Students dress “Casual for a Cause”

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December 2010

Student does not
the
Etowah High School
Talon
6565 Putnam Ford Road

County faces relocation of graduation ceremonies
Woodstock, Georgia 30189

give up hope The Cherokee County School District is put into a precarious situation involving a 2011 graduation location
by MORGAN HINCHEY
chief photographer by LAILA GOHARIOON
co-assistant editor
Thursday, Oct. 28 was the day when, sopho-
more, Taylor Flanagan’s life changed forever. Cherokee County School District is in a
She was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid major dispute with Americans United
Leukemia, AML, for Separation of Church and State, on
a form of blood the issue of where CCSD high school
cancer that begins graduations will take place this year.
in the bone mar- In October, CCSD received a letter from
row, which is the the Washington –based Americans United
soft tissue inside stating that the county was violating the
of bones that is re- separation of church and state by having
sponsible for the high school graduation ceremonies at First
formation of blood Baptist Church Woodstock. Americans
cells. It is common United demanded the county stop hold-
among adult males, ing graduation ceremonies at the church.
making Flana- Americans United found out that the
gan’s case a rare form of childhood cancer. ceremonies for Sequoyah High School
Dealing with a cancer diagnosis can be ex- were being held at First Baptist in 2009.
tremely diﬃcult, but Flanagan is fortunate In the letter it called having the cer-
enough to have a loving support group. emonies at FBCW unconstitutional.
“This ﬁrst month has been rough,” Quote from CCSD lawyer
Flanagan said. “I didn’t really understand Americans United feels that if the issue
why this was happening, but my family is not handled and the ceremony is not
and friends have really helped me a lot.” changed to a new location there could be
Cancer treatment for leukemia is in- the possibility of a lawsuit. The organiza-
tense and lengthy. Flanagan must undergo tion feels having the ceremony where it is
chemotherapy treatments for six to nine now, at First Baptist, violates the religious
months, and will consequently be out of rights of students who are not Christian. photo by Ally Hellenga
The First Baptist Church of Woodstock is in question for the location of the 2011 and future
school for the remainder of the school year. Graduation continued on page 4 graduations.
“My family and friends do everything they
can to keep me happy and smiling during
hospital visits and treatments. It’s not hard
to get depressed while sitting in a hospital
room all day, every day,” Flanagan said.
Students dress “Casual for a Cause”
No one can really understand what Flana- by KALEIGH COOPER diagnosed with lymphoma, cancer of the her help. Choppa met with to Keith Ball,
gan is going through, except other cancer staﬀ reporter lymphatic system, which ﬁghts infections. principal, and Pat Denney, assistant prin-
survivors. Realizing this, Flanagan decided Friends and family of Kent and Flanagan cipal, about the students, their ﬁght, and
how she wants to spend the rest of her life. Humans are all prone to sickness. Teen- have been very supportive throughout their ﬁnancial troubles.
“In the future, I plan on beating cancer agers and adults have the strongest im- their struggles with the early stages of The school decided to help. The money
and becoming a cancer nurse for young mune systems of the population, but can- cancer, diagnosis and treatment. As the that was raised will be divided between
children,” Flanagan said. “It would be cer is a sickness that does not discriminate. expenses and medical bills piled up, a fam- Flanagan and Kent’s families to help with
nice to help out other kids that are go- Taylor Flanagan, sophomore, and Dylan ily friend of Flanagan’s mother contacted the expenses of the insurance for their par-
ing through the same thing that I am.” Kent, freshman, are teens who are ﬁghting Etowah PTSA president, Beth Choppa to ents for missing work, the gas for getting to
Flanagan’s aspirations for the fu- the battle. ask for help. and from the hospital, the parking fee re-
ture are inspiring, but she still has fear Flanagan was diagnosed with leukemia, Choppa decided to take action, since the quired when visiting the hospital and any
about the present. Cancer can be ex- a type of cancer in the blood, and Kent was families reached out to her and asked for other of their expenses.
tremely terrifying for both those di- On Dec. 9, PTSA set up a table in the
agnosed and their family members. lunchroom and donation packets in the
“There’s nothing I can do to change teacher lounges to collect donations. Stu-
my situation, so I just have to stick it out dents and teachers alike could purchase
and pray for the best,” Flanagan said. an armband for $5 which allowed them to
But the Flanagans are not alone in deal- dress casually for the following week of ex-
ing with this news. Etowah High School’s ams. Students could also make donations
PTSA is hosting an event, called “Casual without having to participate in the casual
for a Cause” during the week of ﬁnals, Dec. dressing event.
13 – Dec. 17, to beneﬁt Flanagan and her Dec. 13-17, Etowah students were able to
family, as well as Dylan Kent, freshman, as wear their pajamas or a hat to school. The
they embark on a journey to beat cancer. announcement of the event was spread by
Read more about this event on page 1 and 4. word of mouth, the E-Letter, ﬂiers around
“Taylor has inspired me in ways school, morning announcements and on
I didn’t know were possible. I have Facebook.
learned that she is the strongest person Choppa hopes to raise $2000 or more
I know, and we can get through any- for the students. The two families will split
thing,” Miranda Rhode, freshman, said. the proceeds. The PTSA will not be receiv-
To learn more about Flanagan’s up- ing funds from the event and the group
to-date condition or to donate money donated the 2,000 paper wristbands they
to her family, visit http://www.car- photo by Morgan Hinchey
ordered.
ingbridge.org/visit/taylorflanagan. The PTSA put on a fundraiser “Casual for a Cause” to benift two Etowah students, Taylor Flana-
gan, sophomore, and Dylan Kent, freshman, who are battling cancer. Casual continued on page 4
IN THIS ISSUE

pg. 5 pg. 8-10 pg. 15
Excessive Holidays Nerf
PDA wars
2 / December 2010 NEWS the Talon

Towne Lake businesses come and go
by HANNAH HANSBERRY Companies are going under, moving loca- ing of diﬀerent types of tacos; soft, hard, Drive shopping center. For a long time it
staﬀ reporter tions and are improving left and right. chicken or beef. This addition opened in was closed down, but now it has reopened
The businesses that are going under get late summer and is rapidly growing. to the public for business.
Towne Lake Parkway is a hub for speedy replaced with new refreshing hot spots in The Butcher’s Block has moved from Restaurants are not the only businesses
dining and trendy boutiques, which are all which to chow down. across Etowah to the new location next to coming and going, many boutiques and
conveniently placed within a two mile ra- Hardee’s is known for immense, greasy El Ranchero on Rose Creek Drive. The loca- consignment shops have opened around
dius of each other. When the clock strikes burgers and ﬂuﬀy, buttery, chicken biscuits tion is much larger and leaves more room town.
2:30 p.m., these restaurants are ﬂooded for breakfast. They have recently made an for products. “The new location is much La Chic boutique opened across the street
with growing teenagers starving for an af- addition to their location on Towne Lake bigger and came with style,” employee Mi- from Etowah in the Eagle Point shopping
ter school snack. Parkway adjacent to McDonald’s. They chael O’Shields, senior, said. center. They specialize in prom and home-
Finding the perfect balance for success have added a co-brand called the Red Bur- Quizno’s currently reopened at its’ old coming attire, tuxedo rentals, accessories,
is hard to achieve in the restaurant world. rito. It is a taco shop with a menu consist- location across from Etowah in the Eagle and much more.

photos by Morgan Hinchey & Heather Perona

FBLA store is “transforming tomorrow”
by NICOLE HANSLER and CARLEIGH ing business plans, writing speeches, etc.,”
WISNER Sam Kluger, senior and FBLA president,
news editor and staﬀ reporter said.
As well as the school store to kick oﬀ the
Etowah students will not have to go to second semester and New Year, the FBLA’s
Walmart or Target for school supplies any region competition will be held Jan. 27, and
longer. the state competition will be March 18.
The Etowah Future Business Leaders of “We will have all sorts of stuﬀ, rang-
America is coming together with CTI, a ca- ing from mechanical to maybe even silly
reer technical instruction class hosted by bands. Spirit wear will also be sold,” Car-
Robyn Mattson, to start a school store for roll said.
the Etowah population. The school store The school store will be open during all
will be located in the concession stand lunches and study halls.
space between the cafeteria and the old “We might try to run it before and after
gym. school as well,” Bryson Higgins, sopho-
“The purpose of the school store is strict- more and FBLA member, said.
ly for demand. Kids need school supplies Any student who is interested in vol-
and might not have the opportunity after unteering is welcome to, but community
school, so we are making it more conve- service hours are not earned. There will be
nient,” Carroll said. some training provided before the school
All of the money earned goes to FBLA store opens.
and CTI competitions as well as to buying The March of Dimes is another fundraiser
more supplies to keep service for the stu- FBLA participates in.
dents. “The school store will be opening after
“All of the competitions we participate break; hopefully the week we get back in
photo by Carleigh Wisner
in have to do with business, usually mak- January,” Carroll said.
The old basketball concession stand will soon be transformed into the EHS school store.
the Talon NEWS December 2010 / 3

News Briefs
Testing
Student wins Cherokee Bank video contest
by BRANDON SANFORD the diﬀerence it can make. He made the video to give kids a reason to
staﬀ reporter While Robinson is talking, a series of pic- save money and become more aware about
Sam Robinson, sophomore, was awarded tures shows the coins forming a question saving the planet. He also plans to partici-
Dec. 14-Dec. 17: Midterms ﬁrst place in the Cherokee Bank video con- mark. The coins then move around reveal- pate in a similar contest in the future.
Dec. 14 through Dec. 17 midterms will
test for his video about saving money ef- ing an iPod and forming the globe with the To Robinson, creating videos is more than
take place in all classes beginning Tues.
fectively and helping the planet. His video U.S. covering the surface. After which they just a hobby. While he would not describe
afternoon in sixth period. Following mid-
won him a $100 gift card to Best Buy. create a smiling face as the video ends. it as a passion, his interest in making vid-
terms students are allowed early release if
Hearing about the video contest through Robinson made the video with the help eos has persisted with him for the past ﬁve
the proper forms were completed and re-
the video club, Robinson decided to par- of his friends Sawyer Knadler, sophomore, years. He enjoys making videos for his
turned. Midterms mark the end of the ﬁrst
ticipate. Using a Sony Handycam, he took and Danny Bene, sophomore. The video band and gets his inspiration from seeing
semester.
about a week to create his video. was made using Robinson’s own equipment movies that other people have created.
The video is a stop motion video using and was made entirely outside of school. “Plan it out and just go with it, try not to
Jan. 22, 2011: SAT testing coins. Robinson’s voice is heard talking “I think he did an amazing job!” Linda over think it and just do what feels right.
Beginning at 7:30 a.m. SAT testing will be about why saving money is important and Yunker, the Video Broadcast teacher, said. inson said.
held in the Administration Building.

Sport-related
Events
Jan. 15, 2011: 5K Race
From 6 a.m. until 10 a.m., Etowah is hosting
a soccer 5K race in the stadium. For more
information see John Murnan.

Blood Drive
Jan. 28, 2011- Red Cross Blood
Drive
Beginning at 6:30 a.m. in the Old Gym, The
Red Cross Blood Drive will be held.

Yard Sale
Jan. 29, 2011- Lacrosse Yard
Sale
Beginning at 7 a.m. the Lacrosse Yard Sale photo submitted
will be held in the Old Gym. You can con- Sam Robinson, sophomore, received $100 gift card to Best Buy for his stop-motion ﬁlm about saving money and saving the planet.

New club encourages inner “fashionistas”
tact Michael Tuley for more information.

Social Studies by KATY SISSINE by men like Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren The Fashion Club hopes to participate in
staﬀ reporter and Marc Jacobs. charitable school events by selling clothes,
Fair With the popularity of television shows
Membership in the fashion club does not
require knowledge of fashion, but it does
jewelry and other creations. The club also
hopes to hold a fashion show by next year
like “Project Runway” and “What Not to to raise money for the cause of their choice.
require an appreciation as well as an inter-
Feb. 12, 2011- GCSS Regional Wear,” it is no surprise that some Etowah They hope to be sponsored by local retail-
est to learn about it and willingness to con-
students are launching their own fashion- ers and malls.
Social Studies Fair tribute opinions and ideas.
related organization. “To inspire teens by fashion is one of the
Erin Goodreau, freshman, won ﬁrst place in “This club is drama-free,” as was stated in
The Fashion Club, created by Marilyn main goals of our club,” club member Gia
the category of anthropology; freshmen Iz- the Fashion Club’s introduction slideshow
Miranda, junior, ﬁrst met on Dec. 2. Miran- Cruz , junior, said.
abella Fornuto, Sydney DiMilia and Ashley at their ﬁrst meeting.
da began developing the club in October
Schieﬀelbein won ﬁrst place in the category and her vision is now a reality. Tabatha
of political science; and Ahila Manivannan, Box, math teacher, sponsors the club which
sophomore, won ﬁrst place in the category meets in the new gym.
of history. All of these students qualiﬁed “I was surprised that Etowah didn’t al-
for the GCSS Regional Social Studies Fair ready have a fashion club,” Miranda said
at Kennesaw State University. The purpose of the club is to discuss ad-
vances in the fashion world and to share
opinions of trends and innovations of new
Governor’s Honor clothing, jewelry and make-up ideas. Not
only is the fashion club an outlet to voice
Program, GHP, fashion opinions, it is also a place to cre-
ate new fashions independently. The club

County Finalist plans to have speciﬁc activities where
members can create various fashions.
Forrest Burks, Katherine Nelson, Kath- “Studying, creating and wearing,” is the
erine Newman, Clara Romero, Ahila club’s purpose.
Manivannan, Torie Winkler, Erin Mc- Because fashion is always chang-
Carthy, Catherine Micali, Dryn DuBois, ing, the Fashion Club has something
James Workman, Mark Armstrong interesting and new to discuss each
and Nicholas Rule are headed to state. week. Club members can also share
their own design sketches during meet-
ings and bring in fabric to create items.
While the club currently consists of all
female members, Co-ed membership is en-
couraged by club members. Many famous photo by Laila Goharioon
designs on the runway today are created Fashion club discusses the new trends of jewelry, clothing and makeup that has hit the runway.
4 / December 2010 NEWS the Talon

Here come Etowah’s ﬁnest
by MELANIE MURRAY
staﬀ reporter
cording to Morgan Morris, some superlatives Most attractive: Christian Harris & Emily Peecher
categories did not make the ﬁnal cut including
Every year, the senior class votes for the Most Likely to Take Home to Mom and Most
Most athletic: Nick Merino & Stephanie Huﬀman
students they Likely to be on a Most artistic: Chris McCarthy & Caitlyn Lemoine
feel deserve a Reality TV Show.
Senior Super- After the catego- Best Dressed: Gavin Sinclair & Jacqui Horn
lative distinc- ries were select- Biggest ﬂirt: Jason Holdway & Katy Sissine
tion. These ed, ballots were
students are passed out for the Best smile: Geoﬀery Peplau & Hannah Hansberry
award titles seniors to nomi- Inseparables: Brandon Schultze & Jordy Roberts; Ally
such as Most nate their peers
Athletic and for each position Potter & Jenna Kirkpatrick
Best Dressed. listed.
Also, there Ballots were
Most spirited: Jackson Walsh & Amber Steele
are the cov- counted by under- Class Clown: Brandon Schultze & Beth Glickman
eted Mr. and classman on staﬀ.
Ms. EHS Until winners are
Best personality: Andrew Orr & Erica Spang
titles. The announced dur- Most contagious laugh: Vincent DeLise & Meghan
yearbook ing the pep rally,
staﬀ spends no one but Cindy Beattie
a great deal Baxter, yearbook Most likely to succeed: Dan McNeill & Sydney Perlotto
time col- teacher, knows the
lecting and winners. Most talkative: Anthony Cali & Kaitlin DiCarlo
counting Morgan Morris Mr. & Miss. EHS: Jordy Roberts & Kelly Neary
votes for this said the format
contest. for this year’s su- “I’m friends with lots of diﬀerent kinds “We stepped up our togetherness and
Seniors perlative page will of people and they know the kind of tried to make our presence known on Ea-
Morgan Mor- look very familiar person I am,” Neary said. “Having your gle Mountain, if you will,” Schultze said.
ris and Ra- to students, since peers choose you for something like that Nick Merino, winner of Most Athletic,
chel Morris photo by Hannah Hansberry it will be similar to is a real compliment.” believes everyone should participate in
are in charge Jordy Roberts and Kelly Neary were voted Mr. and Miss last year’s layout. Brandon Schultze and Jordy Roberts voting at school, whether it is voting for
of the senior EHS for the 2010-2011 school year. Kelly Neary, who won the male Inseparables award. Schul- superlatives or class president.
section in the won Ms. EHS, said tze said he and Roberts decided they “It is always good to voice your opinion,”
yearbook and they research old yearbooks being friendly and sincere can help one to win wanted to win this award in late August he said.
to ﬁnd the best superlative categories. Ac- a superlative title. and started campaigning.

Casual continued from “We did a similar fundraiser in 2007 at Chap-
man for Sydney Stewart, freshman, who had Graduation continued graduation is ﬁrst class for its students.
“The Class of 2011 deserves the best and
page 1 a brain tumor. It was very successful, rais-
from page 1 if the ceremony is held at Etowah we will
start a new tradition that the community
can be proud of. The focus will remain on
“We don't think you can trade away the students and celebrating their achieve-
any student's constitutional rights just to ments,” Ball said.
get a cheaper or bigger space, and they On Dec. 2 a school board meeting was
simply must
ﬁnd a secular
alternative,"
Barry Lynn, the
executive direc-
tor of Ameri-
cans United,
said during a
recent interview
with the Atlanta
Journal-Consti-
tution, said.
Cherokee
County has
photo by Morgan Hinchey been holding
Students pay a dollar a day to help out their fellow classmates and their ﬁght against cancer. graduations at
the mega church
ing over $12,000, which is why the PTSA and for several years
I have decided to do something similar with for the sole pur-
these two students here,” Choppa said. pose of space.
FBCW holds up graphic by Alexis Cape
Choppa hopes that the parents will see a do- When 65 seniors were randomly questioned in C lunch, from all backgrounds
nation jar for Flanagan and Kent when they to 5,000 people
check out their students in the front oﬃce and therefore allow- and religions, 64 were in favor of keeping graduation at First Baptist.
donate some money as a result. There will ing seniors to
also be a donation jar in the counseling oﬃce invite family and community members held to discuss the situation involving
for the students, if they would like to donate. to participate in the graduation ceremo- Americans United. The school board’s
Also, Choppa and the other PTSA members nies. response to the situation will be delayed
decided to discuss another activity that could Now with Americans United threaten- until the New Year so the thoughts of the
help out with the families if there was a need ing to sue if there is no change location, three new members can be included.
in the spring. Cherokee County may have to resort to “We’ve never had an issue with this lo-
“This is a good way for the students to show the Cobb Energy Center which holds the cation up until this point. This will be an
how much they care. It is the simple fact of same amount as FBCW. The only diﬀer- expensive thing if we have to move gradu-
giving and not expecting anything in return ence in the two venues is the cost. FBCW ation,” Debi Radcliﬀ, School Board Chair-
that I hope the students gain,” Choppa said. costs $14,000 total for all of the high man, said in a recent interview.
There was an outstanding outcome of this schools in Cherokee, but Cobb Energy According to a Dec. 3 Atlanta Journal-
fundraiser, as Beta Club got involved with Center costs around $40,000 to hold the Constitution article by Christopher Quinn,
it as well. Students were very supportive ceremonies. Americans United plans to send letters to
about helping out Flanagan and Kent. With There has also been talk of each school other Atlanta metro schools as well. Ac-
the money raised, the families will be able to holding graduation in their own gyms or cording to the article, both DeKalb and
photo by Morgan Hinchey stadiums. Keith Ball, Etowah principal, Cobb counties have scheduled their 2011
relieve some of the stress of the ﬁnancial as-
Students are allowed to wear pajamas every day said that regardless of where graduation graduations in a church facility.
pects of childhood cancer.
for one week if they pay $5. is held, Etowah will work to make sure
the Talon December 2010 / 5

6565 Putnam Ford Road
Woodstock, Ga 30189
jennifer.jackson@cherokee.k12.ga.us OPINIONS Alexis Cape and Nickie Robinson - Chief Editors
Emily Snook - Opinions Editor

Kept at an arm’s legth apart
Everyday guidelines for the average PDA perpetrator
by EMILY SNOOK There are multiple oﬀenses of inap- tend school, one is also old enough to feed
opinions editor propriate PDA. These oﬀenses include themselves.
extremely long hugs, steamy make-out One never knows what is going to ap-
sessions, strange nuzzling, stroking and pear on their live status feed on Facebook.
After an agonizing 50 min- petting, baby talk, using pet names and Statuses range from what someone is cur-
ute class period, the dismiss- feeding one another. rently doing and song lyrics to random
al bell ﬁnally rings. You race A hug is a way to welcome someone in a deep thoughts. The most annoying posts
to the same place on campus warm and friendly way. Hugs exchanged are the ones dripping in sickly sweet
just like every other day. You between couples on the Etowah campus words for the apparent love of the poster’s
arrive and anxiously wait for are not your average hugs. Stroking and life. Using pet names excessively is ridicu-
your other half. You see them nuzzling while giving a hug is not accept- lous. Your love was given a name for a rea-
approaching. They come able PDA. Your signiﬁcant other is not an son; call them by it.
closer, and you embrace animal, therefore petting them like one is With over 2,000 students at Etowah, it
them. With this embrace, inappropriate. becomes tough to police students on PDA.
you enter your own private A kiss is deﬁned as the act of joining PDA can be discouraged, but until its par-
world. the lips to show love or aﬀection. A kiss ticipants gain some modesty or respect for
Unfortunately for the rest is not the act of trying to swallow your other students, it will continue to be pres-
of us, your little world is partner’s face. If you must indulge, do so ent. School policies on what is and is not
not so private. There is a in private. acceptable PDA varies. According to the
line between what is and is A baby sits in a highchair and excitedly CCSD handbook, PDA is not encouraged.
not acceptable for displays waits for its mother to make choo-choo Punishment includes counseling, notiﬁca-
of aﬀection in public. PDA, sounds signaling another bite of food is tion of parents, suspension from school
public display of aﬀection, on its way. Many people view this occur- or even expulsion. As for the severity of
can be found on the Etowah rence as cute. When an adolescent sits at a the punishment, it is to be judged by an
campus and on the Facebook school lunch table and their boyfriend or administrator and dealt with as he or she
pages of students. This line girlfriend feeds them, it is nothing more sees ﬁt.
between appropriate and than infantile. If one is old enough to at-
inappropriate PDA cannot
seem to be determined by
photo by Cathy Micali some students, therefore cre-
“Your signiﬁcant other is not an animal, therefore
There is a line between what is and what is not acceptable when it ating the need for guidelines petting them like one is inappropriate.”
comes to PDA on school property. to be established.

Harry Potter sweeps the nation Ron manage to escape and start their journey with some plot resolution and a little se- we will have to wait another seven months
by DERRICK PHELPS
to ﬁnd and destroy all of Voldemort’s extra quel bait for the next part. This ﬁlm does to see the next part.
staﬀ reporter
lives, or horcruxes. Their ﬁrst stop? The Min- not try to do that. Rather, it just sort of All in all, great stuﬀ, but it would prob-
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: istry of Magic. stops. It is not a bad ending, but it feels ably be a better ﬁlm to watch on DVD. That
Part I,” the long awaited conclusion to the The actors themselves do a ﬁne job, deliver- like there is no plot resolution whatsoever way, after you have ﬁnished part one, you
Harry Potter saga has ing both laughs and drama and is nearly excruciating knowing that
ﬁnally hit theaters. “A fun ride through with acceptable profession-
alism. The ﬁlm itself is a fun
can immediately start part two.

Or at least the begin-
ning has. the magical world of ride through the magical
The ﬁlm begins with world of Harry Potter, but
the various characters Harry Potter” comes oﬀ as rather dark.
meeting Harry in his This is to be expected con-
empty house as they plan to smuggle him cerning the nature of the ﬁlm, but be warned,
to a safer location. Meanwhile, Voldemort it seems as though half the cast does not make
and his Death Eaters plan to ambush them it through to the end. Another problem is the
the second they leave Privet Drive. Need- pacing.
less to say, it gets bloody. It seems as though the ﬁlm peaks about an
Harry and the gang manage to get to the hour and a half in and then proceeds to mean-
Weasley house. While there, they attend der about. It is not as though nothing is hap-
the wedding of one of the Weasley broth- pening, but the ﬁlm slows down signiﬁcantly
ers (not sure which one). It is then revealed and never truly picks back up again.
that Death Eaters have taken over the The ending is also something of a problem.
Ministry of Magic and are also coming to Many ﬁlms that split themselves into two try
crash the wedding. Harry, Hermoine and to end the ﬁrst part with a dazzling ﬁnish
the Talon Staﬀ

Co-editors in chief News Editor Staff Writers Carleen Striss
Alexis Cape Nicole Hansler Victoria Davis Kimi Norton
Nickie Robinson Features Editor Cathy Micali Amanda Sanchez
Co-assistant Zoe Anderson Megan Vande Carleigh Wisner
editors Opinions Editor Corput Melanie Murray
Laila Goharioon Emily Snook Ryan Adkins Melissa Gifford
Ally Hellenga Sports Editor Derrick Phelps Kelsey Saeger-
Chief Photographer Heather Perona Will Alexander Barnes
Morgan Hinchey Business Manager Hannah Hansberry Justin Brown
Amelia Burleson

Adviser: Mrs. Jennifer Jackson
Publisher: Judd Publishing, Macon, Georgia

The Talon is published eight times a year by students of Etowah High School in Woodstock, Georgia. Etowah High School and its ad-
ministration is not responsible for the accuracy of opinions or claims appearing in The Talon. Opinions expressed do not neccessarily
represent the views of the staff or its publisher. The appearance of any advertisement does not constitute endorsement of any product
in The Talon. Anyone interested in placing an advertisement in The Talon may contact Jennifer Jackson @ jennifer.jackson@cherokee.
k12.ga.us. We reserve the right to refuse advertisements we deem inappropriate to an educational institution. The Talon welcomes illustration by Kimi Norton
letters to the editor. Letters can be put in Mrs. Jennifer Jackson’s mailbox or sent to: Etowah High School, Attn: Newspaper Staff, 6565
Putnam Ford Road, Woodstock, GA 30189. Harry and Hagrid make a speedy escape to the Weasley household.
6 / December 2010 OPINIONS the Talon

Goodbye attendance incentive fairytale
Bonus points for showing up will no longer be offered to students
by AMANDA SANCHEZ a fairytale and not a nightmare? Yes, at ﬁrst This new law that has spread over the it becomes embedded into your brains to
staﬀ reporter this is a nightmare until you take the time to kingdom of Etowah further prepares us the point where you will never forget the
think about it. If you are sitting in your desk for the future that lies ahead, if and only information. Therefore, it leaves the door
Long ago there was a time when students right now, not doing anything and it being if, we take advantage of the new law. As open for us to infer that if we begin to
got an extra 10 percent added onto their ﬁ- this close to ﬁnals you could simply spend some wise and noble teachers have said to study for ﬁnals now, it will help us come
nals for having good attendance during the this time studying and preparing for what is us many times throughout the years, the time for the big test.
semester. coming in the next few days. more you look over information, the more There is nothing wrong with the fantasy
This newly “improved” school year of wanting to actually learn something
has banished that fairytale we all used in high school because it will guide us
to live in where we counted on those ex- through the rest of our years. There is no
tra points to boost that one ﬁnal grade point in dwelling on the fact that we no
from an 89 to a 90 and sometimes even longer receive those points. We need to
a 69 to a 70. The extra points were the be more concerned about that extra hour
small, yet were found to be the most we add to studying for each ﬁnal to
important thing that made all the dif- ensure that we retain all the informa-
ference in our grade. But with every tion that we possibly can. Who knows?
banished fairytale, a new fairytale, Maybe that extra hour is the thing that
hopefully a better one swoops in to will push us over the borderline of
take its place. This new fairytale, failing or making an A.
you may ask, is really very simple. It is up to us, the students, the fu-
No more extra points on ﬁnals. ture leaders of this country, to de-
Some believe coming to school cide whether or not to continue
everyday should not give you complaining about the old atten-
an academic advantage on tests dance policy. It is our job to earn
that weigh so heavily on your the grade. Cheating your way
grade. Instead, they believe through high school and count-
that the attendance incentive ing on those extra bonus points
is not fair to those who have is not going to get you very far
a weak immune system and in life. Take advantage of this
get sick a lot throughout the new opportunity that has been
year. One point for swine bestowed. If we study sooner
ﬂu and mono; no points and longer, soon enough the
for ill students. old ways of bonus points will
Now the real question cease to exist in our memo-
to this new fairytale is ries because we will realize
how in anyone’s right that it is a blessing in dis-
mind is this considered guise and not a nightmare.

Senior wants family at graduation
Etowah may be forced to make alternate plans
by HANNAH HANSBERRY stated that it is unconstitutional for a public If we had the ceremony anywhere else, it Now it seems Cherokee is not the only
staﬀ reporter school to hold their graduation in a church would not only disappoint many, it would area county being targeted. Both DeKalb
building. cost the County signiﬁcantly more than is and Cobb counties were served with letters
When I walk across the stage to ﬁnally We are not holding any sort of mass or a budgeted. Cherokee County gives FBCW from Americans United for the Separation
have a diploma in my hand as a ticket to the religious ceremony during graduation; the $14,000 each year for all schools within of Church and State saying it was uncon-
next chapter in my life, I want my father, church building is simply a venue large the district to hold their ceremony. School stitutional for them to have graduation in
who lives over a thousand miles away, in enough to hold the friends and family of the Board attorney, Tom Roach, said that it a church facility.
attendance. I do not want to have to tell my large graduating classes of Cherokee Coun- would cost the county almost $38,000 Many students have already sent orders
grandparents that they will not be able to ty’s high schools. If it truly oﬀends anyone more dollars to host the ceremonies at any for graduation announcements and if the
watch me ﬁnalize one of the most memora- of the local educational venue is changed,
ble, vital aspects in my life. These scenarios
are very realistic with the possibility of not
community, then they
should have the option
“If students are not able to do that these students will
have to go through
having this year’s graduation ceremony at
First Baptist Church of Woodstock.
to speak out; but instead,
the County is getting this year, it will undoubtedly cause the trouble and cost
of changing the infor-
The fact that Cherokee County schools are pressure from an outside mation and resending
public and have graduation ceremonies in
a church has really concerned some mem-
group that has no expe- uproar.” their invitations. Or,
rience with the County’s maybe they will not
bers of an activist group. This group has budget or population. other location large enough to house all have to because no one will even be per-
the guests, like the Cobb Energy Center in mitted to attend the actual ceremony due
the neighboring Cobb County. Until now, to lack of seating availability.
distance to a larger facility like the Cobb I, personally, let my voice be heard and
Energy Center has not been discussed, but sent an email to Janet Read, Cherokee Coun-
for a student living in the ty Board of Education
north part of Cherokee “I, personally, let my chairman. She emailed
County, it could take ap- back immediately and
proximately one hour to voice be heard and at the debate she stuck
get to an Atlanta venue up for the right to have
for graduation. sent an email to Janet the graduating class of
When I was an under- 2011 graduate with the
classman, I went to every Read,” same privileges that ev-
Etowah graduation to see ery other previous class
my friends that I shared so many unfor- has had. My advice to students is to stop
gettable moments with get their diploma. complaining in classrooms and amongst
I wanted to say goodbye to them and wish your friends. Instead, send a letter to your
them good luck in their next years in col- school board and other people who are in
Photo by Ally Hellenga lege. If students are not able to do that this position to speak for the community, so
Etowah graduation may be moved from First Baptist Woodstock year, it will undoubtedly cause uproar. they can advocate for you.
the Talon December 2010 / 7

FEATURES
Dare to be Different: Christopher McCarthy
by ALLY HELLENGA McCarthy says many diﬀerent vivid pic-
co-assistant editor tures come to mind to make up a single
In the big picture, some people tend to piece of art. Such factors include the beach
follow the status quo and simply fade into in September, the ﬁrst chapter of Ulysses,
the background. However, a few students Picasso's Garçon à la Pipe and the album
have enough self-conﬁdence to dare to be Embryonic by The Flaming Lips. This list
diﬀerent. of inspiration is constantly changing with
Christo- each new painting on which Christopher
pher McCa-
phe McCarthy embarks on.
rthy, senior,
rthy “Those ingredients viewed outside of the
is n one to
not work share some incomprehensible bond
be part of the
p that makes sense to absolutely no one, me
background.
bac included. It comes down to however I hap-
He is in pen to react to whatever I'm seeing, hear-
charge of his
cha ing, smelling or whatever else I feel,” Mc-
own picture- Carthy said.
-literally.
-lite According to McCarthy, inspiration can
“I have be whatever one wants; it just depends on
always en-
alw attraction toward diﬀerent subjects and the
joyed draw-
joye attitude one takes from the experience.
ing as long “I tend to think of inspiration more as
as I can remember, regardless th subject
the tangible work than some ﬂighty magical
matter. The actual art of rendering or creat-
tt Th t l t f d i concept. It is all about the capacity to react
ing was a constant diversion for me,” Mc- to things clearly and directly,” McCarthy
Carthy said. said.
Art has always been a dominate part of As an inspiring artist, he is still exploring
McCarthy’s life and he shares his unique various subjects to base works on such as
skills with others. allegorical and surrealistic paintings, beach
“I remember when we were younger he scenery and portraiture.
would give me drawing lessons for ﬁve “Chris is young and still searching for his
bucks an hour; it was just hours of watch- complete artistic voice, and yet his work al-
ing him draw,” Matt McCarthy, Chris’s ready stands as a testament for all to see,”
brother and freshman, said. Putnam said.
McCarthy began his art career sketching Nevertheless, McCarthy still would like
using charcoal as his chief medium. In the to experiment with classical subject matter
past year, oil paints have replaced the char- like mythology depictions, funerary por-
coal. As well as oil paints, McCarthy cre- traits, still life and religious scenes.
ates works of art with conte, acrylics, spray “Such classical templates have been es-
paint, monotype printing and screen-print- tablished as equally viable vehicles of ex-
ing. pression for their underlying themes,” Mc-
Robert Putnam, art teacher, explains that Carthy said.
every once in a while a student comes into McCarthy shows his remarkable talent
the art program with a remarkable gift. in the arts by constantly producing unique
This gift soon manifests itself through the works of art which showcase his own artis-
work the student produces. tic voice.
“Chris is one who seeks all knowledge “He is a very unique individual who
and swims through life with his mouth holds immense potential for the future, and
wide open swallowing all that he sees, I am sure he will set standards of excellence
hears and touches,” Putnam said. in the arts for which his artistic peers will
Putnam has witnessed McCarthy’s talent strive towards for many years to come,”
ﬁrst hand and seeing such talent allows Putnam said.
both individuals to share their own artistic McCarthy’s siblings are supportive of his
views. art passions as well.
“Chris causes me, as his art teacher, to “My brother is determined, passionate and triple threat: an amazing painter, an awe- and Joshua Saye] have been of incredible
confront all of the higher levels of thoughts, talented. His work astounds me, and his some sketch artist and a great person,” importance to my learning and develop-
theories, techniques and issues in the visual drive is going to make him a very success- Matt McCarthy said. ment since sophomore year when I took my
arts and even causes me to take a hard look ful artist,” Erin McCarthy, junior, said. McCarthy ended with the following ﬁrst art class. I can’t see myself working on
at my own beliefs and truths about myself “He's really progressed in the past years thankful words: the same level today without them. I truly
as an artist,” Putnam said. and I know he'll go far with this; he's the “Both art teachers at Etowah [Putnam consider myself lucky,” McCarthy said.

photos by Ally Hellenga
McCarthy spends his time painting up masterpieces which show who he is as an artist.
8 / December 2010 FEATURES the Talon

Bright lights light up the Towne:
by RYAN ADKINS T he holiday season is ﬁnally here. It is a time for cold weather and frigid winds cured only by bundling up beside a warm cozy ﬁre
with a cup of hot chocolate. There is joy being spread and bright moods all around. Along with bright moods come millions of bright
holiday lights. Each year people get into the holiday spirit by going all out with decorating their houses in colorful strings of lights. Some
staﬀ reporter
people set their lights to ﬂicker and blink while others even set them to dance to music. These displays are strung all around the world but
there are quite a few in Towne Lake.

B ecca Hannigan, junior, and her family spent an entire week decorating their
house in wreaths, bows, lights and strands of garland.
“We do Christmas. And we do it right,” Hannigan said.
W ith an uncountable amount of lights, many inﬂatable decorations and light-up deer all
lighting up in sync with music, Mike Torgersen and his wife, Cyndi, went all out this
year. Mike goes out nightly to inﬂate the snowmen and house inﬂatables and turn on the music.
A masterpiece such as this does not just happen overnight. Hannigan invited her It took the Torgersens three days to complete.
friends to help, and they formed a chain of people from the attic to the front porch “I helped a little, but it was too cold outside for me,” Cyndi said.
so as to get the decorations out. As her friends removed decorations, Hannigan’s The decorations are a tradition for them to put up every year after Thanksgiving, and they
mother spent her time making bows and wreaths to hang on the outside of the house. add to them with every year. They take the decorations down right after New Years.
After so much work Hannigan says she is very happy with how it all turned out.

F or the second year going, Mathew Robertson and his wife, Devynn, show their holiday spirit by stringing up 8600 lights around their house.
“Last year I had fewer lights, but this year I am competing with my neighbor that has many blowup decorations,” Robertson said.
It took Robertson a couple of afternoons and countless trips to Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes to complete his decorations. Being a middle school teacher, Robertson is nicknamed
“Clark”by his students in reference to the Griswolds in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”.
photos by Ryan Adkins
the Talon FEATURES December 2010 / 9

Residents show their holiday spirit
For more holiday light shows
check out these local events:
Magical Nights of Lights at Lake
Lanier Islands: Happening nightly
from 5 p.m. - 10 p.m., through Dec. 30,
including holidays. For more informa-
tion visit www.lakelanierislands.com/
mnol.php.
Lights Of Life 2010: Every night
until Dec. 31, Life College will hold their
Lights of Life. For more information on
cost and times visit www.life.edu/light-
soﬂife.
Stone Mountain Christmas: Stone
D avid Zack and his wife, Carole, spent nearly three weekends decorating their home with around 10,000 colorful lights. Mountain features a Christmas village
They lit the entire display up at Thanksgiving.
“I would say that our motivation is the kids,” Carole said. and other holiday activites. For more
All the cutouts set up in front of the house are homemade by the family but are not all set up this year. The Zacks have been information visit http://festivals.stone-
decorating for about 30 years and used to have 40,000 lights lighting their house in Illinois. photos by Ryan Adkins mountainpark.com/.

Get creative this holiday
1.
by NICKIE ROBINSON
co editor-in-chief
With the economic recession now in full
swing, aﬀordable gifts this holiday season
are going to be more than hard to ﬁnd. Cre-
ating and designing gifts is a great alterna-
tive to spending a lot of money on things
that can be made at home or bought for
cheap.
A memorable gift, such as a picture col-
lege, is a gift idea that is cute and aﬀordable
in bed. Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, Joann’s and
Walmart are all stores that carry inexpen-
sive picture frames that have many slots for
photos. The majority of these stores have ki-
osks where one can print oﬀ photos to slide
2.
into the frame. If one wishes to get more
creative with their gift, they can buy stick-
ers and letters to put on the border of the
frame. One can also cut the pictures with photo by Cathy MiCali
scissors that have diﬀerent styled edges. This years tacky sweater day was a success with students dressing up to show their holiday spirit.
Though males seem diﬃcult to shop for,
buying a holiday gift is not an impossible
task. One gift that is simple and easy to
make is a CD. Playlists can be made spe-
ciﬁcally for a friend based on their favorite
songs or artist. Personalizing this gift can
Holiday sweater explosion said.
by CARLEEN STRISS
be done by decorating the CD case or in- staﬀ reporter Whether its Christmas trees, snowﬂakes
cluding a small book with explanations of or reindeer, the design on the Christmas
each song and how it represents the gifter Grandma’s closet or local thrift stores sweater is what sets it apart from everyone

3.
and giftee’s relationship. are two hot spots for students on the hunt else’s.
Flashy headbands with feathers, beads to ﬁnd the most out-of-date sweater for “Snowmen are a must have on my Christ-
and ﬂowers are a must-have for teen girls Etowah’s annual Tacky Sweater Day which mas sweater,” Blake Myers, senior, said.
this holiday season. These headbands also took place Dec.10. The occasional decked out sweater is rare
happen to be easy to make. Many web- Students came festively dressed to school but attracts plenty of attention with lights,
sites such as Cutoutandkeep.com; feature in the ugliest, least-fashionable holiday bells or other extravagant features.
how-tos on how to make many craft items, sweaters they could ﬁnd. Finding the best deal at a thrift store or
including headbands. YouTube also has “It shows Christmas spirit, plus it’s a day the perfect sweater in a closet is all part of
many videos which show one exactly how to be silly with your clothes,” Zac Dehoﬀ, Tacky Sweater Day. Park Ave. Thrift store
to make the headbands and the materials senior, said. is inexpensive and has a variety of tacky
needed to complete the craft. Ryan Riley, Etowah graduate, arranged sweaters.
Another gift someone can make for males Tacky Sweater Day in 2009. Continuing the Making a tacky sweater can be cheap or
this season is a sports blanket. Many fabric tradition, Avery Thomas, junior, organized costly depending on one’s budget. It also
stores, such as Joann’s or Michael’s, have Tacky Sweater Day this year. lets one add their style and ﬂair to the
NCAA or NFL fabric that is perfect for “It’s fun walking through the halls and sweater.
making a blanket for your bed. Once some- seeing diﬀerent people wearing Christmas Some students also focus more on holi-
one buys some of the fabric a fun thing to sweaters,” Thomas, junior, said. days they celebrate rather than just Christ-
do to the blanket is to cut the sides into an Tacky sweater day has become an increas- mas, like Hanukah and Kwanzaa.
even number of skinny strips. Tie the strips ingly popular holiday around the nation. “I wouldn’t spend over ten dollars on a
together into knots. Tacky Sweater day has acquired a few tacky sweater, I made my sweater this year
The knots give the blanket a type of nicknames like Nasty Sweater Day or Ugly with tons of glitter and snowﬂakes,” Ash-
“game-day” look. 1. Headbands with buttons are easy to make and Sweater Day. ley Jennetten, senior, said.
With these cheap and simple gifts, the also make great gifts. 2. Make a gleeful playlist “It’s great to see everyone participating, Tacky sweater day is a fun way to show
holiday season should not take a toll on the for that special someone. 3. Homemade t-shirts this year was cool because a bunch of other oﬀ student’s creative side, be silly with
wallet. with fun designs are fun to give. campuses joined in too,” Thomas, junior, peers and show a little holiday spirit.
10 / December 2010 FEATURES the Talon

Students celebrate the season
by KASSI DOS SANTOS
staﬀ reporter miracle. When the Maccabees youngest to oldest and her mom ﬁrst Christmas in Brazil.
Every December, students around the world needed to light the eternal ﬂame takes a picture. She said the fam- “In Brazil we celebrate Christmas in the
prepare to celebrate the holiday in their own but they only had enough oil for ily eats a nontraditional Christmas summer so it’s a whole new scenery than it
special way. Some look forward to snow, oth- one night and miraculously the oil meal on Christmas Eve of sword- is here and we like to celebrate more of the
ers to hot chocolate by the ﬁreplace, and oth- burned for eight ﬁsh and a Christmas night meal birth of Jesus than Santa and presents, “Car-
ers to presents. At Etowah there are students days,” Cohen of lasagna. mo said.
with many diﬀerent holiday traditions. said. Von Mehren and Carmo said the family kept many of their
Will Cohen, sophomore, counts down to Danielle Von her family put up Brazilian traditions when they came to
the eight days of Hanukkah and enjoys re- Mehren, sopho- Christmas deco- America. Two weeks before Christmas, her
ceiving presents and celebrating with his more, celebrates rations right church gathers to draw names from a bucket
family. Christmas and after Thanksgiv- to play “Amigo Secreto” known as “Secret
“Every night we sit together and light the also has many dif- ing, with colorful Santa” in English.
Menorah for that night and we give each ferent family tradi- lights and a real “We have until Christmas Eve to buy our
other the gifts we bought. Sometimes we tions. Christmas tree. friend a gift and on Christmas Eve we all get
play dreidel but when we get tired of that “On Christmas Eve “My favorite part together and everyone takes turns trying to
we switch to Texas hold ‘em dreidel” Cohen we always watch a of Christmas is deco- describe their friend and we try to guess who
said. Christmas movie, read rating my house, watch- it is,” Carmo said.
Each day of Hanukkah, Cohen gets one ‘Twas the Night before ing Christmas movies, and Another cultural celebration occurring in
present and said his favorite gifts were his Christmas’ as a family, and listening to Christmas music,” December is Kwanza. Kwanza is an African-
Wii and iPod. we get to open one present,” she said. American festival that begins on Dec. 26
According to History.com, Hanukkah is she said. Not all Etowah students started and ends on Jan.1 and celebrates the seven
often called the Festival of Lights and is a On Christmas morning she said their holidays in America. Jessika principals, the Nguza Saba, of the African-
time of lighting the menorah, games, foods her family goes downstairs from Carmo, sophomore, had her American culture.
and gifts. The pagan holiday Yule celebrates the win-
illustration by Melanie Murray ter solstice and begins around Dec. 21.
“During Hanukkah we are celebrating a Jewish families spend their days of Hanukkah by lighting candles.

Christmas fancies
have gotten fancier game systems and cameras are what today’s
by AMELIA BURLESON and
student wants. Games for Wii, X-box and
ZOE ANDERSON Playstation are also in demand. Some games
business manager and features editor include SingStar, Black Ops, JustDance and
Back in the day, Christmas gifts were less WiiFit. A safe bet for presents these days is
technological and more geared towards anything having to do with technology.
needs rather than wants. Forty years ago, Flashback 40 years ago and the commonly
kids were happy to get a baby doll or base- wanted presents were clothes, stereos, re-
ball bat, but times, they are a-changin’, to cords, sports related products, 8-track tapes,
quote Bob Dylan. Now, the more things an a personal TV and for those who lived in the
object can do (like a phone that can act as a South, a riﬂe and ﬁshing gear.
camera, computer, gaming console and vid- The two Christmas wish lists sound very
eo camera) the more students want it. diﬀerent, but there is one thing kids ask for
“I got a Cape Canaveral missile set with regardless of era - some hot new wheels,
rocket launchers. It had to be the coolest gift I even better if those wheels come equipped
ever got,” Robert Putnam, art teacher, said. with a GPS and rear video display.
As cool as a Cape Canaveral toy was for “Of course a big present would have been a
Putnam, no teen today, would put that on car,” Wright Vermilya, math teacher, said
their list to Santa. Students these days are So as the years pass by, and technology
asking for electronics, electronics and more becomes more advanced, pretty soon for
electronics. Christmas day we will all be Wii-caroling
“I want an eight gigabyte iTouch for Christ- “Deck the halls with tech-no-logy.” The day
mas, with a pair of sick new ear buds,” Al- teens start asking for a hover board is the day
yssa Wnukowski, sophomore, said. that technology oﬃcially takes over the holi-
Laptops, iPods, iPads, smart phones, video day season.

Putnam received a Cape Canaveral source by:
photo by Amelia Burleson www.archive.liveauctioneers.com
missile set when he was younger.
Some students hope they will ﬁnd keys to a new car or the latest Wii game under the tree this year.
the Talon FEATURES December 2010 / 11

Blogging, the new public diary

by KIMI NORTON ing a free blog. Each of these sites There are also sites that require
staﬀ reporter oﬀers diﬀerent customizable lay- payment, but they oﬀer more fea-
In this day and age, it is par- outs and designs and a number of tures and are suited for persons
ticularly diﬃcult to be bored on handy features for starting a blog. who see blogging as more than
the computer. With websites for Tumblr is another very simple just a hobby. Even though it is
every topic imaginable, video choice that has rapidly gained pop- still new, it is possible to make a
games, and shopping sites, ularity. Boasting more than 10 mil- career out of blogging. A blogger
there is always something to do. lion blogs created, it is catching up can obtain income by selling ad-
One particular activity has be- to internet giants such as Twitter vertisements or putting their own
come increasingly popular over or Facebook. It features easy op- products up for sale on the site.
the past few years: blogging. tions for posting text, images and Katie Nelson, junior, owns a
A blog is a website that is usu- videos or anything of the sort. site named Dyed4Honduras. She
ally maintained by one person, Amber Steel, senior, owns a sells t-shirts she has dyed and de-
although at times, there can be Tumblr on which she posts about signed, and the proﬁt goes towards
several people running it based her life and passes on advice or aiding missionaries in Honduras.
on the blog’s size. There is no quotes she ﬁnds inspirational. Much like writing a novel, it re-
limit to what the blog’s primary “It’s kind of like a freedom,” quires a great deal of time, hard
focus may be. From unique food Steele, said. “It’s like an outlet.” work and sometimes, just plain luck
recipes, to movie reviews, to up- Sarah Beecham, junior, has a blog to become successful and maintain
dates on the blogger’s life, anyone on Blogger.net called Rivers of Liv- an income entirely oﬀ blogging.
can build a blog about anything. ing Water. In the summer of 2012, Whether it is for a source of en-
There are plenty of hosts Beecham plans to leave for India, tertainment or a source of income,
available for blogging. Blog- where she will stay for a bit of time. blogging has become a regular
ger, WordPress, Weebly and Her blog is something similar of on the internet. It is all a part of
Blogspot are just a few of the a diary for posting about the pro- this generation which spends
cess leading up to such a major trip. so much time on the computer.
infographic by Zoe Anderson
available options for creat-

Christmas without a loved one
by WILL ALEXANDER and Some students at Etowah who have close ing in Oklahoma. Marks and his family ﬁrst Christmas that Jenkins and his fam-
ily will spend with his father being away.
REYNA RESENDIZ family members in the military do not have will be traveling with his father to Okla-
staﬀ reporters to always be away from their family mem- homa to spend Christmas with him there. “It will be a new experience for me,
bers dur- Garret but my family and I feel that it will be
Christmas is a time one generally spends
with their family, but what happens when a
close family member is deployed overseas?
ing the hol-
idays. Joey
“My family and I feel Jenkins,
freshman,
a growing experience,” Jenkins said.
This is his father’s ﬁrst time being de-
Marks’, is new to ployed and he will be gone for three months.
“It is sad, but over time you get used to it.
My dad has been gone during the holidays for
most of my life,” Andrea Wiggins, junior, said.
freshman,
father is
that it will be a growing the experi-
ence of not
“He plans to retire, but he feels that he
wouldn’t be doing his part if he didn’t
a Second having a serve some time overseas,” Jenkins said.
Wiggins’ father is a Sergeant Major in the
United States Marine Corps. He has been Lieuten-
ant in the
experience” close fam-
ily member
While some students at Etowah
spend Christmas time with their fami-
serving for 23 years and will again be gone
United States Army, and he had previ- home during Christmas due to being in the lies, other students do not have this op-
this Christmas while he is deployed in Af-
ously served in the navy. His father has military. Although his dad has been serving tion. Many students will ask for mon-
ghanistan. Her mother has also served
just recently gotten out of Oﬃcer Can- for over 25 years and is a Lieutenant Colonel ey or toys for their gifts, while others
four years in the United States Navy.
didate School and has to report to train- in the United States Army, this will be the wish to spend time with their parents.
12 / December 2010 the Talon

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Phone: 770-345-7499
the Talon December 2010 / 13

SPORTS
There is a new sheriff in Towne
Student fires precision air rifles in an extracurricular shooting club
by KATELYN LEASE year.
staﬀ reporter “My favorite part of shooting is compet-
ing and meeting new people. I also like
In order to survive, humans have used to see my progression through the year,”
shooting to get their meals and protect Hodges said.
themselves. However, in the early 1800s, Hodges shoots precision air riﬂes at ten
people began organizing shooting matches range targets at a 10 meter distance.
for personal en- “Sometimes, when I’m at a competition
joyment in which
joym and there are people watching, it can be
a variety of ﬁre-
va scary. Also you never know if college scouts
arms were used.
arm are going to be there or well-known shoot-
Today, shooting
Toda ers, so you have to always be on top of your
competitions game.” Hodges said.
have grown, and She hopes to pursue shooting in college.
one of Etowah’s For Hodges, practices occur at home too.
own is a national “When I’m not working with my team at
riﬂe shooting practices, I practice with my dad upstairs
champion.
cham at home. He helps me out a lot and works
Rachael Hodg-
Ra one-on-one with me,” Hodges said.
es, junior, has Olympic shooters, when they’re train-
what it takes to beat the best of the best in ing, keep a journal to write down goals for
shooting competitions all over the country.
h ll practice, how practices went and what they
She has the accuracy and precision behind need to improve.
the bullet to hit the target almost every “I don’t write in my journal as much as
time. photo submitted
I should, so I think that will be my New
Starting when she was just 9, Hodges Hodges, right, sets up her riﬂe while at practice. Hodges attends about 13 competitions a year.
Year’s resolution, keep updating my jour-
practiced with her team, Cherokee Youth nal.” Hodges said. “I didn’t do so well, but my coaches knew competitions.
Shooting Club, two days a week at the ar- Last year, Hodges had the opportunity to that and they just wanted me to have the Hodges is ranked 85th in the nationally. It
mory in Canton, Ga. In practice, they work compete in the Junior Olympics in Colorado experience and have a good time. It was a is calculated by taking the average scoring
on the natural point of aim, moving sights, Springs. It was at the shooting range where great experience.” of her scores at certain USA Shooting com-
targets and the follow through. The train- the Olympic shooters train, and there was Hannah Rogers, sophomore, and Amanda petitions. She has many accomplishments
ing begins in September and ends in July. a lot of pressure to perform well. Hodges Rogers, freshman, train with Hodges. They already and is determined to earn more.
Hodges attends 12 to 13 competitions a said her nerves got the better of her. joke around and encourage each other in

Senior Eagle becomes a Yellow Jacket
Albertson signed to play golf at Georgia Institute of Technology
by HEATHER PERONA
sports editor

A year ago, Anders Albertson, senior, had
already begun making college plans. As a
golfer, he knew that his plans would in-
volve playing golf at a major university.
His dreams came true on Dec. 9 when he
signed a scholarship to play golf for Bruce
Heppler, coach of the Georgia Institute of
Technology golf team.
His mother, Denita, father, Scott, and sis-
ters, Ana, 12; Britta, 9; and Ingrid, 5; were
in attendance to see him commit to the
school.
Since Albertson will be graduating from
Etowah High School early, he will enroll at
Georgia Tech for the second semester. His
ﬁrst day of college will be Jan. 10.
“I am looking forward to living in the
athletic dorm and going to the college’s
football and basketball games,” he said of
student life at Georgia Tech.
In eighth grade, Albertson began prepar-
ing for his early graduation by taking ninth
grade-level classes. This year, he took two
literature classes, one with Tracye Bulger,
and one online through Georgia Virtual
School, in order to earn all of his required
credits. photo submitted
While he says that he will not miss go- Anders Albertson will enroll at Georgia Tech in January and will play golf for the Yellow Jackets’ coach Bruce Heppler.
ing to prom, Albertson mentioned that he Tech in January, he will not be able to com- ing for the Georgia Tech golf team are that Roberto Castro, all former Georgia Tech
would miss his friends on the golf team. pete with the college’s golf team until Au- Albertson gets to play at the East Lake Golf golfers.
“They are a good group of guys,” Albert- gust. He will, however, be able to partici- Club in Atlanta and at the Golf Club of While Albertson says that he does not
son said. “They are fun to hang out with, pate in the team’s practices and workouts Georgia in Alpharetta. He also gets to prac- have a favorite golfer, he does admire PGA
and I will be sad to be leaving the team.” in the spring semester. tice with Professional Golf Association tour tour greats Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and
Even though he will be starting Georgia Some of the perks that come with play- members Stewart Cink, Bryce Molder and Ben Hogan.
14 / December 2010 SPORTS the Talon

Athletes steal a kiss from mono
Students and athletes have trouble hiding from the “kissing disease”
of an infected person. treated. but after I was excused to go home, I was
by HEATHER PERONA Once EBV is ingested, the infected per- Treatment for mono can range from quarantined to my room for days.”
sports editor son will experience a variety of general yet natural home remedies to advanced If one’s spleen had en-
deadly symptoms. As the virus spreads medical healing. If the symptoms larged, which is often rare
On Aug. 14 Andy Roddick, professional through the body, the victim might notice of mono are spotted relatively when dealing with
tennis player, received his highly antici- that he or she has chills, insomnia, fatigue, early, drinking cold drinks, mono, it is best
pated blood test results. Earlier that day, he muscle aches and may lack an appetite. eating frozen desserts, , to avoid lifting
confessed to having relentless bodily aches Emma Swendson, senior, was diagnosed gargling with salt wa- heavy objects
and a severely swollen throat. Shortly after with mono twice, once in December 2004 ter and sucking on because
reviewing the results, it was conﬁrmed that and again in November 2009. throat lozenges are this could
Roddick had been diagnosed with mono. “I remember that right after I got mono, I common r u p -
Mononucleosis, which is more commonly felt extremely tired all the time,” Swendson ways to ture the
known as mono or the “kissing disease”, said. “I always felt lazy and sick, and my reduce spleen.
commonly infects 50 out of 100,000 people fevers kept me from going to dance prac- t h e If the
each year. Unfortu- tice.” sore- spleen
nately, students do
not realize that they
have been infected
“My throat A sore throat or
tonsillitis may later
develop, and white
n e s s
of the
throat. Ty-
bursts,
t h e
person
with the disease
until it is much too
late or until they
closed shut, patches on the
back of the throat
and swollen lymph
lenol and Advil
can treat the
muscle aches
must
b e
sent
have passed on the
infection to another
helpless victim.
and it started nodes in the neck,
armpit and groin
may show. At this
of mono, while
plenty of rest can
lessen the fatigue gency
to an
emer-

Many students time the infected of the infected indi- room im-
are unaware of the
causes of mono,
which are basically
to bleed...” individual may
also have a fever
vidual.
For the more severe
mediately so
that a doctor can per-
of 103° Fahrenheit symptoms medi- cal form a splenectomy,
actions between two or more people. If one or higher. attention is neces- a surgery in which they remove
was to be unaware of these seemingly risk- Shannyn Palazzo, senior, was diagnosed sary. When dealing the spleen. Once the surgery has
free causes, their susceptibility to the infec- with mono on Aug. 23 and said that she with ton- sillitis or if the taken place, the patient must re-
tion could be greatly aﬀected. had many symptoms of strep throat, but person with mono has main in the hospital for a week
Mono is caused by the Epstein-Barr Vi- the symptoms were much more dangerous trou- ble breathing, a so that the doctor can moni-
rus, a member of the herpesvirus family than she had thought. doc- tor must prescribe a tor their condition.
that attacks the upper respiratory system. “I noticed that I couldn’t keep up with ﬁve-day course of ste- After one to two months,
EBV can remain dormant in the blood cells softball at the beginning of the year,” Palaz- roids in order to control the vi- rus should
of a body without harming its host for the zo said. “I was so exhausted and I knew the swelling of the throat dis- appear com-
human’s entire life. When it is ready to something wasn’t right. One morning, my and tonsils. pletely or
transfer its duplications, EBV reactivates throat closed shut, and it started to bleed, “After my symptoms h a v e greatly
itself in the host’s saliva, which is the root and my whole face and lymph nodes began began to worsen, my weakened. To avoid
of transportation for the virus. to swell.” parents took me to catching the vi- r u s
According to WebMD, mono can be More serious symptoms, such as swelling the hospital,” Palazzo again, it is best to avoid
spread through direct contact of the saliva, of the eyes and spleen, liver tenderness and said. “I spent 12 hours sharing drinks or food
such as through kissing. Other pathways a bodily rash, may develop. If these symp- in a hospi- tal bed, and I had multiple with other people and to
for the spread of mono are sharing tooth- toms appear, immediate medical attention IVs and was given steroids to help with the know that an innocent peck can turn into a
brushes or using the same eating utensils is recommended so that the virus can be symptoms. Th managed to d ll the pain,
sympto They d dull h painful infection in a matter of seconds.

Wrestlers start their season strong
Captains lead their teammates through great matches this season
by JUSTIN BROWN Many wrestlers have made a name for Thomas, while
staﬀ reporter themselves including Jeremiah Lutz, ju- Lutz is the junior
nior and Walter Leyva, Cody Dellarosa and captain.
Going into the holiday break, the Etowah Matt Thomas, seniors. Wrestling is more
wrestling team is 7-6, with their biggest tri- Coach Eric Burton said that he tries to than a passion; it is
umph over Eastside High School in Cov- have two senior captains and two junior an intense physical
ington, Ga. captains so the juniors are “ready to ﬁll the sport that requires
Eastside was the 4A state champion two senior’s spot when they graduate.” immense stamina,
years ago. Senior captains are Leyva, Dellarosa and skill and mental
stability.
“It’s not just phys-
ical but mental
too,” Burton said.
“I try to teach my
wrestlers to stare
down their oppo-
nent. They want
to make the op-
ponent not want photo by Laila Goharioon
to ﬁght them, and Walter Leyva, senior, is pinned down to the mat by Jeremiah Lutz, junior.
that just breaks
2009/2010 ninth in state ﬁnish.
them [opponent] down mentally.”
This year, the team has four returning
Burton also requires his students to keep
state qualiﬁers and a national ranking for
their grades on track.
Lutz as 28 in the nation in the 130 pound
“My wrestlers cannot just bring their
weight class.
grades up,” Burton said. “They have to con-
On Dec. 17 and 18 the team will head to
stantly be working on their school work.”
the Santa Slam Tournament at South For-
This is something that can be diﬃcult to
photo by Laila Goharioon syth High School and follow with the Dixie
balance with practice, meets and social life.
Walter Leyva, senior, and Jeremiah Lutz, junior, face each other in a match during practice. Nationals in Atlanta on Dec. 29.
Also, the team would like to better their
the Talon SPORTS December 2010 / 15

Sports briefs Just another excuse to be stalked get in my way. It is like throwing the ring as well as certain isolated incidents in pub-
by MEGAN VANDE CORPUT and
Wrestling CATHY MICALI into Mount Doom after a treacherous jour- lic places.
Dec. 29 – Dixie National staﬀ reporters ney across middle earth, “Workman said. Paranoia begins to set in soon after the
Jan. 5 – vs. Sequoyah, away from 6-9 Guns, even toy Nerf guns, are prohibited season starts. For many people their entire
Most kids in big cities try to stay away
p.m. on school property in any way, shape or life revolves around Nerf Wars. Trips alone
from gangs, but when Nerf Wars starts up,
form. So far people have used their heads into public become few and far between.
Jan. 8 – Area Duals at Lassiter High gangs are highly encouraged. Nerf Wars is
and not gotten in any trouble, but it is im- Going anywhere at all, other than to attack
School from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. not a club associated with Etowah; in fact
portant to remember that guns are prohib- another team, is rare.
Jan. 12 – vs. River Ridge High School, it is not even a club. It is a high-risk, high-
ited on school property. “It basically becomes professional stalk-
away from 6-9 p.m. stress experience.
Darts and the appearance of the Nerf gun ing,” Miller said.
Started last year by Michael Ehmann as
Jan. 14-15 – State Duals at Macon
part of his senior project, 15 teams made of
Coliseum ﬁve people each played against each other
Jan. 19 – vs. Cherokee and Centennial for ﬁve weeks.
High School, home from 5-9 p.m. This year the season will begin in Febru-
Jan. 21-22 – North Metro Duals at ary and last for as many weeks as it takes
Brookwood High School from 4:30-9 until only one team is left standing. Teams
p.m. and 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. have the freedom to have anyone on their
team as long as they attend Etowah High
School.
A majority of the players last year were
Varsity Basketball seniors and even though most of them
Dec. 27-29 –Girls team’s Holiday graduated, a decent sized turnout is ex-
Classic in Pickens County pected this year as well.
Dec. 27-29 –Boys team’s Holiday
Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Jan. 4 – Girls team vs. Marietta, away
at 6 p.m.
“It basically
Jan. 4 – Boys team vs. Marietta, away
at 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 7 – Girls team vs. Woodstock,
becomes
away at 6 p.m.
Jan. 7 – Boys team vs. Woodstock,
away at 7:30 p.m.
professional
Jan. 12 – Girls team vs. Wheeler,
home at 6 p.m. stalking.”
Jan. 12 – Boys team vs. Wheeler, home
at 7:30 p.m. There are nine commissioners: James
Jan. 15 – Girls team vs. Roswell, home Workman, Peter Brandt, Dryn DuBois and
at 4 p.m. Ben Miller, juniors; Hope Skalak, Melissa
Jan. 15 – Boys team vs. Roswell, home Lea, Jordy Roberts, Geoﬀ Peplau and Will
at 5:30 p.m. Pollard, seniors. The commissioners or-
ganize the teams into brackets, collect the
Jan. 18 – Girls team vs. Walton, home
forms and make sure people are playing
at 6 p.m. by the rules. They are not there to settle
Jan. 18 – Boys team vs. Walton, home disputes; teams should be able to do that
at 7:30 p.m. on their own.
Jan. 21 – Girls team vs. Cherokee,
away at 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 21 – Boys team vs. Cherokee,
photo by Cathy Micali
away at 8 p.m.
The Recon is a popular model for Nerf War participants.

may not be changed, with a small team logo Some people are not as fond of Nerf Wars
Swimming being the only exception. Nerf guns can be as others and will not be playing again. One
Jan. 7 – Swim Meet at Cobb Aquatic modiﬁed, but they have to remain single- such person is Mark Armstrong, junior.
Center from 5-9 p.m. shot, powered by air or a spring. Blow-dart “Nerf Wars is for immature people with
Jan. 15 – Kennesaw Mountain Trials guns made of PVC are allowed. toy guns who want to use them,” Arm-
at Cobb Aquatic Center from 6:30-10 A complete set of rules and more infor- strong said.
p.m. mation can be found on the website www. Like any war, there are winners and los-
Jan. 22 – Swim Meet at Cobb Aquatic ehsnerfwars.com. ers. The top four teams receive a share of
Last year the only trouble that arose was half of the money collected at registration;
Center from 2:30-6:30 p.m.
parents, siblings and signiﬁcant others get- the other half goes to a charity of the win-
ting annoyed with the intensity of the game ning team’s choice.

photo by Cathy Micali
FCA Having a plentiful supply of Nerf Darts is es-
Dec. 16 – meeting at 6:45 a.m. in the
Old Gym
Jan. 6 – meeting at 6:45 a.m. in the
sential.

Even with a surprising amount of rules
Freestyle like a champ
and regulations, play is widespread. Peo- by MELISSA GIFFORD take a ﬁfth straight County Champion title
Old Gym
ple go to extreme lengths to get to their op- staﬀ reporter and try to improve our ﬁnish at the state
Jan. 13 – meeting at 6:45 a.m. in the ponents. Waking up at 5 a.m. in order to The Etowah swim team is oﬀ to a great meet,” Bulger said.
Old Gym stake out an opponent’s home is a common start this season with ﬁrst place ﬁnishes for The senior captains this year are Alec Co-
Jan. 20 - meeting at 6:45 a.m. in the occurrence, as is staking out someone’s bus both boys and girls relays in their ﬁrst few hen, Emma Levido, Jordy Roberts and So-
Old Gym stop or place of work. People have been meets. phie Smith.
bribed and double-crossed. Friends and So far, the boys’ team has won ﬁrst in all Cohen recently signed to swim the Uni-
siblings who are not playing get dragged of its relays. The girls have placed ﬁrst in versity of Georgia.
in. Entire teams have even been destroyed all relays except the Cobb Relay in which The team goes to Adairsville on Dec. 9
Soccer before sunrise. they placed second. and the Maddie Brown Invitational at the
Jan. 15 – Etowah Soccer 5K fundraiser “For some Nerf Wars is just something Tracye Bulger, English teacher, and Vir- Emory Woodruﬀ PE Center in Atlanta. Jan.
at the stadium from 6-10 a.m. fun to do with your free time, but for oth- ginia Richards, Chapman Intermediate 7, the Eagles will host a meet at the Cobb
ers, like myself, it is rather intense. I see teacher, coach the Etowah team, favored to Aquatic Center.
it as an actual war. If I don’t kill the other win the Cherokee County meet according The team practices Monday to Friday at
team they will kill me. Winning the tourna- to the Cherokee Tribune. both the Eagle Watch pool and the Wood-
ment is the ultimate goal and nothing can “The team’s overall goal for the year is to stock Aquatic Center.
16 / December 2010 SPORTS the Talon

Varsity Eagles basketball jumps to a start Center at 5 p.m. on Dec. 18. Austin Miramonti. This is Miramonit’s ment,” Coach Bob Westbrook said.
by KELSEY SAEGER-BARNES Dec. 27-29, the boys head to Daytona third year on the varsity team. Westbrook says that their biggest competi-
staﬀ reporter Beach, Fla. for the Holiday Classic. Etowah is currently third in region stand- tors are Cherokee, Woodstock and Marietta
Hurlburt thinks this year’s team is fast, ings behind ﬁrst place Walton and second High schools.
The boys varsity basketball team, lead by versatile, and prepared oﬀensively. place Cherokee. During the holiday break, the girls will
Coach Don Hurlburt, has plans to return “One of the things we want to do this year In the 2009 season, the varsity boys went head to the Holiday Classic in Pickens
to the state playoﬀs this year and possibly is present an exciting team to represent to state playoﬀs and lost in overtime to County on Dec. 27-29.
compete for the region championship. Etowah,” Hurlburt said. Meadowcreek. They ﬁnished third in the The team is lead by senior star athletes
So far, the team is 2-2 with wins against Derrico Peck, junior, said the entire team region. Their ﬁnal record was 16 wins and Kaycee Cash, Stephanie Huﬀman, McK-
River Ridge and Roswell high schools. The must be dedicated. 13 losses. einsey Irvin, Lindsay Irvine and Christian
varsity Eagles face Lassiter at home on Dec. “As long as everyone stays committed to The varsity girl’s basketball team has had Langston. Cash, Huﬀman and Irvine are
10, followed by matches against Blessed working hard and getting better then we an impressive start to the season with ﬁve also getting looked at for scholarships.
Trinity, Sequoyah, Marist and Harrison will be successful,” Peck said. wins and one loss against Creekview. In the 2009 season of 2009, the girls had a
leading up to the holiday break. The Har- The team has many star athletes this sea- “Our main goal this season and every record of 23 wins and 7 losses. They made
rison game will be played at the Cobb Civic son including Peck, a starter, and senior other season is to get to the state tourna- it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen.

photos by Morgan Hinchey
Varsity Eagles are oﬀ to a good season that will sure to be full of many wins.