her great grandfather, Paul William “Bear” Bryant. She learned more about him this past year because of the celebrations surrounding the 100th year anniversary of his death, and her mom says, “She would have loved to have known him and loved him in person like her father did.”

Mae Rose’s father, Marc, is sched-uled to escort her during the half-time festivities tonight. At that time, following the introduction of the Homecoming court, Mae Rose Tyson will be crowned Mountain Brook High School’s 2013-14 Homecoming Queen.

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION: The Mountain Brook School system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or age in any of its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries re-garding nondiscrimination policies: Dr. Dale Wisely—Director of Student Services (Title VI), (wiselyd@mtnbrook.k12.al.us); Mrs. Sylvia Harper—Personnel Director (Title IX), (harpers@mtnbrook.k12.al.us); Dr. Missy Brooks—Director of Instruction (Title II), (wildman-brooksm@mtnbrook.k12.al.us); Mrs. Shannon Mundy—Special Education Director (Section 504), (mundyl@mtnbrook.k12.al.us). Contact Information: 32 Vine Street, Mountain Brook, AL 35213, 205-871-4608.

Photo courtesy of Lissa and Marc TysonMae Rose Tyson has always shown off her Bama pride and winning smile.

24Homecoming Friday, October 4, 2013 Sword & Shield

“Queen,” page 1